PALIN'S GOING ROGUE

Palin, S.(2009) Going rouge: an American life New York: Harper Collins publishers

This book was #1 on New York Times bestseller list and sold 2.7 million copies.

It is roughly over 400 pages. After leaving the Governorship of Alaska, she returned to her journals and was able to write this with help from Harper Collins staff in a very short time.

This is both an autobiography and a defense of her performance in the 2008

presidential contest. The overall view was that Ms. Palin was an outstanding speaker , but was troubled with Q & A sessions. Her worst impression was with a shot clip with Katie Couric in which she appeared not to be able to cite news sources that she read for everyday civil events in the country and the world.

She maintains that Ms. Couric's interviews were quite long and spliced to look as if she was not prepared. Further, Couric would asked the same question over and over in various ways to make it appear that she lacked knowledge to be second in command over the United States of America.

The first 209 pages deal with growing in Alaska and being both a city council person , mayor and governor. As a little girl she was raised by a mother who

was mainly a housewife and a father that taught science among other things

in Alaska educational system.

She describes her thrill when Ronald Reagan  became president and the hostages were released (now called the October Surprise) from Iran. Her values are traditional ones and they include being a carnivore, hunter, gun owner, Republican, pro-business,  creationist ,small government except for the military, and a non- isolationist and pro- life.Although she was raised in a Protestant denomination, she became" born again" before graduating from high school. She went to Hawaii University and flunked out. From there she eventually moved to Idaho U., where the topography and demography is the same as Alaska or is very similar. She took 5 years to graduate as she worked her way through school and not dissimilar to other students who take that extra year for grad status. Her background appears to be in communications and with an emphasis in journalism.. She was athletic and a beauty pageant queen.

From there it was broad casting and working her way up the Republican party. However, she found that the Republicans and then the Democrats were the problem as most were rented by the Big Oil companies. They drilled and drilled. She fought for the Trans-Atlantic pipeline, and was able to nationalize part of

the profits that were sent to each Alaskan citizen. She fought with members of

Alaskan legislature and in the mean time had numerous children. Further, her

husband Todd worked for another oil company and was often gone. So she worked all day and all night with what most consider a fairly large family.

Chapter 4 is entitled Going Rogue. The chapter begins with a call from John

McCain who asked her to be Vice president of the United States representing the

Republican party. The announcement the morning after the Democratic party convention stole the thunder of the success of Obama's nomination in which things went quite well and he spoke to a whole stadium of supporters. In other words, the timing of Sarah Palin took the bounce from the Democratic convention.

Her introduction was also exciting and McCain surged in the polls. Then came a closer look at her by non-conservative wing of the press and her stump speech

was generally appealing, but the questions afterward proved to be a struggle.

This is the point when she had to prepare for the debates and was very anxious and without knowledge in strategic areas. However, she was able to reinterpret

each question and provide an answer. The overnight polls heavily favored Senator

Joe Biden.

Around this time, numerous rumors surfaced about the cost of clothes that she was wearing and other minutia. By now the staff of Senator McCain were distancing themselves from her and her areas of campaigning were placed in spots outside major media markets. Most of her appearances were packed

with supporters.

She appeared to be a drag on the ticket and this is one reason among others that she wrote this book. In many ways, it is a defensive book to quell the bad press that she had at the time.

Her biggest enemy after the press was the McCain people. When it appeared that Obama was going to win. Most of the staff of McCain went to Carl Cameron FOX

newsperson with tidbits about her failings.

Further, she had left footprints of other activities while Governor or mayor that

suggested that her parameters of the world were small. She rebuts these

issues.

She also had problems with her daughter who become pregnant. Further, the biological father was not very helpful. Nor were rumors that her last child was not partnered from her husband. All were wrong. This is the substance of the rest of the book. She answers rumors and denies most of them.

Her job was to keep the Republican base which at this time of this writing is about

20 or 25 percent of the voting population. It would appear that she did hold the base  as Senator McCain was thought to be too liberal for the party.  She was a risky candidate that was not properly vetted or thoroughly vetted. However, over all, she brought some excitement to a party that had George W. Bush as its head who at the end of his 2nd term was not very popular.

A collection from the conservative press as recorded in Wikipedia* seems to indicate that they generally support the book. Rush Limbaugh called it "substantive." 

Wall Street Journal said that it was too gentle on the McCain staff. Zeigler called it "excellent." Cognetti indicates that she has no intention of

leaving the national scene. At the time of this writing, FOX news has defended her. She has become a member of the FOX team.

On the other hand, those centrist and left center sources were not so kind.

The Huffington Post** indicate that there were a number of  mistruths that they uncovered. Palin did not win the vote of her family to run for president and her daughter's pregnancy was meant to stay secret. She blamed McCain for pricey clothes when in fact she chose the clothes. Palin brought herself down not the McCain staff. She was incorrect that McCain made her pay for her vetting. Palin was not a frugal traveler and she did not want to go on SNL.  There are many more. So,  this reviewer can only invite you to the Huffington Post website.

The Associate Press (according to Wikipedia) that Palin's statements are not factual. The New York Times said that is was  part pay back and not journalism.

This review can go on and on.  What can be said is that one's ideology will

probably dictate what one thinks of the book. On the other hand, many can secretly feel inside that a road into politics is a life of constant struggle with the

opposition and the press. There are people out there who want to destroy you and for some it really does make victims. Choose some other line of work.

The conservative base will like this book.

Joel C. Snell

Kirkwood College

*http: www.huffingtonpost.com/news/sarah palin

** www.huffingtonpost.com/news/sarah palin