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Election 2008

8 More Stories About Palin the Public Needs to Know

By AlterNet Staff, AlterNet. Posted September 10, 2008.


As she enters her second week as VP candidate, more shocking information emerges about Sarah Palin.
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It takes most politicians years to rack up the kinds of scandals, hypocrisies, and inconsistencies that have plagued Sarah Palin's candidacy in the week and a half since she catapulted to national attention. But the disturbing revelations about Palin's record as mayor and governor, and her positions on the issues, inexplicably just keep coming.

AlterNet has compiled a list of the 8 most recent revelations about McCain's VP pick that the public needs to know.

1. Palin paid herself to stay at home.

Sarah Palin is being trumpeted as a fiscal conservative. And it's true to a certain extent. She did cut funding for a program that helps teen moms get back on their feet. But as the Washington Post revealed today, Palin may not be a paragon of fiscal restraint after all. The Post reports that Palin paid herself a per diem allowance (money that's supposed to cover expenses accrued while traveling on state business) for the 312 days she spent in her home in Wasilla during her 19 months in office.

The Post also states that travel expenses for her husband and kids totaled $43,490.

According to former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, this is hardly par for the course in Alaska:

"I gave a direction to all my commissioners if they were ever in their house, whether it was Juneau or elsewhere, they were not to get a per diem because, clearly, it is and it looks like a scam -- you pay yourself to live at home,"
Furthermore:
... the policy was not to reimburse for family travel on commercial airlines, because there is no direct public benefit to schlepping kids around the state.
As Jane Hamsher at FireDogLake writes:
Palin and her husband both make six-figure incomes. They don't need to be chiseling the state for this money to live, and she sure isn't entitled to be running on fiscal responsibility when she's pocketing cash in a way that has a history of being regarded in Alaska as a "scam."
2. Next to Palin, even McCain looks like an economic genius.

Over the weekend Palin probably gave economic analysts throughout the land mini-strokes when she made an egregious misstatement about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the lending institutions at the heart of the housing market meltdown. During a speech in Colorado Springs, Palin stated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers."

While the two companies will soon face a takeover by the Treasury Department, they are currently privately owned. So any burden on taxpayers is in the future, when the government goes about the task of helping the lending giants out of their largely self-made mess.

As the Huffington Post reports, Palin's gaffe does not auger well for her ability to handle the complex economic issues that will dog the next administration:
"You would like to think that someone who is going to be vice president and conceivable president would know what Fannie and Freddie do," said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "These are huge institutions and they are absolutely central to our country's mortgage debt. To not have a clue what they do doesn't speak well for her, I'd say."
3. Palin's Wasilla charged rape victims for their sexual assault exams.

When Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the town's police department charged rape victims for their forensic testing.

In a May, 2000 article, the Frontiersman reported:
While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.
Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon stated:
"In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victims insurance company when possible. I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer," Fannon said.
Let's be clear: charging a person who has the strength to come forward after being sexually assaulted for their own examination isn't just insensitive, it is monstrous. And for victims to hear the Chief of Police say that he thinks it's right to charge the victim is horrifying.

Now let's talk about Palin's executive responsibility on this issue. As a blogger on BitchPhD points out:
One can only assume that she supported Wasilla's policy of billing rape victims for their own rape kits ... not only because Fannon was her appointee, but also because this was four years into her tenure as mayor and because, let's be honest: in a town of that size, the mayor doesn't get to plead ignorance of policies or public statements of her own chief of police.
[...]
Palin was willing to raise taxes to build a sports complex. Her police chief was unwilling to use public funds to investigate rapes.
This shit needs to be in the national news. And Palin and McCain need to answer some hard questions about it.
4. Palin may have rewarded serviceman with promotion for his about-face on her candidacy.

When the McCain campaign first announced that Palin would be joining the Republican ticket, most people thought they had just undercut their best attack against Obama: his supposed lack of experience. The McCain campaign was quick to answer concerns by parading Sarah Palin's position as Commander in Chief of the Alaskan National Guard as an example of executive leadership. But few bought the sale, knowing enough about the National Guard to realize that being Governor doesn't exactly make you a general.

This idea was backed up when the Adjutant General of Alaska's National Guard Major Craig Campbell reportedly told the Boston Globe that the Alaskan governor is not in the chain of command and has no authority over its operations. But Campbell's thoughts on the matter quickly changed, as Brandon Friendman reports for the Huffington Post:
But suddenly -- and strangely -- the commander of the Alaska National Guard, Major General Campbell, changed his story. By the end of the convention, he was praising Palin's experience, talking on TV about how she had taken control of Alaska's National Guard operations and how she was a "great" leader.
Interestingly enough, Palin promoted him with his third star -- to the rank of Lieutenant General -- only three days later.
Essentially, Campbell had been unhelpful to the campaign at the very least. But all of a sudden he became one of Palin's biggest supporters. And he was then promoted to be one of the two highest-ranking state National Guard officials in the country.
The timeline that Friedman lays out in his piece shows Campbell's full metamorphosis from a critic to a preacher of Palin's executive experience with the National Guard. Buying off a service-person with a quick promotion in order to get them to change their tune? Maybe the McCain Campaign is right -- maybe Palin does have the chops of an executive after all.

5. Palin isn't big on government transparency.

Sometimes, the public wants to know what its elected officials are doing. That's what Andree McCleod, an "independent government watchdog," tried to find out when she requested internal documents from Palin's office that she suspected linked top-Palin aides to an effort to oust Alaska's Republican Party Secretary. But, as Mother Jones reports, Palin's office withheld 1,100 emails from McCLeod, claiming the correspondence covered confidential policy matters. It didn't. As Mother Jones' David Corn points out:
... the subject lines of some of the withheld emails suggest they were not related to policy matters. Several refer to one of Palin's political foes, others to a well-known Alaskan journalist. Moreover, some of the withhold emails were CC'ed to Todd Palin, the governor's husband. Todd Palin -- a.k.a. the First Dude -- holds no official state position (though he has been a close and influential adviser for Governor Palin). The fact that Palin and her aides shared these emails with a citizen outside the government undercuts the claim that they must be protected under executive privilege.
As McLeod states, "When the finger is pointed at somebody else, she's all for accountability. When it's pointing at her, it's different."

6. Even Ed Koch, who supported President Bush, thinks Palin is "scary."

Former Mayor of New York Ed Koch is a bit of a controversial figure with a long political history. But the last race he got involved with was in 2004 and he endorsed George W. Bush. Koch not only endorsed Bush, but campaigned for him in six states including Florida; so, not exactly a passive endorsement. But now Koch is making it clear that he's endorsing Obama, and he's making his reason for switching sides clear: it's Palin. Ed Koch told Politico's Ben Smith what he thought of the new VP nominee, "She's scary." In his endorsement of Obama, Koch put the sentiment in writing, saying:
If the vice president were ever called on to lead the country, there is no question in my mind that the experience and demonstrated judgment of Joe Biden is superior to that of Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin is a plucky, exciting candidate, but when her record is examined, she fails miserably with respect to her views on the domestic issues that are so important to the people of the U.S., and to me. Frankly, it would scare me if she were to succeed John McCain in the presidency.
So a former Mayor who stumped for Bush in six (six!) different states is endorsing Barrack Obama because of Palin. And losing Koch doesn't just mean losing his vote, as Bush can probably tell you. Smith points out that Koch comes with a lot of other votes, especially in the sunshine state:
Koch is a member of a set of secular, swing-voting Jewish Democrats who may have been pushed away by the selection of Palin, and his endorsement may be a marker of an opportunity for Obama to strengthen his campaign among older Jewish voters in Florida.
7. Palin's views are so extremist her own friends may not vote for her.

ABC sent a reporter to Alaska for a hard-hitting interview with those "who know [Palin] best," a group of four women who met Palin in aerobics class. The interview revealed the earth-shattering news that Palin hates cats and likes white chocolate, but amid the fluff, something interesting and telling emerged: Palin's views on abortion are so right-wing that even some of her best friends are hesitant to vote for her. Three of the women stated that they were pro-choice, and two admitted that while they supported her as a friend they were not sure they would support her candidacy for vice-president. One refused to fess up, stating "my vote is between me and the voting booth."

8. Palin and Big Oil's interests: one and the same.

Ok, so let's pretend you're an oil exec. You're looking for a buddy in the White House. Sure, you've had some success in the political world recently with people buying "the drill here, drill now" rhetoric ... but what you really need is a go-to person who's tied up in your interests. McCain's coming around, but let's be honest, your go-to person is Sarah Palin. Because, as James Ridgeway at Mother Jones notes:
... she is an enthusiastic supporter of what the oil giants want most: to extract more oil and gas from Alaska and its adjoining waters. "We Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas," she said last week in her vice presidential acceptance speech. "And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: We've got lots of both."
Yep, there is a lot of oil up there. But what about those damn pesky environmentalists? Aren't a lot of these places off-limits because they're natural treasures or something?
... Palin's elevation to national office would help give the companies a free hand when it comes to extraction, with little concern for environmental impact: This spring, the state of Alaska announced that it would sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service to block the addition to the endangered species list of Alaska's polar bears -- which, if their habitat were protected, might pose an obstacle to the pipeline and other development. She has also opposed protecting beluga whales in waters slated for oil and gas drilling (and she has backed a plan that allows the aerial hunting of bears and wolves). She is a steadfast booster of opening ANWR to drilling (a move that McCain opposes). And she has said that while she is concerned about climate change, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."
All right! Except most people aren't oil executives who'll profit from Palin being in the White House. Most people are getting screwed at the pump while oil companies make record-breaking profits.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

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She hates cats?
Posted by: DR. LARRY MITCHELL on Sep 10, 2008 12:30 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was never in a million years going to vote for her, but THIS is too much!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: Wildman
» RE: Don't be silly: Posted by: photon's feather
» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: jeanna
» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: debmcd
» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: gzuckier
» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: WireHedd
» RE: She hates cats? Posted by: donl51
What a fellow Alaskan thinks of Hockey Puck Palin
Posted by: VetAgainst McCain on Sep 10, 2008 2:13 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The following text was extracted from a letter dated August 31, 2008 -- written by Anne Kilkenny, a resident of Palin's mayoral city, Wasilla.

-----------------------------------------------

As mayor, Palin 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 she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork."

Sarah 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 Department 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 are lots of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.

Vet against McCain
To find out why, click on the links below
VietnamVeteransAgainstJohnMcCain.com
VoteVets.org

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» see the rest of the letter Posted by: wefearwhatwedontunderstand
» This is why.......... Posted by: Karl.Ben
» RE: This is why.......... Posted by: camanokat
make that NINE things
Posted by: jsheeler on Sep 10, 2008 3:35 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
this is from joy harjo's myspace site.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Sarah Palin’s Record on Alaska Native & Tribal Issues

1. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing
Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt
and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.
Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights. In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law's law firm.

2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting
Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board
has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting
opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.
Palin's attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina.
Although the federal district court has rejected Palin's challenge, she has carried on an appeal that was argued in August 2008. (State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).) In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policies
initiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting and fishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order to enhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin's lawsuits are a direct attack on the core way of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.

3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal Sovereignty
Governor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.
Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Native
villages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribes
have no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.
So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes from
exercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004
legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exists
(except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).

4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Languages
Palin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters by
refusing to provide language assistance to Yup'ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result, Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various forms of voter assistance to Yup'ik voters residing in southwest Alaska.

more detail and refs at harjo's site:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.
view&friendID=142326290&blogID=431574095

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» RE: make that NINE things Posted by: Bibsisis
More Evidence
Posted by: knowmore on Sep 10, 2008 3:57 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
May I point out the generally missed aclosed-door energy forum hosted by the father of Dick Cheney's son-in-law, Texas Governor Rick Perry, and featuring the CEO's of 5 energy giants, that Ms. Palin was not only attending, but actually delivering the key note address, on the day her body began to try to deliver her fifth child, Trig. Indeed, her water broke in Texas, but she somehow stalled the birth long enough to give her speech, fly at least hours back to Anchorage, then drive another 43 miles to the hospital where Trig was finally born. She claims that she knew what she was doing, but this is not supported as being safe by many health practitioners.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: More Evidence Posted by: wal55
» RE: More Evidence Posted by: WireHedd
» RE: More Evidence Posted by: Bibsisis
Palin???
Posted by: Tom Degan on Sep 10, 2008 4:50 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just keep saying it over and over in your head:

VICE PRESIDENT SARAH PALIN

I need a drink.

Forgive me, this might seem like a cruel thing to say but it is an issue which is just screaming to be addressed. John McCain is seventy-two years old. He is a cancer survivor. He is not in the best of health. At times during this campaign, he has seemed to be on the verge os senility. Even in the best of condiditons, the law of averages absolutely forbids him from not passing away between now and January 20, 2012. I can just see the movie marquee:

GIDGET GOES TO THE OVAL OFFICE

Forget the drink, I need some heroin.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Barack Needs Our Help

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» RE: Palin??? Posted by: mary-alias
» RE: Scary indeed Posted by: solrev
» RE: Palin??? Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» stopthemadness2: Posted by: Tom Degan
» Lipstick donations, anyone? Posted by: countingdaisies
» RE: Palin??? Posted by: tdterry1999
Proud to be a "Barracuda"
Posted by: taxidriver on Sep 10, 2008 4:57 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How dare she appropriate the Heart tune, "Barracuda," as her own? Hmmm ... then again, "Smile like the sun ... kisses for everyone," but a vicious streak underneath -- might be the most accurate campaign song yet!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: luzmejor
» How About... Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: How About... Posted by: BigElectricCat
» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: colinmeister
» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: WireHedd
» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: helenwheels
» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: gzuckier
» RE: Proud to be a "Barracuda" Posted by: Karl.Ben
No no no, it's ten things
Posted by: Elmowilcox on Sep 10, 2008 5:11 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
NUMBER 10:

PALIN ISN'T RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

get back to McCain, he has successfully dodged any scrutiny since Palin "took over" and is gaining points in the polls.

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» plus... Posted by: Elmowilcox
» RE: No no no, it's ten things Posted by: luzmejor
brer
Posted by: brer on Sep 10, 2008 5:35 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The ONLY place I'm reading this stuff is on liberal blogs!

Why isn't the "liberal" mainstream media covering this!?

It's so frustrating. How can we get it into the national conversation?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: brer Posted by: helenwheels
» RE: brer Posted by: thealltheone
» RE: brer Posted by: madmax427
» RE: I'm Takin My Bawl and Going Home! Posted by: BigElectricCat
» RE: brer Posted by: GeorgiaBlue
Item #4
Posted by: LeaderofMen on Sep 10, 2008 5:37 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I just did a little research. This item isn't being correctly vetted for public consumption.

AK HB 210, passed in 2007 provided for the *automatic promotion*.

I think we should do a little more investigating as to why this happened. My guess is that ANYONE who faces an automatic pay raise will do anything to get it in AK.

That includes sucking her a**.

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Sales 101
Posted by: redbird30328 on Sep 10, 2008 5:58 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Very few, if any, alternet readers and posters have apparently ever spent a day in sales. People do not make buying decisions based on logic. Meditate on your last major purchase decision and you will identify significant emotion involved. Obviously, many people identify with Palin and like what they see. She is one of them. When she is attacked, they are attacked. It is really comical that anyone thinks the "reasons" in this article will resonate with anyone other than subscribers to Mao Monthly. Stay focused on these types of talking points and you will lose badly in November.

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» back to basics: IRAQ Posted by: wefearwhatwedontunderstand
» RE: Sales 101 Posted by: Duncable
» RE: Sales 101 Posted by: redbird30328
» RE: Sales 101 Posted by: Lilly
Of Course....
Posted by: Rutabaga on Sep 10, 2008 6:13 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And of course the mainstream corporate media, which desperately wants McCain and Palin to win so that they can keep their outrageous profits and tax breaks, won't cover any of these stories. Because they don't care about the truth or fairness...they only care about ratings and money.

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» RE: Of Course.... Posted by: stopthemaddness2
joan of arc
Posted by: sherman on Sep 10, 2008 6:21 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
this woman is clearly the joan of arc of our times. we should roll out the red carpet for her and worship at her feet.

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» RE: joan of arc Posted by: cats.anon
» RE: joan of arc Posted by: jareilly
» RE: joan of arc Posted by: kk33deg
» RE: joan of arc Posted by: tap17x
bfreewithrp
Posted by: luciennh on Sep 10, 2008 6:27 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If Alaska governor Palin gets in through McCain, our oil[including home heating oil] and thus gas prices will go through the roof.

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» Peak Oil Posted by: LeaderofMen
» RE: It's a matter of physics Posted by: Jasonix
» RE: It's a matter of physics Posted by: WireHedd
Adult Diapers for McChangin' & Pailin'
Posted by: stevehamlin on Sep 10, 2008 6:36 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You have to admit, though. . . her Saturday Night Live Lisa Loopner impression is dead on.

Sounds exactly like Lisa Loopner. . .

Looks exactly like Lisa Loopner. . .

Lisa Loopner had a boyfriend named Todd, and that's her husband's name. . . !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Loopner

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McCain's stroke of genius
Posted by: zooeyhall on Sep 10, 2008 6:57 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You gotta hand it to McCain--appointing a Vice President who will make your worst enemies pray daily for your continued good health!

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Your VP Might be a Redneck if She ...
Posted by: DrHipHappy on Sep 10, 2008 7:09 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
... is a fascist fundamentalist who loves to kill animals. She is also proud of her future son-in-law who is a self-proclaimed "F@&king Redneck."

What should really concern progressives is that Palin is a ruthless and racist REDNECK. This really a war between the past and future. In fact, I have written that the rednecks have run American for too long. Every president since Carter has been a redneck. This is most true of Clinton and Bush II.

Read all about this and other topics at The HipHappy Times

The rednecks are the foot soldiers of the Culture war. For good overview of redneck culture watch the old movie "Deliverance." You will see lots of Palin people in that movie.

Friends don't let friends vote for rednecks!!

Join other sane and compassionate people who are against being force-fed this moldy Moose Stew. See The HipHappy Times

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» RE: Your VP Might be a Redneck if She ... Posted by: AnIndependentThinker
» RE: Your VP Might be a Redneck if She ... Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» RE: Your VP Might be a Redneck if She ... Posted by: AnIndependentThinker
» RE: Your VP Might be a Redneck if She ... Posted by: AnIndependentThinker
Palin's denials are always worse than the initial reports she's "debunking"
Posted by: Jasonix on Sep 10, 2008 7:09 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Has anyone noticed that whenever Palin "debunks" a story about her, her version of events is usually even worse than the original charges against her?

The town she mayored claims that she tried to ban library books. She denies this, and says that she merely asked if the librarian would be willing to do so if asked, because she wanted to test the librarian's loyalty.

Some blogs note rumors from Alaska that her son Trig is actually her grand-daughter. She replies by saying that her daughter Bristol couldn't have been pregnant with Trig, because she's pregnant now, which means that Palin cares nothing about exposing her teen daughter to public humiliation and has no plans to "be there" for her daughter during the most difficult time of her life. Also, it turns out that Palin was either too obstinate or too stupid to seek prompt medical help when she went into premature labor with her Down's syndrome baby, but delivered a speech to oil company executives, flew back to Alaska, and drove 50 miles before checking into a hospital.

Each time, the Republicans claim the stories about Palin are "debunked," when even if their denials are true, it's a lot worse!

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X-POLYGAMIST WIFE in ARIZONA
Posted by: X-POLYGAMIST WIFE on Sep 10, 2008 7:31 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Palin fits right in with polygamous FLDS women in Colorado City, Arizona where down syndrome babies and teenage pregnancies are the norm.

http://www.bankingonheaven.com

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Palin lifts McCain’s Support
Posted by: DrSuess on Sep 10, 2008 7:36 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This is the title on the front page article on the Wall Street Journal today. I actually read the article, and it is flattering on the front page, but goes over the controversies about her on the inside page. They also report that a recent poll says that voters are becoming more comfortable with Obama on the front page of this article. The Wall Street Journal tends to favor Palin (surprise), but it is not as strong or consistent as you might expect. It is covering the controversies that are coming up for her. If you look at the picture on the front page- it show Palin peeking out over McCain’ shoulder.

The regular press is trying to hide the Palin controversy as much as it possibly can. This only proves to me that they are totally biased. The questions about Palin are very legitimate ones. She is running on “cutting government waste” but handed the citizens of her city a horrible pork barrel project. And I could go on and on with the inconsistencies in her touted views and actual actions.

I am personally convinced that the people who “vetted” her were the oil company executives. They choose someone who would totally give them everything they wanted.

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» Photos exist . . . Posted by: countingdaisies
» First WS supported Obama, now Palin? Posted by: GrantBurkeVT
amazingjim
Posted by: amazingjim on Sep 10, 2008 7:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
what if the mainstream media loses ratings, because the audience wises up, all by itself, and with a flash of brilliance, the audience votes 'left' ?
Who, given their right mind, surrenders to the media ?

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Just goes to Show McCheney's Judgment...
Posted by: AnIndependentThinker on Sep 10, 2008 7:59 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When a presidential candidate chooses a virtually UNKNOWN vp, who has a terrible record on so many issues, it is very telling on just what type of judgment McCheney has. As a woman, I cannot for the life of me, cut off my nose to spite my face and vote for someone like McCheney and the new female version of Carl Rove.

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stopthemaddness2
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Sep 10, 2008 8:29 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I say it and I will keep saying it. The real problem here is the fact that this woman is not adequate to run this nation. She will be a heart beat away from the highest office in this oountry. What in the hell could the McCain be thinking in choosing her? There are more scandalous reports coming out everyday about her. If the non mainstream reporters would fully investigate her, I am sure they would uncover even more unsavory facts that should scare the hell out of everybody. Why would you give dynamite to a person who is a pyromaniac?
Why would you give power to one is ignorant of how to use power and has no clue as to what the Vice President duties even are??/ This is absolutely insane. And yes, the mainstream media must be getting payola and kick backs in my opinion because they continue to help sweep all of PALIN'S DIRTY LAUNDRY UNDER THE RUG... and she has a lot of it. So much so, that the thought of her being that close to the oval office is just plan frightening!!!! Scary enough to make me want to polish up my passport and wait out the next four years in another country far away from here should this genocidal nut cakes take the ticket in November. She will bring nothing but war and the worst poverty this country has ever seen and faced. The Great Depression will be a picnic in the park compared to what will follow should this destructive duo win.

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» Pray for another Woodward & Bernstein team! Posted by: VetAgainst McCain
thanks to mccain
Posted by: jareilly on Sep 10, 2008 9:17 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We should be thanking John McCain for making our choices so clear. The Dems should take advantage of this gigantic opportunity to draw conclusive, far-reaching philosophical and policy lines between Palin/McCain and their candidates. The real tragedy is not that Palin is that close to the White House and the red phone. The real tragedy is that the Dems will probably fold, in fear, confusion, flannel-mouthed equivocation, triangulation and sheer raging cowardice and let the nuts win. They are doing it already.

Obama has made this race largely about personal charm. Say what you will about "barracuda", she exudes a kind of charm a lot of (unbelievably simple-minded) voters find irresistable. She seems spunky, unscripted, bold and self-confident - who would say any of those things about Joe Biden? And she's young, a good thing when courting a young voter demographic and a good thing with an old candidate for Pres. Voters see her vigor and energy; they seem refractory to actual facts regarding her less than glorious tenure as mayor and governor. They don't understand that Alaskans are among the largest recipients of federal government (taxpayer) largesse. They think Alaskans are bold frontier folk, field-dressing moose and bravely hacking a living out of a frozen wilderness, faithful sled dogs at their sides.

When this is what the battlefield looks like, you don't surrender the high ground, you don't agree with your enemy on principle but disagree on practice. You attack the enemy at their real and percieved strong point. You fundamentally reject their worldview. You show how their worldview harms lives and destroys liberties. You never, ever, ever apologize for your enemy's worldview or state your enemy's "good intentions" as Obama already has repeatedly. When your enemy draws sharp distinctions, you make them sharper. You have the guts to alienate your enemy's base and maybe a few dithering, lazy "independents" in the middle. You have the guts to call a pile of dog shit what it is.

This is why McCain/Palin have a very good chance of winning. They are better at this.

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» RE: thanks to mccain Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» Best chance is Biden in the VP debate Posted by: countingdaisies
stopthemaddness2
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Sep 10, 2008 9:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This country is in the biggest turmoil and facing some of the biggest problems in history and headed for a a full blown Depression. The issues facing us are monumental. George DUBUA left this country in the biggest mess with the largest deficits ever known to man. They grow daily. According to a recent study done by SCOTTRADE, 3 out of 4 Americans are worried about their future income. That is substantial. Entire cities are crumbling, and entire cities are filing bankruptcy by the dozens, and those that are not are cutting city services, closing fire stations and cutting back on the police force and have frozen city state jobs. Gasoline is $4 at the pumps and this is a temporary number. My sister had to stay home from work yesterday because she didn't have enough GASOLINE TO GET THERE. She is married and works a part time job. I can not imagine how badly Truckers are hurting and the Truck and Transportation Industries are suffering. And this was under A REPUBLICAN REGIME FOLKS.... NOT DEMOCRATS... REMEMBER THAT ON ELECTION DAY. Food banks have gone bust. Middle class families are forced to apply for Food Stamps. And the scariest ....banks are failing. The FDIC, the agency that guarantees your money in banks up to $100,000 all across this nation are now forced to BORROW MONEY. I read that just the other day in the New York Times. And the Republicans have put this country HICK who is a known extremist in the position ( a position of Vice President) a position that she has admitted to the world as not having a clue as to what a VICE PRESIDENT does, they have position her to manage the entire nation. This is absolutely lunacy.

And as far as McCain is concerned ...the best he can do is steal the exact, identical ideas and platform from OBAMA and use them as his own? It is absolutely insulting! A slap in the face that shows what he really thinks about all Americans. That they are dumb and any wolf or pit bull in sheep's clothing can pull the wool over their eyes and lead them to slaughter. And the main stream media is helping them to push this country right off the map into more war, more debt, more deficits, more decline, more poverty, more pain.

McCain is more pain, more of the same.
The main stream media must be getting huge kick backs and payolas because it is clear that they have a very slanted view regarding this race and take every opportunity to downgrade OBAMA and up grade McCain and Palin. The main stream media continue to help hide, and step aside the truth and facts that are revealed about Palin and all her dirty baggage. And they continue to lie about the ratings and the polls. One high light was the foreign press. Let me tell you.. the foreign press... in a WORLD WIDE POLL has OBAMA by a landslide. They prefer OBAMA, and claim him as a brilliant statesman who will bring the the NEEDED CHANGE, and a stability needed in this country and abroad. That is a true light at the end of this tunnel. We are all praying that McCain is seen for what he is, and that Palin will be asked to go back to Alaska. It will be a very dark day for America should these two be allowed to run this country. Very dark.

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» RE: stopthemaddness2 Posted by: aussidawg
» RE: stopthemaddness2 Posted by: katee
MCCAIN IS MORE PAIN MORE OF THE SAME
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Sep 10, 2008 9:31 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Send Palin packing back to Alaska with all her dirty baggage. How can she be expected to run the office of Vice President when she doesn't have a clue what a VP does? She is very bad news for this entire nation, and to be a heart beat away from the white house. McCain is too old, the oldest to ever run for this stressful office. And this nut cake Palin could be running this entire nation, this nation which is facing some of the most complex and horrendous economic issues known to mankind. Thanks to George BUSH. This is like giving a thrill seeking kid a stick of dynamite. Stop this madness!!!!!!!!

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Shocked, just SHOCKED!
Posted by: MartianBachelor on Sep 10, 2008 9:37 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
-That Ovary Net would run yet another attempted anti-Palin smear piece. Sarah has rendered the media impotent, one of its vanities being that it can destroy anyone of their choosing just by telling everyone the 'truth' about them.

Surely you all must know by now that she's a woman, and thus above any and all criticism; that her right to change her mind, be duplicitous, to do whatever is an inviolable right way above any other consideration these days.

All the piling on just looks cruel, sexist, and misogynistic. And pointless. And yet, you nevertheless continue to prove that the history of feminism is the history of women attempting to excommunicate each other from the High Priestesshood. Go figure. (Yes, I know math is hard...)

But don't worry: I'm a loyal non-two-party voter, and so am not voting for her (either). Here in Colorado I expect Obama to lose by less than the number of votes Nader/Gonzalez gets, thus ensuring yet another four or eight or more wondrous years for me as a Lifetime Member of The Wandering Scapegoats.

Anyway, it was the anti-cat thing which did it for me. How anyone could not be totally pro-cat is beyond me, and I think they're really stupid and need to be shouted at to Wake Up! You just turned the tsanami of Hurricane Sarah with that damning little Silly Season factoid.

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I'm as scared as I was 4 years ago...
Posted by: gjones on Sep 10, 2008 9:41 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
But I'm not going to give up. I think we need to stop focusing so much energy on what an idiot this woman is, how mean she is, how ruthless she is etc. The reason being, the more negative energy we spend on her, the less positive energy we spend on the real issue here, getting Obama elected. There is no such thing as bad press, only free advertising. The more we complain about her, the more we feed the machine. PLEASE, make yourself aware of the FACTS, keep us informed of the FACTS, let us and Sen. Obama focus on the future of this country otherwise we will all go down in the quagmire that was started by bush and co. I read all of the above posts and the most important one (for me) is learning what Palin has done to the Native Alaskans. THAT is important news, most of the rest of it is fear-based rhetoric.

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» RE: I'm as scared as I was 4 years ago... Posted by: stopthemaddness2
MORE AFRAID THAN FOUR YEARS AGO THIS IS NIGHTMARE TIME
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Sep 10, 2008 9:53 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This election is more scary than four years ago. Much more is at stake now. And all in the light of the exact nightmare mess George Bush REPUBLICAN GEORGE BUSH AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY have waged on this entire nation. It is very scary.

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» Could be worse... Posted by: aussidawg
they went thataway
Posted by: Quasar on Sep 10, 2008 10:03 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
revving up the campiagn to nowhere.

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» FUNNY stuff, Quasar. Let's have more of it. Posted by: VetAgainst McCain
The National Equirer is on the Case!
Posted by: Spyder on Sep 10, 2008 10:11 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Everyone should be aware that the National Enquirer is releasing more information about this despicable candidate today.

Enquirer Story

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» RE: The National Equirer is on the Case! Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» RE: The National Equirer is on the Case! Posted by: stopthemaddness2
NATIONAL ENQUIRER BREAK THE NEWS AND BREAK HER DOWN
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Sep 10, 2008 10:34 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I hope the National Enquirer breaks her down to her knees and sends her packing back to Alaska. That is where she and her messy soap opera Hicksville, anti Native American, greedy, bunch of baggage belong. I am glad somebody has the balls to stand up and tell the truth. I hope the National Enquirer breaks this story about her messy past, just like they broke the news about the EWARDS AFFAIR. And that was found to be true. This woman is WRONG WRONG WRONG, to even be near the white house, let alone run anything in the white house.
This would allow OBAMA to focus on more important matters... the economy, and fixing all the things that GEORGE DUBUA and the REPUBLICANS ALONG WITH MCCAIN ..........BROKE!

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You might as well drink the Kool-Aid
Posted by: Stephen R on Sep 10, 2008 10:40 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
As each day goes by it is becoming increasingly clear that the CHANGE McCain/Palin are talking about is more of the same.

No doubt KKKarl Rove has his hand in this Republican campaign, all they seem to be able to do repeat the lies until the lie becomes truth.

It's just Bush all over again.

Obama didn't call Palin a pig but I will.

Palin actually believes she has a stairway to heaven. I think it's more like a ladder to hell.

If you vote McCain/Palin, you might as well drink the Kool-aid.

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More budget saving ideas from the Wasilla police force
Posted by: gzuckier on Sep 10, 2008 11:19 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Charging murder victims $5.00 for the chalk outline around their bodies.

Requiring police personnel to save bullets fired at them, for meltdown and reuse.

Police service 9-5 weekdays only.

Outlawing ob-gyns as a preventive measure, thereby eliminating murder of the preborn.

Moving all criminal trials to People's Court for a share of the commercial revenue.

Sponsor logos on police cars and uniforms. Think NASCAR.

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» I love your sarcasm, gzuckie. Don't stop! Posted by: VetAgainst McCain
It's a sad and sorry day. . . BUT . . .
Posted by: left-leaning-libertarian on Sep 10, 2008 11:46 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's a damn sorry state of affairs when we have to depend on the freakin' National Enquirer (!!!!!) to bring down somebody so transparently unqualified, so blithely willfully ignorant, so ethically challenged, so pettily vindictive and so far to the right that you'd be hard pressed to find her equivalent on the left (Fidel Castro, maybe? Alexander Cockburn?)

All I can say is don't give up hope, don't stop fighting; get the word out, write letters to the editor--not just one, but two or three or four every day until they can't ignore you any more! Make the letters short, to the point and punchy, stay on topic and hit hard with FACTS!

Don't believe all the right-wing talking points masquerading as MSM coverage, don't believe the polls which are seriously flawed (a classic GOP voter suppression tactic), understand that the ONLY poll that counts is the one on election day! Get out there and FIGHT! The alternative is too horrible to consider!

NEVER GIVE UP!
NEVER SURRENDER!
NEVER DESPAIR!!!!!!

GO OBAMA/BIDEN '08!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerald Thomas Hawhee

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The questions Obama and his campaign MUST ask Palen:
Posted by: npchilds on Sep 10, 2008 12:13 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"Does being a fiscal conservative still mean to you that rape victims are charged for the materials used to examine them when they press charges?"

and;

"Are you planning to do the women of America any more favors like this if you're made VP?"

Do not let this go.

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Sarah Palin bad for American Women
Posted by: CA NOW on Sep 10, 2008 12:35 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Thanks for the new info. We had some of this up already on our post Why Sarah Palin is Bad for American Women at the CA NOW blog, but will be updating to include more.

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Integrity and honesty?
Posted by: Stephen R on Sep 10, 2008 4:16 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's hard to run a campaign with integrity
when your opponent runs a campaign of lies and disinformation.

McCain and Palin don't know how to define Honor
because they don't have any nor do they have integrity.

Obama has to balance running a campaign of integrity and he must also be stern about defending himself against the outrageous tactics of McCain and Palin.

All McCain and Palin are doing is dishonoring the American people and making a mockery of democracy.

Palin has sent out a truth squad, Hum mm! I guess the squad will be out and about at the expense of the Alaskan tax payers.

McCain and Palin honest? Really! Do pigs with lipstick fly? I think we all know the answer to that.

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Only a Republican Can go Lower
Posted by: tommy57 on Sep 10, 2008 4:50 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Sarah Palin is a Dick Cheney with tits. All of her actions are about her; she is still the beauty queen trying to win a crown. She is not that good looking; her squawky voice is annoying; and she is as ruthless at Dickless Cheney when it comes to deceit; revenge; and of course the "Party of the Wide Stance" patent belief in lying. I am listen to MSNBC Chris Matthews and all of the republicans are complaining that media has attacked poor Sarah from the beginning. Not like she didn't say anything mean during the republican love fest. Give be a fucking break? You know for anyone other that a republican to go as low as them would require a drill bit to go deeper than any oil well they would drill in your back yard. The republicans with now their (covert advisor) Rove brain ideas are trying to sling slime because Johnny McCain is not running on any policy except for “MORE OF THE SAME.” So no every thing Barrack says will be misconstrued to mean something else. So media talk to me; I think John McCain was a coward during Vietnam and cried and moaned all during his captivity. Only he was present when they so called offered to let him go early – probably Bullshit! He is an old limp dick loser. Sarah Palin reminds me of a slut who would try fucking her way to the top.

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Lipstick??
Posted by: rkoutsky@cfl.rr.com on Sep 10, 2008 6:29 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
So following Sarah McPalin's logic, she becomes a pit-bull when she takes off her lipstick, right? Another two-faced politician..

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Palin is the Oil Barons front salesperson.
Posted by: jreal on Sep 10, 2008 6:44 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And she hates community organizers.

How sick is that?!

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Lilly
Posted by: Lilly on Sep 10, 2008 8:48 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When we were kids my brother had a turtle named Frankenstein that was the most single-minded creature I have ever met. He would proceed in a direction, climbing over the sofa if necessary, and if you picked him up and turned him around he would return to his original trajectory and just keep on keepin' on.

I think of Frankenstein nowadays when I watch Dick Cheney and Sarah Appalling. Cheney can do something illegal or Appalling can tell a lie and then CNN calls them on it every hour on the hour and God sends thunder and lightening to warn them to be good but, by golly, they come back tomorrow and do the same bad stuff. Appalling's lies have been researched, exposed, sourced, and cited, but she keeps telling them anyway.

And people don't CARE. They are are interviewed on the street. Women say they will vote for Appalling because she has a cute baby. Men say they will vote for her because "she is hot". And some of us are going Yoo-hoo, she wants to shoot wolves from airplanes. Yoo-hoo, she wants the 13 year-old who got raped by Mama's boyfriend to carry the baby. Yoo-hoo, she fired the librarian. Yoo-hoo, it took her six years to get through five colleges and as of Monday she thought Fannie Mae was funded by the taxpayers. I am getting the idea: not much of anybody is listening to us, and I am getting very, very depressed about it.

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Idiot Nation!
Posted by: PaulC on Sep 10, 2008 10:34 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Good god, it's like some kind of bad LSD trip that you never wake up from - up is down, down is up, investigative journalism from the National Enquirer, sassy sexy Palin on the Evening News!

Did I say Idiot Nation?
I feel a poem coming on:

Idiot Nation! - Nation of Idiots!

Embarrassment and laughing stock to the world
Nation of morons
Brainless clueless self-absorbed jerks
In their Monster Trucks Built Ram Tough
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! - marketed to adults
As to children - there is no difference
In a Nation of Idiots!
Living, working, breeding, breathing
Just not thinking
In this brain-dead
Idiot Nation!

Turd Blossom
laughing smiling dancing sings
Found his place
In a Nation of Idiots

He brought us The Decider
A mean drunk illiterate
"Compassionate Conservative"
Lying SOB
Sold us down the river
In a war without end
Shredded our Constitution
Tortures us all
Idiot Nation

Apparently no one noticed
Was it on Entertainment Tonight?
Don't fret little ones
Sassy sexy Palin
Will make it alright!

Compassionless bigot
Religious zealot
Sassy sexy lies
Panders to oil and money
Oh, show us your thighs!
Who cares about truth
When it feels so right!
Idiot Nation!

Nation of Idiots
Nation of sheep
Our kindly CEO shepherds
Sold us out to
The Communist Chinese!

Now it is the financial wizards
Circling the dead carcass
Stripping the meat
It's all so confusing
Give me reality TV!
In a Nation of Idiots
Idiot Nation!


peace,
Paul

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Liars & The Webs They Weave
Posted by: bessie on Sep 11, 2008 12:00 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What falls from Sarah Palin's mouth that is remotely true? No wonder she is being secluded from the press. Her webs are too tangled now to explain away with a quick soundbite. Her 'interview' with Charlie Gibson will be, most likely, a carefully crafted PR presentation about her ability to raise her family and be a 'player'. Anyone who believes her story about her pregnancy, especially the airplane flight from Texas to Alaska, is totally out to lunch or someone who has never experienced childbirth. That whole story is pure fabrication and laughable on its face. Aside from her lack of intelligence, education, and experience, what's really disturbing is her ability to distort the truth for her own gain and ego. While there's a segment of our society who seem to glorify in the idea of a 'pit bull' with lipstick in charge of our economy and national security - there are many , myself included, who don't want to see a 'Day of Reckoning' and/or going on a trip to Alaska on some sort of Noah's Arc. Mat Damon is right about Sarah Palin being totally scary but he doesn't remember that Walt Disney made it totally clear that people like the ones in "Bambi" weren't to be trusted. So this isn't a Disney movie - this is real life horror show .

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You liberals are funny
Posted by: JohnnyM on Sep 11, 2008 6:01 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Don't get me wrong, I lean a little left too. But to spend so much time and effort on this women is exactly what McCain wanted!

First of all, this pick for VP is a distraction-tactic, one that works over and over with you people. Stop screaming about the woman who looks like an ex porn star, and start screaming about the old man who grows tired half-way through every speech.

Second of all, if elected McCain is not going to make it to the end of the first term, so this VP pick is also a figure-head. The neo-cons are behind this - when(if) she takes over the White House she isn't going to make any decisions, the neo-cons will. It will be business as usual for this century.

Thirdly, who really cares about a "leaders" personal life. It's irrelevant. All that matters is their decision-making record and ability to think critically. The non-traditional family and children here and there are a part of today's society, whether you accept it or not.

It is funny being an observer rather than participator. I see people on the left and right fall for the same tactics time and time again. Now THAT'S insane!

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None of this is new!
Posted by: Misha2 on Sep 11, 2008 1:24 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
All of this has been on numerous sites for multiple days and this is preaching to the choir. It needs to go out to those idiots who don't think and believe every lie that McCain and the other Repubs can tell.

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These stories are unhelpful to the Obama Camapaign!
Posted by: Alcinor on Sep 13, 2008 9:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They will lead to the campaign's focusing on facts and issues, the very approach that sank Kerry and Gore.
Frank Luntz, Karl Rove, Rick Davis and the rest of the Republican brain trust, all know the American electorate is moved and motivated by emotions, NOT facts or issues and they are doing a fantastic job of entrancing American voters with wonderfully appealing, emotional stories and vignettes about Palin that have absolutely energized their base, particularly the women. The only way to fight them effectively is to fight fire with fire, emotion with emotion.
How about a TV commercial, split screen, one side is Sarah the Hockey Mom surrounded by her 5 kids in the kitchen or at littel league, talking about baking cookies or how she hopes little Twig will hit a home run...The other side of the screen in Ahmadinejab of Iran, screeming and ranting about wiping Israel off the map? Or maybe take page out of the Republican playbook and show video of the World Trade Tower inferno? No additional narration, no way they could say it was sexist because the only words you hear are Sarah's and maybe Ahmadinejab. Maybe a closing tag line, "Are you sure?" or something like that.

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These stories are unhelpful to the Obama Camapaign!
Posted by: Alcinor on Sep 13, 2008 9:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They will lead to the campaign's focusing on facts and issues, the very approach that sank Kerry and Gore.
Frank Luntz, Karl Rove, Rick Davis and the rest of the Republican brain trust, all know the American electorate is moved and motivated by emotions, NOT facts or issues and they are doing a fantastic job of entrancing American voters with wonderfully appealing, emotional stories and vignettes about Palin that have absolutely energized their base, particularly the women. The only way to fight them effectively is to fight fire with fire, emotion with emotion.
How about a TV commercial, split screen, one side is Sarah the Hockey Mom surrounded by her 5 kids in the kitchen or at littel league, talking about baking cookies or how she hopes little Twig will hit a home run...The other side of the screen in Ahmadinejab of Iran, screeming and ranting about wiping Israel off the map? Or maybe take page out of the Republican playbook and show video of the World Trade Tower inferno? No additional narration, no way they could say it was sexist because the only words you hear are Sarah's and maybe Ahmadinejab. Maybe a closing tag line, "Are you sure?" or something like that.

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These stories are unhelpful to the Obama Camapaign!
Posted by: Alcinor on Sep 13, 2008 9:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They will lead to the campaign's focusing on facts and issues, the very approach that sank Kerry and Gore.
Frank Luntz, Karl Rove, Rick Davis and the rest of the Republican brain trust, all know the American electorate is moved and motivated by emotions, NOT facts or issues and they are doing a fantastic job of entrancing American voters with wonderfully appealing, emotional stories and vignettes about Palin that have absolutely energized their base, particularly the women. The only way to fight them effectively is to fight fire with fire, emotion with emotion.
How about a TV commercial, split screen, one side is Sarah the Hockey Mom surrounded by her 5 kids in the kitchen or at littel league, talking about baking cookies or how she hopes little Twig will hit a home run...The other side of the screen in Ahmadinejad of Iran, screaming and ranting about wiping Israel off the map? Or maybe take a page out of the Republican playbook and show video of the World Trade Tower inferno? No additional narration. No way they could say it was sexist because the only words you hear are Sarah's and maybe Ahmadinejad. Maybe a closing tag line, "Are you sure?" or something like that.

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17 points for your sincere and objective consideration
Posted by: centrist2008 on Sep 14, 2008 2:38 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
(1) It is unfair to not mention that there are at least 3 Bush Doctrines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Doctrine):
1 - Preemptive Strike
2 - Unilateralism
3 - Treatment of Detainees (as Enemy Combatants)
Rightly or wrongly, a bookish knowledge of these is not a requirement. If that was the case and the President had listened to our book-keepers, the US would have withdrawn after the 2006 mid-term elections and lost the Iraq War - a war that Biden voted for. Instead, our "dumb" and "gut-driven" President ignored the many nay-sayers, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff (WPOST), opened a back-channel inside the Pentagon and came up with the Surge Solution - a solution that even Obama has now reluctantly acknowledged as having 'succeeded beyond the wildest expectations'. And in so doing, our "dumb" and "gut-driven" President created monumental doctrines, some far greater in importance than, say, President Clinton's.

(2) It is unfair to not quote that the Alaska National Guard (http://www.akguard.com/), under the leadership of Governor Palin, held joint border exercises with its Russian counter-part over the course of the last 2 years. Please also quote her follow-up response, something like: 'It brings up the neighbor's perspective that we live in a small world; that Russia is not far removed, but right next door.'

(3) It is unfair to question Governor Palin ability to handle her job and her family while also praising Biden's commitment to riding the train for 2+ hours everyday and returning to work soon after his wife's fatal accident (Obama thus praised him in their first introduction).

(4) It is unfair to question Governor Palin about her teenage daughter's pregnancy without also not questioning Obama about his teenage mother's pregnancy when she had him at 18 (Obama).

(5) It is unfair to argue that Governor Palin by putting her family on the convention stage cannot rightly protect it from the media, when the same protection is extended to Obama's 2 daughters.

(6) It is unfair to accuse Governor Palin of charging her state monies without also emphasizing that she charged less than legally allowed, and much less than her predecessor (WPOST).

(7) It is unfair to make simple per capita funding comparisons between Alaska and Illinois given that Alaska's infra-structure is not as developed, but when developed it will benefit capita in many more other states because of its rich natural resources.

(8) It is unfair to claim that Governor Palin linked Iraq with Sep 11 when she linked it with Islamic Fundamentalists, like so: "...defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans" (ABC).

(9) It is unfair to publish articles belittling Governor Palin's choice for a down-to-earth hair-salon while also keeping mum on Biden's hair-plug (NYT).

(10) It is unfair to not carry a story of equivalent coverage emphasizing that the infamous State Trooper is still employed as a State Trooper even after threatening the family of the sitting Governor, given Union Policies.

(11) It is unfair to not carry a story of equivalent coverage debunking the false claim that Governor Palin banned books from her public library (including popular ones like Harry Potter's).

(12) It is unfair to not present the full quote by Governor Palin wherein she explained her religious belief as a personal matter, and how she believes, like many of us, that "everything happens for a reason" (albeit God's reason).

(13) It is unfair to not carry a story of equivalent coverage outlining the lack of executive government experience of Obama and Biden, and how neither has ever balanced a budget, unlike Governor Palin.

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In Conclusion
Posted by: centrist2008 on Sep 14, 2008 2:41 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It is unfair to present the question facing the electorate as "Is Governor Palin the best choice?", when the real question is "Is Governor Palin the better choice?". I do not believe that she is the "best" choice, but I do believe that she is the "better" choice. Obama has written 2 books, all about himself, one or both as a State Senator at a fairly young age. It lends credibility to the often-repeated Republican charge that many Democrats are often so self-driven that they can acknowledge nothing greater in their actions (not just words or letters).

I sincerely believe that actions speak much louder than words, and therefore, and solely therefore, McCain and Palin trump Obama and Biden. Thank you!

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bar5608
Posted by: bar5608 on Sep 14, 2008 9:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Yes, Wal55, that was the first story I heard about Palin too. She was, according to the story, at a Governor's convention in Texas, not at an energy conference as some have said, when her "Water broke". From all I've heard that is an indication that the baby is about to make an appearance whether Mom likes it or not, and Mom better hike herself to the nearest Hospital and give birth where it is safe and sanitary.
Why then did she board a plane and fly all the way to Anchorage, with a stop over in Seattle, and then choose to drive the 43 miles to Wasilla before giving birth in the local Hospital?
Furthermore, how come nobody else knew she was pregnant before that trip to Texas? Seems to me like someone would have cautioned her about taking that trip to Texas in the first place.
I don't believe that baby is hers in the first place. I think it's her grandson, not her son. And what the hell does her husband Todd do to earn that kind of salary? Being "First Dude" wouldn't bring that much compensation. Is that Nepotism, or just "First Dudeism"?

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