Going Rogue: The Presidency of Sarah Louise Heath Palin
Feb. 2011 – May 2012

POD: September 12, 2008: After Sarah Palin has a rocky interview with Charlie Gibson she refuses the advice of Nicolle Wallace and does not participate in the Katie Couric Interview. She insists that she will do anyone else as long as they’re on FOX News. She will not participate with those “far-left media tycoons out to destroy John and I.” Nicolle is taken aback by Palin’s thoughts but gives in and arranges a sit-down interview with Bill O’Reilly.
September 22, 2008: Sarah Palin completes day one of her three-day interview with Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly agreed with Palin that the first day should cover the domestic policy agenda of McCain and Palin. O’Reilly grilled the Alaska Governor on her differences with John McCain. Palin handled the questions well, shrugging them off, “Well, you know, a lot of people disagree. John and I would never let our differences hinder progress on the domestic, or even foreign, front. Let’s be honest: John is open to an honest and forthwith discussion on the issues. He is willing to listen to opponents, and that’s why he’s considered a maverick.” Palin’s first night was a moderate success. Nicolle Wallace decided to let Palin rest for the second day which would cover foreign affairs.
September 23, 2008: O’Reilly began the foreign issues segment by discussing the Charlie Gibson interview which had been mocked by Palin’s critics as saying she could “see Russia from her house.” O’Reilly asked for a clarification of the statement and what Palin had met. As Nicolle Wallace and Steve Schmidt sat together nervously watching the interview they saw Palin handle the issue with surprising ease, “Well, Bill, you know the liberal media. They’re out there trying to destroy conservative women like me. What I meant was that as Chief Executive of America’s finest state I’ve been put in charge of a – a – a state with a border – a small maritime border that neighbors Russia. That certainly has given me foreign policy experience.” While the answer was weak it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. When O’Reilly asked, “How?” Palin had an answer. “Oh you know. Putin is over there in Russia wonderin’ what he can do next to – ya know – make America mad and where does he think of first? It’s Alaska. As Alaska’s Governor I’d have to deal with a situation should – if Putin – or any Russian leader – if Putin did something to disrupt daily life in Alaska.” “Specifically what, Governor?” After a few seconds Palin responded, “Oh there are a multitude of possibilities, Bill, really.” Bill didn’t push the issue further and while the interview on the second day was a weak point for Palin she was able to get past it as she prepared for the final day of the interview which would focus on “Palin Behind the Scenes”
September 24, 2008: The interview with O’Reilly began with softball questions: “How are the kids?” “How do you manage being a mother of five while being Alaska’s Governor?” but soon moved towards her agenda as Vice President. O’Reilly asked the Governor, “What would be your number one concern as Vice President?” “Well obviously I’d be there – be there for John if he were to need me on an issue, but I would want to – I’d like to focus on the economy. I meet lots of those hockey moms and those soccer moms and they’re not satisfied. No they’re not. They want a maverick to get in there and change things up for them, to represent them.” Clearly the third night was Palin’s strongest and she had somewhat reduced the number of personal attacks on her.
September 25, 2008: John McCain announced he was suspending his campaign to head to Washington in order to confront the issues with the Economic downturn.
October 1, 2008: McCain voted against HR1424 and this began the first of several votes against the TARP legislation. This move was played-off brilliantly politically as McCain distanced himself from President Bush. McCain held key leads over Senator Obama in North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and Colorado. McCain had also gained ground in New Hampshire. Furthermore new numbers showed that Georgia and Montana were no longer tossups, but were instead definitively in the McCain/Palin column. McCain’s campaign had seen a decent surge.
October 2, 2008: Palin uses her national debate appearance to trip-up Senator Biden on numerous allegations against the campaign. She used one answer to say that the Obama/Biden team was ignoring the patriotic message that has “spread across this nation.” Her answer to a question about why her ticket was better fit to represent mainstream America was seen by the McCain staff as the final blow to the campaign, “Well you’ve seen Senator Obama engage in actions that aren’t professional. I don’t question his patriotism and loyalty to this nation, Senator Obama is a proud American and for that I respect him. There isn’t a doubt, however, that Reverend Jeremiah Wright is a thorn in the Senator’s side. He’s repeatedly spread hateful words and I demand an answer from the President, who willingly sat and listened to this hateful man, as to why he didn’t put his foot down and say no!” Instantly Steve Schmidt was pissed, to put it lightly. Schmidt had specifically instructed the Governor not to mention Revered Wright, but she’d done it anyways. However the answer was the highest-rated among focus groups and helped McCain tremendously. It soon became a center-point of the Palin stump speeches.
October 7, 2008: It was five days since the Palin/Biden debate and it became clear that the Reverend Wright story was significantly hurting Senator Obama. Obama was forced to hold a press conference on the matter, but it left the press with more questions than answers.
October 14, 2008: McCain had grown his lead in Florida and North Carolina and had finally put New Hampshire in to play. Indiana was now a “safe Republican” state and Ohio was up-for-grabs.
October 17, 2008: New polling suggested that 54% of voters trusted John McCain over Barack Obama on Foreign Policy issues. It also revealed that 51% of voters preferred John McCain’s handling of the economic situation to Senator Obama’s. McCain’s maverick decision to stand up against President Obama was one that gained a lot of attention in the press. It attracted Independents and more moderate Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats. The Senator maintained that the best way to see economic recovery consisted of “keeping the nation out of debt, not pushing it further in to debt.”
October 21, 2008: Governor Palin continued her tour across the country, visiting Virginia. In her speech Palin accused Senator Obama of “playing games with our children’s future.” In Florida the day before she had told the crowd that Senator Obama was playing games with their retirement plans.
October 29, 2008: In an interview with Katie Couric, John McCain told her that, “I suppose that if the situation was right a bailout could be beneficial to the country and the economy, right now I feel there are other ways to save our nation’s economy. We shouldn’t have even gotten in to this mess and the fact we’ve reached this point is disturbing.”
November 4, 2008: On Election Night the entire election came down to New Hampshire. If McCain won the state he would have 273 electoral votes, if Senator Obama won the election would end in a 269-269 tie, but McCain would likely have won the popular vote (and majority of U.S. Congressional districts). Republicans had been able to save some key senate seats (like Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina) by having in-danger Republicans ride on the coattails of the McCain/Palin ticket.
November 5, 2008: At 3:14 a.m. the state of New Hampshire was called for Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. The ticket had won 51.9% of the popular vote and 273 electoral votes.
January 20, 2009: Senator McCain and Governor Palin were sworn-in to office and with most of their cabinet in place they wasted no time.
January 29, 2009: President John McCain announced that he had repealed most of the “Bush Tax Cuts” through executive order. The decision was praised by Democrats, but many Republican saw the move as unconstitutional. Eventually the claims were dropped when McCain announced massive spending cuts in various federal departments, announcing the privatization of programs like NASA.
February 16, 2009: President John McCain lobbied on Capitol Hill for the passage of the “Tax Reform Act of 2009” which would soon become known as the “McCain Tax Cuts”. The tax cuts were aimed at Americans making under $325,000 a year, cutting their taxes substantially. It also raised taxes 1% on Americans making over $1 million and 2% on Americans making over $5.5 million.
February 24, 2009: Secretary of State Joseph Lieberman announced, from Iraq, that “peace is on the horizon.”
March 1, 2009: Senator Snowe joined President McCain in the White House as the two friends attempted to map out a plan to pass the “McCain Tax Cuts” which had passed the House of Representatives by a razor-thin margin. Senator Obama announced his strong opposition to the tax bill, insisting that the tax increases on the richest Americans didn’t go far enough.
March 18, 2009: President McCain signed the “McCain Tax Cuts” into law.
March 21, 2009: The President visited Richmond, Virginia to hold a Town Hall on his tax plan.
April 15, 2009: Vice President Sarah Palin participates in an interview with Chris Matthews. Matthews attempts to push the Vice President in to disagreeing with the President on the Bush Tax Cuts, but Palin refuses to give the Hardball Anchor what he wants.
April 29, 2009: President McCain addresses the nation live from the Oval Office. He talks about all he’s done in his first 100 days before talking about his major initiative for the year: Welfare Reform. The President talks about the developing need for reform and talks about the methods of getting there.
July 4, 2009: President McCain is admitted to George Washington Hospital after suffering from chest pains, the office of the Presidency is transferred to Vice President Palin for 1.5 hours. The President left the hospital within five hours and doctors said he was in excellent physical condition.
August 29, 2009: At the funeral of Edward Moore Kennedy, the President delivers a moving eulogy. He talks about the importance of Kennedy’s accomplishments, but insists that Kennedy was a bipartisan force for good in the nation.
November 3, 2009: With the national unemployment at 9%, Chris Christie becomes the Governor of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell becomes the Governor of Virginia.
December 11, 2009: The President announces his plans for Welfare Reform to the nation, promising that the complex legislation will be resolved and passed soon enough. McCain had spent hours on the legislation, but a few kinks needed to be worked out with conservative Republicans to ensure passage.
January 15, 2010: President McCain announces that the United States will send $50 million to Haiti to assist in reconstruction efforts. Furthermore he urges former Presidents Clinton and W. Bush to work together in helping the Haiti recovery effort.
January 27, 2010: President McCain gives an applause-worthy State of the Union address.
February 2, 2010: The President submits his proposal for the 2011 Fiscal Budget. The budget contains massive spending decreases as well as moderate tax cuts (as well as minimal increases).
February 10, 2010: Unemployment remains at 9% for the fifth-straight month.
February 18, 2010: President McCain announces an additional $35 million in aid to help Haiti in reconstruction efforts.
February 22, 2010: President McCain signs the “Back-to-Work Act of 2010” and beams to the press, “What a job well done!” McCain, jubilant from the success of his welfare reform, announces he will be visiting Afghanistan with Secretary of State Lieberman.
April 10, 2010: Vice President Palin announces an eight-day tour to rally support for conservative Republicans in key House and Senate races. The Republicans are hoping to take back Congress even though history is against them.
April 19, 2010: Unemployment ticks downward and finally falls to 8.9%
July 16, 2010: Vice President Palin calls on Congress to broaden tax cuts on the middle class Americans, despite the President’s personal request that she remain silent on the issue.
September 15, 2010: At a Town Hall event in Ohio Vice President Palin responds to the frustrations of a conservative Republican, “Well John isn’t perfect. Certainly there are things I’ve told the President not to do, but he does them anyways ‘cuz at the end of the day he’s the one Americans picked in 2008. I do know that we can’t give the Democrats control of the House and Senate again, not with so much progress hanging in the balance.”
October 14, 2010: New polling suggests that Democratic voters are 3-times more likely to stay home than the Republican voters.
November 2, 2010: The Republican Party gains forty house seats, enough to just barely give them a majority. They also gained three Senate seats, giving them a total of 45 Senate seats.
December 1, 2010: Rumors swirl that Vice President Palin is lobbying conservative House members to elect Eric Cantor as Speaker of the House.
December 14, 2010: President McCain tells his Vice President not to get involved in the Speakership election. The Vice President responds by saying, “I’m not your puppet, John.”
December 28, 2010: Steve Schmidt, McCain’s Political Adviser, tells the President that Palin has to be dropped from the ticket and McCain agrees. They decide to replace her with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, they decide to make the announcement in April after it would be impossible for Palin to wage a primary campaign against the President.
January 2, 2011: Senator Hillary Clinton announces that she will yet again run for President.
January 5, 2011: After much arm-bending from the Vice President conservative favorite Eric Cantor is elected Speaker of the House.
January 25, 2011: President McCain delivers his second State of the Union address.
February 7, 2011: President John McCain is rushed to the hospital after suffering a debilitating stroke. Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace fly out to Tampa, where the Vice President was holding a rally, to tell her to resign so that Speaker Cantor can become President. Palin refuses.
February 9, 2011: News of the President’s condition breaks, but the White House Press Secretary instructs reporters that he will make a full recovery.
February 10, 2011: Palin visits McCain in the hospital where McCain tells her to “do the right thing for the country.” Palin says she will remain on as Vice President.
February 12, 2011: Five days after his stroke John McCain continues the battle for his life. The cabinet begins to circulate a letter to declare him unfit to serve as President.
February 14, 2011: A full week after his stroke the President passes away and Vice President Palin is immediately sworn-in as President. Secretary of Homeland Security Rudy Giuliani announces his immediate resignation.
February 19, 2011: President Palin delivers a eulogy for the late-President McCain.
February 20, 2011: After a joint-address to Congress, President Palin fires Steve Schmidt, Nicolle Wallace, and numerous other staffers brought in from the McCain Campaign.
February 20, 2011: Justice John Paul Stevens is found dead in his home.
February 22, 2011: Steve Schmidt meets with Giuliani and pleads for him to mount a primary campaign against President Palin.
March 14, 2011: Senator Obama announces he is undecided on a presidential campaign.
March 17, 2011: Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer announces the formation of a presidential campaign at a rally in Iowa City, Iowa.
April 19, 2011: President Palin visits Nashua, New Hampshire where she announces a presidential campaign of her own.
April 22, 2011: With numerous uprisings occurring in the Middle East Palin uses an Oval Office address to tell the nation she will not intervene.
May 1, 2011: Nicolle Wallace and Steve Schmidt continue to press Giuliani to mount a serious primary campaign against the President.
May 4, 2011: President Palin announces the choice of Senator John Thune to serve as her Vice President.
May 19, 2011: President Palin announces Senator John Cornyn as her appointment to the bench.
June 1, 2011: Clinton and Schweitzer continue primary battle, but former Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces White House bid.
June 9, 2011: Senator Barack Obama ends speculation, announces he will not seek the presidency again.
June 14, 2011: Senator Joe Biden announces a 2012 Presidential Campaign.
June 17, 2011: President Palin appoints David Petraeus as the new Secretary of Homeland Security.
July 1, 2011: In an interview with Rachel Maddow, Mark Udall announces a Presidential campaign.
September 19, 2011: Vice President Thune hits the campaign trail for President Palin.
September 24, 2011: Senator Clinton leads Senator Udall by 3% with Governor Schweitzer behind the Colorado Senator. Former Speaker Pelosi is in fourth while Joe Biden has consistently polled last.
October 19, 2011: President Palin loses to Udall 45-48, but leads all other Democratic Contenders.
January 3, 2012: With unemployment at 8.4%, Brian Schweitzer wins the Iowa Caucuses.
January 10, 2012: After an impressive win in New Hampshire for Senator Udall, former Speaker Pelosi withdraws from the Presidential race.
January 21, 2012: Senator Biden ends his Presidential campaign.
March 06, 2012: After the Super Tuesday results, Governor Schweitzer withdraws from the campaign and endorses Senator Clinton.
March 09, 2012: Palin’s approval rating hits 51%.
March 24, 2012: Senator Clinton leads Senator Mark Udall 49-47.
May 16, 2012: After several consecutive losses, Senator Mark Udall withdraws from the race for President.