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Sarah Palin is good with a gun and spunky and she gives a good speech. She is also totally unprepared to be vice-president or heaven forbid, president of the United States. Given that John McCain would be the oldest first term president in our history, the idea of a President Palin is too close for comfort.
Remember how shocking it was when Tim Russert died suddenly?
When Russert died it was obvious that no one had the experience and depth of knowledge to take his place on Meet the Press during an election year. Heavyweight Tom Brokaw is standing in for now. Imagine if an unknown sportscaster with no experience with national politics--someone who didn't know the issues or the players, had replaced Russert. Could someone cram hard enough in a week to ask tough follow up questions of people like Barack Obama, John McCain, President George Bush and the other leaders who frequent Meet the Press?
That would be absurd of course. The American people deserve better. No network in its right mind would do that.
That's what makes John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin so bizarre and so irresponsible.
We have higher standards for the people who ask the important questions of the day than we do for the people who (should) answer them.
That's why the McCain Campaign is keeping her isolated from the press. When will she face tough questioning from Tom Brokaw or George Stephanopoulos? Probably not until the televised debates.
Palin did agree to an interview with Charlie Gibson. She had to appear someplace to avoid making headlines for avoidance. She squeaked by with scripted phrases like I "didn't blink," we "can't blink" and we shouldn't "second guess" our allies. She had no idea what the Bush Doctrine is.
She squeaked by, but looked very uncomfortable doing it.
Much of the media has given her a pass so far. They cover the important issues like lipstick on pigs and contrived cultural warfare. Pathetic.
The responsible press, however, recognizes that with just seven weeks to Election Day it's time to dig hard and unearth the real Sarah Palin.
An hour ago I read an in-depth piece in the Sunday New York Times. The Times reporters interviewed dozens of Alaskans to flesh out the canned Palin the McCain/Rove campaign has served us.
I'm predicting that the trooper fiasco we've been hearing about is just the tip of the iceberg. Palin has packed government with old friends. Many go back to her high school days. She also has an inclination to overstep the bounds of public office. From settling scores, firing people who don't do her bidding, to pressuring librarians to remove books about homosexual dads from their shelves, Sarah Palin can't seem to keep her personal agenda in check.
Lastly, Palin thinks she's so special that knows God's will. Then she lies to Charlie Gibson and the American people about it.
If anyone who has seen the tapes of her invoking God's blessing on the Iraq war really believes that Palin was just echoing the words of Abraham Lincoln-well, I've got a Bridge in Alaska I'd like to sell you.
...and read this long article from the NYT detailing how Sarah Palin has no understanding whatsoever of what it means to be a public servant.
And four months ago, a Wasilla blogger, Sherry Whitstine, who chronicles the governor's career with an astringent eye, answered her phone to hear an assistant to the governor on the line, she said.
"You should be ashamed!" Ivy Frye, the assistant, told her. "Stop blogging. Stop blogging right now!"
But that's really the least of it. It's truly frightening stuff - including new insight on her homophobic book banning - an absolute must read. Think a "backwater, End Times Dick Cheney," except she could very well obtain as much power as he in less than eight weeks. An absolutely terrifying toxic combination of zero qualifications for the job, visionless ambition, anti-democratic religious fundamentalism, and personal vendettas.
I will never forgive John McCain for the reckless, politically motivated decision he made. He has, without hyperbole, put our nation at risk. He turned the most important decision a candidate can make over to the Rush Limbaugh crowd, and then he never vetted her. Reckless!
So stop blogging! Stop blogging right now! Instead, spread the word, donate, phonebank, canvass, visibility, rinse and repeat.
Adding: in an earlier post, I compared Palin to Craig Benson, and someone rightly noted that Benson was such a unique creature that such comparisons don't apply. But this article has me thinking again - the two share a total lack of understanding of what a public office and a personal life mean.
Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."
...Palin's return to Alaska coincided with her first extensive interview since she became the Republican vice presidential nominee. In the interview, with ABC News correspondent Charlie Gibson, Palin struggled when asked to define the "Bush doctrine" on foreign policy, leading to repeated follow-up questions from Gibson about whether she believed in the right to "anticipatory self-defense" and crossing other nations' borders to take action against threats.
John McCain has obviously become a shameless, dishonorable puppet of the Bush/Cheney machine. That much is clear, and has been for some time now.
But here's today's not so deep thought, which hit me like a ton of bricks. Sarah Palin is Bush 2.0 - an example of a mindset created by the extensive damage of the Bush years. She may not believe in evolution, but she represents the next mutation of the species elephans Bushensis. That's why she doesn't have a clue about the Bush doctrine - in her world, it's natural for America to start aggressive wars. And that's why she's incapable of separating Osama bin Laden and a country that had nothing to do with him or his attacks - because eight years of lies have altered her genetic code.
Living through Bush/Cheney is nightmare enough. God help us all if America becomes led by people infected with Bush 2.0 DNA.
It has become a commonly cited statistic here at BH that New Hampshire receives back $0.67 for every dollar it contributes in federal taxes, and Alaska receives $1.83 to the dollar. Now, we can't expect every state to get a dollar for every dollar, because that would mean the government would be spending nothing on the mechanics of government (like the judicial system, the military, etc as opposed to functions like the postal service, national parks, road subsidies, etc), but that figure in Alaska is pretty egregious.
CNN reports today Governor Palin's federal earmark requests in her first year in office (2007)--and that's just Palin's things, not everything her delegation takes--exceed the total amount of earmark money taken by the entire bi-partisan delegation from New Hampshire, a state with about twice as many people.
New Hampshire's delegation requested took 238 million dollars in earmark money. Governor Palin requested 256 million. Her state's Congressional delegation took a combined total of over 486 million dollars, 456 of which by Senator Stevens--who, by the way, is a longtime political ally, advocate, and collaborator of Palin, not simply another Republican from her state.
Alaska takes more money per person in earmark money than any other state.
And to top it all off, the $27 million in earmarks Palin secured as Mayor of a town of 5,000 people--far more than many members of Congress take in a year, and Congressional districts are generally more than a hundred times the size of Wasilla. On three separate occasions, Palin projects in Wasilla met criticism ("objectionable" on McCain's regularly published pork lists) at the time from Senator John McCain, whose campaign was recently asked about that very same money. Respondeth McCain's people,
Towns like Wasilla in Alaska depended on earmarks to take care of basic needs.
A big change from making a point to object. Furthermore, if that's true, then when he promises to veto any bill with earmarks, isn't John McCain screwing Small Town America?
This issue is vitally important; it may be the only real thing McCain is talking about changing.
h/t in part to CNN
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...
http://www.congress.org/congre...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...
http://marcambinder.theatlanti...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...
Okay- the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind- with visits to newly found Alaska blogs, reading about money taken for bridges to nowhere, moose stew, and creationsism.
But this election is not about Sarah Palin. For anyone to make the decision be about her, or about her qualifications, is to fall for the Rovian strategy. You have to hand it to him and McCain- it was a good move- caught everyone off guard in multiple ways.
I strongly recommend Andrew Sullivan's post today, about how far John McCain has fallen.
here
"The Stonewall Democrats" has for years been a very active nationwide group of gays and lesbians. There's a branch in New Hampshire, and the members of the organization have successfully advocated for important equality issues for the LGBT community, and fought all kinds of discrimination.
There's a similar -- well, that's not quite the word I'm looking for -- organization in the Republican Party. It's called the "Log Cabin Republicans," and from its inception it's been a confused grouping of mostly in-the-closet gay Republicans (their fellow Republicans prefer it that way -- out of sight, out of mind).
Guess what. After supposedly being on the fence for a bit, the Log Cabin Republicans has given its formal endorsement to Senator John McCain, the man who would be President.
And this man who would be President has chosen a Vice Presidential nominee who is opposed to gay marriages, gay civil unions, even equality in the recognition of domestic relationships. She also believes in creationism, and wants to see it taught in schools. Gays and lesbians aren't in any chapter of the creationism textbooks, by the way. No room for us in that view of the Earth.
And this woman who would be Vice President also believes that gays and lesbians can be taught, through prayer, to be "straight."
Oh, and did I mention that the Log Cabin Republicans is still part of a political party that in its official platform advocates a Constitutional Amendment to define "marriage" as only between "one man" and "one woman?" The Log Cabin Republicans are associated with a national party that wants to forever provide discrimination -- and write that discrimination against human beings into our Constitutional. Thank you very much, the Loggies apparently say.
Ohhhh what we're learning about Sarah Palin. And the "real John McCain" is coming out now too -- he's not the maverick he's pretended to be; that's all image and fluff.
The Log Cabin Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. And of their party and their candidates.
It's been evident for quite some time that the American antagonism towards the Soviet Union's communist regime was largely fueled by envy. But, it wasn't just the totalitarian nature of the state that was the envy of U.S. corporate interests; it was also the apparent ability to plan long term and promote enterprise without having to contend with popular objections.
What's a bit puzzling is that the failure of the Soviet system hasn't served as a caution to U.S. corporate interests. It's almost as if the collapse of the Soviets gave a green light to rapacious industrialists and planned destructionists to try to do it better. Planning is central. It was central to "urban renewal" and it's central to energy development. And, it seems, Palin has long been part of the plan.
* Sarah Palin - an Alaskan Jennifer Horn. Enough said.
y'all understood that that was not a compliment, right?
Well, apparently not the Telegraph, which cites a "fresh face" and lack of experience as reasons to endorse Horn:
In any other year, a longtime state senator, a seasoned political operative or a former Green Beret turned lawyer would seem to have the advantage. But not this year.
Not in a year when a little-known hockey mom turned governor of Alaska has captured the attention of the nation as the GOP vice-presidential nominee.
Aren't newspapers supposed to be the last line of defense against cable news' infotainment priorities? Seriously, the gist of the endorsement is that Horn got lucky to have Palin on the ticket, so we should go with her because now it's vogue that anyone can be a vice-president, regardless of qualifications.
The John McCain (Near) Presidency: already doing damage to our nation by making our national and state discourse even stoopider than it already is. It's reminiscent of the Iraq war fever that drugged the press and swept the nation in 2002-2003, and it's starting to creep me out.
Manchester's finest lost out - looks like Charlie Gibson will snag the first interview with the Celebrity Secessionist. You remember Charlie, don't you?
I was in the press room during this exchange; the laughter there was even louder than what you hear in the audience of Granite Staters.
And I'm guessing this is the kind of hard hitting journalism that gets you a ticket to see Alaska's greatest earmarker.
It's November 19, 2004, a mere two weeks after the election that returned George W. Bush to power, and Senator John McCain has traipsed off to New Hampshire to give a speech calling for 50,000 more troops to be sent into the quagmire of Iraq, press flesh and raise money for an expected run at the presidency in 2008. John Sununu, former New Hampshire governor and Bush family consigliere, wryly quipped about McCain's junket to the Granite State, "What took him so long?"
Eight weeks before election day:
A senior McCain campaign official advises that, despite the gaggle of requests and pressure from the media, Gov. Sarah Palin won't submit to a formal interview anytime soon. She may take some questions from local news entities in Alaska, but until she's ready -- and until she's comfortable -- which might not be for a long while -- the media will have to wait. The campaign believes it can effectively deal with the media's complaints, and their on-the-record response to all this will be: "Sarah Palin needs to spend time with the voters."
I think these two snippets speak volumes about John McCain's ambition and judgment.
I said it before, but it bears repeating - how would Sarah Palin have done here had she campaigned during our First in the Nation primary?
And as a thought experiment: how would Dick Cheney have fared here? Because he's worked out really well as VP, hasn't he?
There you have it. Proof positive. I've been opining for several months that the McCain campaign is entirely fixated on itself and that, when it goes on the attack, it's actually trying to cover up a deficit it recognizes in its own candidate.
For example, when the issue du jour was "executive experience" and the supposed lack thereof on the part of a candidate who'd organized more than two million voter/donors on the ground, that was clearly an effort to distract us from the fact that John McCain can't even keep track of how many houses he has--because he never pays the bills!
At last night's Republican Convention both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin dripped with contempt when they mentioned Barack Obama's experience as a "community organizer."
Here's a few examples of the movements that have been led by community organizers:
The abolitionist movement
The women's suffrage movement
The prohibitionist movement
The civil rights movement
The environmental movement
The anti-abortion movement
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
The Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders
These are some of the people and ideas the Republicans sneer at.
More "Straight Talk" from Hooksett (or Newington? vid label doesn't match YouTube description) on December 4 2007:
The key part:
MCCAIN: "I'm gonna have to have someone, that I know, is immediately ready to take my place. And that is the key criteria, someone who shares your philosophy, your priorities and your values. I would also say that it maybe something that has elements of expertise in areas that perhaps you are not as well versed as others.
Interestingly, December 4, 2007, marks the one whole year (!) anniversary of Sarah Palin's experience in high office. Sharing his values on the Bridge to Nowhere, to cite just one example.
Meet McCain's idea of an expert ready to take over the most powerful position in the globe at a moment's notice:
What does it mean for the future of the Republican party that Senators Sununu and Gregg are downplaying the fact that they are avoiding the GOP Convention on the one hand...
...and on the other Team McCain-Palin is highlighting the fact that Levi Johnston will be making an appearance there?
Adding: and how much do you want to bet that, when Palin finally emerges from her bizarre seclusion, they'll use the two baby stories with as much intention of political gain, or more, than the phony scorn they've dumped in the media/blogs (AP excepted) for discussing the story.
I see that Sarah Palin "reformed" Ted Stevens so much that she partook of the the rotten fruit of his VECO tree in 2002.
In the fundraising corruption probe, VECO founder Allen is cooperating in an FBI investigation that has already sent several state political figures to prison. He is expected to be the Justice Department's star witness at Stevens' trial later this month when he testifies about home renovations and other gifts he provided the longtime senator - gifts Stevens is charged with concealing on Senate documents.
Palin received $500, the maximum amount allowed by law, from Allen and VECO vice president Rick Smith. Several other VECO managers, including Pete Leathard, who came up with the idea for the special bonus program, also donated the maximum. Allen's son, a VECO employee, also donated $500. All the checks were donated the same day, except for Leathard's, which was dated two days after the rest.
VECO, 2002, Allen, Smith, Leathard... where have I heard those names before?
Oh yeah, those were some of John E.'s donors in 2002 too:
June 29
$1,000 -- Steven J. Leathard, VECO Corporation
June 30...
$1,000 -- Bill J. Allen, VECO Corporation (fishing trip buddy)
$1,000 -- Mark J. Allen, VECO Corporation
$1,000 -- Peter Leathard, VECO Corporation
$1,000 -- Richard L. Smith, VECO Corporation
I'll give Palin one thing: at least for her, the money was in-state, unlike Sununu, who has to be propped up by Big Oil interests from afar.
Jennifer Horn's TeeVee ad, "Kids," which uses her five children as a contrast to political experience, is eerily reminiscent of someone a little higher on the ticket.
Which makes me wonder: could the epic, national psychodrama of the Palins hurt Horn just as the primary approaches?
This really needs to be forwarded to every Republican and undeclared Granite Stater you know - from a resident of Wasilla and acquaintance of the Palins:
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.
Now that you've returned from the Labor Day weekend, what were your water cooler conversations like?
Because mine - and for the most part all I did was listen - were deadly... for John McCain's chances in New Hampshire. And due entirely to the disaster he brought upon himself. One Republican I spoke to said flat out that McCain has "shot himself in the foot." Most others were much less kind, and overtly mocking of Palin's lack of credentials. Very interestingly, one woman who did like Palin, said she was confused that McCain would have chosen her to grab Hillary voters, since the two are so utterly opposite.
This inside look from the NYT (which the campaign is furiously spinning against today) to me says it all about why McCain just lost this state:
"They didn't seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before," said a Republican close to the campaign. "This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn't get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge."
That paragraph is a billboard with two sentences on it:
John McCain is a phony maverick who is not in charge of his own campaign.
& John McCain made a dangerously rushed and reckless judgement about the most important appointment a president can make.
But what did you hear today? Me, I'm hoping we can start a Draft Joe movement if Palin becomes the next Eagleton.
So much for the "October Surprise." Republicans, Democrats, and non-identifying Americans were caught by complete surprise this weekend when John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate for the Vice Presidency. Torpedoing news coverage of Obama's coronation in Denver, this stunning move brushed aside not only a host of popular men who ran against McCain in the primaries (i.e. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee) but also a group of very successful men and women from the Republican party (and one "Independent Democrat") who would have seemed a safer choice for Sen. McCain. Other possibilities could have included Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Fmr. Ohio Congressmen Rob Portman, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas, and Fmr. New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Regardless, many Americans familiar with the move have likely pondered the following question in the last few days: Has John McCain lost his mind or is this the smartest move his campaign has made in the last year?
Its fair to say that Gov. Palin is a neophyte when it comes to most national political issues and the McCain campaign will have to work hard to fight the "fresh paint" image of the former small town mayor. The general sense of the media and of Washington insiders is that McCain made a grave miscalculation in choosing Palin. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has called the pick 'Worse than Dan Quale' in a Time Magazine video blog (http://tinyurl.com/hoyer-worsethanquale). Perhaps the steepest obstacle will be the comparisons to Obama's running mate Sen. Joe Biden, a seasoned foreign policy expert who's competency for the Vice Presidency has never been in question. In discussing the inevitable VP debate it is very possible to imagine Sen. Biden, upon learning of Palin, to throw up his hands and shout "Are you freaking kidding me!" Certainly the most outrageous statement about Palin has come from Cindy McCain, who suggested that Alaska's geographic proximity to Russia will shore up Palin's foreign policy credentials (ABC's "This Week", 8/31/08).
Despite Palin's many obvious weaknesses, McCain's choice reveals a dramatic shift in campaign strategy from the last several months: an abandonment of the experience vs. change comparison and an embrace of a maverick vs. 'typical Democratic failures' comparison. Under this new strategy Palin seems a complementary choice for McCain, emphasizing her ties to the working middle class, and her strong conservative credentials, which have turned many Republicans off to John McCain. The choice of a woman also seems to target female voters who may have supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries and refuse to support Barack Obama because of a perceived mistreatment. These PUMA's (short for Party Unity My A**) could be ripe for the picking, even in light of Hillary's rousing support for Obama at the Democratic Convention.
I believe that Gov. Palin is a very smart pick for Vice President despite mixed feeling in both parties in and out of Washington. What she lack's in experience she more than makes up for in tenacity and popularity. She has certainly been a force in Alaska politics, shoving aside the political establishment to become Governor and vetoing popular Republican programs that solidify the corrupt connections between the GOP and the Oil industry. The country has underestimated Gov. Palin's political abilities, a mischaracterization that may serve her very well in this campaign, and possibly the Vice Presidency.
Neutral experts had a similar take on Palin. Jennifer Donahue, political director of the Institute of Politics at St. Anselm, called the move completely unexpected and brilliant.
"She's a working mother," Donahue said, "she's acceptable to the conservatives in the party based of her stance on social issues, (and) she gives women a reason to engage in this election because there's a woman on the ticket. They have just done the single thing that could reset this race after Obama's speech."
I, too think the choice is completely...
Here's a finding from Gallup: Among Democratic women -- including those who may be disappointed that Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination -- 9% say Palin makes them more likely to support McCain, 15% less likely.
...unexpected...:
From Rasmussen: Some 38% of men said they were more likely to vote for McCain now, but only 32% of women. By a narrow 41% to 35% margin, men said she was not ready to be president -- but women soundly rejected her, 48% to 25%.
and brilliant, too!
"Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?"
"John McCain chose Sarah Palin because he felt the time had come to nominate a woman."
Agree 43
Disagree 56
"John McCain chose Sarah Palin because he thought having a woman on the ticket would help him get elected."
Agree 75
Disagree 25
(h/t brownsox)
More expert analysis on how women voters think here.
And of course, those numbers were taken before the cascade of scandals unfolding right now.
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