Who is Sarah Palin?

The Resurrection

2009-02-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well, the last few months have been enjoyable. No more daily delights from Gov. Palin.

However, it's looking increasingly likely that Governor Palin truly wants to run in 2012, and moreover, that she is the new darling of the social-conservative right wing.

So, with great pain and much regret, I hereby resurrect Stop Sarah Palin...

I don't really feel like getting down to details at the moment. So I summarize: Gov. Palin is a political extremist - but once was a pragmatist. She coddles the right as they coddle her. She mimics George Bush's reluctance to think or learn. Her faux-folksiness is her only means of appealing to voters who seem unable to realize that we should elect a President who we'd like to have safeguarding our future, rather than one with whom we'd like to drink a beer.

Sarah Palin is an empty suit, completely devoid of talent, ability, conviction, intelligence, or an ability to lead.

Arrgh.

This make sad.

We did it!

2008-11-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

For anyone who actually read this...

We did it.

We stopped Gov. Palin.

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate everything that everyone has done...

Is Sarah Palin inciting violence?

2008-10-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

Not directly, of course - she is in fact far too talented a politician to do that.

Gov. Palin is borrowing heavily from the Republican Right's playbook: sow doubt, create fear of the opponent, ignore facts.

While I find the last tactic quite disturbing, it's the middle - create fear - that is most scary at this time.

We know that Senator Obama has received threats against his life since an early stage of the campaign - that's why the Secret Service gave him an official protection detail earlier than any other candidate in US history. Given that knowledge, when a candidate's supporters start being quoted as saying "Kill Him!" or "Off with his head!" perhaps that candidate should take pause and reflect on the strategy. Indeed, I doubt that Gov. Palin actually heard the comments in real time, but why not come out after the fact to set the record straight?

It's no surprise that there is a temporal correlation between the rise in racist and violent sentiment at Palin rallies and the beginning of a new campaign strategy to make Americans fear Barack Obama. Just listen to the statements of McCain supporters and you'll see that the talking points are taking hold - he's Muslim, this is a Christian nation, he hates whites, the blacks will take over, he's friends with terrorists...

Facts, and G. Gordon Liddy aside, as soon as the campaign started hearing this nonsense it should have made a full frontal assault against the misguided supporters. I commend Sen. McCain for speaking out against some very public smears against Sen. Obama, but it appeared half-hearted at best. This is especially true as the bile spouted by Gov. Palin is far worse, and far more dangerous, and has yet to yield a public comment urging restraint from the Governor.

Gov. Palin seems quite content that she has succeeded in making some misinformed Americans afraid of her ticket's opponent. I sincerely hope that this does not end with a violent attack against Senator Obama, at the hands of one so-inspired "Real American."

It's official.

2008-10-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

So despite the fact that most of the media are consumed by discussing the (obviously important) economic woes of the world, and the fact that the McCain campaign is dismissing the report, the Alaska Legislature's investigation gives no doubt that Sarah Palin abused her power as Governor of the state.

But, Palin supporters say, the report specifically said that Gov. Palin acted within her powers when firing Walt Monegan.

Indeed, but this has nothing to do with her abuse of power. There are two separate issues:

1) Gov. Palin tried to have Trooper Wooten fired, and exerted pressure, directly and indirectly through her office.

2) Gov. Palin fired Walt Monegan when he refused to fire Trooper Wooten.

On the second issue, the Legislature found that while the refusal of Walt Monegan to fire Trooper Wooten certainly contributed to his dismissal, there was nothing illegal about the manner in which he was dismissed.

On the first issue, however, the legislature clearly found that Gov. Palin inappropriately used her office and her official power as Governor to settle a personal dispute. She also permitted her husband to act inappropriately through the Governor's office. This action is a violation of Alaska state ethics law.

GOV PALIN BROKE THE LAW.

Not by firing Walt Monegan, but by inappropriately attempting to have Trooper Wooten fired. While the McCain campaign is focusing on the first point, it is ignoring the second.

And I am deeply disturbed that the media have allowed this news to be put out with the trash, to use a West Wing phrase, by having the news announced late on a Friday evening, and subsequently ignoring it. It's time for the media to step up and talk about the fact that a running VP candidate was just found to have violated ethics law in her home state. Come on people!

The Debate...

2008-10-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Gov. Palin managed not to fall down on stage or call Joe Biden "Satan."

Overall she performed as I expected, but probably much better than most Americans expected, given recent interviews. She was certainly folksy and chipper, but she also evidently lacked substance and was perhaps too folksy. The "shout-out" to the 3rd grade class in AK was a bit ridiculous - this is a debate about being VP of the US, not the PTA.

What I noticed most was just how obnoxious Gov. Palin was. She certainly had a few good zingers (which I can appreciate from a gamesmanship perspective), but her delivery was so snarky and rude. Wow. I almost felt dirty watching her and I was forced to cringe a few times.

I also wanted to cry. That's because Gov. Palin answered exactly zero questions. Zero. Zero. Zero. None. Zero. Not one.

Zero.

It was truly amazing, if not terribly surprising. I know all politicians do it, but she has made it a fine art. I wonder if she even knows how good she is at this one thing...

Wow...

2008-09-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Spiritual advice for Sarah Palin from her Pastor...

Is the McCain campaign shooting itself in the foot?

2008-09-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

We've all heard about the culture wars. We know from a variety of opinion and exit polls during the last few election cycles that Americans without a college degree lean towards the Republican party while those with a college education or more lean Democratic. For the Republican party of late, this seems to have become a sense of pride.

"Yay, the undereducated voters love us!"

"They're the REAL Americans!"

"F*** you, elitists!" (of course an elitist is defined as someone with: consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group - so aren't the Republicans being elitist by knocking Democratic elitists?)

Ok, maybe those aren't direct quotes, but I think they capture the mood of the election. I'll ask only briefly why this is acceptable in a country where we advocate so strongly for the opportunity to access higher education - shouldn't we trust the people who seek more knowledge? Anyway...

The Palin selection has solidified the McCain campaign's standing with undereducated voters. A recent Post/ABC poll puts the margin among white voters without a college education at 17% for McCain. The McCain campaign couldn't be happier about this.

But aside from asking if this is good for the nation (it obviously isn't), one has to ask if it is good for Republicans. George Will's recent skewering of Sen. McCain suggests that perhaps it isn't. Indeed, Palin's selection as a running mate has energized the conservative christian wing of the Republican party. But the intellectual side of the party seems truly dismayed. I commented recently on negative feelings about Palin's isolation, anti-intellectualism, and lack of experience, but it seems there may in fact be a stronger backlash among the "elites" of the Conservative movement.

Excitement about the Republican ticket has waned in the past few weeks. Assuming that the Christian Conservatives who vote pretty much only on abortion and other cultural issues haven't shifted allegiance or excitement, that really leaves the more intellectual conservatives as the group losing faith in the ticket.

At the end of the day, the Republican party is catering not just to anti-intellectual sentiments, but also anti-education and anti-thought. Decisions are to be made with your gut, as per Colbert. While I strongly disagree with many conservative intellectuals, I think it is helpful for them to be strong actors in their party - at least they're thinking about tough issues. The more the Republicans slip towards mocking the educated, the less likely these players will be involved.

Thanks Sarah Palin.

Roads to nowhere

2008-09-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

There was a great exchange on CNN today where a former Palin aide-turned McCain campaign spokesman was asked why the Governor allowed an access road to the famed "Bridge to Nowhere" to be built after the bridge project had been killed.

The spokesman, Meg Stapleton, indicated that there was nothing that the Governor could do as the contracts had already been signed and the money given to AK. Asked if the Governor could have stopped the project she responded "I'll get back to you [paraphrasing]."

Well, the Governor was able to cancel the contract, and was also able to RETURN the federal earmark to the federal government.

Remember "Thanks, but no thanks?" or "If we wanted that [road to the] bridge we would have built it ourselves?"

Well why not stop it? Why not build it yourself using non-federal funds?

Gov. Palin? Anyone?

Questions? Anyone?

2008-09-23T18:21:00.001-07:00

I know everyone is talking about this already, but I think it's worth pointing out that the McCain campaign tried to block any press coverage (other than photo-ops) of the Palin meetings at the UN.

Why no questions? Because the media are letting her and the McCain campaign get away with it. Yes, there was a mini-revolt among the press corps today which got a total of about 1 minute of video coverage and (still) no questions asked or answered. And yes, the liberal pundits are upset, but why is the McCain campaign allowed to do this?

Fundamentally I do not understand how any candidate for office can be allowed to campaign without being asked questions. The American people deserve more than soundbites - they deserve answers.

So, media - I know you're upset...why not do something about it? Don't allow the McCain campaign to issue ANY talking points on ANY issue so long as Gov. Palin is unavailable. And don't throw Sean Hannity at me - he's a partisan hack, not a journalist. I'd love to see the media exercise their pair, as suggested by SNL.

What I (Don't) Like About You.

2008-09-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times...

Wow. Seems that Republicans love Sarah Palin for all the same reasons they claim to hate Barack Obama.

Subpoenas

2008-09-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

So I'll start with this - if you or I decided to simply ignore a subpoena we would be facing legal action and likely jail time. Even if you or I hired an incredibly expensive celebrity lawyer, ignoring a subpoena would likely land us in the clink.

So how is it that over the past few years the Republican strategy for dealing with legally justified subpoenas which may become a political liability has simply become, "Ignore them and they will go away?" And how is it that they seem to be right?!?

Campaign surrogates can hem and haw over the politicization of the investigation in AK. Nevermind the bipartisan (10R, 4D) panel which commissioned the investigation in the first place, or the fact that one of the three votes supporting the subpoenas came from a Republican legislator. Oh yeah, also pay no attention to the fact that the investigation started before Gov. Palin was running for office. However, the law is the law, and the legislature in AK has the right to hold investigations and has the right to issue subpoenas. Anyone issued such a subpoeana is legally compelled to comply, unless they are running for *STATE* office. Failure to comply can result in a fine and jail time.

First, the McCain camp is lying or horribly confused about the "spirit of the law" regarding candidates for office. There is no indication at all that this clause applies to candidates for office outside of the state, and moreover, it only applies to the candidate. Mr. Palin has no right to be exempted at all under this clause. And yet the McCain campaign uses this line of defense. I personally think that this is a political calculation, not a misinterpretation of law.

It's understood that punitive action cannot be taken unless the state legislature is in session, and conveniently, they won't reconvene in AK until January. After the elections of course. Why is this transparent attempt to forestall a potentially damaging investigation until after the election not being cited for what it is - an attempt to deceive the American people.

If Gov. Palin has done nothing wrong, let the investigation show this, and let's all move on. If not, then let the investigation expose whatever was improper and let the American people be properly informed. If it doesn't matter to them, so be it, but at least they should know.

This is part of a larger trend, however, as we have seen by recent congressional investigations. The Bush administration's lawyers have tied themselves (and the law) in knots in order to justify administration staff members ignoring subpoenas to testify before congress. And what has happened? Nothing.

This is an affront to the rule of law. Too bad the opposition may be in control of congress. If my ideological allies were being called to testify, and their testimony was compelled by the force of law, I'd expect them to appear and answer all questions honestly. The weight of their answers should determine the ramifications, so long as the investigation is carried out legally, and even if it is politically motivated (THERE IS NOT SUGGESTION THAT THIS IS THE CASE AT PRESENT).

Just remember - even if you're a Republican - you'd be going to jail if you did what the Palins are now attempting. We cannot allow our legislators and executive branch members to be above the law. If we do, we're ushering in the demise of our constitutional form of government. Might as well just coronate some random king.

It just keeps going

2008-09-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I've been too frustrated to post anything this week.

So much has happened on so many fronts, but I'd like to address one thing here:
Spousal Privilege (I'll put aside my outrage about noncompliance with subpoenas for now - more of the same Bush tactics).

There was a fair bit of discussion this week over the notion of Mr. Todd Palin serving as a shadow governor, included on state correspondence and going on state trips on behalf of his wife. When asked whether it was appropriate for Mr. Palin to be included on official state emails, a McCain campaign spokesman suggested that spousal privilege allows for it.

Are you serious? How are media outlets not killing them for this?

Spousal privilege permits a spouse to not testify against a party in a civil/criminal action and provides some other protections - effectively, communications between husband and wife are considered confidential. See the wikipedia entry for a nice description.

This does not have anything to do with the notion that anyone can share company, trade, state, or federal secrets with a spouse just by virtue of being married. So, first of all, the legal reasoning offered by the campaign is false, but moreover, this raises serious questions about what Gov. Palin might do as VP.

If Mr. Palin fails to obtain a federal government security clearance, would Mrs. Palin consider it appropriate to share the most sensitive national secrets with him, and then claim spousal privilege? The privilege in question is not a right to information, but rather a right to remain silent.

I'm sickened that the McCain campaign is not being called on this lie.

What's next?

Ouch.

2008-09-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

The New York Times had an absolutely damning article about Gov. Sarah Palin's governing style over the weekend.

At the end of the day we can sum it up this way: Sarah Palin is George Bush with lipstick.

The article describes Palin's cronyism, appointing friends and perceived political loyalists to highly paid posts in her administration. Just like President Bush. It describes a tactic explicitly endorsed to politically insulate her administration in the event of investigations: using personal emails to conduct state business. Just like the Bush Administration. It describes aggressive counterattacks against critics. Just like what President Bush has done.

This is frightening. I thought the "More of the Same" line from the Obama campaign was clever, but it has turned out to be more true that I expected.

Small Town Values

2008-09-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Is Sarah Palin exploiting the notion of "Small Town Values," only to turn on the inhabitants of said small towns once in power?

From the Wall Street Journal we find this opinion piece explaining why people in the heartland should shy away from the phony appeals of the McCain campaign.

It perpetually surprises me to learn how little most Americans actually know about the positions of candidates for national office. If the media actually held campaigns accountable for their false claims, and ceased running sensationalist stories I think the public would be much better informed, and would likely vote overwhelmingly against the Republican Party.

Can't believe I forgot about this...

2008-09-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Alask Gov. Sarah Palin apparently doesn't understand what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are.

From the NY Times:
“They’ve gotten too big and too expensive to taxpayers,” she said. “The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help.”

Unfortunately for Gov. Palin, of course, these two entities are *PRIVATE*, and are only federally guaranteed. Is she suggesting that a McCain-Palin administration will reform private enterprise? Would this include the oil companies? How about the alcoholic beverage industry?

Gov. Palin seems not to understand the difference between private entities and government agencies. I suppose this is completely in line with the Hard-Right Republican perspective - government exists only to further enrich corporate interests to the point that they become indistinguishable from government itself.

Freudian slip, Gov. Palin?

Lipstick on a pig...

2008-09-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Oy.

The fact that I even have to write a post about this is ridiculous. However sad it may be, I have to admit that the McCain campaign's crocodile tears over an invented "sexist" remark (about John McCain) are great politically.

It truly depresses me that American politics has devolved to a he said/she said battle, while issues are completely ignored by the media.

Why is the McCain campaign allowed to make things up and have them reported as if they were facts? If the McCain campaign reported that some Obama remark was an indication that he was actually from Mars, the media would report it as if it were fact instead of either ignoring it or calling it what it is - a fabrication.

The media have be objective, but they also have to expose lies for what they truly are. Otherwise, they serve no useful role and should be discarded.

"Demonstrably False"

2008-09-09T20:11:00.001-07:00

That was the description of the McCain-Palin campaign line about Gov. Palin opposing the "Bridge to Nowhere." (Mark Halperin from Time Magazine, on CNN's AC360, 9/9/08).

My question is why the national media treats this as one of many issues, and only reports it as "Democrats say..."

That's garbage. The truth is well-known by the media, but they fail to report it as such. The statement is simply untrue. There is no debate about it. DO NOT REPORT IT AS IF THERE IS SOME DEBATE OVER THE ISSUE.

Just because the McCain campaign repeats the line does not mean it is somehow less false.

This is making me insane...

Ah Stewart...

2008-09-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Thou art a political genius...

By which I mean you actually listen to what people say and hold them accountable for their statements.

From Comedy Central we get a lovely skewering of the right-wing pundits...in their own words.

In every case presented they were for it before they were against it. Sometimes, however, they were against it before they were for it. Two examples:

Experience - Karl Rove denigrates the resume of Tim Kaine calling the possibility of his selection as Sen. Obama's VP as crassly political. He then invokes the inverse arguments in his support for Gov. Palin.

Sexism - Clinton was a whiner, but Palin is a victim of systemic sexism. You can see the details for yourself.

Why do the media not pick up on these things? Why are these ridiculous talking heads permitted to serve as "experts" providing their "opinions" (Read: the party line) on television without being challenged on their own reversals or bias? Frankly, this isn't only a symptom of the right, but it seems to be much more common. That's just my perception however. At the end of the day, I want unbiased experts providing analysis instead of the party line from either side.

I thought I was original...

2008-09-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I'm not as original as I thought...

A quick search just found this webpage:
www.stopsarahpalin.com

I have no idea who runs this website, but I hope that we can bring some perspective to this race...

Does Gov. Palin mix Politics and Religion?

2008-09-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

You bet she does...

From CNN.com

Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."

This is terrifying. It suggests a weak executive who is unable to justify decisions or policy positions without invoking a higher power. Why not just explain why people should support your position on the pipeline? Because you can't, so you exploit the religious faith of your friends and neighbors.

That is not Christian behavior. It's manipulation.

Questions for Gov. Palin

2008-09-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here are two questions for Gov. Palin...

What happened to the $223 Million in federal funds associated with the "Bridge to Nowhere" which you claim to have opposed?

Since you claim to be a reformer opposed to Congressional Pork, (invoking The West Wing) can we have it back please?

Why is the McCain campaign getting away with lies about Gov. Palin?

2008-09-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

I know that the media are afraid of being hit with the "liberal bias" tag, but that doesn't mean they should abdicate their role in challenging the falsehoods being put out by the Republican Party on behalf of Gov. Palin.

So many statements about Gov. Palin have been shown to be exaggerated, or untrue. Here's a sampling...

1) Ms. Palin aggressively sought earmarks for her tiny town of ~ 7000! This contrary to campaign claims that she is a "reformer" who fights against Congressional Pork.

2) Ms. Palin only opposed the "Bridge to Nowhere" after the issue became an issue of public derision. Further, she didn't give the Federal money back, and accepted it for general use by the state! Unlabeled pork is still pork!

3) Ms. Palin sold the state jet on eBay. This is reminiscent of the Clinton claims about landing in Bosnia under sniper fire - it's just not true. Ms. Palin did list the jet on eBay, but sold it to a private Broker. But she also sold it for a loss, contrary to claims by Senator McCain himself.

4) Ms. Palin claimed, via the McCain campaign, to have had executive experience through her command of the Alaska National Guard. Interviews with the leadership of the guard show this to be untrue. In fact, she abdicated her authority to the commander of the guard, even in emergencies.

I'll discuss other issues in the future, and will lay out in detail how Ms. Palin is a pawn of the Republican Right - a relatively unknown figure similar to President Bush was when he became a candidate - who is being used for the benefit of the party, and at the great expense of the American people.

Help fight against Sarah Palin!

Some thoughts...

2008-09-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Governor Sarah Palin terrifies me. It's not because she pretends she's some kind of pitbull, or because she enjoys hunting wolves from aircraft, but because she has so plainly been preened by the radical right wing of the Republican party. That's right, those same folks who brought you the last eight years of the Bush Presidency, deride the "reality based" set, and claim that this election will not be decided on issues.

With that said, let me now say that her family is off limits. I will not criticize her family, their decisions, etc. I will focus on the issues. And more than that, I will not lie about them for political gain. After all, what do I really have to gain by lying? I'm not running for office...

A good starting point

2008-09-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

For those interested in learning a bit more about the specious manner in which Gov. Palin has been portrayed by the McCain campaign, see Frank Rich's column in the NY Times.
Palin and McCain's Shotgun Marriage

2008-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin is a tool of the radical right and must be stopped!