line. hello there. >> caller: hi. i am an independent, then one a long time. i think sarah palin was the brightest light in the republican campaign last year. it looks like jimmy our hero mccain was going into the dumps when she showed up. i think that the people are, you should've said another thing. very little chance i'd vote for her for president because we have enough people like bush and so forth and there. and she would be the extreme of that. the other part of it is that i think the republican party is really missing the boat by not sending a team they are to boom her because she shows things on tv that don't look good for her. some of the people, one of the

earlier callers mentioned a sort of an image of shallowness. i don't see that. someone else said that people thought the world was to technocratic. in the boom booze where majority rules, that doesn't matter a whole lot. on the account of those laws, when you get enough phone booth, the people are thinking an awful lot like she thinks. >> host: thanks. final thoughts on where this is all going for sarah palin. >> guest: i mention two things. one of the caller mentioned, bush. i think the shirt palin. the country had gone through eight years of george w. bush. we had gone through two wars on bush's unpopularity was extremely high. and we were also entering a recession in december 2007. and there are some similarities between her political profile and george w. bush is.

and to that extent i think she was hurt by the bush hangover which i think it's going to continue for some time. they limit her ceiling, if you will, the political future. otherwise, i'm just fascinated with the reaction to my book, with reaction to her book, reaction to her as a person. she's not going anywhere. that's for sure. everyone has an opinion about sarah palin and she seems to like being in the middle of this. >> host: her book comes out tomorrow, officially. but matthew continetti has been talking about his book, "the persecution of sarah palin". we appreciate your time. >> guest: thank you.

[applause] >> we want to start off by thanking everyone it's nice to see all the faces. the question we've been getting a lot of how the book came out

about him throughout the campaign it was only two months, but it seems like a lot longer, especially now. we saw there was a lot of disorganization, but it wasn't until election night that we realized the fighting and tension that was really going on. one thing not in the book is that i found out that sarah palin was planning on giving a speech. i reported that. i got a call come a frantic call from her press secretary who was very angry, she was in the background yelling that there was no speech ever written is totally incorrect information. now we know that was wrong. i was not true. so later that evening, a lot of palin loyalists were talking to scott and i am telling us what happened and how there was a stage. but all that information at that point was off the record. and the information throughout the night kept on coming until the next morning and at one point scott and i asked if the

information was on the record. and they said yes. and that's when we decided this would make a great book. >> i just want to echo what shush said. thanks to everyone for coming. it's good to see familiar faces. we've been really thrilled so far with all the covers for the book. and most of it is centered around the campaign itself. but we really want to talk about tonight, just to switch things up a little bit, we want to focus on all of the reporting we did in alaska. and, you know, after the campaign ended, we went up to juneau and anchorage and spoke to dozens of people out there. we spent several weeks in juneau. i always joke with that too. she is the queen of juneau. she knows all the state legislatures and they're all best friends now. so we really enjoyed our time

there. and i hope it comes across in the book that alaska is sort of like a character in the book. it's really a unique place. i don't know how many of you have been there, but you can really see what impact the state had on sarah palin's philosophy, her demeanor, her upbringing. so the one thing, before start getting into some of the alaska stuff, is that we really tried to bring out in the book that she has a three-dimensional person. and so much of the coverage of sarah palin is one-sided. she is really easily caricatured, but what we really want to do is get to the bottom of her character, which is much more complex than either her fans or her foes often believe it to be. one thing i want to start off by saying about alaska is that it sort of turned into a joke at some point in the campaign that she was the maverick and the

word was thrown around by tina fey all the time. when you go up there, you really realize that she really did take on the republican party in the state. and she actually doesn't have a lot of friends in the alaska republican party, which is really interesting to us. and one of the biggest thing she did in the state was taken the oil companies. and she essentially raised taxes on the oil companies, which had never been done before in alaska. someone just stepping in there and saying, you know, you guys on the state, but i'm in charge as governor. it was really sort of a great thing for her to do. we got a taste of the power and force of the oil company. i thought it was really funny when shush went to interview a representative of the oil industry and she went in with that bright smile on her face as she has right now, and the first words out of his mouth were, if you screw me, i'll screwed you. so that's sort of the mentality

out there in some respects. and so what i'm trying to say is that she should get a lot of credit for doing that. we also were lucky enough to be invited into the home of sub six, sarah palin's parent. chuck very kindly took on a napkin and drew a map of wasilla to show where their house was. and i don't know if you've seen pictures of it, but it was quite an alaska home when you drive in, there's a pure and it made of taylor's and inside it looks like a taxidermy museum. and when we briefly did run into governor palin i mentioned this to her and she said that's what i always say. they were just really great to us. they shared wonderful stories and check is a really funny guy. he was talking about when they were doing inventory on the

clothes and trying to figure out which purchases had to go back to the rnc or what they were going to do with the clothes. sally got a little concerned and was rushing around trying to get everything back. according to sub six, she gave away his only good belt, which actually did want to hand, but she dotted line to the rnc. make your quote in the book and i think it's because i've met him and they know his personality a little bit from the time we sat with them. we often what his reaction was when sarah first told them she was interested in running for mayor of wasilla and he said i'm sure i wasn't doing cartwheels or anything. they are very nonpolitical family, which is another interesting part of sarah palin's career because the question is why she became so interested in politics, which hopefully we answered a little bit in the book. i want to give too much away there. >> please feel free to come and sit down and fill in the seat.

you can stand a few brother. instead of just reading, we are going to tell your stories and answer questions. i hope that's okay with everybody. and then feel for a few in the middle feel like sitting down. one thing that we found out while you're out there which we didn't know when we were covering the campaign when she was a media darling before the campaign, after frank murkowski she came in was a breath of fresh air to the press that they are putting feeling that murkowski was grouchy to them. compared to how she is with the media now and how much she seems to really be antagonistic with them, that was quite a surprise. she bake them cookies and dropped off cupcakes. i think my favorite part of the book, of reporting on the book, was part-time in alaska and speaking to the legislators there and be part of the session every day for several weeks.

it's so different. alaska is so different than the lower 48 and be in a such a high legislature it is the smallest in members and also shorter session. not only 90 days. because it's so short, most people have other careers. they are commercial fishermen, many of them used to work up on the oil fields. and they are real characters. they pass notes, there's a lot of inside jokes going on. really a remarkable part is that the beginning of each session there are galleys in the back and up or would set and take notes. and they would introduce the visitors. and that's every day. so, about 20 minutes of each session was introducing people in the back, wetherbee lobbyists or friends or family, neighbors. alaska was so small and i really showed it. there were people in the galley that went to high school together, elementary school together, and one day god and i were there in the introduced us.

and we didn't know what to do. should we stand up? should we thank them? so we just smiled and went on. everyone there was a little confused while we were there so long. and then once we got to know these people, it was just an incredible thing to watch in anyone's office. it is so different than any other state legislature. >> with the state legislature that had the birthday? i think that's a telling story because it showed their mentality towards the governor. >> so i was there for the day that it was sarah palin's birthday. somebody stood up in the house session to roast her. they told everybody this great story about how she killed a caribou with an ax and she said it was because she went out of bullets. very alaska. before this story, the house majority leader, kyl johannson

stood up and said, they are two birthdays in the building today. i'm going to talk to about one of them and if there's anybody else, they can talk about her. i wasn't sure who or what suffers, but then it was made clear that it was sarah palin. it is interesting before, which we really didn't knows much about it either, but before she became mccain's number two, she lined herself with democrats. that's who she worked with on her legislation whether it be a fix or oil and yes. so republicans didn't really get along with her. so when she came home and was a cold homecoming which we were able to witness. >> him and to bring about more specifically to our book. i don't know how many of you are facebook friends with the book "sarah from alaska," but we've gotten pretty good at the self-promotion thing. so if you aren't already, you should join us. we've gotten kind of a kick out

of some people who have confused us with sarah palin herself. you know, a lot of people leave messages, you go, sarah. which we are fine with. .. >> made us feel pretty

good that we work there. so i would just like to, you know, make that clear that our book does offer something a little different. part of the thing that it does offer, something what it's like to be on the campaign trail. the most unique experience impossibly have. we feel so lucky to have been able to do it. around the clock. you are beholden to the campaign to provide food, shelter, laughter. so it is really something that we'll probably never do something that's interesting again. you don't get a lot of sleep. you eat a lot of cookies and pizza as some of you here in the crowd know very well. it is just getting to see the candidates up close and spend so much time with them. you know, our mitch

romney impression is probably down pat by now. i hope some of that comes across. >> should we take some questions? >> yap. i think, you know, we don't want to bore you guys rambling too much. even if you are a little shy we really encourage you to ask whatever questions you can think of. first one to raise his hand. >> you mentioned that she had been a press darling in alaska. how tough is it? >> one of the things was that she was a media darling her first year and a half in office. she brought in six or seven former journalists, former alaska state journalists into her administration ride away. there are several stories we have in the book about how she got along so well with the alaska press corps.

you know, she gave up her phone number to the a couple journalists. really, especially coming in after the merc asked the administration which had such a such a terrible relationship, it was just such a breath of fresh air. when you compare that to what has happened now. the relationship between sarah palin and the press seems so antagonistic. >> the relationship changed. >> you want to answer that? >> well, one of your other questions, robert, was how were the tough on her. we spoke with an editor. we spoke to a lot of people, but he seemed -- i think that meeting, they were a little embarrassed some of the stories they didn't it the national journalists were able to break. they were so strapped

for reporters at that time because they were covering all the corruption that they really did give her more of a pass and verso happy that she was so much more accessible. i think now they think that they could have been a little tougher honor. >> the campaign itself and when she was picked, the governor of the state was missing for three days and no one noticed. you know, that just shows you. they don't have a lot of resources. they were covering all the corruption scandals. you know, love of the reporters up there admitted to us that they just didn't have the resources to cover. >> i couldn't help but think that during the sanford thing. those three days. >> we get one good story from a journalist who worked for the burbank daily news. it was all about how she first met governor palin when she was a

candidate. governor palin was speaking. this journalist introduce herself as an aspiring journalists. i'm majoring in journalism. i just want to let you know. governor palin said i was a journalism major. i think you're going to be a journalist in a year or two. this is the perfect example of how she connects with people. i remember you. you journalists. i see you're working out. i told you would be a journalist. she said, i just not that was so cool. the retail politicking that you just can't teach someone, she is a natural for that in the same way that bill clinton was. >> and why she's so much wanted to come back and talk to the press. she wanted to come back and talk to us, but the mccain senior advisers did not want that. >> you right in the

book. there is that question. you get the sense that her level of curiosity. >> sure. you know, i think first of all you are referring to a book that steve schmidt gave. we can say for sure whether she did or didn't read it. most people on the planting she was reading it. >> and were concerned. >> yeah. >> they were also concerned that she was spending her downtime on the plane watching a negative press coverage. she was obsessing over that stuff. it really wasn't healthy forever. people told us after

words. it is almost like she felt the need to convince everyone that she was right and could not understand why they did not see that. back to your question about intellectual curiosity. you know, one thing that we notice when we visited her parents, their both educators. they both are world travelers. >> every year they go to somewhere they have not been before. >> they are full of facts. they are very sophisticated people. they are alaska people. they are hunters. there are no dummies. i think that rubs off. i am not sure of the intellectual curiosity. she didn't get a passport until 2007. she says, well, you know, i wasn't raised in the home with the kids went often traveled the world. yakima but your parents to. it is kind of a mystery to us. >> on the other hand the

policy people would tell us all the time that she would -- that would wake up to minimills from her with questions and they were happy she was able to soak in information in a short amount of time. in that way in that she would challenge them. she would ask. they like that. that is why you see a lot of the politics. >> he might have just answered it. if there was any more complex reason why her popularity with the general public in alaska went down? >> i was just going to say alaska is a red state, obviously. before she was picked the obama campaign was planning on making a big push there. it is actually turned less conservative. >> it has always been

more bipartisan. this is something that i thought was really interesting. democrats in their issues and the trenches by republicans are in the lower 48. the issues are not as red and blue in alaska as they are in the lower 48. in order to get elected there you have to deeper drilling. >> when she was out on the campaign trail making these really firebrand statements all of that stuff, that list of the people in alaska had never seen before. i think that they didn't like it. the other thing is the cheaper gate issue. we spoke to several people in alaska pace said that the mccain campaign had this trip is what. some journalists actually told us they stopped going to these events because what they were saying was so ridiculous. walter mondale was egregious were guilty of

egregious insubordination. he is an honorable guy. a lot of people felt like they were really trashing people. the bitterness of any campaign exists in this campaign. it was sort of french did up to another level. people in alaska didn't really like that. >> i think so many were stunned. the type of partisan speech that they saw out of her, that is why it was interesting to be there. she did receive not just from the legislature, but from the population. she had 80 percent approval ratings. it was quite a cold homecoming. >> yes. >> that is by reno. >> my question is the election and this

series, is sarah palin someone who takes advice? is see someone that can be molded? >> one thing that a couple of staffers that we interviewed after the campaign said to us, she would merely say out loud over and over again i know what i know what i know which meant my instincts have never felt before. i think she is someone that the lessons that she learned from the campaign were these guys that are supposed to be brilliant political strategist hold me up in the back of the plan for a month. they had this media strategy that didn't work. i should have relied on my instincts from the beginning. that is when you saw her start togo rogue. dunbar so i think she learned from the campaign, in her mind, at least, that her instincts were all right

more often than not. >> what they did in alaska and may not work on the grand stage or in other parts of the country. therefore these days may or may not work. >> so different from the rest of the country, especially because it is so small. if you look at her now, political pundits were constantly say what she has to do is go home and concentrate on being the governor and study of. she never did that. and if you see who she said rounds itself with no it is such a tiny group. less than an handful of people. so the people she seeks advice from, it is just such a small group of people. you see her actions now. she is definitely still running on her instinct. >> we actually document, two of her smartest and by all accounts best

gubernatorial aides she fired. >> and you see the resignation. that is pure instinct. there is no one that would say if you are going to have a future in politics that you should resign. but if there is anybody that could have a future with that i think it is her. >> any idea beforehand? did you have any idea? >> we were as shocked as anyone when we got that the mail saying there was going to be a press conference. we had no idea what it was. you know, after it happened and we had a moment to reflect on it, it was sort of like we realized that and we were witnessing this. it was just a negative atmosphere up there. it was so clear that she was not enjoying herself and all. and at the we sort of

realized after the fact governing the state in that environment was very difficult. it was very stressful. she made the decision to stop doing this and make a ton of money and go out and travel the country and speak in front of crowds of tens of thousand people who will hang on my every word again. i think in her mind she said it is a no-brainer. >> but alaskans, i have kept in touch with many. they were shocked and very upset. i think their biggest worry is that they were afraid she was just leaving alaska and leaving them to make money. i think really upset. the book is called "sarah from alaska." even though she has changed so much she still loves alaska. i wonder sometimes if it hurts her that there are so many people in alaska, really so many allies that don't like

her at all anymore because of the campaign, but also because she left them. >> throughout her career. the first council term, the state energy commission. to use the a pattern here? are these all sorts of circumstances where certain things letter to want to do something. >> it is certainly an argument. her career has been so charmed. one thing we pointed out in the book, the thing that's interesting she

became governor in december of 2006. at that point john mccain had already started running for president. the time from here is so short. she did so much in such a short time that she is used to doing one thing after another. >> when she was near a lot the state party chair who she was still friends with at that time canter and said you should run for the tenant governor. when that opportunity came she grabbed it. she didn't win, but because he was solos, it was good for her. she was able to come in. she has had this charmed. even the she didn't win this election. we really believe that is coming into our focal career. she will look at that as

a good move. they weren't successful. have i answered that? >> how did she get along with mccain on a personal level? >> we have done that question a few times. hadn't thought about it. what i will say is that they have nothing but good things to say about its other in public. we are talking about sarah palin and john mccain. a think there is a respect that. a think he respects her political skills. she respects and as a human being. i think the rest of them is some tension. at think that is clear. there are a couple stories that may be show that. when she landed in arizona on election night she was invited to go to dinner with john and cindy mccain at their house. some of her staffers felt that it was an

empty gesture. by the time she had landed they were already eating. those little things that added up. the staffers were constantly talking amongst each other the stuff like that. i think it's probably a complex relationship, ay president to campaign. i think that the top of the ticket and the bottom of the ticket often have a complex of some kind. i think a bigger conflict was between the staff. >> the ideal celebrity. she was plucked from obscurity. one staffer did remark to me that john mccain was very curious without much she seems to enjoy the celebrity. how could you not when you have tens of thousands of screaming fans were you go. >> and the mccain campaign really had no idea that was coming. they knew that she was obviously an outside the box pick, but they all said they did not occur

because they thought that she would coalesce the republicans. the picture because the thought that she could enhance mccain's maverick streak. the thought of she could pick up women. that is what the picture, not because the reason why she ended up being a great canada for a few weeks and lie after she was picked the republican ticket has the lead in in the campaign. >> any other questions? >> what was the level of cooperation with her and her staff and your relationship with the. [speaking in >> the level of cooperation is an interesting story. and we decided to put the book together are called her closest friend and aide who we worked with on the campaign. they happened to be together. >> sarah palin. >> sarah palin and trade. they were together. i told them that we decided to put the book together.

they were so excited and so happy that given the pailin at the time got me got on the phonh me. kind of joking. what is in it for me. we with the to have u.s. done in alaska. we were really happy. this is something that we could have exclusive with the governor. a few weeks before we went the political buttons said that was a guy t was not going to happen. she wouldn't write us back. >> that is the part of the story. when we went to alaska we spoke with family and friends. but we spoke with people that she had once been friends with. a political enemy. they did not like that. there is one story in the boat.

we were in juneau. a very small place. 30,000 people. right on the main road. it is not back behind the gate. we were walking down and we saw piper palin. she made me this halloween card that i still have on my fridge. we did notice of row. i said, hi, how is cool. we kept walking. an hour later we did this boy spelled from the deputy spokesperson of the governor's office saying that she didn't appreciate being in alaska and us stalking the governor. and obviously we were just reporting. to top it off see accused us of quarter in a ng piper on the bup for comment. it was really just our first

taste of the intimidation tactics to try to get this out of alaska which was really unfortunate. >> normally we would not include a story like that in our reporting, but rebounded was important to put in the book because it tease seem like we were getting a taste of the way her operation works sometimes against perceived enemies. >> it was just such a change for us. this was only a few weeks before that where she was so happy to have less up there. anybody else? >> david letterman. >> were you in contact with anyone? >> yeah, we were. i mean, the thing that is interesting about that incident. at the time it is good for both of them. it listed for letterman's ratings and it was good because people were captivated with her. it was a horrible joke.

attempt at a joke. but when the governor political spokesperson put out this statement saying we should not have willow in the same room as david letterman, besides cringing at the statement it puts them on the same level. that is what was really unfortunate. a lot of people emphasized with her and thought it was a disgusting joke to where there was just nothing. >> we thought that governor pailin brought herself down to a level where she didn't need to be. she would always respond. she felt like she would have to release a press statement. we were so amazed by that because we thought that the campaign would have the canter

skin. obviously he is trying to get a lot of attention. he must be very nine. he is a 19-year-old kid. we are wondering why she needs to answer every time levi johnston says something. >> it's interesting, her skin thickening. you have to remember that before the campaign when she came right into office she stood up. the alaskan people. she said that's not fair. they tell us more money. she was able to get incredible revenues for the state. when she resigned a local alaskan liberal, that is incredible. >> kind of following up on that a little bit.

what is her strategy at this point? people think she is is not. you know, is there anything behind that? >> i think it is clear that she thinks she does not have to do anything conventionally. she sees herself as an unconventional politician. so if she decides to run for president it's not going to be a convention of campaign. i think that's pretty clear. just playing it by year. i'm not sure she has a grand strategy thought up at this point. we do ping she is going to be interested in running for president. the way that i have seen that is the case to make immediately after the election she went back

up to alaska and did this media blitz. several of the reporters that went up their astor. you know, if there are any open doors i will crash right through them. they go on of the rate to be coy. she was not. she was very frank. that was something that she wants. at the gets hard when she's got that in her system now are these next few weeks and months when she goes under book tour and speaks to these adoring crowds again she is going to feel that magic. she loves campaign. it's clear. it's her favorite thing to do. it's going to be hard. she's going to have people around her constantly saying you have to run for president. you have to do this. it is going to be hard to listen to all of that and say, no. not this time. she has always taken opportunities as they come.

for anyone to underestimate her is a big mistake. she has been underestimated tractor life. in that way she reminds me of president bush in some respects. you know, she is someone that people tend to write off a little too easily. she will probably take advantage of that again. >> she does -- she is embracing this. i mean, she has always been a social conservative. embracing this hard right stands. it will be interesting when it does get closer to time how she plans on being the people in the middle who will be most of the voters. she has not made any moves toward the middle whatsoever. >> i want to add, as much as i do think that you can't write her off and it's easy to underestimate. she has a big hill to get over as well. the katie couric interviews were

devastating. they're going to be on youtube forever. people to start right to forget that. she has to rehabilitate her image for much of the country. there is a huge percentage -- not a huge percentage, but a huge number of people in this country who will support her no matter what she does, but not enough to win an election. she has got to do more than that. >> my perception when i studied her other, you know, past interviews before she was a presidential candidate covers social views, she stressed that those were her views. she was just expressing a personal opinion. is that accurate? >> absolutely. in alaska even though it is a red state it is more hands-off. so the social issues, brought up, he was the independent running. he brought up that she was

pro-life. she said, you know, this is a sensitive issue. we are here to talk about resources. we should answer these questions and tried to stay away from it. >> it's hard to imagine sarah palin dancing a question. >> about abortion. >> at the time just three years ago she said your bring up a decisive issue. i don't want to go there. you know i'm pro-life. she didn't want to talk about that. >> see really turned it into a win for her when she said, you know i am pro-life. he was pro-life when you ask me to me to be on the ticket. billy kind of put the knife and. she was her successful. >> dodging the question. she seems to go overboard to say that this isn't something i intend to politicize. it is just a personal, private view. you can have you