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The Prolonging of Palin
Books, like men their authors, have no more than one way of coming into the world, but there are ten thousand to go out of it, and return no more.
Jonathan Swift, A Tale of a Tub, dedication
It's not the same as learning that just in time for the holiday season, a heretofore-unpublished novel of Dostoyevsky will hit the stores to great excitement and acclaim, but it's not much less exciting. It's the news that Sarah Palin's memoir with the catchy title "Going Rogue: An American Life" will arrive at bookstores on November 17th. Its advent has produced more of a buzz than did the news of Joe the Plumber's book, earlier this year, with the fetching title of "Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream."
Joe's fight began with the utterance of 12 words he spoke when introduced to Presidential Candidate Obama during the 2008 campaign. Those words were: "Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" With that cogent inquiry Joe became an instant hero to the right wing and finally gave John McCain something to talk about. It was, of course, a miracle as great as any in memory, that such an utterance should be considered fighting for the American dream. Until then, Joe's fighting for the American dream consisted of not paying taxes he owed and practicing plumbing without a license. That redemption could be achieved with such an utterance is indeed proof that in this country incompetence is no bar to success.
Joe's fight continued after the election when Joe became a correspondent for Pajamas TV. As correspondent he went first to Israel where he reported on what he thought Israel's response to the proposed cease fire with Hamas would be based on his perceptive conversations with "regular Israelis" (as distinguished from the other kind that more sophisticated reporters rely on). From that assignment he went on to "investigate the Obama stimulus package", an assignment he completed on February 11. His last appearance for Pajamas appears to be March 3, 2009, probably because he got involved in writing his new book that was published later in the year. (Of course he did not write it himself. He wrote it with the help of someone who was able to put Joe's few thoughts into words and embellish them to book length.) Sarah Palin's book is more eagerly awaited than was Joe's and, if advanced reports are believed, will have considerably more success.
Like Joe, (and unlike Dostoyevsky who did all his own writing and in Russian at that, which Sarah, having lived practically within earshot of Russia would be the first to tell you, is a considerable challenge) Sarah, too, had help. Her co-author was Lynn Vincent who spent the entire summer helping Sarah write her 400-page book. Ms. Vincent has written her own books as well as co-authored books for other public figures who lack the ability to do their own writing. A HarperCollins spokeswoman said the book would be "a memoir of Governor Palin's life" but refused to discuss the role of Ms. Vincent saying the publisher did not "participate in stories regarding collaborators." According to Politico, however, Ms. Vincent is "a staunch conservative, devoted evangelical Christian and intensely partisan Republican." (Her partisanship is well illustrated by a book she wrote entitled "Donkey Cons" which, among other things, describes the Democratic party as "pro-gangster" and the "party of treason and subversion", descriptions that resonate in the hearts of those who can hardly wait for the Palin book to hit the stores.) Its conception aside, the book promises to be a real boon for booksellers around the country.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal its initial press run will be 1.5 million copies, the same as the first press run of the memoir of another famous American, Edward M. Kennedy published in late September. Retailers are hoping the book will boost the fortunes of booksellers around the country. Edward Ash-Milby, a buyer for Barnes and Noble is quoted in the WSJ as saying that "It's going to be a No. 1 best seller, the hottest book in the country when it comes out. She has a lot to say and a lot of people will want to hear it." It is reassuring to learn that Ms. Palin, who was repeatedly stumped by questioners when interviewed during the 2008 campaign, has found a brain and a voice and now has a lot to say. Some were amazed at Joe the Plumber's popularity with a large segment of the American public when his accomplishments were essentially non-existent. It is even more amazing to think that Sarah Palin's book will become a best seller. The only question that is left is whether the promised popularity of her book says more about her or about those who buy her book. Readers can reach their own conclusions.
31 Comments so far
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Why are we even discussing this non-entity? She had her 15 minutes of fame - now let's move on!
Yawn...
I agree.Please... enough painin! But the sheeple will make Going Rogue, by the pistol packin mama from Alaska a best seller, no doubt.
I wish I could agree that Palin had her 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately a huge number of brain-dead Americans continue to love Palin.
checkout se cupps on cspan and tell
me why she shouldn't be 2nd to palin
2012...perfect match. The ultrafeminist
reverse slapdown of the buffoonish dems;
hil will challenge O for primary...omigahd
the networks have already gotten fed up with
less revenue...they are ready for the horse race.
Did use the title "going rogue" because McCain is the "maverick?" Or was it because "My Struggle" was taken already?
There's more than enough paper wasted (and trees felled) in the US on junk mail. And now this? Four hundred pages of sappy drivel. I'm salivating in between fits of laughter.
First Dumbya embarks on his Canadian speaking tour and now this. Even the masters of the universe are getting bored with the Beige Bush and have decided to spice things up a little!
I for one will be looking forward to the release of the Palin book (and no, I won't be looking foreward to it so much that I would actually buy a copy) because with the possible exception of Dumbya, no public figure is more sorely missed by progressives than Sarah Palin.
Bush and Palin are the new Hoover, Harding, and Coolidge rolled into two! Where else can you find such unbridled and rank stupidity so affirmatively and forcefully expressed?
Like Step N Fetch It or Amos 'n Andy to the KKK, Bush and Palin are the archtypes of everything that is both detestable and laughable at the same time about the fascist right.
It's good to see them back up on a stage where they can provide some amusement to an entertainment-starved United States.
Poet
Barnes & Noble: "A hot book from a hot broad."
(Sorry, I couldn't resist)
I'm having a McCluhan moment
from the transcript of a film made on McCluhan's take on Poe's "Descent into the Maelstrom"
01:18:15
"People who are subjected to the arrangement of language, visually, in lines, highly sequential, and precise and rigid, develop the habits of arranging their lives,
arranging their whole social existence in ways which are very closely geared to these forms. They’re not especially aware of this".
(...)
01:20:17
"The word Narcissus means narcosis, numbed, drugged. And Narcissus was drugged into thinking that image outside himself was somebody else. Narcissus did not fall in love with his own image, he thought it was somebody else".
(...)
01:20:47
"And the same with us. In our technological gadgetry, gimmickry and so on, we don’t think that it is merely a part of our own physical organism extended out there, we’re
like Narcissus, completely numb".
(...)
01:21:14
"Now when we put out a new part of ourselves, extend a new part of ourselves by technology to the outer environment, we protect ourselves by numbing that area. The more I looked at this, the the more difficulty I had in explaining why people
ignored it".
Can't wait to buy a copy, rip out the pages and use them as toilet paper.
Mordechai,
I hope you wait a few weeks so you can buy the book for $0.50 on the used book shelves at Goodwill.
who wants to buy used toilet paper?
The same day Palin's book is being released another is being released as well, entitled "Going Rouge." It presents the "other" view of Palin.
All Sarah Palin has going for her is her looks, and she had better hurry to cash in, because she will begin to lose them before too long...I read during the campaign, that when John McCain sent his people to meet her, in her hotel room, she came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. This is very strange,to say the least. But of course, the corporate media, failed to question her about this....Also, they have already dropped the price of her book to $9, so what's up with that?
Rumor had it that while Sarah was resigning her uncompleted governorship at her home in Wasilla (in order to make millions on her book and appearances, not legal by Alaskan law for a governor) Murdoch's yacht and jet were parked in Juneau...we'll see.
The GOPERS having ruined the country are now in full book tour mode! With an entire section of the media trumpeting their books , lectures etc. With these assholes it's all about $$ 24/7.
I think I'll wait for the movie.
" . . . such an utterance is indeed proof that in this country incompetence is no bar to success."
I thought bush was that proof.
Christopher Brauchli's article, entitled "The Prolonging of Palin" only serves to prolong the endearing career of Mrs. Palin.
So, by writing about her, you along with her gleeful fans and others who pan this woman add to this media spectacle...
End the media spectacle of Mrs, Palin by NOT WRITING about her at all, in any way, shape or form.....
Thank you ! I have to add that at the rate Obama is doing worse, I wouldn't be surprised if even Palin got the GOP nod in 2012 and defeated him, not that I prefer either one of them running the country.
I surely HOPE NOT!!!!!
As bad as Obama has been thus far, the sight or thought of dimwit Sarah Palin sitting in the White House would seal the deal of the ACTUAL/LITERAL DUMBING DOWN of America!!!!!!
Palin's "new book" is also a joke.....For accoutability sake and working hard, Palin is cheating her right wing base.....In my view, having some actually writing the book for ya, as Palin has done, shows little ability in many different areas.
Palin wants others to do her work for one. If she could not have written this book all by herself, then it should not have been published at all. Sarah Palin again shows how not to take her seriously by allowing someone else to write HER BOOK!!!!! How pathetic....
If any book should be written by the AUTHOR Herself/Himself, it's should be the author themselves unless one is illiterate or one with an awful disability, perhaps. Mrs. Palin cannot escape the fact she had someone else do such a light intellectual exercise for her.
I agree with you on hoping she doesn't get the presidency either. I would prefer a progressive indie to win the White House and plenty of progressive indies to kick out both parties in Congress.
About Palin and her book and work, one Alaskan native described her to me. She says "think of her as Dubya with a bra !" LOL ! :)
I would love to see the Republican party split into factions: One the old-time lovers of hate, greed, suffering, hypocrisy, and the new brand of Republicans who love Sarah, Joe the plummer, and any idea spawned by a head full of air.
Geez, I love that, native. I was gonna call her an empty-headed, cheerleader type, but "trailer tart" is better (more alliterative, for one thing).
Sarah who?
FREE AMERICA
REVOLUTIONARY (DIRECT) DEMOCRACY
...a Bennett cartoon line in the Chatanooga Free Press: "Shouldn't you read a book before you write one?"
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Sarah-Palin-Book.htm
Glenn Beck, with a claimed audience of 1% of the US audience, has trashed Acorn and claimed Van Jones scalp. He appears to be going after cabinet level officials now. If a non elected talk jock idiot is able to vett government officials it is conceivable that president Palin or Jeb Bush is in our future. It is hard to dismiss the attraction of death panels, Acorn conspiracies, or Obamas' alien origins, among a vocal focused growing minority.
Women: Saviors of the world economy?
By Kevin Voigt, CNN
October 26, 2009 -- Updated 0154 GMT (0954 HKT)
A shopper exiting a mall in China, where females under 35 are boosting domestic consumption.
A shopper exiting a mall in China, where females under 35 are boosting domestic consumption.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* The earning power of women globally is expected to reach $18 trillion by 2014
* That's more than the estimated GDPs of India and China combined
* Women consumers are most frustrated with financial service providers
(CNN) -- The largest growing economic force in the world isn't the China or India -- it's women.
The earning power of women globally is expected to reach $18 trillion by 2014 -- a $5 trillion rise for current income, according to World Bank estimates. That is more than twice the estimated 2014 GDP of China and India combined.
For companies, the growing economic power of women would seem an obvious market to capture. But according to a global study by the Boston Consulting Group, women feel at best underserved by companies, and at worst ignored.
"The current way companies appeal to women is to take a male product and paint it pink," said Michael Silverstein, a partner at BCG and coauthor of "Women Want More," a book based on the study results.
He points to Dell Computers ill-fated "Della" Web site launched in May. Aimed at generating more interest with female consumers, "Della" was dropped after a backlash of criticism that the site was patronizing (example from an article on the site: "You'll find netbooks can do a lot more than check your e-mail.")
"Women found it insulting," he said.
For women, the worst offender is the financial services industry. The BCG survey of 12,000 women in 40 regions around the world found that financial services -- such as providing ibanking, investment and insurance products and advice -- are worst at connecting with female consumers.
In doing so, the industries risk alienating the greatest growing spending bloc on the planet, Silverstein argues. Whether in the workforce or not, women are increasingly the drivers of consumer spending. Women globally control $20 trillion in annual consumer spending; by 2014 that could climb to $28 trillion.
The current way companies appeal to women is to take a male product and paint it pink.
--Michael Silverstein, a partner at BCG
The economic story of burgeoning economies such as China is also the story of "factory girls," young women who have found new spending power as a result of new economic opportunities. Despite the financial crisis, domestic spending in the first nine months of this year was up 15 percent, driven in large part by women under the age of 35, said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group.
"Women are starting to make as much, if not more, than men, especially in third and fourth-tier cities," Rein said.
Hidden in the bad news of unemployment in the most recent U.S. labor report was a historic statistic that underlines the growing importance of "womenonics" -- for the first time, the number of working women in the world's largest market was virtually equal to the number of men. By the end of the year, working women in the U.S. are expected to outnumber men.
That is not to say women have reached workplace parity in the U.S. -- women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar men do. And the ranks of female CEOs are still thin. "Most of the big companies are worked by men, for men," Silverstein said. "Only 38 or so of the top 400 companies are run by women."
He recalls a meeting with the head of a large U.S. bank and the female head of investment banking. "He was your classic bankers, in his 50s, being very dismissive of the ideas (of capturing female consumers)," Silverstein said. "She was practically banging her fists on the table. Afterward he said, 'Back off baby, there are bigger fish to fry'."
The trouble for women -- be they working women seeking small loans or entrepreneurs trying to attract venture capital -- is a problem of access and information, said Teri Cavanaugh, head of strategy for the Global Banking Alliance for Women.
"Men in business have mentors; women don't," she said. "Women really want to have relationships with their bank, information and advice ... but banks are not geared that way."
While women in developed markets bemoan disconnect with financial services, in the developing world financial programs aimed to lift families out of poverty are focused on women. Microfinancing gives small, short-term loans almost exclusively to women, because studies show women are most likely to invest in the welfare of the family and -- importantly -- pay loans back on time.
"One of the most difficult things about being poor is that your income is lumpy," says Sarah Mavrinac, a former INSEAD finance professor and president of Aidha, a Singapore group that aids immigrant workers. "It's $10 one day and then nothing for a while. Microfinance helps ensure that food still appears on the table for the children when income dries up periodically."
Even immigrant workers who have a steady income have trouble getting help from banks. When Mavrinac approached banks to encourage savings accounts aimed at migrant workers, the banks weren't interested. "They aren't interested in short-term savings or high transaction accounts," she said.
Last year, cash remittances to home countries from migrant workers was more than $300 billion, according to the World Bank. And even though they make on average less than men, the majority of the cash was from female workers. "Banks are clearly missing out here," Mavrinac said.
Well, I hate to say it, but after the non-performance of Obamma in the last 9 months, how bad could President Palin really be?
Dumb but driven opportunist, vs smart but cautious sellout?
Probably wind up in about the same place either way.
And THAT is the true beauty of the US single-party Dempublican system.
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
I think Progressives should make sure that Going Rouge, the parody by The Nation, outsells Going Rogue.