Primary Insider for May 31, 2011

By Gregory W. Wallace

IF SO, WHEN? — Sarah Palin's next move, both of her bus and of her campaign apparatus, are raising questions and eyebrows across the Northeast and nation. Will she run? Maybe. Will she bring her bus to New Hampshire? Maybe. Will it be Thursday? Will it be Friday?

BACHMANN says we need a new president, whether it’s her or someone else.

-- Later, at a house party, she answers why take on the president rather than one of her home state’s senators, Democrat Al Franken: “Because we need a person who is going to stand up to Obamacare. . . . You’ve got to be willing to take on our party, the other party and then explain it to the people. I know I can make the case to the American people and win them over to our side.” Sandhya Somashekhar, Washington Post

DIGGING UP DIRT ON THE ROMNEY ANNOUNCEMENT — Christine McConville of the Boston Herald mows down to the details of the Stratham farm where Mr. Romney will announce on Thursday: “In just a few days, [the] field will be a packed parking lot. The Civil War-era barn, where five pigs and nine hens live, could become a media staging area, Scamman said, with what looked like a twinkle in his eye. . . . Here, somewhere between the chicken coop, the tractors and the hay bales, Republican Mitt Romney will launch his second presidential bid.”

CAIN pitches himself to supporters as the candidate with common sense.
-- Jason Horowitz, Washington Post: “The reality is that it is far too early to accept Cain’s typically brash view of himself as a serious contender. History says he isn’t. But while his supporters like to talk about ‘Raising Cain,’ his momentary blip is, more than anything, raising some serious questions for the GOP.”

ON THE SCHEDULE — Rick Santorum has three events in state today. Bachmann remains in the state for interviews and meetings in Concord at the State House. She later meets with Ovide Lamontagne.

Rick Santorum: Guest at Ruger Firearms
Newport
2:30 pm

Rick Santorum: Guest Local Party Offices
Newport
4 pm

Rick Santorum: Attending Fundraiser for Young Republicans
Manchester
6 pm

Palin Visit Slated for This Week

By Gregory W. Wallace

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin may take her bus tour to New Hampshire this week, according to reports from CNN (placing their bets on Thursday) and The Fix (anticipating Friday).

The tour is seen as a possible move towards a presidential candidacy for a potential contender who has shown mixed signals about her intentions. Her intentions are not the only area wanting for clarity: she has announced no formal schedule for her trip, and New Hampshire Republicans have said their only information regarding the trip has come from media outlets.

The trip blog on her website reads as a family vacation diary. Posts for Monday, Memorial Day, show stops at Mount Vernon (may we suggest she visit our Mont Vernon?), the National Archives in D.C. (Peterborough has the oldest free and publicly supported library in the world), and Baltimore's Fort McHenry (Portsmouth Harbor boasted a detail of not one, but seven forts).

Should Ms. Palin arrive in New Hampshire on Thursday, she would be challenging the limelight of another former governor, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who will announce his candidacy at a campaign-sowed Stratham farm.