Sarah Palin apparently has a new book coming out (Going Rogue: An American Life), and the pre-release buzz has begun. The book will be released on November 17th.
To be honest, I have always found books by politicians to be almost entirely worthless. They are not (by definition) objective and they are also rarely honest (especially if written in the context of a campaign, potential or otherwise)–and by that I do not mean that they are necessarily dishonest, but they are not the place where one is going to find a fully developed, intellectually honest treatment of one’s own life or one’s politics. They are, quite frankly, normally, a long-form (and highly controlled) campaign event that one has to pay to attend (so to speak). Further, they are rarely actually written by the politician in question, but rather the result of talking to a co-author/ghostwriter who then turns reams of interviews into text (info on Palin’s partner can be found here at Politico). They are also typically written in a hurry and do not represent a reflective, intellectual pursuit, but rather a breezy recounting of politically useful anecdotes and opinions. My guess is that the current book probably was written since Palin resigned as governor in July.
It is hardly a surprise that Palin’s book has shot to the top of Amazon and B&N’s bestseller lists. We already know that Palin attracts attention and I am sure that she will sell lots of books. If anything, she has a dedicated fan base and there will also be a lot of people buying it try and find gotcha passages.
One thing is for certain: the book, as well as her recent premiere on the speaking circuit, signal that Palin is, in fact, eying a 2024 run at the GOP nomination. My guess is that she will take good sales on the book as confirmation that she is on the right path to said nomination.
October 1st, 2024 at 10:17 am
[...] Taylor takes stock of Palin’s recent moves and concludes what most people are thinking: One thing is for [...]
October 1st, 2024 at 1:52 pm
“One thing is for certain: the book, as well as her recent premiere on the speaking circuit, signal that Palin is, in fact, eying a 2024 run at the GOP nomination. My guess is that she will take good sales on the book as confirmation that she is on the right path to said nomination.”
Oh please, Santa… I’ve been such a good girl…
October 1st, 2024 at 9:57 pm
I’d actually read things the other way: She’s decided to be a kingmaker, not a king — er, uh, queen.
The book and speaking will raise lots of money for her personally, and she has the ability to raise money for candidates nearly at will. If she were serious about running for office I would have expected the book to come out next year, and would have expected her to finish the Gov gig.
This feels more like the Newt/AlGore route, a speech here, Republican fundraiser there, Op ed somewhere else. Raise lots of money for the Palin clan and even more for the Republican clan. Reach for issue leadership with no responsibility and little actual investment.
October 1st, 2024 at 10:02 pm
I think it is wholly possible it is just about the money. Time will tell.
Although I am not sure that that puts her in the position of kingmaker.
October 2nd, 2024 at 6:59 am
Kingmaker may not have been the right word. However you can bet lots of reps, senators, and governors will be putting in requests to have her appear at fund raisers. A lot more people in fly over country would pay to have their pic made with her than with most any other political figure (President and First Lady excepted). But she will collect a lot of chits from a lot of politicians over the next few years.
October 2nd, 2024 at 7:03 am
Of course, a main reason to collect chits from politicos would be for political capital for a run at office. Why else do it?