Morris Ups the Ante - Challenges Palin to Charity Dinner with Progressives for $200,000

So, in case you missed the story, Sarah Palin auctioned off a dinner with herself for charity recently on eBay. The winner was one Ms. Cathy Maples, owner of a defense contracting company, Republican, and staunch Palin supporter. She's even met Sarah Palin twice before. And, it's interesting to note that the location of the auction was changed to "Alabama" before the bidding ended. Yes, Ms. Maples does happen to live in Alabama. Amazing.

Another bidder was really looking forward to sitting down and having a frank discussion with the ex-governor, but realized quickly that his chances of being accepted, even if he was the highest bidder, were slim. Only winning bidders that Palin deemed "suitable" would be accepted.

So, after the auction was over, disgruntled bidder and 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. The $100,000 challenge was ignored. But now Morris has upped the ante. How much longer will Palin be able to ignore this dinner invitation?

How much will she actually be willing to deny veterans' charities so she can avoid dining with people who have opposing views?

Morris released the following statement today:

What the flippin' flapjacks is going on here? The pounding in my head is like a bongo on steroids and unless I gain some understanding of what looks like an ocean of crazy stew, I'm liable to take up residence in a rubber room.

Here's what's got my head Linda Blairing: Sarah Palin--who must've said our President was "pallin' around with terrorists" a thousand times--gave a speech in a communist nation known for human rights abuses, forced late term abortions, child sweatshops (thereby making products so cheaply that U.S. manufacturing cannot compete), and poisoned dog food. She then criticized the president in this foreign land for implementing trade restrictions. Does anyone remember the Dixie Chicks?

Days ago, when I lost out on the eBay auction to have dinner with Ms. Palin, I rationalized that with the restrictions, I'd not have been approved anyway. So, as I wrote shortly thereafter, "In the great American tradition of never say die," I proposed a more substantial offer for an on the record discussion.

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.
My reasons for such an offer are honorable and important. With the Supreme Court positioned to overturn campaign finance laws in the Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission case now before it, corporate contributions to federal elections will be unfettered. In other words, Sarah Palin with the help of an unlimited dose of corporate funds might one day be president. Already she has what appears to be a heady stable of influential supporters: Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Kristol, Lawrence Kudlow, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. In other words, I take her prospects seriously. And, as she has chosen to be a spokesperson for, as she says, " American Main Street ," it is vital that she come out from behind her handlers and speak on the record in unscripted fashion. We deserve to be enlightened by honest insights not merely prepared comments and pre-screened questions.

Many readers didn't expect Ms. Palin to accept my offer and, so far, I've not heard a peep from her handlers (though I did get a few candid comments from some of her supporters and to them, yes, I do know who my parents are. Thanks for asking).

How to generate interest from Camp Palin? To that end, if it's a question of numbers, I'm prepared to up the ante. I originally wanted to post a challenge to the hundreds of readers who have expressed a willingness to contribute to veteran charities if this meeting of the minds came about. My thought was to match public contributions up to an additional $100,000. However, there are many logistical problems beyond my ability to address, so I'll simply double the offer to $200,000 and suggest to Ms. Palin that there are many people who will add to the total. The $200,000 minimum might well be something substantially larger.

The only change I'd like to make in the original proposal is to add one additional name to the list of potential attendees. As Ms. Palin claimed in her speech that de-regulation and lower taxes would end the financial crisis, it would be useful to invite Paul Krugman. From a recent interview with Rachel Maddow, I gather he isn't in full support of that economic analysis.

While I've not quite matched the reported $300,000 China fee, with public help we might yet reach that level and Ms. Palin won't have to travel across the world to attend. Best of all for her, the visibility and good will should be priceless. As I said before a win-win and tres cool.

Ken Morris

http://www.financialthrillers.com

Author: Man in the Middle (Best Mystery of 2003)

Author: The Deadly Trade ("Too good to miss!" Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Follow AKMuckraker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Mudflats

Comments

[battybb]

Ken:

As a fellow Cal alumna, I trust you are sufficiently contrarian to entertain an alternate notion, should Ms. P ice you out on your generous offer to a) raise a gut load of dough for a deserving charity; and b) further your agenda of forcing dogmatic Americans to gather around a table to listen to each other for a change, instead of barking like junk yard dogs.

A postion which, as you well know, I heartily admire and endorse.

So, Palin don’t pay you no mind?

Cart your sack load of pennies to the top and proffer the same challenge to Obama. (Whom I voted for, and therefore carry the responsibility to hold his feet to the fire.) $200,000 for a dinner wherein he sits down (without preconditions) with a star studded array of Conservatives and discusses Health Care Reform, eye to eye, cheek to cheek.

Instead of hiding out in such Liberal safe-houses as the Letterman Show.

I voted for this man because of his communication skills. He promised to sit down with The Enemy and deal with them without preconditions. So. . .he does this with foreign leaders but doesn’t have the moxie to take on domestic Conservatives likewise?

He should have at least tackled Cavuto to explain and persuade.

I just know you can make him see the light. Challenge him to a White House Beergarten with the Conservatives, much like he did with the Gates affair.

Go Bears!

Lazy P

[John Frank]

Those who suggest that if Sarah Palin does not respond to Mr. Morris that this allows one to draw negative assertions about her character are truly mistaken.

Sarah Palin is a private citizen. She is not running for any office. She is free to accept or reject any proposal put to her for any reason she chooses. Should she decline to respond, it is clearly wrong to make any assumptions as to her reasons.

The proposal presumes that one private citizen can put a figurative gun to another private citizen's head to compel the other to act in the desired fashion, or that if the other fails to respond, it means one can draw negative aspersions about the character of that individual.

This approach shows a complete lack of respect towards the liberty and freedoms of that other individual. Further, there is no basis to draw any negative aspersions on the character of the person being attacked.

Why? Because if you believe in individual freedom the only correct course is to reject such a proposal, given the public attack coupled with an attempt to compel another to take a certain course of action.

Worse, the approach taken is an insult to the principles by which we govern our behavior as private citizens in a civil society. Any attempt to bully or coerce another private citizen to do our bidding must be rejected out of hand as an affront to the respect we must show to another citizen's freedom.

[murphymia]

John Frank, maybe you should explain your philosophy to Sarah.

[Luv2Purple]

Hi John - I appreciate your opinion, but you are wrong. Palin is a public figure - she was a public "SERVANT" before she QUIT, running out the door to grab the money. Selling oneself for money makes one a whore...th­e only quibbling here is that she's not selling her body, though she has clearly been marketing her sexuality to the rethuglican base along with her religiosity. The "auction" for "charity" was neither. It was a PR scam designed to promote palin. IF this were truly for charity then the other bidder would have been allowed to stay in the bidding. The fact that he has since offered $100,000 to $200,000 for the soldiers charity says a lot that palin turned this down. Palins approach to governing is to take away the freedoms you say you respect. she wanted to ban books from the Wasilla library, until she figured out she couldn't. She wants to do away with freedom of choice for women and families - but wants to impose her values on others. Palin LIES when she crows about fictional death panels - but THAT HAPPENED in ALASKA UNDER PALIN'S GOVT. You are entitled to your own opinion John - just not your own made up facts. God damn these hypocrites - God Bless America!

[Luv2Purple]

Was this REALLY about charity or about Ms. Palin's ego? If it was truly about helping the soldiers or charity then she should jump at the chance to give an ADDITIONAL $200,000 to charity! The ONLY reason Palin resigned was to run for the money...wh­at a noble thing to do when you have already made a COMMITMENT to the people of Alaska. Alaska LAW PROHIBITED Palin from signing the contract or taking the money for the book or speeches until AFTER she was through with PUBLIC service...­so she QUIT her job RAN from her RESPONSIBILITIES to grab the money. That's NOT what a pitbull/mo­mmagrizzly­risingup would do is it? Sell out her cubs/citiz­ens...give them away so she can star in her own relality show - the PERILS OF PALIN. So what do we call people/women who sell themselves for money?

[aurora50]

I started with a very snarky comment; reviewed it, and I am kind of ashamed of myself; there has to be a more soulful way .

I was pondering earlier: certain occupations used to be considered the provenance of the educated, and were public trusts: banking, medicine, the law, and governance.

My Republican grandfathers would be spinning in their graves if they could be aware of what has happened to this country. I thought some of the most striking aspects of the news coverage of the 'speech' was the offhand comments, 'everyone knows America is no longer what it was...' etc.

And then SP goes and just confirms that.

It is maddening.

If, as the pessimistic here have concluded, she won't show up for a civilized dinner conversation (for she is only a shadow) what will we do? How can we re establish contact with our brothers and sisters across the divide created in this great and wondrous country of all of ours, by the F--K H---S who are only and always interested in profit over peace?

(yipes, kinda got going there...)

[aurora50]

ooops, grammar correction:

par 3: I thought ONE...ect

[game]

Sarah is being called out. And it seems much like when a grade school kid tells another to meet him in the alley after school. Morris new the rules, and like them or not. It’s was Sarah game, and themes the rules.
You know the rules Sarah set forth for dinner one. What the in world would lead Morris to think that he could get Sarah to a second dinner with his guest list? Like her or not, that woman could hit the stump a hour at a time, and in two or three appearances walk away with much more than Mr. Morris is offering. The fact you gave at the office or out of your pay check, and the same charity shows up at your home asking again. It does not make you a creep for not giving a second time. I don’t know why she made the offer to raise the money for charity. But It does not make her a slave to charity or obligated to every opportunists that comes along.
I have no more use for Ken Morris than I do for Palin. Morris is popping up all over the place stirring his dinner offer with the tactics of a Beck tea bagger. For Morris, publicity in making this dinner a reality would be big,. It sure would go a long way for the peddling of his new book he is trying to sale publishers. Morris has his own hidden agenda, and he working every one

[SimonSezz]

This broad wants to be the President of the United States. What Mr. Morris is trying to do is get "her" to get out in front of her comments and to stop hiding behind facebook , handlers, ghost writers.

[Marnie1]

When Olbermann bet some MSM Repo mouthpiece to get waterboarded, and that MSM talking head weened out, Olbermann donated the money anyway.
At a guess Mr. Morris might do the same, however, if Sarah can't take the bet and join civilized dinner conversation she loses the PR battle.

This is about pointing out that she is false. Her "charity" PR stunt is solely self serving, and both how she handled the eBay bids and how she responds to a 200K offer is the point being made.

Sarah got 11M for her book deal. She can afford to match the 200K and the 63K but she won't even offer to match or double her eBay going price - for the sake of the Vets.

If you’re a fan or Sarah's and believe her to be true blue, and you think the Vets need more donations, write Sarah and suggest she match the eBay hostess. Once Sarah has done that - then you might be justified in judging Mr. Morris.

This is just another PR stunt or lie that has blown up in Sarah's face because she is selfish, and she has bad judgement.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

Mr. Morris may be taking the wrong approach here.

You sent the Invitation to the wrong person. Address it to Rupert Murdoch.

We know that Palin has been ' bought & paid for ' by him. It's DONE !!
He is paying for her book. His friends and influence with the members of the CSLA paid for the China trip.
HIS WS Journal publishes the Op-Eds that somebody else writes for her.

Send the invitation directly to Mr. Murdoch. He is the ONLY one who can approve this Dinner.

[murphymia]

" What I find disturbing is that a defense contractors wife had $63,500 to spend on ONE DINNER! "
Mamalisa, this is my thought too!! I find it pathetic! I find Palin pathetic and you know it will never happen but I hope you ride this woman until she at least responds. Mr. Morris I say set up a site where we can donate, even at $1 a person I bet you'd get millions to donate!

Please keep on the pressure - make her answer your call!!

[Inkberries]

This would be great, but it will never happen. She couldn’t even handle herself with Katie Couric, (or any of the others that tried to interview her.) Even for that interview, she couldn’t be bothered to “study” or prepare in any way. She knows she made a fool of herself then and wouldn’t dare to make the same mistake again. As for doing it for charity? I think she’s superficial at best in that department. Better just to spread the word of the offer if only to emphasize once again that there’s really just nothing there. I've written about it here:
http://beachpeanuts.wordpress.com/

[SimonSezz]

Lets make it a MiL Sarah.....­..........­.....do it for the troops

[Isis N]

Calling out Sarah Palin! PROVE to us that you actually HAVE a heart, that you CARE about people other than yourself, and that you actually ARE in some way coherent! Otherwise, I'll be forced to continue to believe as I do that you're nothing more than a spineless, pathetic, miserable, weak sack of feces that is bound to spontaneously combust in the very near future.

Woman up and get behind your words, Sarah! Better yet, do it for this wonderful cause!

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/morris-ups-the-ante---cha_b_299526.html

[Enjay 1]

As much as I would like to see her accept – I don’t believe she would put herself in that position. She’d rather be the cheerleader /spokesperson spouting talking points than to have an honest discussion relaying her OWN thoughts or position.

Not sure if the XGov actually HAS a personal viewpoint because that would mean she had an interest in something – did a little research to learn about it – both pro & con – and weighed the sides. I don’t see this in her character, she’d rather hide behind someone else’s words without being accountable.
Isn't that part of the reason she quit her day job?

Maybe Hollywood could write this as a reality show -
“Ask the politician” or “political hot seat”
– not just 10 second sound bites

[MyTakeOnThis61]

Uh-Oh!!!!! TRACTION!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/rnr/1391823286.html

[NutMeg42]

""Many readers didn't expect Ms. Palin to accept my offer and, so far, I've not heard a peep from her handlers (though I did get a few candid comments from some of her supporters and to them, yes, I do know who my parents are. Thanks for asking).""


Maybe I am dim. But what the heck is he talking about? Who are his parents?

[MonaLisa65]

I think he means that some of Sarah's supporters question either his legitimacy or his maternal parentage, using words that would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap. (They are SUCH a classy bunch!)

[wezzie]

Come on Sarah, sounds fair and square to me.