In which we discover the identity of the mysterious fourth person banned from Sarah Palin's book tour, and that Todd was in charge of enforcing the "no entry" list.

The American heroes at Talking Points Memo procured and posted Palin's two-page rider, which makes disappointingly few diva-like demands. In the section labeled "MEDIA," we discover that the real diva is Todd:





In case you can't read it, the boldface section at the bottom reads,

Coordination with Todd will be required to identify these folks in the event they present themselves NOT as media reps. They are not welcome by the family and this is a private renta of the facility with a public invite and access limited list provided by renders.

Points of interest:

  • 1. Jeff Griffin—a.k.a. Gryphen,the blogger who first wrote about the ban after cops escorted him from the event—wasn't originally on the list, but got added later version. An event coordinator explains, "Todd told me that a couple of individuals said they were going to come out there, and he expected them to protest. He said, 'Hey, there's a guy named Griffin who will be with Zaki, and they're going to try to stir up the pot.'" This suggests that the Palin clan monitors its detractors, seeking and actively responding to perceived threats. Shades of Nixon?
  • 2. Banned blogger Shannyn Moore says she had no plans to attend. She also notes that Todd didn't always hate Dennis Zaki:

  • It must have killed him to put Dennis Zaki on a banned list. You see, back in the day, the former shadow governor felt free to call Dennis and give him tips on Trooper Wooten's snowmachine activities and information regarding a possible federal investigation into Republican Senate President Lyda Green's home-information which was fabricated in a poor attempt to hurt Sarah Palin's chief nemesis. At the 2008 Governor's picnic, Todd went on for fifteen minutes explaining his former brother-in-law's unsavory activities to Zaki.

  • The Palins' vendettas are based solely on perceived threats; personal history and indebtedness don't hold a candle to their sense of righteous indignation. When Zaki was writing stories that hurt Palin's enemies, he was in the fold. The second he voiced criticism, he was out.
  • 3. The fourth banned person—whose identity we tried to guess last week—is not, as was previously reported, a blogger. Andree McLeod (Todd spelled both of her names wrong) is the most overzealous thorn in Palin's side; McLeod has filed some half-dozen ethics complaints and lawsuits against Palin. She may have been on the right path with the ethics concerns, but McLeod—a Republican and former Palin friend and ally—is admittedly a bit off her rocker. She entered politics over a banned falafel stand and once lodged a complaint about "the amount and magnitude of cleavage being exhibited by female employees in State of Alaska offices these days."


[TPM] [Immoral] [Moore] [Gawker]