Palin's full speaking contract revealed
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/13/art.palin.0505f.gi.jpg caption =" A judge has ordered the contents of Palin's speaking contract with a California school to be made public."](CNN) – So just what does it take to get Sarah Palin to speak at your fundraising gala?
A "deluxe" hotel suite, a first class ticket or a private jet ("Lear 60 or larger"), pre-selected audience questions, and "bendable" straws – not to mention the $75,000 in cash.
That's according to Palin's speaking contract with Cal State Stanislaus – ordered to be released by a California judge this week after the state school refused to make the document public last June.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown began an investigation in April into whether school officials were trying to avoid public disclosure laws by discarding documents. A state senator asked for the probe after he said the school refused to turn over some requested records concerning the event.
The university argued it was not compelled to release the contract because Palin was speaking at a fundraiser for the university's private, non-profit foundation.
But Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne disagreed, saying the foundation ultimately was a branch of a public entity and therefore documents relating to its business must be made public pursuant to public record laws.
"The reasonable inference from the evidence produced is that the university, in its official capacity, has 'used' the contract…in the conduct of the public's business; therefore, said contract is also a public record," Beauchesne wrote in his opinion delivered earlier this week.
Much of the contents of the contract had already been revealed: the school had previously disclosed how much it paid the former Alaska governor and portions of the contract were discovered in a dumpster by students last April.
Still, the document provides a revealing picture of the types of demands an A-list speaker can make, and serves as a reminder that no detail is too small to omit - from the lighting ("should be at a comfortable, but appropriate production level"), to the water ("unopened bottled still"), to the lectern ("no plexiglass or thin lectern please").
The June 25 speech came after months of controversy amid charges the financially-strapped school was paying too much to secure Palin.
But the Alaska governor's speech ultimately brought in record amounts of money for the foundation, and a school spokeswoman called the gala "the most successful fundraiser in the university's history."
Yeah, tell me again how she's one of us.
She's worth every penny. She's incredible and just what this country needs.
Pre selected questions becuase she is not smart enough to answer real ones.
It sounds like you're complaining. PLEASE EXPLAIN THE EXPENDITURES OF OBAMA AND HIS FAMILY'S VACATIONS and the first lady or next t0o last first lady about all her aides?
Mama Grizzly is certainly an expensive bear. And to think Sarah would want people to see her as "THE HOCKEY MOM". Can you imagine?
She has certainly reached far without any education!!! What is this telling our children – you don't need to work and study hard as you can reach far without any education? A sorry state
Once, again, why do we have to keep hearing about this woman? Who cares what she says. If the republicans put her in office, all we will hear is big mouth comments. Where is the conservative view point on big mouth women?
So now can CNN and the rest of the media world start ignoring this FRAUD.....?
What is it gonna take for this Despicable person to go away and stay away.......?
I'm sure her "fellow union brothers and sisters" can appreciate her terms and conditions, not to mention her fee. (MGINO) Mama Grizzly in Name Only.
Is she paying God to let her in heaven after all the blatant lies?
Sounds a bit out of touch with the "average American." With schools facing budget cuts, you've got morons like Palin pinching them for every penny they have.
What a waste of money. Someone who cant speak complete sentences, and doesnt know how to use commas correctly. She really needs hooked on phonics and schoolhouse rock. She is an embarrasment to the Republican Party.
All I can say, there are some DUMB Americans out there. I wouldn't pay this idiot one brown cent to hear her talk about absolutely nothing that is constructive. I know she is laughing all the way to the bank, she could care less about working middle of America. She is an opportunitist who get high praise and boost from people who hate President Obama. She has made a career out of her disrespectfulness to most. I guess she is the rock star of the republican party, after she criticized President Obama of being the exact same thing. Hypocrisy on steroids!
No wonder she quit as Governer of Alaska ... the pay is better being a lunatic right-wing talking head!
Seriously, do you expect anything less from a self promoting huckster and charlatan like Palin?
See the Tea Party and Palin's fans as they really are at LATFTP dot com
What is our country coming to?
Boy, the dollar sure doesn't buy as much as it used to, does it.
Well, that is certainly more lucrative than full-filling her duties as governor. What a sellout!
Not a bad days work for basically uttering the same tea party rhetoric over and over. I love the pre-selected question clause. Heaven forbid if she has to think on her feet.
She needs to give 50% to McCain – LOL. This woman is all in it for the money just like her brother Beck of False News.
She should fly coach, Hotel 6 ( no light left on) use a drinking fountain like every one else, give local and nation press full access. Pay, maybe 10-15 dollars. With all this, she would be over payed.
Pre-selected questions so she can write the answers on her hand, and she stills gets them wrong...
Oh, if we are going to throw stones for politicos for giving speeches – please tell me what Bill Clinton makes. In this day and age, $75K for someone as good as Sarah Palin is a bargain. And please do not begrudge her about her books. I seem to recall a one-speech, "present" voter Illinois State Senator writing two books – making a lot of money – and that was all fine and dandy. KEEP GOING SARAH – now she's taking on the unions that no one else has the "cajones" to do.
pre-selected audience questions......I love it!
She's just one of the folks, you betcha. I want a "Leer" jet.
Wow thats a high paid...... umm, speaker.