You Won’t Be Able to Make Things Up This Time

Sarah Palin is playing out a brilliant cat and mouse game with the media. She tells Greta Van Susteren tonight that she has no obligation to do it the media's way. If she chooses to speak with reporters, it will be at times of her choosing. She wants reporters to dig – to do their homework – if they want to find out where she is going on her bus tour. She is making them do the work this time, playing a strategic game where she builds suspense and gets the media to focus on the who, what, where, when and why of her tour.

This would leave the media with little time to discuss (or should I say smear) her family since the family would be with her. Instead, she’s having fun with the press. She’s throwing them off guard rather than allowing them to throw her off guard. The relationship that Sarah Palin will have with the media will be on her terms from now on.

This is not a guarded strategy designed to micro manage the governor’s image to create a picture of someone who she is not. This is an open strategy designed to allow the governor to be who she really is. By forcing the media to stay focused on the facts in both what she says and where she goes, Palin leaves the media little room for fabrication.

Will they still fabricate? Of course they will. Are some in the media using this strategy as a way to use pretzel logic to push the idea that since she is not providing traditional access to the media that she will be unable to get the nomination because of that? Yes, but this is where they play into her hand.

Who are among this arrogant media that says she can’t get the nomination because she will not appear at press conferences of their choosing, appear on network shows of their choosing, be interviewed by people of their choosing or have people of their choosing ride on the bus with you? The trap is set. When those who pop their heads into the “scope” by trying to complain that Palin isn’t playing by the rules, they will be the first ones who will be spotted and framed as arrogant elites.

If this was a military campaign and strategists were leaning over a map of Obamaville to try to determine the best course of action, all fingers would be on the outer perimeter, a staunchly fortified ring of media people who make up the first line of defense in getting to Obama. Break through this line of defense and you win the presidency.


Rush Limbaugh: 'You're letting the media win with that outlook'
The truth about the media and Sarah Palin

Listen to Patrick's World USA on Blogtalk Radio Wednesday night at 11pm ET, 8pm PT. Adrienne Ross of Motivation:Truth is my guest. We will talk about her Frank Bailey busting interview with Tara Jollie, a former Palin staffer. We will also talk about Palin's bus tour. A week from this Wednesday, Jedediah Bila will be my guest.