Sarah Palin's Modus Operandi in Action

By Ennealogic

Love thy neighbor? Turn the other cheek? Forgiveness? These New Testament concepts were not part of Sarah's Old Testament temperament. Both eyes for an eye was the rule, and vanquishing enemies became a goal. Nothing was more important, to any of us working alongside Sarah, than preserving her image or achieving retribution. Not our families, not our friends, not our financial well-being, not the state's business. Nothing.
[-- from Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, Kindle edition]

It's happened plenty of times before: someone writes about his personal journey toward a more enlightened state, or at least, a state where shades of gray begin to separate black from white. Along the way they disappoint or even anger those whose commitment has not wavered yet. One example is Frank Shaeffer, founding member of the religious right who penned Crazy for God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Help Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back, a memoir about his misgivings after having furthered Christian evangelicalism.

Another example is Paul Haggis, former high level Scientologist, who ultimately repudiated the "church" and resigned when the hierarchy would not disavow California's Proposition 8, a piece of anti-gay legislation. Haggis wrote, in his resignation letter, "Our public association with that hate-filled legislation shames us."

Sarah Palin waves as she comes on stage before McCain's concession speech

And now we have Frank Bailey's tell-all, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years, in which he renounces the former Governor and cements the conviction that Sarah Palin is truly and undeniably a woman with deep psychoses and the personality traits that go along with them. In Bailey's book, assuming it remains much the same as the leaked manuscript, we'll get a glimpse of the real Sarah Palin in her own words, the persona she lets out only in front of her closest aides and advisors (and probably her spouse and children). We'll see how she drives her inner circle to cheat and lie in order to keep her from imploding. We'll learn the lengths to which she'll go to destroy the lives of those she perceives as "the enemy." No one wants to be the object of her wrath and so her team did what had to be done in the name of the greater good, that is, massaging Sarah's mood so that she was happy.

Bailey essentially predicted the kind of pushback his book is now receiving. He made it plain, in the pages of his mea culpa memoir, what happens to those who cross Sarah. We are witnessing the sort of excuses, prevarications, distractions, slanders and deceptions that he chronicled—and he should know the methods well since he participated in them himself, many times, during his years as a close Palin aide. Sarah Palin's modus operandi is in full view, evident in the statements and attitudes of her aides and followers, and this goes to prove Bailey's book is not a lie.

For example, instead of addressing any of the content (which is well-supported by thousands of e-mails), current chief aide and SarahPac spokesman Tim Crawford misleads us with, “Gov. Palin suspended Bailey and refused to hire Bailey when he sought a position on her vice presidential campaign staff … (he)has an axe to grind and abandoned truth in his book.” Of course, the suspension was a critical CYA maneuver for Palin. When it was revealed that Bailey had been caught on tape trying to get Mike Wooten fired (see Troopergate), Sarah had no choice but to send Bailey away temporarily (albeit on a paid leave of absence).

In a Politico article titled "Sarah Palin's team pushes back against new book," Tim Crawford elevates his rhetoric to smear Bailey,

Frank Bailey was the only member of the Palin administration to be found to have acted unethically – twice. He is currently under investigation again by the state attorney general. Then, as the administrator of certain email accounts, he acted unethically by appropriating account information he was entrusted to protect.

What Crawford neglects to mention here is that Bailey was dinged for ethics when he was acting on Sarah's behalf, and he conveniently forgets the occasions when Sarah was, indeed, found to have acted unethically or illegally—more than two times, in fact. (Troopergate, Travelgate, AFT-gate...)

Stacy Drake at C4P opined, as she descended into the depths of ad hominem-ness,

After reading this manuscript, my only conclusion is that Frank Bailey is a horrible person... Frank Bailey’s motives, in my view, were greed and vengeance. This man of little skill decided to try to cash-in on the job he no longer had, and at which he was incompetent when he did have it."

Palinbots are out in force elsewhere too. A commenter at TheBlaze.com (Glenn Beck's site) wrote that the book was "Ghost-written by Bill Ayers LOL," inferring, I suppose, that Bailey is a terrorist with a connection to President Obama. Another commenter there, Missionarydad, attempts to discredit Bailey and prevent others from reading his book:

Who would ever want to read any trash like this. Anyone who will betray their relationship and trust with someone they are being paid for their time spent with them is of such low integrity that anything they have to say isn’t worth reading. It would be one thing if they were the one who was betrayed and they are just sharing their side of the story but this is sounds more like one who was treated well but because of the opportunity to cash in big they are willing to sell their soul and burn their bridges just for some filthy lucre.

If Missionarydad would take the time to read Blind Allegiance, he'd discover that Bailey was not paid for most of his time and effort, nor was he treated very well by his boss, throughout his service to her ambitions. This commenter may not realize he is following right in Sarah Palin's footsteps by speaking ill about the author without having read the book. He also doesn't realize that there is overwhelming evidence in Blind Allegiance that it is Sarah Palin, herself, who seeks 'filthy lucre' with every step she takes.

Bailey bemoans, after asking himself how spending hundreds of hours trying to destroy Mike Wooten's life and reputation had anything at all to do with governing Alaska,

This tale, unfortunately, includes the worst of Sarah's dysfunctional psyche and administration, including the compulsion to attack enemies, deny truth, play victim, and employ outright deception.

There seems to be no dearth of revelatory books about Sarah Palin this year. Geoffrey Dunn's The Lies of Sarah Palin has been out for a little more than a week, and it is a thorough, comprehensive, well-researched biography of Sarah Palin's political life that details her penchant and ability to manipulate others. Bailey's Blind Allegiance is out today, May 24, and I hope it does not vary much from the damning content in the leaked manuscript. Joe McGinniss' The Rogue - Searching for the Real Sarah Palin is being completed now and will be released in September. Add to that, we've heard a fairly strong rumor that yet another reporter is penning an expose about 'Babygate' this year.

Covers of Dunn's, Bailey's and McGinniss' latest books about Sarah Palin

There will also be no dearth of trashing, defaming and discounting the authors of these books. It's the Sarah Palin way - pay no attention to the substance, just destroy the messenger and rain retribution upon their heads in any way you can and seriously consider mailing them all a dead fish, while you're at it.

Geoffrey Dunn -- Upcoming Book Readings in Santa Cruz

By Kathleen

On Wednesday, 26th May at 7.30pm Geoffrey Dunn will read from his book The Lies of Sarah Palin at the Santa Cruz Bookshop, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz.

Geoffrey will also hold a further reading, also at 7.30pm, on Thursday, July 14th, in the Capitola Book Cafe, 1475 41st Ave., Capitola.

If you are in the area drop in to one of the readings to have your books signed and please say hi to Geoffrey for us.

Jason Hoppin at Mercury News has asked some interesting questions of Geoffrey about his book. Be sure to read the full interview.

At Politico.com this claim by the Palin camp about Bailey's release of certain emails struck us as curious:

Palin’s camp also insists that some of the Palin emails printed in the manuscript are framed to distort events — for example, the emails Bailey includes to show the former Alaska governor’s reaction to her oldest daughter’s pregnancy are about rumors that circulated before Bristol actually became pregnant.

Politicalgates, thanks to the generosity of a kind reader, has three copies of Frank Bailey's book, Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, to give away to readers who cannot afford their own copy. This time round I will collect requests and pull names from a hat to determine the winners.

Please send your entries to kathleenpoliticalgates@gmail.com

No entries accepted after Wednesday, 25th May, 2011. Good luck to those who enter.

UPDATE: I now have 5 copies of Blind Allegiance to give away so don't forget to put your name forward if you would like the chance to receive a copy.

Levi Johnston's 21st birthday party - Exclusive report and interview with Levi, part 2 - Plus: Levi's ghostwriters James and Lois Cowan revealed!

Part 2: Levi Johnston is shorter than me! (Read part 1)

By Leadfoot_LA

What a night! We hit Chateau nightclub at about 10:30 and found our spot on the red carpet. A variety of b-list celebrities (ok, D-list) came out before Levi. Some kid from Harry Potter (NOT one of the main people), a Disney Channel actress I had never heard of, someone from Dexter. Levi and Tank took the red carpet promptly at 11:00 -- as the main and final attraction. As soon as he walked out, the girls and I kind of gasped. He is REALLY a hunk. My first thought was that he is short. He is about 5'9" - maybe 5'10". I am 5'9 without heels, and was about 6'2" last night. If it wasn't enough that I'm too old for Levi, now I am also too tall. (Pout) Racheal kept saying "he is cute!" and Heather kept repeating, "what a baby face!"

Levi looked a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed on the red carpet. He was definitely blushing. He didn't have that snotty sense of entitlement that *some people* have (ahem, Bristol). He looked grateful to be there and bashful at all the attention.


He did 3 only three interviews, and the one of them was with us. I had been warned by the PR team that I was NOT to ask questions about Sarah Palin. So I had to be crafty. The video is a bit hard to hear, since we were right outside the club with booming music. Here is what happened:

Before we left for the club, I had written Levi a 2-page hand-written letter and slipped it inside a birthday card. I explained to him in the letter that we have all been working hard for 2 years to expose Palin for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to our concerns that Trig isn't properly cared for, our distaste for her making huge amounts of money off of a giant lie, and our quest for truth. I asked him to please to the right thing and tell the whole truth in the book, and that I hope that's what he meant when he said the book is for the good of the country. I said that I believe he is our last hope for the truth to ever be revealed, as he is most likely to know the truth, and the person with the least to lose and most to gain. I asked him to reveal the whole story for Trig and Tripp's sake. I asked him to please contact me when the book comes out, to do a full interview, and provided contact information.

When Levi and Tank approached on the red carpet, I said Happy Birthday and handed him the card. I said it was from Politicalgates and asked if he was familiar with us. He said no, he wasn't, and looked confused. But when Tank heard the word Political, he ripped the card from Levi's hands. I said, "No, it's ok. I promise I won't ask any political questions. It's just a nice card from everyone who has followed your story for the past few years." They seemed to relax a bit, and Tank held onto the card. I hope Levi reads it.

Next I asked if we could buy him shots inside the club to celebrate his birthday. He blushed and looked at Tank for help. This kid is definitely a rookie. I laughed it off and said, it's ok, we were just trying to help him celebrate. I asked if he is still running for mayor. He smiled and said yes, he is working hard on it, and has been getting ready. The election is in October. Every time Levi answered a question, Tank repeated what he had just said. "Yep, October."

I asked if he had been able to see Tripp lately and his face lit up. He was literally beaming. He said yes, he saw him recently. I said he is "SO CUTE!" and Levi smiled and said, "Thanks."

I asked if the book is completed and he said no, almost, but it still needs a little work. I said, well, you know that the people who read my blog are NOT fans of Sarah Palin. We are one of the big Palin watchdog blogs. So when your book comes out, will we like it, or will we love it? He smiled again, looked me right in the eye, and said slowly, "you will LOVE it." Tank echoed him. "YOU WILL LOVE IT." Everything about Tank is large, especially his voice. Levi said, "I promise you, it will be a best seller." I thanked him, and took 2 pictures with him. (Which I can't show you because I am embarrassingly taller than him).

Unfortunately this picture is quite blurry,

but at least it proves that our gal was there with Levi! ;-)

We have another wonderful picture

with Leadfoot_LA's friend Rachael and Levi!

I also listened in to some of the questions the other interviewers asked. They wanted to know if he had an interest in politics. He enthusiastically said yes, and that it is what he plans to pursue for a career. Probably not on a national level, but he is serious about Alaskan politics.

With that, Levi and Tank left the red carpet and went to eat dinner. They wouldn't reappear in the club until 2am, but by then, Tank had figured me out and kept Levi segregated in a private VIP booth.

My impression is that Levi will tell the 100% truth in this book. He was a sweet, genuine kid. "Deer in the headlights" is a perfect book title and is exactly how I would describe him. He is not "Ricky Hollywood." He is a proud father, who smiled, but almost seemed a tiny bit sad behind his eyes when I mentioned Tripp. He didn't come off as dumb at all. He was quick-witted. He's just out of his element a bit. But remember -- the clearest, loudest and most emphatic thing he said to me was that the readers of Politicalgates will not just like, they will LOVE his book. That said all I need to know. Before last night I was hopeful, but not sure. Now I am sure.

I can't wait until September!!

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Note by Patrick:

Many, many thanks to our brilliant Leadfoot_LA and her two friends for flying to Las Vegas, interviewing Levi Johnston and having a party night, all for Politicalgates! As you certainly realized while reading part 1 and part 2, this trip was carefully organized, and Leadfoot_LA simply did a wonderful job. We were one of only three media outlets to be granted an interview with Levi in advance. We will upload the video recording of the interview after Leadfoot_LA has returned home tomorrow.

Through these birthday events, we also received a piece of information which up until know has not been revealed: The ghostwriters for Levi's upcoming book "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs" are the writers James and Lois Cowan. Many thanks to our reader Katie Annie Oakley for the additional research!

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Firedoglake Book Salon: Geoffrey Dunn

Please take part in the Firedoglake Book Salon with Geoffrey Dunn, who will discuss his upcoming book "The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power."

The book will be released on Tuesday, May 10, 2011. As we have received an advance copy from the publishers, we already have done a lot of reading, and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. Geoffrey Dunn had access to a huge number of excellent sources, many of whom went on the record, as well as access to a large amount of additional previously unpublished material. Geoffrey wrote what I consider the ultimate biography of Sarah Palin's political career - starting with her days at Wasilla High School. The book is fact-checked up to the smallest details, and clearly sets a benchmark for all other books about Sarah Palin which are about to follow this year.

The Firedoglake Book Salon with Geoffrey Dunn will start today at 02:00 pm Pacific time - in about one hour.

In order to take part, you need to register at firedoglake to comment. It is an easy process - non-intrusive & they don't spam you.

http://firedoglake.com/

Scroll down the right-hand side to where it says "Toolbox" and register. Takes a couple of minutes.

(many thanks to Phil Munger)

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UPDATE:

New video - Levi Johnston presents his two new tattoos before the party started:

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Please re-tweet:

https://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/66960236350676994

https://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/66961035118120961

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UPDATE:

Here is now finally the clip with the video of Leadfoot_LA's interview with Levi Johnston:

Suggestion for Justin Elliott (Salon) and Jason Linkins (Huffington Post): Questions Serious Journalists Should Ask To Find The Truth About Trig

By Leadfoot_LA

I am not a journalist, so I’m not the most qualified person to present a list of questions that would put Sarah Palin’s pregnancy hoax to rest once and for all. But I’m apparently more qualified than some of the journalists out there (I’m looking at you Justin Elliott, Julia O’Malley and Jason Linkins), whose stories are more fluffy opinion pieces than hard hitting investigations (click to read our detailed responses to the "definite debunker" by Justin Elliott and to the "Make.It.Stop." article by Julia O'Malley which she published at the Anchorage Daily News). Below is a list of questions journalists need to ask if they want to put this story to bed once and for all.

Please feel free to add questions in the comment section and we will update the post throughout the day.

Questions for Matsu Regional Medical Center:

· Are you accredited to handle high-risk births?

· If a 44-year old woman carrying a baby known to have Down Syndrome showed up in your emergency room with ruptured membranes one-month prior to her due date, what would you do?

· Sarah Palin's parents were photographed by KTUU at your facility holding a very chubby pink baby on April 18, 2008. Had that baby been born the night before, a month early with a hole in his heart and jaundice, would they have been allowed to take him into the hallway for a photograph?

Questions for Dr. Cathy Baldwin Johnson:

· You founded The Children’s Place in Alaska for victims of sexual assault and molestation – what is your area of specialty?

· Are you an Ob-Gyn?

· Would you recommend that a 43-year old woman with 2 previous miscarriages and currently carrying a fetus with Down Syndrome see a specialist? Or would you be comfortable in handling her pre-natal care?

· Would you recommend the woman described above travel via airplane late in her pregnancy?

· Would you recommend that same woman fly once her membranes have ruptured?

· Would you recommend that she attempt a 10-hour trip home to meet you for the birth, or go directly to the nearest hospital?

· Would you deliver a premature baby from a high-risk pregnancy at Matsu Regional Medical Center?

· Would you recommend that a baby born a month early with a hole in his heart and jaundice attend work with his mother 3 days after his birth?

· Have you ever in your career seen a baby bump that appears square?

· Do you help arrange adoptions for teens who give birth?

· How many babies did you deliver in 2010? 2009? 2008? 2007?

· Did you write the medical letter Sarah Palin submitted on the eve of the election in 2008? Were you present at Trig's birth? Did you deliver Trig?

· Why did that medical letter focus largely on Trig Palin and the circumstances surrounding his birth, rather than the complete medical history of Sarah Palin?

• You reportedly told AP reporter Steve Quinn that Trig was Palin’s child. Is that true? Did you say only that Trig is Palin’s child or that she gave birth to him? (He IS her child, but is she is birth mother?)
• How did you tell Quinn about Palin’s status without violating HIPAA? Why weren’t you reprimanded? (My guess is that because by saying “Trig is Sarah’s child,” you were just stating an obvious, public fact. Had you said “She gave birth to Trig” or “She did not give birth to Trig” – you would be in violation of privacy laws.)
• Why did Quinn feel the need to speak to you in early September if he had already seen Palin’s rounded belly through thin material in March?
• In what year did you deliver Piper Palin? Why is her birth year wrong on the letter you wrote and submitted on the eve of the 2008 election?
• Did Palin have her tubes tied after the birth of Piper?

Questions for Alaska Airlines:

· Do you allow women who are 8 months pregnant to fly?

· Why did you allow Sarah Palin, who was 8 months pregnant and leaking amniotic fluid, to fly on April 17, 2008 (on not one, but TWO flights)? Same for the flight on April 15, 2008, from Anchorage to Dallas?

• Why did you say the state of Palin’s pregnancy was not apparent, nor was she in any distress during the flight, if she was (by her own account in Going Rogue) 8-months pregnant, leaking amniotic fluid and having contractions?

Questions for Bristol Palin:

· Why did you live with your Aunt Heather in late 2007-early 2008?

· Did you have mono in late 2007-early 2008?

· Why did you leave school altogether in late 2007-early 2008? (Bristol was sent to live with her aunt halfway through her junior year, transferring from Juneau to West High School in Anchorage in the winter of 2007-2008.)

· Would you be willing to show your school records to verify where and when you attended high school?

· Have you given birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin? Are you his biological mother?

· Why did you delay your court date multiple times for the traffic ticket you received in the fall of 2007 and not appear in court until February of 2008?

· When and where did you first learn your mom was pregnant with Trig? How did you react?

· Mercedes Johnston says you were trying to get pregnant with Tripp. Why?

· When was Tripp Johnston born?

· Where was Tripp Johnston born?

· Why have you never spoken publicly about the possibility that you are Trig’s mother? Why haven’t you tried to put the rumors to rest?

· On the Jay Leno show, you stated that you couldn’t go to prom because you were pregnant. Tripp was born in December 2008 (not prom time) and you would have been too early in your pregnancy for it to have mattered in May 2008. Why did you have to skip prom because you were pregnant?

• Levi Johnston stated that your mother begged you and him to let her adopt your baby. Why would she beg to adopt Tripp when she already had an infant with Down Syndrome to care for and knew she was being considered for the VP slot?

• What is your correct birth year?
  

Questions for Levi Johnston:

· Why did you drop out of high school in early 2008, before Tripp was even conceived?

· Why did Bristol refuse to enter your house and instead wait in the car during her visit on Christmas 2007?

· Why were you present at the birth of Trig Palin?

· What date was Trig Palin born?

· Why did you seem so loving towards Trig in the photos taken in the Palin kitchen on your birthday in 2008?

· Why did you seem so loving towards Trig at the Republican National Convention?

· Why have you volunteered your time to help support other children with Down Syndrome?

· Your sister says that you and Bristol tried purposely to conceive Tripp. Why?

· Have you been paid any money by the Palin family for any reason?

· How did you pay for the new truck you purchased shortly before Tripp was born?

· What were you referring to when you said, “I know something Sarah Palin didn’t do when she was governor.”

• Why does Trig Palin strongly resemble you in some photographs?

• You were granted weekly visitation with Tripp. Why did you allow Bristol to take him to Arizona, thereby invalidating the custody order?

• Do you believe Sarah Palin set up your mother or controlled her sentencing in any way? Why was the phone she used during her crime given to her by Bristol Palin? Is your mother currently being threatened?

· Is Bristol Palin the biological mother of Trig Palin?

· Are you the biological father of Trig Palin?

Questions for Todd Palin:

• If your wife was leaking amniotic fluid and having contractions (HER story), why did you send this email saying only that her “speech kicked ass.”Was it not also important to mention she was in labor?

• When the benefits administrator asked you to verify dependent status for your son Trig in this email, did you send them his birth certificate? If so, why is there no email record of that transaction?
  
• When did Sarah first tell you she was pregnant?
• Did you accompany her to any pre-natal appointments?
• Why didn't you inform the rest of your family of her pregnancy?
• Why did Sarah substitute you for her security officers on her trip to Texas?
• At what time did you call Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson on April 17?
• How many times did you speak to her that day?
• Why did you send a message after Sarah's speech saying that it "kicked ass" but not mention she was in labor?
• Why didn't you take her directly to a medical facility in Dallas?
• Is it true that you supported her decision to fly home in labor because you believed that you “can't have a fish picker born in Texas?”
• Weren't you worried she would give birth on one of the two airline flights you took that day?
• Weren't you worried about possible life-threatening complications to your wife and your son in the event she gave birth on the airplane?
• Weren't you worried that if she gave birth on the airplane, the negative publicity would irreparably harm her political reputation and thus her ability to financially support your family?
• Why didn't you take her to directly to a hospital in Anchorage after your flight landed?
• Were you present in the room when Sarah gave birth to Trig?
• Is Trig your biological son or your biological grandson?
• Since 43-year-old Sarah had had 2 miscarriages, and due to age and circumstances, this 7th pregnancy with a DS child was high risk, why did you let her fly and bypass all medical help until she finally reached Matsu Regional Medical Center?

Questions for Sarah Palin:

· When did you first know you were being considered for the VP slot? (In early 2008 Vogue magazine did a photo essay about her and Adam Brickley's "Draft Sarah Palin" website taking off.)

· Was it simply a coincidence that you announced your pregnancy one day after McCain secured the GOP presidential nomination?

· You were a 43-year old woman, with two previous miscarriages, who knew you were carrying a baby with down syndrome. Why did you choose to have general practitioner Carol Baldwin-Johnson treat you during pregnancy, rather than an ob-gyn?

· Why didn’t you submit medical records during your campaign for vice president, as is standard? Why did you only submit a summary letter, and why did you release it at midnight the night before the election?

· Would you be willing to let a journalist review your complete medical records (you can redact anything too embarrassing)?

· Where was Trig born? Why have you said he was born in both “Anchorage” AND at Matsu Regional Medical Center, 50 miles away?

· Once your water broke in Dallas, why didn’t you go to a medical center nearby?

· After your speech in Dallas, why did you choose to fly home rather than go to a medical center nearby? Were you aware of the risk of infection to both yourself and Trig?

· Did you consider what would have happened had you gone into full blown labor during that flight?

· Why did you use 2 Blackberries during your term as governor? You can have one device receive and send emails from multiple email addresses (most people use one device for both work AND personal emails), so why two devices?

· How do you think it is possible that you had such an ample pregnant belly during your pregnancy with Track, but hardly showed during your pregnancy with Trig?

· We have seen photos of you with a nearly flat abdomen on April 9, 2008, then a full pregnancy belly on April 13, 2008. How is that possible?

· The Elan Frank video shows you with what appears to be a square cushion under your shirt. How can a pregnant woman’s baby bump appear to be square?

· Why did you say you “love to run the hills around Juneau because it thrashes (your) guts?” while you were in the advanced stages of pregnancy?

· Why has the State of Alaska fought so hard and long to prevent the release of your emails sent during your time as Governor?

• Why did you not discuss Trig’s Down Syndrome with your other kids (namely Piper as she is youngest and would have the most questions) prior to his birth? Didn’t you want them to be prepared?
• Why, as shown in this email, did you dismiss your security staff for your trip to Texas, and insist that only Todd accompany you in their place?
  
• Why did this man who ran into you in the airport during your Reckless Ride, say you were “relaxed, reading a book” and showed no signs of being in labor, if you were having contractions hours earlier during your speech in Texas (as you said in Going Rogue)?
• Once you were back home in Alaska why did you drive past the Anchorage hospital that has a fully equipped and staffed NICU to give birth at a small regional hospital not accredited to handle high risk deliveries?
• Did you keep regularly scheduled gynecological appointments during your pregnancy with Trig? If so, why do these not show up on your official schedule, which has been made public? May we have the dates of those appointments?
• When you went to prenatal care appointments, did you travel in your personal vehicle or in a state vehicle? Where did you see Dr. CBJ for these appointments? In her Wasilla office or her Anchorage office?
• Were you with your personal bodyguard Trooper Wheeler for those OB/GYN check-ups?
• Several women have come forward to say they shared carpool duties at the local elementary with you, and that you told them you had your tubes tied shortly after birth? Have you had your tubes tied?
• Plus, there's the "induction" of labor. If they want us to believe that Sarah was leaking something other than amniotic fluid, why would labor have been induced?
• If you WERE leaking amniotic fluid and in labor, why were you induced at 35 weeks once you reached Matsu? If you WERE NOT leaking amniotic fluid and in labor, why were you induced at 35 weeks once you reached Matsu?
• Why did you have to "hide" the pregnancy in 2007/08? You were married and had other kids – so what if you were pregnant? Other female politicians have had kids. People do know that professional women bear children. Why did you wait until you were 7 months pregnant to announce it -- even to your family, kids and co-workers?? You are a tough Mama Grizzly, so why couldn’t you just announce your pregnancy as a married woman governor?

· Why have you not taken any action to prove “Trig Truthers” are incorrect? Why haven’t you shown his birth certificate?

· Why did you lie and say you have showed Trig’s birth certificate, when in fact, you have not?

· Why have you never filed a lawsuit against anyone claiming Trig is not your biological son?

· On what date was Trig born? Would you be willing to show us Trig’s birth certificate to prove it?

· Would you be willing to submit to a DNA test to prove Trig is your biological son?

I’m sure you all can add many, many more. Go for it!

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All posts at Politicalgates about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy can be read HERE and HERE.

All old posts at Palingates about "babygate" with the pictures still intact can be accessed HERE.

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Please re-tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/61549879419338752

http://twitter.com/#!/politicalgates/status/61550157573013504

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It's official. Sarah Palin's Approval Ratings Have Fallen Dramatically in Alaska

By Kathleen

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images; photo illustration: Abigail Miller

According to a recent survey carried out in Alaska by Dittman Research and Communications Sarah Palin's approval ratings have plummetted to an all time low in her home state of Alaska because many Alaskans are suffering from "Palin fatigue".

Dittman Research add that the opinion poll is an independent one for public interest only and that it was not commissioned by any candidate or group.

USA Today reports about the survey:

A new Alaska Poll released today shows 61% of Alaskans have a "very unfavorable" or "somewhat unfavorable" opinion of Palin, a former governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee.

Thirty-six percent view Palin positively, according to the survey by Dittman Research and Communications

"There are a number of reasons why her popularity isn't nearly what it once was," said Matt Larkin, president of Dittman Research & Communications. "A fair number of Alaskans just have Sarah Palin fatigue.

Larkin notes Palin once had an approval rating of 86% when she was governor. Today, Alaska legislators are trying to undo some of the legislation Palin got passed and Larkin believes some people could still be upset that she abruptly resigned in 2009 before her term was over.

Sarah Palin's unfavorable rating is surpassed by Joe Miller who is regarded as unfavorable by 73% of Alaskans. No surprise here given Miller's recent trouncing amidst numerous scandals in the October midterm elections by write in candidate Lisa Murkowski.

Palin still appears to be considering a run for the office of President of the USA as she did not rule it out of hand on Tuesday during her appearance on Hannity. Moreover, her speech in Madison is regarded by many of her supporters as an indication that she is prepared to take on both President Obama and the GOP in order to reach what they presume is her goal.

On Monday further buzz that she will announce a run was created when SarahPac launched a new interactive website which Tim Crawford told Politico was "designed to engage more directly with Palin supporters." With several links channelling supporters to the contributions page I believe that the updated site is a cynical ploy to increase donations to Palin's pac.

Despite the Dittman survey results the fact that Palin may no longer be able to count on the support of her fellow Alaskans does not appear to factor into the equation of Sarah Palin's intentions regarding the Presidential race. Palin is still playing coy "will I, won't I" games with the media even as her ratings both nationwide and in her home state are in decline. Meanwhile she selfishly aims to boost contributions to her money spinning pac which pays for her advisors and the sycophants that surround her. Very little actually reaches candidates.

Sarah Palin should take a hint from the people who know her best. The Alaskans who gave their opinions in the survey. It is also time for her to realise that most people have seen through her shiny fake spin. Many of us know her for the snake speaking serpent that she is. The USA neither needs or wants what she has to offer.

Then again why should Palin pay attention to reality or the desires of the majority of the American people when she still has supporters ready to add to her coffers because they are willing to believe that Queen Esther walks amongst them?

And me? What do I think Palin should do? I would like to remind Palin of her own words. After all it was she herself who quoted the biblical Queen Esther when asked about her political future "If I die, I die. So be it." Sarah the inevitable is catching up with you.

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Please order Geoffrey Dunn's book to learn more about The Lies of Sarah Palin.

The Rogue by Joe McGinniss which will be released in September 2011 goes in search of the real Sarah Palin. It can also be ordered on Amazon.

Shame.On.You. - Julia O'Malley and Anchorage Daily News

By Patrick

The strange battle by some parts of the Alaska media to desperately keep "Babygate", Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy, out of the headlines, has reached a new low. Julia O'Malley, reporter for the "Anchorage Daily News" (ADN), wrote a piece called "Make.It.Stop.", in which she discusses Prof. Brad Scharlott's research paper which examines the questions surrounding Sarah Palin's pregnancy with Trig and the role of the media in examining those questions. O'Malley tries to argue that any attempt to prove this "roundly debunked conspiracy theory" will be futile, and that people like Prof. Scharlott resort to "fantasy."

Julia O'Malley writes:

I read Scharlott's piece. It contains lots of innuendo and some widely-circulated Photoshopped pictures. What is missing from his investigation: facts.

One of my favorite passages is about a picture where Palin appears pregnant. Scharlott presents the original image, and then one with changes to the light balance. She still looks pregnant in the second picture. But he writes "Palin appears to be wearing some sort of pad strapped around her midsection; her lower belly, where a fetus would normally reside, seems flat" This is total fantasy.

But who needs facts? When you don't have the goods to support your ideas, just start bashing the media for not digging them up. (Sarah Palin does this all the time.) Scharlott goes on about how the media didn't do a good job debunking the rumor. It was, he concludes, "a spiral of silence."

But, of course, there was no silence spiral. The journalists, including me, who covered Palin at the time believed she was pregnant because she was pregnant. Even before the announcement, she seemed to be putting on weight. She wore baggy jackets and scarves. Before the announcement, she acted nervous when photographers tried to take her picture. Later on, her face filled out. Her fingers swelled. She had a noticeable belly. And it wasn't made out of foam.

"A trim woman simply can’t hide a fetus in her seventh month of pregnancy, and Palin in no way looks four and a half weeks away from giving birth to a 6 pound baby," Sharlott writes. Actually, women carry babies all kinds of different ways. Some women gain less than 20 pounds. Has this man never seen "I didn't know I was pregnant" on TLC?

Palin also ran all the time at the gym in Juneau. People I know saw her on the treadmill sweating in workout clothes. She had a belly. I repeat: she had a real pregnant belly. Are you going to tell me she was wearing a prosthetic abdomen on the treadmill?

After the birth, we interviewed her doctor who talked about it. Why would the doctor lie for her? That's right. She wouldn't.

However, the only person who resorts to fantasy is Julia O'Malley.

So she pulled some unnamed people out of the hat for the first time ever who saw Sarah Palin with a "real pregnant belly." Astonishing! Who are these people? And why are there no pictures from that time showing Governor Sarah with a "real pregnant belly?"

O'Malley claims that Palin "acted nervous" when somebody tried to take her picture, even before the announcement. Also, her "face filled out" and her "fingers swelled." Really?

Fortunately, there is a lot of material available to make a "fact-check."

In late February 2008, a team from "alaskahdtv" filmed and interviewed Sarah Palin when she walked to her office, in high heels, apparently not afraid of the snow, sipping coffee.

This clip was already the subject of extensive discussions in the past on the blogs which were investigating babygate (for example here and here).

Watch for yourself how the supposedly shy and highly pregnant Sarah, who hadn't announced her pregnancy at this point and would officially give birth to a six-pound baby just about 2 months later, masters the icy conditions and at the same time chats to the reporters. Don't forget to spot the "swollen hands", her "nervous acting" and her "real pregnant belly":

Sarah Palin - Hiking in Juneau - late February...

Did you spot it...?

Well, just several days later, on March 3, 2008, the highly pregnant Sarah Palin was interviewed by Newsweek's Karen Breslau. Surely it will now be obvious that Sarah is highly pregnant. After all, she will give birth just six-weeks after this interview. So this clip should prove that the "Trig Truthers" love to indulge in fantasies, right?

Watch:

Have you spotted the highly pregnant Sarah Palin yet..?

There is more!

Israeli filmmaker Elan Frank had the opportunity to exclusively film Sarah Palin on April 8 and April 9, 2008. Just ten days later, Trig was presented at Mat-Su Regional Hospitel in Palmer/Wasilla, born at 6.30 am on April 18, 2008, according to the official story.

What he captured was interesting indeed. Again, the footage had been discussed previously on several blogs, for example in my post at Palingates on October 11, 2009. Surely we can now prove beyond doubt that Palin was pregnant, right? Well, one should think so, but look for example how Sarah raises up from her chair in the following clip at the 2:20 mark:

Fox News bought Elan Frank's footage and used it in their documentary "An American Women." The following clip contains the complete available pieces of Elan Frank's footage which he shot on April 8 and April 9, 2008 in Juneau. I presented this clip in a post at Palingates on August 5, 2010:

Although it's also mentioned in the clips that the footage was taken several days before Palin "gave birth" to Trig, we also know from her official schedule, which was obtained through a FOIA request, when Elan Frank was filming with Sarah Palin in Juneau.

The drumbeats on her belly are priceless. Poor Trig, I hope he was wearing earplugs. But fortunately, he wasn't there, so we don't have to worry. ;-)

One claim in Julia O'Malley's article in particular made me feel outraged: Her assertion that Prof. Bradford Scharlott used "widely-circulated photoshopped pictures." This is not funny any more. The ADN has overstepped the mark here and published a deliberate lie. Unless the ADN publishes a correction, this paper simply cannot be taken seriously any more. In this instance, the ADN has turned into a "spin-machine", risking their reputation as a serious news source.

Prof. Scharlott's paper used 4 different pictures: Two of them were the famous "Gusty-pictures" which were taken on April 13, 2008. He also explained the history of these pictures in great detail and showed how they were used to "kill" the faked pregnancy rumors after they were uploaded anonymously to flickr on August 31, 2008 (see the screenshots in our previous post). Andrea Gusty also "defended" the pictures in a news report on KTVA in spring 2009, after the pictures had been discussed and critically examined on the "babygate" blogs.

Let's take a close look at the remaining two pictures. As the Gusty pictures weren't photoshopped, the others in Prof. Scharlott's paper must have been, according to Julia O'Malley. Right?

These two pictures were:

1. A picture taken in Juneau on March 14, 2008.

2. A picture taken in Juneau on March 26, 2008.

When these pictures were taken, Sarah Palin, a small, slender woman, was supposed to have a baby in her belly which must have weight at around 5 pounds, as Trig was presented on April 18, 2008 with an official birthweight of 6 pounds 2 ounces.

But were the pictures "photoshopped?" Has Julia O'Malley proven that the "Trig Truthers" deal with "tainted" material?

Let's take a look at the first picture - this one (click on pictures and screenshots to enlarge):

Yes, Palin let's pretty slim. She has a tight stomach as well. A baby weighing around five pounds is pretty difficult to spot indeed.

But was the picture really taken on March 14, 2008? And was it photoshopped?

Julia O'Malley should have taken a look at an "impeccable" source: The ADN!

Guess what they published - here and here:

OH NO (screaming with a "Jon Stewart voice")! NO, IT CANNOT BE! That is the same picture! In the ADN! Dated March 14, 2008! Julia, how is this possible?

The ADN are not the only ones who dated this picture as being taken on March 14, 2008.

See also the excellent examination of this photo by our friend Deborah Newell Tornello ("litbrit") in a post from July 2010.

Well, no "photoshopping" here, and the date was correct was well.

So, Julia, you have one last chance! What about the picture which was supposedly taken on March 26, 2008?

Julia, I have to tell you a secret: My partner and co-blogger Kathleen found this picture at the end of November 2008 by coincidence on flickr, where it had been uploaded by another user on April 15, 2008. You can be assured that we documented everything properly, as we realized immediately that this picture is pure dynamite, for the simple reason that Sarah had been careless and had forgotten to wear one of her famous scarves on this fateful day.

We are talking about this picture (screenshot from Prof. Scharlott's paper):

So here we go:

This picture was taken on March 26, 2008, in the Alaska State Museum in Juneau where Palin signed Bill HB 259. Here is a news report from this event:

Here is a screenshot of Sarah Palin's official diary from that day, which was obtained through a FOIA request:

Here is a screenshot from a news report about this event in the "Juneau Empire", which is still available as a cached copy on google:

The picture links to this story:


The "wayback Machine" also saved the official press release of the Governor's office for this event at the Alaska State Museum which took place on March 26, 2008.

The picture with Palin's flat belly was upload to flickr on April 15, 2008, three days before Trig was officially born, by the user "surfdaf". It's not the only picture she uploaded from this event. There were several others as well.

Here are the original screenshots from flickr:

I even made PDF-hardcopies of the flickr-pages on November 30, 2008. You can access the PDF-document with the "Nail in the coffin" picture HERE.

The original, unaltered picture in full size, just as it was uploaded to flickr by "surdaf" on April 15, 2008, can be accessed HERE.

But now comes the "kicker": While "surfdaf" made the famous "Nail in the coffin" picture private shortly after it was discovered, the other pictures are still online, "embedded" in a huge batch of other pictures from Alaska which were also uploaded to flickr on April 15, 2008!

Julia, I do hope that this is enough documentation for you.

Let's take a good look at Sarah Palin's belly:

Julia, where is the baby, weighing approximately five pounds? I am unable to spot it, can you?

As we have now settled this issue and proven that there was no photoshopping involved, let me move on to another point:

Julia O'Malley writes:

But, of course, there was no silence spiral. The journalists, including me, who covered Palin at the time believed she was pregnant because she was pregnant.

Well, why did the ADN then feel the need to examine Sarah Palin's pregnancy in the first place, if everything was so clear-cut?

In my very first post at Palingates from September 14, 2009, I wrote:

Pat Dougherty complained publicly in his editors’ blog that this investigation by the ADN, which was apparently designed to “exonerate” Sarah Palin, curiously received no support from Sarah Palin whatsoever.

And as a result, he decided to drop the story and decided not to report ANYTHING.

Pat Dougherty wrote about these issues in his editors’ blog for example here:

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/136523

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/136586

Is this what highly paid journalists in such cases are supposed to do? Sit in their offices and wait for the “evidence” to walk through their door?

I think not.

Several days ago I shot off an “angry letter” to Pat Dougherty, complaining about the lack of coverage. I also asked him whether the rumor was true that Sarah Palin apparently threatened to sue the ADN. I also mentioned the MTV video and Michael Carey’s interview from September 2008.

This is the response I received from Pat Dougherty:

Patrick:

What exactly is the evidence? Not what you think you see in a video, but evidence. Not what somebody told somebody who told you, but evidence. If we had the evidence, we'd report the story, but we don't have it. As far as I can tell, neither do you. Just for your information, rumors are often presented as facts; that doesn't actually make them facts. What makes a rumor a fact is verification with evidence.

And no, nobody threatened to sue us to stop a story that never existed. You should know, though, that people regularly threaten to sue us and that doesn't scare us or stop us. It's just another day at the office. Why? Because if they sue us and we can back up what we say with evidence, we win and they lose.

Pat

Screenshot of the email:

So, excuse me, Julia, but it sounds to me that Pat Dougherty, your boss, wasn't actually completely convinced that Sarah Palin really give birth to Trig, but that he couldn't publish anything different in your paper simply because of lack of evidence.

Curious, is it not? What made him think that? Was it because the fact that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy had apparently already been a hot topic of discussion in the ADN-newsroom prior to Sarah Palin's nomination for the vice-presidency?

For example, ADN-veteran Michael Carey explained on September 2, 2008:

One last point, Julia:

In September 2009, I reported at Palingates about a surprising discovery of our fantastic research team - that the ADN, being notoriously short on money these days, had one major, well-paying customer: The State of Alaska.

I wrote:

The State of Alaska makes no secret of its expenses. Therefore, according to the golden rule “follow the money”, we thought it would do no harm to check whether the ADN might be in a “mutually beneficial relationship” with the people they are supposed to have a “watchful eye” on – the administration and government of the State of Alaska.

The result of our research astounded us.

For example, between July 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008, the ADN received the following payments from the State of Alaska:

a. $ 427,386 for “Advertising”

b. $ 250,768 for “Print/Copy/Graphics”

c. $ 2,932 for “Subscriptions”

In total, the ADN received more than $ 681,086 for “Advertising, Print/Copy/Graphics and Subscriptions” from the State of Alaska during this period, and the Governor’s office alone advertised with the ADN for the amount of $35,339.

This is certainly not pocket money that we are talking about here.

Can't it be argued that the freedom of the ADN to report about inconvenient facts like a faked pregnancy of a former Republican Governor is actually quite limited because of this obvious dependency on state contracts, especially given the fact that Sarah Palin reminded Pat Dougherty in their email conversation from early 2009 about this point:

Sarah Palin:

Thank you for your patience in awaiting my response. I do hope for nothing but the best for our local newspaper in these trying economic times that have hit your parent company.

Pat Dougherty in return gave a curious response to this remark:

Pat Dougherty:

As you suggest, these are tough times for newspapers. Having a bunch of conspiracy nuts denouncing the Daily News for hiding your secret just adds to the overall happy ambience.

Julia, what do you think about all this?

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Summary document about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy:

In 2010, I worked on a summary about the facts surrounding Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy, and made several versions of that summary available for download at Palingates. The last version is from September 5, 2010 (click here to download). This version is not up-to-date any more, as several links have stopped to work and many more new facts have to be added. However, I haven't found the time yet to update it. The document still serves as a useful introduction to "babygate."

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Prof. Bradford Scharlott gave an excellent interview to the radio-station KSLG on April 15, 2011. I uploaded the interview to youtube for easier access:

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All posts at Politicalgates about Sarah Palin's faked pregnancy can be read HERE and HERE.

All old posts at Palingates about "babygate" with the pictures still intact can be accessed HERE.

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