The Palindroid Debate

I watched the debate last night while chewing on a ball of tin foil to distract me from the horrors on the teevee. Fortunately, the republican debate preparation team were able to stuff enough canned answers into Palindroid to save me great pain. Some unseen person would pull a string at her back, but do not interrupt her or she'll lose her place.

Avoiding a complete meltdown just isn't good enough these days, especially for the number two of a 72-year-old chancy-cancy nominee. Still, some particularly bad gaffe's Sarah committed did not escape me. Calling Joe Biden's college professor's wife a "school teacher" and saying "she'll get her reward in heaven," was at the minimum disrespectful, but mostly downright vicious, considering Joe lost his first wife in a traffic accident.

Someone also needs to tell Sarah Palin what "achilles heel" means.

Sarah closed her comments by quoting Ronald Reagan:

It was Ronald Reagan who said that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction. We don't pass it to our children in the bloodstream; we have to fight for it and protect it, and then hand it to them so that they shall do the same, or we're going to find ourselves spending our sunset years telling our children and our children's children about a time in America, back in the day, when men and women were free.

This quote actually came from Reagan warning of the pending doom America would face by enacting Medicare. Is the head of the Republican party "Wrinkly and Winky" promising to protect us from Medicare? How will the over 60 crowd react to this position?

Before the debate, CBS aired another piece of the Palin interview where she said Cheney's worse moment was the "duck hunting accident."

I think America has had enough of incompetence in the White House.

Aide For Palin

I watched the interview from the chirpy little tart, Katie Couric, conducted with Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin . Trying to make the "proximity" point of foreign policy experience is difficult from a polished debater, which Bible Spice clearly is not. She is not even coherent, to the point it was painful, even pitiful to watch. Since I am a good liberal who hates to see other people suffer so badly, I will lend a hand.

"Gosh Katie, it really is the silly season isn't it? (flash spectacular smile here) I can understand how non-Alaskans may be confused about this, but they haven't lived their entire lives and spent every waking moment in the shadows of the evil empire, which by the way, is re-surging. As to how that relates to foreign policy experience, I am acutely aware of the very real existence of anti-democratic forces."

It really isn't that difficult to fashion a coherent response to a question you absolutely, positively know is coming. Either Palin is totally clueless, her ideology is so wacked out extreme she must spout gibberish lest the fanaticism show through, or her handlers really suck. None of these are good options that America can risk.

And by the way, New York is closer to Moscow than Anchorage.

Ask The Question

Wolf Blitzer of CNN had The Donald on the Situation Room today and asked him about Sarah Palin. Donald Trump gushed effusively about Governor Palin and had harsh words for Joe Biden. We wonder what he would do if one of his apprentices built a building on land without a clear title.
From a report filed by Randi Kaye, a CNN reporter:

WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- The sports complex that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's supporters call her most visible legacy as mayor of her hometown left the town paying inflated prices for the land and huge legal bills, according to court records.

The complex features a soccer field, a running track and an indoor hockey rink with heated seats. Palin campaigned for a sales tax increase to finance the $14.7 million project, winning approval for the half-cent levy by a margin of 20 votes.

Palin is now the Republican nominee for vice president. Her supporters call the arena the crowning achievement of her 1996-2002 tenure as mayor.

"She really was very, very passionate about this right from the start," Wasilla Recreation Manager Bruce Urban said.

But the city never obtained clear property to the title until this year, after a lengthy court battle with developer Gary Lundgren, who owned part of the land on which the complex sits.
[...]

So, Donald, in your world is Sarah Palin a keeper? How about some more information on her management skills and business acumen...

[...]
"She inherited the city with no debt, and suddenly we have a lot of debt," she said. "I don't think that labels her as a true fiscal conservative."
[...]

Of course the term that does define her is "credit card conservative," of the neocon Bush/Cheney mold. Here is the bottom line, Donald:

[...]

The city originally paid $145,000 for part of the land. The rest of it was valued at about $21,000.

It ended up paying more than $1.5 million, not counting its own legal fees.

[...]

Not a very impressive showing if you ask me. I couldn't believe the whole segment. The Donald looked like a foolish hack and Wolf looked like a fanboy.

What We Know About Sarah Palin

She took over as mayor of a small town in Alaska with the population of slightly over 5,000 people and virtually no debt and left office with over $20 million in long term debt, or about $3000 in debt per person. This was primarily due to a sports complex built through an increase in sales tax which Sarah Palin advocated, but not obtaining clear title to the land. A legal battle continues today, which has significantly raised the price. A wastewater treatment facility was needed, but the sports complex is what they got. However, Palin is labeled a "fiscal conservative."

This is in line with the Bush McCain definition of fiscal conservatism as well.

One of the biggest symbols of political pork, the famous "bridge to nowhere" has been roundly renounced by Governor Palin multiple times:

Palin claimed she “championed reform of earmark spending by Congress, and I told the Congress thanks but no thanks on that ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’” she said, ommiting [sic] mention that she’d campaigned for governor supporting the bridge. [Albuquerque, NM, 9/6/08]

PALIN: And I’ve championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, on that “Bridge to Nowhere.” [Dayton, OH, 8/29/08]

PALIN: I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere. [St. Paul, MN, 9/3/08]

This is an outright falsehood. Before this particular issue became so radioactive, Governor Palin actively supported it. Is this an example of "straight talk" we can expect from the judgement of John McCain?

Governor Palin is running on the message of "reform" promising to shake-up the good old boy network. As mayor of Wassilla, she hired a lobbying group and received the services of Steven W. Silver, former chief of staff to the recently indicted senior senator of Alaska, Ted Stevens. All told, the small town of Wasilla received nearly $27 million dollars worth of earmarks during Palin's administration.

Indeed, during her tenure as Governor, Alaska continues to lead the nation in federal earmarks on a per capita basis.

I find Sarah Palin's claims about being a reformer, being against pork and willing to shake up the good old boys network to be disingenuous. Hopefully, she will address these inconsistencies soon by sitting down with someone who will ask her to square these things up. Hopefully, they will stay away from her personal life.

Further Questions About Governor Palin

I am deeply concerned that John McCain has selected as his running mate someone closely affiliated with a separatist group who has their own National Anthem and does not fly the flag of the United States. This is not a small matter like choosing to wear a lapel pin or not. If someone chooses to belong to a radical separatist group or march in peace rallies is of little concern to me, but when a Presidential nominee chooses his Vice President that is associated with an group who is anti-American at their core, it is a matter of grave concern.

This matter cannot be shouted down as sexist or any other "attack the messenger" modus operandi generally employed by the right-wing. Any dissension about our invasion of Iraq has been met by "troop hater" and "un-American" by Bush apologists and have made careers out of trying to "out-patriot" those who disagree with their positions.

Their standard bearer is John McCain and his very first Presidential decision, indeed the ONLY Presidential decision a candidate can make, is the choice of his second in command who has questionable loyalties to this country.

John McCain cannot salvage this disaster. Even if Governor Palin resigns for "family reasons" it will remain a very black cloud on the judgement of John McCain.

h/t The General