After confusion, Palin back on the program for Iowa rally
Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) – She's in again.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is set to appear at a tea party rally in Iowa Saturday, a source close to Palin told CNN.
And Christine O'Donnell is out (again), the source said.
Palin had initially accepted an invitation to speak at the Saturday's "Restoring America Event" in Indianola, an event that generated national buzz as Palin approaches a final decision about whether to run for president.
But members of Palin's staff indicated Wednesday that her appearance was being put "on hold" due to "planning issues" and concerns that the group behind the event, Tea Party of America, was being "dishonest" about the speaking program.
After the confusion, rally organizers "stepped up their game today" and "sorted out" various logistical issues that had concerned the governor's aides, the Palin source told CNN Wednesday afternoon.
The source said event organizers had been sending them "mixed messages" about the program - including the question of whether O'Donnell, the former Delaware Senate candidate whom Palin endorsed in 2010, would participate.
O'Donnell was, for the second time in 48 hours, removed from the program Wednesday afternoon.
Ken Crow, one of the rally organizers, told the Des Moines Register that he dis-invited O'Donnell at the Palin camp's request.
The Palin source said O'Donnell's representatives misled the tea party group about the extent of the governor's relationship with O'Donnell.
O'Donnell's representatives told event organizers that she would be in Iowa on the date of the rally and would like to come by and "say hi" to Palin, the source said. O'Donnell was then added to the speaking agenda.
The source told CNN that O'Donnell aides lied to organizers and said Palin had been communicating via text message with O'Donnell about the rally.
"The governor hasn't spoken to her in a year," the Palin source said of O'Donnell.
Palin advisers said earlier Wednesday that Palin might make a separate showing on Friday in Des Moines to meet with supporters, but that appearance is not confirmed.
An aide to O'Donnell disputed that people close to her mischaracterized her relationship with Palin to the Iowa rally organizers and asserted they did not lie about the extent of conversations between the two late Wednesday.
O'Donnell spokesman Matt Moran said O'Donnell will not travel to Iowa this weekend and sign copies of her book "Troublemaker." After she was initially dis-invited she cancelled her flight. When she was re-invited to the rally organizers offered to pay for her trip.
Moran said O'Donnell thought it would be an honor to be at the event and never intended to upstage anyone.
“As of this morning we saw a very classy move by Ken Crow, but since then there's been a lot of inconsistent and false statements by organizer-attendee aides, which is unfortunate. Christine talks about 'rising above it' in her book, and we hope the event is a phenomenal success,” Moran said in a statement.
In a series of tweets late Wednesday O'Donnell did not criticize the event's organizers.
"Now we have to help their efforts by not letting anyone falsely spin this into infighting," she wrote.
On some of the accusations from sources close to Palin she responded: "My team did not misrepresent my schedule" and decided to criticize the media. "I really doubt anyone from Palin's team would say such blatant inaccuracies."
–CNN's Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.
Hmmmmm, O'Donnell speaks, Sarah won't, O'Donnell doesn't speak, Sarah will. Hmmmmm Sounds like Sarah is afraid some of her attention will go to O'Donnell. Can't have that can we. What a freak show.
Their combined lack of ability and organization would be breathtaking if it wasn't so oxymoronic.
Just curious. How can they "restore America" when they can't even put a rally together in Iowa? IOWA!!! Why is it whenever a Democrat is in office, Reps do NOTHING but tell us how bad America is doing just so they can get back into office? How bout helping out in those four years and DO SOMETHING constructive?!?! Caribou Barbie and Samantha Stevens Junior as well as that nutjob Bachmann are NOT the answer kids.
Oh brother – these harpies cannot get the logistics together to schedule a simple rally appearance yet ask us to believe that they can handle the most important job in the world. I don't think so.
PilotLight
That's funny.
It sounds like she's going to run, but doesn't want to share the moment with anyone else.
O'Donnell is on a book tour and Palin is being managed by her handlers. These two imbeciles are just in it for the publicity and the money. How else could they make a living? And calling Palin "the governor?" Who do they think they're kidding?
Good grief – give it a rest: $arah (the professional victim), chrissy (the self professed witch) AND the tea baggers (words fail me).........
run sarah run. for those that will attend the event, in between your teabagging, when you come up for air, please do whatever it takes to convince sarah to run. please, you must – for all of our sakes.
No idea why they continue to refer to her as "Governor" Palin. I mean, if she had served her full term, sure, why not let her use the honorary title in perpetuity...but she quit the office because she was unwilling/unable to do the job. She doesn't deserve the title under those circumstances.
All kinds of important things going on and what gets top spot on the CNN Ticker as predictably as the sun coming up? Jaberwocky Barbie's Circus of Fail.
A typical "catfight." Palin can't take the heat so she gets her way and forces the other "cat" out of the picture. What a narcisstic, egocentric piece of humanity. Do you think she cares about this country.No.She cares about Sarah Palin first and how much money she is making.God this woman makes me sick. Get rid of her in the media.I wonder if O'Donnel will support her now.
The right couldn't even organize an actual tea party,....with cups and saucers. And they think America is taking them seriously? Sarah Palin is so busy putting crosshairs on HERSELF with every move she makes.
Here we go again. The media adding more fuel to the Palin's income stream fire. Is this a great country or what?
She's BaAAack.
tehehehehe...too much. Way to go teabaggers...tehehehe
BEHOLD our next and greatest President Sarah Palin. She will appear in both IA and NH and this weekend she will announce her candidacy for President and PWN the entire GOP primaries. We WILL have 8 years of President Sarah Palin and an eternity of White Christian Conservative Women Presidents.
Good Lord I'm confused, let me know the final line up so I can be sure and ignore it. I'm not interested in Snookie Palin or Elvira O'Donnell. Since I live in Texas let me know when Yeehah Perry shows up!!
LOL, these two irrelevant woman looking even more idiotic than they normally do, if that's possible. $illy $arah it seems doesn't want to share the limelight with any other woman, even if that other woman is obviously insane. You just can't make this stuff up.
Dear Republican/Teabagger masking as “THE CLear Independent Voter”,
Please stop masquerading as an independent. It offends a lot of us. These people are trying to intentionally ruin this country. They need serious help and we Independents aren’t willing to yield to their illogical approaches to governing based on crazy ideological doctrine. Thanks.
Real Independent Voter
Dumb and Dumberer...
Ms. Palin needs to find a job in front of a mirror somewhere where she can pay attention to herself all day long. This woman is a self centered twit, who cares only about how SHE is treated and not about the Country she pays lip service to.
This will be a great time for Palin to announce her candidacy, withdraw, jump back in, and then pull out again. And ultimately, tell everyone she will make up her mind shortly.
Cat fight....meow...
The governor hasn't spoken to her in a year," the Palin source said of O'Donnell.
Who are they refering to as "the governor"?? It can't be Palin!!!!
Palin walked away from that job halfway through because the going got tough and she was going to have to answer a question or two!!!
Talk about 'Catty'!!!