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There's nothing like the vice presidential nomination of a relatively unknown (and female) governor to push the Wikipedia edit machine into high gear.
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In selecting Governor Sarah Palin, Mccain has in one move:
# 1. Energized the conservative base, who were not that enthusiastic about McCain in the first place, to now vote for McCain. Gov Palin is a strong pro-life, pro 2nd amendment, strongly pro right of ordinary people to keep and bear arms as enshrined in the constitution, and as confirmed by a Supreme Court ruling just last month.
# 2. Gov Palin has a heck of a lot more executive expreinece than Obama or Biden, so anytime Obama and his attack dogs attack Palin on "lack of excpreince" they instead draw attention to Obama's total lack of exprience at runnung any tier of goverment in this country.
#3. Obama is the least experienced candidate for president in the last 100 years.
The guy's never run a city, he's never run a state, he's never run a business, he's never administered a goverment payroll, he's never led a mass of people in crisis (and no, "community organiser" don't count). Gov Palin makes obama look like a neophyte.
#4 . The rabid, nasty, low down smears and attacks by Obambi's hired guns at Daily Kos, and Democratic Underground, only solidifies conservative support for Gov. Palin
# 5. The Hilary Clinton supporters, who saw exactly the same nasty, sexist attacks from Obambi surrogates at MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS etc on Hilary Clinton during the primaries, are now out in arms at the orchestrated , nasty sexist attacks on Governor Palin, by the same Obama surrogates who attacked Hilarty Clinton. That's all good for Mccan, because the more Obama's vile attack dogs spew out sexist hate on Gov Palin, the more Hilary supprters who are going to vote for mcCain. Already Hiilary Clintom backers like former Democratic Party candidate Geraldine Ferraro, has strongly indicated that she could vote for mcCain/Palin.
I was unsure about Obama before, and had McCain picked Romney, it would have been a tough choice for me. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for making my decision so much easier.
Palin and her right wing, bad motherin' hunting self will never be one heartbeat away from the presidency if I can help it. I have to go cover my car in Obama stickers now.
"The status of the investigation is that Steve Branchflower is taking statements right now from former members of the administration, and scheduling other appointments with other members of the administration, up to, and including Governor Palin to find out the facts of what happened," said Senator Hollis French, who is in charge of the legislative
investigation of Palin.
Branchflower is looking into the events that led up to the firing of former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan. It is alleged that Monegan may have been fired for refusing to fire Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who went through a messy divorce with Palin's sister and is currently in the midst of a custody battle.
Regardless of Palin's status as the vice presidential nominee, many are calling for the investigation's continuance, "There is too much information to just erase it as a mistake," said Senator Lyda Green, a Republican from Wasilla, "It needs to be followed through very diligently, very carefully."
"The fact is the investigation will continue to go on regardless of governor Palin's position as the vice presidential nominee," said Andrew Halcro, who ran against Palin for governor in 2006.
Even though Governor Palin is now the vice president nominee, some have questioned her nomination whilst under a cloud of suspicion.
"I don't know how they would do that given the fact that Branchflower just began his investigation and there is a lot out there that is unknown," said Halcro.
"We certainly don't want to see anything like this on the national level if it is found there is abuse of powers on the state level," said Green.
More Governor Sarah Palin Articles
With the governor making her way into the national spotlight, many are asking whether or not this will affect her ongoing corruption investigation.
"In the middle of the investigation we don't have all the evidence, and so it's important for everyone to wait and see what comes out. The facts, not the opinion," said Senator French.
French says despite Palin joining the McCain presidency ticket, its business as usual to find the truth. "Mr. Branchflower is a very methodical, meticulous careful individual,
Sarah Palin: A Brief Timeline
Date Description
7-14-08 Charles Chuck Kopp named as Public Safety Commissioner
7-15-08 Chuck Kopp answers questions over allegations over sexual harassment
7-17-08 Allegations surface over Palin harassing trooper Wooten and possibly pressuring former commissioner Monegan to fire Wooten
7-25-08 Kopp resigns post as Public Safety Commissioner
7-28-08 State Legislative Council approves 100,000 Dollars to begin investigation against Palin misconduct
8-1-08 Retired prosecutor Steve Branchflower named as investigator for Palin investigation
8-13-08 Palin releases taped recording from board and Commissions Director Frank Bailey, reveals Bailey s attempts to pressure a trooper Lieutenant to fire Wooten
8-29-08 Investigation continues as Palin is named as VP nominee for Republican Partyhe knew it was going to be high profile, and I did too going in. It's higher profile but it certainly doesn't change the nature of the work that's going to be done, or the outcome," said French.
Former legislator and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Halcro has been a long-time critic of Palin, and says her problems with this investigation stem from her lack of managerial experience. "When you are a governor you are a manager, and one of my criticisms with Governor Palin is, she is not managing. And if she was managing Chuck Kopp, he would have been vetted better, and a letter of reprimand wouldn't be a surprise," said Halcro.
"If they were managing, the Walt Monegan situation wouldn't occur."
And as Palin hits the road campaigning for the White House, Halcro says that regardless of the cloud of suspicion under her, he has learned to never count her out.
"One thing I have learned campaigning against her in 2006," said Halcro, "I have a high respect for her and secondly, I've learned you never underestimate her."
Senator French has made assurances that Branchflower is working hard, interviewing people and that with his contract ending on October 31st, we should have a conclusion near that time for the investigation.
The investigation could conclude only four days prior to the general election for the next president and vice president of the United States.
- She doesn't practice her supposed religious convictions, apparently being pregnant when she was married.
- She doesn't believe the world is over populated and considers making babies as a god given right as opposed to a privilege with long term hands on responsibilities.
- She made the illogical risk/reward decision to gamble against the biological probability of Downs Syndrome by having a 5th child at 43 - and lost.
- Her available time and associated parenting skills were not sufficient to educate her daughter on basic reproductive science and the disadvantages of unplanned pregnancy to mother and child. She also supports the same kind of failed sex education or lack thereof in public schools.
- She doesn't believe in due process regarding firing government employees. Sort of like Alberto Gonzales.
- She is pro-censorship - especially when what she is censoring is criticism against her. I note that during the same time period that various poles rated her popularity with Alaskan's ranged from 85% to 35% (how's that possible) and with that contradictory range - wondered which poles were being censored and which manipulated?
- Her extreme fundamentalist religious leanings (even though her father was a science teacher) make likely to push the religious right's theocratic agenda.
- She has reversed numerous decisions when they became politically disadvantageous to her career, meaning she has no real convictions.
- She is an obsessed, ruthless competitor, without judgement, principle or intelligent vision, save the vision of her own power and glory.
The one question that keeps coming to mind for me is how many people go from being the mayor of a town with less than 10,000 residents to being governor to being a VP and proxy President in less than 10 years - without some extremely rich and powerful allies? How much did you say drilling in ANWR is worth to the oil interests? BTW her negotiating with the oil industry for bigger drilling royalties does not make her anti-oil, principled or anything else - anymore than you asking your boss for a raise does. It was in line with her own political needs.
No doubt Sara Palin is an aggressive competitor - which we expect. However her record for making unprincipled, illogical and corrupted decisions in both her personal and political life make her an extreme liability to this country. Not a liability as a funeral attending VP - but as Mc Cain funeral attending President. Considering the actuarial probability that Mc Cain will die early in office, her consideration as a VP is beyond the absurd, it is criminally negligent. Of course if Palin is only a pawn of certain self interest groups within the Republican party - she would make perfect sense to them.
Since Regan - the Republican Party powers-that-be have run "face" candidates. People with pleasant, camera loving, endearing faces that appeal to non-critical thinkers - but completely devoid of any personal conviction or real leadership abilities that aren't provided by their handlers. The office that the "faces" hold are totally controlled by the party power elite consisting of a melange of self interested, but related beneficiary corporate power centers - oil, military industrial complex, big healthcare and pharma, gambling, etc. Palin is a face no different and a graduate of the Rove school of politics. It's one short course consisting of learning to do exactly as you are able to do exactly what your handlers tell you.
Palin's very short record is one of rabid political ambition - benefiting those inline with her career self interests and oblivious to if not retaliatory to those in her way. Like Mc Cain she will throw anybody and any principle under her political dragster if she thinks it's expedient to her career. She has a long list of casualties lying in the path of her career - most notably her family and several fellow political associates. She maybe the most ultimate political opportunist in recent history - male or female. By self-centered, obsessed power seeking standards - she makes Hillary look like Ghandi. As such, she is more than an insult to intelligent moderates (especially career women who manage career and family successfully - Palin isn't successful because she's failed her family in so many ways), she is a real danger to moderate Republicans and Democrats, centrists and critical thinkers (regardless of their sex) - and just as much to the unaware uninformed.
She fought corruption even in her own party and won. Obama on the other hand, wallowed in, and benefitted from the most corrupt, sleazy political machine in the entire country, the notorious Chicago Democratic Party political machine.
It bears repeating: Obama is the least experienced candidate for president in the last 100 years, if not ever.
Obama had never run a city, he's never run a state, he's never run a business, he's never administered a goverment payroll, he's never led a mass of people in crisis. To quote Joe Biden, the presidency of these United States does not lend itself to on the job training.
A guy(Obama) who claims there are 57 states in America, has no business running for pesident of these United States. Obambi would be better off running for president of his fatherland, Kenya.
Palin runs a state with a total population less than that of Chicago. I wouldn't crow about her experience.
Last week, we all had to suffer through headline CNET doting coverage of the DNC convention on this site. This week, for the RNC convention, we have silence from CNET.
Her CNET if you are going to inisst on covering politics on this site, at least be decent enough to cover the conventions of BOTH parties, bot just the Democratic Party. We know you guys are biased, but at least make some effort to appear as if you are being fair and balanced, will you?
Sheesh!
- by bioeng September 9, 2008 7:07 AM PDT
- Palin was mayor of Wasillia, a city of about 5,000 (AAA Atlas list 5,600 in 2005). It had a city council type government that limited the authority of the mayor to little more than other members of the council. Then she became governor of Alaska, a state with a current population of 670,000, smaller than Memphis TN, the mayor of Memphis is more qualified than Palin. She is highly deceptive. regarding the bridge to no where, she lobbyed for it, hired a lobbyest to help get Federal money, then when opposition to the bridge was high she canceled the bridge, but kept the money, thumbing her nose at the rest of the U.S. Some "no thank you". She is deceptive about selling the state jet, it did not sell on e-Bay and was sold later well below its appraised value. Alaska gets about $300.00 Federal money per person each year, about 10 times the national average. Alaska taxes oil production increasing the cost of gasoline to all of us. Of course, Alaska wants more dirilling to collect more taxes without lowering the world wide price of crude, this country cannot produce enough to lower the world wide priice of crude. She has described herself as a pif bull with lipstick, a good description, a litter of 5, untrustworthy, a nasty bite, unpredictable, dangerous and living proof that abstenence as a policy still does not work, and never has. She would be an utter disaster as V.P or worse yet as president. Between her and McCain having the trigger finger would result in war, war, war and more war with further destruction of the economy..
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