Is it possible to believe that Sarah “Mama Grizzly” Palin could have dabbled in hard drugs, had at least one extramarital affair, and at one time reveled in a real “fetish” for black men? Well, no, it’s not impossible to believe. Will the release of a new tell-all book claiming all of the above make anyone feel differently about the former governor and vice president candidate?
Joe McGinniss, who got his start as the young author of a study of Richard Nixon’s campaign called, The Selling of the President 1968, is a respected investigative reporter and author, if a bit controversial. In his new book, The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin set for release on September 20th, he delves into the inner-workings of Mrs. Palin, and with the help of associates and those close to the Palins, has uncovered a swath of information that could be damaging to the potential presidential candidate.
Inside The Rogue he details Palin’s supposed marijuana use at college and a secret liaison with one of her professors. He also alleges that in 1987, while dating Todd, Palin had a one night stand with basketball star Glenn Rice when he played in a college tournament in Alaska while she worked as a sports reporter. After getting pregnant nine months later, Sarah eloped with Todd in 1988 and their son Track was born in 1989. Reportedly, the three-time basketball All-Star has confirmed the night in question and Palin is said to have been proud of this accomplishment
“I remember Sarah feeling pretty good that she’d been with a black basketball star,” a source told the National Enquirer.
Now, if this story is true, is it really a big deal? After-all while the timing of such a tryst could be questionable in the eyes of Todd, does it really mean anything politically for the would-be candidate? Possibly. It’s not a secret that the Tea-Party isn’t a fan of interracial relationships. Would a hook-up with a black basketball star change how they view Palin who is essentially the matriarch of the Tea Party? Maybe.
McGinniss goes on to document that while married to Todd in the mid 1990’s, Sarah also supposedly started a relationship with Brad Hanson, one of Todd’s business partners in his snowmobiling company. The affair is said to have lasted six months until Todd found out and discontinued all dealings with Brad. Rumors have surfaced time and time again about the state of the Palin’s marriage, with one of the more prominent issues being affairs.
Again, reports of infidelity are not always the nail in the political coffin one might think. However, when you’re at the forefront of a party that has a pretty large stake in “Family Values” and “Enforcing A Moral Agenda” for the country, well, it can be a bit tricky if it’s learned that you were handing out the goods despite the wedding ring.
Aside from other revelations in the book about Palin being a complacent mother, one who would lock herself in a bedroom while the kids fended for themselves — claims like this can often be taken out of context. This is not something that will set the world on fire. Yet and still, if Palin enters the race, it’s certainly possible some of those below the belt hits from the likes of Bachmann, or Perry could enter into this zone.
Perhaps, though, the most damaging information to be released in the book is the suggestion that the “Real American Wife and Mother” has taken drugs.
Before she was elected governor, a friend close to the family tells McGinniss that she once snorted cocaine with her husband off an overturned oil drum while snowmobiling with friends. Wow. We imagine there wasn’t a mirror in a nightclub handy? Todd was also arrested for drunk driving in 1986 and is said to have used cocaine quite a bit over the years. The exact words quoted to McGinniss were “on the end of a straw plenty.”
Now, President Obama was extremely honest in his autobiography about his dabbling in drugs as a young man, so by the time Obama was in the thick of running for president it was old news. However, the timing of something like this for Palin when Rick Perry and Mittens Romney are heating up the base…could cause problems if she announces her intention to run later this month as has been reported.
In any event, McGinniss took his research for this book so serious that he even rented the house next door to the ex-governor last year and made a few waves causing a nervous Palin to take to her Facebook page. She wrote on her wall, “We’re sure to have a doozey to look forward to with this treasure he’s penning. Wonder what kind of material he’ll gather while overlooking Piper’s bedroom?” Salon.com’s Alex Pareene says of Palin:
“…a woman who smears any reporter who dares to write critical things. So, according to this news report, reporters are creepy and gross and the process of reporting is sick and disgusting.”
Well, privacy is one thing that everyone should have a right to, but you give up a certain percentage of it once you attempt public office, and personally it seems that if anyone in Alaska has something to hide, Sarah Palin would be at the top of the list.
With the book’s release in less than a week, it will be interesting to see if the book hits “bombshell” status, or if Palin in her sophomoric world-salad way will either downplay its contents, or with her sensational political savvy, seek victimhood and thereby elicit further scrutiny.
Source: The Daily Mail, The Guardian