Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Since resigning as governor of Alaska in early July, Sarah Palin has used the social networking tool Facebook almost exclusively to convey her thoughts on the issues of the day to her supporters and the media.

The latest missive came late Saturday night when Palin penned a note on Facebook on the passage of President Obama’s health care bill through the Senate Finance Committee.

“Those driving this plan no doubt have good intentions, but good intentions aren’t enough,” wrote Palin. She added that the fact that the specifics of the bill would be worked out behind closed doors was inconsistent with the sort of transparency Obama had advocated during the campaign. “All of this certainly gives the appearance of politics-as-usual in Washington with no change in sight,” Palin wrote.

All told, Palin has written 20 “notes” on Facebook since mid-August on a variety of subjects ranging from a statement on the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), a plug for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck and, of course, the now-infamous post raising concerns about end-of-life care contained within the Obama plan.

At the same time, Palin, who was once a dynamic user of Twitter — she posted 14 tweets on July 23 alone — has gone largely dormant as a presence on that hottest of social networking sites. Her current Twitter feed largely re-produces links to her Facebook posts and has none of the personal feel of the feed she maintained while still governor of the Last Frontier. (Her new Twitter site has 4,932 followers; her previous feed had a more robust 150,615.)

“Facebook itself is a true testament to American ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit; it will remain one of many great sources through which the governor will communicate directly with Americans,” said Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for Palin.

Several operatives who count themselves as friends of the former governor offered their own thoughts on the “why” behind Palin’s attraction to the medium.

Fred Malek, a major Republican donor, suggested that for a politician with very little staff, Facebook’s ease of use may well appeal to Palin. “Facebook has benefit of simplicity,” he added.

John Coale, a Democratic trial attorney and personal friend of the governor’s suggested three reasons for her Facebook focus: “1. No editors 2. Beats Twitter 3. She has a zillion Facebook friends.”

Currently, Sarah Palin’s Facebook site had over 1,000,000 supporters and each of her posts typically draw thousands of comments on what she has written, comments that are broadly supportive of her. By way of comparison, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has 82,000 Facebook supporters while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) has 121,000.

That sort of reach coupled with the direct contact between politician and supporter that Facebook offers makes what Palin is doing potentially powerful, explained one senior party strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the former governor’s strategy.

“Through her [million] Facebook followers she is her own virtual broadcast platform and the size of that platform makes her a player,” said the source. “She can create her own reality on whatever she likes in a way that is no different than the balloon boy ‘reality’ created by cable producers.”

Palin has made no secret of her distaste for the media since she emerged on the national stage last summer, arguing repeatedly that the press is pre-disposed against her and will twist whatever she says for their own purposes. She clearly believes that the public image of her created by the media is fundamentally incorrect and is seeking to end-run the media to speak to her backers. (Worth noting: President Obama used a number of social networking tools to speak directly to supporters without the use of the media.)

“My guess is that Team Palin is very twitchy about what they perceive as the hostile ‘filter’ of the regular media, so Facebook offers a direct way to communicate,” said Mike Murphy, a prominent Republican media consultant who has been broadly critical of Palin. “Plus, it’s not that big on correct grammar.”

Chris Cillizza
The Washington Post

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

TJ Casey, President

The Giving Back Foundation (GBF) is a Montana-based non-profit entity pledged to help ranchers and farmers nationwide whose lives and finances have been adversely impacted by natural disasters. “Ranchers and farmers have been the backbone of America by providing our food, clothing, and other necessities, and it’s time to give something back,” says T.J. Casey of Billings, Montana, co-founder and President of the GBF. “They’ve faced drought, fire, flash floods, tornadoes, blizzards and hail; and there is nothing more devastating to a rancher or farmer than to suffer loss of fields, pasture, livestock, grain, fence or winter feed.”

GBF has been active since December 2006 to alleviate some of those losses – from the Colorado blizzards to the Sweetgrass Creek wildfires, as well as through scholarships for farm and ranch freshmen going into agricultural education. Realizing that ranchers and farmers who have endured several years of drought, grass fires, flooding in some areas, and other natural disasters find their savings depleted and no money available when their kids graduate from high school and want to go to college, the Giving Back Foundation has extended those scholarships to the University of Idaho, Washington State University, and Montana State University.

The Giving Back Foundation hopes these funds will help ranchers keep operating under these difficult conditions. For more information about GBF or how you can help, please visit www.ranchersandfarmers.org, or call the Montana Stockgrowers Association at (406) 442-3420.

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Just today, The Wampler Foundation was informed that they will receive a video endorsement by Comedian and TV Talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres! Her video will appear on the Wampler Foundation web site by the end of the week, or early next! Steve Wampler has been so fortunate to already have the backing of Paul Reiser, Will Forte, Will Ferrell, and now Ellen DeGeneres! Please try to get all your Facebook friends to become fans of the Wampler Foundation! Their goal is to have over 250,000 fans within a month or two. Congratulations to Steve and Elizabeth Wampler!

Please become a Friend: Facebook | The Wampler Foundation

Or, better yet, Please Donate Here: www.thewamplerfoundation.org

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Facebook is rapidly becoming the platform of choice to communicate with the world. Here are some interesting statistics:

350,000,000 – Total Facebook users

10,408,108 – Facebook fans of Michael Jackson

6,942,688 – Facebook supporters of Barack Obama

2,813,286 – Facebook fans of Taylor Swift (she’s only 19)

1,288,105 – Facebook fans of Tiger Woods (before his wife found out)

1,128,334 – Facebook supporters of Sarah Palin

532,668 – Population of Wyoming, 2008 U.S. Census Bureau

158,440 – Total Facebook users in Wyoming

4,301 – Facebook members of the Group: “Welcome To Wyoming… Frankly, We Don’t Give A Shit How You Did It Back Home” (Wow! This group gained over 1,000 members in a week!)

2,455 - Facebook friends of Kevin Seney, (R) Candidate for Wyoming Governor 2014

836 – Facebook supporters of United States Senator – John Barrasso (R) of Wyoming

787 – Facebook supporters of Ron Micheli (R) for Wyoming Governor 2010

736 – Facebook supporters of Kevin Seney (R) for Wyoming Governor 2014

470 – Facebook friends of Francesca Cocco – Miss Wyoming Candidate for 2009

350 – Facebook supporters of Matt Mead (R) for Wyoming Governor 2010

343 – Facebook supporters of United States Senator – Mike Enzi (R) of Wyoming

341 – Facebook supporters of Dave Freudenthal (D) the current Governor of Wyoming for the past 8 years

102 – Facebook supporters of Nate Breen (D) for Wyoming House District 44

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Sarah Palin’s poll numbers are rising.

And President Obama’s are sliding.

For President Obama, 307 days into his allotted 1,461 days, the 44th president’s approval rating among Americans has slid to 49% or 48%, showing no popularity bounce from his many happy trips, foreign and domestic.

Riding the wave of immense publicity and symbiotic media interest over her new book, “Going Rogue,” and the accompanying promotional tour, Palin’s favorable ratings are now at 43%, according to ABC. That’s up from 40% in July.

One poll even gives her a 47% favorable.

Most recent media attention has focused on the 60% who say she’s unqualified to become president. Her unfavorable rating is 52%, down from 53%, which still doesn’t ignite a lot of optimism for Palin-lovers.

On the other hand, 35 months before the 2008 election, then Illinois senator, Barack Obama, was such a nobody that no one even thought to ask such a question about him. Things seem to change much more quickly these days.

Saturday night Palin’s book bus swung by a mall in Roanoke, Va., a state Obama won a year ago but just recently elected a Republican governor to replace departing Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The former Alaska governor wanted to greet the hundreds of fans already lining up in 39-degree weather for her Sunday morning signing.

“She brings out a different crowd, ” Salem Republican Party Chairman Greg Habeeb told the Roanoke Times. Habeeb was struck by the numerous non-Republicans he spotted in the line snaking all over the mall. “She taps into something that the Republican Party really needs to tap into.”

Everybody thinks 2012 when they think of Palin, who last week pushed Oprah’s show to its highest ratings in nearly three years. Remember, though, in 2012 the first hurdles a rehabbed candidate Palin would face are her own party’s primaries, where diligent conservatives conscientiously come out to play. Right now, Palin holds 65% approval among white evangelical Protestants, not a bad place to start, if she decides to.

Anyway, Palin says 2012’s not on her radar (ha ha, yeah, right).

No longer holding any office and personally set financially by the book’s runaway success, Palin can devote her SarahPac and the entire year to collecting chits from local Republicans.

Other Republicans will no doubt nominate themselves (can I join in too? We might as well have another inexperienced, unknown join the race, just to spice things up a bit!), especially if Obama looks vulnerable after November 2010.

President Obama and VP Joe Biden, and their much-vaunted $787 billion economic stimulus package has so far only stimulated unemployment to grow from 8% to more than 10%! Ouch!

And then there’s the growing deficit and the mounting costs — human and financial — in the increasingly unpopular Afghan conflict, where Obama just announced that he would send another 30,000 U.S. troops at the end of the eighth, and worst casualty year of the war.

They will tell you that jobs are the last thing to improve in an economic downturn. Which is too bad for Democrats, because jobs are the obvious first measure the public uses to measure the economy.

And how about Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi? Her current favorable poll ratings are only about half of Palin’s.

excerpts from Andrew Malcolm – LA Times

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

One of the most recognized and widely used “state owned” trademarks, is the Wyoming Bucking Horse and Rider (BH&R) is a federally and state registered trademark of the State of Wyoming. The BH&R trademark boasts a rich tradition, for both the State of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming; a tradition which spans nearly one hundred years. This image has become an icon for the entire state and is a valuable commercial image in Wyoming and across the United States. People far and wide have come to associate this image with Wyoming.

Because of increasing commercial demands for this trademark, the State of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming have consolidated efforts to protect, preserve and promote the tradition and integrity of the Bucking Horse and Rider trademark on behalf of the entire State. Licensing provides the most efficient and feasible vehicle to ensure that the trademark is protected from misuse or infringement, and that ownership is rightfully retained by Wyoming, for the people of Wyoming.

Source link: Wyoming SOS

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor | Facebook Fan Page

From Jordan Nally: God bless you Mr. Seney. We need more elephants in the house! I’m currently running for California Speaker of the Assembly in youth and government. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Kevin Seney for Governor: would love to hear more about it! Great job! KS

From Jordan Nally: here’s the link to our website… http://www.calymca.org/

Kevin Seney for Governor: Cool, I will take a look! KS

From Cammie L. Hunt: My pleasure Kevin. I think this great nation deserves and could use a little more Republican influence to uphold our Constitution. Along with Christian morals and values! Good luck!!!

Kevin Seney for Governor: THANK YOU Cammie! Please join my Fan Page! I need all the smiling faces I can get! KS

From Blake L Waldrop via email: Mr. Seney, Thank you for adding me. I posted a message to your Gov page but I don’t think it went through. I am concerned in the direction of our country and we need good strong people (Republicans of course) to lead the fight. True change starts on the local level and I hope you attain the office in which you seek. Our state is a powerful one with a budget surplus every year, massive natural resources, and a growing economy. If we voice strong enough to Washington, it will be heard. I plan on running for state representative in 2012, or possibly next year if I can get full Party support. I will keep you updated if I run for state office next year, and I would love to chat with you sometime about our state politics. If your planning on being in this part of WY anytime in the near future let me know and drop by the police department, I’m almost always at work. Blake Waldrop

From Dustin Kalpin: Hello Mr. Seney, was glad to see you running on the Republican ticket for Governor of our great state of Wyoming. Saying that I am always skeptical and feel it is my civic duty to know and understand the canidates I am voting for. I have seen the Republican party become nothing but democrat light and use that little r next to thier name to get elected. As a Conservative (what Republicans used to be) I have very principled beliefs when it comes to the role of Government. As the Governor of our state, what values would you bring to the Governor’s office, in respect to political ideology?

Kevin Seney for Governor: Hey Dustin, I was born and raised in Wyoming. My family has been there for 6 generations now. I have a strong, conservative family upbringing. Yes, I spent much of my career and college days in California, but my values have not changed. As an unknown, “non career politician” I could possibly even have to run as an independent, but that would not change my beliefs and/or conservative values, and it would not stop me from running. Yes, I agree, the parties seem to change with the wind, which I suppose is based on what ever their polls are suggesting, and/or out of a self-serving desire to “tell people what they want to hear” to get elected. I may be crazy, but I believe that it is time that a “regular guy” is elected Governor, and even US President for that matter. I have always been skeptical of “career politicians,” (not that there are not good ones), but it just seems like there is always a huge gap between the life experience of the guy in office, and the reality being experienced by the average citizen, and that is exactly what I am attempting to do! I may just fall on my face, but that will not be a first for me. Thanks for jumping into the conversation!! Your comments are always welcome! KS

From Marian Elliott: Hello Kevin. Were you aware that the Wyoming Constitution states you must have been a legal resident of Wyoming for 5 years in order to qualify as a candidate for Governor? Further, vacation homes don’t count? I sincerely hope you aren’t merely attempting to make WY look like a state of fools. Perhaps I should also clarify, the five years are immediately preceding candidacy. And that is a minimum of course.

Kevin Seney for Governor: Thank you Marian. Yes, an attempt at 2010 would be difficult, if not impossible at this stage, and yes I would not meet the residence requirements. But, 2014 is not that far away! Thanks for joining in!! KS

Kevin Seney for Governor: Hello Marian, This is NOT for you, as obviously you already know this information. I copied this from the state website for general knowledge for all. Thank you again for joining in… KS

TITLE 97 – WYOMING CONSTITUTION

97-4-001. Executive power vested in governor; term of governor.

The executive power shall be vested in a governor, who shall hold his office for the term of four (4) years and until his successor is elected and duly qualified.

97-4-002. Qualifications of governor.

No person shall be eligible to the office of governor unless he be a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of the state, who has attained the age of thirty years, and who has resided 5 years next preceding the election within the state or territory, nor shall he be eligible to any other office during the term for which he was elected.

97-4-003. Election of governor.

The governor shall be elected by the qualified electors of the state at the time and place of choosing members of the legislature. The person having the highest number of votes for governor shall be declared elected, but if two or more shall have an equal and highest number of votes for governor, the two houses of the legislature at its next regular session shall forthwith, by joint ballot, choose one of such persons for said office. The returns of the election for governor shall be made in such manner as shall be prescribed by law.

Thank you again, Marian KS

From Michele Mitchell: Hey Kevin, we are planning on relocating to Wyoming in 3 years when the twins are out of highschool, we are going to be visiting soon, to start the search for a home. How cool would that be to be in the same area again? Let me know what I can do to help you make this governorship turn in to reality!!!

Kevin Seney for Governor: Hey Michele, You will LOVE Wyoming. Just help me spread the word! Let me know how I can help you! I have lots of friends all over the state. Wyoming folk stick together! Thanks!!! KS

From Michele Mitchell: I will absolutely do that!!! Consider it done. If you know anyone in need of assistance of saving their home send them my way, we have developed the perfect approach to a short pay refinance, and have a unique science. I am very proud of it, visit my website to learn more or join the affiliate program, we could donate to your campaign for Wyoming Governor.
www.m3strategy.net or www.shortrefiaffiliates.com

From Michele Mitchell: Where are the best areas there, Brians family lives in Cheyenne and I have a few clients that I am helping with shortrefinances in that general area as well. Im excited I have never been, so I am looking forward to finding a great place to do the 2nd half of my life. Hopefuly all the kids will follow. Im so done with AZ!!!

Kevin Seney for Governor: I am from Buffalo. Small, but I loved growing up there. I also like nearby, Sheridan. Cody is nice, but next to Yellowstone, so lots of tourists. Jackson is very nice, but very expensive. It is all good, but it depends on your needs and your business/career ideas, etc. Best to you! KS

From Greg Flesvig: I would love to hear what you would have to say, send a message the next time you would have an engagement in Casper.

Kevin Seney for Governor: I should be in Casper soon. I will let you know. I would be glad to chat. Nothing formal planned yet, but if you want to meet me for coffee with a group of friends, that is how I intend to campaign. On the street, chatting with local voters. I will let you know soon! Thanks! KS

From Russell G Thompson: Hello, I have a couple of questions for you. I read on your web site that you live in California now, how often are you residing in Wyoming? As a Wyoming resident, land conservation is very important to me, tell me about some of your policies regarding drilling, wolves, etc. As a supporter of the Wheelchair Foundation you must be in favor of affordable health care for under underprivileged Americans, right…If not, tell me why. You mention Sarah Palin alot on your page, why do you relate to her so much? Thanks for your time.

Kevin Seney for Governor: Hey Russell, thank you for chiming in. Yes, I have a lot of stuff on the web from my previous business that reflects my CA address. I guess I missed a few. I just decided to return last summer. With regard to land conservation, I am with you on that. The wide open spaces of Wyoming are one of the main reasons many people live in Wyoming. But, because oil, minerals and gas are such a big part of the Wyoming economy and job picture, it will always be an ongoing issue to allow both to co-exist. Luckily, much of the public, state and BLM lands are already well managed. Policy? I have no “policy” per se, yet, but as a born and raised “Wyoming boy,” there is a practical side of me that leans toward doing what makes sense in the long term, rather than doing something stupid for a short term gain! And, as far as Sara Palin is concerned. I do not know Sara, but I cheer her on as a Maverick. I am in about the same position as her, when she walked out on stage as a presidential candidate. A “nobody” with a lot of drive and ambition, ready to mix it up a bit and see where it takes me. Thanks again for asking, Russell. KS

Kevin Seney for Governor: PS Russell, I missed your questions regarding my interest in the Wheelchair foundation and my thoughts on healthcare. Most big changes coming in Healthcare are happening at the Federal level, and will be implemented and supported at the state level. That is yet to be seen, but it is becoming a big problem that must be solved. I have some personal experience right now with health insurance, that sure opened my eyes! I came off my group insurance, and applied for Blue Cross who I was with before. I consider myself very healthy. Low blood pressure, good habits and exercise, etc. They turned me down due to some minor injuries sustained 2 years ago in a car accident! I am completely healed and fine, but the insurance companies are using ANY STUPID REASON to turn people down. It stinks to put it nicely. Something has got to be done. I see the insurance industry spiraling down into a similar crisis as the banking industry. Look at AIG. I think we are only looking at the tip of the iceberg here. My affinity to the Wheelchair Foundation, reflects my practical sense when it comes to charities. I have always been skeptical of charities, because it is never easy to KNOW where your money is going. Too much waste, and the money does not make it to where it is needed. I like the Wheelchair Foundation because I know that the money I donate does exactly what I want it to do. Help someone! I give them $140 and they buy a $450 wheelchair (because of their volume buying power) and their volunteers deliver it to someone who NEEDS it! That just makes sense to me. No middle men. No overhead. Just a pure and simple solution to a problem, that I can get my arms around, and feel good about donating to. Please join their fan page on Facebook! KS

Wheelchair Foundation | Facebook

Or on the web: http://wheelchairfoundation.org/

From Meg Lanker: Pardon me if I’m confused, but I looked at your site and it said you live in California. Did you recently move back to Wyoming? Don’t worry, I’m not going to curse you if you’re from California – I’m from back east. I’m curious as to why you would come back here to run for governor.

Kevin Seney for Governor: Yes, I returned last summer. Not all my “stuff” is updated yet on the internet. I grew up in Wyoming, but then moved to California for college. I guess I finally got tired of the “rat race” and decided to return. I don’t sit still very well, so I needed a BIG project to keep me busy. My family lives in the Buffalo area. Thanks for asking an obvious question.

From Dana Caswell: Hey Kevin, I think you are heading in the right direction, best of luck and thanks for the invite.

Kevin Seney for Governor: Hey Dana, Thank you for the feedback! This is an open forum. I am here to discuss thoughts and ideas with everyone. The world is changing, and I am glad to be a part of it! Best to you too! KS

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Politicians and the media have developed a love-hate relationship, and to a large extent, have become devisive rather than unifying forces. The good news, is that the internet and social media have taken much of the power away, and have returned it to the people via citizen journalists and bloggers. It has also leveled the playing field so that the “Average Joe” who is willing to get out there and communicate with people, can run for office. It is no longer just a “BIG MONEY” game. The world is changing rapidly and I am glad to be a part of it!!! GO Sarah!! KS

Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor | Facebook Fan Page

By MELANIE KIRKPATRICK

“Going Rogue,” the title of Sarah Palin’s autobiography, refers to the snide remark of an anonymous McCain aide late in last year’s presidential campaign. It was used to describe the vice-presidential candidate’s move to break free of her media handlers and speak out against the campaign’s decision to pull out of Michigan, a state that, in Mrs. Palin’s view, was well worth contesting. The “word came hurtling down that I had been ‘off-script,’ ” she writes. The campaign hadn’t bothered to inform her of the Michigan decision, which she learned of from a reporter. “Of course,” she adds drily, “it’s pretty easy to issue candid, off-script messages when there is no script to begin with.”

One of the biggest mistakes of the failed McCain campaign—and there was no shortage of them—was its handling of Mrs. Palin. Her criticisms of the campaign’s treatment of her appear prominently in “Going Rogue.” But the book contains self-criticisms too, if not as many as there ought to be for a candidate who was ultimately responsible for her own uneven performance.

That said, “Going Rogue” is more a personal memoir than a political one. More than half the book is about Mrs. Palin’s life before the 2008 campaign. She discusses her coming of age in the “new frontier” state of Alaska; her personal faith journey; her experiences with marriage and motherhood, including two miscarriages, a special-needs child and a pregnant teenage daughter; and the free-market convictions that have guided her political career. As a politician, she comes across as a prodigious worker capable of mastering complicated issues—not least the energy policies that matter so much to Alaska’s economy—and of building bridges to Democrats.

Through it all, Mrs. Palin emerges as a new style of feminist: a politician who took on the Ole Boy network and won; a wife with a supportive husband whose career takes second place to hers; and a mother who, unlike working women of an earlier age, isn’t shy about showcasing her family responsibilities. She writes with sensitivity and affection about her gay college roommate, and she confesses her anguish when she found out that she was carrying a baby with Down syndrome. That experience, she says, helped her to understand why a woman might be tempted to have an abortion. This is not the prejudiced, dim-witted ideologue of the popular liberal imagination.

But of course it is for details of the McCain campaign that many readers will pick up “Going Rogue,” and Mrs. Palin will not disappoint them. She describes in particular how campaign aides muzzled her and mismanaged her family. If anything, she is too gentle on the staffers who kept her out of the loop and under wraps. She is certainly too gentle on the man at the top of the ticket who let them get away with it. She has hardly a critical word to say about John McCain, whose appearances in the book are surprisingly few.

The mistakes started on day one. The McCain communications team had not compiled the usual press-briefing guides, she writes, with the result that the national media had “zero information” on her or her record in Alaska. Moreover, her “family, friends, and political associates were under strict instructions not to talk to the media.” She wasn’t even allowed to speak to her home-state press, which was very friendly. When one of her aides asked McCain headquarters for permission for her to go to the rear of the campaign plane to talk to reporters, the response was swift: “No! Absolutely not—block her if she tries to go back.”

She says that the campaign stiffed her for $50,000 in vetting expenses. She expresses perplexity at the focus of McCain aides on her clothes—”Never before had I been involved in a campaign that placed such an emphasis on packaging.” And she is angry about the campaign’s handling of her daughter’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy, which included putting out a press release that Mrs. Palin had not seen or approved. “If they [the leaders of the campaign] weren’t going to let me speak my heart and mind even about an intimate issue affecting my own family, what would they let me speak to?”

When the media blackout was finally lifted and she had an interview with Katie Couric of the “CBS Evening News,” the result was disastrous. Mrs. Palin takes responsibility, saying that she “let the team down” and that she “mistakenly let myself become annoyed and frustrated with many of her repetitive, biased questions.” But she also blames the campaign for not prepping her adequately and for telling her that it was going to be “a pretty mellow interview, short and sweet, about balancing motherhood and my life as governor.”

It is disappointing that Mrs. Palin devotes so little of “Going Rogue” to the issues that she and Mr. McCain ran on. She says that the campaign should have focused more on the flagging economy and been more aggressive in countering Barack Obama’s agenda. She also says that she wasn’t allowed to praise President Bush’s homeland-security policies. But that’s about it.

Mrs. Palin’s veep candidacy ignited fury on the left and much skewed reporting in the mainstream media. It is probably too much to hope that a book that begins at the Right to Life booth at the Alaska State Fair will inspire her critics to read on. But if they do, they’ll find themselves in the company of a woman whose views are more nuanced than they were portrayed to be during the campaign. As for her supporters on the right, they won’t find much new ammunition with which to counter those who say that Mrs. Palin isn’t ready for the rigors of the White House.

Speaking of which, “Going Rogue” offers little guidance on the big question: Is Mrs. Palin preparing to run for the presidency? The final chapter, “The Way Forward,” is a mere 13 pages and reads like a stump speech. It consists mostly of generalities on conservative values, fiscal restraint and the need for a strong defense. But the quotation from her father with which she introduces the chapter perhaps offers a clue to her future plans: “Sarah’s not retreating; she’s reloading!”

Ms. Kirkpatrick is a former deputy editor of the Journal’s editorial page.

Facebook | Kevin Seney for Wyoming Governor 2014

Stephen Wampler was born with severe Cerebral Palsy and uses a power chair for mobility, but it is truly amazing how fortunate he feels about his life and wouldn’t change it for anything! At nine years old, his parents enrolled him in an annual wilderness camp in the High Sierras where he fished, hiked, played in the lake and slept under the stars. His disability paled into insignificance. He learned He could do anything he set his mind to and it became his favorite place on earth.

Ten years and hundred’s of happy ‘Wampler Kids’ later, Stephen Wampler’s quest continues to champion young adventurers by directly funding these life-changing programs. None of this, of course, is possible without your generosity and I hope I have inspired you to action by including us in your giving. Churchill once wrote, ‘You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.’

This is it, the BIG one!

Steve’s extreme quest to be the first with Cerebral Palsy to climb El Capitan in Yosemite will mark an achievement of massive proportions. His will power, athleticism and sheer guts, is something for us all to admire, irrespective of his disabilities for this gargantuan task.

Sleeping six nights suspended from a face of granite, Steve will need an unthinkable 20,000 pull-ups to conquer the vertical face that’s twice the height of the Empire State Building!

Don’t bother telling Steve it can’t be done. He’ll just smile.

Steve’s endurance training, mindset and personal commitment is typical of the character of a man dedicated to his Foundation’s goal for funding challenging programs to enrich the lives of kids with physical disabilities.

He is an iconic role model and has moved individuals and corporations alike to ‘Rock On’ and make a real difference.

Learn more, and how you can support this amazing man on his quest! Thank you! KS

https://www.wamplerfoundation.org/donate