New Sarah Palin movie hints at presidential run

Sarah Palin looks back at a crowd as she walks to the door of Trump Tower for a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump in New York, May 31, 2011.

/ AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

Sarah Palin is either running for President or she should be: That's the takeaway from "The Undefeated," a new movie about Palin's life and leadership set to hit theaters next month.

Billed as a documentary - though told in a fast-paced and dramatic style - the two-hour movie is an unabashed defense of the former Alaska governor that leaves the distinct impression her presidential candidacy not only is possible, but inevitable.

Stephen Bannon, the movie's creator, took on the project after Palin's aides approached him late last year about making a series of videos on Palin. He proposed a movie instead, and bankrolled it himself. The final product, which I saw last week in a screening for a few reporters, gives Palin the introduction she never really had when the Hockey mom from Wasilla became John McCain's running mate in 2008.

By tracing her political rise in Alaska, her battles with Big Oil and the Republican establishment, and her accomplishments as governor, the movie argues one overriding point: Sarah Palin is a seasoned executive who is more than qualified to be President.

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It also adds context to her bus tour of historic sites and patriotic events, which she says she undertook to remind people about the principles America was founded on and the importance of the Constitution. Critics have questioned whether the tour is, in fact, just a big publicity stunt, but "The Undefeated" shows video of a young Palin echoing some of those same themes 20 years ago, when she was a rookie on the stump campaigning for office.

That's one of the things I found most striking about the movie. Since Palin burst on the national scene in 2008, critics have portrayed her as an unformed and uninformed political thinker, suggesting someone just crammed her head with these ideas and unleashed her on America.

But "The Undefeated" goes a long way towards debunking that tired narrative. It shows an unbroken line in her thinking over the past two decades. The things she's saying on her bus tour about freedom, free markets, fiscal responsibility and the proper role of government are the same things she's been saying ever since she entered into politics.

It got me to thinking about the grossly unfair and inaccurate story line that developed over the years about Justice Clarence Thomas - another favorite target of the Left. The rap on Thomas was that he was unqualified for the Supreme Court and incapable of serious thought - so as a Justice, he blindly followed conservative superstar Antonin Scalia.

That narrative is not only offensive, but flat-out wrong, as documents in the Library of Congress make clear. Thomas never followed Scalia; he had his own powerful views, and often persuaded Scalia to follow HIM.

Thomas still is mocked and scorned by his critics, who refuse to give him any credit for his accomplishments or ideas. But he doesn't care about critics, and he doesn't try to appease them. That reminds me of Palin, too.

This movie won't appease her critics. There are no olive branches in it. In fact, the opening sequence is a relentless assault - a montage of the breathtakingly offensive and vile things said about Palin and her family.

The first half of the movie focuses on Alaska - not only on Palin's accomplishments there, but on the unique qualities of self-reliance and independence of the state itself. The second hour chronicles Palin's stint as the vice presidential nominee.

Bannon used Palin's voice from the audio recording of her book, "Going Rogue," to narrate the movie. He says he had complete editorial control over it, and that Palin only saw the finished product two weeks ago. According to Bannon, she said it "blew her away."

It's easy to see why. If you like Sarah Palin, the movie will make you like her even more. Using never-before seen video, it shows Palin taking on the machine and winning, while racking up whopping 80 percent approval ratings in the state. And you will feel fresh outrage about how savagely she has been treated and mocked by Hollywood and the liberal elite.

But if you don't like Sarah Palin, the movie is unlikely to change your mind. (Frankly, if you don't like Palin, you probably won't be shelling out any money to go see it in the first place). You'll probably think of it as a one-sided campaign ad and wonder where the critics are.

Regardless of where you come down, though, here's one thing both sides should agree on: It certainly looks like Palin is running for President. As she says in a speech in the movie's very last scene: "Mr. President, game on."

But will she?

[mikelpond]

"hints" is all your going to get. If she runs and loses, the gravy train is over. If she runs and wins, well, there's all that work involved (I suppose she would quit). But, if she campaigns but never declares - $BINGO$

[marktyne]

The Midnight Ride of Palin's Revere
(an homage to Henry Wadsworth Longellow's poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere")
Copyright, Mark Tyne, 2011 www.marktyne.com
6/7/11

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Palin's Revere
On the second of June, in two ought one one,
Not a school child stopped giggling at Palin's conundrum.

In a fit patriotic showing colors don't bleed
Sara spoke of the ride of Paul's lightning fast steed,
Said Revere warned the British by ringing those bells
And while riding his horse, through the hamlets and dells

Fired off warning shots (and bells), to make sure we're all free
So we all can be armed as the bells ring tra-lee!
And the school kids fell silent, at this badly told tale,
Every one of them knew, Palin should be in jail

For forgetting the simplest of tales known by all
Of how Paul Revere rode to stop Concord's great fall.
For the Brits were invading, but by land or by sea?
If the colonists knew, they could ambush them see?

No church bell was rung from the tower for a warning
It was one or two lamps in the bell tower's adorning
'Member "One if by land and two if by sea"?
Perhaps Sarah should have studied more diligently.

Sarah's liberty bell trip might have caused her confusion
But her Paul Revere story was mostly illusion.
For the war was not fought for the right to bear arms.
But to free up the colonies from Britain's great harm.

'Twas for national independence, revolution was struck
Not for bells ever tolling, and the right to bear glocks.
The colonists were warned, not the British, by Paul.
Revolutionary colonists, don't like England at all.

Brits invaded by sea, with a mighty dark ship
Two lights in the bell tower, set Revere on his trip.
Paul rode through the night, to warn coming invasion
And in his swift ride, held the fate of the nation

By midnight he warned colonists, in the small town of Medford
By one warned in Lexington, by two had warned Concord
And the Lexington colonists gathered with arms
And drove back the British with shots from their guns.

Revolution was on! The first battle a win!
Thanks to Paul Revere's ride, on that midnight quite dim.
And speaking of dim, back to Palin we go.
Where the children are mocking her confused tale of woe

For every child knows Paul Revere's famous ride
Palin's run Presidential should now be denied.

[Alexisnexus]

See who Sarah Palin is related to?
http://familyforest.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/...

You would think she would know more about American History! But than again she proclaims she can see the Russians from her own backyard...what is this next election coming to???? WILL YOU GO SEE THIS MOVIE?

[HeywoodJ127]

This article might as well have been written by Fox News. Some factual and logical issues:

"The first half of the movie focuses on Alaska - not only on Palin's accomplishments there, but on the unique qualities of self-reliance and independence of the state itself."

Alaska, self-reliant? Since when? Alaska has long been at or near the bottom, in terms of federal dollars received versus tax dollars sent in. It is one of the more pronounced features of the re-state-blue-state divide -- the reddest states tend to receive something like $1.25 for every $1.00 they put in, while the bluest states tend to get about $.80 back. Alaska and its populace are actually quite heavily subsidized by tax dollars. This is not that hard to check out on teh intartubez.

"In fact, the opening sequence is a relentless assault - a montage of the breathtakingly offensive and vile things said about Palin and her family."

All politicians have hateful, ugly things said about them at times. Sad but true. Barack Obama is not vindicated for the things he says and does simply because some of his critics think it's funny to portray him as a spearchucker or a monkey. Palin may wear the librul scorn like a warped badge of honor, but it doesn't make her any smarter, any less of a prevaricator or calumniator. She has yet to say anything that is empirically true or correct -- which, considering the immense amount of coverage she has gotten over the last three years, is quite an accomplishment.

Kudos for shilling for a two-hour campaign commercial. Nicely done.

[san850]

I hear that in the movie, Palin says in one scene that she "doesn't care about polls", yet in another scene she brags about an 88% approval rating at one point as governor of Alaska, stating that "she must be doing something right."

Sooooo, does her current 28% approval rating tell her that "she's definitely doing something wrong"???

[san850]

Youbetcha!

[Lindag10]

The brainwashed Palinistas will give it rave reviews no doubt. Sarah the revisionist hard at work ripping off the people of Alaska by quitting mid-term. It'll give the simple minded something to do.

[nearl451]

The only question I have is: What Cable channel will the coverage be on: Lifetime, HBO?

[san850]

Comedy channel.

[clifjay]

I hope, the dems hope all Obama supporters hope Palin does run. That would guarantee a victory for Obama. How can any thinking American possibly consider Palin as a serious candidate for president, Talk about the dumbing down of America........Blame it on the media Sarah>>>>

[justme2012]

People voted for Obama.

Nuff said

[chaos2012]

Those who point a finger at Mrs. Palin are too ignorant to realize that they have three more pointing back at themselves. Unless, of course, every finger except one was blown off when they tried (and failed) to make a bomb to blow up a conservative who simply wanted to express a positive opinion of the USA, similar to Mrs. Palin.

In the south, y'all wouldn't last. We'd just take you gator huntin' and let you find your own way back.

[san850]

@justme2012....errrrr, I mean chaos2012.....Those who point a finger at President Obama with their lies and slander are too ignorant to realize that they have three more pointing back at themselves.

P.S. "Mrs. Palin" only loves to "express a positive opinion" of HERSELF...she wraps her narcissism in the flag for lemmings like you.

[Guitfiddel]

I'm kind of concerned for Todd because according to the National Enquirer that may have not been Clam Chowder on her dress when his boss dropped Sarah back off at home that night. He should at least ask. Darn that Brad Hanson!!

[b110232s]

Alaska Governor who quit in first term will never hold an elective office. She has fooled the Republican right to the Nth degree and in the process made millions for her. She would rather make millions more than educate herself to hold any elective office. It is sad that media keeps covering her, in reality, She is chasing Almighty dollar and running for the bank not for any office.

[justme2012]

If you are correct, then she is very successfully achieving her goals isn't she.