Dysfunctional Family Defines the “Real Sarah Palin”

Multiple reviews of The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin appeared over the weekend. Before the book was available we learned that Sarah had dabbled in inter-racial sex and snorting cocaine with the First Dude in the wilds of Alaska. Now that the book is generally available, more entertaining reviews are available. Sarah Palin is described in the book as a narcissist, disguised as a selfless public servant having serious multigenerational family dysfunction. It is this “multigenerational family dysfunction” that jumped out at me last night as I began my journey through McGinnis’ book.

Having only made it to pg 57 before I had to take a break to prevent having nightmares, I retreated to the comfort and serenity of the television room where Bad Boys II was just finishing. As I watched the villain being shot in the forehead, and his body being blown apart by a land mine, with pieces of his torso landing on Will Smith’s ear, I was temporarily able to put Sarah Palin out of my mind. However this morning I am still bothered by the image of Sarah Palin’s abusive and dysfunctional family.  Here are just a few of the memorable references from the first pages of the book:

1. Sarah’s dad, Chuck Heath is reported to have come from a dysfunctional family. McGinnis quotes Going Rogue:

“ Through the years I heard enough muffled conversations between my mom and dad to know that his parents’ acceptance of pain must have translated beyond the physical.” (pg 17)

2. Even though Chuck Heath’s parents were alive, Chuck appears to have been adopted by a “Dorothy Mooney”of Sandpoint.

3. Sarah’s mother was baptized in an Evangelical church. All of her energy went into the church and none of it into raising her children (pg 19). Sarah’s older sister became the mom. She cooked, cleaned, took care of everything in the house. The kids were not tended to and the house was run down.

4. Todd didn’t want to give up all the other girls, but Sarah wanted to get married. (pg 27)

5. A school teacher pled guilty to 17 charges of sexually molesting third grade girls. Parents had complained to Ray Carter, the school principal, but he failed to take action. When Ray was fired it was Chuck Heath that came to his rescue and got him re-hired. (pg 28).

6. Diana Palin, Todd’s sister, used her 4 year old daughter as part of her burglary of multiple homes to get drug money.Diana had been the victim of domestic abuse on more than one occasion and was addicted to methamphetamine (pa 40a).

7. Todd’s father’s first wife was an alcoholic and a battered wife, before he married her. She married him for financial support. Both Todd’s father and first wife were reported to be alcoholic (pg 41).

8. Todd’ mother, Blanche, was his father’s second wife. Blanche was known for her appearance in court when someone had the nerve to complain when Blanche served a child a lye-based detergent that she said she thought was “fruit juice,”

9. Todd’s brother was involved in a hit-and-run accident after binge drinking. (pg 41)

Other memorable revelations included:

1. Todd paid Twelve Thousand Dollars in cash for a car, when he was very young. ( page 21) The logical question is where did all this “cash” come from? Could it have been that Todd was involved with prostitution that early?

2. Sarah was always walking around naked, even when she was with the basketball team. ( pg 21) This would certainly be consistent with the mention in Game Change about Palin appearing in her bath robe when greeting professionals working on the campaign.

3. McGinnis identifies by name 45 Evangelical Churches located in Wasilla. ( pg 5). With a population of 7000-8000 people that would be roughly one church per every 170 man, woman, and child in Wasilla.

4. Todd and his friends beat up an African American child because he was Black. ( pg 22). This type of bigotry would be consistent with a violent reaction by Todd to the publication of McGinnis’ book which reported a sexual encounter with a Black basketball player.  Maybe the reports of a divorce are valid.

Many politicians have been reported to have done drugs and been involved in illicit sexual encounters. Sex and drugs are topics sure to attract readers of the book and articles about the book. Yet the most revealing and most disturbing information is the report of the “dysfunctional” family. I don’t really care that Todd was arrested for DUI. What troubles me is that he is such a bigot that he beat-up a Black kid and got away with it. I don’t really care that Sarah slept with a NBA player. What troubles me is that a person who aspires to be the President, exhibits signs of mental illness and/or drug usage and comes from a family with a history of mental illness and drug usage.