Politicians of any stripe feel the heat, but for scandal-plagued Alaskan governor that heat must be intense. Eighteen ethics charges have led to a huge legal debt. The party that once treated her as a rising star seems rather less enamored with her today. Her repeated efforts to keep herself in the news about anything but state business has raised mounting criticism in Alaska. Her public feud with the Johnstons and subsequent revelations have tarnished the holier-than-thou family image she sought to project on the campaign trail. And then, of course, there are the ongoing questions about her claim that she gave birth to Trig.
For Sarah Palin, the heat must be intense. Perched on the cusp of her political future, she looks down to see wolves snapping at her heels. The fact that she's been throwing them red meat since the beginning is of no consequence. The truth is that this seems to be getting to her.
Some of our readers and researchers have observed both on the blog and over at Team Truther that the stress seems to be showing in Sarah's physical appearance. In this June 17 groundbreaking ceremony at Goose Creek Prison, she looks alarmingly thin:
Even more alarming is this screen shot captured by fellow blogger Enneologic, which highlights Sarah's nearly skeletal hands:
Some could argue that Sarah's marked weight loss could be just a symptom of the vanity she displayed on the campaign trail. Thin is in, after all. But she's always been svelte, and her appearance has gone far beyond that.
There have been hints and whispers that something else is looming, something big, something that has her more worried than ever. We've heard nothing verifiable of what this may be. And besides, from the beginning our focus has been squarely on seeking the truth about Sarah's claims to be the birth mother of Trig.
And that is where it will remain, because even if Sarah is physically diminishing, among her base she looms larger than life. And that's reason enough for us to continue with this quest.
46 comments:
Could it be....16 years of IRS audits?
I was not aware that she'd faced sixteen years of audits. Do you have a source for that? If it's true I can understand why that might be stressful, although I think I'd be skeletal after far fewer than sixteen years of that kind of scrutiny.
Once other dams break, like Dairygate or tax problems or the Exxon "deal" or whatever it is, others will feel less inclined to keep secrets.
If some issues make it pretty clear that she may NOT be president, those who hoped to be on her bus will no longer care what they say.
it is how human nature works
I don't have time to read through everything in this site to date, and I'm sure this has been addressed, so can you please let me know a plausable theory as to Levi's silence if, indeed, Trig was Bristol's (and maybe Levy's) baby? It just seems crazy that the Palins would go through a faked pregnancy leaving them exposed to Levi's potential blackmail or simply trusting him--a teenager with, umm, interesting family--not to blow the whole thing open. Granted, "Palin craziness" is a redundant phrase.
My thought is that the medical records have never been released because they would either expose SP's planes, trains and automobiles story about traveling from Texas to Wasilla after her water broke as a lie, or the records would show that she was warned not to do so, or might reveal that Trig had a tough time in delivery as a result of the mad dash to Wasilla.
Thanks!
I vote for vanity. The knuckles on the right hand are a clue--it's a sign of bulimia. The knuckles get scraped and swollen from hitting the teeth. Really. I know young women--and one young man--who've suffered from this
While I've no doubt she misses the adulation of the campaign trail, I'd be surprised if any of her problems are getting to her. She is very arrogant and has NEVER had to pay for anything she has done in the past. She has always gotten away with it. Also, too, she has God on her side. I'm serious--she really believes that, and so do her followers. Any problems she has are simply comparable to the persecutions of Jesus.
I have never seen a politician dress so casually for so many public events.
I mean some go over the top to look casual at casual events, like picnics and public space clean ups, but I have never seen any politician who looks like they rolled out of bed to answer the door in the middle of the night attend to official business as this woman does. I have seen many groundbreaking photos of politicians in hard hats and suits stomping the shovel into the ground with shined shoes and smiles. Even those without suits dress with pressed shirts and ironed skirts the gender preferred wear of course. I would bet most inmates hold themselves to a higher standard of dress for public appearances.
Gawd, I hope it's not bulimia, Midnightcajun.
I don't see the marks on her hands. That's not to say they're not there. I just don't see them.
I just see bones. When I saw that photo I was reminded of the osteology exhibit at the Smithsonian. Or the crypt keeper from Tales of the Crypt.
Per the religious arrogance thing, I was discussing the same thing with someone else earlier. If it turns out her weight loss is stress related, it just further proves that this whole Comfort-In-Jesus thing is part of her facade. People who truly believe they are on the Side of Righteousness don't worry themselves to the point of emaciation.
Now, if you're afraid that everything is about to catch up with you then that's something else altogether...
Politico is reporting she may not run for re-election in 2010. She has not filed paperwork. I wonder why?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/24051.html
I would bet that because the likelihood of her getting elected president are nill at best, and the fact that she has incredible fund raising ability for Republicans nationwide coupled with the fact that she has not and will not give up basic Republican principles, she is very likely to take Micheal Steele’s job and the part head. The party will be able to control her from behind the scenes, and use her appeal-to those she appeals to-to get the party message out. She has proven so far to be made of teflon as far as crushing her goes. If she doesn’t put herself in a position to be elected anywhere, she will be able to wipe any egg off her face on any given day or week and show up the next day and attack the attackers.
I hate to say and I loathe to see it, but GINO is going to head the Republican National Committee.
I hate saying it, but I believe it could really happen. The National Party is not going to let Alaskans fillet her. Unelected she will be able to focus on National party matters without having to answer to voters. Any election defeat will marginalize her for some period of time. It is a bet the Republican party would prefer not to take, and therefore to use her best would be to put her up as the face of the party and feed her the party lines. It is the easiest way to give her the national spotlight without killing the prospects of the real talented and able politicians in the party.
She looks absolutely haggard. A very observant post, Audrey.
Sarah does look terribly thin, but as someone mentioned previously, her vanity probably sees it only as further proof of her beauty.
I can't wrap my arms around SP as a presidential candidate; to begin with she doesn't have the experience, and secondly, there are a mighty lot of GOP male egos at stake.
That said, would she consider another run at VP? Hmmmmmm
I agree with Reepicheep! WTF is she wearing???...looks like a t shirt under a stripe sleeved sweatshirt hoodie with Paisley clogs, and a black skirt. That looks like a walk of shame outfit... you borrow the guy from last night's sweatshirt because you spilled too many drinks on your top, and then pile your hair into that handy banana clip stashed in your purse when you leave his place in the morning since you don't have a brush.
I have never seen such a weird outfit on a sitting governor...she makes extremely poor clothing choices.
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midnightcajun said... "The knuckles on the right hand are a clue--it's a sign of bulimia."
Another sign of bulimia is a non-healing sore between the right thumb and forefinger used to prompt a gag reflex. Saliva is very acidic, so we should look for that down the road.
I realize this is catty, but I'm giving myself permission to stoop to her level!
Sarah does look thinner. You can see her calves in the part in which she is using the shovel; they look thinner than they did during the campaign.
Some people overeat due to stress; some people undereat due to stress. Maybe she is an undereater during stressful times. She could be stressed out over a lot of things: her kids and grandkids, her ethics violations, etc.
She could also have an illness. Someone said that she was licking her lips a lot. Weight loss with extreme thirst could indicate diabetes.
I was about to give up on this site. Time to move on and stop thinking about Sarah Palin (who makes ME eat TOO much) and let the US people have the junk food and junk politicians they want.
I'm not a fan of TT and the kind of chatter created by whatever it is (forum? bulletin board?) and that annoying stream of tweets and twits in the corner. It's like a page of a million people talking at once.
But then Audrey speaks. Her commentary is reasoned. The photographs are always illuminating.
And then there's Morgan! The snappy dominatrix who keeps order and reminds me to listen and respond with respect.
As long as Audrey and Morgan post, I'll come.
As far as her body. . .
My 2 cents is on Anorexia (all that nutritionally empty stuff she sucks up, like Diet Dr. Pepper.)
or Speed.
Starve a brain, and it will react irrationally. Remember the Twinkie Defense?
Alex, you have no idea how much your comment means to me. I have an idea that I've been called names many, many times today. But "snappy dominatrix" is by far my favorite.
Thank you from the bottom of my dark little heart. It's readers like you that make *me* keep coming back.
I agree about this blog being a go to resource. I can't make sense out of TT and feel like I'm in the middle of Grand Central Station at rush hour! It's fun to see all the interaction but I'm still bewildered. I wish there were a central location for what's new over there.... At this blog you can immediately see that and it's calming. Thanks for keeping this going!!!
Did anyone see that Sarah's BFF, Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been sued for plagiarism? Another self-righteous right wing mouthpiece will have a date in court. Can Sarah be accused of plagiarism? Claiming someone else's work as her own? Baby plagiarism = steal your daughter's baby and claim it as her creation.
I hope she isn't ill. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I noticed a change starting at her State of the State in January. Her bangs were to the side and her face seemed colorless. I thought perhaps she was trying to appear more serious and less pageant-y, rather than actually becoming more serious and not PO'ing both Dems and Repubs in her Lege.
I suspect the weight loss is welcomed if not totally intended. She probably doesn't see how it makes her look old and tired. Mothers of teen girls often become more appearance conscious themselves. Bristol dropped a bunch of weight, so Mom does too.
The weight loss could be calculated to make her 2008 pictures look more pregnant and postpartum, by being more rounded then than now.
The photos of Sarah which Audrey has collected show why the RNC felt they needed to buy her clothes for campaigning. Otherwise it would be a different pastel parka/hoodie each day. I actually like that she's not a clothes horse, but it's curious.
The news photo of SP in yesterday's paper showed how her hair is so thin and bodyless lately; people were speculating possibly a sign of drug use, most certainly current poor health.
Said Reepicheep:
"I hate to say and I loathe to see it, but GINO is going to head the Republican National Committee."
Oh, Lord! Don't know how many of you have been following the doings of Michael Steele as RNC chair, but from inside the Washington Beltway, Steele has been a constant source of WTFs?, mirth (to his observers), and apologies, followed by non-apologies, followed by denials-of-ever-having-apologized, ever since taking office.
GINO may not realize this, but for her to head the RNC would put her in the crosshairs for every GOP officeholder, staffer, and member of the mainstream media that she both envies and derides: 24/7, believe me. SP also would lose all of her Alaska-centric memes: the "maverick"-y Cougar Mom packing heat, the Hockey Mom With Lipstick (her only child who actually, briefly, played hockey is lying doggo in the military in a non-hockey-playing area), her thanks-but-no-thanks self-proclaimed role as refuser of earmarks, and much more.
In addition, in a prominent D.C.-based position, SP's legendary vindictiveness would meet up with people who play high-stakes, sophisticated (compared with Wasilla) one-upsmanship on a daily, hourly basis.
SP's charismatic ability to draw crowds and raise funds applies only to true believers who comprise, at most, a fifth of the electorate. In a time in which the GOP is desperately trying to widen its appeal and its base, SP would be even more polarizing than Michael Steele. If such a thing is possible, and I do believe it is. Attention--the transfusion of whole blood that SP craves--she would get. What kind of attention... well, we'd enjoy it, but she'd spend all of her time playing defense, and attacking a much more powerful group of people than one late-night entertainer.
In addition, Steele was stripped of much of his control over RNC-related spending, which annoyed him no end. The link that follows comes from the Moonie-supported Washington Times; another link I found first came from Faux News:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/30/steele-fights-back-against-rnc-scheme/
Does SP know that if she became RNC chair, her spending (including--and especially--self-directed) would be curtailed and under intense scrutiny? I suspect not. So if SP decides not to run for re-election as GINO next year, her chances for using that RNC perch as a high-profile position from which to run for POTUS in 2012 don't look promising.
Like Good Cop/Bad Cop, the Audrey/Morgan pas de deux (Stiller and Meara, Burns and Allen, Martin and Lewis)just plain works.
In my opinion yall are political performance art, and eventually THAT was going to get you heard.
So that's my Today's encouragement to keep the Blog going strong and undiluted! I was worried you had bowed to "What Other Folks Do" rather than sticking with the original idea you'd created.
(So Thank YOU, S. D.!)
To add to Mrs.TarquinBB's excellent post, some more reasons why Sarah will never be the RNC head.
1. Michael Steele gives alot of interviews, and he has put his foot in his mouth more than once. Sarah cannot give a live interview in the national media; she can't stand up to a followup question. Ask Katie Couric.
2. She'd look ridiculous parading her family around with her.
3. Todd can't stand by her side. Not one DNC or RNC head takes the spouse along on party business.
4. I don't think that the Republicans are inclined to finance another grand wardrobe for her. They seemed pretty mad that so much money was spent on hair, makeup and clothes last time around.
5. From all indications, Sarah is not a good team player. They need someone to energize the party and bring people together. Sarah will do just opposite. On the other hand, she will galvanize and energize Democrats and bring them together just as she did during the 2008 election.
6. The job has to be about the party. Sarah is all about Sarah.
7. I agree that the Republicans will keep her around in some capacity. She holds that narrow far right wing base, and she is good at raising money. Well, sort of. The results at her Conservatives Website has some doubtful results, since people were on their honor to say how much they donated, and they could make a previous donation count to the current fundraiser.
8. She is too thin skinned to play on the hard ball national playing field. There will be more jokes, editorials and other criticism. She won't be able to take it.
9. The only talking points that she can deliver are on outmoded forms of energy (gas), while we have to look to alternate forms. Her other talking point is about cleaning up the Old Boys Network of Party Politics. Then, why would she want to play with those bad boys??
10. If Sarah is running at a frantic pace now, just imagine how much "fuel" she'll need for a big job!
11. Vetting. Those pesky questions will come up again.
12. (I didn't mean to go on so long, but each topic began to suggest the next. She'll be the best thing that could happen to the Democrats and Late Night Comedy.)
Just a thought... Considering SP recent appearence. She may have become hyper-thyroid. That would account for the weight loss, thinning hair, manic energy, paranoia. She definately has the look.
B said that she likes that SP is not a clothes horse. I think that she is but she has no sense of fashion or style. Sometimes it's not the clothes you wear it's where you wear the clothes you wear. I have seen SP dressed inappropriately on several occasions. The only time she really looked appropriate and fashionable is when the RNC was dressing her and we know the price tag on that makeover.
I know many of her supporters may say that her style of dress is in line with 'regular folks' but I am a 'regular folk' and I always dress for the occasion. No 'hoodies' at a business function for me. Nice business attire can be found at low-end department stores like TJ Max, Marshall's and others for very decent prices. You don't have to spend a fortune to look professional when required.
Update on SC governor's antics:
"I've been unfaithful to my wife and I've developed a relationship with what stared as a dear, dear friend from Argentina," he finally said. The affair has been going on for a year, he later explained.
Sanford announced that he is resigning as head of the Republican Governors Association.
"I spent the past five days of my life crying in Argentina," (while trying to get a one last piece?!) he said, "so I could come back and cry here."
Somebody pinch me; this is all too flippin' good to be true! And I'm getting a tingly feeling this is all just preamble to a BIG Palin revelation. Salivating in anticipation........
CARIBOU & JINDALOO in
TWO THOUSAND ONE TWO
Wow.
For me, it's protruding collar bones... which she has. Hollywood actresses accused of eating disorders all share that trait.
And what's with the CROC-like shoes at an official function?!
hrh said, "Somebody pinch me; this is all too flippin' good to be true!"
My thought on hearing about Gov. Sanford was the opposite: another one bites the dust, clearing the way for Palin. But I still think Obama would win in 2012.
Many possibilities for Sarah's health. Overactive thyroid often causes bug eyes, which she doesn't have. Her hands look arthritic, too. If Vanity Fair is writing about her next month, maybe they'll know about her health.
mlewis,
THAT was a great analysis of why SP will never be asked to replace STEELE.
EXCELLENT!
WV: JOKER, as in SP: a joke magnet.
See picture 4 of 11 from Monday:
www.adn.com/photos/palin/story/841977.html
She looks pretty normal there.
She's now on her way to visit Track at taxpayers' expense. (But visiting the Alaska National Guard overseas is a legit trip.)
and BRAVO to you, too, MrsTarquinBiscuitbarrel,for your own great take on SP's not-too-rosy-future with the GOP.
wv: conall well, not really!
B, not everyone gets "bug eyes" from hyperthyroidism. That is usually seen if it's gone untreated for a long while. I speak from experience. I was hyperthyroid for about a year and was very skeletal. My hands looked similar to SP's claws, and my coller bones stuck out, and I looked anorexic. I never got the bug eyed look, though. SP may be very thin for any number of reasons (drugs, stress etc)....just thought I'd throw the Hyperthyroid theory out there. BTW, I am a long time lurker who has enjoyed this blog for many months. I finally broke down and got a google account.
I'm guessing she's got an eating disorder--anorexia and/or bulemia.
As for 2012, I don't think she stands a chance of getting the nomination, no matter how many sex scandals the others have. They would still rip her to shreds in the primary debates.
And maybe, she'll melt down completely before that time comes?
w v: maties LOL
I hate to say it... but I think she thinks she looks great!
(wv = catiess...)
www.adn.com/photos/palin/story/841977.html
4 of 11 - not too bad, although the hair is a bit lifeless.
But 9 of 11 - not so good.
Maybe it's a camera angle thing, but which more accurately reflects Palin? Anyone on the ground who can attempt to spot her in person?
As far as the ADN pictures are concerned, that #1 picture reminded me of the George Dukakis picture that eventually helped tank his Presidential candidacy (if you pardon the pun).
There is another explanation for the knobby knuckles of Sarah Palin, actually two, if you're a Larry Niven fan: She's a "protector" -- or she's had a lot of hard use of those hands hauling in the nets at times without gloves on Todd's fishing boat (like an idiot -- who in their right mind doesn't use gloves when doing any kind of work with ropes or nets?).
IMO the hand photo is a bit startling because her hands look so much older than SHE does in general. However, she's a runner. Runners, IMO/IME have a tendancy to get "too lean" even when they are still what would be considered healthy. I've seen other recent pictures of her that show a pretty healthy (yes, very THIN!) woman who would probably look better with either an uptake in calories or a decrease in miles.
I don't see anything alarming, though. It's par for the course based on the friends I have with similar lifestyles.
Oh - and remember, she probably "beefed up" in order to look pregnant (HA HA HA HA) so now she's back to her norm in an even bigger way perhaps?
Nah, no big story there IMO.
disencHere's a small coda to my previous comments, and also the fine ones from mlewis, regarding SP's possible tenure as head of the RNC. Here is Michael Steele's most recent serving of word salad piquante:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/25/steele-sharks-pirate/
NY tabloid chick said...
I hate to say it... but I think she thinks she looks great! ***
I saw a photo from her MidEast trip this morning and she looked her normal weight, with even a bit of a double chin. That pic together with the "4 of 11" I previously mentioned suggests to me that she has regained some weight. Probably intentionally, and maybe after Ennealogic first got people to notice how unhealthy she looked. Perhaps she had flu.
Tabloid Chick, have you heard whether Vanity Fair has a Palin story coming out and, if so, whether it is about Babygate?
I don't think we'll hear TriG scoop from the Johnstons until after Sherry's sentencing in July, if then. Sounds like Levi has TriPP access now, what he wanted.
Re: Shrinking Sarah
I agree with the explanation made by someone here (or at Gryphen's):
She was melting!
I would be surprised if she hadn't struggled with an eating disorder of some kind. So many girls and women (particularly those in entertainment) do.
ailiz=all lies
having form trouble, please delete repeats.
Where are her boobs?!?! Is she going to be able to say she stopped nursing? I am still nursing so I can't know if that's true or not. Do they really deflate like that? But seriously, with all this weight loss, her boobs are GONE. Especially looking at the runner's world photos.
Jennifer
I was stunned at her unprofessional bouncing bra-less look in a T-shirt in her recent speech in Bosnia (was it?)in front of a group of soldiers. She's filled out a bit, shall we say. Sorry I don't have a link to the video.
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