"Kamala Harris’ 'bizarre’ move: no press at kickoff event"

Always wonderful to talk to Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

“I think, frankly, it’s not a bad calculation. ... She needs time to ramp up and know all the issues. She definitely doesn’t want a 'Katie Couric-Sarah Palin’ moment,” Levinson said, referring to the disastrous interview when Palin was a vice presidential candidate in 2008.

“There’s a big difference between being an attorney general and a U.S. senator,” and answers to the complex questions ahead may require a lot of in-depth preparation, Levinson said. That’s especially true in the age of social media, where answers live forever on YouTube and other sites.

Levinson said there’s no danger that Harris will be put in the same camp as Meg Whitman, the 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate who famously sidestepped reporters’ questions, literally running away from them at one point.

Harris “has seen the microphone before and seems to enjoy it,” Levinson said. “I don’t think she will implode, but she has kicked off her campaign much earlier than other candidates and she is someone who wants finessed answers.”

Harris may also be betting that it is “more harmful for her to have a fairly substantive mistake than it is not to invite the press” to a fundraiser, though she added that in the future, media access will be vital to her perception as a credible candidate.

"If The FEC Denies Stephen Colbert's Super PAC Request Sarah Palin And Karl Rove Could Be In Trouble"

The Business Insider has more.

Sarah Palin's PAC raises almost 280K at the end of 2010

The NYT has this report.

Sarah Palin, Gabrielle Giffords and Political Speech

Many are discussing whether there is any connection between vitriolic political speech and the unspeakable tragic shooting in Arizona.

As one example of the current political climate, many are abuzz about a campaign Sarah Palin launched called "Take Back the 20" (the website has been taken down since the shooting), which called on Americans to vote Democrats out of office. The districts Palin targeted for her campaign were designated by crosshairs, a symbol commonly associated with gun sights. A Palin aide has vehemently denied that the crosshairs were meant to be gun sights. Palin was also criticized, for tweeting "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" when discussing the 2010 midterm elections. After the elections, when Republicans won in 18 of the 20 districts she targeted, Palin referred to her targeted 20 districts as her "bullseye" list. Palin was quick to offer condolences to all who were murdered in Arizona on Saturday.  


The description above is meant for sole purpose of providing background to a larger discussion. The description is not meant to contain an opinion on this important debate. 

For more, click on the following links, FoxNews, Huffington Post, NYT, and WSJ. 

"Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics"

For more from the NYT, click here.

"Sarah Palin’s Nomination Chances: A Reassessment"

Nate Silver, writing in the NYT, reassesses Sarah Palin's chances to win the Republican nomination for president in 2012. Silver looks back at an article he wrote in November 2009 containing 10 reasons he thought she had a chance at clinching the nomination.

The 10 topics Silver covers are: 1. "Enthusiasm" (can Palin motivate people to go to the polls--both to vote for and against her?), 2. "2010" (Republicans gained in the midterms, but Palin-endorsed Tea Party candidates didn't all fare particularly well), 3. "The other candidates are flawed" (Romney, Ginrich, Pawlenty and Huckabee -- the likely Republican 2012 contenders -- all face popularity problems of their own), 4. "The other candidates might not run" (Palin could gain a great deal if a conservative like Ginrich or Huckabee opts to sit it out in 2012), 5. "The media will be rooting for her" (Palin is good for ratings). 6. She's tough to campaign against (criticisms of her can be seen as sexist or elitist), 7. "There are virtually no moderates left in the Republican base" (based on some recent exit polling about one-third of Republican voters self-identify as moderate or liberal, how much will this hurt the conservative Palin?), 8. "Attempts by the Republican establishment to neuter her may backfire" (Palin could play the victim card), 9. "Parties tend to nominate more extreme candidates in elections against incumbents" (this may or may not be a strong trend), 10. "She gets new media; new media gets her" (Palin knows how to use new media, and at least some in the blogosphere love her) 
        
Click here for more.