Palin to announce today? – Update

The rumor mill has been churning out story after story about whether or not former Vice Presidential candidate and governor Sarah Palin will make a run for the presidency in 2012 since November 2008. Do a simple Google search for “Sarah Palin to announce run” and you will find over 4 million hits with predictions for the date she will make the jump from pundit to candidate.

So why should we take seriously today’s rumor, allegedly started at Free Republic and a radio host in Des Moines, that she will announce at 12:30pm EST?

For starters, today is Constitution Day (observed). Palin has traditionally made big announcements on dates that hold significant meaning to her. Many thought she would announce during the Labor Day holiday weekend, but it turns out a day reserved for labor unions to stay home from work wasn’t particularly close to her heart. Being that there aren’t many patriotic holidays coming up before the deadline to file in South Carolina, she’s running out of chances to commandeer a holiday.

Also worthy of note is Palin’s scheduled appearance on “The Bob & Mark Show” today. Palin made a promise to the Anchorage radio duo that she would make any announcement about her run for president live on their show. You can listen live here: Kwhl.com

Finally, the chatter is incredible. Twitter blew up with “unconfirmed rumors” about Palin making her announcement today based on FreeRepublic and other sources that believe her guest spot on the Bob and Mark Show is a clear indicator of her intentions. Facebook is full of posts from Palinistas and hopefuls that today is the day. The blogs are starting to light up with speculation too. The Victory Film Group, which created the Palin documentary “Undefeated,” a video resume of sorts for Palin, also increased its presence on Twitter last night, signaling the movie makers might know something we don’t.

Whether or not this rumor, after so many before it being soundly debunked, actually comes to fruition, the Bob and Mark show is likely to have a huge national audience today.

First to put out a credible story on the potential for a Palin announcement today was Kevin DuJan at HillBuzz.org. Check out some of his research on the Palin campaign strategy here.
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Update: Sarah Palin will be calling into the show later in the program. Check back for further updates.
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Update #2: All a hoax! The rumor started by radio host Simon Conway and FreeRepublic was apparently no more than wishful thinking and speculation or a flat out lie. According to the hosts Bob & Mark, she was NOT scheduled to be on the show, though they had hundreds of requests for information and access from local and national media. The rumor spread like wildfire across Twitter, Facebook, blogs and throughout media circles over the last 24 hours.

Palinistas and pundits will have to wait a little longer for America’s favorite political punching bag to satisfy their craving for credible newsbites regarding her future plans, though Bob & Mark are likely quite pleased with the listener totals today.