Earlier this morning, I had an opportunity to speak with a source in the Anchorage area, one familiar with state government agencies and the lay of the political landscape in Alaska. Apparently, Team Obama has officially denied sending an army of oppo researchers to Alaska, as John Fund reported yesterday in the Wall Street Journal. I’m not certain how they couched that denial as only a few references have come from Hot Air readers, but according to my source, lawyers have indeed begun scouring official records for information on Sarah Palin, and so have a plethora of reporters.
Just to make one point clear: there is nothing inherently wrong with Team Obama researching Palin’s record in public office. One may wonder why it would take as many as Fund reported, and why Obama’s campaign would spend that much money when they’re already having fundraising issues, but part of campaigning is doing exactly this kind of research. Google may have been a cheaper option, though, or even Lexis-Nexis, which would have given them access to legal documents. The number of people Fund reported indicates that they’re looking for something else.
The same goes for the media contingent. Perhaps when they’re done in Alaska, they might consider flying to Chicago to do the same due diligence they’ve neglected with Obama for nineteen months. Just a suggestion.
At any rate, this source has spoken with at least one major media outlet that plans on doing a Sarah Palin bio in the near future. They asked about Palin’s family, and have done quite a bit of research into accounting records with state agencies. One weird data point: they’ve been asking questions about Todd Palin’s sponsors for his snowmachine races. That seems like an odd path to pursue, and it may presage another all-out attack on Palins’ family — or just a better picture of Todd’s sporting pursuits.
The reporters apparently have staked out the bars in Wasilla, too. Why? Maybe they think they can get a story from the local drinkers, or maybe they just want to spend their time drinking. My source specified reporters from the Washington Post and the National Enquirer in one location making circles in one Wasilla bar, hitting up the locals for interesting information, and apparently without much success.
It’s not just reporters, either. Even in Anchorage, natives can spot outsiders quickly — especially this time of year, because they overdress for the weather and stick out like sore thumbs. Alaskans have seen groups of lawyers making the state-agency circuit, looking for information on Palin. Whether they work for Obama or the Democratic Party, or maybe a 527, my source did not say — but the assumption is that they’re with Obama, which makes the most sense, as he has the lion’s share of Democratic contributions.
I asked how Alaskans have reacted to this, and the answer was with amused contempt. They’re hoping to see the circus leave town, and quickly. Palin remains a very popular figure there and she has gained a tremendous amount of sympathy for her treatment over the last two weeks. This source has worked with Palin on occasion, and sees her as “totally ethical”, “genuine”, the same person in private as in public, and one of the nicest people in public service. Palin made plenty of enemies, but that’s the risk reformers take.
Wolves are probably the correct analogy, as the McCain ad suggested. No one objects to a fair look at Palin’s record in public office, but it seems unlikely that reporters and oppo researchers are looking for that in Wasilla bars.
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