Open Thread – Heading Home
12 07 2009Well, by the time this posts, I will have been sans internet or Blackberry for 48 hours. We can presume I survived, and am on my way back to civilization.
And since I’m actually writing this on Friday afternoon, and scheduling it to robo-post on Sunday evening, let’s just assume I had a rollicking good time, and took lots of great pictures to share with you over the coming week.
It’s safe to say that several times at least, I’ve been wondering what’s going on back here in the real world. Well….by now I’ve probably convinced myself that the real world is the one I’ve been in for the past two days. So, I’ve been wondering, then what’s been going on here in the sur-real world.
Did Palin un-quit? Is there some new scandal? Did everyone just lay low this weekend? Any new Twidiocy from Palin’s Twitter account? I’ll be having fun catching up with all the news, and reading all the links that are no doubt in the threads.
See you soon!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:19 PM
Or it’s just a scam……
July 12th, 2009 at 9:20 PM
Scam response to Polly
July 12th, 2009 at 9:23 PM
Wow. Great transcription, you guys are really good..I think we have a live one because we all know where the dead fish go…
She just always makes me sick. And that has never changed since August, 2008.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:24 PM
By the way, I post as “Just Me” at Diva’s site and I was the one who answered correctly and I was also guaranteed to get my question asked.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Wow, a scam. That would be incredibly bold and underhanded and illegal.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:26 PM
BTW – Bob Poe has made a few entries on the last blog.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:26 PM
A scam. Gosh, whodaguess’d?
July 12th, 2009 at 9:28 PM
This week in editorial cartoons from Jekyllnhyde @ KOS:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/8/750794/-iQuit:-For-Palin,-The-Hits-Just-Keep-on-Coming
“Mike Luckovich, Editorial Cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and echoing the sentiments of hundreds of his colleagues, issued the following statement of support upon hearing that Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) had channeled boxer Roberto Duran in her “No Mas” Speech this past Friday from Wasilla, Alaska
“This is a very sad day for me and others in my profession. Never in the long history of editorial cartooning has so much been owed by so many to one person.”
July 12th, 2009 at 9:37 PM
i am catching up, but i assume you all have discussed this already since its on the mainpage of the huffpo. but palin is offering to stump for dems? wtf?
does she realize that not even goldfish or pandas want her to stump for them?
and does she think she is all of a sudden everyone’s best friend? when um no one likes her. period. anywhere. besides the those crazy weird groupies of hers. i think she has a complex, really. she has no sense of reality or perception. i have a degree in psychology and i dont even know what i would call her. crazy. crazy works. sort of like paula abdul.
but without memories of straight up or opposites attract. palin sucks.
i want to catch up. i have been saying this for about 40 minutes, but i am going to do it now.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:38 PM
Seagull Junker Palin,
Thanks for the compliment.
My personal take is that despite Palin’s claims to the contrary, she doesn’t have a half a million or more in legal debts. The majority has been paid off. She did not pay them out of pocket, they were paid from donations made to her Legal Defense Fund, if you believe what John Coale says.
Now her private legal bills will include her lawyers fees for all the Troopergate mess, her lawyers fees from the situation with Travelgate, and of course the money she had to repay the state , then there is the lawyers fees and tax money she had to pay from the per diem situation as well.
All of these can easily be considered her private legal fees, but even if they aren’t …let’s just say that when they say Legal Fee’s they are talking strictly about the lawyers fees….those other bills….the taxes on the per diem she collected, the repayment of the money to the state for her kids’ travel, that money owed can be paid for out of the Legal fund based on the way and wording of how the Legal Fund was set up.
I’m suddenly very curious though, because now we have a comment from within that NY Times article that says the Fund has generated $250,000.00 from donations. AND it says that this money cannot be touched due to the pending ethic’s complaint.
For me, this brings up lots of questions:
So…is that $250,000.00 what is left over after the private bills were paid? Is that the total sum of the donations to date?? If it is the total sum they why did John Coale say that the private legal bills had been mostly paid off from the Legal Fund money if it is basically frozen until the ethic’s complaint is resolved. If that is simply what is left over after the bills were paid, then how were they able to do that if the money is supposed to be “frozen”?
Has the ethic’s complaint been resolved and we just don’t know about it yet? If that is the case then why does Van Flein in his latest press release say give a list of the ethic’s complaints and lists the disposition of each and the one regarding the Legal Fund is listed as “pending”?
July 12th, 2009 at 9:38 PM
Isabella,
No. 1 — Levi is of age.
No. 2 — He can say no if he so chooses to appearing on Mike’s show
No. 3 — He has an Attorney
No. 4 — Tank and him are inseparable and I doubt he would be doing without have talked to Tank
No. 5 — He’s not your responsibility. Your choice would have been not to listen and not submit questions if you felt it wrong.
He’s doing live interviews on TV, interviews in magazines — so I miss your point of getting all up in arms as this is being played out on a blog.
CD appears to have had nothing to do with setting the appearance up. That was done by the Station/Producer. It looks like arrangements were made for CD to Live Blog and that’s where she asked for questions.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Jhop wrote: does she realize that not even goldfish or pandas want her to stump for them?
————
And a huge crowd of 15 showed up at Letterman’s show to protest. She may have supporters, but they are too lazy to get out the door.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Eye – good questions.
Simplistically responding:
Maybe they paid some bills before the ethics complaint was filed? Now it’s on hold?
OR, very possibly, the fund did not generate much – only (!!!) 250K and it can’t be spent yet due to the ethics charge.
Maybe someone did give her a loan to pay off the legal fees – against the fund.
(payday loan)
Possible that the complaint was “settled” – we are the last to know when it does go against $arah……
Again, good questions….keep looking for the answers to appear.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:50 PM
Hoping AKM does a quick post to let us know she is home safe and sound (do I sound like a worried mom, or what?)
Sotomayor hearings start tomorrow, I am sending good vibes her way.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:50 PM
If Palin can only raise $250,000 (nationally), how does she expect to be of any benefit to candidate campaign fund-raisers? People may show up to watch her stump out for a free show, but won’t fork over any money.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:53 PM
I was over at the Alaska Fund Trust reading the trustee (Kristen Cole) statement about the Fund, namely that it was created to defend the integrity of the Alaska Governor’s Office from the onslaught of attacks. It includes her family and employees. So, if the Fund was designed to defend the Office of Governor, then doesn’t it have to stay in place to defend the next governor, just in case he has an onsalught of attacks, too?? The office of governor is different from defending Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska. (Who drafted that statement, anyway?)
Originally, John Coale gave an interview where he bragged that as soon as he launched the Fund, he got over $500,000. in donations. Now we read in the NY Times that they have $250,000. after paying legal expenses (and the travel expenses??). Once $arah leaves, is she still entitled to the use of the money when she is no longer governor? Those aren’t the terms.
As for the PAC– any idea what kind of money they have accumulated? I wonder how it compares to the growing war chests of some of the other presidential candidates? Jindal and Pawlenty are working very quietly to raise millions. I don’t think that $arah’s PAC can compete.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Seagull Junker Palin ~
It is enough to drive you crazy isn’t it? One or two comments drive a whole series of questions with no answers or explanations.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:55 PM
I don’t understand the discrepancy between the article and the interview (AFT and monies distributed or not). But one thing certain, the cost to the state was overstated, and I’d bet dollars to donuts that the personal legal bills were also (too).
July 12th, 2009 at 9:55 PM
Polly – $arah is POISON to any candidate other than secessionist Rick Perry. POISON. The $ Republicans will not let it happen.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:57 PM
Eye – yep!
Mae – $arahPac must release their #’s @ the end of July (I believe) I think it’s going to be a problem. What was raised may have already been spent on her trip to NY & Texas……OR it’s going to show that the State of AK paid for that trip. Ooooh boy -that should piss some people off….
July 12th, 2009 at 9:58 PM
I’m signing off – I highly recommend you go to the Daily Kos post I put up before – the editorial cartoons of the week. There are some great ones!!!
See ya tomorrow!!
Welcome back AKM!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:59 PM
mae lewis, those are great questions! will there be answers? probably not, but maybe the reason, this ethic complaint is still pending.
– But, I am getting tired, and so when I read this sentence, I really chuckled out loud: “So, if the Fund was designed to defend the Office of Governor, then doesn’t it have to stay in place to defend the next governor, just in case he has an onsalught of attacks, too??” — the “just in case he has an onslaught of attacks, too??”- for some reason that phrase makes me giggle…
July 12th, 2009 at 10:00 PM
JHop,
You asked for an update on the page before — I posted an answer. The only thing I mentioned was the bit about her campaigning for Dems!! Yearightsure!!
July 12th, 2009 at 10:01 PM
mae lewis
Great points and the biggest problem is that we have no way of knowing about any of it due to no regulation of this Fund. It was also set up with Sarah Palin listed and not just “The Governor”, so no one else or no other Governor can use any of these funds. JHop went over it before and gave a basic rundown and the whole thing is very hinky. After Palin leaves office watch for them to dissolve the fund and reestablish another one to allow for access from the “Ex-Governor”.
See the problem I have with all this is the fact we have different people giving wildly different answers as to how much that Fund has gotten. The answers vary from the $250,000. that Kristian Cole says to the half a million or more that John Coale says….
We should be able to find out exactly how much the PAC has gotten by the end of this month. Last day for for collecting in the quarter was June 30th and they have 30 days to file the report. I check it periodically to see if they have filed early, but so far nothing.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:03 PM
mae,
According to an article I read the other day, the Pac has to file June 30 disclosing the funds received.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Isabella- I understand that you are upset with Levi’s appearances (and some of our apparent interest in his appearances), but this is the choice that Levi made for himself. (You do understand that he chose NOT o appear on the Mike Method show, but rather be whisked off to national TV? If he makes a few bucks, good on him….heaven knows Sarah ain’t gonna share none with the father of her grandchild!
Sorry you are so upset about this…but Levi is the one making the decisions to do the interviews, etc. ….so you propose we don’t watch or listen???
July 12th, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Missed you AKM!!! If anything major happened in Alaska while you were gone, I wouldn’t know…..you are my “link” to all the latest “goin ons”.
Hope you had a restful weekend!
July 12th, 2009 at 10:39 PM
So there is at story at adn.com that Sarah is jumping back into national politics including giving a speech in a hanger where a retired Air Force One is housed. But she is quitting for the betterment of Alaskans. HAH!
July 12th, 2009 at 10:45 PM
I haven’t seen this posted yet but found it modestly entertaining: Rep. Doogan’s farewell to Palin. It’s his typical sardonic style but directed at “Alaska’s First Quitter” this time.
“It’s left a lot of people wondering why she did it. I don’t really know. But she doesn’t have a lot of political experience, and it may just be that she found she didn’t like the job very much. There’s plenty not to like. Toxic bloggers. Idiotic ethics complaints. Legislators. Citizens actually expecting you to make decisions. Set policies. You know, govern. It’s no day at the beach.
Maybe she thought politics would be more fun. Or more ennobling. Or more something cool. I guess no one ever told her the one about making laws or sausage.”
Read the rest of his missive at Syrin’s blog below:
http://syrin.vox.com/library/post/doogan-bids-adieu-to-palin.html
July 12th, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Gramiam — actually, she is an ice queen. Jardis of Charn, who later becomes the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And during her reign, it is always winter but never christmas. And anyone who displeases her gets turned into a statue. Pronto. With a wave of her hand.
But before Jardis gets to Narnia and becomes the White Witch (by eating a forbidden apple from the Tree of Immortality, it is quite a story and very well told in the prequel The Magician’s Nephew), she spends a little time at the Wood Between the Worlds. This is a very peaceful place and Jardis almost ends up there. Except that she doesn’t. I think it would be a good place for Miss Sarah.
July 13th, 2009 at 12:11 AM
State of Minnesota Spending Details Go Online
“Fresh details on how the state of Minnesota spends its money are now just a mouse click away.
The Transparency and Accountability Project Web site allows anyone with an Internet connection to look up state expenditures on everything from information technology to new Fords.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty demonstrated the site at a Capitol news conference.”
http://wcco.com/topstories/online.spending.details.2.968991.html
Does Alaska have a TAP website also, too?
July 13th, 2009 at 12:24 AM
“Uncle Jay Explains” has a lot to say about Sarah Palin this week. Hilarious!
http://unclejayexplains.com/
July 13th, 2009 at 2:21 AM
To EyeonYou @ #167
…why did John Coale say that the private legal bills had been mostly paid off from the Legal Fund money if it is basically frozen until the ethic’s complaint is resolved. If that is simply what is left over after the bills were paid, then how were they able to do that if the money is supposed to be “frozen”?
Exactly! Really important questions!
BTW, wasn’t there discussion here just a few days ago—arising from Margaret Carlson on KO—about whether Coale in fact set up the Alaska Fund Trust in addition to SarahPAC? Well, the NYT article repeats that claim: Coale did help set up the legal defense fund.
Re whether the Palins’ personal legal bills have been paid or not, did anyone else notice how she seemed to downplay (relatively speaking, for the Whiner) their importance in her “fishing” interview with Andrea Mitchell? Listen about 2 minutes in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbmmiSoMG8o&feature=related
When asked about their personal debt, SP referred to it as “a bit distracting” and “just one aspect” of why she quit, but she went on and on about the “thousands and thousands” of wasted state hours yada yada yada. Sounds to me like she knows she won’t be out a single penny and doesn’t want to encourage direct questions regarding the subject. Ugh, what a grifter.
July 13th, 2009 at 4:18 AM
Michigander!
Thank you! You reminded me *just* in time.
July 13th, 2009 at 5:35 AM
Regarding Palin’s statement that she is willing to campaign for dems or repub.
has a two-fold meaning.
1. She is trying to expand her base. She knows she can’t win with her small right-wing base, so she is trying to appear bipartisan.
2. Palin is saying that she is an equal opportunity money grabber. Does anyone think she is planning on making these speeches for free? Of course not…..money talks. She is saying that if you got the cash…..she’s got the time.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:54 AM
Yes, she will campaign for anyone who thinks she’s right. Wow, that’s really inspiring. /s
We still don’t know what her “ideas” are, because those she claims are not how she governed (smaller govt, etc). If anyone is a socialist, it is she. I have no problem with that, except that she campaigns with claims of small govt and accusations that Obama and Dems are socialists.
Is it laughable that she is offering her poison “help” to Dems now? Is this a a big plan to off her on the Democrats?
Thanks, but no thanks….
July 13th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
HI
If you haven’t voted already I just threw my hat into the ring for a netroots scholarship, at the last minute.
I’m going stealthy with my screen name DrChill
I hope you’ll consider voting for me…
http://democracyforamerica.com/netroots_nation_scholarships/641-drchill
Thanks so much!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:51 PM
I just read Palins piece in the WaPo and she has really got steamed…She out there telling how we feel in Ak….slamming Obama like she thinks she has a clue. I don’t even think she wrote the damn thing.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:53 PM
I meant she really has gotten me steamed as in steaming mad.