Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Crackpot Jackpot

Sarah Palin may be avoiding the political fundraising circuit, but the political fundraising circuit is certainly not avoiding her.

According to Politico’s Kenneth P. Vogel, the Alaska governor and former vice presidential candidate has become a veritable cash cow for Republicans and Democrats alike. Call it the Crackpot Jackpot, if you will. The mere mention of Palin’s name is enough to get diehard Leftists and Rightists foaming at the mouth and tearing open their wallets.

”The candidates and causes that have climbed aboard the Palin gravy train include, but aren’t limited to, abortion rights foes and supporters, environmental groups and political committees supporting both Republican and Democratic candidates,” Vogel writes. “It’s a testament not only to her star power but also to the strong feelings she generates among partisans.”

Due to her time-consuming work with the Alaska legislature, Palin herself has been largely AWOL from the fundraising scene. Even SarahPAC, the committee set up by the governor in January to raise money for members of her staff and conservative Republican candidates, has not done a lot of business.

”But that hasn’t stopped others from seeking to fill their own coffers by pillorying her in direct mail, piggybacking on her stances and symbolism, hinting she might appear at their fundraisers and sometimes even falsely implying contributions will go directly to Palin,” says Vogel. “With some groups, it’s not entirely clear what the overarching goal is other than to tap into the Palin cash pipeline.”

One such example is the now-defunct entity called “Sarah Palin’s Defense Fund.” When told by a lawyer working for Palin that all references to the governor must be removed “pending written approval,” the owner of this “defense fund,” a conservative group called Free American Citizens, simply discontinued this legally questionable enterprise and started another one called “Sarah’s War Chest,” whose primary purpose is to gather contributions “to encourage her to run in the upcoming election.”

SarahPAC spokeswoman Meg Stapleton says that regardless of how many groups cash in on her name to solicit financial contributions for their own agendas, the governor will still be able to be a successful fundraiser.

“If we find that other people have had a chance at the dollars first, that’s OK,” she said. “We’re not really concerned about diluting any message. It’s just we’re concerned about people thinking the dollars are going for her or her vision or her philosophy or values when it may just be going for a big-screen TV.”

6 comments:

  1. yeah, she's hot, but kinds like plutonium!! Yes, it's valuable, yes, it's useful. But it's so hot just a little will kill you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That woman is a gift that keeps on giving to political humorists.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wonder if she'll ever be smart enough to know that she is being used and abused by both sides? In West Side Story there was a female gang member named "Anybody's". Nuff said.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @old fart-I love the reference to West Side Story. I wonder how many people actually understand your analogy. As far as Palin is concerned; let's face it: Her "star power" is an indication of just how shallow the public is. She has accomplished basically nothing in her political career and as far as I can see, her only redeeming quality is her decent looks. Years ago, Shirley Chisolm (sp) was actually a presidential consideration. The fact that she was homely as a bag of arseholes is the reason why she was so soon forgotten. Palin craves the limelight but it will get her nowhere politically.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unfortunately for BO, Palin will probably not be his opponent in four years, since early frontrunners are always the first to get knocked out of the contest.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Palin is the star of the Alasak tea bag party

    ReplyDelete

 

blogger templates | Make Money Online