An Alaskian blogger on Sarah Palin

Via HuffPo - more on Alaska, Sarah Palin, and John McCain's though process at Mudflats, Tiptoeing Through the Much of Alaskian Politics.

From that post, a photo of the town where Sarah Palin got much of her executive experience - Wasilla, Alaska



Don't know about you but it doesn't give me lots of warm and fuzzy feelings -

Will Conservative women condem Palin?

As I wander around the web I'm seeing one idea pop up - many women, mostly conservative, question Palin's role in a campaign when they hear she has a child with Down's Syndrome.

This will be interesting to watch.

Palin poster

I want a poster that says:

With Sarah Palin rapist win!

Sorry if this offends anybody but based on Palin's view that a woman shouldn't have the right to an abortion even after being raped the act of rape becomes a means for the rapist to procreate. From an evolutionary/population biology standpoint it makes simple sense. Rape becomes a way to spread around the rapist's genes.

All absolute beliefs have unforeseen consequences and Sarah Palin needs to face the fact that her belief that there should be an absolute ban on abortion has consequences which punish the victim and reward the rapist.

It would be a horrible poster or bumper sticker to see but that doesn't make it any less true.

As an aside - perhaps Governor Palin doesn't believe that a woman can get pregnant after a rape so this just isn't an issue. If so she won't be the first Republican to hold that view. At any rate we will know one thing for sure - we will have a wacko on our hands.

More Palin goodies ....

From the Politco:

— Palin didn’t back McCain in the primary. She stayed neutral in Alaska’s January primary — perhaps on account of McCain’s opposition to drilling in ANWR. “A lot of us are sitting back and waiting to see if there will be new players in there," she said in 2007. "That’s probably why that box that says ‘none of the above’ is so popular right now."

— Mayoral performance. Palin, who portrays herself as a fiscal conservative, racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt as mayor of the tiny town of Wasilla — that amounts to $3,000 per resident. She argues that the debt was needed to fund improvements.

— Stevens and Young, redux. Palin has distanced herself from the state’s two most popular politicians, but both appeared at Palin fundraisers during her 2006 gubernatorial bid.

— The environment. As governor, Palin vetoed wind power and clean coal projects, including a 50-megawatt wind farm on Fire Island and a clean coal facility in Healy that had been mired in a dispute between local and state governments.

— And, maybe, censorship. According to the Frontiersman newspaper, Wasilla’s library director, Mary Ellen Emmons, said that Palin asked her outright if she "could live with censorship of library books.” Palin later dismissed the conversation as a “rhetorical” exercise.

I think her veto of the wind and clean coal projects are a great place to start an attack. I can see the Obama advertisement now and expect we will all see on the air soon.

Ultimately, if she doesn't blow up in the next couple of weeks she may make it but the wolves are loose and if there is anybody in Alaska that has an axe to grind and wants a little "pay back" their time has come.

Anderson Cooper 360

It seems that on Anderson Coopers 360 show tonight there is a lively debate about the Palin pick and lots of post on his blog about the subject. My post, which was a few minutes too late:

Lets see - for a start she's a Creationist and thinks it should be taught in school, believes abortion shouldn't be legal even for a raped woman and doesn't believe that humans cause global warming.

Doesn't sound to moderate to me -

More fundamentally - McCain's claim that Obama isn't ready just flew out the window because he appoint her as his VP pick and Obama's claim that McCain doesn't have the judgement to be President just got supported.

Right now the press is in a feeding frenzy - lets see what else it uncovers.

Some of the more interesting opinions on the blog:

From Teri: Palin was picked because no other Republican wanted to join the Titanic , the metaphor for McCain’s campaign. My real worry is if something happens to McCain

From Lidna Harter: As a woman, I am distressed and insulted to think anyone would think that women are so one deminstional that we would vote for a woman regardless of her policies. McCain and Palin support none of the issues that concern the majority of women. McCain has just proved that he has poor judgement. He certinaly has read the American woman wrong, wrong, wrong. For the first time in my life ,I will actively and passionatley work for the election of an American president - Barak Obama,

From Carol Goodson: When I first heard about this, I thought it was a brilliant strategic move on McCain’s part, because I knew nothing about her…. but when I saw her talk on CNN tonight, I was appalled. THIS FLAKE is the person who could very possibly become President if the elderly McCain suddenly dies!??!? I am TERRIFIED. Don’t even talk about the fact that she has a 4-month old Downs Syndrome baby at home… why is she even Governor? Does this woman have any sense of responsibility AT ALL?
I am also a Hillary supporter. This McCain pick is insulting!!! OMG! Vote Obama! With if this chic becomes Pres. if McCain doesn’t make it? (sorry for the morbid thought)I can’t even imagine…..Please God! Let Obama win!!!

From vic nashville,Tn: How democratic party talk about former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience when they have community organizer top of the ticket

Plain approval rate as a governor 80%
9 % approval rate for congress

Obama long time experience is 20 years with Jeremiah Wright

Life long democrat and Hillary strong supporter will vote for Mc Cain
Hillary 2012 /Mc Cain/Palin2008

From rich: I’m an Alaskan. I know Palin. She is a winner. Strategically, McCain could not have made a better choice. When America gets to know her, they will wonder why she is not at the top of the ticket…someday…in the mean time, I hope she pushes for as many VP debates as possible - she steals the show in that venue. This will change the race as much as Clinton’s focus on the economy vs Bush 1. She is the best representative women could have. This is not a political hail mary, but a shrewd and wise choice for VP. It fundamentally changes the nature of this race, and makes the Obama/Biden call for ‘change’ look superficial and weak. Palin is the real deal and is not being taken advantage of, McCain is lucky to have her…that’s why Obama said, “the race is about McCain” in response today…hmmm…I think Obama is about to get Obama’ed…by a very capable woman.

From Mike In Ohio: what does it say about McCain’s judgement when he picks someone after meeting them onetime? Also, he just lost his best arguement against Obama, experience. I think its hillarious that even Orielly agrees that he just blew it.

From kornelia new york: Mc Cain have age related dementia . Who will like to have president without experience with 5 children / read problems/ She clearly have postpartum depression …..living her children for politics!!!Down sydrome is 24 hour job that child needs mother …she is pro life? what kind of life?

and finally probably the best observation from the center or right, from jeff layton: My view is that moderate MALE voters, like myself, who may have considered voting for a McCain/Romney or other ticket that might have represented something in the way of reasserting america’s image around the world will instead stray away from the funny talking Alaskan lady who presides over a State that has nothing to do with reality in the lower 48.

She is John McCain’s version of Harriet Miers–she’s some version of a “maverick,” but in the final analysis she’s SIMPLY NOT QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Obama’s experience might have been a close call, but Palin’s choice by Obama’s loudest critic who INITIATED THE QUALIFICATIONS DEBATE, proves McCain is turning his back on this Country.

McCain is the OLDEST to ever run, and she’s the LEAST QUALIED since Agnew. When you add that up, it simply doesn’t compute.

the right responds.......

Ever since I heard about McCain's choice of Palin as his VP choice I wondered what the established right would say -

As always NRO delivers - Here's what David Frum has to say:

Friday, August 29, 2008

Palin

The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing.

John McCain wanted a woman: good.

He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.

He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.

And he discovered that he could not reconcile all these imperatives with the stated goal of finding a running mate qualified to assume the duties of the presidency "on day one."

Sarah Palin may well have concealed inner reservoirs of greatness. I hope so! But I'd guess that John McCain does not have a much better sense of who she is, what she believes, and the extent of her abilities than my enthusiastic friends over at the Corner. It's a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.

Here's I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign's slogan is "country first." It's a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency.

But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?

And here's a link to my National Post column on the choice.

08/29 08:36 PM

The National Post article cited above is a must read for his views on the Palin pick.

Well one thing for sure and for certain McCain's laughable attack on Obama as unqualified is now once and forever gone. On the other hand Obama's question about McCain's judgment is strengthened. Sarah Palin better be a quick study because the axes and knives are headed her way and she ain't seen nothing yet.

Sarah Palin

On first thought it hits me that McCain is simply bat shit crazy. Not sure if I've had my second or third though yet. Certainly its a "Hail Mary" move on McCain's part but it will take time to know if its inspired or simply nuts. Right now my vote is its nuts.

However, it needs to be said that she has her supporters - there is even a blog titled Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President that began Feb. 26, 2007. Its founding author, Adam Brickley, said this in a posting titled Why Sarah Palin?

This blog is the result of about a month worth of research on potential Republican Vice-Presidential candidates for the 2008 election. I had been considerably less than thrilled with all of the early speculation, mostly swirling around second-tier presidential candidates, so I decided to see if there was anyone better suited for the job that I hadn't been hearing about. So, I developed the following profile for the perfect VP candidate (using Rudy Giuliani as my presumptive presidential candidate):

1) A energetic, young, fresh face who will energize the electorate
2) Not connected to the current administration
3) Pro-Life
4) Pro-Gun
5) A woman or minority to counter Hillary or Obama and put to rest the idea that America only elects white males

One of the first names I found that fit these qualifications was that of Sarah Palin, the recently elected Governor of Alaska. I knew that I had stumbled upon a fantastic candidate for national office, but I kept looking in the hope that I could find other potentially viable choices. However, after looking at every GOP governor, senator, and congressperson, I found that Palin had only become more appealing.

She was certainly energetic and young, having become governor at only 42 years of age. Watching her speches and campaign ads, I discovered that she was definitely a new kid of leader, coming off more as a spunky soccer-mom than a stuffy career politician. As for abortion, she was staunchly pro-life; and as a lifetime NRA member she was the most pro-gun candidate in the country. Furthermore, her experiences in rural Alaska provided a perfect complement to the big-city credentials of candidates like Giuliani. Her moderately libertarian positions on most other issues also match up perfectly to Giuliani.

There was thing about Palin that initially worried me - "lack of experience". She had only been elected governor in 2006, and her only previous experience was as a two terms as a city councilwoman and two more as mayor in Wasilla, AK (population 8,471 in 2005) followed up by a failed campaign for lieutenant governor and a brief stint on Alaska's Oil and Natural Gas Conservation Commission. This didn't seem very appealing at first, but then I took the time to look closer at Palin's history. What I had failed to realize was that she had habitually knocked of powerful incumbent opponents and was a quick learner on the job. In the 2006 gubernatorial election, she rolled over scandal-prone incumbent Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary, then went on to defeat former governor Tony Knowles in the general election - pretty impressive. Further back, she had knocked off an entrenched incumbent to become mayor of Wasilla, then developed a reputation as a hard-nosed, effective mayor. Her performance in Wasilla got her elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors and earned her the nickname "Sarah Barracuda".

In the end, I decided that Sarah Palin had actually compiled a rather astounding record of achievements in her 42 years, and was more than capable of making the jump to the national level. So now I ask you who you would rather have as your Vice-President. You could accept conventional wisdom and choose from the lineup of old men currently being bantered about, or you could choose an inspiring leader like Sarah Palin. As for me, I'm going with "Sarah Barracuda", a candidate who will help us win the election and then deliver solid results.
Posted by Adam Brickley, aka "ElephantMan" at 2/26/2007 12:07:00 AM

More reasons to hate the Clintons - their supporters.

With the Dem Convention in full swing the Clinton sycophants are running wild. Tonight is all about Hillary worship. Tomorrow praises Bill. Even with giving both Tuesday and Wednesday nights to the Clintons their head monkey, Howard Wolfson, is doing what he can to hurt Democratic chances in the Fall. His latest screed in the New Republican Republic says that Obama has some real grovelling to do before the perfect one, Bill Clinton, to make amends for Bill's racist statements in South Carolina (see my post from January for more on this).

David Sirota asks a great and relevant question on HuffPo "Does it always - ALWAYS - have to be about the Clintons?".

As far as the HillBill show goes the answer is obviously - yes it does.

Biden it is .....

Now, please go and rip John McCain's face off - rhetorically/politically speaking of course.

Bill Clinton's Epitaph?

Now that it appears that the Obama Campaign has asked Bill Clinton to speak its interesting to think about what he will say and how he will be viewed in the long term.

On the latter point its anybodies guess but I just ran across a reader's comment that may be the basis of Bill Clinton's epitaph over at washingtonpost.com. Found via HuffPo.

Bill Clinton has become the Michael Jackson
of the Democratic Party. Everything he now
does is an embarrassment. The mask has
finally been ripped off, exposing for all
the world nothing more than a spoiled, whiny, mamma's boy who throws a hissy-fit
when he doesn't get his own way.

My god, what a way to end your career...

Posted by: JIM WHITTAKER, Hemet, CA | August 8, 2008 2:42 PM

Exxon McCain 08

Finally the DNC gets its act together. The Exxon McCain 08 Campaign.

The Yard Sign:


The Bumper Sticker:


The Button:



Hopefully they will all be available soon at the NM's Democratic Party State Headquarters - 1301 San Pedro, NE.