Word: palin
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...fact, what the entire Palin saga really shows is what a hard time the Republican establishment is having in pleasing its conservative base and trying to expand it. Palin, after all, is at the top of many lists of possible 2012 presidential contenders, and she remains hugely popular with the Republican base. But she'll never get elected without the support of an establishment that still has its doubts about her mainstream viability. These people need each other; if only they could figure out how to break bread with one another...
This plan backfired as well, however. After Cornyn extended the second invitation to speak, Sessions, concerned that she'd upstage Gingrich, vetoed her speaking role. "Chairman Sessions is a big supporter of Governor Palin, which is why he invited her to be the keynote speaker when the event was first announced," said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. "A great deal of effort has been put into this fundraising event, and Speaker Gingrich has gone above and beyond the call of duty. It is our hope that Governor Palin will attend the dinner and be recognized, but we understand if her busy...
...first reported by Politico, after Palin was informed Saturday that she could come but would not have a speaking role, her staff angrily said she likely wouldn't attend the dinner. Cornyn reached out to her personally on Sunday to try to change her mind, and on Monday, Sessions was also reportedly working overtime to try to persuade the popular Republican to attend the event. By late Monday afternoon, Palin had reportedly decided to attend (though not speak at) the dinner...
Some House aides complain that Cornyn - who was responsible for pulling the plug on Palin initially, when she waffled about whether she could commit to the dinner - issued the second invitation only because he recently ran afoul of conservatives when he endorsed Florida Governor Charlie Crist over conservative darling Mark Rubio months ahead of the primary for the Florida Senate. Cornyn's folks, not surprisingly, reject this idea. (See highlights from a debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin...
Before the current p.r. gaffe, Palin's trip to the lower 48 seemed to have been going well; it included an Alaska-themed parade that drew 20,000, a Yankees game with Rudy and Judy Giuliani and a dinner honoring her for the Independent Group Home Living Foundation, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities. (Palin's fifth child, Trig, has Down syndrome.) "They have been all over the map for the most part since the election," says a former GOP aide who worked with Palin. "But this trip has been smart." Perhaps it seemed that way at first...