Palin's Tea Party Speech In Indianola "On Hold"

She announced yesterday that she'll fly to New Hampshire to meet with a Tea Party group there right after she's done in Iowa -- a sign that maybe she is running after all.

But meanwhile, there's a problem with the much-promoted September 3rd appearance.

Sarah Palin’s Saturday appearance at a tea party rally in Indianola, Iowa, is on hold, a person close the former Alaska governor told The Wall Street Journal.

The person said Ms. Palin’s appearance was “no longer confirmed” and cited “continual lying” from event organizers at Tea Party of America, including a recent mixup over whether former U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware would also speak.

Ms. Palin is known for last-minute schedule changes that whipsaw supporters and media across the country. But the latest decision is puzzling. Ms. Palin’s speech at the rally was viewed as her most high-profile appearance of the summer, fueling speculation she was indeed plotting to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

Attendees were reportedly traveling from across the U.S. to attend the rally in Iowa, which holds the nation’s first nominating contest next year.

The whole article is jam-packed and I can't excerpt it all. One major issue seems to be the invitation extended to Christine O'Donnell to speak before Palin, which, if I'm reading this right, the Palin team quashed. But then, after cancelling that, the Tea Party group re-invited O"Donnell, some Tea Party organizers of the event "lying" (a source claims) in telling Palin's people that Palin herself had authorized a re-invitation.

I always thought it was pretty dumb that Christine O'Donnell would be speaking before Palin, if she intended to announce her bid for the presidency-- she doesn't need that headache. And I took this (silently; didn't write it) as a sign maybe she wasn't running.

But it turns out the Tea Party group organizing the event did this on their own, and Palin rejected it, and then they re-invited Christine O'Donnell, and Palin put the whole event "on hold."

She's apparently putting together some other appearances, without this group's involvement.

I know this is going to cause the typical fights in the comments but it's news.

I also know there is no point in saying this, but Ms. Palin's current jobs are 1, to appear on FoxNews, and 2, to manage her appearances, and she is forever cancelling appearances for one reason or another. This doesn't give me confidence in her management abilities, but I'm sure that's just because I hate women.

It also doesn't give me confidence that we have more accusations of "lying." Maybe the Tea Party organizers did lie. Or maybe they were just confused. Maybe they were just disorganized.

I don't know. But things tend to get personal with the Palins, and accusations of bad faith and malice quickly issue.

Yes, It Was About Christine O'Donnell: We already knew this, but...

To cut Palin a break -- What. Were. They. Thinking?

Assuming Palin wanted to announce for President-- did she want the nightly news report on this announcement to feature "speaking before Palin was failed Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell, who earlier had to deny she was a witch"?

The Tea Party often says it wants to bring "common sense" to America. I believe them, and I think it's important.

But they seem to have a blind spot, or an unwillingness to accept certain "common sense" realities -- such as the fact that while some (not all) Tea Partiers may still view Christine O'Donnell as a maligned hero, most of the public -- and, I'd imagine, most of the Tea Party -- views her as a drag on the movement.

There is a "Never give up on anything" spirit in some Tea Partiers which is kind of laudable but also kind of dunderheaded. Some bets have been lost. The house took those bets back hours ago. Going to the ATM and withdrawing another $5000 to win those bad bets back is a losing strategy, and exactly what the house -- the Media-Democratic Complex -- wants you to do.

The More I Think About It... The less I find fault with Palin.

What was the Tea Party of America thinking?

A Christine O'Donnell appearance siphons some of Palin's prestige and viability (which are not in oversupply) to Christine O'Donnell. Palin would validate (to some extent) O'Donnell, but only at the expense of Palin's supply of political capital.

How does this help Palin? It doesn't. Quite the opposite. And even if the rehabilitation of Christine O'Donnell is a worthy goal (which it's not, but if it were), Palin would naturally object to being drafted into being a major player in this project.

Further, if there is one time it is not selfish to declare "It's all about me, and everyone must focus on me," it is when you are declaring for President.

If Palin had a mind to declare on September 3rd, what is the Tea Party of America doing by stealing some of her spotlight for the non-factor Christine O'Donnell?

And then, after Palin's objections, re-inviting her anyway?

Still, if this was to be announcement, it should have been better controlled. It should have been the case that Palin, not the Tea Party of America, invited the other speakers.

Now "No Change"? Seems like the toothpaste is being stuffed back into the tube. A Tea Party of America spokesman now says if there's been a change, he doesn't know about it.

But that conflicts with a prior statement from the Tea Party of America president:

Tea Party of America President Ken Crow told NBC News, "I had to cancel Ms. O'Donnell" after a conversation with Sarah Palin aides -- and is now hopeful Palin will attend the Saturday rally in Indianola.

He was told by Palin's team that he'd have a final answer shortly.

...

The group has spent about $100,000 on the event for Palin and are thus waiting "with baited breath" for an answer. An official press release will come out after Palin people give Crow final word.

posted by Ace at 01:12 PM

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