Accusing Palin of Being Corrupt in Her Political Career

Mission for anti-Palin movement: Expose her

By KENNETH P. VOGEL

 

She is a promiscuous, petty and unintelligent, yet deviously conniving warmonger intent on capturing the Oval Office and, from there, the world.

Those are just some of the opinions about Sarah Palin held by members of a small but extremely active network of gadflies, bloggers and authors who have devoted much of the last 2½ years to proving their case to American voters.

This self-styled anti-Palin movement — whose members span the globe and are mostly but not exclusively liberals — has been behind some embarrassing revelations about the former Alaska governor, her family and allies. But some of their leading theories have been thoroughly discredited and earned them widespread criticism. (See: ‘Mama Grizzly’ Sarah Palin back on the prowl) 

Yet that only seems to have hardened a commitment to accomplishing what they profess to be their ultimate goal: the absolute and complete exposure of Palin as a fraud unworthy of a role in American civic life. And now, with Palin edging back into the political spotlight in the face of flagging poll numbers, they believe that they are closer than ever to achieving it. (See: Poll: The incredible shrinking Sarah Palin)

A number of forthcoming books promise to delve deeply into — and, they believe, give mainstream credibility to — some of the more salacious Palin rumors and conspiracy theories that have sprouted in the anti-Palin blogosphere and on supermarket tabloid stands but have mostly been rejected by the mainstream media.

“We’re at a tipping point, where her character and her lack of ethics will be revealed on the national stage,” asserted Sherry Whitstine, a 49-year-old grandmother who lives in Palin’s hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, and has infuriated her famous neighbors with blog posts and online comments accusing Palin of being unfaithful in her marriage and corrupt in her political career. (See: Troopergate report: Palin abused authority)

“Some things are just going to come to light that they just won’t be able to shake, and I have faith in that. It has already started, but these books will add to it,” she said.

The Palin camp has dismissed these critics as inconsequential ankle-biters but also has occasionally lashed out against the stories and rumors they have circulated. While the latter approach has engendered sympathy among her supporters, it’s also helped enable some of the rumors to break through into the “lamestream” media Palin so despises. (See: Sarah Palin trashes ‘lamestream media’)

Nonetheless, a source close to Palin downplayed the impact of the relentless scrutiny, telling POLITICO, “There are many things that are said on the Web about Gov. Palin that make it into the public domain. Many are so laughable, they don’t require a response.”

Their forbearance likely will be tested next month, when two major publishers will release books that have the anti-Palin movement buzzing.

St. Martin’s Press has scheduled a May 10 release of “The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power,” by Santa Cruz, Calif.-based author and documentarian Geoffrey Dunn, who has joked that he might need three or four volumes to adequately cover the subject matter suggested in the title.

He told POLITICO he decided to write the book after hearing stories from Alaskans about Palin’s “childhood through her governorship that were troubling to me.” He said his goal is to frame Palin’s career in the contexts of both an Alaska political scene “plagued by a culture of corruption” and also in “the larger tradition of American political populism and demagoguery.”

A couple of weeks later, a Simon & Schuster imprint is set to offer a tell-all memoir by Frank Bailey, a disgruntled former top aide to Palin, using her personal emails to paint an ugly portrait of her as a vindictive and vain dilettante obsessed with her public image, who allegedly broke election laws and targeted a state trooper by leaking damaging information.  (See: Former Sarah Palin aide’s tell-all coming to bookstores near you)

Then, in September, Crown will release “The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin,” by journalist and author Joe McGinniss, whose decision to rent the house next door in Wasilla last summer prompted Palin to warn him to “leave my kids alone.” (See:Palin: McGinniss ‘disturbing’)

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53641.html#ixzz1KYXpbRXT