Salon.com: "Mean Girl" (Sarah Palin, nasty back-stabber)

[npincus]

scum...

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/23/palin/?source=newsletter

Sept. 23, 2008 | WASILLA, Alaska -- Before Sarah Palin decided to run for the Wasilla mayor's office in 1996 against incumbent John Stein, the Palins and Steins were friends. John Stein had helped launch Palin's political career, mentoring the hockey mom during her 1994 run for City Council, along with veteran council member Nick Carney. Stein's wife, Karen Marie, went to aerobics classes with Palin.

But when she announced her candidacy for Stein's seat, vowing to overturn the city's "old boy" establishment, a different Sarah Palin emerged. "Things got very ugly," recalled Naomi Tigner, a friend of the Steins. "Sarah became very mean-spirited."

<snip>

Even though Palin knew that Stein is a Protestant Christian, from a Pennsylvania Dutch background, her campaign began circulating the word that she would be "Wasilla's first Christian mayor." Some of Stein's supporters interpreted this as an attempt to portray Stein as Jewish in the heavily evangelical community. Stein himself, an eminently reasonable and reflective man, thinks "they were redefining Christianity to mean born-agains."

The Palin campaign also started another vicious whisper campaign, spreading the word that Stein and his wife -- who had chosen to keep her own last name when they were married -- were not legally wed. Again, Palin knew the truth, Stein said, but chose to muddy the waters. "We actually had to produce our marriage certificate," recalled Stein, whose wife died of breast cancer in 2005 without ever reconciling with Palin.

"I had a hand in creating Sarah, but in the end she blew me out of the water," Stein said, sounding more wearily ironic than bitter. "Sarah's on a mission, she's an opportunist."

[mediaman007]

1. The Tao says: "If you sit by the river, your enemies will float by."

[Voice for Peace]

2. I don't know exactly what that means but I like it.

[intheflow]

7. Where does it say that in the Tao?

I've studied the Tao and Taoism for over a decade now, and do not recall that saying at all. I have found two references to the saying in a quick Google search. One says it's a Bushido maxim and the other says it's an (Asian) Indian proverb. But I'm almost entirely certain it is not Taoist in nature.

[nyc 4 Biden]

8. My fav translation is Stephen Mitchell's

The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.

[intheflow]

9. I like the Mitchell translation, too.

What I like best is his gender-neutral language, sometimes referring to the leader/sage as 'him', and sometimes as 'her'. That, and the fact that Mitchell translates it into easily understandable every day English, as opposed to some convoluted direct translation that comes through to modern English readers as mystical gibberish.

Of course, that being said, my favorite translation is the Feng-English translation, but that's probably only becasue it was the first version I read. :)

[madaboutharry]

3. She is exactly the type of person I

have always loathed.

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. She is proud of her meaness

that is why she made the lipstick-pitbull crack .

Before anyone accuses me of being anti pitbull, my g'son owns the sweetest pitbull in existance .

[Iterate]

5. Ignore the headline; the value in reading this comes from the Ruedrich story

Palin's time with the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (about one year) forms the core of the "reformer" claim which most people knew straight away just didn't pass the smell test.

It was after this term on the AOGCC that she first claimed the title of 'reformer', giving her a edge first to become a director of a 527 for Ted Stevens, then in the primary race for governor against the unpopular incumbent Frank Murkowski (whose own chief-of-staff pleaded guilty to felon conspiracy in the Veco pipeline/bribe case).

So, what did the 'reformer' do? Legislation? Indictments? Investigations? Restructure an organization? Work out new standards and training?

No, she quit.

Then she spilled the beans with the inside info she had gained, among them Randy Ruedrich. So what happened to him? Well, there was a fine.

But Palin did not drive the well-connected Republican operative into exile. In fact, he remains the party's state chairman and he could be seen on the floor of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., hugging the newly crowned vice-presidential candidate and cheering her feisty speech against greedy old boys like, well, him.

The Palin pattern that's shown here is one of opportunistically moving into a position, creating chaos, then using the chaos to advance. Rinse and repeat.

[chat_noir]

6. K&R

Watch your back, Mac