Observations: “The Undefeated” Sarah Palin

- July 1, 2011 -

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see the “rough cut” version of the film The Undefeated.  The movie officially opens on July 15th in select cities across the country (click here to see scheduled showings).

The Undefeated chronicles Sarah Palin’s journey of leadership from her days on the Wasilla City Council, through her abridged - yet extremely productive - gubernatorial term, and into her most recent role as a national Conservative leader.

THE FILM

As someone who did her homework when Governor Palin was selected to run with Senator McCain in 2008, I considered myself quite familiar with her record of achievement in Alaska.  She tackled big issues that her predecessors avoided, and she was unabashedly prone to challenging the “status quo” in the name of bettering the lives of her constituents.

These unique (for a politician, anyway) traits are what led me to evolve my opinion of the governor, considering her more than a gifted communicator - she also gets things done.

Despite this background information, however, The Undefeated enabled me to see Governor Palin with new eyes. Though I was well-versed in many of the details of her political career, it was considerably more powerful to hear multiple, detailed interviews with other members of the Palin administration.

The litany of observations offered from those on the inside of Palin’s team revealed her to be a strong leader, devoted to Alaska’s citizens and the state’s future.  In story after story, the picture of Governor Palin became clear: she has a servant’s heart and a lion’s will.  Whatever the personal or political costs, she won’t back down and she won’t retreat from a course she feels is right.

JULY 15TH

The Undefeated officially opens in theaters across the United States on July 15th, 2011.  If the reaction of tonight’s audience is any indication, this independently financed documentary is poised to make a strong impact with viewers.

I do not exaggerate when I say that people who walk into the theater with skepticism about Sarah Palin’s capacity to achieve higher office may very well walk out asking, “When is she going to announce?” and “How can I help?”.

Between now and the 15th, I hope that each of you will extend an invitation to your circle of friends and acquaintances to join you in seeing this film.

Sarah Palin has been mocked and vilified like no other politician in modern history.  The unique circumstances in which she has found herself since 2008 have necessitated a unique approach to the telling of her story. Most political figures don’t have a feature-length film in their arsenal of story-telling tools. 

But, Sarah Palin isn’t “most political figures.”

Whether you love her, or hate her; or, dismiss her as inconsequential, The Undefeated will give you unprecedented insight into the events and issues that shaped Sarah Palin into the Conservative firebrand she is today.

After July 15th, there will be no excuse for anyone to plead ignorance about Sarah Palin’s record.  The only question that will matter is: Now that I have this knowledge, what am I going to do with it?

- tdc

MORE RECENT NEWS. JUST BECAUSE…

FILM TRAILER

tdc observation: the real alaska is not gross

Vanity Fair is proving to be a rag of a publication. 

As most of you are aware, the magazine recently published a long-winded, loosely sourced, mostly re-hashed hit piece about Governor Palin.  As there have been several well-written posts pointing out how nonsensical thearticle happens to be, I see no need to echo what others have stated so eloquently (see below for links to two of the good ones).

Instead, what I offer here are some observations from a slightly different view.  One that is not so much political as social.

the company you keep

Each of us is a product of our environment, are we not? 

Some of us grow up in big cities on one coast or the other, while others hail from communities in the Midwest or the Rocky Mountains.  The urban dwellers of Manhattan have a different way of life than the people of Iron Mountain, Michigan or Austin, Texas.  Indeed, this diversity of culture and lifestyle is what sets the United States apart from the rest of the world.

Similarly, the culture of Alaska is unlike any I have experienced elsewhere.  Perhaps due to the relatively small population, being in Alaska feels like what I (a bona fide city girl) imagine a small town to be:  people genuinely look out for one another while simultaneously cultivating independent lifestyles for themselves and their families. 

Presumably, common sense would say that Sarah Palin, having grown up in this environment, would have similar traits.  One would expect her to display the same hospitality, warmth, and kindness that make other Alaskans so endearing.  She would not be the overbearing, self-obsessed demon-creature that Michael Gross, the author of the Vanity Fair article, portrays her to be.

Sadly, though, neither common sense nor deductive reasoning appear to be the strong suit of Mr. Gross or his editors.

vanity fair’s alaska is bunk

The tales spun in Vanity Fair last week have nothing to do with the reality of Alaska or Alaskans. 

Instead, it was just one more example of one more author and one more publication trying to stir up controversy and readership on the back of the Palin name.  Unfortunately for tale-spinner Michael Gross, he attempted to do something that can’t be done with a single article:  he tried to contradict the very nature of an entire community with the stroke of a pen and a few creatively edited quotes.

His problem is that too many of us have experienced culture of Alaska firsthand.  Too many of us have had offers to come over for dinner, or stay in an extra room, or join in on a family trip to the peninsula.  One time is a fluke.  Ten times?  That’s “just the way people are…”

Vanity Fair’s Alaska is nonsense.  It’s a fictional place described by an author who had little interest in sharing anything more than his own predetermined narrative.  Sarah Palin’s Alaska, on the other hand, is the truth.  It’s true because it’s also my Alaska, and your Alaska. 

It’s the place where someone you’ve never met offers to take you on a four-hour sight-seeing drive.  It’s a people who invite you into their home and families as if they’ve known you for years.  It’s the place where a former vice-presidential nominee stands at a busy intersection in her hometown, waving campaign signs for a senatorial candidate, right alongside the “ordinary” volunteers.

The REAL Alaska is not the stuff of Gross’s article.  Not at all.  The REAL Alaska resides in the experiences and observations and relationships of those of us who call it “home” or, simply, our “home away from home…”

- tdc

VANITY FAIR TAKE-DOWNS:

*Photo courtesy Sarah’s Web Brigade and Shealah Craighead

spontaneous alaska in a nutshell

PLANNING IS OVERRATED

As many/some/one of you may know, I recently took a spontaneous and all-too-brief trip to the great state of Alaska.  My original plan was to travel up north for a late-summer vacation, however, I tend to fold like a wet nappie when peer pressure is combined with travel incentives.  Thus, a couple of weeks ago, when I was repeatedly told that I should just “come on up”, it seemed silly to do anything other than blindly obey.  So, in the end, I justified my quick, unplanned trip with the following reasoning:

  1. I had to help my friend, Eddie Burke, with his campaign for lieutenant governor.
  2. It was only polite that I travel to meet some of my peeps and tweeps that I had heretofore only known online.
  3. I planned to go up anyway…why not go twice?

In my head, these reasons were sufficient enough to push the “Purchase Ticket Now” button on the Travelocity website, and pack up the oversized backpack that had previously seen its way through a couple of European jaunts.  What was done, was done.  No time for guilt or regrets.  So, before I knew it…away I went!

THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

In the airport, I had grandiose dreams of using the Tumblr mobile blogging app to regale my (six?) readers with fascinating yarns about my Alaskan adventures - the sites, the sounds, the wildlife, the folks….But, after an initial test post to make sure the app worked, I quickly realized there would be no mobile blogging after I landed.

You see, Alaska is just too darn gorgeous…

…the four-wheelin’ too darn fun…

…and the moose too funny lookin’…

…I couldn’t tear myself away from the reality of it all long enough to write it up!  So, I apologize for not logging every moment of every day to share here on tdc.  But, let me assure you:  you don’t need my words to understand what a wonderful experience it was.

WITH AN ALASKAN HEART

You can probably imagine the stunning beauty of the natural environment in Alaska.  The mountains are huge, the skies vast, and the rivers cool and crisp and glacier-blue.  Indeed, these are the things I thought of first when I stepped off the plane in Anchorage and took in my first glimpse of our nation’s Last Frontier. 

Over the course of my six days in the MatSu Valley, however, I soon found that the most appealing aspect of this larger-than-life arctic state lies in the kindness of her people.

Alaskans are nothing less than the most universally generous people I have ever met.  Not some of them…all of them.  And the people I came to know are the reasons I am eager to return for another trip. Certainly, there are other towns to visit and fishing to do; but, most importantly, I now have friends I miss and can’t wait to see again: 

  • the story-telling collector
  • the camera-wielding tour guide
  • the hatchet-wielding four-year-old
  • the spunky entrepreneur in pink
  • the gun-loader
  • the peas and strawberries kid
  • her whipped cream brother
  • the matriarch who remembers everyone’s name
  • the Rainbow Coalition family
  • the snarky-yet-kind diagnostic mom-to-all
  • the bluegrass couple
  • the funny quiet man in the corner
  • the teacher who didn’t know anyone
  • the kids who play outside
  • the man who owns the coffee shop where you have to ask for sugar and then wait ‘til he goes back into the pantry to look for it and bring out a big tub(!)…

For six days, this was my Alaska.  I arrived expecting to be mesmerized by the scenery, but I left having been blessed with new friends.  Many thanks to all of you - you know who you are - who filled my spontaneous Alaskan experience with your uniquely Alaskan spirit.  See you again soon…

-tdc


*All photos by tdc (except the one OF tdc…that was taken by K.F.)

eddie burke wants to be alaska’s next lieutenant governor!

For such a moderately populated state, Alaska certainly seems to have more than its share of pioneering men and women who willingly - and enthusiastically - offer themselves up to serve others.

Today, The Last Frontier offered up its newest shining example of the pioneering spirit as Eddie Burke - conservative talk radio host, and someone whom many of us have come to know as a friend - officially announced his entry into the race to become Alaska’s next Lieutenant Governor!

Once again, the state of Alaska has proven to inspire great love and devotion from all those who call it home, and Eddie Burke is no exception.  The text of Mr. Burke’s press release (issued today) is below - take a look and see what he’s all about!

- tdc

*Photo courtesy kfqd.com

*************** OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - APRIL 1, 2010 ***************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eddie Burke Candidacy for Lieutenant Governor

CONSERVATIVE MEDIA PERSONALITY BEGINS REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN TO CHAMPION RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT IN ALASKA

—ANCHORAGE - April 2, 2010 – Former Anchorage radio talk show host and small business owner Eddie Burke has entered the race as a Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor.  Though Alaska has financially benefited from its abundant natural resources, particularly the success of the oil and gas industry, Eddie understands that current state budgets are unsustainable over the long term.  Therefore, he will encourage and support the Governor and State Legislature to be fiscally responsible in the governance of Alaska.  Eddie knows that thoughtful actions taken today will help secure the future for Alaska’s children. 

The issues important to Eddie Burke are those that are important to the livelihood of all Alaskans.  As a well-known and outspoken media personality on local radio, Eddie has been a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, the rights of the unborn and the concerns of Alaska’s veterans.  As he campaigns for Lieutenant Governor, he will continue to be a passionate proponent of these important issues, while also stressing the importance of the responsible stewardship of the State’s financial resources. 

Eddie Burke has been an active member of the Alaskan community since he arrived 38 years ago.  In addition to his media career, he has been a small business owner and active on the boards of Special Olympics, Crimestoppers, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Legislative Committee and President of Alaska State Snowmobile Association.  Furthermore, Eddie gained valuable legislative experience as a Chief-of-Staff in the Alaska State Legislature.

Eddie Burke resides in Anchorage, Alaska with Linda, his wife of 28 years.  They are the parents of four children, and the proud grandparents of three young Alaskans.  Eddie Burke is seeking the office of Lieutenant Governor in order to secure a bright future for his family and all Alaskans.