Having set up Diam's La Boulette for you, as well as Florence Foresti, now I can show you a compare-contrast which you will get.
Here is Sègoléne Royal, the first female candidate for the French Presidency, dancing (awkwardly) to La Boulette.
In fact, none other than Florence Foresti parodied her, in a very famous cutting skit.
It is said this little dancing performance by "Sego" led to her declining popularity with the French public, as it made her look superficial, unpresidential, and pandering too obviously to political correctness.
This reaction is funny, you know, since a very game Sarah Palin was able to gain back a little momentum in popularity, after she appeared in the infamous SNL rap skit with Amy Poehler.
Both ladies were taken less than seriously by their respective voting public, in part due to their good looks, but Palin came out the better of the two.
The Iron Dog Challenge of 2009 is officially in the books, and you'll be happy to know Todd Palin and his partner finished the gruelling race, 6th overall.
After one week of being away from each other, this is how the Governor of Alaska greeted her athlete husband on Saturday, 14 February.
If Vice-President Sarah Palin had been kissing her at the Abraham Lincoln celebrations, instead of President Barack Obama?
IN THE COMMENTS:Starless comments on the different Courics available for popular consumption.
Aside: I think it's really cute that Katie thinks she's a real journalist now. She puts on her big girl professional suit and her "serious" face. Its just adorable.
Thanks to Ron, I was reminded that today is Sarah Palin's forty-fifth birthday. I hadn't planned anything major on Sundries, but please join me in sending the busy Governor much deserved good wishes on her birthday!
Incidentally, when I Googled her Wikipedia entry, a strangely typed up blurb from the AP greeted me. Check out the highlighted portion of the truncated post.
Man has Greta van Susteren been lying down on the job recently. Not one peep about the First Dude, Todd Palin, in the past month! That's gotta be some record for the lady who is patently a little sweet on Sarah Palin's man.
I reckon Monday's telecast might change that though.
Sunday, 8 February 2009, marked the beginning of the gruelling Alaska race on "snowmachines", known as the Tesoro Iron Dog Challenge.
That's 1971 grizzly miles in sub-zero temperatures, often at a 100 mph clip, across the landscape of the Great State of Alaska. They start off in Big Lake Alaska, work themselves around to Nome, and supposedly will finish this year in Fairbanks.
Will Todd Palin and his partner, Scott Davis, be able to five-peat as champs? We shall see.
Here is Governor Sarah Palin giving her old man a good luck kiss before setting off. Piper seems amused.
Palin gives the green 'go' flag.
I just hope no one is hurt this year, as Todd Palin broke his hand last year, nevertheless finishing the race. John McCain seemed almost mesmerised by this fact, and mentioned it constantly on the campaign trail.
Hey, Todd Palin may not be a "maverick" but he is one tough hombre, he seemed to say.
(Yeah? So why didn't they use this chap to the fullest of his potential during the campaign? What a crock)
The 3,500 soldiers who make up the Army's 4th Brigade Combat team (airborne) 25th Infantry Division took a photo with Alaska National Guard commander-in-chief, Governor Sarah Palin.
They're off to Afghanistan for a 12-month deployment to the warring hotspot, after the Brigade served 14-months there until November/December of 2007.
Governor Sarah Palin has made it known she's attending, and in fact, speaking at this weekend's Alfalfa Club dinner expressly to meet new President, Barack Obama.
"The Alfalfa dinner, yes, in fact that's because President Obama is scheduled to be there," Palin said. "And how often will I have an opportunity to have dinner with the president? I will take up that offer to do so."
According to Politico, both Obama and Palin will address the crowd.
This photo-op will have the Washington crowd in a lather, given Governor Palin's repeated body blows of the then Democratic candidate during her RNC speech. I counted 15 references to him in that Scully ghosted speech, delivered in a brutal tone of derision about Obama's 'journey of self-discovery' as presidential candidate.
The over-200 members of this extremely select, powerful club include General Colin Powell, and since he had a few choice words to say about her, that might be an interesting meeting too, if he does attend.
What is certain is that the Georgetown cocktail set which Senator John McCain half-heartedly chastised for their refusal to be wowed by the Alaskan's accomplishments, will be looking for any miscue so Sally Quinn can milk it in commentary op-eds for weeks to come.
I actually think Governor Palin may not make it on Saturday, largely because of Anchorage's equivalent of Vesuvius, Mt. Redoubt, might erupt in the next few days. Here it is, with a scary mushroom cloud shape, doing just that in 1991.
If she leaves now, she will be accused by salivating Mudflatters that she is heartless, power-grabbing, and not doing her job as Governor (it would be curious to know their take on the AWOL Senate career of Barack Obama, who started campaigning for President the moment he swore, sans mistake that time, his senatorial Oath).
This despite the fact that her reason for going to Washington is precisely to get the ear of the President, or at least, to initiate contact on her State's behalf. Can't win with some, Guv'nor.
If you want a friend in Washington, said President Truman, get a dog. But it strikes me that huskies will not be needed this time. As they suspect all too well, her bite is far worse than her bark.
Ruth Anne Adams and JSU both simultaneously mentioned the newest development in Governor Sarah Palin's political evolution.
She now has her own Virginia-registered fund called "SarahPAC"!
One of the few, very very few, good things about John McCain's campaign was that his website allowed PayPal donations. That's one of the perks of having Meg Whitman as your pal. So I've popped off an email to the PAC officers to try to get this option since I think that would be a monumental boon to raising moneys.
ADDENDUM: As a student of history, I am very observant of messages sent by subtle cues in imagery. When the stakes are at the very highest, most details are not left to chance.
In that spirit, I have observed that Sarah Palin uses her hair down during speeches, which makes her still youthful features appear a little more severe. Almost counterintuitively though, the style flatters her more than the iconic "bun", which has increasingly been shunted aside since her roll-out in Dayton, Ohio. The "hair down" also offers an alternative to the constant short haircuts seen on other female politicians.
This is also why she uses her square librarian glasses (which at one point had been rumoured by HuffPo to be fake. No, she's worn glasses since her earliest childhood. In fact, so do Piper and Trig today, clearly inheriting those genes from their mother). Anything to detract from the fact that she is above-average looking woman in a field where homely women are legion.
Curiously, in the site photo, she is wearing the same shiny black jacket she used the day I saw her in person at the Hotel Intercontinental. That is not a flattering fabric, to say the least, but you can see she is sending another message that this is who she is, what she can afford, and has nothing to do with the supposed clotheshorse the RNC tried to transform her into.
Her posture is relaxed, her hands linked in that almost prayerful gesture she has during rallies, and her prominent jaw is jutting with determination at some far off goal in the distance.
Heads up to all those of you interested in watching the debut episode of Glenn Beck, at his new Fox News show every 5 PM. His first guest ever will be...Governor Sarah Palin of the Great State of Alaska!
I like saying it like that, as it reminds me of the Dayton, Ohio roll out presentation by Senator John McCain of his running mate. I recall that it was the first (and very last) time I ever felt anything approaching happiness at John McCain.
In case of interest, here is Governor Palin on Beck's Headline News show.
You know, I never liked him, and I never watched his programme. He's a lightweight, despite having penned a rather sweet novella which I read called "The Christmas Sweater".
But you better believe I'll be watching his own roll out, this Monday. Nice move, Glenn.
I forgot to post one of the most wonderful bits of news for those here, who know my regard for Governor Sarah Palin.
She became a granny on December 27, 2008.
Her eldest daughter, Bristol, the girl who was smeared by a million disgusting tongues when her mother was a Vice-Presidential candidate, gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston -- continuing the tradition of his uncle Trig's three-barrelled Christian names before his surname, a common practise in Britain, but unusual for the two-named Americans -- was born in Palmer, Alaska and weighed in a very healthy 7 lbs 4 oz.
(I was 7 lbs 1 oz, and almost 22 inches long. My mother, when they put me in her arms the first time, remarked that she felt she was given a torpedo to hold)
His auntie Colleen Jones remarked:
"The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well. Everyone is excited."
Other than that, there has yet been no official word from Governor Palin herself, and I don't blame her. I would give no one, let alone the mentally diseased like Andrew Sullivan, any kind of satisfaction after the unbelievable rumours attached to both her and her daughter's pregnancies.
I knew politics was dirty, but just how much, and to what extent it was amongst each respective's Party's supporters, came as one of the greatest eye-openers of my life. Though an Historian, who has read her fair share of scurrilous rumours of every kind, I confess, I didn't know such malice existed, directed towards a practically newborn baby, until then.
I can only pray that little Tripp (whose name reminds one that of the super-snoop Democrats love to hate, Linda Tripp) doesn't have to undergo the same rank foulness directed towards his mother, uncle, and grandmother.
We live in hope in 2009.
ADDENDUM: Actually, after stating that this birth was a private family matter, Governor Palin has issued an official communiqué in the State of Alaska website:
Governor Sarah Palin Welcomes Her First Grandchild
December 31, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin has welcomed her first grandchild, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, born to Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston on December 27.
“We are over the moon with the arrival of this healthy, beautiful baby,” Governor Palin said. “The road ahead for this young couple will not be easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Bristol and Levi are committed to accomplish what millions of other young parents have accomplished, to provide a loving and secure environment for their child. They are both hard workers, they’re very strong, and have faith they’ve made the right decision in setting aside their own interests to make this child their highest priority.”
Palin added, “When Bristol and Levi first told us the shocking news that she was pregnant, to be honest, we all at first looked at the situation with some fear and a bit of despair. Isn’t it just like God to turn those circumstances into such an amazing, joyful blessing when you ask Him to help you through?”
Bristol Palin said she “obviously discourages” teen pregnancy and knows that plans she previously made for herself will now forever be changed. “Teenagers need to prevent pregnancy to begin with – this isn’t ideal. But I’m fortunate to have a supportive family which is dealing with this together. Tripp is so perfectly precious; we love him with all our hearts. I can’t imagine life without him now.”
Bristol begins her final semester of high school next week where she’ll get her last credit needed to graduate. She looks forward to continuing her record of good grades and high achievement. Levi is continuing his online high school work in addition to working as an electrical apprentice on the North Slope.
Bill McAllister, the governor’s office communications director, adds: "The governor's office previously declined to comment to honor the family's wishes that the event remain as private as possible. However, the high volume of press inquiries, along with some erroneous information that was published, prompted the governor to make a statement."
In a phone interview, the Governor said that the rumours about Levi and Bristol being high school dropouts were awful, and hurt their chances for future employment.
They were, and I quote, "working their butts off".
No other politician in America is this refreshingly frank. May none of them ever change.
Awwww. Little Trig dressed up as Santa. Enchanting.
Governor Palin and family were on hand to greet the record amount of visitors to the Governor's Mansion, in Juneau, yesterday. Over 3300 people braved awful icy conditions for the open house.
One lady was not a local resident, either. She came all the way from where commenter Bekah lives, in Virginia, just to be able to meet her political heroine.
Denise Spencer flew north from Yorktown, Va., for the open house and the chance to meet Palin.
"I said, ’OK, this is what I want for Christmas,’" she said. She’s also considering moving here.
Palin, she said, inspired her to become involved with politics again and she volunteered for the McCain-Palin ticket.
"She’s straightforward — what you see is what you get," Spencer said.
I wouldn't live there, but ever since I heard about the moose stews, the interminable snow machine references, and the caribou cookouts, I tell you, I'm considering taking a trip up there -- something inconceivable for this inveterate city girl a mere year ago.
But I have always wanted to see America as she was over 100 years ago: especially the kind of people who lived at the time. It's not in some tourist trap "wild west" town in Colorado or inside the waxy confines of a museum where that can be found.
It's in Alaska.
ADDED: That is a mountain of a man extending his hand for Palin to shake. He looks like a rather festive polar bear. Maybe Palin can pin him on her hideous Senior Yearbook Photo blue suede outfit instead of that usual pin.
My beloved Governor Sarah Palin makes a triumphant comeback to Sundries, after stumping this Monday for Senator Saxby Chambliss (worst name ever). He is trying to stay alive in the runoff against challenger, Democrat Jim Martin, and she went over to the Peaches State on his behalf.
Take a look at the Google News articles about this. Count 'em. 1240 related articles. This woman draws attention to her like bees to Bonapartes. How this must chap the collective arses of the Liberals who want her to go away, or just implode already, preferrably both.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution takes note.
“The Saxby Chambliss signs are plentiful, but it’s clear even before you walk in that this is a Sarah Palin for President event, four years ahead of its time,” reports Jim Galloway from the Gwinnett Center.
Of course, journalist Jay Bookman also said that she was drawing "decent but not great crowds", but failed to mention she did so in a torrential downpour around Georgia, on a Monday morning. Curiously, this sour appraisal contrasted with another AJC writer, Jim Tharpe, who described the scene and supporters' reactions like this.
Lambasted by many on the left, Palin is a rising GOP star among many conservatives. The self-professed “hockey mom” was mobbed at her Gwinnett stop as she waded into the crowd to sign autographs and pose for photos after her speech. Hundreds of people held aloft camera-equipped cellphones trying to get an image of the governor.
The scene was much the same at Palin’s three other stops in Georgia.
Penny and Chuck Ballas got back into Augusta at midnight Sunday from a trip to New York City. They found out Palin was going to be in town and got up at the break of day to attend Monday’s rally.
“I told my wife, ‘I haven’t even had my coffee yet, but I’ll do this for Sarah,’ ” Chuck Ballas said.
Chuck, I know the feeling.
Enjoy the photos of the rallies below.
Still gorgeous. Still inspiring (especially to women, as you can plainly see above). Still Sarah.
"Palin/Saxby 2012"? Right now, let's concentrate on 2008. There's a lifetime of rallies until then.
ADDED: Commenter Bekah has received a wonderful personal message from Governor Palin!
This Thanksgiving Day, the "Our Country Deserves Better PAC" will be coming out with a television ad thanking Governor Palin for her 2008 run for Vice-President.
She made the word "shoutout" famous in a political setting, but now, she's getting a little shoutout of her own. Nice.
EDIT: Well, boo. I cannot get the video code to work, so that it doesn't constantly load (even with Peggy Gero DaValt's tips).
When you throw a 50th anniversary ball to celebrate it, and seven of your State's eleven Governors show up.
Here is incumbent Governor, Sarah Palin, surrounded by Bill Sheffield, left, Walter J. Hickel, Frank Murkowski, Tony Knowles, Steve Cowper, and Keith Miller, right, and a seated Territorial Gov. Mike Stepovich.
The photo is interesting to make a point about Palin's "maverick" status, which highlights her independent streak as a Republican politician and reformer.
Two of the Governors you see above are no fans of Sarah Palin.
One is Frank Murkowski, the Republican governor she beat to win the actual Republican nomination, and whose profligate ways led to buying that famous jet plane Palin put on sale on eBay. He also appointed his own daughter, Lisa, to a Senate seat. He and Ted Stevens were the most powerful politicians in Alaska in their day.
And then there is Tony Knowles, the Democrat governor she actually beat in the election. He underestimated her in the debates, and came to regret it.
But the photo also provides us an occasion for amusement.
Remember that fuschia dress she's wearing? You might have seen it in photos of Palin's inaugural ball as governor. Here she is, being led around gracefully on the dancefloor by the First Dude.
It appears that she has only one good evening dress, so the days of the RNC sprucing her up with Neiman Marcus duds are definitely over.
Whilst the hair is an improvement from the slap-on-gel version of the inaugural ball, the newer photo shows her wearing that horrific ALASKA pin loaded with Swarovski crystals. Oh God, I'm surprised she didn't add the polar bear pin too.
(Hey, I admire her, but I am still a woman when it comes to criticising dress sense. It's our birthright, so natch)
Off to watch either Quantum of Solace or Battle in Seattle. Will post a review tomorrow.
These are supposedly taken by the Hotel Intercontinental pool.
Incidentally, you have to go into the Spa area, to go to the pool. I alluded to the fact in my previous blogpost that I asked staff if they had seen Governor Palin, but what I didn't tell you is that I did inquire that question of a high-level staffer as well as my spa attendant.
According to this person, Governor Palin didn't go to the pool, at all.
She used the gym only after it had closed to members at night, and then only once, on Wednesday. The gym was very small incidentally -- I was given a tour. It's about a 1200 x 700 foot room, with about 10 machines of each with television monitors on them.
(Found a photo)
So if that is Sarah Palin by the pool, and the first looks the closest to her, but the second looks like a man in drag, copying the pose of the first photo, I would be surprised.
Shave off that five o'clock shadow, Sarah.
ADDED: Remember when Governor Palin said she had gone one Halloween, as Tina Fey -- and as usual, the Left Blogosphere thought she was lying?
"Added Faye Palin, ‘‘I think Sarah would be laughing right along with everybody. Tina Fey did a great job.
What was so ironic about that was that several years ago, Sarah went to a Halloween party as Tina Fey. So it was just kind of like this whole thing went full circle."
There are so many rumours, and half-truths spun about this woman, that it seemed the right post to put that particular baby to bed.
UPDATE: I had a Michael Steele post planned, and a political-assistant-as-eunuch post planned, but it's late, and I'm lazy.
But I didn't want this post to stand without an update, since apparently, I am in for a moose hat tasty treat. More photos of the purported Sarah Palin at the pool.
She's drinking a Diet Coke, and has a Blackberry near her. That's her all right. I hope moose hat tastes good.
(Incidentally, I'll kill myself if I was at the pool area on Wednesday -- the day I went to scope things out -- having lunch at the bar there, and didn't realise she was around)
ONE MORE: Okay, the high-level staffer I spoke to might not have been lying to me, if this story is true.
These photos may be of Sarah Palin, but they are not at the Intercontinental. They are at the Madarin hotel, nearby.
According to news reports, Gov. Sarah Palin skipped the lunchtime political briefing at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami on Wednesday, preferring to do an interview with CNN. But she did manage to get in some pool time later in the day.
A Yeas & Nays spy spotted Palin and an aide poolside at Miami's Mandarin Oriental hotel (the GOP meetings are being held a mile away at the Intercontinental).
Rather than a bathing suit, the Pride of Wasilla was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, thanks to the windy, overcast weather.
Yes, it was overcast on Wednesday. And though not all the angles look like her, it could be because I suspect that they are shot with a cellphone camera and are really blurry.
I'm still skeptical that ALL the photos are her, but some of the details do add up.
To anyone who has been following my blog since August 29th, you know just how intensely I have been writing about the trajectory of Governor Sarah Palin.
After she failed to make a campaign appearance in Miami, and her ticket lost the presidential election, I thought it would be ages until I saw her in person. It was akin to withdrawal, though I wouldn't go so far as to say it depressed me.
To my slight astonishment, then, the week after the presidential election saw a continued burgeoning interest in the Governor -- if anything, given that she was now calling her own shots, minus the leash of Camp McCain, she was suddenly everywhere.
Then, in one of the most unbelievable strokes of luck that I've had in my life (and I confess that I have been unbelievably blessed, for which I thank God very humbly), it was confirmed that the Governor would be attending the Republican Governors Association at the Hotel Intercontinental, no more than 5-10 minutes away from my home.
I knew this opportunity could not be passed up.
So I gathered up my courage, and sans press pass (though a blogger colleague had kindly offered his), I went to the Hotel early in the morn, and with the self-assurance that I was born with, went past the two Miami police officers closely guarding the barriers into the Hotel. After valet parking my car, once inside, no one bothered me.
Here are tips to anyone wanting to crash one of the hottest events in town.
Dress very well. Be polite. But walk in like you own the joint. Also, don't ask too many questions. Pretend you know what you are doing, and suspicion is lessened. This has served me well the whole of my life, and you would be surprised just the types of people I have met using these suggestions.
I went up one of the two escalators, in a hotel I had been to several times before (knowing the layout certainly helped). In 1994, when we were not actually watching World Cup matches around the US during that amazing year, my parents and I went to watch matches via satellite in the same ballroom area Governor Palin was in today.
Unfortunately, the area around the meetings and press conferences were impenetrable. I decided to play it cool and go back downstairs, milling around the various reporters and journalists we all of us know so well.
Walking past William Kristol, I smiled and he graciously smiled back. I could've cared less about Dana Bash, and the other soberly suited reporters leaning over their state-of-the-art Macs, typing away their bylines or transcribing their notes -- I saw the son of my personal historian heroine, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and that made me happy.
The following are my impressions, and I will stand by them, even if they turn out to be erroneous as to the names of the people I saw. I'll correct them whenever possible, after checking the guest lists.
Incredibly, there was Governor Tim Pawlenty yet again, a man I've now seen three times in two days. He was certainly a media favourite, it seemed to me.
I wondered if the Franken-Coleman situation was why he was in such great demand, but given the interviews I heard him give (2), which were not exactly sour towards Governor Palin, but they were, shall we say, cool towards her, I wonder just how much he was bothered that there but for the grace of God for Palin, he would've been alongside McCain.
I have no doubt at all that he is positioning himself for 2012.
Speaking of which, I saw our own Governor Charlie Crist, some hours later. He is perhaps the most polished man I have seen next to President-Elect Obama. He gives off precisely the same kind of sleek svelteness, which is very difficult to describe. I noticed that his face is much more leathery than he even shows in photographs. You want to talk tanning beds, there's your guy.
He is not an excitable fellow, but it struck me that almost everyone milling around shared his...oh I don't know -- perhaps irritation, mixed with edgy competitiveness.
There was a definite undercurrent of tension there, which perhaps is common in the US political realm when so many high-powered politicians are congregated in a relatively narrow space, but it was really new to me.
I went to get myself my caramel macchiato at the Starbucks inside the hotel, as the conference was in full swing.
I turned around, and I do believe the person I saw was (of all people) ex-Senator Rick Santorum. If I am right, he was accompanied by an aide, both of them acting oddly. They seemed...self-important. He nudged his way past me, though clearly I was in the queue ahead of him. Then, after perusing the desserts counter, he ironically asked me if I was "standing in line", and with a dry retort, I said yes indeed I was (I have an allergy to people who are queue jumpers).
He and his aide started snickering as they went behind me, perhaps caught off-guard at my accent and formal tone.
In fact, I have to tell you something, my dear Sundries readers. The entire atmosphere of that conference oozed people who acted as if they are self-important. I am used to a certain amount of arrogance. God knows I just admitted I can be too.
But there is a fine line between thinking you're so important, that the basic rules of life do not apply to you -- and this Hotel was bursting at the seems with such people.
To me, this is utterly ridiculous.
Certainly, I am not talking about the actual politicians who were there, who perhaps one can excuse for thinking they are important people. If you're a Governor of an US State, heck yeah, you're important.
I am talking about the dark-suited aides, flunkies, and general gadflies hanging around the politicians. I include in this the reporters on their beat, but since this is a political meeting, I will concentrate on these folks.
Perhaps I caught them on an off-day, but it strikes me that if you are the Party striving to get back into the national discourse, and certainly looking to the Governors for leadership not just politically, but in terms of bearing, that it doesn't do your kind any favours by seeming toffee-nosed.
Having a few relatives in Washington, I have met my fair share of these hangers-on, individually; lobbyists, aides, speech writers, and the like. They are often irritating people, and seem to look down on people given who is in and who is out given that day's news cycle. There is an intensity to their "inside baseball" jockeying for knowledge.
That's precisely the idea I got from this assembly.
If they didn't recognise you (and I am not in the least speaking of me, but the little by-plays I observed), or you were not in the loop, your presence was not coveted. Poor Governor Heineman of Nebraska was practically a nonentity there.
You know another strange shock I got from these many black suited aides? That many of them are really effeminate. Not swishy, you understand, though I did see a few of those. But they behaved in a feminised fashion.
One such fellow was ordering Starbucks for a well-known Governor (he said the name loudly, as if the people overhearing it would be impressed, but I will not reveal it out of discretion), and I realised that the "bag men" tend to be young, handsome, well-dressed to the point of being fashionable (which is different from being elegant, of course).
Perhaps it's understandable that when you are in that position, you need to look well since you're representing someone of note. But I was reminded of the many Buckingham Palace staff I used to meet in the after-hours Ebury Wine Bar, near Victoria Station. The men were all exactly this type of effeminate man, and I think they were hired because they got off being so close to power, and loved being surrounded by opulence.
After a while, so as to draw attention away from my lolly-gagging around, I went to the Indigo restaurant downstairs. To my astonishment, as I sat near the bar, about 20 feet away, almost as if he were in a cubicle, there was I do believe Governor Bobby Jindal. He is much younger-looking than you can imagine. He looks like he's a college freshman, and actually, in profile looked bizarrely similar to a young JFK. He was utterly alone, and since I didn't want to stare, I am not sure if he was having a quiet moment to catch up with news, or if he were on his laptop or what.
What an ascetic air he has!
There is a problem with Jindal's chances to run for the Presidency in 2012, as I see it.
There are some people who give off a certain something (more on that in a bit). Jindal didn't at all give me that impression. He seemed utterly unmagnetic, and though not ordinary, perhaps I was expecting more. Frankly, he was nerdy-looking.
To become a genuine threat to run for the Presidency, especially given the adoration of his followers, and the presence that President-Elect Obama gives off (which is genuine, he truly is impressive up close), I believe you need to be a charismatic person. Jindal looks like a rather earnest priest.
After ordering my lunch, I went back upstairs since Governor Palin's remarks were supposed to be over by that time. I went up the escalators again, and a cop smiled as I went by. Whew.
There were two permanent news stations on either side of the circular area. One was busy interviewing Mike Duncan (hey, I finally saw our fearless RNC leader), whilst the other was getting impressions from an NBC or perhaps MSNBC reporter.
If you have gotten this far in my massively long, and somewhat gossipy post, you are about to be rewarded.
Because this is when I saw Governor Sarah Palin, not 10-15 feet away from me.
Before I tell you my feelings about her, let me just add that I think I have suddenly gotten some inkling as to why feminists, and particularly, feminist journalists dislike her so.
As I saw her speaking to a bevy of these black-suits, I realised a startlingly obvious point which hadn't struck me as fully before: she was the LONE woman of power in that entire area.
Though Governor Linda Lingle was there, I didn't see her. I don't think it would've altered my impression that Sarah Palin is doing the impossible -- she is a force in a profession of raw power which is almost entirely male.
In fact, she is not just a force, she is THE FORCE right now.
As she spoke, I am not kidding you when I say that every eye was either unabashedly on her, or trying to pretend they weren't flat out staring at her.
This was the conversation at the bar, as one overheard whispered conversations in snatches.
"Finally, then Sarah Palin went..." "Did you hear that Sarah Palin said..." "An incredible...Sarah Palin...finished"
Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin. The name was EVERYWHERE.
When I read Bekah's account of meeting Sarah Palin, and Bekah had a far more powerful encounter than my simple clapping eyes on the lady, I recall her saying that she had a glow about her. Well, Bekah, if you are reading this, I will tell you that I wondered if that was right or were you simply too moved that day to be able to read her correctly.
I also am aware that since I do genuinely like her, that I did not want this attitude to influence me either way. I want to give you as neutral an impression as I can about Palin.
But I have to apologise for thinking that, because you were absolutely right, Beks. Sarah Palin has an aura around her that is unbelievable. I have never seen anything quite like it in a politician. I used to scoff at the idea of "rock star" whenever Obama was mentioned, but truly, there are certain people in this world which stand out as super stars. It's like they are illuminated by their own personal spotlight.
And Palin in that group of macho egos, waspish young men and resentful career women was most definitely a rock star.
Her head of hair is enormous, leonine even, giving her very slight body a top-heavy look. She was slightly stooped, and wore a shiny kind of black top which I didn't think flattered her, but she still looked utterly beautiful.
She is not that tall (a running joke on Sundries about her height) so my first jolted thought was, Katie Couric must be a shrimp.
But my second thought was 'wow'.
I kept wondering, was she always like this? Does her recent run as the Vice-Presidential nominee somehow make her stand out from those around her, giving her a glamour they just don't have? I would've loved to have known this woman before 2008.
I remember writing a blogpost after her roll-out called "Sarah Palin Does That To People", where I wrote that she has this force which draws her to some people (like Adam Brinkley, who launched that website about her vice-presidential prospects after her gubernatorial win in 2006) or like Ruth Anne Adams or Benning, both of whom mentioned her to me back in May.
We all of us were dealing with the idea of Sarah Palin, but nevertheless, she clearly had the same effect on people who saw in this small-town girl with the funny regional accent, someone to definitely keep an eye on.
Here is another interesting fact, which in fact, was mentioned by a few commenters, those self-same angry feminists, and Dennis Miller on O'Reilly the other night: Palin is sexy.
Not just sexy, as in she is shapely and cute, but the lady oozes a really startling raw sexuality.
I think this is yet another piece in the puzzle of why she is disliked by so many people, or why Sandra Bernhardt and other lesbians found themselves appalled and yet obsessed by her. There is something of the unattainable about her, which must frustrate them tremendously. One has to be very careful when talking about this aspect of her femininity, because it can be misconstrued. It's a chicken or the egg argument, at that.
Most women traipse a fine line between feeling the need to hide their gender in the workplace, to be less fecund, all in the hopes they will be taken more seriously in their jobs. And in walks Sarah Palin, her five children, the product of a happily married state. It must be indescribably frustrating to them that she doesn't play by other kinds of women-determined 'rules'.
Also, they feel that she should, by all rights, be rather ordinary -- I mean, Wasilla, the town of 7,000 come on, they think. This disappoints people who want her to be mundane, which would allow her to be easily dismissed by them.
But she's not, and they, therefore, cannot. This is the Sarah Palin problem for them: she cannot be torn down so easily. They just don't understand why. She keeps popping up, undeterred, confounding every type of received liberal wisdom.
Another thing is that of all the people in that room, one never got a conceited vibe from her.
She kept leaning into people, rocking back her head in laughter, not just listening to what the guys around her said, but paying attention to what they said. This is probably why many people call her "gracious". Her people skills, in the brief time I saw her working them, were exceptional.
Finally, I would say she also gave off an ambitious vibe.
This is hard to describe because obviously it requires personal knowledge of the woman, which I clearly lack.
But if you've ever seen a person on the make, then you've seen Sarah Palin. I understand now why Lyda Green (her Alaskan nemesis) so dislikes her, and thinks she's "sneaky". She was working that room in no uncertain way.
The Plenary Session started up a bit later, so to buy time, I decided to treat myself to a spa visit upstairs.
The beautifully appointed spa was awash with older ladies in the provided cloth bathrobes, waiting for their massages and manicures inside the Relaxation Room. I have no doubt that I was probably seated next to Governor This or That's wife. For all I know, I could've been next to a future First Lady.
Of course, I asked if Palin had been to the spa, but my attendant was "not interested in politics" as she quietly told me. She pronounced politics like many Spanish people do, incidentally, Paul-LEE-ticks.
No worries. I understand. Not everyone is crazy enough about politics to crash a conference to which she was not invited, for the express purpose of posting a very long, chatty, and perhaps at times inchoate blogpost for her readership.
Because I didn't go there and then write about it just for me.
If that had been the case, I would've taken up that kind of offer from the blogger to get a press pass and do it properly. I no doubt would've written up a more professional post, full of wonkese, and less rambling.
Instead, I wanted to be a fly on the wall for you.
As I said, I stand by my impressions of each of the situations I wrote about, but I have the sensation that if you had been there with me, you would've shared my opinions as I wrote them about each person.
I have only one regret, which my mother (who comically surprised me later by actually crashing the event herself...I guess I know where I get my moxie from) told me continues to be a source of frustration to her.
"Why didn't you take a photo of her??"
"Oh mum, come on. I couldn't do that. I was too embarrassed."
"Don't be weak! I didn't raise you to be weak!" (P.S. my mother hates weak people)
"I didn't want to look...like I didn't belong."
(angry) "You were born belonging!"
Perhaps. Interestingly, this is the moral of this quixotic blogpost about the first time I saw Sarah Palin.
Some people were born belonging. When they have a goal, the idea that it cannot be done doesn't cross their mind. But that's not Sarah Palin's destiny. Palin wasn't born belonging. She made it by sheer brute force of her personality, her will, and ambition to belong.
It struck me that being an outsider is sometimes a blessing in disguise. Whilst others preen themselves on how much of an insider they are, how much more they know than the "little people", and just how important they are because of it, Palin stands there amongst them aware that she is the perpetual outsider.
Outsider because of her gender. Because of where she comes from. Because she doesn't play by the rules she was born to.
Sarah Palin just didn't crash an event. She crashed an entire career.
P.S.: Well, once I came down from my pampering, when the joint had cleared out for their Art Deco tour, I did take some photos. Come on now, I have to be good for something!
ON MY WAY! What a gorgeous 85F sunny SoFla day.
The entrance of the Hotel Intercontinental. Traffic homicide? All hands on deck.
A view of our new skyline. Previously the Freedom Tower, now dwarfed by those downtown condos, was the tallest building to the Northeast of it.
Coast Guard Patrol carefully inspecting the waters. A lot of governors needed to be protected inside.
The CNN station where Sarah Palin was interviewed yesterday by Larry King.
A view of the lobby from above.
You can see some of the "blue-suits" lounging around the atrium. That limestone is very neurotic.
I needed to chill out in the Relaxation Room.
As I left, this policewoman's horse cast me a dirty look. It's like he KNOWS.
Republicans: Thank Your Lucky Stars For Sarah Palin
I am off to bed, as I prepare for a full day of Republican Governors Association reporting tomorrow.
As I watched local and national coverage of Palin, in this media post-election barrage about her, I was struck by how easily she has re-insinuated herself into the national narrative. The gal didn't miss a beat, did she?
Then I wondered if the other Republican governors at the convention, perhaps with their own Presidential ambitions in the coming years, were beginning to get annoyed or jealous about the attention this woman was drawing to her. After all, she was part of a losing ticket. The Party of Lincoln should be more than just about Sarah Palin, don't you think?
Well, not exactly.
Take away all the ego from the situation, which is difficult, but necessary given the post-election blues, the other Republicans attending the conference should feel absolutely blessed to have this woman amongst them.
This includes, may I add, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida, who more than a few people suspect, wants to run for the Presidency in 2012.
Why?
Because by all rights, the Republicans after November 4, 2008 should be dead. Lifeless. No heartbeat. Some are even declaring them a spent force politically for at least the next 20 years.
Clearly, these are partisans, and probably youthful ones at that, who think a win means a sea-change in American worldview, hoping against hope that Barack Obama will do for Democrats what Ronald Reagan did for Republicans in 1980 -- he made Liberal a dirty word.
For them, they think Barack Obama will make "Conservative" a dirty word.
No chance.
You've heard this a million times since the election, but this country is still a centre-right country. The election elevated the most Leftist man ever to seriously make a run for it from a major Party, but gay marriage was voted down in all three States where it was also on the ballot. New gun owners are being born by the thousands this year, in part due to their distrust of Obama (a fear that gun laws may be tightened). Americans still overwhelmingly believe in God. And just for added kicks, they believe in patriotism, and are deafeningly pro-military.
Barack Obama's repudiation was not a striking down of Conservatism, but a reaction to 8 years of George W. Bush, the economic meltdown, and the chance to make an once-in-a-lifetime historic choice. Do you doubt it? Consider this.
- People whose best pocketbook interests were not served by a Leftist inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, voted for him in droves. He will raise their taxes, but they didn't care.
- People who wanted to "punish" an anti-immigration platform, did so by voting against the guy who was their champion -- John McCain.
- People who were religious, rural and blue-collar voted for an urbane, snobby chap who said they clung to guns and Bibles, and whose own religious background was shepherded by a Christian pastor who spewed black supremacist hatred to his face for 20 years.
Looking at these facts, is it a small wonder that Democrats think the Republican Party is on life support?
But it's not. You know why it's not? In part, in very large part, because the personal magnetism of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.
When tickets lose, usually the losers disappear from television for a good long while. Nothing marks one as cruelly in America, as being associated with losing the Presidency. Jimmy Carter was a joke the moment he lost the election. Even the Iranians laughed at him by refusing to release those 444 hostages on his watch, and he was the sitting President not the challenger!
John Kerry and John Edwards weren't seen for months after their loss. Journalists pounded their campaign for their lack of standing for anything, even before Kerry's Faneuil Hall speech was over.
That should have been what happened to Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. In fact, it's half-true.
John McCain retired to his Arizona ranch to grill Brats and ribs for almost a week, and the only reason he reappeared on the scene, a full 6 days later, was to explain his campaign's trashing of his running-mate. If not, he could've continued grilling until well into January without a peep wanted or needed.
In the strangest way, if it hadn't been for those nefarious leaks which McCain did very little to strike down, maybe Sarah Palin wouldn't have been as ubiquitous on our sets this week. If they had wanted to bury her, they should just have ignored her and let the last image of her be the woman misty-eyed next to McCain on the Arizona Biltmore dais.
Of course, that wouldn't have happened anyway. Media knew a ratings star when they saw her, and that certainly describes Sarah Palin.
She received offers to host a Fox News show almost immediately. Even porn kings laid down before her a $3 million offer if only she would star in her own version of Nailin' Palin. And when her appearance at the governors conference in Miami was confirmed, the usual 30 press passes issued for the event, quadrupled.
They weren't quadrupling for Tim Pawlenty or even our sainted star of the future, Bobby Jindal, guys. The only reason for this astounding increase, is that feisty little lady from Alaska.
Palin is the ticket out of political Siberia for Republicans. The savvier amongst them realise that.
So long as she is, with media slobbering over themselves to dedicate "What will she do now?" shows about her, and with a very nervous Liberal opposition on blogs masking their unease as bitter hatred, she will continue to elevate her fellow Republicans.
By every standard, after such an election which was portentous with anti-Republican sentiment, no Republican politician should remotely be spoken of for weeks.
This should be Obama Time. All Obama. 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
It's not.
No doubt even Palin won't be able to keep up the white hot intensity of the klieg lights on her as she has this week, but the fact that she has been the centre of attraction during the key first days after an historic win by President-Elect Obama, speaks volumes.
Sarah Palin isn't done. She hasn't been vanquished. In fact, Palin Time is ticking along nicely.
Republicans, thank your lucky stars for Sarah Palin, and her ability to give you a happy, hopeful face, instead of that long Kerry face of defeat.
I hope these ridiculous thumbnail videos from Fox News of Governor Palin's Greta van Susteren interview do not slow down the blog, but just for your pleasure, here they are anyway.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: Remember that Governor Palin will be shown on The Today Show again on Wednesday at 7:00 AM: Part 2 of her interview with Matt Lauer. Then, at 9 PM on Larry King Live. There's yet a third interview scheduled, but I haven't found to whom she is giving it yet.
