Lieberman: ‘Thank God’ Palin won’t have to ‘be president from day one’ because she's woefully unequipped to be president, has no idea what the vice president does, hasn't been outside the country much at all, knows little to nothing about energy policy and believes she already knows everything she needs to know about everything.
In short, Sarah Palin is a dangerously unqualified candidate and John McCain's selection of her will go down as one of the (many) super-sized screw ups he's made since the campaign got going. Not the least of which was publicly swearing to not engage in negative campaigning when he's been nothing but negative for months.
McCain is going to lose, Sarah Palin will head back to Alaska (hopefully) and the nation will start to move forward and upward again after resting in the GOP muck stew for all these years.
But Joe Liebermann doesn't care about any of that, he's sore because McCain wasn't allowed to select him as his running mate which would have completed his transformation to the dark side and he would have gotten that totally evil red light saber he's wanted for years.
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
New Togs on a Pig and She's Still a Pig
Pricey new duds aren't helping Palin in polls but then neither is her shockingly shallow pool of knowledge helping.
But far more importantly, the article goes on to say:
"The poll of 1,159 registered voters from Oct. 17 to 20 found that 47 percent viewed Palin negatively; 38 percent saw her in a positive light. The poll found that 55 percent felt she wasn't qualified to be president."
To which I'd ask, only 55%? What the hell is the other 45% of the country smoking that thinks she is qualified? What has she done that even begins to make her qualified? Mayor of a podunk town in Alaska, Governor of a podunk state (the rape capital of the nation, you betcha!).
And there's that inability to tell the truth that's more than a little troubling too. But you keep attacking Obama, Sarah, it is so becoming when a pretty lady lies through her teeth with a wink and a waggle of a finger.
Or just head for home now, Sarah. The GOP will probably let you keep your $150k new wardrobe as a parting gift.
But far more importantly, the article goes on to say:
"The poll of 1,159 registered voters from Oct. 17 to 20 found that 47 percent viewed Palin negatively; 38 percent saw her in a positive light. The poll found that 55 percent felt she wasn't qualified to be president."
To which I'd ask, only 55%? What the hell is the other 45% of the country smoking that thinks she is qualified? What has she done that even begins to make her qualified? Mayor of a podunk town in Alaska, Governor of a podunk state (the rape capital of the nation, you betcha!).
And there's that inability to tell the truth that's more than a little troubling too. But you keep attacking Obama, Sarah, it is so becoming when a pretty lady lies through her teeth with a wink and a waggle of a finger.
Or just head for home now, Sarah. The GOP will probably let you keep your $150k new wardrobe as a parting gift.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Further Embarrassment of Sarah Palin
Palin on whether she’s intellectual: ‘Yehhh-sss.’
Which is to say, she thinks she's very bright and articulate and knowledgeable about the universe. The only problem is that we all know better.
We know she chooses to not believe in global warming, we know she does not subscribe to evolutionary theory, we know she believes abstinence-only sex-ed works despite her own flippin' pregnant 17 year old daughter, we know she abused her power as governor, we know she is pathologically incapable of admitting she messed (a core Republican value if there ever was one) and we also know that she has zero problems in parroting thoroughly debunked lies about Barack Obama.
We also know she's dangerously incompetent and an outright boldfaced repeat offender liar.
It is nice to know she's already got her next gig lined up as a talking head/GOP spouter for Fox News after her ticket gets punched the fuck out on November 4.
Which is to say, she thinks she's very bright and articulate and knowledgeable about the universe. The only problem is that we all know better.
We know she chooses to not believe in global warming, we know she does not subscribe to evolutionary theory, we know she believes abstinence-only sex-ed works despite her own flippin' pregnant 17 year old daughter, we know she abused her power as governor, we know she is pathologically incapable of admitting she messed (a core Republican value if there ever was one) and we also know that she has zero problems in parroting thoroughly debunked lies about Barack Obama.
We also know she's dangerously incompetent and an outright boldfaced repeat offender liar.
It is nice to know she's already got her next gig lined up as a talking head/GOP spouter for Fox News after her ticket gets punched the fuck out on November 4.
Rallying Teh Hate!
As of 2:15 today, 70 percent of respondents to the completely unscientific poll on SFGate indicated that Sarah Palin's rallies are nothing but hate fueled screamfests that do nothing to help the nation and actually go further in dividing us.I've seen some of her rallies and they remind me more and more of old footage of Hitler's rallies. Sure, she's better looking but the words, the tenor and the actions are very similar just as the results are. Its easy to stir up idiots and pretty much anyone who supports Sarah Palin is, by definition, an idiot.
What Sarah Palin represents is a monumental step backwards to about the 1950's when McCarthyism reared its ugly head. She wants to root out the bad Americans, she wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, she wants to teach creationism in our schools.
I have no respect for someone with so little to add to the national debate and wants to take away so much.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
I'll Take Abuse of Power for $1000, Alex
Lots of pressure from Palins, aides to remove trooper but its alright because Sarah Palin's campaign officials investigated the charges against her and the report her team came up with totally clears her (in fact, I think she was able to conclude that Barack Obama was the one who was actually trying to remove the trooper).
Seriously, this woman demonized, attacked and obsessed over a state trooper who'd been married to her sister. The divorce was ugly and the Palin clan wanted some payback.
The fact that she abused her power to do so is completely fine in Sarah Palin's playbook. She plays to win, no matter who's kneecap gets whacked with a lead pipe.
Desperation politics are an ugly, ugly thing. I hope John McCain is honorable enough to be ashamed at how low he's sunk.
I don't expect a Bibleheaded idiot like Palin would ever feel shame for anything, even if she just show a baby wolf from an airplane. (why yes, that is a new word, thanks for asking! It'll go up in my Fictionarium shortly).
Seriously, this woman demonized, attacked and obsessed over a state trooper who'd been married to her sister. The divorce was ugly and the Palin clan wanted some payback.
The fact that she abused her power to do so is completely fine in Sarah Palin's playbook. She plays to win, no matter who's kneecap gets whacked with a lead pipe.
Desperation politics are an ugly, ugly thing. I hope John McCain is honorable enough to be ashamed at how low he's sunk.
I don't expect a Bibleheaded idiot like Palin would ever feel shame for anything, even if she just show a baby wolf from an airplane. (why yes, that is a new word, thanks for asking! It'll go up in my Fictionarium shortly).
Can You Relate to Sarah Palin?
Jay sent me a link to a column on Anderson Cooper's site, Palin’s female fans: Why they can relate and the article is all puff but the comments are gold.
Have a read and get an idea of how appalled much of America is with her selection for this incredibly important and demanding possible position. Here, here's a taste of the well written dismissals that await you:
Enjoy! And don't forget to check those poll numbers.
Have a read and get an idea of how appalled much of America is with her selection for this incredibly important and demanding possible position. Here, here's a taste of the well written dismissals that await you:
He could have chosen a competent woman, but instead chose this incompetent, dishonest, ignorant, narrowminded, religious fanatic. I have nothing against religion. What I am against are people like Sarah Palin that have the same exact views as terrorist leaders. They believe that the ENTIRE country should abide by their own religious rules. This is wrong and this is exactly why Religion and State must be kept separate.or how about this one?
I find her calculating, cunning and ambitious but sorely lacking in basic intelligence and analytical skills and reasoning. She is ignorant, pure and simple. Her views on abortion are repugnant to me. The very idea that this woman thinks that abortion should be banned even in the case of rape or incest, shows her blatant insensitivity and callousness. Her belief in creationism and rejection of scientific fact is another reason for me to disrespect her.Solid quality smackdowns of the worst vp candidate in the history of our country (and yes, that includes Dan Quayle).
Enjoy! And don't forget to check those poll numbers.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Nonsense Posing as Logic: The Sarah Palin Interview Generator
Need to get a handle on how off-the-handle Sarah Palin and her bizarre combination of lack of knowledge and eagerness to disprove that lack of knowledge and the ability to parrot talking points almost as well Elizabeth "Forehead as big as an aircraft carrier" Hasselbeck on The View.
Go and Interview Palin to get some penetrating insight into just how shallow her knowledge runs.
Found via the ever-entertaining Oliver Willis.
Go and Interview Palin to get some penetrating insight into just how shallow her knowledge runs.
Found via the ever-entertaining Oliver Willis.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Proximity Is Not Experience
Palin: Alaska’s proximity to Russia ‘certainly does’ give me foreign policy experience.» Just as window shopping isn't the same thing as buying stuff. Just as seeing someone do something on TV isn't the same as doing it yourself.
Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience is overshadowed by my 8 year old nephew's foreign policy experience (granted he's been all over the world and wasn't raised by wolves in a cave in Alaska but still).
That Sarah Palin is defending her utterly ridiculous statements just helps demonstrate ever more often how deeply out of her league she is and what an awful selection she has been.
Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience is overshadowed by my 8 year old nephew's foreign policy experience (granted he's been all over the world and wasn't raised by wolves in a cave in Alaska but still).
That Sarah Palin is defending her utterly ridiculous statements just helps demonstrate ever more often how deeply out of her league she is and what an awful selection she has been.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
About Sarah Palin, an Email from Wasilla, Alaska
Emailed to me earlier today. I cleaned up the formatting and removed the name attributions to protect the vulnerable (and because she asked this to not be posted to sites with her information attached). Actually, she asked it to not be posted at all and for people to use email to send it around. But what she writes is important, revealing and needs to be distributed. I hope she isn't too upset about it.
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 he 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 initiative 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 unconstitutional).
- 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 (Xxxx Xxxxxxxx + 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.
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 he 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 initiative 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 unconstitutional).
- 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 (Xxxx Xxxxxxxx + 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.
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