Geoff Dunn Back with Book on Sarah Palin
A New Film Focuses on James D. Houston for Pacific Rim Film Festival
First, a bit about Dunn's new literary effort.The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power is Dunn's latest book. He's penned others, but this is by far his most nationally notable.
"I wrote my book for a politically sophisticated audience for Americans who are politically serious," Dunn said, when asked to compare his work to that of Joe McGinniss' controversial portrayal of Palin in The Rogue.
However, for those who believe that American presidential politics should be managed in relation to the size of America's economy and standing army, Dunn's research on how Palin was selected as a Vice Presidential running mate for Republican Senator John McCain in 2008 may be just as shocking as the idea that Palin has had extramarital affairs.
"I knew too much about Sarah Palin to vote for the Republican side of ticket. I believe it will be to John McCain's shame for the rest of his life that he selected her," Dunn said.
In researching the book, Dunn went to Alaska to interview some 200 people, from political cohorts to her friends from junior high school. He also sorted through 400,000 pages of documents related to Palin.
"I focused on her public and the document record. I used only people who would go on the record with me as sources for my book," Dunn added. "My focus is on the public and political Sarah Palin, as opposed to the private Sarah Palin."
[sub]Who is Dunn and Why Did he Write about Palin?[/sub]Palin was then-Alaska governor when in 2008 she was selected as John McCain's running mate. Dunn has interviewed many people connected t! o that c ampaign, including one of McCain's senior advisors Steve Schmidt. However, like most critics of Palin, he never got to interview Palin herself.
Dunn first made his mark writing about Palin for the "Huffington Post" during the campaign, including one submission that was viewed by one million online readers and collected 15,000 comments, he said.
That's a big audience for someone born in a small town, though in Santa Cruz being born to a locally famous Italian family meant Dunn was known most everywhere. His aunt was the Gilda of Gilda's on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and he is part of the Stagnaro family.
He spent a lot of time fishing and working several of the family businesses. But, he said that because he was not born to one of the Stagneros, that meant he needed to get a college degree and career.
"It made me pursue my academic, artistic and political interests all the more intensely."While Dunn served as director of Santa Cruz Community Television for several years, he was famous before as a historian, newspaper editor, pundit and author. His first book was Santa Cruz Is in the Heart. More recently, he has tackled film projects and taught at UCSC.
So why choose Palin to write about after the 2008 loss sent her packing for Alaska? Partly because he was offered a large advance by St. Martin's Press.
"I was very familiar with Alaskan politics. It gave me an edge on the story," he said. He also spent the summer of 2009 in Alaska researching his subject.
Dunn also thought she would run again for governor and most likely president in 2012. She had grown even more famous after losing the election, courting a small but powerful conservative wing of the Republican Party and becoming recognized internationally.
It was the Republican conservatives that Dunn believes forced McCain to add Palin to the 2008 Presidential ticket, after his first choice Joe Lieberman.
"A number of evangelical Christian leaders threatened a walkout at the Republican convention if he pi! cked Lie berman."
As noted in many news accounts of the time, McCain only met with Palin briefly, and she was chosen because she adamantly opposes abortion and pleased the conservative Republican party members. She also wasn't Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty. Finally, Palin had a novelty factor in a race against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.After the Katy Couric interview in which Palin had trouble answering questions a few weeks into the campaign, things changed.
"Several people told me that she suffered a form of breakdown after the interview," Dunn said.In Dunn's interview with Schmidt, the McCain strategist said the campaign team couldn't get Palin to prepare.
"She's lazy; she can't stay focused; and she is arrogant. It finally caught up to her in September 2008," Dunn believes.
[sub]What is Palin's X-Factor?[/sub]"She espouses the rhetoric of two conservative factions in the conservative party," Dunn said, referring to the party's free-market and anti-government elements.
And, she has a certain charisma that took off with the era's new social media from blogs to Twitter. Not unlike John Kennedy's edge over Richard Nixon when the television camera helped define the 1960 election. But Dunn thinks there is more.
"She is bigger than a politician. A combination of Kim Kardashian and Ivana Trump, and she is the anti-Obama. There is a significant portion of America's population that has rejected Obama," Dunn believes.
After spending a year tracking Palin for his book, does Dunn believe Palin is who she portrays?Yes, he says that she is definitely anti-abortion. However, he doesn't think she is homophobic.
"She was a jock in high school," he said, and like many Alaskans feels that is a decision best left to the individual.
Politically, Dunn says, "she is all over the map. There are lots of contradictions."
For instance, as mayor and governor, she raised taxes considerably on the oil industry and championed campaign reform.
Her own campaign manager! , accord ing to Dunn, said Palin would "change with the wind and tell people what they want to hear."
Is that because she hasn't made up her own mind on issues? While Dunn said that he was told that in 2008 Palin would rather read "People" magazine than policy papers, he believes the lack of a center core is about something else.
"Unless you get close her, it's hard to see. More than one person in Alaska called her a sociopath."
However, he would agree with Palin fans on one point: "She is now an international celebrity."
[sub]She's Also Rich[/sub]As a national best-selling author in her own right, Palin easily has gained acclaim and wealth.Given the disarray in the Republican party currently, why didn't Palin choose to seek the Republican nomination?
"If she was to run and lose, her brand as a celebrity would suffer."
Also, Dunn says she often makes $100,000 per speaking engagement and she wouldn't have been paid to campaign.
Are the rumors about her temper correct?
He said that in interviewing her friends during her early years growing up in Alaska, Dunn heard often Palin was mean.
"She was caught up in gossip and dirt from junior high on. Her clique in high school was all about power, gossip and dirt. They were the mean girls, brutal to those on the outside."
Dunn said that the fact she was on a major party ticket was alarming.
"The thought that she could have been a heartbeat away from the presidency will trouble me for the rest of my life. The fact that she will have a major voice in American politics for years to come will forever leave me uneasy."
Is Palin here to stay? Dunn says no, but she'll likely be a kind of celebrity for a long time."I think that she's meteor that will eventually burn out," he said, adding that essentially there is no substance to the Palin message.
In the meantime, she will help Fox News collect better cable television ratings and be the subject of much speculation.
"She generates more Internet tra! ffic tha n Barack Obama and all other Republican candidates for president combined. There is an international fascination with her," he added.
Maybe most importantly, he said this about her quixotic fame:
"The American media loves her because America loves a train wreck."
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