I saw it last night at the RightOnLine conference and it is fantastic
On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 1:43 AM, [email protected]> wrote: > ** > > > > > http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/05/25/palins_secret_weapon_new_film_to_premiere_in_june_109949.html > > > > May 25, 2011 > Palin's Secret Weapon: New Film to Premiere in June*By* *Scott > Conroy*<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/?author=Scott+Conroy&id=15293> > > Shortly after Republicans swept last November to a historic victory in > which Sarah Palin was credited with playing a central role, the former > Alaska governor pulled aside her close aide, Rebecca Mansour, to discuss a > hush-hush assignment: Reach out to conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon > with a request. Ask him if he would make a series of videos extolling > Palin's governorship and laying to rest lingering questions about her > controversial decision to resign from office with a year-and-a-half left in > her first term. It was this abdication, Palin knew, that had made her > damaged goods in the eyes of some Republicans who once were eager to get > behind her potential 2012 presidential campaign. > > The response was more positive than Palin could have hoped for. He'd make a > feature-length movie, Bannon told Mansour, and he insisted upon taking > complete control and financing it himself -- to the tune of $1 million. > > The fruits of that initial conversation are now complete. The result is a > two-hour-long, sweeping epic, a rough cut of which Bannon screened privately > for Sarah and Todd Palin last Wednesday in Arizona, where Alaska's most > famous couple has been rumored to have purchased a new home. When it > premieres in Iowa next month, the film is poised to serve as a galvanizing > prelude to Palin's prospective presidential campaign -- an unconventional > reintroduction to the nation that she and her political team have spent > months eagerly anticipating, even as Beltway Republicans have largely > concluded that she won't run. > > Bannon, a former naval officer and ex-Goldman Sachs banker, sees his > documentary as the first step in Palin's effort to rebuild her image in the > eyes of voters who may have soured on her, yet might reconsider if old > caricatures begin to fade. The film will also appeal to staunch Palin > supporters who have long celebrated her biting rhetoric and conservative > populism yet know little about her record in Alaska and have perhaps written > her off as presidential material. > > "This film is a call to action for a campaign like 1976: Reagan vs. the > establishment," Bannon told RealClearPolitics. "Let's have a good > old-fashioned brouhaha." > > RealClearPolitics was recently given an exclusive screening of a rough cut > of the now finished film, which Bannon designed, in part, to help catapult > Palin from the presidential afterthought she has become in the eyes of many > pundits directly to the front lines of the 2012 GOP conversation. > > Palin initially learned about Bannon's work after she saw one of his > previous films about the origins of the tea party movement, "Generation > Zero," which premiered last year in Nashville and was later aired in prime > time on the Fox News Channel. Impressed, Palin promoted "Generation Zero" > via Twitter before later reaching out to Bannon about creating something to > highlight her record in Alaska, where her performance in office was > overshadowed by her resignation eight months after the 2008 presidential > election. > > Though she did not have any editorial role in the project, Palin > facilitated access for Bannon and his film crew to key Alaskan defenders who > were involved with the major achievements of her administration, and the > filmmaker spent several weeks in the 49th state gathering archival film and > conducting research and interviews for the project. He and his team took > extraordinary measures to keep their endeavor secret. > > When they requested from Alaska's TV news stations footage that was shot > during Palin's political rise, they asked for additional tapes containing > subject matters that were irrelevant to their project, in order not to raise > suspicions. And rather than staying at the well-appointed Hotel Captain Cook > in Anchorage, they instead took up temporary residence in low-key motels. > > "We shot on the weekends, and we shot in locations that weren't being used > during those weekends," Bannon said. "I did it with a handpicked crew of > people I know and trust, and we were able to stay under the radar. The > planning for the secrecy of this took many, many weeks." > > Bannon originally titled his film "Take a Stand," which was the campaign > slogan for Palin's 2006 gubernatorial run when she defeated incumbent > Republican Frank Murkowski in the primary before cruising in the general > election to become Alaska's youngest -- and first female -- chief executive. > But in order to give it a more triumphant punch, the filmmaker changed the > title to "The Undefeated." > > Bannon acquired the audio rights to Palin's 2009 bestseller, "Going Rogue," > and the former vice-presidential nominee's voice guides the film through the > various stages of her career in Alaska. > > Although Palin is not interviewed directly, the film features on-camera > interviews and commentaries from 10 Alaskans who played different roles in > her political rise, as well as six Lower 48 denizens who defend her in more > visceral terms, including prominent conservative firebrands Mark Levin, > Andrew Breitbart and Tammy Bruce. > > Divided into three acts, the film makes the case that despite the now > cliched label, Palin was indeed a maverick who confronted the powerful > forces lined up against her to achieve wide-ranging success in a short > period of time. The second part of the film's message is just as clear, if > more subjective: that Sarah Palin is the only conservative leader who can > both build on the legacy of the Reagan Revolution and bring the ideals of > the tea party movement to the Oval Office. > > Rife with religious metaphor and unmistakable allusions to Palin as a Joan > of Arc-like figure, "The Undefeated" echoes Palin's "Going Rogue" in its > tidy division of the world between the heroes who are on her side and the > villains who seek to thwart her at every turn. > > To convey Bannon's view of the pathology behind Palin-hatred, the film > begins with a fast-paced sequence of clips showing some of the prominent > celebrities who have used sexist, derogatory and generally vicious language > to describe her. > > Rosie O'Donnell, Matt Damon, Bill Maher, David Letterman, and Howard Stern > all have brief cameos before comedian Louis C.K. goes off on a particularly > ugly anti-Palin riff. > > "I hate her more than anybody," C.K. says at the end of his tirade, the > rest of which is unfit to print here. > > Bannon intends to release two versions of the film. An unrated edition will > contain some obscene anti-Palin language and imagery, while the other is > targeted to a general audience and will seek a PG-13 rating from the Motion > Picture Association of America. > > *The Making of a Politician* > > After a brief interlude featuring some old Palin family home video footage, > Act 1 begins with Sarah as narrator, recalling the Exxon Valdez spill in > 1989, when she was a young pregnant wife married to a blue-collar husband > working on the North Slope. > > "I hadn't yet envisioned running for elected office," Palin says in the > audio taken from "Going Rogue," as images of the environmental disaster > unfold on the screen. "But looking back, I could see that tragedy planted a > seed in me. If I ever had a chance to serve my fellow citizens, I would do > so." > > Over the next hour, the crux of the narrative is taken over by Palin's > Alaska backers, with former spokesperson Meg Stapleton and attorney Tom Van > Flein leading the charge. Other more unfamiliar faces who uphold Palin's > Alaska legacy include former Wasilla Deputy Mayor Judy Patrick, former gas > pipeline adviser Marty Rutherford, longtime confidantes Kristan Cole and > Judy Patrick, and former state Sen. Gene Therriault -- one of the few Alaska > legislators who has remained vocal and consistent in his praise of Palin. > > The recounting of Palin's earliest years in public office relies on a > treasure trove of rare and never-before-seen video obtained by Bannon, > including shots of Palin breaking ground on a construction project with her > fellow Wasilla City Councilors, waving signs for her mayoral reelection > campaign, and reacting acidly to a comment made by John Stein -- her > predecessor in the mayor's office and one of the film's villains, who > compared her to a "Spice Girl." > > As the documentary transitions to Palin's ascent to statewide office, it > dramatizes the culture of corruption that permeated Alaska, with images of > fat men smoking cigars in dark rooms and the infamous Suite 604 at the > Baranof Hotel in Juneau, where the FBI secretly videotaped executives of the > oil services company VECO in a corruption scandal that would shake the > foundations of Alaska government just as Palin was making a name for herself > as an ethics crusader. > > "The Undefeated" conveys the dramatic extent to which Palin's world has > changed in just a few years, as it shows her announcing her gubernatorial > campaign not at a massive rally but at a sparsely attended press conference > in her kitchen. Those unfamiliar with Palin's political background will be > surprised to learn that the woman who has become one of the nation's most > boisterous press critics was once such a media darling that two of the > Alaska TV news correspondents whose highly favorable reports are shown in > the film ended up leaving their jobs to join the Palin administration. > > Palin's charisma has in recent years often been overshadowed by the more > unforgiving side of her personality, but one scene from the film illustrates > how she has long used her personal charm to disarm and discombobulate her > competitors. > > "Oh, this will be fun," Palin says to her soon-to-be vanquished Democratic > gubernatorial opponent, Tony Knowles, during a brief encounter in Anchorage > on primary night in 2006. Knowles remains speechless, while Palin smiles and > adds an "Oh, golly" for good measure. > > *Mining the `Maverick' Label* > > Palin's stint as a hard-charging reformer in Juneau won her approval > ratings that consistently topped 80 percent and made her the most popular > governor in America, catching the eye of the McCain campaign. It was the > "maverick" label that piqued McCain's interest in 2008 -- far more than > Palin's supposed purity on social issues -- just as it does the filmmaker's. > > The movie focuses on Palin's triumphs on fiscal and energy matters, while > ignoring hot-button topics like abortion. Indeed, although she was always > identified as a staunch social conservative, Palin often worked more closely > with Democrats than Republicans in Juneau and largely avoided ideological > fights during her first two years in office. > > Yet Palin the Fighter is an ever-present theme in the documentary; one of > its most memorable moments occurs when Meg Stapleton recalls an encounter at > the Fairbanks airport when Palin literally stared down an oil executive who > told her, "You don't know who you're messing with." > > The film's third act puts a positive spin on Palin's 2008 vice presidential > run, reminding viewers of her initially valuable impact on the McCain > campaign by showing the Gallup poll trend lines that had the Republican > ticket taking its first lead over the Democrats before the collapse of > Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15. > > It also gives an extended treatment to Palin's speech at the Republican > National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., her finest hour politically. > > "The Undefeated" eschews less flattering topics, such as the Troopergate > saga -- which had little effect on the VP campaign but left a lastingly > negative impression of Palin in the eyes of many Alaskans -- and her > unimpressive series of interviews with Katie Couric. > > Bannon dramatizes the theme of Palin's persecution at the hands of her > enemies in the media and both political parties, a notion the former > governor has long embraced. Images of lions killing a zebra and a dead > medieval soldier with an arrow sticking in his back dramatize the ethics > complaints filed by obscure Alaskan citizens, which Palin has cited as the > primary reason for her sudden resignation in July of 2009. > > *Fighting Words* > > The film's coda is introduced with an on-screen caption that reads, "From > here, I can see November." It is here that Mark Levin alludes to Ronald > Reagan as a Palin-like insurgent who was also once distrusted by the GOP > establishment. > > Palin is then shown firing up a rally that occurred just last month on the > steps of the state capitol in Wisconsin. "What we need is for you to stand > up, GOP, and fight," Palin, in vintage campaign form, shouts to the crowd. > "Maybe I should ask some of the Badger women's hockey team -- those > champions -- maybe I should ask them if we should be suggesting to GOP > leaders they need to learn how to fight like a girl!" > > Following an extended in-your-face riff by Andrew Breitbart in which he > repeatedly denounces as "eunuchs" the male Republican leaders who decline to > defend Palin, the film ends with one last scene from the April rally in > Madison: "Mr. President, game on!" Palin shouts before a martial drumbeat > ushers in a closing quotation by Thomas Paine, which also appeared in "Going > Rogue." The implication is neither subtle nor easy to dismiss. > > In a telling sign of how the film's message has already resonated with her > own thought process, Palin made reference to the Paine quotation during an > appearance on Greta Van Susteren's Fox News show last week shortly after she > viewed a rough cut of the film for the first time. > > "It's like Thomas Paine said, Greta, one of our founders. He said, `If > there be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace,'" Palin > said. "I think of that when I consider whether running for office or not." > > SarahPAC's treasurer Tim Crawford confirmed that "The Undefeated" was a hit > with Palin. > > "The governor thought it was great," Crawford said. > > Bannon's film also resonated with members of Palin's staff, including > Mansour. > > "I'm a huge fan of Steve's work," Mansour said in a statement to RCP on > Tuesday. "His film on President Reagan, `In the Face of Evil,' is my > favorite documentary, and his `Generation Zero' was a rallying cry for the > Tea Party movement early on. I think his new film really captures the > essence of Governor Palin's stewardship of Alaska, and I think people will > be really surprised by it. It shatters so many false stereotypes because it > shows what she actually accomplished as governor. You can't leave it > thinking the same way about Sarah Palin." > > In the last couple of months, Palin has delivered major policy speeches, > hired a chief of staff, made a well-publicized foreign trip that included a > visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all the while > remaining consistent about her vow -- first made just days after the 2008 > campaign ended -- that she would "crash through" any of the "open doors" > that might lead to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. > > Bannon intends to premiere the film in Iowa late next month before > expanding the release to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. After > the initial rollout in the four early voting states, the filmmaker will > eventually release it to somewhere between 50 and 100 markets nationwide. > <SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC=" > http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4031.276976.CONTEXTWEB.COM/B5323972.11;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;click=http://cdslog.contextweb.com/CDSLogger/L.aspx?q=C~501785~3176~56157~119051~17385~3~16~16~realclearpolitics.com~2~8~1~0~2~1~stCJdbHvpMvpQTAb3r-GArdOLXm5HTar0pHgnuCbFx0^~72~2~j6YGRf027z6i~pqUWieNDDVXQ~1~1~1~BOCH1.RCQU1.RCQU9.FOCI1.PCSS1.BK087.BK094.PLAC2~;ord=1919991235?"> > </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF=" > http://cdslog.contextweb.com/CDSLogger/L.aspx?q=C~501785~3176~56157~119051~17385~3~16~16~realclearpolitics.com~2~8~1~0~2~1~stCJdbHvpMvpQTAb3r-GArdOLXm5HTar0pHgnuCbFx0 > ^~72~2~j6YGRf027z6i~pqUWieNDDVXQ~1~1~1~BOCH1.RCQU1.RCQU9.FOCI1.PCSS1.BK087.BK094.PLAC2~ > http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4031.276976.CONTEXTWEB.COM/B5323972.11;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1919991235?"> > <IMG SRC=" > http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4031.276976.CONTEXTWEB.COM/B5323972.11;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=1919991235?"; > BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Advertisement"></A> > </NOSCRIPT> > ADGRPID:119051|SERVTYPE:1 > > Palin aides have not yet decided whether the former governor will play an > active role in the film's premiere, but there has been some preliminary > discussion of purchasing copies of the film from Bannon to distribute as > gifts to SarahPAC donors. > > Bannon is also working out a video-on-demand deal that will make the movie > more widely accessible. > > Palin has been tight-lipped about which way she is leaning in regard to > running for president next year, but her team of advisers is operating under > the notion that they are laying the groundwork for a future campaign, until > they are told otherwise. > > Palin's future presidential bid might be based in the Phoenix area -- where > Bristol Palin also recently purchased a new home -- but Palin's aides have > yet to reach out to potential venues for a campaign headquarters in Arizona. > > Despite Palin's apparent desire to wait as long as possible before making > her decision, aides acknowledge that they will soon have to establish a more > campaign-like operation in order to begin a more concerted effort to raise > money and take other steps that would be required -- even for a potential > candidate as unconventional as Palin. > > Meanwhile, the news about Palin's initial effort to commission a film > project to highlight her political record is sure to put additional pressure > on Fox News to demand an answer from one of their star contributors on > whether she intends to run for president or continue working as a political > analyst on the network that may soon find itself reporting on her campaign. > > Palin and her aides have appeared to recognize that despite some recent > polls showing her near the top of the prospective Republican field, she > still has substantial problems with independent voters and large swaths of > the GOP. Even more daunting will be finding a way to explain persuasively > just how it was that ethics complainers and liberal bloggers -- whom other > politicians in her shoes might have largely dismissed as relatively minor > nuisances -- succeeded in forcing her of office. > > But coming on the heels of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's decision > not to join the fray, many grassroots conservatives are clamoring for a > candidate who has both the stature and the sizzle to compete with President > Obama. > > If she does decide to run, "The Undefeated" will be the key element to her > initial coming-out party. The film's impending release -- and the frenzied > media attention that it is sure to generate -- will serve as a vivid wake-up > call that despite the many obstacles in front of her, Palin's entry into the > race would turn the campaign on its head in an instant, just as it did in > 2008. > > As she mulls her decision in the coming weeks, the other Republican > candidates in the field will be left to prepare for a hibernating grizzly > who appears poised to rise up once again. > > > Scott Conroy is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics. He can > be reached at [email protected]. > > © RealClearPolitics 2010 > > > __._,_.___ > Reply to > sender<[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Palin%27s%20Secret%20Weapon%3A%20New%20Film%20to%20Premiere%20in%20June>| > Reply > to > group<[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Palin%27s%20Secret%20Weapon%3A%20New%20Film%20to%20Premiere%20in%20June>| > Reply > via web > post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Individual-Sovereignty/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJybXQ5YnMxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI0MjA3MzcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MzAzMjkyBG1zZ0lkAzIzNzY0MARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEzMDYzMDIyMjE-?act=reply&messageNum=237640>| > Start > a New > Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Individual-Sovereignty/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZ29nZjI3BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI0MjA3MzcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MzAzMjkyBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTMwNjMwMjIyMQ--> > Messages in this > topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Individual-Sovereignty/message/237640;_ylc=X3oDMTM4cmhtZDhnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI0MjA3MzcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MzAzMjkyBG1zZ0lkAzIzNzY0MARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEzMDYzMDIyMjEEdHBjSWQDMjM3NjQw>( > 1) > Recent Activity: > > > Visit Your > Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Individual-Sovereignty;_ylc=X3oDMTJlazFzc3ZoBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI0MjA3MzcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MzAzMjkyBHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTMwNjMwMjIyMQ--> > Report any problems, suggestions or abuse to > [email protected] > > [image: Yahoo! > Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdGFxY2ViBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzI0MjA3MzcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MzAzMjkyBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMzA2MzAyMjIx> > Switch to: > Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, > Daily > Digest<[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• > Unsubscribe<[email protected]?subject=Unsubscribe>• > Terms > of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> > . > > __,_._,___ > -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
