Palin on the trail (UPDATED: Video)

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: December 1, 2008 - 2:20 pm

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Update:
Here's Alaska Democratic Party chairwoman Patti Higgins talking about Palin's trip this morning:

And here's the response from Palin spokesman Bill McAllister:

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --

The state Democratic party swung at Gov. Sarah Palin today over her campaign stop in Georgia, where she's stumping for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

According to the Chambliss campaign, Palin attended a fundraiser last night in Atlanta and was scheduled to hit rallies in four cities today.

"Turnout is key, and given her popularity in Georgia, we were sure she would be the perfect person in Georgia to help Sen. Chambliss energize his supporters the day before election," Chambliss spokeswoman Michelle Grasso said this morning.

She said she didn't know how much the campaign raised at last night's fundraiser.

Patti Higgins, chairwoman for the Alaska Democratic Party, said this morning that the governor needs to spend more time at home tackling problems like the state's high dropout rate and the migration from villages to cities.

"Governing is more than creating photo ops. We'd like a commitment that the governor is working," she said.

About 90 minutes later, Palin spokesman Bill McAllister gathered reporters for a response.

Since the presidential election, Palin has been busy meeting with her advisers and budget team, and the state is about to unveil its spending and energy plans, he said.

"It sounds like the Democrats are seizing on a what is a normal lull in external activity in the administration to make it seem as though the governor is not working -- knowing full well this is the period when all the decisions are being made and they are unveiled in December," McAllister said.

Thursday, the governor will announce health care plans, for example, followed by the award of the gas line license to TransCanada on Friday, he said.

Tonight, Palin leaves Georgia for Philadelphia and is expected to meet - along with other governors -- with President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday.

It's unclear how much the travel costs. McAllister and the Chambliss campaign say the campaign will cover the Georgia leg of the trip. The state is paying for Palin aide Kris Perry to accompany Palin throughout the trip, McAllister said. Palin's family is not traveling with her, he said.

I'm uploading videos of McAllister and Higgins. Check back later for questions about whether Democrats are looking to ground Palin as a potential Republican fundraiser and if Palin has anything to say about Venezuela President Hugo Chavez continuing his free-oil program for Alaskans.

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