'The Clintons could rein in some of the Democratic firepower aimed at Palin'

[denem]

The title is a quote and the most stupid idea I've heard in politics. I've edited this OP. If I can take a snark view of this all, I'd like to see a lot more of Sarah in 2012 and I suspect that Hillary and Bill would as well. This post is a note to Vanity Fair's article 'It came from Wasilla'

John Coale, an outspoken Hillary supporter during the primaries, husband to Fox News talk show host Greta Van Susteren, helped establish SARAHPAC for Palin, then lobbied to have it pay off some of Hillary's campaign debts:

"She created a political-action committee—Sarahpac—with the help of John Coale, a prominent Democratic trial lawyer. ... Also with Coale’s help, Palin formed the grandiosely named Alaska Fund Trust, to defray a reported half million dollars in legal expenses arising from a slew of formal ethics complaints against her in her home state—prompting yet another formal complaint, that the fund itself constitutes an ethical breach." ...

"As noted, Palin has established a political-action committee with the legal advice of John Coale, who met Palin when his wife, Greta Van Susteren, the Fox News host, went to interview her during the campaign. Coale, a former Hillary Clinton supporter, told me he felt Palin had gotten a bum rap from liberals and conservatives alike, and he advised her that a pac was a logical and legal way to pay for out-of-state political travel. “We raised a good bit of money without even asking,” Coale says. “Just set up a Web site and, I think in the first month, $400,000 came in.” Coale says he still exchanges e-mails with Palin from time to time, but doesn’t consider himself a political adviser; he also says that Van Susteren has “put up a Chinese wall about all of this,” and has obtained her interviews with the Palins independently. Since the campaign ended, Van Susteren has interviewed Palin twice more, but she says she has never had a conversation with Palin off-camera, except for when Palin called to rescind her acceptance of Van Susteren’s invitation to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in May, because of the Alaska flooding".

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908?printable=true¤tPage=all

But you've got to hand it to Coale for sheer brass: Having helped establish SARAHPAC, he pitched for it pay off some of Hillary's campaign debts.

Palin camp eyed Clinton alliance

In an unusual attempt to forge an alliance between two of the most prominent political families in American politics, John Coale, a Washington-area Democratic donor and onetime adviser to Sarah Palin, urged the conservative Alaska governor to use her political action committee to help retire the presidential campaign debt of Hillary Clinton.

Coale, a wealthy trial attorney and the husband of Fox News talk show host Greta Van Susteren, approached Palin with the improbable plan in February while in Alaska with his wife, who was taping an interview with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.

An outspoken Clinton supporter during the Democratic primary who switched his allegiance to the GOP ticket for the general election, Coale made his case to Palin at the Iron Dog snowmachine competition in Fairbanks, where Todd Palin was competing over Valentine’s Day weekend. His broader aim, say Palin camp insiders, was to help Palin develop a relationship with the former first family that he thought could bolster the polarizing governor’s standing with Democrats and independents.

Palin was amenable to getting acquainted with the Clintons but was skeptical of using her PAC to help the former first lady...

"He thought the Clintons could rein in some of the Democratic firepower aimed at her,” said a dumbfounded Republican privy to the discussion who advocated fiercely against the idea. A former Clinton aide hadn’t heard of the plan but deemed it “not rooted in anything that would touch on reality.”

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/Palin_camp_eyed_Clinton_alliance.html

That "the Clintons could rein in some of the Democratic firepower aimed at her,” is ”not rooted in anything that would touch on reality" is 'like a totally' understatement. There must be something in the air up in Alaska beyond marijuana smoke and meth lab fumes.

[Lerkfish]

1. all I can say is "snap".

It probably proves, for the benefit of sane HIllary supporters in the primary, that they were being undermined by crazies claiming to support her.

[mopinko]

2. i guess they believed there were vagina voters out there.

unicorns, too, prolly.

[Happyhippychick]

3. Gee, you mean some of the "Hillary supporters" were actually Freepers in disguise?

Say it isn't so.

[liberal N proud]

4. Another single issue voter

[Political Tiger]

5. You know, I am willing to bet Hillary can't stand Sarah Palin.

Palin is the anti-Hillary. She's against everything Hillary stands for. Hillary is smart, Sarah is dumb as a box of rocks. Hillary is a good mother. Sarah exploits her children. No doubt Hillary sees right through Sarah PaLIEn.

[rvablue]

11. Amen to every thing you said. And might I add, too, that despite the large debt, she never would

have taken a dime from Palin.

I think Greta's hubby was either try to kneecap either Palin or Clinton with this plan, as it defies common sense.

Freepers would've abandoned Palin if she gave their coin to Hillary. And, the Democratic establishment would've abandoned Clinton had she taken money from SarahPAC -- and most likely that would have voided her invitationt to serve in the administration.

It's either that, or Mr. Greta Van Sustren is as dumb as a bag of rocks.

[Cha]

6. It proves to me that greta and her husband are

a brainless couple of tools.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Isn't this one of the crazier ass things you've read in a while? nt

[Ikonoklast]

7. Coale was following Palin around like a puppy dog.

Greta put a stop to it.

Of course, Greta and Taaawwwddd were seen together at social functions, sans spouses.

Family Values, if you have a strange family.

[Captain Hilts]

8. They have no reason or motivation to do so. Palin is over 21 and a big girl now. nt

[ecstatic]

10. That's as stupid as when people think Jesse Jackson can control

black public opinion.

I like Bill and Hill but I will continue to make fun of the Palins for as long as I live. I don't give a damn what the Clintons say. ROFL!!

ETA, I don't believe the Clintons would every join with Palin in the first place. She's not on their level at all.