Whitman and Fiorina Skip Palin Event
The New York Times reports:
ANAHEIM, Calif. — What if you held a voter turnout rally and the top candidates on the ballot didn’t show up?
Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee chairman, and Sarah Palin, arguably the biggest draw in the Republican Party, found themselves in that position here in Orange County on Saturday night in the first of two high-profile national rallies they are doing before Election Day. The next one is in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday.
Mr. Steele and Ms. Palin (particularly Ms. Palin) packed a ballroom at a hotel complex just outside Disneyland.
But the two Republicans at the top of the California ticket — Meg Whitman, the candidate for governor, and Carly Fiorina, the candidate for Senate — skipped the event, both claiming prior commitments. That said, Ms. Palin is a decidedly unpopular figure in the state, particularly with independent voters, and Republicans said it was probably not a good idea for Ms. Whitman or Ms. Fiorina to be seen at a campaign rally with her this close to Election Day.
Their absence did not appear to perturb either Ms. Palin or Mr. Steele.
The chairman seemed intent on erasing any notion that there were tensions between the Republican establishment and the Tea Party, which has waged often successful primary challenges to Republican candidates this year.
“Let me clear up any confusion that may be out there sowed by the other side,” Mr. Steele said. “There is no struggle, rift, fight between those who claim the banner of the Tea Party and those who are in the Republican Party. We work together. We are working together to defeat Obama, Reid and Pelosi.”
Ms. Palin made one brief mention of Senator Barbara Boxer, the woman Ms. Fiorina is trying to defeat, belittling her for voting to support water restrictions in the agriculturally rich Central Valley to protect an endangered species, the delta smelt.
“How about the priorities of Barbara Boxer?” Ms. Palin said. “She’d rather protect that two-inch fish than the water supply. You call it a two-inch fish. Where I come from, we call that bait.”
For the most part, she invoked Ronald Reagan, a former governor of this state; delivered an energetic attack on President Obama and Congressional Democratic leaders; and urged voters to turn out and help Republicans capture control of Congress.
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