Foiled eBay Bidder Challenges Palin to $100,000 'On the Record' Dinner for Veterans' Charities
Think of it as a second chance. Or a second course in the "Dinner with Sarah Palin" eBay auction that you thought was already history.
Here's a quick recap for those of you who haven't been playing along at home.
Sarah Palin decides to auction off dinner with herself with proceeds going to benefit the veterans' charity Ride2Recovery. Nice.
Bidding ensues. The end of the auction nears, and one of the bidders is revealed as former Wall Street Executive Ken Morris (more on that later), and another is outed as author Joe McGinniss who is currently working on a book about Sarah Palin. As soon as his identity is revealed, he is no longer allowed to bid. He is cut off at $60,101.01, although he wanted to bid higher. No more bids allowed from him. Not so nice.
The winner of the auction is one Ms. Cathy Maples, an Alabaman, owner of a defense contracting company, self-described conservative, and big Sarah Palin fan.
Despite Ms. Maples claim on FOX & Friends that she was willing to raise her bid so that Palin "wouldn't have to go through that" (meaning dinner with McGinniss), it's likely that neither he, nor Morris would have passed the final test on the way to the dinner table, even if they had been the winning bidder.
The auction rules state in no uncertain terms that:
Governor Palin reserves the right to refuse dinner with a winning bidder if, in her sole discretion, the winning bidder is not a suitable bidder based on her subjective standards of suitability, professionalism, background and other factors. In the event the high bidder is rejected for this reason, the high bidder's bid will be refunded, if paid, and the next highest bidder shall be notified, and thereafter, until a suitable match is determined.
Palin had no intention of sitting down and breaking bread with anyone who disagreed with her on anything. The whole idea of this rankled Morris, who had hoped to engage in genuine substantive conversation with the ex-governor. There are those who would say he was already being optimistic in that regard. But be that as it may, Morris is prepared to make an offer; an offer he hopes the governor can't refuse. Here's his proposal.
*******************************
Dinner Part Two?The "Dinner With Sarah Palin" eBay auction came and went with Ms. Cathy Maples, a grandmother who happens to be a military contractor, winning with a bid of $63,500. Good for her. That I participated is a good thing, even though I didn't win. As there were only seven bidders, each of us played a role in advancing the final tally for the benefit of Ride2Recovery.
However, I remain concerned over issues I raised when earlier explaining my participation:
There exists an emotional divide in this country that I've not experienced since I attended the University of California near the end of the Vietnam War. While leaving scars that thickened the hearts of many from that era, the ending of the war allowed for a healing to begin. Painful, but now mostly a distant memory.
Today's rancor, however, troubles me more profoundly. Why? Maybe it's because I don't see a catalyst -- like the end to a tragic war -- that will magically lead us to end this political divide. This period has more the odor of the Civil Rights debate that ripped apart the South during the administrations of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson; a rift that has never been bridged.
How, I'll ask Ms. Palin, can we work together ("we" meaning not just her and me, but all people on both sides of the political fence) to begin to fix this? I'll ask her a few questions that might seem harsh, but aren't intended to offend--after all, we must be honest, no? Do you regret saying several hundred times that our president "palled around with terrorists?" Do you really believe that providing health insurance to all Americans is socialism or fascism or Nazism, or that there are truly 'death panels' in these proposals? I'll likely feel compelled to suggest that she doesn't, in her heart of hearts, actually believe any of these things (if she does, then this will give her a chance to educate and win me over). In any event, doesn't she think we should all tone down the rhetoric? Angry mobs and gun-toting advocates can't be in anyone's best interests.
As the auction never was designed to provide intellectual meat as its main course, I'd have either been turned down under the rules of engagement or disappointed in the discourse. However, 'what-if' notions continue to nag me. What if it were possible to have meaningful dialogue with this woman who leads her party? What if intelligent minds that happen to disagree could meet over dinner and explore political ideology?
In the great American spirit of never say die, here's my challenge: I will donate $100,000 to veterans' charities for a second dinner with Sarah Palin and four guests, this one on-the-record and taped so as to minimize misrepresentations. In the name of fair play, my list of invitees will include a subset of Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Thom Hartmann, Oprah Winfrey, James Carville, Randi Rhodes, Arianna Huffington, Frank Rich, Mudflats' Jeanne Devon, Jane Hamsher and Shannyn Moore. On her side, Sarah Palin may invite guests as well (how about Bill Kristol and Glenn Beck?). The only additional conditions are that the dinner/event last the entire four hours and questions asked are answered and discussed civilly. No filibustering, no third party prompts, just face-to-face honesty. Hostility by any invitee will be cause for removal. No discussion of children, Vogue, Katie Couric, The Enquirer, or Levi Johnston permitted.
This could become a win/win for everyone: Sarah Palin gains political chops and has a launching pad for her ideas while dispelling suggestions that she fixed the first auction to avoid debate; progressives and conservatives finally gain an in-depth understanding of her intellect; and veterans' charities benefit from some much-needed support..
As for me, I get to be an observer to one of the greatest meetings of the minds the twenty-first century has yet to assemble. Tres cool.
~Ken Morris
Ken Morris, a former Wall Street Executive turned novelist (financial thrillers Man in the Middle and The Deadly Trade), founded Morgan Stanley's International Equity Department in the mid-1980's. As a senior capital markets executive, he traveled the world and managed operations in New York, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney. His third novel, Evil Shall Break, is currently being shopped to New York publishers. Ken's offer goes out to Ms. Palin sincerely and in the hopes that dialogue might begin to replace rancor and name-calling.
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AKMuckraker: Morris Ups the Ante - Challenges Palin to Charity Dinner with Progressives for $200,000
Former Wall Street Executive Ken Morris offered Palin a whopping $100,000 to have dinner with him and four progressives of his choosing. So far, just the sound of crickets coming from the Palin camp.
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She's sooo busy now. How can she have time for these liberals. She is THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF TWITTER AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FACEBOOK! LOL She oversees way more people than in Wasilla! HAHAHAHA
...and the Queen of Quitterstan.
Why was all that time wasted on her? She has made all of her decisions based on getting paid and getting famous. Levi saw this, and so has most of Alaska. She is an embarrassing joke to Alaska and it's citizens.
I laughed this morning watching the "falling model"...thought I couldn't find anything funnier all in one day!!
You are brilliant...however, this will never happen...and if Ms.P were to agree, I imagine she may have the need for an emergency appendectomy, or something as urgent and life threatening.
Touche!
Someone contact Letterman... we want him at the Dinner table too.
I'm sure he would even match what Mr. Morris is willing to donate.
If Sarah Palin will have dinner with me and two liberals of my choosing who are allowed to question her on anything at all, I will donate to charity a bazillion gillion dollars, and the moon. I will also obtain an Israeli-Pakistani peace accord, ban all weapons in Ireland, and deliver Osama Bin Laden personally to Condaleeza Rice.
I assure you that I am 100% able to deliver that conditional, based on the likelihood that Sarah Palin would ever spend more than a passing glance talking to someone who doesn't agree with everything she is.
I'll go halfers with you if you seat me next to Jennifer Aniston.
She would NEVER accept this. She is a phony plain and simple. She has no future in politics, she is just trying to get as much money out of her final 3 minutes of fame as she can.
Sorry Ken, it's a great idea, but it'll never fly.
Sarah can't win, if the message is not controlled. Your proposal to not limit the time, not limit the guests, not limit the questions or answers (except by the standards of civility) is a direct threat to Sarah's MO, which relies on HER being the Alpha in the pack, and no further questions, thank you very much.
She treated the State of Alaska's budget as her own private slush fund, from paying lawyers' fees to defend her maltreatment of the Governor's office, and pay her defense against the numerous complaints she engendered in office. She claimed per-diems to the tune of tens of thousands per year, for living in and working from her own Wasilla home, rather than the (already paid for) governors' mansion in Juneau. She tried to get a Knik Arm bridge built -- at a greater cost than the fabled Bridge to Nowhere -- to shave a half-hour off of her commute to Anchorage.
No, with Sarah, it has to be her way or the highway.
If Mr. Morris wants to donate money to veteran's charities, why doesn't he just do it quietly, without all the hoopla of clinging to Sarah's hunting boots?
We all know that... ' $arah doesn't hunt '... she tags along. The GV Sustern video in her Kitchen even admitted to that fact.
And since the Original idea was $arah's... why didn't she do as YOU suggested......Answer???
Doesn't $he care about her Tracker..?
He donated money today.
Good luck with that, Ken!
If you make that offer to someone with character, fortitude, an honor code, a sense of decency, or common sense, in other words, the opposite of Sara Palin, you will have much better luck. Remember too that if for some unfathomable reason she should take you up on the offer, you have to actually sit down and eat with her... and try not to barf while doing so. Good luck with that.....
You know this person, would have such a small foot print on this planet if the MEDIA would stop giving this
IDIOT air time. She is just a talking head and a limited one at that. It's the MEDIA that makes this fool's errand the potential larger influence. These nabobs would be nothing with out their MEDIA creators.
Their nothing more than common train wrecks !!! A tree falling in a forest !!! The MEDIA is the ear that
hears this noise the amplifier and repeater !!! Noise that would have gone unnoticed !!!
Like most other challenges levied at republican/conservatives to explain there views, experience reality, and actually debate the issues with facts instead of using logical fallacy's (see Red Herring, Slippery Slope) will go ignored.
Example: Oberman's challenge to Hanity to actually get water boarded for charity.
Props to the Radio host who actually did it and to Oberman for writing a check.
Maybe Mr. Morris should start an auction for a dinner with him. If he does perhaps he will be lucky and Sarah Palin will win it.
If he does this he will also be able to dictate the rules that apply. Funny how all these libs want to change the rules or force their ideas of fair play on others.
Did you read Sarah's rules of fair play? That's some pretzel logic you have going on there.
Very simple. If you don't like the rules DON"T PLAY
Start your own game. This way you can sert the rules.
The offer from Mr. Morris seems to be fair, balanced, and sincere. Please name one objectionable thing in his proposal.
It is not my responsability to evaluate the rules. If I don't like them than I should not bid.
Quit telling other people what they should do and how they should do it.
That should be simple enough logic for you Doctor.
Mr. Hankie......
Who was the one in the first place that even thought up this " FAUX " Charity Auction
merely for the purpose of a ' publicity stunt'..? Don't tell me you FORGOT?????
Everything going on now is just merely an extension of THAT ' publicity stunt '.
Sure.... they are making a " Joke " of it... but that's what it was in the first place.
A Joke. Palin has turned herself into a Joke.
Fair play? Sort of the way that Palin had put up a disclaimer that she reserved the right to deny the winning bidder their "prize" due to her "subjective" taste? Was this for charity or Palins ego? I've never heard of a charity event turning away donations. What was she afraid of? She'd be questioned her nation-dividing rhetoric as no? Her intellect? Her "for profit" ideals? Whatever Palin is reasoning, 'd be mortified that only SEVEN people bid (I had more bidders for an Adam Ant box set). That surely must have been a blow to her ego! Bet she somehow made that Obama's fault .
As Beck is being exposed as an insincere narcissist and Limbaugh nothing more than an insecure bully, Palin is being exposed as an inept fraud! I guess there'll always be people that never look too close in the mirror. These same people are the God-fearing folks that believe if you're suffering, its because you deserve it, people only matter while they're still in the womb, no war is a bad thing, gun rights are more important than rights to affordable healthcare, corporate citizens need to be protected and only "real" Americans know how to be patriotic. Maybe once the loud, shrill voices are quieted down, we can stop allowing these people that are chasing fame to distract the real dialouge to address our multitude of serious grown up problems.
Funny how the conservatives ALWAYS have to have everything their way.
This guy doesn't seem to object to Sarah's tight auction rules, saying that she will just cancel the results of a fair auction, if she doesn't like the winner of it.
But he does have a problem with rules set to ensure an honest debate with Sarah -- who, after all, says she knows a better way to view and run things. You'd think she want the chance to prove her points, but all she can do is run away...
I doubt she'll respond to his proposal in any fashion whatsoever.
Palin will repond with all the sincerity that this offer is entitled to. The point is that she is free to make the rules for her offer as Morris is free to make up the rules of his offer.
Neither one has the right to tell the other they are being unfair for the rules they set up. They are free however to elect to play or not to play.
Three words:
Ain't. Gonna. Happen.
Make that four words:
Ain't. Gonna. Happen. Period.
FWIW
See, here is the thing... she started he auction idea so now that she is in the position of auctioning, a hundred thousand dollars to vets is really really hard to turn down. Isn't it? I mean by artificially shrinking the pool and basically rigging the final result don't the vets lose out on the extra money. let's call them an ask, "what would you guys do with the extra 100,000... how many vets would that help?" and then let's start raising money to match what this guy pays. See she can blow off a hundred thousand dollar offer but if we start raising money we can hit a number she can't turn down. It is a good cause right, cap all contributions to the matching fund at 5 bucks so no one has to dig really deep and let's force her to do it. A hundred thousand dollars is a story on a liberal blog, 500,000 is national news and on the CNN MSNBC loop every 15 minutes.
J
Or even better, Ken can invite guests, Gov Palin can invite the same number of guests. The guests will sit at a table across the restaurant from Ken and Gov Palin.
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