Indiana anti-abortion banquet to mark Palin's return to national stage
Erika Bolstad, MCT
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: News
WASHINGTON-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has taken flak from political foes at home, and national Republican leaders are miffed that she won't be at one of their fundraisers this spring.
Still, the former vice presidential contender is intent on visiting southern Indiana this week to attend what's billed as the country's largest annual banquet for anti-abortion activists.
Thursday's event doesn't carry quite the same weight for potential presidential candidates as, say, eating midway food at the Iowa State Fair or a sit-down with the Union Leader newspaper editorial board in Manchester, N.H. But the Vanderburgh County Right to Life Banquet is a big one-with sold-out attendance of 2,180 and an additional 600 or 700 people in an overflow room at a civic center in Evansville, Ind.
"For her to go to a place like Indiana speaks volumes about who she is and where her heart is," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, who heads up the Susan B. Anthony List, which is supportive of female political candidates who oppose abortion. The organization also is affiliated with Team Sarah, a Facebook-like social networking Web site of about 70,000 Palin supporters nationwide.
"I think it's a good choice for her because it's a reflection of who she is: sort of out of the Beltway," Dannenfelser said. "She's just being who she is. And being who she is annoys Washington-dramatically."
Palin's attendance at an anti-abortion event-her first major public event outside of Alaska since the presidential campaign-sends a laser-like message to the conservative potential voters Palin must court if her political future includes a bid for the presidency in 2012.
Palin is playing it safe by attending an event where "dissenting voices are likely to be far and few between," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican strategist and pollster for Public Opinion Strategies in Alexandria, Va.
"But Palin's foray into the Midwest also sends a pretty clear signal to the GOP faithful that she intends to build on her conservative credentials rather than 'move to the middle,''' Newhouse said. "While we shouldn't read too much into a single event, it sure looks like she has her eyes set on GOP primary voters."
Still, the former vice presidential contender is intent on visiting southern Indiana this week to attend what's billed as the country's largest annual banquet for anti-abortion activists.
Thursday's event doesn't carry quite the same weight for potential presidential candidates as, say, eating midway food at the Iowa State Fair or a sit-down with the Union Leader newspaper editorial board in Manchester, N.H. But the Vanderburgh County Right to Life Banquet is a big one-with sold-out attendance of 2,180 and an additional 600 or 700 people in an overflow room at a civic center in Evansville, Ind.
"For her to go to a place like Indiana speaks volumes about who she is and where her heart is," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, who heads up the Susan B. Anthony List, which is supportive of female political candidates who oppose abortion. The organization also is affiliated with Team Sarah, a Facebook-like social networking Web site of about 70,000 Palin supporters nationwide.
"I think it's a good choice for her because it's a reflection of who she is: sort of out of the Beltway," Dannenfelser said. "She's just being who she is. And being who she is annoys Washington-dramatically."
Palin's attendance at an anti-abortion event-her first major public event outside of Alaska since the presidential campaign-sends a laser-like message to the conservative potential voters Palin must court if her political future includes a bid for the presidency in 2012.
Palin is playing it safe by attending an event where "dissenting voices are likely to be far and few between," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican strategist and pollster for Public Opinion Strategies in Alexandria, Va.
"But Palin's foray into the Midwest also sends a pretty clear signal to the GOP faithful that she intends to build on her conservative credentials rather than 'move to the middle,''' Newhouse said. "While we shouldn't read too much into a single event, it sure looks like she has her eyes set on GOP primary voters."
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