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Blind Allegiance To Sarah Palin: A Memoir Of Our Tumultuous Years (2011)

by Frank Bailey(Favorite Author)

3.23 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1451654405 (ISBN13: 9781451654400)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Howard Books

review 1: Bailey, Frank, Ken Morris and Jeanne Devon. Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years. (New York: Howard Books, 2011) Kindle editionI can’t help wondering if any of these writers can see Russia from their respective houses. Jeanne Devon, the founding editor of The Mudflats, has a singular whit I have admired for quite some time. It is difficult to not like this lady. Her smile, whilst it might speak volumes about how lovable she is, conceals a depth of intellect many of us only dream of possessing. Devon, whilst captivating in the extreme, was not the lead writer on this project. The lead writer was Frank Bailey, an individual with great insight into the inner workings of the Palin administration. Oh Sarah… To quote Oliver Hardy, “This is anot... moreher fine mess you’ve gotten us in.” Fortunately for us, Frank Bailey was there to document the mess for us. This will save you the trouble of writing it yourself. Not that you would. At least this way we know that we are getting the truth. Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years, written by Frank Bailey, Ken Morris and Jeanne Devon, is about the period Frank Bailey worked with Palin during her 2006 election campaign as she aspired for the governorship of Alaska.Picture it. Senator John McCain has selected Sarah Palin for his vice-presidential running mate. Couldn’t he find someone worse? I guess Michele Bachmann wasn’t up available. Thank G-d. At least there is something to be said for intelligent design. This isn’t it by any stretch of the imagination. For the most part, what we read within these chapters stems from thousands of emails Bailey was able to retain from the time he spent with Palin.[1] You know. The woman that thought building a bridge to nowhere was a sound investment. I digress.There is something important to be gleamed from reading a well-crafted book. Writing is one thing. Any Tom, Dick, or Harriet can string together a few words to form a sentence or two. Crafting a narrative for a factual book is something entirely different. The assumptions, regardless of political affiliation, regarding the former Alaska governor are true. There is deep understanding within these pages that grapple at what it is that made the Palin administration so …. read and you will be able to end this sentence much better than I ever could.Interestingly, many people believe Palin is not only incompetent, but also shallow and completely crazy. Reading what is written will not change opinions about her. Palin is all of those things… and more. It is rarely nice to see the affirmation of stupidity in a democratically elected official. The facts are as plain as day. Palin, according to those that truly know her, is not only mentally unstable; she is fragile to critics of her abilities. Yes. I know. What abilities? Palin doesn’t have any. This characteristic is evident in the way she treats her children.[2]Being an aide to Palin is probably like walking a tightrope that spans the Grand Canyon. A careful footing is required at all times. Bailey, from what I have been reading, had to walk a fine line when dealing with Palin during those “Tumultuous Years.” Reading about how Palin used her position as governor was enlightening to say the least. Palin apparently used her role as governor to have her former brother-in-law fired from office as an Alaska state trooper. This is exactly the type of behavior one should expect from an egotist such as Palin.You might be thinking the authors have cast Palin in a bad light. The light Palin is cast in is only the light she created for herself. Palin, with her type A personality, does not care about anything except money.[3] Palin doesn’t want her or family line crossed in any way shape or from. There is a price to be paid if that were to happen. That price would be Palin’s vengeance. There is a highly detailed description of Palin’s leadership character when she abandoned her position as governor of Alaska. She was annoyed.[4] Isn’t that special?The picture Bailey paints for his readers leaves very little to the imagination. Palin, an unintelligent person, yearns for money and power. The more Palin has of each the more she wants. The phrase, “One drink is too many and a thousand is never enough” springs to mind when thinking of Palin. Palin might not be an alcoholic but she does crave money and power in the same way an alcoholic craves a drink. This makes me wonder if there is such a thing as a twelve step program for power hungry wannabes. I’m guessing no… mmm… that’s a pity.From these descriptions… How could one possibly sympathize with such an individual? Palin is not exactly governor of the year. She couldn’t be described as being governor of any year. This is an individual people in her own state refer to as being “our part time governor.” People trod through deep snow to campaign for this woman. She repaid their efforts by leaving the job less than half way through her term of office. This was indeed a sad case of affairs.When I think of a cold wind, I think of two things. The first is the Muppets version of A Christmas Carol. The second is the prospect of Palin returning to public office. “Trooper-gate”[5] might be a thing of the past but it is an aspect of Palin’s past which continues to create problems for her credibility. Yes. Again. I know. She doesn’t have any. This is probably one of the reasons her credibility is so… non-existent.Endnotes[1] JoEllen, Lind. “The Clinton/Palin Phenomenon and Young Women Voters.” Hamline Journal Of Public Law & Policy 30, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 513-547.[2] Levingston, Steven. “In his post-Palin world, switching ‘Allegiance’.” Washington Post, The, 5., Regional Business News, EBSCOhost (accessed September 6, 2014).[3] Jeffrey, Bartholet, et al. “An Apostle Of Alaska. (Cover story).” Newsweek 152, no. 11 (September 15, 2008): 24-36.[4] Green, Joshua. “The Tragedy of Sarah Palin.” Atlantic 307, no. 5 (June 2011): 56-65.[5] Philip, Gourevitch. “The State of Sarah Palin.” New Yorker 84, no. 29 (September 22, 2008): 64-73. Bibliography – Chicago Style CitationsBailey, Frank, Ken Morris and Jeanne Devon. Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years. (New York: Howard Books, 2011) Kindle editionBartholet, Jeffrey, et al. “An Apostle of Alaska. (Cover story).” Newsweek 152, no. 11 (September 15, 2008): 24-36.Gourevitch, Philip. “The State of Sarah Palin.” New Yorker 84, no. 29 (September 22, 2008): 64-73.Green, Joshua. “The Tragedy of Sarah Palin.” Atlantic 307, no. 5 (June 2011): 56-65.Lind, JoEllen. “The Clinton/Palin Phenomenon and Young Women Voters.” Hamline Journal Of Public Law & Policy 30, no. 2 (Spring2009 2009): 513-547.Steven, Levingston. “In his post-Palin world, switching ‘Allegiance’.” Washington Post, The, 5., Regional Business News, EBSCOhost (accessed September 6, 2014).Wilson, Reid. “The Best Campaigns and the Biggest Gaffes.” National Journal (September 2012): 8.
review 2: Some say this author is a jilted ex-employee with credibility issues and a motive to smear the Palin family. Some say that his involvement in the seedier sides of the Palin administration proves that he is a dishonest opportunist without a moral compass. It seems to me that Frank Bailey's central message is that he whole-heartedly takes responsibility for his mistakes, including his naive and unquestioning loyalty to Sarah Palin and his own descent into dishonesty and reprehensible behavior. While the content of this book can accurately be termed as "scathing" because of its harsh truths, what surprised me most is that Mr. Bailey doesn't at all strike me as an angry or vindictive person. If anything, the book felt more like an authentic confessional turned cautionary tale written by a human, flawed as any other.As time goes on and more people speak about their experiences of Sarah Palin, Frank Bailey's assertions are less shocking and more on target with what I would expect to hear from any "insider." Still, this book captivated me and left me wanting more information about this fascinating woman and her public service. less

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