Concerning Palin, Points to ponder

[Lithos]

Palin was an attempt by McCain to

1) Shore up his evangelical base who like everyone else has no confidence in him;
2) Try and shore up his "Maverick" image in an attempt to distance himself from Bush and downplay Obama's "Eight is Enough" theme. He will undoubtedly try and play up on her claims to be a supporter of ethics.


While she is relatively unknown, there are a lot of issues out there which I think are deserving of attention. We know the following which should be easy to activate the Progressives.

- No foreign policy or national experience. Because of Gore and Cheney, the VP job has started to turn into what amounts to a COO type of position, someone who can help put wheels on the policies of the Executive branch. She has no experience here. Her comment about the VP position is a good start here.
- Her theological flat-earth beliefs concerning creationism and global warming.
- Her lack of support for pro-choice and her obvious hypocritical stance on pro-life, ie anti-abortion, pro death penalty and pro war.

I wish we would spend some of this wasted energy on baby-gate to learn more about some of these points which I think are more crucial to removing any chance of appeal to Independent voters.

- Her obvious grooming and support from hard-right groups such as Schalfly's organizations and her acceptance of corporate monies (which I think will be shown to be more-of-the-same corporatism.)
- Her deficit creation bread and circus spending policy which have left the town of Wasila over 20 million in debt. She is trying that with Alaskan oil revenues and only the rising price of oil has kept this from turning into a boondoggle.
- Political expedient flip-flopping (The bridge to nowhere).
- Her hypocritical ethics being shown with Troopergate. I think you will also find out there will be at least one more huge conflict of interest in her politics in Wasila. One example I read somewhere of a huge boondoggle concerning the development of a park for snowmachines/mobiles of the type that her husband drives for sport. I think this will be exposed sometime soon.
- Her persistent abdication of responsibility to her husband who has assumed a hugely inappropriate role in Alaskan State Politics even to the point of running meetings and acting as defacto Governor. I also expect there to be some ethics issues related to that as well including Troopergate and in accepting monies from Oil companies. Would love to see some FOIA claims against the Governor's records here. Perhaps some of the Dems in Alaskan State Office can help here.

On Edit:

Things which I think a waste to pursue as I think they will only backfire include:

- Baby-gate - there are no legs on this story. Even if there were, it would be VERY hard for the sympathy not to move in her favor.
- Attacks against her daughter raising her kids. Sorry, it may suck, but for many Americans this is closer to the norm than not. Again, it would backfire and give sympathy to her. Outside of her husband, I would leave her family out of it. Leave any investigation to National Enquirer.

L-

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

1. Agreed

Surely there is plenty of fuel here for dems to bring her down on issues of substance. When did we feel we were desperate enough to resort to Jerry Springer tactics?

[bluethruandthru]

2. I think one of the most important areas to look into

is her co-governor husband. Did the people of Alaska know that Mr. Palin would be sitting in on official meetings and copied on official emails? How involved is he? How much does she defer to him.

[Lithos]

5. Most certainly

I find his involvement to be suspicious given that from my reading, he has taken money from oil companies.

L-

[depakid]

3. Agreed except to your last point

When has ANY rumor like this EVER created sympathy for the candidate in modern times?

One might like to believe being a reasonable person, that it would- but one would be wrong. It doesn't work that way.

Personally, I hope the rumors simply open the door to a LOT more questionable goings on- which is often the pattern with these sorts of things.

[Lithos]

4. Several

But I will leave you with the greatest. Nixon - Checkers.

[depakid]

7. Not sure I'd call that modern in the sense that the mass media was in its infancy

but point taken.

This one's not going to end up a checkers given the current dynamics and the nature of where the rumors are coming from.

[Lithos]

11. As someone on JackandJillpolitics.com pointed out

If you attack McCain on his military record, expect noun:verb:POW. You attack Palin on her family, expect noun:verb:Down's Syndrome. Not a pleasant thing.

[Annces]

6. I think baby-gate is major

and I think democrats lose because they don't go for the jugular. Republicans would have been all over this and never let go.

[bobd0]

8. DEMAND THAT PALIN RELEASE ALL OF HER MEDICAL RECORDS

Just because McCain didn't bother to vet her doesn't mean we can't.

[Lithos]

9. Question

This would be huge if it were true. However, why hasn't the Alaskan media jumped on this? I mean she was a MAJOR Public figure during her pregnancy and birth, why didn't they say anything about her seeming non-pregnancy? She went to a governor's conference, you would think that a Dem Governor such as Bill Richardson would have said something - I mean you would remember if a fellow Governor was not pregnant and then popped out a kid. You would think that a few Alaskan Dems would have spoken up by now? There are a LOT of people who work in the Alaskan State government, why are they quiet? What about the Commissioner from Troopergate? He's silent and part of this conspiracy. I mean what a conspiracy that her own enemies are part of it.

I mean they've had ten months to speculate this, but it just came up from a group who didn't know her? This did NOT start until someone who has never met Palin started speculation and is a waste of time.

[CampDem]

10. Great post

On Andrew Halcro's blog I found a great debunking of the bridge to nowhere lie.Not sure if everyone has seen this yet. His blog is a gold mine for the real scoop on her IMO.

http://www.andrewhalcro.com/
snip

Another weakness is Palin's habit of tailoring the facts of a situation to meet her political needs.

Yesterday in her Dayton acceptance speech, Palin stated, "...I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress -- I told Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves."

This was not true.

Not only did the state keep the money that was earmarked for the bridge to be used on other transportation projects, but Palin had been a strong supporter of the bridge during her gubernatorial run in 2006, claiming Alaska needed to seize upon the seniority of its congressional delegation.

According to the Ketchikan Daily News on August 8, 2006, 'People across the nation struggle with the idea of building a bridge because they’ve been under these misperceptions about the bridge and the purpose,' said Palin, who described the link as the Ketchikan area’s potential for expansion and growth.

Palin said Alaska’s congressional delegation worked hard to obtain funding for the bridge as part of a package deal and that she 'would not stand in the way of the progress toward that bridge.'”

snip

[Lithos]

15. Interesting site

Definite RW'er, but this is exactly the type of stuff we need to point out. She's lying already about her previous stances and we need to call her on it.

[dailykoff]

12. Remember how nannygate sunk Kimba Wood, Clinton's AG pick?

Well, babygate is much bigger than nannygate.

[Lithos]

14. No similarity

Kimba Wood was no where near a public figure as Palin was at the time she hired the nanny. Also, hiring a nanny and faking a pregnancy are two completely different activities.

Yes, I believe Palin is not vetted, but I also think babygate is a waste of time. It's the obvious scandal which WOULD have already come out if it were true. Palin was governor at the time she was pregnant. If she were NOT pregnant, do you think that the Alaskan Press, the State Democrats, or even the Commissioner she fired would not have noticed and commented on this? The speculation did not start in Alaskan circles, but on DKOS and only after the nomination, and by people who NEVER saw her.

The Alaskan press and bloggers have already got some nice tidbits out there, that's where the meat is. Let's put some scrutiny on Troopergate, her AG, her husband's inappropriate behavior, her ties to RW groups, the inappropriate stuff she did in Wasillia as Mayor, her pot smoking, etc. That's where the real smoke is and that is where the fire is that will burn down McCain's house of cards.

L-

[dailykoff]

16. Posters here from Alaska have commented that the stories started there

and the photos certainly support that case. And now the daughter is visibly pregnant again. Sorry, I don't buy the shoo-fly act for a minute.

[Lithos]

19. One poster said something

Sue Williams, who has a SINGLE post on 8/30 (well after the DKOS claim) to the matter on a forum she has best as I can tell only posted ONCE in (ie, she's not a regular nor officially associated with mudflats).

As for visibly pregnant again, where? Certainly not on any of the photos for People, Time or Newsweek? Bristol is nothing more than an overweight girl, common in this day and age. If you believed the pictures, then she's been pregnant THREE times as the first "baby bump" being cited was actually from a 2006 picture.

L-

[dailykoff]

21. Not Sue Williams. There have been several first- and second-hand accounts of the AK

scuttlebutt which is that the kid is her grandchild, not child. There have also been several pics showing her VERY preg and proud, and she is definitely not preg and proud in the pics taken at the time of the child's birth.

Additionally, there are no mom-and-newborn pics or vids and an egotisical wannabe like Palin is NOT going to miss a chance to show off her family values in a photo-op like that.

[Lithos]

22. Yes there are - Front Page of the Anchorage Daily News

Quite a long story about her birth and her showing off her new baby.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/382864.html

Also mentioned that she didn't show much during this pregnancy.

Here is a roundup of blog comments at the time:

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/newsreader/story/383350.html



L-

[dailykoff]

23. She's wearing a business suit and her husband looks more post-partum

than she does. Frankly I'm about 99% certain there's fire behind this smoke which thick stinky and billowing fast:

[undergroundrailroad]

18. Totally agree. Wow, lot's of good information and advise (n/t)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. My dear Lithos!

Finally, a voice of reason.

Your points are very well taken.

Thank you!

K&R

[ruggerson]

17. Yep, great post

The woman is a far rightwing nutjob. That's where we get traction politically. McCain needs the independents in order to win, especially since the Republicans have been hemmorhaging party registrants for the last three years. This pick can doom him with independents if Palin is exposed for who she is.

[azmouse]

20. You are a voice of reason.

Thank you. DU has been unbearable these last few days.

[Raffi Ella]

24. She is nowhere near qualified not to mention she is an extremist.

I know the baby story is titillating but it is the least of why she is not right for VP.

I'm happy with The Obama Teams initial response. I have no doubt they are working over time to find out where she stands and know all of what you posted and much much more. They will publicly define her and take McCain to task for his poor judgment and reckless disregard of Our Troops and Our Country with the Palin pick.

I wish D.U. would follow Obama's lead and not give McCain the attention he so desired when he announced this extremist as his running mate.

[EndElectoral]

25. Will she accept 75% of what Cheney makes as VP? Did she take 75% of what the previous AK Gov made?

If not, how does she come off saying she's not for equal pay for men and women?

Or doesn't that apply to her!

[azmouse]

26. kick