Sarah Palin's book-buying scandal

Palin's PAC spent $63,000 on her own memoir. Is the conservative icon using political donations to pad her wallet?

Best Opinion:  Bob Cesca, Hot Air, Newsweek

Sarah Palin's political action committee has spent more money on buying copies of her memoir, "Going Rogue," than on contributions to political candidates. According to ABC News, Palin's Sarah PAC spent $63,000 on copies of "Rogue" to give to donors, plus $8,000 on specially designed bookmarks and $20,000 to send Palin's personal photographer and an aide along on Palin's book tour. Is Palin enriching herself at the expense of her political donors?

This is about Sarah paying Sarah: Palin isn't saying whether she's earning royalties on the books she's buying with donors' money, says Bob Cesca in his Awesome Blog. But really, "is there any doubt" that she's "using her PAC to funnel royalties to herself"? She's a "grifter," and that's what grifters do.
"Palin buys thousands of copies of her own book"

This wouldn't be news if it wasn't about Palin: For $63,000 we're talking about roughly 5,000 copies, says Ed Morrissey in Hot Air, so this is "hardly an effort to pull a Dianetics-like dodge and artificially keeping it on bestseller lists." Besides, other politicians — including Joe Lieberman — have done the same thing. The bigger news? Palin's PAC had 4,600 contributers who qualified for the gift.
"Shocker: Palin buys books to incentivize donors"

Who can blame her? So maybe Palin's "in it for herself," says Katie Connolly in Newsweek. So what? She's not currently holding or running for office, so it's not illegal. And spending more money on her book than on helping other candidates is "perhaps a reasonable ambition for the matriarch of a family of modest means with a special-needs child to consider."
"Palin's PAC buys lots of Palin books"

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SEE MORE OPINION BRIEFS ON THIS TOPIC:
• Is Sarah Palin a 'pathological liar'?
• Fox News: Inflating Palin's crowds
• The media vs. Sarah Palin
• 'Going Rogue': A Sarah Palin parody book