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September 04, 2008 06:19 PM UTC

Attacks On Palin Jumping The Shark?

  • 114 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

The GOP is vigorously counterattacking on behalf of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who has been subjected to intense scrutiny since her surprise choice was announced last Friday. As the Washington Post reports:

All day, as the delegates awaited her appearance, McCain’s advisers were using the criticism heaped on her as a weapon, accusing the news media and others of trying to destroy Palin’s candidacy before she was even formally nominated.

The Los Angeles Times adds:

In an interview Wednesday with Katie Couric, prospective first lady Cindy McCain defended Palin and echoed Schmidt: “She will be a marvelous vice president, and she is already a marvelous mother. . . . I think most of the people asking the questions wouldn’t be asking this if it were a man.”

Later, Cindy McCain nodded strenuously when the Wednesday keynote speaker, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, reacted with outrage to the question of Palin’s balancing act.

“When do they ever ask a man that question?” he asked.

Our view: there is a real danger that the withering fire directed at Palin in the media and from Democrats, both over consequential and inconsequential questions, could provoke a sympathetic backlash that squelches the real issues that have been brought to light about her candidacy.

In short, there are things that matter: Palin’s ties to secessionist Alaska fringe groups, the ongoing investigation into alleged abuse of power in dealing with an ex-family member state employee, her potentially extremist religious views, her culpability in the very kind of “pork-barrel spending” that nominee John McCain rails against, and her lack of experience in the critical realm of foreign policy.

And there are things that don’t: we view National Enquirer tripe about a rumored affair to be just that. We think the issue of Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy is relevant only in the context of Palin’s related policy positions, and perhaps as an invitation to question the McCain campaign’s vetting process–a far more limited scope than people seem to applying to the situation. And above all, we don’t think that Palin’s large family is detrimental to her ability to serve as Vice President in the least.

We think Republicans would like very much to amalgamate the reasonable and silly questions about Palin into a single package they can refute out of hand, turning real and meaningless points of criticism alike into a sympathy-generating positive for her. And if Democrats and their surrogates aren’t careful, if they can’t separate the wheat from the chaff in their zeal to render Palin unelectable, that’s exactly what will happen.

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114 thoughts on “Attacks On Palin Jumping The Shark?”

  1. Keep the attacks coming, you guys set the bar so low for her last night that she not only cleared it, but cleared it by record height.  She is not only a future star now, she is a star.  Have we even mentioned Obama in the past few days? No.  She is becoming the story, not Obama.  She is someone that you can ‘vote for’ and not against, you’re not going to make her unelectable, but please try!  She hit a Homerun last night and she is just going to do it again.  GO SARAH!

    1. First, you operate under the assumption that the campaign should be about Obama. When Obama is the only spotlight his numbers drop 2-3 points (DNC excluded). When the campaign isn’t about Obama, but rather R vs. D, Obama’s numbers shoot up. This is why you’ve seen a post-Palin announcement bump for Obama.

      Second, Palin’s speech was just red meat for the base, rather than a speech to reach out to independents. They in fact hated it, even more than Dems, from Political Wire:

      The Detroit Free Press put together a panel of voters to listen to last night’s Republican convention speeches and, much as I predicted last night, the independents were universally negative on Palin. In fact, they were more negative than the Democratic voters. The speech was clearly designed to help close the “enthusiasm gap” that has dogged the McCain campaign all summer.

      1. acting performance in years with his portrayal as Hal Phillip Walker on Tuesday night and Palin giving a Sueleen Gay singing type performance last night, I wonder if McCain’s portrayal tonight, as Haven Hamilton, will be enough to stop the Republican Convention from continuing to look like a Goth kids glee club.  Face it, the R’s are not all that excited about this ticket.  Maybe they are hoping that Goo Goo clusters for everyone might turn it around.

  2. Palin claimed:

    In August, Palin acknowledged that “pressure could have been perceived to exist, although I have only now become aware of it.”

    Now:

    Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the running mate for GOP presidential candidate John McCain, wrote e-mails that harshly criticized Alaska state troopers for failing to fire her former brother-in-law and ridiculed an internal affairs investigation into his conduct.

    Poor, poor Sarah. Everyone is so unfair to her.

      1. I don’t think they’ll find she did anything illegal.  Nothing illegal about being a power-grabbing ass, as long as you do it right.  This is about a cabinet level state position in the Governor’s office, and she likely had the right to put whomever she wanted in that position.

        If this is going to be about anything at all, it’s going to be because of the legal things Palin did that nevertheless speak to her character.  Voters should find something oddly familiar about an administration that, when they are caught engaging in blatantly political general asshole-ness, follows this strategy: 1. deny it; 2. try to disrupt the investigation; 3. when people realize it happened anyway, try to blame cronies and claim to have no knowledge; and 4. when unmistakeable evidence comes up that you were personally involved, claim that it’s okay because of your supreme executive power.  If Americans want to elect someone who’s mastered that tactical line so close to the presidency again, they deserve what they get… but I’ll fight against it anyway, for the sake of their children and grandchildren who are the true innocent victims of this destruction of the country and the rule of law.

  3. The feeding frenzy from the left was inevitable, however now they should return the focus to the old guy with the outdated policies.

    You want to attack Pallin?  Attack the right wing conservative holier than thou beliefs that the current President holds as well.  She reflects the current administration’s policies – she just has better legs.

    Paint her as the fringe candidate only chosen to shore up the base.  Show Republican moderates (preferably women) disgusted that McCain would pander to a base he brushed off prior to being in trouble at the polls. Show her drinking oil from a moose’s head while teaching a kid how to shoot a rifle.

    1. Yes it’s fun to talk about all her problems. But it’s taking the focus off of Obama vs McCain – lets get back to the main discussion.

      Firtunately tonight it’s McCain’s turn to speak and that should help return the focus. And the last couple of days aren’t a major loss – we had the same thing on the Dem side with the focus on the CLintons for a couple of days. It’s the RNC week – they were going to get most press regardless.

          1. Karl Rove never worried about jumping the shark and while Rs have been trying to make it all about mean attacks on Palin’s  daughter, nobody in the MSM is talking about that except in conjunction with her opposition to sex ed and slashing funds to house teen moms.  

            They are focusing on the real stories like trooper-gate,  pork barrel, 527, sinking her small town in debt, library-gate and secessionist gate.  

            The Palin who delivered that speech last night is hardly coming across as a fragile flower that we have to  feel sorry for.  She is coming across as about ten times tougher than HRC ever did.  

            I don’t think we have to worry about jumping the shark any more than Republicans do.  We are doing a good job of keeping the focus on the relevant stuff outside of a few nasty bloggers and the right has tons of nasty bloggers and talk show hosts.  We can’t POSSIBLY look meaner then the right, except to the right.  Let them whine.  

            Already there are scathing columns from far from lefty journalists making fun of how  the Rs blame all the stories on Palin on the mean media, wanted them to talk about her son going to Iraq but demands a black out for the pregnant daughter.  

            I’ll say one thing for McCain.  He never  uses his son in Iraq as a campaign prop.  

        2. even us indies understand the radical left is just like the radical right when it comes to shark bait.

          Not to worry, the radical right will findout soon enough that she is just as moderate as McCain.

          1. Moderate compared to McVeigh, maybe.  

            OnTheIssues ranks her as a moderate conservative, but their rankings are based on misleading vote data and statements, e.g. the veto of the ban on gay benefits legislation that she vetoed for reasons other than support of gay benefits (because it was ruled unconstitutional before she signed it…).  Properly adjusted, she’s further to the right than our current President.

          2. When someone drops in fake bait, only the most die-hard radical lefties keep attacking it; 99+% of hard left folks go looking for real meat once they realize they’ve been had.

            OTOH, radical righties seem to come back to provably fake bait regardless of how many times it’s been disproved.  We still have righties out there going after Obama as a Muslim, even after the Rev. Wright blow-up months ago.

          3. Now, there’s a good laugh. If you shift one more inch to the right, libby, you’ll fall off the earth, which I’m sure you believe is flat.

             Still, I have actually seen two or three comments from you today that, while not pearls of wisdom, were not your one-trick-pony shill line that everything bad under the heavens can be cured by joining Bill Ritter’s crusade for a right to work law.

            Have you decided to stop being a shill  and actually join in a political discourse?  

             

            1. I have always participated in the discourse and as stated before I rather enjoy your printed work.

              Over the last month you have taken to refering to me as a shill with some cute language or “Boy”; and trying to call me out as a paid ABC blogger.

              Like the union counter measures I have engaged in more personal destructive references (i.e. calling you dumb as you do to me, etc). I will continue to do so until you agree to pull back. So, the offer is to return to calling you Mr. Ewegen if you can be civil.

              So on RTW…

              National Labor Relations Act, Section 7:

              RIGHTS OF EMPLOYEES

              Sec. 7. В§ 157. Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and shall also have the right to refrain from any or all such activities except to the extent that such right may be affected by an agreement requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment as authorized in section 8(a)(3) section 158(a)(3) of this title.  

              1. You had me worried there for a minute. If you actually started to think for yourself, you might be dangerous.

                “He’s a one-trick pony,

                one trick is all that boy can do…”

      2. It will come back to McCain, I hope.  

        Pallin isn’t worth the energy and comments – she should be dismissed for what she is, a naive political pawn willing to be used by McCain to further her career.

  5. Palin is that sister, aunt, or cousin whose daughter had a baby, even though she had a “good Christian upbringing”.  Pols is right: all this focus on her and her family will have solidified support immediately among the evangelical right voters who were uncertain about McCain.  I’m sure the right-wingers in my extended family have fallen head-over-heels for her.

    The question is, does she simultaneously turn off undecided voters, particularly those who are uncomfortable with Obama?  And if so, does she drive them to Obama, or does she convince them to sit out the election?

  6. Palin had to have her few days on the block, properly more to come.  An historic announcement, avoiding the press completely and a number of real issues and judgment issues came into view; her story was bound to lead the news.

    OK, it has all been raised (all that we currently know).  No different than Obama after Iowa.

    The meat is coming, the last two days were better than the Brittany Spears meltdown.  You are all forgetting why People magazine is the most read publication in America.

    McCain’s and Obama’s judgment and policy’s will be what determine this election.

    One thing raised last night was this election may be about culture – Big City values vs Small Town values. I can understand that, because in conversations with my friends in LA and NYC we don’t see her appeal.  But there is obviously an appeal to people who live differently from us. I assume the same is true about Obama.

  7. .

    Hey, Pols, thanks for telling me about the rumored affair.  Hadn’t heard about that.

    I guess you get to boost the rumor while pretending to ignore it.  Classy.

    The Pols thinking must be that if the Enquirer was able to tear down a hero like Edwards, then they should get an assist in tearing down Palin.

    .

      1. Because it was in the Enquirer.

        Here’s your source in the WAPO blog:

        But even as the campaign sought to put the vetting questions behind them, it elected to make a public statement about another potential controversy – an anonymously sourced report in the National Enquirer alleging Palin had an affair with an associate of her husband. “The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Governor Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false,” Schmidt said in the statement. “It is a vicious lie.”

        Nice.

            1. when the Enquirer first floated it, whether or not the Edwards story was true any more than you can claim personal knowledge as to whether or not THIS story is true.  Your treating the two situations differently is both illogical and hypcritical.

              Either the MSM ought to jump on whatever comes up in the Enquirer right away or it shouldn’t, regardless of the party affiliation of the subject. The Enquirer is  certainly non-partisan.  They just love the dirt and sensationalism that sells theit r paper.  Very egalitarian.

        2. This is what jumps out at me:

          But even as the campaign sought to put the vetting questions behind them, it elected to make a public statement about another potential controversy – an anonymously sourced report in the National Enquirer alleging Palin had an affair with an associate of her husband. “The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Governor Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false,” Schmidt said in the statement. “It is a vicious lie.”

          Edwards didn’t make his affair public, at least not via press release. I think it’s fair to discuss if the McCain campaign itself is airing these allegations, even if it’s only to refute them.

          The other links say about the affair, in total:

          The McCain campaign yesterday said it was considering legal action against the National Enquirer for publishing allegations that Palin had an extramarital affair, a report that McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt called a “vicious lie.”

          A senior adviser to John McCain’s campaign threatened a lawsuit against the National Enquirer Wednesday over “baseless attacks” in a cover story about Sarah Palin that included allegations of marital infidelity.

          “The smearing of the Palin family must end,” said senior adviser Steve Schmidt. “The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Governor Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie.

          “Governor Palin is the most popular governor in the country. She is a proven leader, an accomplished executive, a champion for ethics reform, and a fighter against corruption. The efforts of the media and tabloids to destroy this fine and accomplished public servant are a disgrace. The American people will reject it.

          He also said that “legal action will be considered with regard to this disgraceful smear.”

          Over the past few days, the McCain campaign has issued increasingly aggressive responses to rumors about the presumptive Republican VP nominee, including some detailed public statements denying sensational stories that had not previously been reported by any mainstream media organizations.

          Now, what was it that ColoPols had to say? Ah, yes:

          And there are things that don’t [matter]: we view National Enquirer tripe about a rumored affair to be just that.

          Any allegation of bias or rumor mongering in this instance, whether with ColoPols or these MSM sources, are completely off target, and both you and Barron ought to admit that.

          1. All she needed was to be the complete unknown who’s had a lot of negative press lately.

            From a media attention standpoint, she’s done as well as The Blair Witch Project.

            It wouldn’t surprise me if McCain drew a lower rating tonight than Palin did last night.

            1. sorry about that. But do you think that more than 37 million will watch McCain? What does it say about the GOP nominee that more people will watch his VP speak than him?

  11. is her sparse work history. She belittles Obama’s stint as a community organizer. But he did that while either attending school or working full time. There are no gaps in his resume. Palin’s resume is like a sponge.

    She graduated from college in 1987, then worked as a sports reporter in 1988. She did not work full time again until December 2006. Her positions on the city council, as mayor or Alaska Oil and Gas Commissioner are not full time jobs.

    I live in a town of about 10,000. Our city council meets once a month for about 2 hours.

    I would like to know what she was doing with her time for the last 20 plus years.

    1. I mean, come on…that’s the bottom of the TV news food chain, below even the weather. And in the tiny markets where she worked? That’s where you stick an ex-beauty queen runner-up who wants to do TV. Which appears to describe one part of her resume…

    2. I knew a part-time mayor of a town slightly larger than Wasilla.  He made his real living by teaching my middle school civics class.  Nice guy, but I wouldn’t vote for him for vice president of the U.S.

    3. Not that I know for sure, but my mom took a few years off of working life between college and her current career because of three kids.  Now there are moms that work, moms that have to work, moms that work part time as their kids grow older.  Is it necessarily nefarious?  no.

        1. being the mom.  I’m sure being a blue collar worker would be beneath someone like yourself.  And I guess being blue collar means that we should not have any real say in what goes on in the country.  It is really presumptuous of a working class person to run for office, win, and then run again for higher office.  We should really know our place.

          1. Would you hire someone who has hardly worked a day in her life and has a mediocre education to perform your open heart surgery? fly your airplane? run your company? Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman would not hire her to delivery the mail! And no, I do not want someone blue collar running the country. I expect the most intelligent, even if that is being elitist.  

            1. That has got to be the dumbest thing posted on this forum, and believe me, you have plenty of competition for that from both sides here.

              You are obviously out of touch with what it’s like to earn a living, budget what you make against what you need to spend.  This woman rose from truly humble working class beginnings and made her way to where she is now by hard work.  She didn’t get there because of who she married.  She wasn’t given the office of Governor on a silver platter because of her looks.  She defeated two experienced candidates, both Republican and Democrat, a current and a former Governor, to get where she is.  She earned it.  You can piss and moan that she isn’t qualified, but she is a true example to the working class of what is possible.  And maybe that is what really bothers you about her.

              1. …just as McCain has aspired to be in this election year.  Speaking of him, let’s get back to him, people……you know, the TOP of the ticket……….

              2. I still don’t believe she has anywhere near the experience that a Veep needs to have, and the contortions that the right are going through to demonstrate otherwise are amusing, but what geek says about Palin are true – she’s a hard working politician and she earned her residence in Juneau.

  12. The WaPo just bought the McCain camp’s line that Dems were going after Palin with unfair, sexist attacks, without actually documenting this.  That’s because the Obama campaign and its surrogates have been downright deferential to Palin.  I have yet to see an actual Obama campaign rep or designated surrogate attack Palin on anything other than her work-related scandals and lack of experience.  Obama even told the media to back off from discussing her family, and directly empathized by noting that his own mother was 18 when she had him.  And Biden chided the media for arguably sexist treatment of Palin.  So, the campaign and its surrogates are doing fine.

  13. I never would have guessed that this last week would hold such a shift in the nation’s political focus only seven days from the Chosen One’s speech at Invesco.  Somehow, McCain has managed to get conservatives and independents to come to him on the heels of the DNC convention.  Never would have believed it.

    By the time Governor Palin sends her son off to Iraq on September 11, you Ds are going to be just plain hyperventilating!  

    This has all gotten very interesting for an Indy to watch after so many months of blah, blah blah.  Carry on!

    2. This past week has seen Obama’s post-convention bump get a secondary bump from Palin’s horrible record.  The tracking polls showed a modest bump from the convention, but only after the dirt on Palin started surfacing did his numbers hit the 50% mark.

      Maybe it was shark bait, but Palin’s record was certainly blood in the water.

    3. is still attention, right ?  Many of us tune in to see what an asshole someone is at the RNC convention and all of a sudden its a groundswell of support. OK.  Whatever.

  14. What a peice of crap-like most things posted here about Palin.  All of the rumours that have swirled about her culminate, and she gives a great speech hailed by the media as a sucess, and now all the sudden it’s time to stop the attacks.  Oh, and it’s convienent that the call to stop the attacks spreads even more rumors.

    My “understanding” is wearing pretty thin.  

    Pols, where is the story on the front page talking about how the AIP has backed off of their claims that Palin was a member of their party?  Or should I do it?

    1. Yes, Ms. Palin’s support for requiring the teaching of creationism and intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools is another subject that needs a bit more ink, given that it deals with public policy and how her personal views (not her personal life) would impact her decisionmaking if, god forbid, she ever became president.

      Oh, and there should be another story looking into the allegations that she inquired about banning books from the local public library while she was running her little town. Apparently that’s another one of the “responsibilities” a community organizer doesn’t have.

    2. She’s on record saying really nice things about them.  If Obama  had ANY connection with a black separatist group I’m sure you’d be all over it whether he had a membership card or not. You were all over him for people who simply appeared as guest speakers at his church and Palin’s church pastor and list of guest speakers have said things that are borderline crazy, not just offensive. You are SUCH a bunch of self righteous hypocrites.  And SO wimpy/whiny

    3. I never bought the membership stories, but I do think that it’s a problem she would send a welcome video to the AIP conference in 2008! We want to talk about problematic political associations with Obama, then Palin can’t get a slide for wishing a secessionist political party well.

      1. She claims she would have done the same for any other group holding a big political meeting, that it was a meaningless, pro forma “welcome to our state!” Any idea if she did the same for any major Democratic, Green Party, Socialist gatherings? I’ll bet the under…

        1. It’s a state party, not a national party.  The Alaska Dems, Greens, and other parties could probably send tell us if Palin ever sent them a love video.

          Gov. Owens certainly never sent one to the state Democratic conventions.

        2. a White Supremacist group welcome and you’re doing a great job, I’d have a problem with that, too.  Don’t see it happening though. Of course I’m pretty sure Mrs Ritter has never been a member of any such group.  For Palin, she was practically talking to family.

    4. And we’ll point out that their stories conveniently changed only days after firmly acknowledging her attendance at their conventions.

      Considering how lame the retractions were, and how totally inconsistent with their initial statements, we could have a real fun discussion!

    5. Come-on Haners, yes we’ll throw most everything that comes up at her to see what sticks. I think the family should be off-limits except for very serious issues – like her husband being a member of a seccesionist party.

      But the rest – what are we supposed to do, ignore her politics? Just let her runs as a beauty queen where we all ohh & ahh but don’t ask any hard questions?

      And the call to stop all the attention on her is not because it was wrong, but because it’s more effective for us to turn it back to Obama vs McCain.

      And the most effective thing for you Republicans to do right now is turn the conversation into poor Sarah Palin who has been improperly questioned.

      1. But even contact sports have rules.  Like keeping hits above the belt.

        Attacking someone for their daughter making a choice that resulted in a pregency is below the belt.

        Questioning whether a mother of five should be in government because she “should be raising her kids” is below the belt.

        Attacking her because her husband had a DUI 22 years ago is below the belt.

        If these are serious questions, then so be it.  Let the contact begin!

        Obama’s parents are crappy parents because he used hard drugs in his youth.  Since his parent’s judgment can’t be trusted, neither can his.

        Biden isn’t a family man because he continued to serve as Senator after his wife and daughter died.  He’s also sexist:  

        In referring to women, he has tended to mention style as well as substance. Last week, he introduced wife Jill as “drop-dead gorgeous” before he mentioned her doctorate in education. On Sunday, he described Palin to an Ohio crowd as “good looking.”

        And obviously racist:  

        “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

        And not qualified to be President because Palin received more votes for Mayor then Biden did for President.

        Is this really the kind of discussion we want to have, David?

        2. In her combined two mayoral elections, Palin received 1,659 votes.  In the only official 2008 Presidential contest before he dropped out, Biden collected 2,328 votes – in the Iowa caucus (not even a primary).

          If you include the Florida contest, Biden picked up an extra ~15,000 votes.

          Moving to Biden’s Senate race vs. Palin’s gubernatorial race, Biden received 135,253 votes in his last Senate race; Palin received 114,697 votes in her 2006 win.

          1. That’s what I get for quoting Huckabee!

            But you missed the point.  If we’re going to be nasty, and justify it as “politics is a contact sport”, then let’s start talking about the petty stuff.  

            Like Obama’s drug use 20 years ago.  Or Biden’s sexism/racism.

            If that’s what you want the debate to be, then I will do my part.

        3. If you run on family values and want to teach abstinence only in school and not fund Planned Parenthood for contraception and your daughter ends up pregnant – that is fair game.

          If you run on Christian family first values and you have a four month old with issues and a pregnant daughter the discussion is fair.

          You can’t have it both ways – plain and simple.

          If you say you are a pit bull, you can not cry foul because the press is asking you questions they would ask anyone else that is running for office.

          If you say you are a pit bull, you can not tell the men in the race they can not come after you, but then you continue lob your attacks from behind the kitchen sink.

          This is bad for women.  If you play, you play by the same rules as everyone else in the game and quit sounding like a 13 year old girl that just took a body shot, and pisssed off because she wanted to play football and the guys are hitting hard – grow the fuck up.

          And before you start on me – I was one of one of two women that graduated in my NROTC class – I play hard with anyone and everyone.  If I get body checked (and I have literally) I sure as hell didn’t cry about it. I also have four brothers that were glad to teach me the rules.

          I didn’t think Hillary crying was appropriate either – you don’t get to run for President and then get to cry because the boys are playing rough.

          It does not serve women when you get in the game and want to play by “different” rules  – we are either in the game or not in the game.  

          1. Kind of like how you accused me of ducking your questions.  Once you honestly frame your question, I will be more then happy to answer them.

            Nice try though.

            1. Like I said about Palin, if you what to play with the big dogs, play the game – if not, take your ball and go home.

              Frame the question honestly – really?

              This is a blog, either play or don’t play – but crying about how something is framed is childish.

              So, deal with the post that you are now avoiding – I understand why you see Palin as hero – she plays your silly games and makes up the rules to benefit her.

              1. And I have in the past avoided discussions with certain people.  If you are going to play these silly games, I’m not going to waste my time.

                I view this blog as a place to have honest discussions.  If you want to lie, that’s fine.  But that flies in the face of what I’m trying to do here.

                All you have to do is change the things I outlined the other day, and I’ll more then apply answer your questions.  But if you have no interest in doing that much, then what interest do you really have in hearing my answers?

        4. Republicans hit below the belt with Obama being the anti-Christ and you whine because a hard core anti-choice extremist ends up parenting a pregnant teenager.  You can dish out the hits below the belt but that’s it.  We are talking about a HARD CORE RELIGIOUS extremist who insists that government controls the lives of women.

          I thought Obama hit it on the head in his speech when he said that we can disagree on abortion but should be able to work together to reduce unwanted pregnancies.

          I would add that we want our daughters to grow up to become women before they become mothers but that isn’t the Sarah Palin attitude.

          Apparently the hypocrites in the Republican Party believe that teenage mothers don’t deserve any help if they DECIDE to carry a baby to term.  You don’t believe in birth control and you want government to criminalize a woman’s right to decide her own destiny and then you want them to pay full retail for raising a child without any help from our government/communities.  They are also part of the “your on your own”ership society.  What bastards.

    6. This is probably the most conciliatory post I’ve read about Palin on any “liberal” blog, talking about how attacks on Palin might be going too far and veering into the silly, which would play into GOP hands. Sounds like a warning to me. Why are you Republicans more outraged about this post than all the others?

      Or did I just answer my own question? Are you just affecting outrage on cue, part of the strategy everyone is writing about? Would you prefer Pols NOT clarify what’s legitimate and what isn’t, so you can go on with your self serving Sarah Palin pity party?

      Something about this is mighty convenient, you got that part right.

  15. The Repubs will try to surround Palin with a cone of silence and if there is criticism then they will don the mantle of VICTIM.

    If I was on Obama’s strategy team I would let McCain speak to see what the full Republican narrative is going to be then act accordingly.  Palin has left all kinds of openings for rebuttals and being a rookie probably believes that being a VICTIM will be an invincible shield against criticism.  What these clowns still have to answer is how they can wage open ended wars without taxes and without borrowing more money that will be added to our staggering deficit.  The problem for Republicans isn’t defending Sarah Palin as a women.  Their problem is that they hate taxes but love war and defending unlimited funds for war without borrowing money or raising taxes is impossible to do with this economy.  Focus on their impossible economics or as Obama said “the issues”.

  17. It’s been verified as true: (The bolded segments are my bolds)

    ABOUT SARAH PALIN

    I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.

    Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a

    first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her

    father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a

    first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more

    City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the

    residents of the city.

    She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular

    girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and

    won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because

    she is a “babe”.

    It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She

    kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents

    for seven months.

    She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.

    There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

    She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

    She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out

    there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

    Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a

    champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly

    sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his

    work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or

    so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their

    major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything

    like that of native Alaskans.

    Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

    She’s smart.

    Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000

    (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about

    670,000 residents.

    During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running

    this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been

    pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had

    gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had

    given rise to a recall campaign.

    Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6

    years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over

    33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the

    City increased by 38%.     This was during a period of low inflation

    (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a

    regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she

    promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they

    benefited residents.

    The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration

    weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed

    money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it

    with indebtedness of over $22 million    . What did Mayor Palin encourage

    the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said

    she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a

    new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a

    multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece

    of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was

    still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers

    involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the

    community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it

    would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that

    could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

    While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office

    redecorated more than once.

    These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

    As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus

    in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will

    make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she

    proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

    In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she

    recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while

    she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s

    surplus, borrow for needs.

    She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas

    or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by

    her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the

    basis of who proposed them.

    While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected

    City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from

    the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents

    rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s

    attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew

    her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the

    Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

    Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for

    Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin

    fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as

    Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,

    creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally

    grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power

    to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the

    case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

    As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”

    her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top

    cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure

    and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that

    an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t

    fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation

    for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen

    contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she

    later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to

    replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded

    for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew

    her support.

    She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in

    help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town

    introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council

    became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She

    abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t

    like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

    Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything

    publicly about her.

    When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got

    the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one

    of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no

    background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great

    job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the

    high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the

    structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this

    Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)

    engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some

    undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all

    her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and

    garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a

    gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,

    exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

    As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from

    Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel

    politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to

    nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

    As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget

    guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing

    projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative

    action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply

    because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant

    she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

    She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party

    leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated

    them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a

    fiscal conservative.

    Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.

    They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and

    predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly

    stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made

    point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s

    mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and

    experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

    As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package

    of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march

    to the beat of her drum.

    Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife

    Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to

    global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state

    initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from

    pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the

    state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s

    lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar

    bears as threatened species.

    McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a

    heartbeat away from being President.

    There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more

    knowledgeable and experienced than she.

    However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are

    regretting it.

    CLAIM VS FACT

    •”Hockey mom”: true for a few years

    •”PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary

    school, not since

    •”NRA supporter”: absolutely true

    •social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill

    that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships

    (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).

    •pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to

    promote it.

    •”Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby

    BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life

    legislation

    •”Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has

    residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.

    No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on

    supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city

    administrator to run town of about 5,000.

    •political maverick: not at all

    •gutsy: absolutely!

    •open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at

    explaining actions.

    •has a developed philosophy of public policy: no

    •”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores

    and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.

    •fiscal conservative: not by my definition!

    •pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city

    without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built

    streets to early 20th century standards.

    •pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on

    residents

    •pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city

    government in Wasilla’s history.

    •pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union

    doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim

    that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

    WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

    First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed

    voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting

    programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +

    Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local

    government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

    Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen

    when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because

    few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

    Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out

    of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no

    fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will

    cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

    Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100

    or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s

    attempt at censorship.

    Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to

    say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

    CAVEATS

    I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in

    spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)

    from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of

    Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust

    for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible

    for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are

    swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

    You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the

    population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000”, up to 9,000. The

    day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the

    current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was

    5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to

    2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

    Anne Kilkenny

    August 31, 2008

  19. A story today; I’m sure it’s online.

    Seems that poor Ms. Governor has to deal with $5 Billion surpluses, not the crisis budgets in most other states.  No experience there, being a tough budget student.

    Two thirds of the Alaska economy is oil and the federal government.  Only one third is business. Can you imagine Colorado’s economy running on 33% private enterprise?  

    Even Texas weak governor Bush had more experience in his first two years dealing with reality.

  20. How great is all this freaking out?  Anyone else loving this as much as I am?

    She REDECORATED HER OFFICE AS MAYOR!?!?!?!? OH MY GOD!!!!!

    A far left blog setting records for posts about one subject and it’s the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee.

    It’s a beautiful day.

    2. We’re evaluating a candidate who will be one heartbeat away from the presidency. It’s something you should be doing too.

      Note that most of our discussion is about her qualifications, or lack thereof, for the office.

        1. And neither moderates nor liberals think all tax raising is peachy just because either.  Beside the sports complex it would be interesting to know about how every day services, schools, libraries, police etc. faired. Understand the complex is popular  but has a long way to go toward bringing in any revenue. Nobody does a better job of spending more than they tax than Bush conservatives, do they?

              1. I said it was unclear how much better off the city was because of Palin’s decisions. I don’t consider a hugely expensive sports complex for a tiny town as something as fundamentally important as other infrastructure and service needs.   According to some of her town’s citizen’s many of these fundamental needs were ignored in favor of the sports complex.  I don’t know for sure whether or not this is true which is why I say it’s unclear.  Apparently you have familiarized yourself with  all the details?  

                Having grown up in a city with great, cheap subsidized public transportation, yes I consider FasTracks an excellent investment on numerous levels. World class cities have world class transit systems.   I believe that a great transit system is much more beneficial to the citizens of and visitors to a mid to large size city than a 20 million dollar sports complex is to a tiny town, particularly if it is built at the expense of other more basic needs. Great cities have great public transportation.

                Also, Palin is the one who is supposed to be such a strict fiscal conservative, such an enemy of pork barrel spending.  It’s valid to ask whether she practices what she preaches. It’s valid to ask whether her priorities really did benefit her little town.  

                1. that you are looking at her record in search of things you can use to discredit her, rather than judging it objectively. Far from voting against FasTracks, I wrote, by actual count, 138 columns or editorials advocating rapid transit in the metro area.

  21. for those of you in this little AIP pissing match, do you realize the ridiculous comparison some of you are making?

    Are you seriously trying to compare the AIP to a black separatist group like the Black Panthers or BLA?  Some of you have asked if someone’s spouse was a member of the KKK if it should be a big issue as well.

    Newsflash:  the AIP doesn’t use violence to pursue its goals.  The KKK is a terrorist group, the AIP is not.  Of course it would be a HUGE issue if Michelle Obama was a former member of a black separatist group…but that’s nothing like being a member of the AIP.  

    Come on folks, compare apples to apples, not apples to a hole in the ground…

    1. You think that would be OK with the Republicans?  What nonsense!  So the AIP are non-violent non-patriots.  Obama gets jumped all over just for showing up without a flag pin.  

      1. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be.

        My point is you people need to compare things that are similar.  The KKK is not remotely comparable to the AIP.

        Further, black separatists, white separatists…whatever…have nothing to do with this.  The only legitimate comparison would be if Michelle Obama was a member of an Illinois separatist group.  

        1. After many Blacks were beaten and killed by cops and other good Americans, the Black Panther Party was created to stop the opression.  Many of our current gun laws were created FOR the Black Panthers.  

          White people couldn’t have Blacks running around reading the Consitution and arming themselves against the unjust oppression of 1960s white people.

          1. Do my research?

            How many police officers did the BP kill? The answer isn’t zero.  How many violent interactions did members of the BP have in Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond?  Again, not zero.  I’m from the Bay Area, Wanda.  My late Uncle knew Angela Davis and Bobby Seale.  I think I have something of an understanding of what the BP did when they were an active force.

            The BP weren’t a group that sought to be violent, but they sure as hell would be when it was warranted.  To say they were not violent is just ignoring reality.

            But the point I’m still trying to make is that the BP and KKK and other separatist or nationalist groups mentioned in this little debate are not the same as the AIP. That’s the point.  We can debate what the BP did…but you can compare their actions to the actions of the AIP.

            2. when you take Franz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth to the ultimate extreme.

              I’m not trying to diminish the historical significance of the panthers, but they were guided by much of the same rhetoric that guides terrorist groups around the world.

  22. Carl Bernstein said something extremely astute on CNN: If something were to happen to John McCain before the election, would Sarah Palin be the GOP Presidential nominee? Not likely. And that says an awful lot, now doesn’t it?…  

  23. She gave birth on Friday, April 18th to a one-month premature boy.  She was back at work on Tueseday, April 22nd. Just check the news release of the state of Alaska offical web site:

    “April 22, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today expressed her full support for Department of Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt. The Alaska Correctional Officers Association voted today in favor of a “no confidence” measure. ”

    “April 23, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – In response to Senate President Lyda Green’s request to expand the call of the special session to include abortion bills, Governor Sarah Palin today outlined her willingness to consider a separate call if the Senate President can show a path to success. ”

    At least she took a long weekend off…  

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