Chris Matthews On Palin Book Deal: "What An Embarrassment"

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On "Hardball" tonight Chris Matthews sat down with Mike Allen of Politico and Jennifer Donahue of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics to discuss the news that Sarah Palin has signed a book deal. The panel agreed that it's part of Palin's attempt to rehabilitate her image after a disastrous series of interviews during the campaign trail, and Tina Fey's indelible impression of her on Saturday Night Live, gave the public a decidedly unflattering portrait of her.

However, Matthews seemed upset that she had even gotten a book deal in the first place. He opened the segment with this statement:

What is Sarah Palin up to? She's got this book deal; she's obviously not going to write it, they've already announced somebody she's going to collaborate on it. What an embarrassment. It's one of these "I told you" books that jocks do... Why do they do it like this? She can't write; we got a collaborator for her. What do you make of this?

Matthews also worried that a book would "rip the scab off" all the drama that has surrounded her family. Mike Allen agreed with Matthews but said that Palin wants to revisit all those issues in order to put her spin on it. Palin feels she hasn't gotten a fair shake in the media and this is way to correct the record.

While Palin will surely be able to get huge amounts of press when her book comes out, Matthews makes the good point that the questions that haunt you are not the ones that you give an honest if unpopular answer to, but the ones to which you should know the answer but don't. Matthews thinks these will be problems when Palin does press for her new book because she'll be asked questions like "How did you write this book? Did you write it by long hand, on a laptop? Or actually did you not write this?"

Matthews' ultimate advice to Palin is to play to her strengths giving speeches instead of "pretending to write a book."

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Comments

[badfluffy]

doesn't matter who writes it, if its got her picture on it people will buy it.
walking around my little town, i see more bumper stickers that simply say "palin" or "sarah" than "mccain".
truly, it freaks me out, but a lot of people like her.

[C65]

WHY,should it freak you out,have you been on tour in Iraq,there's NUT CASES
IN EVERY TOWN,NOT JUST YOURS AND ALASKA.

[tosagayle]

I, too, find it fascinating at the amount of interest in this woman. Frightening that people thought she was qualified to be VP,

[kepary]

what a hypocrite, what about obama's book deal he signed just before taking office, that one probably sent chills up your legs

[RustyLimburger]

Bbb...but what about Obama. If can't tell the difference between a true history making American success story and a PR smoke and mirrors job I truly feel sorry for you.

[biglover]

Is lying something you just can't help doing. Obama didn't sign any book deal before taking office. His books had been out and on the shelves for years. Idiot.

[urnumbersix]

Obama actually writes his books. Two bestsellers.
One can do that if he/she has a proper education, instead of an "ed-ju-ma-­cation."

[andy5555]

wow some real palin haters here. i cant stand her but if she wants to write a book or have someone "assist her" then that is her right. i know obama supporters are not so big on people exercising their individual liberties but if you don't like it don't buy the book. This is America she deserves a platform where she can put out her side of the story.

[jazzycafe]

It is her right to write a book. She deserves a platform where she can put out her side of the story. Whatever. She did that horrible little "documentary" with guy, didn't that take care of her side of the story?

She has these rights, of course. We have the right to come out and criticize her. Nobody here is saying she doesn't have the right to publish a book.

[smark]

Yup., yup. Sadly, her side of the story are mostly lies.

[C65]

It didn't DEMEAN anyone and it was a LIFE OF FACTS and TRUTH,not a pretense,like Sarah,
of BEING A CHRISTIAN,yet say anything you're told to say or do anything to be
elected.NO­W,THAT GIVES ME CHILLS,TO THINK THIS PERSON COULD BE
VICE-PRESIDENT or even PRESIDENT ONE DAY.

[AKaurora]

This book is part of a strategy to give her plenty of free public exposure during her re-run for Governor in Alaska during 2010, plus to give her a patina of respectability that she currently lacks. However, it will become a disaster. Once she starts the talk show circuit to push her book, she'll be fair game for increasingly difficult questions. Once she gets pushed off any of her well-honed talking points, she'll flounder and do her usual elaborately intertwining answers that will become the topic of ongoing jokes. We've already had two Republican dunces--Dubya and Quayle. The fact that this book will be ghostwritten already makes it a target for comparison against Obama's books, JFK's, etc.

However, I'm sure the price is right and this book will make her a wealthy woman.

[stonelaw]

Hold on a minute, Chris! You forget that a job is being created for someone out there. You should know that there are probably thousands of would-be writers of fiction who would be delighted to write this story - to get published.

I for one wouuld be proud to stop writing the book of fiction I've been working on (presently titled "The Fortunes of the LIttle People") to be able to write a charming, dramatic, full of suspense story with Ms. Palin as the main character.

Chapter one would be exciting. Ms. Palin would be swimming across the Beaing Strait from a secret assignment in Russia! She'd get back to her house just in time to make chocolate chip cookies for her children!

[biglover]

The book deal came straight from Harper Collins (owned by Rupert Murdoch). Murdoch is an investor who sees an opportunity to make money since he is losing millions everyday on his newspapers.

[smark]

Pushed by Greta Van Sustern, no doubt.

[NevaforLeadership]

Forget the speeches and the book.

[Aja321]

People will buy it just to see what stupid answers she has for why the media treated her so badly!!

[smark]

Or why she is such an i.d.i.o.t. that she embarrassed herself at every turn.

[Kiabell04]

I wouldn't read that book if someone paid me too.

[Glowcy]

.
The book will be bought in bulk as a back-handed way to fund Palin's political career. SaraPAC is probably not getting the level of donations needed to keep her traveling outside of Alaska. For those of us who want to read the book's revisionist perspectives without buying it, we might get lucky if multiple web sites post the text so that we can download all ten pages [OK, 100 pages].

.

[crank]

The conservatives will buy it bulk like they do Coulters books so it will get on the NY Times best seller list, it will become a freebie if you join a conservative website and donate money to the cause,and then it will become a remainder at B&N that sells for $2.98.
Whats going to be in the book? Nothing.
Or as Letterman has stated: "She is already writing her concession speech for 2012."

Palin/Jingles Jindal/Jeb Bush 2012. A winning ticket.

[AgentMacGyver]

I've always wondered why the MSM never points out this gaming the system.

[dashboard]

Newsflash Chris Matthews: No one will buy her book.

[lovethesinner]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, an interactive website is even better:

Palin As President (Never)
http://www.palinaspresident.us/

(don't forget to turn out the lights before you leave)

[Myshkin57]

Ma tth ews was a bit of an embarrassment yesterday when discussing torture with Donnie Deutch and Joan Walsh. Deutch and Matthews kept pushing the silly "ticking timebomb" scenario as a case in which torture is justified. Nevermind that a "ticking timebomb" scenario is the one in which a ter rori st would be the least likely to divulge information or most likely to divulge false information; by the time you discover, the information is false, the bomb's gone off. I lost a lot of respect for Matthews yesterday.

[joshrox]

Chris Matthews, a waste of human flesh!

[Phoebe917]

says who? oh, you? okay, let's take a look at this. *you* are nobody, get it? and *your* opinion doesn't matter one iota. :)

[mudbones]

amen Phoebe, Palin can use her journalism degree, the one that took 6 years

[JakeMontero]

kind of harsh. frankly the same hols for your views. m 0ron

[steeleri64]

spoken like a true "big tent" democrat.

[joshrox]

Then why are you responding Phoebe?

[gwhizz]

Chris, this book will fly off the shelves. Never overestimate the intelligence of the American public. Look at Coutler and Beck. People who can barely read buy their dreck.

[DaisyDooks]

Ouch!

[mollymac]

And don't forget the hateful epics of Rush Limbaugh.

[RCSwolf]

The only way this book is going to sell is if a free copy of Playboy magazine were offered with it.

[Abby1]

Unfortunately, this book will sell and be popular. The conservatives will buy it and the media will heavily report it.