Palin Misses Another Expected Public Appearance

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Republicans

(AP Photo )

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will not be delivering a speech at an anti-abortion rights event this evening as expected, making this the fourth time this year anticipated public comments from Palin have been scratched.

The Alaska Family Council has for weeks advertised that Sarah Palin would speak at a fundraiser and petition signing to promote an Alaska ballot measure that aims to prevent teenagers from getting an abortion without notifying their parents. Organizers only learned on Wednesday that Palin is out of the state and does not plan on attending the event, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

When asked on Wednesday about the event, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton told the newspaper, "This is the first we have ever heard of a speech."

Stapleton said Palin was invited to the fundraiser but notified the Alaska Family Council that she would be out of town. Alaska Family Council President Jim Minnery reportedly said organizers had been in communication with contacts for Palin for weeks and were not aware she would be out of town.

Palin has not had any public appearances since resigning as governor last month, though she has kept a high profile through her Facebook account.

On three other occasions this year, she was anticipated to speak publicly but did not. Earlier this month, Palin missed an event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Calif. hosted by the Republican Women Federated of Simi Valley. Her staff said she never committed to the event. In June, Palin was billed to give the keynote address at a national Republican fundraiser, though her aides said she never accepted the invitation (she ended up attending the event but did not give an address). And in February, Palin backed out of an appearance at a conservative convention.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by kbarch August 30, 2009 9:10 AM EDT: CBSNews:

Have your news crew on Martha's Vineyard keep their eyes out for Sarah Palin. Some folks are claiming she is on the island and has booked a fishing trip for today or tomorrow. The folks in Alaska whom she stiffed for their event should be aware of this if it is indeed true.; Reply to this comment


by MOInkslinger August 28, 2009 8:51 AM EDT: Sarah left her job as Governor for a "higher calling." She isn't going to run for President in 2012, she is planning on running for God. She doesn't need the media, the voters, the electoral college or the RNC to run for God.; Reply to this comment


by pasmalltown August 28, 2009 7:33 AM EDT: by toldyouso29 August 28, 2009 5:20 AM EDT
"That light at the end of the tunnel....might be a f'ng train....LMAO"
________________________-

Even IF the light was still on(budget cuts, remember?), and the light was "a f'ng train", Sarah'd find a way to derail the "train" before it got to the tunnel's end.....................; Reply to this comment


by bradkt1 August 28, 2009 5:12 AM EDT: You can't have it both ways...either Sarah Palin is backing out of speaking committments left and right...or she has one of the most incompetent staffs anyone ever heard of. Neither possibility speaks well of her. Either her word to appear can't be trusted or her judgement when it comes to picking a staff (and making appointments?) is atrocious.

Whatever the explanation, the vast majority of the American people are right. Sarah Palin is not Presidential material.

When John McCain picked her, a friend said to me "This is what happens when you leave a 72 year old man at home alone whose wife has access to an unlimited supply of beer."

My friend was right.; Reply to this comment


by prosanity August 28, 2009 2:08 AM EDT: When a person believes a compulsive liar is "a beacon of light", there is a serious disconnect from reality. This woman campaigned and her followers became estatic thinking about killing the contender.
I've visited her facebook page frequented by enraptured zombies who can neither think or spell, or form a sentence. There is no content to their comments beyond their numerous "religious" feelings, their racism, their hatred, their utter inability to comprehend that they are being manipulated emotionally, economically, and socially. It's sad and disgusting at the same time. Some of the comments about Ted Kennedy's death were beyond tasteless,vengeful, and hateful. Others comments are obviously from sexually excited males who have the audacity and disrespect to include pictures of themselves with their wives. And then there's the fundamentalist, authority loving, fearful,"Christians" who actually believe that "death panels" were part of the proposals for health care. It is impossible to penetrate their ignorance with facts. If these people are Sarah's supporters,
I don't want her anywhere near any government agency, legislative body, or even a county council.; Reply to this comment


by prosanity August 28, 2009 2:06 AM EDT: When a person believes a compulsive liar is "a beacon of light", there is a serious disconnect from reality. This woman campaigned and her followers became estatic thinking about killing the contender.
I've visited her facebook page frequented by enraptured zombies who can neither think or spell, or form a sentence. There is no content to their comments beyond their numerous "religious" feelings, their racism, their hatred, their utter inability to comprehend that they are being manipulated emotionally, economically, and socially. It's sad and disgusting at the same time. Some of the comments about Ted Kennedy's death were beyond tasteless,vengeful, and hateful. Others comments are obviously from sexually excited males who have the audacity and disrespect to include pictures of themselves with their wives. And then there's the fundamentalist, authority loving, fearful,"Christians" who actually believe that "death panels" were part of the proposals for health care. It is impossible to penetrate their ignorance with facts. If these people are Sarah's supporters,
I don't want her anywhere near any government agency, legislative body, or even a county council.; Reply to this comment


by ak267 August 28, 2009 1:40 AM EDT: Okay....let me give you a little 411 on this messy little business called "invitations".

Once Sarah became the Veep pick in 2008, groups galore have been "inviting" her to various functions. We're talking A LOT of groups big and small folks. Meg is the gatekeeper and will inform the press and public about such things. Unless she or Ms. Palin says something it ain't gonna happen.

Some groups, however, have been using Sarah's name and image to advance their own agenda (ticket sales, donations, and ego strokes). Over the past few months I've encounterd several sites claiming she has been "invited" only to have an asterisk next her name (sometimes there is no asterisk). When you read the fine print, if any, it will often say she's hasn't been confirmed (the Southern Republican Leadership Conference is a prime example).

http://www.srlc2010.com/

It's a blatent attempt to cash in on her name via ticket sales. If Sarah is a no-show, she gets the blame, the attendees get pissed, and the organizers come off a "boo-hoo-hoo" victims (while pocketing the money in the process).

I would take these stories with a grain of salt. Sloppy reporting at best, blatent bias at worst.

It reminds me of an incident in Milwaukee when a baseball camp promised a hall-of-fame sports celebrity/instructor named Hank Aaron (listed on the fliers with his picture). My dad plunked down the $150 fee and I was pumped up for this event.

The big weekend arrived and there was NO Hank Aaron. In his place was a batting coach from a nearby Division 3 college....people were pissed. The excuse was that Aaron had to pull out due to a ?family emergency?. We later found out that this was a bold-faced lie. The head organizer claimed that he was best buds with Aaron?s agent and had an ?understanding?. Aaron was ?invited?, the fliers were made, money was collected and things were set into motion.

Mr. Aaron was never invited, never knew of such an event, and was quite POed that others were profitting off of his name. He was also POed that the initial press made him out to be the villian. Meanwhile, the person who ran the event quitely pocketed the money the left town.; Reply to this comment


by joetheplumer August 28, 2009 1:25 AM EDT: What is going on these days is very important. what the world is seeing in these town halls, these racist comments are exactly the same behavior depicted by the NAZI. These are not american but a bunch of losers and driven by their evil emotions. if any GOP or supporter want to prove him loyalty to this country why don't they take those guns to Afganistan.; Reply to this comment


by Susanmg August 28, 2009 12:19 AM EDT: If it weren't so ludicrous, the arguments from the right would be funny. Bush came in with a surplus: GONE. He believed he was above the law, and constantly added signing statements to LAWS saying that he didn't have to abide by whatever had been passed. He tortured people, he bombed Iraq into oblivion, along with hundreds of thousands of innocent people, he was responsible for 9-11 (after all, it happened on his watch, and he was the DECIDER.) He allowed spying on all us us. Somehow all this garbage was just fine because why? He has an (R)) after his name? I keep reading that Obama has taken away our rights. What exactly? For you gun nuts, he actually allowed an EXPANSION in the carry laws, much to my chagrin. For you war mongers, he hasn't yet gotten us out of Bush's messes, but he's trying. For you anti-tax types, he lowered that too. So that leaves us with his race. Since Palin doesn't see black people in Alaska, she probably doesn't know that they read and write, and do very well at Ivy League Law Schools. You know, those places where they teach you to UNDERSTAND the Constitution you claim to abide by. And shame on the rest of you, for buying that showboating Beck's lies every day. He is the most racist person I have seen on TV in a long time.
By the way, if Ms. Palin is so against government programs, I'm sure she is not accepting the payments due her because she has a handicapped child. And I'm sure Beck is also not taking the same for his handicapped daughter. Or are these somehow OK because sometimes socialism and government health programs WORK? Hypocrites.; Reply to this comment


by aldon62 August 27, 2009 11:22 PM EDT: Barbie just isn't ready for prime time. She's still auditioning for faux news, maybe to succeed Glen Beckert who has now lost 46 sponsers since his "Obama hates white america" tantrum. Barbie vs. Beckert? Six of one, half dozen of the other. Barbie is prettier though!; Reply to this comment