Back Through the Looking Glass with Sarah Palin
Alright, you’re going to need lots of equipment for this one. Looking glass? Check. Time Machine? Check. Protective forehead padding? Check.
First, you’ll need to watch this:
“There were numerous instances where she said things that were not accurate that ultimately the campaign had to deal with, and that opened the door to criticism that she was being untruthful and inaccurate. And I think that that is something that continues to this day.”
After an ethics investigation of Palin when the Alaska Legislature issued a report, Schmidt says she mischaracterized that report.
“She went out and said, ‘This report completely exonorates me’ and in fact, it didn’t. You know…it’s the equivalent of saying ‘down is up, and up is down.’ It was provably, demonstrably untrue.”
And Schmidt said it just kept happening.
And now, you’ll need to climb in the time machine, back to October 12, 2008. If your time machine is giving you problems, I’ll try to assist. Here’s a post I wrote on that day entitled: “Through the Looking Glass with Sarah Palin.” I don’t often repost my own material, but this one was too good not to share.
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Through the Looking Glass With Sarah Palin
October 12, 2008 (Reprinted from mudflats.wordpress.com)
If there’s anyone else left out there who doesn’t believe that Sarah Palin can look you in the eye and tell you black is white, I have a present for you. Here is the transcript of a five minute conference call with Sarah Palin, Meg Stapleton, the Anchorage Daily News, and local TV stations KTVA, and KTUU. The journalists got one question each with no follow up.
I’ve been struggling to find the right terminology for this. She has jumped the shark. She has landed on Fantasy Island. She has slipped through the looking glass. She’s Queen of Denial. She has become the Head of Orwell’s Ministry of Truth… choose whichever metaphor works for you.
Here is the transcript of Palin’s interview by these journalists, after the Branchflower Report on the Troopergate investigation was released, stating that she had abused her power as governor. As a matter of fact, let’s review Finding Number One as it is written:
“For the reasons explained in section IV of the report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.11(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.
“The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”
The second thing we should review before joining Sarah Through the Looking Glass, is that the Legislative Council, made up of TEN Republicans and FOUR Democrats voted unanimously to begin the investigation, and unanimously to release the results of the investigation. Ten Republicans, four democrats. Remember that, because it comes up later.
Alright. So here is the transcript. The emphasis is mine, and used on those passages that defy reality, and/or leave me speechless.
Palin: Hey, thank you so, Meg. Thank you so much. Thank you also to our local reporters up there in Alaska. Even hearing your names make me feel like I’m right there with you at home. It’s good to get to speak with you. Let me talk a little bit about the Tasergate issue if you guys would let me and, Meg, you want me to just jump right on in there?
Stapleton: Sure governor, go ahead.
Palin: OK cool.
Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that. Todd did what anyone would have done given this state trooper’s very, very troubling behavior and his dangerous threats against our family. Todd did what I think any Alaskan would do.
And he, Todd did what the state’s Department of Law Web site tells anyone to do if they have a concern about a state trooper. And that’s you go to the commissioner and you express your concern. And Todd did what our personal detail asked him to do. Bob Cockrell early on as I was elected and was asked are there any threats against ya, and Todd brought the concern as I did to Commissioner Monegan about the state trooper’s threats. He did what any – I think — any rational person would do so again, nothing to apologize there with Todd’s actions and again very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing.
(Stapleton invites the first question).
ADN: Governor, finding No.1 on the report was that you abused your power by violating state law. Do you think you did anything wrong at all in this Troopergate case?
Palin: Not at all and I’ll tell you, it, I think that you’re always going to ruffle feathers as you do what you believe is in the best interest of the people whom you are serving. In this case I knew that I had to have the right people in the right position at the right time in this cabinet to best serve Alaskans, and Walt Monegan was not the right person at the right time to meet the goals that we had set out in our administration. So no, not having done anything wrong, and again very much appreciating being cleared of any legal wrongdoing or unethical activity at all.
ADN: Have you read the whole report? (No response; Stapleton invites question from KTVA reporter).
KTVA-Channel 11: … The report that came out yesterday, do you think that the end result is partisan?
Palin: Yeah, I did think it did turn into a partisan circus to tell you the truth. Yes I did. You know from Day One it’s been the Personnel Board that clearly laid out in state statute there — Personnel Board deals with any issue of question regarding a governor, a lieutenant governor or an attorney general in the state of Alaska. What this legislative investigation — quote unquote — turned into was a political circus.
KTUU-Channel 2: Governor, so good to hear from you. Do you approve of the way that your campaign has handled themselves here in Alaska? We’ve had a lot of people voice concerns about what they call attacks of good people in our state while you are away.
Palin: Well I haven’t heard of any attacks on good people in Alaska from our campaign. If you have specifics there, maybe I could answer specifically. But no, in John McCain’s mission here, in taking the high road, as you’re going to see too with a lot of unfair shots he has taken in this campaign with some of his opponents’ supporters, McCain and I taking the high road, being positive. I wouldn’t support nor would I condone taking shots at any good Alaskans.
KTUU-Channel 2: Let me answer your question since you asked for specifics.
Palin: Sure.
KTUU-Channel 2: Walt Monegan was called “rogue.” How do you feel about that?
Palin: Rogue isn’t a negative term when you consider that in a cabinet you need a team effort going forward with a governor’s agenda. And our agenda has been to find efficiencies in every department and make sure that we are serving the people of Alaska to the best of our ability given the resources that we have. And remember I fought very hard to increase funding for state troopers so that we could fill positions there and goals not being met that included not being able to recruit and retain all the state troopers that I wanted to best serve Alaska. That could be characterized I think as a cabinet member who – it’s not a negative term I think — being rogue in terms of not meeting those goals.
Just for fun, let’s check out the definition of “rogue.” *clears throat*
Rogue. Adjective.
- Vicious and solitary. Used of an animal, especially an elephant.
- Large, destructive, and anomalous or unpredictable: a rogue wave; a rogue tornado.
- Operating outside normal or desirable controls: “How could a single rogue trader bring down an otherwise profitable and well-regarded institution?”
He’s a vicious, solitary elephant who doesn’t meet his goals…in a GOOD way.
So let’s recap. The report states she has abused her power as governor, and she’s really glad she’s done nothing wrong. Todd did what any “Alaskan” would do. She thinks the mostly Republican legislative council has turned into a partisan circus, but she hasn’t heard anything about attacks on anyone in Alaska from her campaign. The McCain campaign is taking the high road and being positive. And being a rogue cop isn’t a bad thing. Any questions?
If you want to read Lisa Demer’s full account, and hear the interview in the Governor’s own voice: CLICK HERE. That way you can just, you know, hear her talkin’ to the people, and bein’ what she is, also, and gettin’ her statement out there and rufflin’ feathers so as to serve the people of Alaska there also.
This must be the sound it makes when a house of cards collapses.
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The only thing I failed to take into account back then was that it would apparently take one year and three months for the collapsing cards to actually hit the dirt, and get acknowledged by the McCain campaign as being “provably, demonstrably untrue.” Gravity takes a while in Looking Glass world.
The thing that Steve Schmidt and others have failed to acknowledge so far is John McCain’s culpability in this near disaster. Regardless of who supposedly vetted her, the buck stopped with him, and he chose a woman to be his potential Vice President – OUR potential Vice President – who is not only incompetent by his campaign’s own admission, but who does not tell the truth. His decision was irresponsible, and absolutely reckless. As much as we chuckle at Sarah Palin, his judgment put our country, and the rest of the world at risk in the name of his own political ambition. History will not judge him kindly.
“decision was irresponsible, and absolutely reckless. As much as we chuckle at Sarah Palin, his judgment put our country, and the rest of the world at risk in the name of his own political ambition. History will not judge him kindly.”
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Karma’s a bi^ch, and McCain deserves his in spades. About time. May this be just the beginning.
The Alaska legislature caught a fish. Instead of filleting it, they threw it back. Shame, shame, shame.
It’s fun to listen to Schmidt dance around the word “lie.”
It’s a real tragedy the Legislature didn’t have the balls to take action on that report.
Two words:
Pathological Liar
Excellent post, AKM. Thank you.
Schmidt could be writing a book that would be selling like hot cakes… the drama continues. This is about as bad as a soap opera. Geesh… perhaps they need to find average and smart instead of a pretty continues pain in the ____.
I remember the original. It is still so scary-crazy that John McCain placed us all in harm’s way.
Hey John. You don’t like how the bloggers are haranguing your little Princess? Guess who’s next once she’s gone?
@nswfm: Also, too, Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! Hope the end is near for her.
she is wearing on me…word salad time. yikes!
Andrew Sullivan said this about McCain/Palin:
The idea that this person was qualified to run a country in one of its most serious crises, economically and militarily, beggars belief. The recklessness it revealed in McCain showed that he too was simply unqualified for high office, gambling with the core security of the US for cheap tactical advantage.
Steve Schmidt is…….a little too little, a little too late!
He has his share of responsibility to shoulder as well as McCain and the rest of the campaign staff.
If ANY of them really gave a damn, NONE of them would have risked allowing someone like Palin that close to the office of POTUS!
NONE of them.
What Schmidt is doing here, is like blowing the whistle on himself and the entire campaign staff.
What Andrew Sullivan said about McCain applies to Schmidt and the campaign staff.
If they had any conscience OR patriotism they would have exposed Palin and quit the campaign.
It has been said many times, that America really dodged a bullet with McCain/Palin………….no thanks to McCain OR his campaign staff.
If this catches on maybe Cheney will do the same for the goings on in the Bush administration?…………I think not.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Within hours of McCain tapping her for VEEP and her acceptance speech the internet was on fire, pointing out her blatant lies. Too bad the MSM did so little in reporting her lies.
I hope karma will take care of both McCain and Palin in such a way that their lack of integrity is recognized by the majority of Americans.
On another note: it would appear that the tea party symposium that was to be held in Texas was canceled (as some have reported on other threads) but that the big event in Nashville is still a go.
This is a great account of what happened. Thanks.
Scary witch…
and thus, Stapletongue was born!
When up is down the cards would definitely take a while to hit the dirt. My question is…if the report stated she broke state law….why was she never prosecuted??? I guess the laws of the land do not apply to SP.
Congrats on your award! You are by far my favorite writer in the blogosphere! :O)
This is why I love this blog – you write the truth. Unrealistic expectations are not healthy for my psyche, but I am feeling vibes that Sarah’s facade is finally publicly crumbling. Plus I had a dream about rogue elephants last night.
Well, after all, Schmidt has to protect McCrook, whose chances are not looking too good in AZ, so it’s pretty easy to throw Palin under the bus since MOST of the country already knows what a grifter she really is, thanks to the efforts of bloggers, NOT the MSM. That CBS is airing this interview just means they’re catching up a little bit.
Now we know why Jeanne’s blog is #1! (Could they ever say that about someone who “facebooks” and “twitters?” A “professional”–excuse me while I LMAO–politician?)
When Ms. Palin responded that she had been cleared of wrongdoing, I said, “what? That’s not what I heard.” I am deaf when I don’t have my hearing aids in (since age 37); but I had them in. I remember thinking: she is lying.
Wonderful recap and post.
It is times like this that I wish I had T.V.
I will have to make arraignments to see 60 minutes at a friends.
Woops, what happened to my post? I”ll try again to reconstruct:
Schmidt is just recycling what’s gone on among the blogs for a while now. He has to protect McCrook, and throwing Palin under the bus as far as he is allowed must suffice for now. McCrook is facing competition in AZ and they are stonewalling the extent of his stupidity in picking Palin as VP. The RNC is hurting for money and they need to raise a boatload for the mid-terms. They know where the real money is, and Joe Sixpack ain’t got it. So, Schmidt is simply doing damage control for the RNC, as is Steele, who’s been all over TV lately, allegedly pimping his “book” too.
This post is one of many reasons Jeanne’s blog is #1. Could we ever say the same for a petty, vindictive, ignorant sociopath who Facebooks and twitters–a so-called “professional” politician? Excuse me while I LMAO, please!
I remember your post from last year and being absolutely amazed that the MSM didn’t call her out on her lies.
Over a year later, I have gotten used to the American media’s way of reporting (with the exception of Rachel, Keith, Ed and Bill) but I do find it incredibly frustrating. I can only imagine how much more frustrated Americans feel.
Oprah and Barbara disappointed me terribly as well.
Sarah wouldn’t have lasted 10 minutes if the English and Irish media had their way with her. My dream interview is Jeremy Paxman tearing her asunder.
Mrs. O’Palin….you are quite simply a liar and a fraud.
AKM, kudos to you for reporting the facts in a clear and forthright manner. With your injection of humour at just the right time you have managed to be very relevant and funny…..this blog stands head and shoulders above the so-called MSM papers.
What happened to Investigative Journalism?
Case in Point –
Why did John McCain really suspend his presidential campaign? Well the answers are in the 60 minutes interview with Steve Schmidt!
What are the “real” reasons for him declaring that the presidential debates should be suspended? The answers are in the 60 Minutes interview with Steve Schmidt!
Why has the McCain camp been in denial about their choice of SP for VP? Again, the answers are in the 60 Minutes interview with Steve Schmidt!
Is there a story within a story from the 60 Minutes interview with Steve Schmidt? Yes, and someone should be preparing it right now to show how the American public got hook winked during the presidential campaign.
Investigative Journalism requires putting facts together and asking the tough questions to get to the TRUTH! Who is willing to do that kind of work today?
Our democracy will suffer if the American people don’t demand that the free press protect the “TRUTH” by asking the touch questions that we cannot ask.
AKM, is this cross posted, or are you going to cross post it at HuffPo?
In the interests of what you wrote in October 2008 and how spot-on critical you were, I think it should be.
Please consider doing that. Thanks!
Testing….
OK, I’ve had 2 posts “disappear”. What is going on with WOODpress?
I remember this post AKM. Re-reading it now lo these many months hence, I see that Meg Stapleton points out the actual finding … that there was wrongdoing. And Palin quickly just glosses over, absolutely states the opposite .. black is white. Unbelievable! The other thing that I read with a different eye now is all the “and Todd did, and Todd did, and Todd did.” To me this says a lot about where some of attention should go – what all does Todd do and how does he get away with it? We know he is the one (whether at her bidding or originating from him) who had our esteemed bloggers ‘banned in Wasilla.’ It is scary to me to read all the phrases above that start with “Todd did.” Does anyone else have this reaction?
Let me try this for the 3rd time!
Now I’ve had a complete brain freeze about those 2 posts. Cheeeez. Something about Schmidt covering for McCrook; RNC needing money for the mid-terms (including McCrook who’s in trouble); throwing Palin as far under the bus as he’s allowed to; Michael Steele resurfacing as well, allegedly to pimp his new book. Is the MSM thinking they ought to cash in on what the blogs have known for so long?
And saying this post is why this blog is the #1 political blog, as opposed to even a “professional” politician who only sees fit to Facebook and twitter. : )
To Wolf Pack @ #12:
or, as that great American thinker once said:
“Fool me once, shame on…shame on you. Fool me twice ya can’t get fooled again.”
-GWB
So professional how she began that little charade with: “Ok, cool.”
I just don’t know what to say anymore. That’s all. Words fail. Maybe tomorrow night be the beginning of the end of this moron’s stay in the national spotlight, and may the ride down be fast and bumpy for said moron.
daisydem yes I agree with you I have always thought they were two peas in a pod and both were dangerous.But then again if she puts it on the man of the house she gets out of it and she makes like he was a papa bear protecting what was his.. I just wonder if any of her followers will believe what is said,some seem to think every one but her are lying.According to some churches the fundie ones you can steel cheat and lie as long as it is in the name of God.Does SP not know that Allah means God in their language?
May, not maybe. Ugh, it’s catching.
More posted by Andrew Sullivan (a journalist who has my utmost respect)…a comment from a reader that is very important in understanding Palin and her ‘bots: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/revisiting-the-palin-farce-ctd.html#more
This type of information, coupled with the Schmidt “60 Minutes” interview needs to go viral.
Palin: “I lie therefore I am”. That whole family, including her creepy father, need to go away somewhere and reload altogether. How anyone in their right mind could possibly endorse, or pay for the privilege of listening to her incoherent screeds, is beyond me.
Perhaps it is time once again for her to seek out Track’s advice (or whatever the hell his name is – Truck, Trump, Trick – whatever) as she seems to have elicited him in the past as she pointed out in her phony book.
A family of “phony balonies” cashing in. Levi deserves a medal for escaping this crowd.
Even with a year of Palin’s lies to create a context, her ability to claim a guilty verdict as meaining innocent is pretty breath taking.
31 PJ Says:
January 9th, 2010 at 2:11 PM
A family of “phony balonies” cashing in. Levi deserves a medal for escaping this crowd.
I still think the best thing Levi could have done for himself was head for the Canadian border and keep going as soon as the campaign was over. It is to his credit that he wants to be a father to his child, but he’s having to carry a big load to do it.
Schmidt appears to castigate Palin for lying. What he really castigates her for is blatantly lying poorly and getting caught.
What’s really sick about this is that it will just keep happening.
Palin is over, finished, done. But the next one will come along and take the lies even farther. And then we will be stuck with a President Bachman, or Sanford, or Blagojevich, whoever the big liar may be.
Without consequences for their dishonesty, the lie will just get bigger.
Isn’t it rather amazing that there are soooooo many analogies that come right out ” Alice In WonderLand “… and they ALL fit the picture.
And the word ” Wonderland “.. is there not a more PERFECT word for this?
Again the phrase… ‘You can’t make this stuff ‘. The Truth is stranger than fiction.
AKM… the last story you wrote about the custody trial was on Huffpo.
Have you or WILL YOU be posting this on Huffpo..?
It needs to go right up there beside the Schmidt stories they are reporting on.
People need to know that the Truth was reported by You back then. They/the public just refused to see it or acknowledge it. Transparent then… transparent Now. Same picture.
Note : ** Shannyn should have you on as a guest just so you can tell and remind people of AK this one story alone.
If….you are willing to go on. Maybe You, Les Gara and some of the others involved. The Roundtable discussion would be fantastic.
Thank you AKM for revisiting this post! Congratulations, too for best political blog! And I agree with the other Puppies, this needs to hit HuffPo…
Thank God for AKM & Mudflats that provided this information so long ago -let this be one of many more leaks in the Palin Dam that the former 1/2 term gov. can’t patch any longer. As each piece falls away, I envision the entire structure collapsing ~ washing away those who continue to worship her.
Although mainstream media failed us, the hardworking Alaska bloggers kept us informed of the truth, as it was happening. Thank you !
When I get frustrated that the earthly rewards the former gov. desires will continue to come to her; money, influence, adoration, power, etc. I believe a more “just” higher power will look at her blackened soul from all those lies.
Can you just picture God on His Throne….
“Sorry Sarah, I was really for ya before I was against ya”
It’s seems to me that I read recently that there is a bill before the AK legislature to make the ethics complaint proceedure even less transparent than it is now? *cough* Doogan *cough*.
Isn’t there a single legislator in the state willing to push a bill for an ethics committee that is actually independent of the people it may possibly be investigating?
Arrrrrgh! IS THERE A LINGUIST IN THE HOUSE? I can’t even stand to READ how she mangles the English language. In fact I think it’s worse in writing. I know there has to be someone trained in communication or linguistics who can explain how and why this moron speaks the way she does. Oh, maybe I should be asking for a mental health professional…
“Gravity takes a while in Looking Glass world.”
But, when LGW gravity does kick in, it will bigger and badder than real world gravity.
Maybe the McCain camp thinks enough time has passed so that the American public will let them slither away from the dismal job they did vetting their candidate. ‘Ware AKM re-loaded with new 8G RAM.
$’arah as a waitress…Customer, “I’ll have a turkey on rye”….$’arah, ” Ok, thats one mooseburger on one of those bagel thingys”…anything else?
Excellente! Back then ~ and again…
Truth has a way of finding the light, so keep the light shining ever-so-brightly AKM.
We are all “obsessed” with this moron but at least I feel I am in sound company otherwise. The obsession is less with her than with the Palinites who beg, urge, and scream for her to run for the highest office in the land when the woman in question DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE! Sending money to her PAC, buying that ridiculous fact challenged book, standing in line for hours, paying for her to “speak” at political venues, it just boggles the mind!
For me it is nothing short of asking Paris Hilton for her views on issues yet the drumbeat for her to “run, Sarah, run” stretches my incredulity that out there in this nation are groups of idiots taking her at her word and seriously consider her worthy of leadership even when she resigns midway through a term.
Sometimes I think it is just me but this blog at least offers the outlet and opportunity for a measure of sanity,intellect and truth. Keep it up!
Her campaign lies started with the bridge to nowhere- where it was proven beyond a doubt that despite her words at her selection announcement in Dayton as the Republican Convention in Minneapolis that she had “told Congress thanks but no thanks,” she had never done any such thing- because she wasn’t governor when the state got the money.
It’s why they dropped it from the campaign rhetoric and why- to further prove the fact it was outed as a lie- there was no mention of it in “her” book.
You betcha’, also, too.
She’s done, I agree with those that think the repubs now need to bury her.
She’s no longer useful, just an embarrassment. What a fool, what a tool.
Oh well, maybe she had the foresight to save some of that $, I don’t think she could get a job at faux at this point. Besides she’s to lazy to do a real job. Bye bye winky. I’m afraid it’s not going to be quick and painless, she’s going to go down screaming.
tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…
Thank you for reprinting this wonderful post (which I also remember). It is kind of fun isn’t it – seeing the written proof that Karma is a bitch.
The GOP practices personal destruction. You cannot halfstep with this woman. They need to finish her. If you just tear off a piece, it will regrow and we can’t have that. I hope they do this right and just get her over and done with.
And I forgot to say in my earlier post … YES .. McCain needs to answer and suffer the consequences of either selecting or allowing the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. I hope with all my heart for his defeat in his reelection bid in AZ and my only fear is that subsequently he might become another Cheney if the MSM allows him to have a platform.
jmc and paylin will both be pariah’s. he screwed up bad, and she has too many loose screws.
PJ~
My obsession with the palin plaque is how someone can be so conniving & corrupt; literally begging investigative scrutiny on so many levels (including criminal and federal), and seemingly getting away without penalty.
I also have a major problem with her brand of hypocrisy, shrouded by her alleged Christianity. I truly marvel at the gullible souls that have been so easily beguiled by her wantonness, but simply refuse to fear them and their outward ignorance.
I am awaiting to hear that the incredibly slow wheels of “justice” have finally overtaken this obvious fraud ~ and her many accomplices (McCain, Gov’s office & the MSM, notwithstanding). Surely, the bloggers are not the only intelligentsia who have connected the scattered dots and she deserves nothing more than a pink pair of handcuffs.
First time poster here… reader of months.
LONG time believer of SP bs within her looking glass.
First off– Congrats to the Bloggers choice PoliBlog!
If it were not for YOU and others who are in the know
such as Gryphen, Shannon, Patrick,Regina, Bree, Leah et al… us “pow’fowk” in the (ahem!) lower 48 (albeit insulting the way SHE says it) — may not have had a chance to really see the early Palin episodes. What many of us knew in our gut instinct we only saw when Palin hit the national scene; that there was something very wrong with this person, nevermind the unqualified person.
Yes… I was one of the first to say within my peers last year that Bristol was thrown under the bus… that she was indeed thrown under the bus because of her mother. I was called “one of those”… because I felt that Sarah lied about her pregnancy with Trig… and yes, I’m one of those “lib’rels” who called her (SP) a liar within my limited peers.
I was laughed at.
I’m proud to call attention to you wise people who have always known.. and who have always stuck to your guns on this issue… of the phony in which we speak. I am also more than proud OF you to know your instincts and perseverance to seek this through.
That is all.
From Austin tx -
Take care in the terrablogosphere
Back during the 2008 campaign I always wondered why McCain didn’t admit to a mistake and replace her. Schmidt could have relayed his concerns at that time. Was it 1972 when McGovern replaced Thomas Eagleton as VP nominee? The only thing wrong with Eagleton was that he had been treated for depression. There was no HIPPA then, and somehow it became known that he had been hospitalized and given electroshock treatment as a young man. In those days, psychiatric treatment was not tolerated, and we didn’t have the pharmacopia we have now. When McCain realized what he got, he should have made a dramatic shift. Wonder why he didn’t.
And more chickens come home to roost………….
http://nymag.com/news/politics/63045/
Hope sarah’s paying attention.
Right on AKM, as Truman would say, ” the buck stops here”, but in McCain’s case it didn’t. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times…he is such a worm!! He knew what he had & he rolled with it & covered it up for his own personal gain. Then you have the trickery of a narcissistic sociopath who isn’t playing with a full deck calling the shots.
Another reason I love these flashbacks: I remember how all the rightys made a HUGE stink over Michelle Obama making the statement, “it was the first time I was proud of my country” (which was a MISquote, because she said it was the first time she was “really” proud of her country, but that was NEVER corrected). Anyway, with all the screams of “unpatriotic” directed at Michelle, I could never figure out why no one said anything about Toad and AIP. Being a member of a group that wants to SECEDE from the USA isn’t unpatriotic??? And Crazy Lady addressing their convention and saying, “keep up the good work”!!! WTF??? How blind was everybody? The ONLY thing I can conclude is that the media knew McCain was going to lose anyway, and they went along with Crazy for entertainment value.
She was chosen, I believe, to woo those Hillary supporters who felt disenfranchised during the primaries. A craven act to bid for those women voters who believed Hillary had been done in by the MSM and the pundits. And she had a “backstory” as well. Small town girl, big ambitions, honest to a fault, stood up to congress, five kids, a special needs baby, all the ingredients they felt would attract women. Sliced baloney!
Of course we found out that most of it was “moosecrap” and when she could not answer a simple question. They let her use those kids as “props” while she grandstanded all over the place in the hope of winning those women voters whom they figured could relate. Discovering how dumb she really was came too late in the campaign to have her step aside as the press would have had a field day with this supposed “sexist” act and McCain would have been beaten before the polls even opened. Thus she remained on the ticket and her ambitions know no bounds.
Her defenders insist that she is being “targeted” while the rest of us see her for what she is. A big fat phony!
I kind of hate to think back on the election. Sarah & the sillyness started immediately. Up is down & down is up & trust me Schmidt wasn’t saying a word to the media. Yes, dear old Johnny boy thought he was so clever to gain the Hilary vote & remember those crazy Hilary supporters. He did not do one decent noble thing throughout the election. While we are psychoanalysing Palin how about McCain. He may have been every bit as big a threat to this country.
I agree with PJ; SP was also chosen to appeal conservative evangelicals who would support a women who was “one of their own”. McCain, if you read critical essays about him, has always been one who cut corners, relied on the influence of others (think Dad when he destroyed multiple, expensive jets), and looked like he had integrity and independence- but didn’t.
May he go down in flames during his re-election campaign…
shame on McCain. shame shame shame.
Unfortunately, the very same game plan is still in play. There was there no check-and-balance then, no accountability, and it isn’t really possible for there to be now.
Here’s why – a series of elected officials, legislators, senior leadership in Alaska state government, and a different succession of privately-employed ‘queen-makers’ (McCain’s campaign) failed to be accountable themselves.
If even a single one of our elected officials and administration management had opted for due diligence and taken appropriate action, the outcome would be different; even if in some small way. I simply cannot congratulate any of these people for speaking now. They ALL screwed up. And they know it.
Hey, Legislators, Parnell, Commissioners, state executive officers – only dead fish go with the flow…
Executive Branch Ethics Act and complaints? Whatever. You guys ALL know perfectly well that scrutiny brought by just the one person willing to risk public condemnation, Andree Mcleod, was and is righteous.
EACH of you know that you were contractually required by virtue of Alaska state statute and your employment or other public service.
Sec. 39.52.190. Aiding a violation prohibited.
It is a violation of this chapter for a public officer to knowingly aid another public officer in a violation of this chapter.
You should be held additionally accountable for making a mockery of serious language adopted by set out in our state statues intended to serve public interests. How dare you?
Chapter 39.52.
(3) holding public office or employment is a public trust and that as one safeguard of that trust, the people require public officers to adhere to a code of ethics;
(4) a fair and open government requires that executive branch public officers conduct the public’s business in a manner that preserves the integrity of the governmental process and avoids conflicts of interest;
(5) in order for the rules governing conduct to be respected both during and after leaving public service, the code of ethics must be administered fairly without bias or favoritism;
Boys and girls in the legislature, this isn’t high school. At the very moment that you found yourself under pressure to compromise your personal integrity and sacrifice statutory mandate in order to suck up to the governor, you should have resigned and gone home.
There might be more, who really knows, but I know of only a few women and one guy who went all mavericky on Mrs. Palin and didn’t prostitute themselves for a career in Alaska politics: Legislative director Kelly Goode, scheduler Janice Mason, Commissioner Karleen Jackson and Steve Branchflower.
Congratulations, ladies. Apparently you are unique and rare in your personal integrity. I will have significant confidence when I see your names in state government in the future. Or any other domain.
Mr. Branchflower, you’ve at least earned my respect. That couldn’t have been easy. You were a live wild salmon swimming upstream against the current!
The Personnel Board? Yeesh, I wouldn’t hire one of those folks to wash my car or do business with a company they’re associated with! An illustration in loss of confidence.
(c) If the personnel board determines that a former public officer has violated this chapter, it shall
(1) issue a public statement of its findings, conclusions, and recommendation; and
(2) request the attorney general to exercise all legal and equitable remedies available to the state to seek whatever relief is appropriate.
(d) If the personnel board finds a violation of this chapter by a public officer removable from office only by impeachment, it shall file a report with the president of the Senate, with its finding. The report must contain a statement of the facts alleged to constitute the violation.
It ain’t difficult and complicated language and it’s not subjective. There’s not much grey area there. It’s specific and pretty clear.
Everyone’s a liar and a cheat; it just depends on the motivation. How do you explain this stuff to your children?
Here’s the simple one-page form, should any of you in Alaska State goverment decide you might use it:
http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/ethics/Form_request_for_ethics_determination.pdf
http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/ethics/sa_notice_of_potential_violation_form.pdf
Gryphen has a new post up at IM. It appears that Sarah Palin was NOT Miss Wasilla of 1984, nor their Miss Congeniality. I looked at her Wickipedia entry and it cites the St. Louis Dispatch and the Wall Street Journal as the sources for the Miss Wasilla Pageant. It then goes on to say that she was third runner-up and Miss Congeniality for the Miss Alaska pageant. Does she not lie about anything???
Bree Palin’s site has a commenter who supposedly went to school with Sarah and makes statements that would likely only be known by someone who was in the school at the same time. The comments give a totally different picture of Sarah.
Talking of lying. It seems contagious. Witness Rudy Giuliani saying the US was never attacked during Bush’s Presidency. This clown being Mr. 9-11, ground zero Mayor of NYC.
I’m not sure Schmidt’s interview tomorrow night will make the slightest difference to Mrs. Palin’s fans. They are delusional, and don’t want to be confused by the facts. I sense the mainstream Republicans could care less about her already. So – she will continue to stir the sludge regardless. For those of you wishing for McCain’s defeat in the next election, please be careful. His foremost Republican challenger here in Arizona is a blatant racist and reactionary, and we just don’t need any more of that here in our beleageared state. Let’s all put our energies into hoping and praying that, across the country, cooler, more rational heads will prevail everywhere.
AKM…Let me say this right up front. ( as it relates to your writing )
Sometimes you are a little TOO modest… and that’s Why we like You as well.
( Nothing to be ashamed of… it’s a good thing ) Others will back me up.
You need to call/email Andrew Sullivan and ‘ASK’ him to link back to this story.
He reads your blog all the time because he is always using you and your blog as a reference or to back up stories he has posted. You have earned his respect with your writing or else he wouldn’t do that.
I’m sure he will ‘ hear ‘ about this post if he hasn’t already. But, email him anyway… or have some of the Mudflatters here ( who have connections )do it.
He is running some scathing pieces/stories about this already and it backs up and supports all his points as well.
This coming from the perspective of someone who is on the outside of the story… looking in.
Yes… cross post on Huffpo as well , but Sullivans readers are a different type of reader and will appreciate all of the details and nuances maybe a little more. ( maybe a more International following )
He needs to link back to this story. Email him…. don’t be modest.
Awesome post, AKM! I agree with others that it should be cross-posted on HuffPo and widely available in time for 60 Minutes tomorrow.
As we are taking a look back, I remember watching McCain carefully during the election for signs that he had realized what he had wrought in choosing Palin. It wasn’t difficult, since he lacks the emotional maturity to even muster a good poker face.
Very early on, there was the moment he stood next to Palin as she was speaking at a podium. With a goofy grin, he was eyeing her legs and twisting his wedding ring (hilariously set to the song “Getting To Know You” on YouTube). But within days, the goofy grin was gone. At a town hall meeting they were doing together, Palin was answering an energy question, garbled and utterly nonsensical. McCain’s expression was sour, and he ambled over and stood right next to her, and she stopped talking immediately. I have no doubt that was a pre-arranged signal for her to zip it. She looked like a scolded child.
They all knew early on, including McCain. Pretty soon, it won’t matter whether they admited it or not. The full, awful truth will speak for itself.
Rudy Giuliani was just impersonating Dana Perino, or Mary Matalin given his propensity for dressing up like women!
CG @58 -
Amen to everything you said. There was one word buried in your post that jumped out at me and it’s a quality that has been clearly absent from all of these people’s characters throughout this whole process.
That quality is INTEGRITY.
We all know that Palin is completely unfamiliar with the concept, and the McCain campaign has demonstrated, over and over, that they have complete disregard for the quality.
I’m not sure which is worse…to not understand what integrity is or to willfully and deliberately expell it from your life and career for the sole purpose of obtaining your grandiose goals. I cannot imagine a day when I can forgive John McCain and his advisors for what they have done to this country and the potential worldwide cataclysm they were willing to allow in order to win an election.
AKM,
An interesting article in ADN:
FAIRBANKS — A state Superior Court judge directed the Alaska Board of Fisheries to revisit a 2003 decision in which it reclassified dipnetting salmon in the Copper River at Chitina as personal-use fishing, not subsistence fishing
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/story/1084964.html
so when the Left calls a spade a spade (thanks AKM) and when the Right calls the SAME spade a spade (Schmidt)…which weighs more?
no, this is not a riddle…this is the ongoing usual crap that exists…when will the Repukes understand that facts are facts and never a contest it should be??!!!?? if they want to debate, then do it on something that’s strickly opinion or a varied way of getting from point A to point B…not something that can be so easily proven…talk about people who want to argue just for the sake of arguing…really shoots down their credibility…STOP IT!!!
So weird, AKM that you did a repost. I did one, too, this week on my blog, in a look back at September 1, 2008 when I wrote my first diatribe about that woman and her family. GMTA, methinks.
The top has been popped off. Let the overflow begin!
And insofar as the gravity issue, in Palinland, down is up and up is down. No WONder gravity had a hard time getting those cards to the pavement!
I’m seeing twitter feedback about a 6.5 quake in N. California. Anything being reflected here yet ??
Thanks AKM for the references to McCain’s culpability in all this. Just last night I was telling my mother that he should be on his knees every day begging the American people for forgiveness for bringing O’Palin into the limelight. Curses on the man!
As we all know know.. S’error does ‘look through the looking glass’…
But always with those rose colored glasses she has on… as noted by someone earlier in the week. Hence… Why she saw that ‘ red moon ‘ earlier in the week.
BTW : UPdate. I see that Shannyn on her webpage announces that she is ‘ under the weather ‘… therefore her radio Show tonight is canceled.
There is still space for everybody in the Tree Fort though.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Ah, those were the days of hearing Sarah un-filtered. Those are some of the best examples of her word salad that no one in an English class could begin to diagram.
It’s interesting that she really is living in her own fantasy world and expects others to live there with her. Oh, wait. There ARE others who are willing to go there with Sarah – all those people who bought her book and still say she is our best hope. If she is, we’re all in serious trouble.
OMG, We have thunder, lightening and snow. All at the same time.
Buffalogal…# 68..
Nothing felt in this neck of the woods. But then we hardly do… and the TV is not on.
ps. the rope is down in the treehouse… for Shannyn.
Sorry to be OT. Our weather is usually boring.
oh, forget it… apparently she’s not on tonight.
HIG – the twitter posts are coming in pretty quickly. Talk of Eureka CA and also off the N. coast is the input of the moment. It just started coming in about 10 minutes ago.
So far 6.5 is still the word coming out of there. Most posts are reporting little damage but some power outages. (glad you’re ok HIG)
I have long thought that Sarah Palin’s followers are not just dumb, but also political amateurs. I assume that most of them had not been interested in politics before that scary black man was nominated by the Dems last year. Their political interest and knowledge was probably fairly low. I mean, not EVERYONE’S a political junkie like most of us here are.
SO, that scary black man was nominated and then won the election and all of a sudden their “world” (read, “white world”) was lost. These Palin supporters are scared of change, and change has come with the face of a black man. They start thinking about politics and what it would take to get “their world” back and Sarah Palin reemerges from defeat as their new – white – savior. All of a sudden, words like “constitution” and “tea party” are flung around and these poor, scared people cling to them. They probably don’t know exactly what’s in the Constitution – like the idea of three branches of equal government – and think that if they elect Sarah Palin as President in 2012 that she can magically wave her arms and get rid of abortion rights, and all the other new, frightening things that have happened in this country since the halcyon days of the 1950′s.
Sarah Palin further appeals to her followers by writing a book that contains a very key, code word. Substitute “Jesus” for “God” in all the sentences that contain the word “God”, and you can see exactly what she’s “promising”, a return to a white, Christian America.
I feel – somewhat, anyway – sorry for her followers. They will grasp on to anything that will change the fact that America is no longer an all-white nation. The “great American melting-pot” has crept on to these people and scared the hell out of them.
Phobe….
This one’s for you ~ a little levity as we look back through the looking glass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw&feature=player_embedded
For this nation certainly has it share of shortcomings (on all sides of the equation), but had Nov. 4, 2008 turned out to be tragically flawed, I wager that we’d be far worse off than the harshness of our present-day realities…
Trying to find out about the Northern California quake on the news but no luck so far. It didnt reach this part of Southern California.
Steve Schmidt hasn’t even had his airing on 60 Minutes tomorrow, and I am already finding the timing of his inside stories a little funny. Thinking back to 2008, knowing that Sarah could not even be counted on to prepare for a debate or an interview, what would he have done if McCain had been elected? Sarah would have been one heart beat away from a very important job, and Steve’s silence would have been stunning! Ah power, what a drug!
Steve didn’t have anything to say about how unqualified Sarah was when she returned to Alaska or when she quit her job last summer. I think that he has been waiting to see how her chances played out on the national stage. When it became clear that Sarah no longer had a viable political future with the GOP, Steve could finally “come clean.” What a secret to keep if she had stayed in power! I think that he is also positioning himself for the coming primaries and elections in 2010.
Steve knew that Sarah was lying about Troopergate and about Todd’s involvement in AIP. He knew that she could not prepare for a debate or an interview. Now, finally, he has something to say. What else is he keeping secret? And, what does this say about McCain and some of the other campaign workers? They did not put Country First. But, I sound like the police officer in the movie “Casablanca” who is shocked that there is gambling going on in Rick’s place. I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked!
There is s’error’s world.
And then there is reality.
Too bad the bi-partisan panel could not find any reality in following up on the real situation. What’s the statute of limitations on that anyways?
It’s interesting to reread SPs interview from last year. She has now gone silent and speaks through a ghost writer. It’s so darn obvious! Her statements delivered via facebook are written for her and not by her.
Didn’t you have a post awhile back analyzing her speech level and proving that there are different levels in her spoken and written language?
Anyway, I keep hoping that more of our countrymen will wise up and see the real SP and not the imaginary one. It’s a crazy world we are living in that’s for sure.
AKM~ you were so on this grifter & faud right from the git go…
I just can figure out why he is still defending this liar..Is he so ashamed of himself for turning this NUT loose??…
I hope his days in the senate are ending…
61 Mag the Mick Says: January 9th, 2010 at 4:18 PM
I’m not sure Schmidt’s interview tomorrow night will make the slightest difference to Mrs. Palin’s fans.
——–
Who cares about those morons? What will be particularly sweet is the knowledge that her belly will be in knots. Both she and The Sh*thead will know that it’s not a relatively small group of bloggers who know that she’s a useless turd but also many across a wide portion of this country. And Canada and elsewhere. For the first time, she might actually know that her future is as bright as that of the turkey behind her during that brilliant photoshoot from last T-Day.
But those poor little morons… they will have to get lives. Anyone think they have the capacity for finding a life?
California earthquake at 6.5, but apparently not a big deal with little damage. Must be why there’s not much coverage on it.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/09/california.earthquake/index.html
Irishgirl – Are you in Ireland? It took me a while to figure that out. Doh. Very weird weather you are having, I hear blizzard conditions in Europe and Germany. Does Ireland get much snow?
Am hoping 60 Minutes will not be a disappointment. Usually, the main discussions have already been revealed in the advertisements, and what remains are small points – no new revelations. Hope that isn’t the case. I think Schmidt has received McCain’s blessing to go ahead and talk; it would help keep McCain’s reputation intact. Maybe they reason that the public can’t blame them for SP’s inability to tell truths. Not easy to identify if a person has a compulsion to lie by just meeting them for an hour. Really, it raises the question about future vetting of a candidate. Maybe psychological tests should be done.
I posted a similar comment at IM also (too) but thought it was relevent here…
My suspicion is that Steve Schmidt will not reveal any new details about the campaign, only confirm facts that are already in the public domain. The question of John McCain’s sense or otherwise in choosing Palin for Vp won’t be addressed, the interview instead will frame Sarah Palin as an unmanageable candidate. I suspect it will serve as a warning to any serious policital operative wanting to a career beyond 2012 – do NOT get involved with a Palin campaign.
Having said that, the timing if the 60 Mins interview and the release of “Game Change” seems a little too co-incidental. Apparently there are juicy details in the book. The Schmidt interview will generate media interest in the failed Palin campaign, and the book will provide background for the ‘lamestream’ media to fill out the story… and from there who knows??
Arg. I clicked on a link to a Politico article and read some of the comments and now I’m on a rant.
I can’t believe how many people are still choosing to think every word Sarah says is the gospel, God’s-honest, pure-as-the newfallen-snow truth.
They ran with Meg’s line about the reporters not being there, but seem to have conveniently forgotten … Steve Schmidt was.
For the few who could put those two legos together, their conclusion was Schmidt just must be a douchebag liar, or … replace the word before liar with your favorite insulting adjective.
I want so much to post a list of lies she’s told but it probably would not be worth my time. There’s so freekin’ many.
Hw can anyone at this point think that woman has any credibility? HOW!!!!! People were even saying not just that she held her own at the debate, but that she did great and even ‘won’ it. WTF?
Sorry for yelling. I’ll go drink an adult bever …. bevar … bev … oh heck, I’ll go get a drink.
andrew sullivan links to this post of AKM’s.
Hope this helps on the earthquake questions.
Don’t see anything significant up north though.
http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latestfault.htm
I ♥ Andrew Sullivan!
Link to this post:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/provably-demonstratively-untrue.html
notmensa wrote “My suspicion is that Steve Schmidt will not reveal any new details about the campaign, only confirm facts that are already in the public domain”
Maybe so, but at least he might be listened to since he was part of the behind the scenes. Oh not by the Palin worshippers but by regular people. And maybe he will open the door for other stories to leak out…..one can only hope!
If only other MSM would start covering the real story that all of us here know about.
Meg’s response to the book:
Palin’s spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton, disputed the version presented in the reporters’ book.
“The governor’s descriptions of these events are found in her book, ‘Going Rogue.’ Her descriptions are accurate,” Stapleton said in a statement to “60 Minutes,” which is featuring the book in a Sunday broadcast.
“She was there. These reporters were not.”
Yeah Meg, but Sarah lies.
That one-way telephone “interview” with the Alaskan press was so damn infuriating. I couldn’t believe they agreed to Meg’s orchestrated and manipulative terms but obviously, any moment with Sarah would increase their ratings and readership – I’m sure it couldn’t be helped. And with no opportunity to follow up to her ludicrous responses, they couldn’t call her to the mat with it. However, given that Alaska’s MSM does very little to call Sarah out, that’s just hopelessly faithful conjecture.
But AKM was there. Our light in the suffocating dark.
Sarah kept saying that the report exonerated her, that she was grateful that the report cleared her of any wrong doing.
W. T. F.
That is how frightening this woman is. That is why we can’t allow her to get away with any amount of power and influence.
LiladyNY -
Thanks ya very much.
Let ‘er rip !!
S^*tty weekend at Casa de Palin………aw-w-w……any tweets or facebook drivel ??
Truth and the welfare of the state is not of importance in the new world of politics, at least to many. What is important is offering individuals, who likely reference only their own personal issues as they view politics, an opportunity to feel they have a good grasp on the right answers and even more importantly that they are among a large group (movement) that are making “something” happen. They have power and sense of control in a complex world. A bit like becoming a fan of a football team because lots of people are fans and last week they won.
Let the fear of this type of politics ruling our nation be motivation for you. As I typed too many times in high school typing class: It is time for all good people to come to the aid of their country. At the time it was good men but you know, that was the fifties.
@nanceindallas
I agree… I should’ve added that I’m pretty certain the 60 Mins interview is part of a calculated, GOP-initiated plan to remove SP from the political scene and take back control of the party. From what I’ve read, Schmidt is well connected and wouldn’t act without support or approval. The interview is not about him saving his own skin. Which can only mean that it’s part of the greater plan for the MSM to pick up the story and run….
She couldn’t answer the question about whether she’d read the report. Reading. Big problem. I think all interviews with Sarah should include reading and comprehension questions. Maybe start with Moby Dick?
Dergah @ 97 – that was a great comment
earthquake ? what earthquake ??? didn’t feel a thing…but I’m about 150 miles south o fit..
I think Schmidt’s newfound honesty is part of something that goes back to Fox news actually factchecking Palin. Somewhere in the inner workings of the Republican political machine wise heads have made the decision to put some distance between themselves and her. The true-blue Palin believers are as dangerous to the party as they are to anyone.
I now see that someone had mentioned on Palingates that Andrew Sullivan
” Has ” linked to AKM’s story here. Thank you Andrew.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/provably-demonstratively-untrue.html
It’s amazing how the repugs, all of them, just make up stuff. Just amazing. They say something and it is the truth, period. Why, because they said so. Shades of “1984″, ya think? I think Bush started it and the rest of them just follow along like lemmings.
I want to know, WHY ARE THEY GETTING AWAY WITH IT??
Why is the MSMnot calling them out on their lies? Why do they continue to lie, and lie and lie and lie? Doesn’t anyone care???
Even Steele was caught lying just today and no one cares. No one, just those radical left wing bloggers.
And why to all the Tea Baggers believe the lies? I think it’s because the Tea Baggers are stupid. They watch Fox News and other mind numbing TV and have NO brains. I personally know and am related to some of them.
@Emma #104-The teabaggers have been brain-washed and it was easy to do since they don’t think or question anything.
Personally I don’t care about the motivations or mind how shallow the interview may be, but I am thrilled that it is on 60 MINUTES in particular.
My eighty-something dad has been duped by the repugs since Regan. He was a complete fool for Palin and her “courageous” and rogue-ish conservative stances. He is also a regular watcher and fan of 60 minutes. He especially loves and trusts those old dudes (and so do I!). So, I’m looking forward to his at least having a small peak (preview, I hope) at the sham that was foisted on this earnest WWII generation.
The tea baggers are just the result of the dumbing down of America that begun years ago. These sheeple are easy to manipulate and that was the intent. In addition to education, our nutrition has contributed, making us malleable to those who would benefit from it.
Sandra in Oregon, I don’t know why she could not have been replaced as a candidate after those first couple of interviews, except to say that whatever “machine” is behind her had hopes of her attracting the former Hilary voters and the ultra-right-wing right to lifers, etc. and they allowed her to an extent (apparently not the extent she would have liked) to rile up the racist hatemongers. You know that is one of the main reasons some of us have stayed on this story that is Sarah Palin for all these months. We want payback for the hatemongering that was shown and we had to endure until the election and that continues even now with the Teabaggers. And personally, I will do anything in my power to not have Rove and Cheney controlling our policies, foreign or domestic. I have always hated what happened with Eagleton. We had a good candidate in him. My husband is a Psychologist – we have been in the Mental Health profession for 35+ years now and we were dismayed at that time; and I am appalled at Sarah Palin’s penchant for lying and being given a pass on her lies every time.
OT, but Irishgirl: in 1978 when I was pregnant with my daughter, we went to bed as snow had begun gently falling and it was coming from the East. (We are in Alabama, snow is rare but wonderful – to me at least). Most of our snow would come from the West or down from due North. We were awakened about an hour later by thunder and lightning and heavier snow! It was scary and beautiful at the same time! The lightning was almost blue looking. I had never seen anything like that before and NEVER since. I will always remember it.
Are you in Ireland? Hopefully I will get to come over in late June, early July. I have never been abroad, but all my life I have wanted to go to England and walk through Wordsworth’s Lake District.
The Romans had a term for the “dumbing down” of society – BREAD AND GAMES. (Fast food and dubious entertainment??? Think “people of Walmart”). And look what happened to the Roman civilization…
We are in soooo much trouble!
Regardless of what you think about what Steve Schmidt says tomorrow, it WILL be on CBS which is major MSM. As far as I know this is the first time “they” are speaking out about her on a regular news channel. We have all heard this on MSNBC, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Daily Kos, etc…..but this is a biggy on CBS. I think this is a deliberate move and I can’t wait for the response. The Republicans are taking a stand with her and I don’t think she is going to like it or fare well with it.
This topic is out of my field of expertise so I am just expressing an opinion here, which is unusual for me.
I am addressing AKM’s last paragraph.
While it is true that McCain comitted an incredible blunder, the damage is done and in fact the danger remains. If anything, the danger has actually increased because apparently this rather obtuse woman has a fair amount of traction with the media whom she belittles. Ten years ago it is probable that no one would have imagined that GW could get appointed president of the republic, nor would anyone have imagined that 9/11 would have resulted in the evisceration of the constitution by legislative caveat and executive decree, but all of that has actually happened.
The entire point of terrorism is to mess up the lives of the victims and the so-called terrorists, during the past 8 years have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
All this security apparatus is utterly inconsequential. The only thing that matters is having unbreachable access to the cockpit.
Fools, so many fools.
The 60 Minutes piece will only strengthen her support among the GOP base.
If the economy’s still in the tank in 2012, she could win the presidency.
Never never never count this woman out. She is a clear and present danger to the republic, and is NOT going to go away.
I agree with the former posts that Schmidt is working on behalf of republicans.
I’m sure Mittens would like to get her out of his way the sooner the better. Not all of the republicans think the tea baggers are a good thing.
Schmidt no longer has worry about McCain since he can’t run again. He already did McCain a huge favor by not revealing Palin as a fraud during the campaign. If Schmidt helps to knock out Palin, he probably will be able to get a job working for the next national GOP candidate.
Speaking of Mitt, did anyone else read that he has voted in Massachusetts after he sold his home there? He plans to vote in the special election for Kennedy’s seat. He says he can choose his place of residence (son’s home) as Mass. even though he owns homes in New Hampshire and California (maybe still Utah). What is it about these people thinking that the rules are for everyone but them?
“tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…:
from:
sjk from the belly of the plane
Too true
http://www.lyricszoo.com/michael-franti-and-spearhead/sweet-little-lies/
I think I need to dip into my Southern vocabulary here.
Sweetheart, Mrs. Palin is just crazy and bless her heart.
Krubozumo Nyankoye:
Who are you? I enjoy reading your posts, but this one was disturbing for me. It seems you are mocking us. And your statement that the cockpit should be unbreachable? Hello! What about the belly of the plane and the shoe and underwear bomb thing? The whole aircraft is vulnerable to any and all types of undetectable bombs. You think we are fools….what are we to think of you? Just asking?
for Seattlefan @ 124
I believe Krubozumo may be referring to using the plane as was done on 9/11 – as a weapon itself (into buildings) cannot be done without access to the cockpit.
If the shoe bomb or underwear bomb had gone off, there would have been casualties on the plane. Possibly bringing the plane down depending on structural damage. However, many times over the years planes have landed safely with gaping holes in their sides.
RE: planes landing with holes in them
Here’s a recent example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_30
There was apparently no fire as part of the explosion, so the fuel and vapor in the wing tanks didn’t ignite.
Martha @ 11 “What Andrew Sullivan said about McCain applies to Schmidt and the campaign staff.
If they had any conscience OR patriotism they would have exposed Palin and quit the campaign.”
That’s the bottom line truth, along with Big Slick @ 34 “Schmidt appears to castigate Palin for lying. What he really castigates her for is blatantly lying poorly and getting caught.”
@ #50, Sandra, I am still trying to figure out when he had to admit it to himself, and guessing that whenever that was, he thought the odds of pulling off the bluff were better than the odds of him getting elected having admitted what we all know now – that his lack of judgment made him clearly unfit for the office of POTUS.
@Rebbakah and DaisyDem,
Yep, I am in Ireland. We are having crazy weather at the moment.
@ Irish post 23
“Sarah wouldn’t have lasted 10 minutes if the English and Irish media had their way with her. My dream interview is Jeremy Paxman tearing her asunder.”
Oh boy, would I love to see Paxo tearing into her
Morning Siren!!!
We won’t know for certain until after 60 Minutes has aired, but from what I heard and read from the “teasers,” the whole segment in which Schmidt talks about Palin is actually centering around a new book that either has come out or IS coming out soon. I say this because there will also be info on what Hillary Clinton thought about President Obama asking her to take the Secretary of State position. Seems Hillary had finally decided to do it, but discussed with the President that she was concerned about Bill’s interference on a “You know how he is” kind of way.
So, the “Schmidt on Palin” part will probably not be lengthy, and we may have heard it all in the teasers. One thing I found particularly interesting is his statement that she had problems with the truth, and “that seems to be continuing today.” Now THAT is truly fascinating. Personally, I can’t WAIT until 7:00 tonight. I hope to hell that there’s not a delay because of a football game.
Andrew Sullivan has linked directly to AKM’s story here. There is also another small post story there that points this whole ‘ fantasy world ‘ or bubble that her and her followers like to cloak themselves in. It relates to her FaceBook page and how she uses it to refuse to admit to the Facts. A difference of opinion is not acceptable,… or tolerated. Yeah… real shocking huh.
This person said nothing derogatory toward Palin… just presented some Facts.
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” Revisiting the Palin Farce ”
“Just last night I decided to take a look at her Facebook page and commented on the last note there, one where she says that we don’t need a president who is a scholar of constitutional law to deal with the threat of terrorism.
I posted completely rational entries about two Supreme Court cases (Hamdan and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, cases decided in 2004 and 2006) and what they said about the rights of suspected terrorism and their coverage under Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. When I went back to the Palin FB page today, I could no longer post on the FB page. ”
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/revisiting-the-palin-farce-ctd.html#more
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Facts or a difference of opinion is NOT tolerated or acceptable. I guess some others are finally realizing this Truth.
And yet, the Palinites will continue to believe her lies. Though Palin is at fault, her supporters need to take responsibility as well. Willful ignorance is no excuse.
I judge John McCain, the entire McCain campaign and those within the GOP who hold Palin up as a qualified Presidential candidate, harshly.
@ seattle fan # 125
Krubozumo Nyankoye made an excellent comment which just extrapolated the points made in AKM’s last paragraph. The fools he was referring to are those who have been making the governmental and political decisions in this country in the last eight years in response to terrorism (including McCain’s dangerous and foolish decision to tap an “obtuse” VP running mate who continues to have unwarranted influence in this country even today). Fools are all around us…….and unfortunately they are dictating or influencing important policy in this country.
#125-127: You know, guys, it doesn’t really matter. It’s doubtful that aircraft could be used that way a second time. Either way, I believe that wouldn’t be the weapon of choice anyway.
The average American, even truly good people, have no global perspective or understanding of other countries. We really have very little relationship with the rest of the world. We sit in our big vast empire and feel so confident in our superiority. Even I do.
This is at the core of my personal concern about Sarah Palin. The base of followers really cannot be educated otherwise.
And we make enemies…
honestyinGov #133 – People who can not tolerate dissent, difference of opinion or facts are often insecure, weak minded, able to persuaded easily in any direction by anyone.
I feel sorry for them.
P.S. to my post at #137 – they don’t tolerate dissent or difference of opinion in communist China either. Only government endorsed reality is acceptable. Maybe Palin & her supporters would prefer the US became a totalitarian state? With her as supreme leader? That would truly be hell on Earth. Of course, they would market as the New Jerusalem.
This quote by Andrew Sullivan is pithy and wise, especially in light of AKM’s retrospective post about Palin today:
“The full story of Palin has yet to come out. I regard her selection as veep as a moment of real crisis for the American polity and her resilience a threat to it. So I will relentlessly cover her until more people realize the sheer farce that has become of Republican politics and media corruption. Her success is due to both in equal parts.”
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/revisiting-the-palin-farce-ctd.html#more
h/t to HIG for the link
Great post, AKM!……Reviewing history is essential for not forgetting the TRUTH about the past…. and hopefully avoiding the same mistakes in the future. I would love to see more of your previous posts incorporated into the present as you did on this post. So important.
What bothers me most about this whole Schmidt interview is the fact that it is coming out so late in the game. Had he come out immediately and offered this information it would have been much better. Now Sarah and her fans simply say that she addressed it all in her book (which is one reason I think she rushed it out because she knew this information on her would eventually leak out and she wanted to get her own version out there first), and dismiss it as sour grapes.
It also makes me question what else is not being said. If these little tidbits being offered now are even remotely reliable (and I think they are) then this can only be the tip of the iceberg as to what when on behind the scenes. Why keep that information quiet for so long? Out of respect for John McCain? Why bother when he showed so little respect for us by ignoring her blatant stupidity and taking the risk of putting her in the office of the presidency should something happen to him? That, to me is the biggest slap in the face to all Americans. That he would willingly take the risk of putting her in charge of this country should something happen to him.
@ 56 sandra in oregon Says:
. When McCain realized what he got, he should have made a dramatic shift. Wonder why he didn’t.
Because he shares many of Palin’s failings. He is proudly playing the victim on a regular basis as well. He proclaims “maverick” status, but that is in reality his way of being a victim. He gets picked on by both sides of the aisle he claims, so he’s a maverick. He doesn’t play by the rules and the *insiders* don’t like it, so he is a “maverick”. He also uses his time as a POW in much the same manner. He plays it up in order to garner sympathy and seems to feel that it somehow makes him more qualified to be in politics than others. It was also his defense for a lot of questions. What about healthcare Senator? “Well there was a time when I didn’t have healthcare”… it’is just another way to play up his victim stats in order to evoke sympathy towards him. He was also not about to admit that he made a mistake in choosing Sarah. She did bring him an uptick in the support he got right away, and when that support started to dwindle as more people got to see the real Sarah, if he had removed her from the ticket he would have, in his mind, looked weak and unable to make the correct choice for such a major decision, and even though we think it would have been better for him to dump her, he obviously was terrified of losing the support she brought him. I think he felt he would have lost by a much bigger margin if he had dumped her after introducing her to the world as the ‘bestest and most wonderful thing EVER’!
@79 Irishgirl Says:
OMG, We have thunder, lightening and snow. All at the same time.
Cool isn’t it? We (my family & friends) call that “Thunder Snow”. I love storms and that is one of my favorites!
Thanks Buffalo Girl
It’s 3 am & I was tired of sleeping so got up & turned on the computer & clicked onto Mudflats & saw your post regarding the earthquake in Eureka. I live about an hour away from Eureka & had no idea there had been an earthquake.
My thinking (and I hope that I’m wrong) is that Schmidt will only address areas that have already been addressed on blogs. Since McCain threw him under the bus by praising Palin and her book and telling Schmidt not to defend the campaign or himself, he is under no obligation to his former boss. He is however a product of the GOP and must weigh his words and actions carefully if he ever wants to work again. That way he can confirm the rumors without dishing the dirt.
Having said that, I hope those of you who have posted that this might be a tactic of the powers within the GOP to deal with their Palin problem, I do hope that you are correct. Palin may not have integrity, knowledge or intelligence but she does have political “know how”. Let’s hope that Schmidt uses his own to beat her and rid the country of the dangerous fraud that he helped unleash. After all, the woman could win the GOP nomination and (given a worsening mood in the country) could win the presidency. Forgetting what did or did not happen with the McCain campaign, Schmidt must now know that that risk is too great to let go unchecked.
for Seattlefan @ 124 – I could be way out in left field on this, but when Krubozumo Nyankoye said “The only thing that matters is having unbreachable access to the cockpit.”, my thought was the cockpit being the Presidency, and there are quite a few with money and power who will do any and everything to control the person who next sits in the Oval Office. Immediate thoughts are people like Cheney, Murdoch, Koch, and others of their ilk, along with the Teabaggers and religious whackos………who all seem to be promoting Sarah Palin to be their puppet.
I agree with others who suspect that Schmidt’s appearance is an attempt by the flailing Republican Party to answer “How do you solve a problem like Sarah?”
143 Granny
I agree. Krubozumo’s post was metaphorical, not literal. Its about unsettling politics and culture of the country, not the specifics of individual acts of terror. I often wonder just how much outside money (there are huge amounts of US dollars hoarded around the world) has had to do with the collapse of banks and our economic woes.
Now Sarah and her fans simply say that she addressed it all in her book. . . .
And Meg issues a statement that says the reporters were not there. That’s as may be, Meg, but the people they INTERVIEWED were and, hello, the reporters REPORTED.
Ding ding ding, sorry Meg, wrong answer. Try again.
Jane
I agree. I think the RNC has grown tired of O’Paylin & her greedy ways. Her decisions for speaking engagements always revolve around what will put more money in her pocket. She is a loose canon & is becoming a huge distraction for them & their agenda. As always the media & the republicans are doing what is best for themselves. Unfortunately, I see the 60 minutes interview with Schmidt as more propganda. She’s becoming the Benedict Arnold of the Republican Party.
It will be interesting to see what questions they ask Schmidt , his answers & their follow up questions, if any.
I have always found Krubozumo’s posts quite pithy & insightful & his most recent one was no exception.
#145 overthemoon
Sigh, yes, I think this is the answer to our economic woes. Hoarding of US money outside of the country & outsourcing jobs equals economic disaster. I feel sorry for Obama, he is getting no cooperation from the business community. Arianna Huffington had suggested moving you money from large banks to local banks. Apparently, many people are doing so & it is making a difference.
Count me in the group that is hoping that the GOP powers that be have decided: New year. It’s time to take down the crazy woman.
Regarding Game Change (the new book), it looks to be fascinating and the good news is that there’s really no way that Palin can whine that it’s a liberal smearfest (Will referencing her book and saying that she was there and the reporters were not be her/Meg’s only comeback?). Last night someone linked the excerpt from NY Mag. Thank you. Really interesting and brutal dissection of John Edwards, his wife and his campaign.
Hoping that tonight is the beginning of the unravelling of the Myth of Sarah Palin. Come on, MSM, make up for brushing this under the carpet for over a year.
Outside of Schmidt and McCain, who should be ashamed for putting the safety and security of our country at risk by picking and covering for Palin, the MSM (that Palin claims is against her) should also be ashamed.
For a year, they have been posting Palin’s ghostwritten facebook pages and attacks without any accountability or interviews on her part. Shame! Since when does the media just print a politicians scripted political attacks and PR pieces? The citizens of this country deserve better.
The WSJ should really be ashamed for printing Palin’s facebook rants on the Opinion page….all for ratings. This is the paper responsible for bringing Nixon down due to it’s investigative reporting, and now they print facebook rants without looking in to an of the lies spewed by Palin.
Shame, shame, shame.
Think about it. When the media becomes an extension of a political party and promotes their ideology, it’s the citizens of America who lose. I fear that, even beyond Fox, most news organizations are more concerned with the political affiliations of the corporate owners (Republican) than with finding and reporting the truth.
They are all guilty of “reporting” what Palin says and does without any accountability on her part, or any actual work on their part. Lazy journalism.
The average American, even truly good people, have no global perspective or understanding of other countries. We really have very little relationship with the rest of the world. We sit in our big vast empire and feel so confident in our superiority. Even I do.
This is at the core of my personal concern about Sarah Palin. The base of followers really cannot be educated otherwise.
And we make enemies…
*******
CG, I totally agree with you. We have had this arrogance as a country for a long time. Our ignorance of the world and our consumerism is eventually going to come back and bite us.
Trisha, I agree with you. The MSM has given Sarah Palin an open platform with no demand that she back up her “opinions”. Nobody demands that she give actual interviews to back up her FB posts (I agree – ghostwritten). It’s kind of par for the course nowadays, sadly, when Rudy Giuliani says that no terror attacks happened on GW Bush’s watch and the interviewer and subsequent MSM stories don’t call him on it. Uh, Rudy… remember? You were there, dude.
Just one thing – it was the Washington Post that revealed Watergate, not the WSJ
An excellent post AKM – thank you.
Peolpe should not think all palins followers are (rednecks) or (Dumb).I live next door to one and she seems to be a very successful business woman. I know some in the village i live in are democrats because the gave me a Obama /Biden sign to put in my window when someone stole mine but a lot of these people are also republicans and are in no way illiterate,dumb ect.They may follower the republicans lockstep but it is dangerous to say and keep saying they don’t know what they are doing because they know exactly what they are doing.These people are ,I think,for the most part just like us,only on the other side.The only difference is we can see mistakes that the democratic party makes or people in it make.like John E while palin’s followers just take her at her word and IMO you can’t do that.I went on one of their so called sites and told them that for whatever good it will do or did do.They need to fact check and google follow thru on what you are looking up,like I read the Wooten case and these were court papers that said the palin lied and had their friends lie for them .If ya read the court papers it is a different story than the palins told.Cranky Heath was right in the middle of things with Wooten and the whole palin clan was with Wooten when he shot a moose when he did not have a permit but his wife did,than the palins used that against him later on even though they all knew and approved at the time.From what i read nothing was done about the tasering at the time either only later was it used against him.Hopefully palins lies will bring her down eventually.She will embellish something one to many times.
trisha@151
Lazy journalism?
Corrupt journalism is more like it.
Rupert Murdock is more like it.
I don’t know what is in it for him, but Faux news certainly gives her a pass on everything.
The first time you ran this post I printed it out and would re-read it about every other day during the 2008 campaign to keep my sanity.
The rest of my family thought SWWNBN was the nicest, cutest politician ever, and that the Troopergate situation was some kind of family misunderstanding that “the media” was exploiting.
I kept going back to Anne Kilkenny’s letter and your blog to reaffirm my sense of reality. Thank you and God bless! May truth always prevail.
Schmidt is “going rogue?” Nothing wrong with that I suppose, after all, Palin herself believes it to be an admirable quality (yet MORE words for her to eat…)
Thanks for the heads up on the 60 minutes piece. I watched it tonight with hubby and what was so striking afterward was that they (the GOP) shoved this ‘mavricky team’ down our throats. Neither McCain or Palin were qualified to run this country and we dodged a bullet with their loss. How dare they do that? What the H e double ll were they thinking?
As usual, I appreciate you and your efforts on this blog.
Cheers!
Per the video- The only background search done before Sarah’s nomination consisted of one lawyer on the internet and no one went to Alaska to check her out.
-OMG GOP WTF?!
Thank you so very much for reposting this.
I *knew* I had read and heard her completely ignore the one question that stated “found you guilty of violating [ethics]” but could not remember where! And here it is, in black and white, with a link to the original (which has a link to the audio).
Thank you, thank you!
Deep down I know that you and all the other bloggers and the MSM should quit talking about this idiot and maybe then she’ll just go away, but I have a perverse pleasure in going to your site and reading more about how dumb she really is. It sometimes is truly the height of my day. Thank you for all that you’ve done for us and keep up the good work.