Palin the Pitbull Begins to Break Off Her Tight Leash

Photograph of Sarah Palin on the campaign trail from the AP

Dissension within the McCain campaign has begun spilling over into the public with campaign aides speaking out about Sarah Palin taking her cues less and less from within their camp and instead deciding to "go rogue." The rift appears to be pretty sizable with one aide telling CNN, "She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone...Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

Palin is allegedly uncomfortable with the limitations put on her by campaign operatives and delivering her own message how she sees fit. "She's now positioning herself for her own future...It looks like no one is in charge," an adviser told CNN. Some recent examples they cite of Palin going "off the reservation":

Ignoring Republican aides in Colorado and having an impromptu chat with press as advisers were visibly attempting to intercede and shut the interaction down.
Going against the McCain platform and telling a Christian publication that she supported an amendment banning gay marriage.
Referring to robocalls, a frequent tactic of McCain's as "irritating" to voters.
Publicly questioning the campaign's decision to pull out of Michigan.

Palin is said to be particularly unhappy with how little media interaction she was able to have in her first few weeks as the nominee and subsequently how much damage was done by the two primary interviews that thrust her into the spotlight, with Charles Gibson and then Katie Couric. But if the governor isn't happy with the response to what was seen as her gaffes in those interviews, the McCain camp isn't going to take the hit on it. One adviser familiar with prepping candidates said it was probably the "hardest" to get her "up to speed than any candidate in history."

An article on the course of McCain's campaign since winning the Republican nomination in today's NY Times Magazine puts in focus McCain's process in selecting Palin and more than ever brings to light just how little the senator knew about his running mate beforehand. One staff member said, “She just wasn’t one of the names. I mean, we heard more about Bloomberg.”

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in News on October 26, 2008 9:32 AM

Comments [rss]

JMH

To be fair, she's absolutely right about robocalls.

ma bell

and furthermore, being that the democrats are the champions of the middle class, i find your logic even more amusing. middle class blue collar workers vote democrat. and most factory workers may not even have high school diplomas, let alone degrees from higher level institutions.

ma bell

i find amanda harlech's train of thought here quite amusing.

so democrats live in cities. but the one's that were responsible for this financial mess were republicans. but this problem came from wall street, in new york city. but it was the bankers who are republican that were responsible for this. so of all the people in this city, it was only the republicans that are responsible. yet the people that live here are democrat. ha you are like disproving your own points here.

and please show your "studies" that show that democrats are more educated. i mean, you are saying that the bankers are republican, and i guarantee most of them have at least a bachelors degree and a lot of them have MBAs. that is a pretty educated field i would say.

i would like to see these studies. i mean, did you decide that you would just post something that you made up on this message board without further detail?

sometimes i think i leave this message board stupider then when i came. reading opinions from mental midgets such as this just can't be a good use of my time.

inoyourider

OBVIOUS publicity stunt

reinforces 'maverick' and beliefs

tricks liberal media to give them coverage

CJ Robb

It was obvious from the beginning, Sarah was all about Sarah. Remember the "Palin/ McCain" gaff early on? Hope she enjoys her $150K momento of clothes, bought by campaign funds, when she is shipped back to Alaska. Anyone who contributed should demand a refund!

McCain needs his head examined for picking her (or allowing her to be picked for him) as his VP running mate.

Biden is no rocket scientist, but she makes him look like Einstein. She has no clue about urban areas and from her remarks, doesn't care to learn. She scares the hell out of this "urban" PA girl! Love "The Lady is a Rogue Tramp", I can hear Sinatra singing that real clear. Thanks.

Amanda Harletsch

Fritz the cat: That video is pretty telling about the blindness of republicans.

Derekasaurus

While she may have a bright political future in Alaska, her complete inability to relate to anyone except extreme right-wing religious lunatics is still a leash -- hopefully one short enough to keep her in Alaska forever.

Shinobi Shaw

This nut is just making things better for Obama, the man is sure to win now!

And I am not a fan of either parties, but it sure looks like an Obama win.

tingo

A supreme disaster for the McCain ticket. This should be it.

This woman will be irrelevant. She'll probably become an Alaskan senator, and will appeal to and represent only the far right base.

She's not a maverick nor a pit bull - she's a naive loose cannon.

Fritzdecat

You wanna freak out? take a hard look at her religous side

Steven

No wonder she is doing this. Everyone knew she was acting like a robot when she came into the media spotlight.

Amanda Harletsch

and, east river, all those situations that you mention follow greed as principle more than civilty in urban centers.

I BET YOU! MOST Bankers in such areas are Republicans rather than Democrats. So it is not the urbans centers as much as the value of supreme laissez faire individualism what rules this "solutions"

Amanda Harletsch

"Hurray for urban centers!" maybe moving to the XVI century can help you stopping the "urban center" phenomenon.

slappy

Evita blow up doll

chris lee

Remember the McCain campaign director in Fla who got caught fellating a black guy? His defense was he did it to save his life. He was surrounded by black guys and thought he'd get his ass kicked if he didn't give head. That's a true story, look it up.

handsomedevil

Tracey Schmitt, Palin's press secretary, was urgently called over after Palin wandered over to the press and started talking.

Emergency! All hands! She's TALKING TO THE PRESS!

sally_in_montana

Palin is the REAL joke. ROFLMAO

sally_in_montana

ROFLMAO these comments are SOOOO funny

Joclyn

Real Americans use their disgustingly wrinkled, dry hands to kill moose for sport! You betcha! *wink*

williambanzai7

THE LADY IS A ROGUE TRAMP

(The Lady is A Tramp, Frank Sinatra)

WilliamBanzai7

She's just too hungry, for a Vice Presidential date

She loves political mud slinging, never heard of Watergate

She'd never bother, with "UnAmerican" voters she hates

Thats why the lady is a rogue tramp

Doesnt like to play games, with media barons and earls

Would only go to campaigning, in ermine and pearls

Will dish the dirt, unlike the rest of those girls

Thats why the lady is a rogue tramp

She loves the free, fresh permafrost wind in her hair

Northern redneck life without care

Shes broke, but its ok the RNC's there

She loves her trailer camp even though, its cold and its damp

Thats why the lady is a rogue tramp

Doesnt like strategy games, with sharpies and aides

Won't get on the bus unless its prepaid

Will dish out more campaign dirt, than the rest of us broads

Thats why the lady is a rogue tramp

EastRiver

It is also a fact that people with higher education move to urban center such as NYC and those with lower educations stay in rural remote areas.

Where the "smart" people promptly invented credit default swaps, mortgage backed securities, flawed rating agencies, etc., etc. Not to mention private equity and investment banks where the bankers get paid to shuffle money around and ship jobs overseas. Hurray for urban centers!

Jen S

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/567867.html

Amanda Harletsch

studies have shown a correlation between level of education and political preference:

those that have barely High-school education favor the conservative ideologies of republicans. Those that have a minimum of 4 years of college education favor liberal ideologies of democrats.

It is also a fact that people with higher education move to urban center such as NYC and those with lower educations stay in rural remote areas.

If the country is gonna be rule by the result of a faulty high-school education it would be worth to take a look to that formation and its values (lack of)

Amanda Harletsch

she represents all that is wrong about the american educational system and subsequently the result of democracy in a country with a huge cultural problem as result of bad education.

It is horrific to witness the republicans blind fervor for nonsense when it comes to electing the leader of this country: buffalos in panic jumping right in to the abyss. Republicans have no awareness on the impact of their politics in more than 1 mile around them or one year ahead of time. Their sense of pride based religion as the deepest understanding on ethics by memory and social duty by becoming warriors to a feudal power where the use of violence equals law.

cucarachita

Yeah, well, the whole McCain thing has been out of control for the last eight years -- she fits right in.

PKinNYC

DID I MENTION SHE'S A LOSER TOO...

PKinNYC

DID I MENTION SHE SUCKS???

PKinNYC

SHE SUCKS.

virgil

If I were McCain, I'd be trying not to get elected; not just her, but the folks who forced McCain to pick her, will be very, very interested in his health, in a "don't get well soon" manner of speaking...

Jen Chung

Amazing photo op.

Spirit of 76

Or our best hope. I say let her loose. She could turn off an awful lot of moderate Republicans and lead to more votes for Obama or at least lower turnout among those moderates.