Something fishy is going on with that SP book signing in Michigan.

[Cleita]

People are being bussed in and the line is so long it will take her forever to sign everyone's book unless she does one every few seconds. If there is anything like a good investigative reporter there, please dig down and find out:

1) Why they bought the book?

2) If they didn't buy the book, who bought it for them?

3) Where do they come from? Clubs? Churches? Tea Party Activism?

4) Did those entities provide the buses and motels?

My instincts tell be this is a very staged event by a few anti-Obama enemies with deep pockets who are pulling this off.

Will Andrea Mitchell for once earn her title of journalist and find these things out?

[grantcart]

1. Also worth investigating

The increase of sales of Pepto Bismol to all non evangelical Republicans.

[virgogal]

2. Whether it is staged or not matters not one whit to me. There

are too many other important things for me to care about and S.P.'s book isn't one of them.

[Cleita]

3. This is important because the reporters on the scene aren't asking the

right questions to discredit her in public. If this is done, she might go away finally. If she is being backed and funded by the fundie Church corporations and those RW think tanks that tried to bring down Clinton, and these are my suspicions, then they need to be exposed. Unfortunately, I am neither a journalist on a cable news outlet nor am I in Minnesota, so I can't do it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. SHe is, why her book had a 1.5 million run

and why it is at deep discounts.

This is obvious but don't expect the MSM to do this. Arkansas Project II... this is what this is.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

54. Ebay will be flooded with signed copies of her book in a couple days.

[question everything]

55. Right. I watched the report on ABC. The reporter did ask them and I could not

believe all the young and old women gashing over how a "role model" she is, and that the "media" should leave her alone, and someone with a T-shirt full of logos Palin 2012, or something.

With Michigan being hit hardest during this recession, do they really think that they'd be better of with her in the White House?

[anigbrowl]

4. Sounds like good old-fashioned PR to me

Her publisher has a legitimate interest in maximising sales of the book and she is quite popular with conservative voters. I see nothing objectionable about this. Of course she's getting free publicity in the guise of news and talk show coverage, but then again Al Gore has been doing the rounds with his latest book. That's how the publishing business works.

[arcadian]

8. Yeah, fraud is no big deal.

[Cleita]

9. This seems beyond PR to me.

I believe people who went to see Gore went there on their own steam, not because they are being used as tools. This stinks to me of the same old routine for George Bush's Town Hall meetings where busloads of supporters were seated and anyone who disagreed with him shut out. Sure the publicity angle is there because if they waited for people to show up, it would have been a very small crowd as she's not that popular and it would have looked bad.

[anigbrowl]

13. Why? That's what a PR department does, is create buzz for their product

I'm sure if you look at book tours for prominent Democratic politicians, you'll find instances of the book being promoted through local party networks and so on. The whole point of PR is to drum up sales and make the book seem as exciting and important as possible. Sure she's popular, it's a big country and even if only 10% of people think she's fit for national office that would still be about 30 million. Why wouldn't a publisher try to market the hell out of it? They're in the book business to make money, not to perform a public service.

[Cleita]

16. You know this isn't promoting Sham Wows!

It's dishonest in creating a political story that will be in the news as fact about her so-called popularity.

[anigbrowl]

21. Yes it is. Publishers put out books to make money.

Go to a bookstore, there are good books and bad books. For every serious book about politics or history there's a bunch of idiot books alleging the earth is secretly run by space aliens or that some protocol will make you magically lose weight or whatever. there isn't some academic committee that vets everything for credibility, integrity and historical significance, that's ultimately the reader's job.

A big publisher only cares about whether the book will sell or not. Famous people tend to sell lots of books. Why do you think Palin's book is available at big discounts? So they can say they sold out the first print run and make it sound like a must-read. Same reason they pay other writers to write nice stuff to go on the back cover, give out free copies to reviewers, and buy advertising to tell people about it. It's a business, not a public service. The only difference between this and any other book launched with a lot of hype is that you particularly dislike Palin. Fine, so do I, but I don't blame her publisher for trying to exploit the fact that she's famous in order to sell more copies.

[Cleita]

23. And there are authors signing books in those bookstores, but wtf

there isn't this circus. There is something that smells really dishonest here and I want those journalists who bothered to fly all the way from New York to attend it to do their job. If Helen Thomas was there, and forty years younger, you can be sure she would uncover the whole stinky mess by asking the right questions of the people she is interviewing.

[anigbrowl]

27. I think you need a reality adjustment

I'm not asking you to like Palin, but she is both famous and popular with a significant segment of the population. Are the publisher's PR people working with the teabagger types to get more buzz for the book and sell more copies? You betcha. Is there anything wrong with this? No. I think her fans are credulous nuts and her book isn't worth the paper it's printed on, but I also know that I have no say in what other people choose to like.

It's not a stolen election, it's a marketing event designed to increase sales. Do you think the long lines for the opening night of a Harry Potter movie are evidence of some occult conspiracy to brainwash youngsters? Because that's what you sound like.

[Celebration]

51. Ummm

Comparing this to Harry Potter books.

:rofl:

So, you think there was an organized effort to bus in people to buy Harry Potter books?

:eyes:

There isn't anything illegal about this so called marketing scheme, but it is incumbent upon reporters to get to the bottom of it. If the people getting bussed didn't actually pay for the book, well, that's a big story.

And, yes, we are suspicious that is the case.

And, not the case with Harry Potter.

[Vinca]

5. I'm betting half of them are people out of work hoping to get a signed copy

to sell on ebay. In fact, I just checked ebay and people have sold signed books they haven't got signed yet . . . honest. The pitch is they have a voucher to get in line and the book will be signed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Going-Rogue-By-Sarah-Palin-Preorder-HC-NEW-SIGNED_W0QQitemZ130344523455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Nonfiction_Book?hash=item1e592396bf
Whoa! Wait until you see the busty come-on pic.

[Cleita]

14. Isn't there a look alike porn actress with big maracas who is

doing films about her? Maybe they photoshopped Sarah's face on her body. That is funny.

[SmileyRose]

42. Maracas?? LOL

a new one one me. haha

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. 99.95 ???!!!!!

The e-bay book is 99.95???????

Good ole American entrepreneurship.

[Liberal In Texas]

44. Just saw one for $299.

And that's why some of the people are standing in line.

[Eric68601]

53. Hilarious

Anybody notice the auction listing the book as fiction?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Going-Rogue-by-Lynn-Vincent-Sarah-Palin-2009-HC-NEW_W0QQitemZ170408863255QQcategoryZ377QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26ps%3D63

[dflprincess]

6. I thought it was in Michigan

is she here today as well??? I should have spent the day in Wisconsin.

[Cleita]

11. You are right. I always get those two mixed up in my mind.

It's the one that she was at today that Andrea Mitchell was reporting. I changed the headline. Thanks.

[dflprincess]

26. It is a relief to know she's two states away!

[graywarrior]

7. Dear god in heaven, what a colossal waste of air that woman is

[Cleita]

15. And apparently print on paper in this case. n/t

[Eric68601]

10. I don't want her to go away

As much as she makes me sick. I want her to stay around, I want them to push her down everyone's throat. I want her pronounced the greatest GOP Presidential hopefull.

When all is said and done, it will be the biggest mistake the Republican party has ever made. The woman is a complete idiot, hype her out and then put her in a debate against Obama, she will fall.

Yeah, could ya see those debates happening? It would be worse then John McCain's rebutal's of "I CAN FIX THIS, JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE" with no clear plan for anything. It would be 10x funnier then watching a Tina Fey skit on SNL. It would mark a historic landmark election where the incumbent wins by over 500 electorals.

BRING ON SARAH!!

[Cleita]

12. That's fine as long as we expose all the trickery used to keep her in the news.

They do it to our politicians, so we should keep them on their toes as well.

[TK421]

47. That hasn't stopped any other Repub presidential hopeful in the past

no...I think these idiots have photos of her under their pillows....what goes on during those dark times I will not speculate on

[FSogol]

18. I suggested yesterday that Dick Armey would bus people into her book signings

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=4397&mesg_id=4411

[Cleita]

19. And I believe you were right.

I just wish our press would do their job and expose this. I'm not suggesting that they shouldn't continue with their publicity stunts, but if they do the populace needs to know it's all fake. This woman has gotten too close to the Presidency before and the truth about her needs to be known because she's trying again.

[amandabeech]

20. The book signing occurred near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Grand Rapids has been described as the Salt Lake City of the Midwest with Calvinist Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America taking the place of the Mormons.

Need I say more?

[Mari333]

36. I am 45 miles from there

I knew I smelled something foul in the air.

[amandabeech]

39. That's a pretty strong scent!

I grew up 40 miles north of Muskegon. My Mom is still up there. When I call her this weekend, I'll ask her if she smelled anything. :hi:

[unblock]

24. 5) is someone ghost-signing for her?

[arthritisR_US]

25. Andrea Mitchell will earn her title no doubt in the same vein as her husband ;-) n/t

[LSK]

28. a caller to Ed Schultz said Grand Rapids was very right wing n/t

[amandabeech]

43. It is incredibly right-wing. Scamway is based there, for starters. n/t

[Are_grits_groceries]

29. A lot of RW organizations and others

bought her book in bulk. I'm sure there are a lot of them. That's why it shot to #1 so fast.

[Mari333]

30. The Reviews on Amazon are Hilarious

186 of 351 people found the following review helpful:
Wow. Way fewer coloring pages than I expected., November 17, 2009
By Mark T. Bay "uberlib"

As a serious read about politics in America, this book best serves as toilet paper or kindling. As a hysterically funny look at the rantings of a pathological narcissist and why the Lunatic Wing of the far right must never, ever be allowed to hold power or even reproduce, it's the best political satire since Al Franken or Molly Ivens. If Americans are looking for a writer that makes Bush II look intelligent and thoughtful, NRA Barbie definitely fits the bill.

Incidentally, if this book was written for the "Real Americans" who love this whackjob, who is reading it to these "Real Americans" because many of them are obviously illiterate







http://www.amazon.com/Going-Rogue-American-Sarah-Palin/product-reviews/0061939897/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[HipChick]

32. lmao! I should post that on the SP Facebook

[Mari333]

35. I dare you!

:)

[RagAss]

31. Who cares? Let her keep the retards busy...keeps them out of our face !

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

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[madinmaryland]

46. Can you sign your book, too, Grovelbot??

[BlueIdaho]

34. Mrs. Greenspan is not a journalist

She is a celebutant with a microphone.

[Octafish]

37. Sarah is identifyin' with the DeVo$-Prince KKKolektive.

Palin Starts 'Book Tour' in Grand Rapids, Michigan

[Cleita]

52. LOL! You have a way with words.

:hi:

[yurbud]

38. 3) Where do they come from? Group homes for the mentally impaired and

paranoid schizophrenics.

[amandabeech]

40. In Grand Rapids, they are middle class people from nice homes

who voted for the Blackwater Prince's brother-in-law for governor.

Even my Republican friends from Michigan refused to vote for the nominee and they've never voted for a Dem in their lives. I think that they left the governor's line on the ballot blank.

[bridgit]

41. townhall.com, Drudge, Rich Lowery, the whole RW hate-media...

[mwb970]

45. Sh's coming here to Columbus Friday.

Lord knows why. The city and the county are bluer every cycle. Even the religious people here aren't the Palin types for the most part. Maybe she'll bus in her hordes from the "real America" - tiny towns, trailer parks, caves, that sort of thing.

[Canuckistanian]

48. How do they get people on all those buses?

Is there a waiting list of people ready to go on buses at a moment's notice?

And who issues the command to get them marching to the bus stops?

Talk about "sheep-like behavior". If I liked an author THAT much, I'd drive there myself, or take public transportation.

It must be a major operation just to organize this ONE bussing.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

56. Partial answer: Dick Armey n/t

[BlooInBloo]

49. Well duh. It's not like fans of Blithering Idiot can read any better than Blithering Idiot.

[FarLeftFist]

50. Most of them are just there b/c they never actually saw a celebrity before in their town.