Dear Ms. Hughes,
On March 25, 2013, you wrote an opinion piece in Townhall entitled: “An Open Letter to Sarah Palin,” indicating your disappointment with Governor Palin for “quickly [leaving] the building without even a second glance,” at the conclusion of her remarks at CPAC.
We are sorry you feel disappointed. Unlike 2012, where Governor Palin was the last speaker and could go into the audience after her speech, this year there were subsequent speakers waiting to address the crowd. This required a timely exit by Governor Palin so as not to disturb the schedule of the conference. One would hazard a guess that for a speaker to not abide by this schedule, it would open up said speaker to accusations of “celebrity” behavior. Certainly, that would be behavior you would not condone.
We are also regretful that you were “not able to engage one of the top names in the movement.” It appears to us that it was logistically impossible for her to do Bloggers Row right after her speech because of the expected scrum that would ensue. Governor Palin does recognize the influence of new media as demonstrated by her keynote speech at the 2012 Right Online Conference where she paid homage to Andrew Breitbart and by granting her first post-Fox News interview to Breitbart's Big Government.
It is unfortunate that you “sense a pattern of non-engagement with the grassroots.” The people who met with Governor Palin after her speech seemed to greatly enjoy meeting with her. We have included several pictures for your perusal. Free of charge:
As we all are very busy with our daily lives, it is possible for you not to have seen or read about the various events hosted by different grassroots groups and attended by Gov. Palin. Please see the enclosed pictures. Again, free of charge:
“As a working mother in political journalism,” you surely can appreciate the busy schedule of a fellow working mother. Work and family obligations, including raising a son with Down Syndrome who has scheduled therapies, make for a tight schedule which is why Governor Palin had to catch a flight fairly quickly after her time at CPAC.
In light of your disappointment this past weekend, we have submitted some dates and locations for upcoming events where Gov. Palin will be speaking. We missed you at our previous engagements. We’d certainly love to have you in attendance. We realize that your studio obligations make it difficult for you to travel, but hopefully you can find the time to join us in the field.
On behalf of the grassroots community at Conservatives4Palin.com,
Cordially Yours,
Michelle McCormick
C4P Contributor