The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Palin Parks Her Bus

Posted on | June 22, 2011 | 29 Comments

Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics — who got an early scoop about the Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated — seems mystifed by the pause in her “One Nation” bus tour:

Though Palin and her staff never announced a timeline for the remaining legs of her trip, aides had drafted preliminary itineraries that would have taken her through the Midwest and Southeast at some point this month. But those travel blueprints are now in limbo, RCP has learned, as Palin and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime Alaska . . .
More than a few of Palin’s core supporters have grown impatient and confused about her strategy, venting their frustration on Internet fan sites.
The former governor herself has consented to only one interview since her East Coast jaunt ended early this month, and her lack of recent public activity has generated a host of rumors about what her next step might be. Last week, the American Spectator, citing a single and unnamed Republican source, claimed that her presidential decision was imminent. Palin shot this speculation down immediately, but she didn’t counter it with anything definitive.
And earlier this week, some of her staunchest supporters grew concerned about gossip suggesting that she had reached out to Texas Gov. Rick Perry about lending her support to his potential presidential run. . . .

It wasn’t “speculation.” What I reported was a fact: Certain people were told to expect a decision this week, although whether they were told this with Palin’s authorization (or knowledge) is obviously a question mark.

However, Conroy notices what I noticed: Palin’s response was not “anything definitive,” so tea-leaf readers would naturally find signficance in the fact that Palin’s bus tour itinerary is now in “limbo.”

Speculation and gossip are common enough, and the Palin-Perry deal was a topic that got kicked around among some of those who attended last week’s Right Online conference. But nobody I talked to claimed to have any specific knowledge about that, so I didn’t write about it.

If I may be permitted to play the tea-leaf reader, the uproar generated by my American Spectator item last week exposed one obvious truth: Once Palin makes a decision, her decision won’t stay a secret very long.

So count this as “speculation,” if you will: Formally announcing a genuine presidential campaign will require the involvement of dozens of people, and if Palin is moving in that direction, someone involved in the process will somehow (perhaps accidentally) tip off the media’s Palin-watchers and the news will leak. On the other hand, if we don’t see any such signals of an impending announcement, we are then likely to start seeing leaks to the effect that Palin has decided against running.

One final tea leaf to consider: Sarah Palin hasn’t posted a new Twitter message since Sunday.

UPDATE: Obviously, she’s reading my blog. At 4:12 p.m. ET, I mentioned she hadn’t Tweeted in three days, and at 4:31 p.m., she started Tweeting up a storm, including this:

She’s also promoting Bristol’s new book, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far.

UPDATE II: Dave Weigel proposes a new philosophical principle he calls Palin’s Razor: The simplest explanation for what Sarah Palin does is most likely that she is Sarah Palin.

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Category: Election 2012, Sarah Palin

Comments

  • http://twitter.com/alwaysfiredup alwaysfiredup

    I think the bus tour is/was a test run to see if the family could put up with the media freakout that would be characteristic of a Palin campaign.  Maybe they didn’t need to do the whole thing to come to a decision.  And it would make sense to make the campaign announcement from Alaska, if there’s going to be one.

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  • Anonymous

    If she announces that she is not going to run, the press will be able to move on and demonize the rest of the Republican field. The other candidates and potential candidates need her undecided–the press is so Palin obsessed that they cannot resist trashing her and that deflects criticism from the others. The whole e-mail episode proved the existence of that obsession beyond reasonable doubt.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere
  • Anonymous

    Undoubtedly a ruse of some sort. As soon a the press has been lulled into complacency she’ll……………

  • ltw

    “Once Palin makes a decision, her decision won’t stay a secret very long.”

    Palin grew up in a small town, so she already knows that.

    And, social media  creates one big small town.  I think that’s why she mastered use of social media so quickly.

  • Anonymous

    Noted. I’m dumbfounded by certain Palin fans on Twitter who are excoriating me for merely pointing things out like this. It’s as if merely asking questions — “Is she going to run for president? Does this or that constitute a signal one way or the other?” — is now accepted as evidence that one belongs to the anti-Palin “lamestream media.”

  • Rose

    Don’t worry, it’s “still cool to be an Obama supporter” despite the fact that the country is melting down around his ears.

    You can guarantee that if Sarah Palin were President right now, this would not be happening. 

    No matter who we run, the press is going to attack and demonize, and deride, and destroy if they can. They’re thrown everything they have at her, and she still stands, stronger and better – more principled than the current occupant of the White House.

    Obama would never be able to stand the heat she has been subjected to. As he is beginning to find out, as one group after the other is turning away from him in disgust and despair.

  • Ash

    This is correct. We should convince her to continue her mystery bus tour as long as it drains MSM resources, for the good of the movement.

  • http://www.leftbankofthecharles.com Charles

    You can’t be pro-Cain and not be anti-Palin. The amazing  thing about Sarah is she probably intuited from your AmSpec piece without even googling you. She’s just that smart.

  • http://www.leftbankofthecharles.com Charles

    When the tour started I thought it was nothing more than an attempt to put her ex-aides’s book behind her. Maybe it was also to get in front of the email release. With his book and her emails not getting any traction, there is no need to continue the tour.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    -I know exactly what you mean.  It’s at times like these when I, a big supporter of Sarah Palin, am embarrassed by the Paulista-like reactions of some of Mrs. Palin’s supporters.  Calm the F down, people. Mrs. Palin would be the first to tell you that she is not to be followed unquestioningly. As she has said and written many times: this is not about her, this is about restoring America, so please stop the Cult Of Personality crap.

    -I am willing to be an exclusive, confidential source for you, Baretta, for some denarii.

  • Aaron Streeting

    She’s got a post up on Facebook as of 7:14 ET.

  • Aaron Streeting

    She’s got a post up on Facebook as of 7:14 ET.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe she just likes Alaska in the summer, I understand there are outdoors there.

  • Anonymous

    I think she is waiting for the field to settle. The gnats keep popping up & getting squeeshed (Huckleberry, The Lizard soon, followed by whats-his-name etc).  There is NO reason to annouce so soon except for the squeeshs hoping to get the early worm. Meanwhile the Cain Backmanns etc will be tested & vetted.
    Sit back, sip some suds, be happy

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

    True that. She can sit back, listen to what they all have to say, and bide her time. Then when she joins the field, if she does, she’ll be fresh and ready to go and will have all their numbers. Just like a hunter stalking her prey.

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  • http://www.solitudeholdings.com/blog1/ Dan C

    Sadly the conservative blogosphere is no better than the LSM when it comes to Palin. She told us all that she would go back to Alaska for a bit after the first stage of trip anyway. Now she has Jury duty as explained in a facebook post. But no, the blogs and media are so irresponsible they spin up anything to cause a “story.” The bus tour was not cancelled.  FACT.

  • http://www.solitudeholdings.com/blog1/ Dan C

    Your straw man argument is pathetic. Every Palin supporter I know has studied her record and supports here because of it.

  • http://www.leftbankofthecharles.com Charles

    Or it is all just a ploy to get out of her jury duty.

  • Anonymous

    Compelling theory.

  • Anonymous

    Consider the possibility that we are just marking time  until there is something actual to the factuals.

  • ltw

    Sarah Palin is on hold for “jury duty”.  This is awesome.   Double rainbow awesome paraphrasing Allahpundit.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    If you witnessed the way Stacy got slammed by some of her supporters when he reported that she would make a decision this week, you wouldn’t be talking of Straw Men. 

    There is a group of fanatical followers who are so into their worship of her that they have become super-sensitive and perceive negativity where there is none. 

    Read my posts on Mrs. Palin over at my blog and you’ll see how I have been on her side all along. 

    Your second sentence reminds me of what Pauline Kael said after the 1972 election: I don’t know how Nixon won. No one I know voted for him.  Get out more – it’s good for your health.

  • Crawford

    I’ve got a suggestion — STOP “REPORTING” SPECULATION AND RUMOR.

    Stick to verifiable facts. If you can’t tell us who told you something, then it’s not verifiable.

  • Anonymous

    Do you ever explore the profiles of some of the commenters?

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Adobe: Indeed, I do.  And I read Dan’s website About page before I replied.  He is an investor who writes: I do not need outside help to be successful – maybe not a successful market investor, but certainly as a blog commentator he does.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    We don’t appreciate fellers praisin’ that Allahpundit fella ’round these parts.

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