Palin to Fox
The year began with Palin joining the “lamestream media.” Well, not exactly. But she did sign a contract with Fox News to become a contributor for a
reported cool million a year. Beyond the handsome paycheck, Fox built a studio for her inside her Wasilla home.
Palin also made a
return visit to
The Oprah Winfrey show with daughter Bristol, making headlines when Oprah grilled Bristol about her promise to abstain from sex until she got married. “I'm just wondering if that's a realistic goal," Winfrey told the teen mom. "It's a realistic goal for myself," replied Bristol.
Run-in With Rahm
Palin
called for President Obama to fire his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, slamming him for comments reported in a Wall Street Journal article, calling plans by liberal groups to run ads against moderate Democrats "fucking retarded." “Just as we’d be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the ‘N-word’ or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities—and the people who love them—is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking,” Palin wrote in a posting on Facebook.
On the road again….
Palin joined forces again with her former running mate, John McCain, helping him out on the stump in his race against
Tea Party-backed J.D. Hayworth. Despite
tensions between the two camps at the end of the presidential campaign, they looked like two old pals back on the road together. (McCain went on to defeat Hayworth in the primary months later.) She then traveled to Harry Reid’s tiny hometown of Searchlight, Nevada, followed by thousands of Tea Party activists, who wanted to “fire” the Senate Majority Leader.
Her high-flying ways
By leaving her post as governor, Palin made a windfall. According to ABC News’ calculations,
she took home $12 million after leaving office. Giving new meaning to muckraking, students at Cal State Stanislaus, where she would be appearing, unearthed her contract in a dumpster. The most unusual request in the six-page rider was bendable straws. The most expensive? Her mode of travel. "The private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger (as defined by interior cabin space) for West Coast Events; or, a Hawker 800 or Larger (as defined by interior cabin space for) East Coast Events, and both are subject to the Speaker's approval. The Speaker Reserves the right to change the flight plans at any time," the contract reads.
The neighbor from hell
Author and reporter Joe McGinniss, who is writing a book about Palin, moved in next door. "We're sure to have a doozey to look forward to with this treasure he's penning,” Palin wrote on Facebook. “Wonder what kind of material he'll gather while overlooking Piper's bedroom, my little garden, and the family's swimming hole?" Husband Todd responded by building a 14-foot fence to block the unwanted neighbor’s view.
May was also a big month for Mama Grizzlies: Palin
backed Carly Fiorina in the California Senate race against Barbara Boxer and
starred in a television ad for South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley.
A little competition never hurt
By now, campaigns were back in high gear. Palin added her support to a little-known Fairbanks lawyer (and family friend) Joe Miller, competing for the Alaska Senate seat against
rival incumbent Lisa Murkowski. “Contested primaries are so good for America’s political process!” Palin gushed on Facebook.
A busy month for the Palin clan
Bristol surprised everyone (even her own Mama Grizzly) by appearing on the cover of Us Weekly with the announcement of her engagement to former beau, Levi Johnston. “It is intimidating and scary just to think about what her reaction is going to be,”
she told the tabloid. “Hopefully she will jump on board." As The Daily Beast reported, however,
her parents weren’t thrilled that the young couple was back together. And as The Daily Beast reported, the
Bristol and Levi drama continued.
In non-Bristol news, Palin released the first “Mama Grizzlies” ad, using video of enthusiastic women from Palin events around the country. In the voiceover, Palin called the political moment a “mom awakening” saying, “Here in Alaska, I always think of the mama grizzly bears that rise up on their hind legs when someone is coming to attack their cubs, to do something adverse toward their cubs. You thought pit bulls were tough, well,
you don't wanna mess with the mama grizzlies."
Palin also found time to add to the lexicon, inventing the word “refudiate” when tweeting her opposition to the so-called ground zero mosque.
August proved that love is fleeting
Bristol
told People magazine that she and Levi were no longer an item. But Levi remained in the spotlight, announcing a run for Palin’s old job:
Wasilla mayor… on reality TV.
Palin then raised eyebrows when she tweeted her
full-throated support for Dr. Laura, who had used the N-word 11 times on her radio show. Palin first tweeted, “Dr.Laura: don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence”isn't American, not fair")” and then sent another tweet confirming her support, “Dr.Laura=even more powerful & effective w/out the shackles, so watch out Constitutional obstructionists. And b thankful 4 her voice, America!”
Palin rounded out the month by appearing in front of hundreds of thousands of Tea Partiers for Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, D.C. She told the crowd, “We must restore America and restore her honor!"
It was announced, meanwhile, that
Bristol would appear on
Dancing With the Stars.
In September, the nearest and dearest
Palin’s parents,
Chuck and Sally Heath, talked to The Daily Beast, weighing in on the “will she-won’t she” 2012 speculation. “It would be a tough thing to do,” Sally said. “It’s up to her, whatever she wants to do,” chimed in Chuck.
As for her own offspring,
Bristol made her dancing debut on
Dancing With the Stars.
No love lost during the month of October
A leaked email revealed that Todd Palin was angry with family friend Joe Miller, who Sarah had endorsed in the Alaska race but who, Todd felt, hadn’t sufficiently supported the idea of his wife running for president in 2012. His wife, he wrote, had “put her ass on the line” for Miller. “Please explain how this endorsement stuff works, is it to be completely one sided?” In another email, Todd told SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford that he shouldn’t send out a fundraising letter in support of Miller. Todd Palin later explained it was a case of getting “
our wires crossed.”
Email-gate had barely died away before Karl Rove attacked. In an interview, he told the British paper
The Daily Telegraph that although Palin had done a “terrific job” as McCain’s running mate, he wasn’t sure if she has the seriousness the presidency requires. “With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of ‘that helps me see you in the Oval Office,’” he said.
All about Palin, endorser-in-chief and reality star
Although several Mama Grizzlies ended up losing, including Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, many others
sailed to victory, including Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Susana Martinez in New Mexico, Mary Fallin in Oklahoma, Michele Bachmann in Minnesota, and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire.
November also saw the debut of Palin’s reality-TV show,
Sarah Palin’s Alaska, showcasing Alaska—and of course Sarah Palin. The show broke the
TLC ratings record for a program launch.
In other entertainment news, after a baffling long stay on
Dancing With the Stars,
Bristol finally finished third.
Palin also got into a
verbal scuffle with the Bushes, calling them “blue bloods” after Barbara Bush told CNN: “I think she's very happy in Alaska,” Barbara said, adding: “and I hope she'll stay there."
Happy Hanukkah! –
she tweeted. And then she
killed a caribou.
As 2010 drew to a close, her real impact was undeniable: Americans had begun
naming their daughters after the Palins: Bristol, Willow, and Piper.
