PETA and the Palin Administration – the Unravelling.
26 12 2008I don’t know how to describe it. The unravelling of a scarf? A slow motion train wreck? The Twilight Zone? A playground fight? We’ve probably all witnessed escalating email flame wars of one kind or another. Once somebody steps over the line of civility, there is rarely a good outcome.
But, I have to tell you, I have never seen anything like the two unravelling scarves (I’ll go with that one) that are Sarah Palin’s Communications Director Bill McAllister, and Alaska Democratic House Representative Mike Doogan. Is there some strange alignment of planets? Unusual auroral activity? Toxic winds blowing over from China? Too much eggnog? Whatever it is, the Christmas holiday has brought out the inner 12-year old in both these notable politicos.
I have waited until after Christmas to bring this up because I just couldn’t make myself do it on a holiday that celebrates peace and brotherly love. But now it’s the morning after, and all bets are off.
First installment: Bill McAllister.
If you haven’t heard the latest on the scuffle between McAllister and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), here’s a recap.
PETA got a phone call claiming to be from Palin’s office, threatening to sue if an online game in which players pelt the governor with snowballs was not removed from the site.
PETA posted this interaction on their blog.
Bill McAllister, within hours of the entry being posted on the blog, emailed PETA. Here is the exchange between McAllister and Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA.
(Quick break to make popcorn. Butter…salt….OK, I’m ready.)
BM: Your website claims we have threatened to sue you. What do you base this on? Be specific.
IN: Dear Mr. McAllister,
We base this on a phone call. Why don’t you ask in your office and be specific as to on what grounds you can sue us? We know that we can use the game as it’s pure parody. I thought people in Alaska had a sense of humor? Ingrid Newkirk
BM: That’s not very specific. Who called? Name and title given? Did you even attempt to verify it was genuine? Or are facts just cumbersome?
IN: Do they train you to be rude?
(Munch, munch, munch)
BM: OK, so the bottom line is, you have attitude, but no facts. Sounds about right.
IN: No, YOU have attitude, and it’s a bad one, and so did your legal emissary who must have gone to the same charm school.
(Munch, munch, munch)
BM: Our still unnamed legal emissary, huh? Whether or not I’m charming in your eyes, at least I’m accountable.
IN: You will be when you die, don’t you think? Did someone put Red Bull in your water cooler? Are you now saying that no one called from your office, that’s my question, or did the person who called overplay his hand, or what, not that I really care any more?
BM:
Subject: RE: sorry?To answer the question in your subject line, yes, you are sorry.
I wouldn’t know if the person who (allegedly) called overplayed his (a man, then? – still waiting for more details) hand. No one here knows what you’re talking about.
Oh, you used to care? Which decade was that?
(Licking butter off fingers) Let’s keep this little conversation going shall we? How might it progress from here if it had continued?
IN: I’ll Paypal you a quarter so you can call someone who cares. Jerk.
BM: Takes one to know one.
IN: You wish.
BM: No YOU wish, you doodoo head.
IN: I know you are but what am I?
BM: Sticks and stones may break my bones…
IN: I’m rubber and you’re glue.
BM: Your mother’sa doodoo head.
IN: So is your face!
BM: Yeah, well my mother could kick your mother’s <screechy brake noise>
You get the idea. And the Anchorage Daily News got this response from McAllister when they asked him about the exchange:
“The bottom line is that no lawsuit was threatened or is being considered concerning their silly on-line snowball game, and I am certain the call, if it even occurred, did not come from this office. At best, they simply don’t care who the made the call, but just see an opportunity to continue their histrionic commentary on the governor. And of course that’s why they sent the e-mail exchange to you and Politico. (We didn’t know anything about this web-posting until Julia O’Malley e-mailed me about it yesterday.)
Oh, and I’m having turkey for Christmas dinner.”
He sort of held it together….until that last line. He just couldn’t help himself. Oooooo. He’s eating turkey. Maybe he can take a picture of himself eatingturkey and email it to Ingrid Newkirk. That’ll get her.
And really? A turkey reference? Oy.
Yes, PETA did participate in the snarky email exchange. However, Ingrid Newkirk is not running for office. But Bill McAllister is the press secretary for a sitting Governor, a public servant, a woman who was recently a Vice-Presidential candidate, a woman who wants to be her party’s nominee for president in four years, someone whose every move and every word are under a giant magnifying glass. And thisis the face Bill McAllister presents to the world as her official spokesman? The mind reels.
One would think that this new-fangled world of electronic messages, and this “inter net” were still a mystery to him. Maybe he just doesn’t realize that whatever he says online doesn’t go away, and it can get passed around quickly to lots and lots of people. Want to know what I would have said if I were Palin’s press secretary?
Dear Ms. Newkirk,
I became aware today that you have published a post stating that someone from Governor Palin’s office threatened to sue PETA if you did not remove your online game featuring the governor. I assure you that the call you received did not come from this office. I do not know who placed the call, but it is not unreasonable to assume it may have come from a fan of the governor’s who was upset. I apologize for any misunderstanding regarding this matter, and request that you please print a correction on your blog as soon as possible. Feel free to call me with any questions.
Bill McAllister
That wasn’t particularly difficult. It took about 2 minutes. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that I actually sounded like a grown-up. My hunch is that a letter of that type would have gotten a retraction printed, and very little other press. The way McAllister chose to handle it, managed to make him look like an adolescent, and will add yet another layer of embarrassment and perceived incompetence to the Palin administration, and how it conducts its affairs. This is OK with me, don’t get me wrong. But the degree to which this ridiculousness has risen makes me believe that Bill McAllister has slipped into some kind of political dementia. There’s really no other way to explain it. Maybe the campaign was just too much for him? I don’t know. And that was not the end of our story. His conduct has now opened the floodgates, and he is probably receiving critical emails.
And he’s been returning those emails with more snark, on Christmas Day no less!
Just for fun, look what Sarah Palin had to say about McAllister on August 12, 2008 when she announced he’d be her new press secretary:
“We are fortunate to have someone of Bill’s caliber joining our team,” Governor Palin said. “His talent, intelligence and incredible gift of communicating with the public will serve Alaska well. I am pleased he will be part of our efforts to build an effective, responsive and positive branch of government.”
Damage control at this point is probably futile. The story has been covered by a whole host of national and local blogs, the Anchorage Daily News, PETA, the L.A. Times, Slate.Com, the Daily Mail, and on and on. You can’t unring a bell, but if I were to give Mr. McAllister a piece of advice, it would be this: Just. shut. up. Do not speak. (He starts to speak) AA! AA! AA! (hand up) No speaking. Just shhhhhhh.
On second thought, what am I saying? Go ahead. Let it rip! I’ve got more popcorn around here somewhere.
For more news about what our Alaskan politicos have been up to over the last 48 hours, stay tuned for installment #2 of our Holiday Email Twilight Zone- Mike Doogan.
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December 26th, 2008 at 4:50 PM
ZERO respect for PETA. They are a very extreme, uncouth organization. I respect the goal of protecting the rights and well-being of animals, but PETA’s goals are often incredibly misguided and uninformed. They are belligerently militant.
While McAllister could have started out his inquiry with a little more politeness, the PETA woman had just as much responsibility to helpfully give him some VERY SIMPLE information. Especially given PETA’s reputation as an asshole of an organization.
Can’t stand Palin and her whole crew, and the hypocrisy she represents, but if I had to take sides I’d side with McAllister.
December 26th, 2008 at 5:02 PM
The British royal family have a saying.
In a crisis, do nothing.
Perhaps we could all put this on a postcard and send it to Bill?
December 26th, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Are Palin and ALL her cronies mentally ill? My God.
December 26th, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Onion – they won’t stop now………this is such an easy and big target…….Bill really should shut-up .
December 26th, 2008 at 5:59 PM
It’s the “S.S. Delusion” captained by Sarah……..onward thru the fog……..
December 26th, 2008 at 8:12 PM
Well, PETA is definately the more juvenile of the two. How so, you say?
Because PETA forwarded ALL of the e-mail exchange to a media outlet without permission of both parties. That is a violation of internet/email ethics protocol. Since when has ethics stopped PETA from doing anything? (PETA kills)
As to Bill McAllister’s professionalism, from what I read here he seems to fit right in with what I’ve read of Palin’s administration. I doubt she’ll find any fault with the exchange, except perhaps that McAllister was having turkey instead of moose.
December 26th, 2008 at 8:48 PM
The Palin Administration has consistently displayed a total lack of the ability to just STFU when needed. Troopergate would have been a non-event if Sarah would have Stopped Talking about Monegan when she had an underling fire him. He gave her a pass when she canned him — he was silent for a week or two. She kept yammering about it and it all blew up big-time.
It’s painful to watch this administration do things that are so dumb, so often.
Bill McAllister used to be a good journalist. It’s disappointing to see a good guy go over to the Dark Side, apparently so willingly. He hasn’t figured email out yet, and doesn’t seem to realize that email doesn’t disappear into the ether once you send it. That it’s like a boomerang that’ll keep whacking you upside the head. The PETA emails on both sides are stupid. (I think Frank Bailey or Todd made the phone call, unless it really was B.M.)
On another topic: Mike Doogan is one of my favorite people that I’m not related to, and his normal tone of voice is, and has always been, snarky. I find humor in snarky-ness, but I have a strong dose of Irish ancestry, so maybe it’s genetic. (Doogan is a fellow Irish-American and he knows more and funnier Irish jokes than I do, which is annoying.) I don’t think Mike was being unprofessional in that email; I think Mike was being Mike the legislator who used to be a journalist and is a writer. He knows the power of words, unlike SWWNBN.
So, as you roast Doogan on these pages, please know that he has someone among you who admires him. He’s a very serious legislator; he keeps asking the most important question: “how are we going to pay for it?” Ethics and fiscal responsibility are the drums that Mike keeps beating in Juneau, to the dismay of some of his fellow legislators. So be gentle, dear Mudpups. He really is one of the good guys. And if you don’t want to be gentle, don’t be surprised if Mike can give as good as he gets. (I think he’s probably got good reasons for backing off of the issue and maybe he’s not telling ya’ll what they are.)
Alaskan politics are so interesting because we have two degrees of separation here, not seven. Literally. This is a very small state on a very large piece of real estate, and we have natural resources that are worth a bazillion bucks — oil, gas, gold, zinc, timber, fish, crab, and scenery that’s pretty enough to break your heart. Too bad you can’t eat the scenery or heat your home with it.
December 26th, 2008 at 9:57 PM
Grewingk-(Hi
) After receiving all the emails and snarkyness from Doogan, I went to his state page and found a whole page about Ethics, at one point he said…
” Second, there’s the recipe for cooking a frog.
You don’t cook a frog by throwing it into a pot of boiling water. The frog will hop out. You put the frog in a pot of cool water,turn the heat up gradually and – voila! – the frog is cooked.”
Well you know I just had to ask….
“Well what happened? Or are you (all) cooking her like a frog?”
So far haven’t heard back, I expect a smart A$$ reply…I just can’t understand why NO one is willing to Do anything against Barbie, Ok, she WAS a VP candidate, but isn’t now. Are they just waiting for IRS, Federal Authorities to come in a “clean house?”. She’s not that great of a governor, building pipelines to nowhere, bridges to nowhere, promising the sun and giving (the finger) to the people of Alaska, What is it?? Why won’t anyone take action?
December 26th, 2008 at 11:02 PM
“…his incredible gift of communicating with the public”.
“Incredible”, incredible that anyone thought he could “communicate” at all.
His running start at a diatribe reads like the ten year old trolls that fill too, too, many blogs, and have generally ruined intelligent discourse on the net. Present blog excepted, of course.
Rankle
December 27th, 2008 at 12:19 AM
@TMH (09:29:04) :
Well, that partly fits me. I was born during the Vietnam War (making me rather under 50), would tend to self identify as progressive, gender-unidentified (though most readers here have prob. figured it out), and college+3yrs. educated. You’re doing pretty well!
December 27th, 2008 at 12:28 AM
@crystalwolf a.k.a. caligrl(21:57:48) :
What do you want us to do? She’s the sitting Gov in a state with a shitload of Repugnicans who love her. We can’t just throw her butt out into the snow this week to make you guys happy, ya know?
As frustrating as it is, we have to let the wheels of justice and truth grind slowly over them who so richly deserve it. Hold your britches on, will ya???
We can’t unseat them that quickly and may not be able to unseat them at all, with so many wingnuts up here. The Mudflats is the first real vocal showing of the strength of Blue Alaska I’ve ever seen. Every time I drive to town, I expect the windows of my car to be broken out, because I have an Obama and a Berkowitz sticker on it. And I live near one of the bluest towns in Alaska.
Every time I put an Obama sign up on our ranch gate, it was torn down within 12 hours. So I kept putting them up. The Paul Seaton sign (R. Homer, State House) was never torn down. (We vote for the person, not the party. Seaton is a good representative for our district.)
BTW, the blue collar portion of this state would love to see that gas line get built. We’d be working!! woo hoo!! My SO helped build the oil pipeline when he was a kid; working on the gas line would finish his career in the building trades. My SO worked with notable personalities like David Guttenberg (D. Fairbanks) and Harry Crawford (D. Anchorage) on building projects around Alaska. Those guys were just pups then, too. They grew up, ran for the lege and won. And they’re great voices in the State House for working people.
I went to welding school in SF to work on the pipeline, but got a job in Bethleham Shipyard (3rd St. and 20th in SF) making too much money to quit, so I stayed for awhile. I want one shot at the big bucks, before I’m too old to play. My pipe welding certifications are current, just for that job. Just in case.
This isn’t California, caligirl. Come visit. You’ll see that this place isn’t like any place you’ve ever been before. I know. I was raised within rifle shot of where you live, and that’s exactly why I moved to AK. We have breathing room up here. All you can stand.
December 27th, 2008 at 8:55 AM
The law of averages and karma are real and awaiting Sarah and her posse of buffoons……..be patient……..the “S.S. Delusion” will hit something !!!
December 27th, 2008 at 10:38 AM
I can tell that AKMuckraker has either been a teacher or has children.
December 27th, 2008 at 12:48 PM
grewingk, hang in there. There will be that very last straw, the one little thing that tips the balance.
I hope.
And, as for “perceived incompetence?” It doesn’t seem to be perceived, it seems to be a full-blown manifestation.
December 27th, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Me thinks it will be an avalanche………
December 27th, 2008 at 2:41 PM
@grewingk
most of us know how hard the people of alaska have worked to try to make things better in alaska. It is not like any of our other states are all that great. I am hoping after Obama gets in it will make some of the worms crawl away. Yaa to a better america.
December 27th, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Bill McAllister “used to be” a well respected news reporter in Anchorage. What has happened to the man? Is he losing it? So many lies he has to tell in so little time – Palin won’t be around in two years, so who is going to hire a newsman on the edge with a reputation of being a “yes man” who is not able to report the news truthfully. Seems he has totally lost his professionalism, and is hanging on to Palin’s skirt. How demeaning. If he has any intelligence left, he would tell Palin to handle her own dirty work, because he is picking up what little self respect he might have left, and he’s gettin’ out’a Palinland.
December 27th, 2008 at 11:08 PM
WakeUpAmerica (10:38:24) :
I can tell that AKMuckraker has either been a teacher or has children.
———–
Or listened to children, or been one with siblings.