Palin Blew Off GOP Leaders

In order for the GOP to help Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin must first want to help herself: The Republican Governors Association sent an official to Alaska in March to help Palin straighten out her political agenda, but his advice was ignored by the increasingly isolated former-vice-presidential candidate, according to The New York Times. Palin told The Times that personal dislike rather than political calculation held up her legislative agenda. “It’s like, ‘Ooh, not so good anymore, because it’s got Sarah’s name on it,’” Palin said. Since her return from the national campaign, Palin's calendar reveals that her days began later and ended earlier than ever before. As the governor became consumed by ethics allegations—forcing her office to respond to almost any complaint—and blew off speaking engagements, she lost the trust of leaders of the national party. One Republican kingmaker remembered telling her, “You are getting a bad rap. Important people are trying to talk to you. And she said, ‘What number are they calling?’ She did not know what had been happening.”