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The Accidental Secessionist – An Alaskan Fable.

And the leaks continue.  CBS has released a series of emails between Palin and McCain staffers that happened during the campaign.  The date?  Joe the Plumber minus three hours.  On October 15, Palin saw a CNN story with a subtitle “The Palins and the Fringe” that detailed her connections with the Alaskan Independence Party, a statewide political party that advocates for Alaskans to take a vote about whether they want to secede from the union.  Todd Palin had been a member of the party from 1995 – 2002.  The Governor herself had delivered opening remarks via videotape to their convention in 2008.

Most Alaskans aren’t too freaked out by the AIP.  We even elected a governor, Walter Hickel,  who defected from the Republican Party and ran as an AIP candidate in 1990.  I don’t know what percentage of Alaskans would vote for secession,  but this isn’t really the point.  We Alaskans can take it.  But how would being married to a secessionist play in Peoria?  Not well, probably.  To the rest of the country…let’s face it.  Secession is fringy.

Palin didn’t like seeing the CNN piece, nor a comment that came from someone in a crowd holding a sign that day.

So, bearing all that in mind, here are the emails between VP Candidate Palin and Steve Schmidt, McCain’s chief strategist, starting with one from Palin  (and do go back and read the entire article HERE):

“Pls get in front of that ridiculous issue that’s cropped up all day today – two reporters, a protestor’s sign, and many shout-outs all claiming Todd’s involvement in an anti-American political party,” Palin wrote. “It’s bull, and I don’t want to have to keep reacting to it … Pls have statement given on this so it’s put to bed.”

Her reference to a single protestor’s sign and “many shout-outs” was indicative of Palin’s occasional tendency to take anecdotal evidence of a minor problem and extrapolate it into something far more menacing. [snip] It was not a time for distractions, but the campaign was compelled to deal with the drama that seemed to follow Palin wherever she went.

Schmidt hit “reply to all” less than five minutes after Palin’s e-mail was sent. “Ignore it,” he wrote. “He was a member of the aip? My understanding is yes. That is part of their platform. Do not engage the protestors. If a reporter asks say it is ridiculous. Todd loves america.”

This clear cut response from the campaign’s top dog carried an air of finality, but it did not satisfy Palin. She responded with another e-mail, adding five more names to the “cc” box, all of whom traveled on her campaign plane.

[snip]

“That’s not part of their platform and he was only a ‘member’ bc independent alaskans too often check that ‘Alaska Independent’ box on voter registrations thinking it just means non partisan,” Palin wrote. “He caught his error when changing our address and checked the right box. I still want it fixed.”

OK…Just for the record, the box on the voter registration doesn’t say “Independent” or “Alaska Independent” or “Independent Alaskan”.  It says “Alaskan Indpendence Party” and no Alaskan who was born and raised here, and has lived here all their life is going to confuse the Alaskan Independence Party with Non-Partisan. There is no plausible “Oops!  Checked off the secessionist box by mistake!” scenario.

As this email story circulates throughout the state, there will be a lot of good chuckles over that “pants on fire” statement, believe you me.  She might have been trying to fool the McCain campaign, but she’s not fooling Alaskans.

Clearly irritated by what he saw as Palin’s attempt to mislead her own campaign and apparently determined to demonstrate that the ultimate authority rested with him, Schmidt put the matter to rest once and for all with a longer response to everyone in the e-mail chain.

“Secession,” he wrote. “It is their entire reason for existence. A cursory examination of the website shows that the party exists for the purpose of seceding from the union. That is the stated goal on the front page of the web site. Our records indicate that todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect then we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be innaccurate. The innaccuracy would bring greater media attention to this matter and be a distraction. According to your staff there have been no media inquiries into this and you received no questions about it during your interviews. If you are asked about it you should smile and say many alaskans who love their country join the party because it speeks to a tradition of political independence. Todd loves his country.

We will not put out a statement and inflame this and create a situation where john has to adress this.”

Palin dropped the issue after that.

Just for fun, let’s dredge up that old YouTube footage that came to light last September.  This one has clips from Joe Vogler, founder of the Alaskan Independence Party, who is described on their website in this way.

The formation and history of the AIP largely revolve around Joe Vogler, a plain-spoken gold miner, non-practicing attorney and charismatic icon of local politics who ran unsuccessfully for governor three times between 1974 and 1986.

The text on the YouTube is one of several alleged stories surrounding him.

And here’s a nice quote from a meeting of the Alaskan Independence Party after Palin became governor, and before the nomination.

“Our current governor, we mentioned at the last conference, the one we were hoping would get elected, Sarah Palin, did get elected. There’s a joke, she’s a pretty good looking gal, there’s a joke goes around we’re the coldest state with the hottest governor. (laughter) And there was a lot of talk about her moving up. She was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town — that was a non-partisan job. But to get along and go along — she eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won’t go into that. She also had about an 80% approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership.“

You can read the rest of the very interesting transcript and watch the video back on the old Mudflats site HERE. I originally posted it on September 8.

Palin supporters are fond of citing things that President Obama, or other politicians do and saying, “Can you imagine if Sarah Palin did that?  They’d just rip her apart!”  Well, just for fun, imagine if you will what they would say if Hawaii had a secessionist party, and Michelle Obama had been a member for seven years, and Barack Obama had these kinds of ties and delivered a message to their convention last year.   Just sayin.

[Cross-posted at The Huffington Post – Buzz it Up!]

Comments

comments

Comments
183 Responses to “The Accidental Secessionist – An Alaskan Fable.”
  1. ds55 says:

    @ Alaskan #182: Did your spouse also film a video telling the AIP to keep up the good work?

  2. Alaskan says:

    When I was 18 I checked the Alaska Independent box because I thought it was non-partisan. It’s definitely possible to do.

  3. ds55 says:

    And another thing… If Todd and Sarah are secretly in agreement with AIP goals, it explains why Sarah is so willing to be photographed desecrating the American flag.

  4. ds55 says:

    She KNOWS the AIP is an anti-American political party, according to the leaked emails. She KNOWS her husband Todd was a member for 7 years, and she herself was a member for who knows how long. She KNOWS she told the AIP to keep up the good work in the video.

    Yet she wants to be in the White House to do what exactly? Overthrow the federal government?

    Hello? Is the FBI watching this crazy lady? Please?

  5. clydedog says:

    Lots of good coverage on this one. Dovetails nicely into the VF article. Some interesting comments in defense of SP. They can’t dispute the facts, so all they can say is “the election is over, why are you still covering her, it is not news”. Well I guess they have not noticed that she has not stopped campaigning. As long as she is staying in the game, she is fair game. I love Steve’s second response, to praphrase, your lying, your wrong, your stupid, shut up and do what you are told.

  6. sauerkraut says:

    re 151 and 173 – these two contradict each other. Seems the “legend” did a disservice to himself by not being buried in Alaska. From my perspective, being so close to Gettysburg and all, anyone who advocates for secession deserves all the negative attention he gets no matter how much of a “legend” he is in his own mind. And anyone who advocates for secession from the US is a radical. An anti-American radical along the lines of Jeff Davis and John Wilkes Booth.

  7. Zuzu says:

    Riiight…

    Todd just skipped right by that box on the voter registration application that said “Nonpartisan (no party affiliation)” and instead went to “Political Parties” and checked “Alaskan Independence Party” because he thought THAT mean nonpartisan.

    http://www.elections.alaska.gov/forms/c03.pdf

    Riiiight.

  8. austintx says:

    Here it is on Countdown………..
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#31716580

  9. zyggy says:

    I buzzed it up on Huff Post, I said she was sharp as a marble, and my post is pending. =(

  10. Shade Tail says:

    There *is* a Hawaii secessionist “movement”.

    http://www.hawaii-nation.org/

    In fact, there are dozens of secessionist “movements”. Here’s a fairly comprehensive list:

    http://www.secessionist.us/

    Note: I put ‘movement’ in scare quotes because most of these “movements” aren’t really moving all that much.

  11. aha says:

    Oh oh, MSNBC Countdown is reporting this story. Guess she’s getting all kinds of media attention now

  12. winkwinkWA says:

    Very interesting story on Joe Vogler and Sarah Palin–darleenmb.com/wordpress/?tag=joevogler I used to live in Fairbanks and , Joe Vogler was a nut–always on talk radio shows spewing his hatred for the United States gov, he called them the feds (sound like someone else we know?) He and his wife are buried in Canada, because he hated the US so much, hated cottonwood trees too!!(long story)

  13. phoebe says:

    It must be really hard being Sarah. How would you be able to sleep at night. How could you keep all your stories straight. How could you face the newspapers & tv news daily never knowing what’s next. The article in Vanity Fair about Palin is such an incredible gift. It came at a perfect time. McCain staffers are disgruntled & the writer is a Washington insider. I’ll bet Sarah never thought this info would come out now. Karma!

  14. Gordon says:

    I don’t know how Alaskan’s put up with her. She’s too sensitive and prickly for national politics.

  15. Seagull Junker Palin says:

    From Post 157 – “So today, after CNN picked up the story, they were in fact able to elicit the following response:

    CNN is furthering a smear with this report, no different than if your network ran a piece questioning Senator Obama’s religion. No serious news organization has tried to make this connection, and it is unfortunate that CNN would be the first.”

    Well, well, well…this looks to me like the Palin faction of the McCain campaign DID respond – against Steve S.’s order.

    This response sounds so much like the Gov. Icon – in language and tone – as we’ve seen in the subsequent months. There is more to the story, oh yes.

  16. marcus2 says:

    Thanks for this information. I flat out don’t “get” Sarah or the people who follow her. It’s one of the reasons I keep following her career. I just flat out don’t understand, although I am really trying. by Candy Knight
    _________________________________________________________________

    It’s not that hard to understand. A certain percentage of the population still believes that Elvis is alive; that we never landed on the moon; that 9/11 was an inside job….. the list goes on and on.

  17. Candy Knight says:

    Oregonbird said, “A close family member is sociopathic. Functional, social and employable, but… When a sociopath tells a lie, they are merely informing you of how the world IS — anything other than what they want to be true is set aside, not as unimportant, but as insubstantial. So its nice to know that the person standing in front of you offering you an obvious load of hooey will only question your intelligence (and allegiance — much more dangerous) if you *don’t* accept the ‘1984′-like reimaging. It is a threat to their very existance to challange their presentation of the world, and a carefully preserved relationship can crash and burn over disputing, say, whether payment was made for drinks in a coffee shop. It’s a control issue linked to the core personality. It’s a heck of a ride, and the track always runs out in midair.”

    Thanks for this information. I flat out don’t “get” Sarah or the people who follow her. It’s one of the reasons I keep following her career. I just flat out don’t understand, although I am really trying.

  18. Lee323 says:

    Palin trying to explain Todd’s 7 year membership in the AIP:

    “That’s not part of their platform and he was only a ‘member’ bc independent alaskans too often check that ‘Alaska Independent’ box on voter registrations thinking it just means non partisan,” Palin wrote. “He caught his error when changing our address and checked the right box. I still want it fixed.”

    ….AND the following explanation from AKM’s column on Tim Grussendorf, Palin’s selection to fill Elton’s Democratic Senate seat in March:

    “Until two weeks ago, he was a registered Republican. According to Grussendorf, he didn’t realize he was registered as a Republican and it was some kind of clerical error in 2006. I’m not entirely clear on how someone could have gone through the 2008 political season and not realize one was a registered Republican, but that’s the story. I guess the “R” on the voter registration card slipped under the radar. Perhaps he thought all those donation requests, and shiny 4-color postcards, and letters from the Republican party were just coincidence. We may never know.”

    https://themudflats.net/2009/03/30/palin-selects-grussendorf-sends-message-to-dems/
    ———————————————

    They sound oddly similar, eh? Modus operandi for a certain pea-brain politicican to “fix it” and explain things in an alternate reality……alternate to ethics, that is.

  19. Liz P. says:

    Also from Robert F. Kennedy Huffington post article re: AIP :

    “Palin’s husband Todd remained an AIP party member from 1995 to 2002. Sarah can be described in McCarthy-era palaver as a “fellow traveler.” While retaining her Republican registration, she attended the AIP’s 1994 convention where the party called for a draft constitution to secede from the United States and create an independent nation of Alaska. The McCain Campaign has reluctantly acknowledged that she also attended AIP’s 2000 Convention. She apparently found the experience so inspiring that she agreed to give a keynote address at the AIP’s 2006 convention and she recorded a video greeting for this year’s 2008 convention. In other words, this is not something that happened when she was eight!”

  20. Liz P. says:

    Sorry forgot to past what I had cut.

    Secessionist Palin Story: McCain Camp Pushes Back
    digg Huffpost – stumble reddit del.ico.us ShareThisSeptember 2, 2008 04:19 PM

  21. Liz P. says:

    From Huffington Post: this article also discusses Sarah Palin AS A MEMBER OF THE AIP.

    Apparently, Todd switched back and forth a few times to voting “undeclared” so this also puts a lie to the cover up that he checked the wrong box by mistake. He would have had to keep on checking the wrong box every time he switched back to AIP.

  22. phoebe says:

    I had never heard that she was a member…interesting. It was so hard to get national coverage of Todd’s membership in the AIP & now it’s all over the news.

  23. Liz P. says:

    Please DO NOT MISS THIS VERY IMPORTANT STATEMENT:

    “…She was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town…”

    Palin has never acknowledged THAT SHE TOO WAS A MEMBER OF THE AIP!

    It was not just that Todd was a member– he was a member FOR SEVEN YEARS–BUT THAT PALIN TOO WAS A MEMBER. She left when she became mayor and don’t forget the part of Vogler’s speech where he states that the way to get a seat at the table, a foot in the door is to INFILTRATE A MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY.

    Todd being a member for seven years also makes it harder to believe her lie about checking the wrong box by mistake.

  24. Sympathetic Friend says:

    Chinese Proverb … Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

    Palin Proverb … Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Systematically destroy a man’s ability to fish and you force him and his family out of their villages and onto the drilling fields of Alaska.

  25. oregonbird says:

    128 Candy Knight Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 AM
    3) Sarah was in the habit of lying to her handlers, sometimes so blatantly that it’s obvious she thought they were gullible idiots.
    ==============
    A close family member is sociopathic. Functional, social and employable, but… When a sociopath tells a lie, they are merely informing you of how the world IS — anything other than what they want to be true is set aside, not as unimportant, but as insubstantial. So its nice to know that the person standing in front of you offering you an obvious load of hooey will only question your intelligence (and allegiance — much more dangerous) if you *don’t* accept the ‘1984’-like reimaging. It is a threat to their very existance to challange their presentation of the world, and a carefully preserved relationship can crash and burn over disputing, say, whether payment was made for drinks in a coffee shop. It’s a control issue linked to the core personality. It’s a heck of a ride, and the track always runs out in midair.

    Why are sociopaths such attractive, charismatic people?

  26. duct idaho palin says:

    “4) Either Steve or one of the three original cc’s on these emails leaked this little exchange to protect themselves by showing what a whackjob they were dealing with.”

    I just wanted to point out that lots of email setups will include the original message when someone hits “reply.” So someone who was a later-added cc could still have seen the whole chain of messages. All it would take was one person hitting “reply all” to the original message and then, before sending, manually adding the new cc people.

  27. Say NO to Palin in Politics says:

    so, I wonder who they sent an email to? Scarah’s team? and they responded with the “smear” lie? because the part about trying to arrange one of the gov’s people to make a statement sure does not sound like it came from Schmidt.

    Schmidt and Scarah’s email exchange took place on Oct.15

    the campaign statement (below) to CNN was made Oct. 14, a before the emails. I bet this had to come from Scarah and her campaign staff. Caught lying to the media and public? Not just to staff. The release sounds just like her style.

    am I right?

    ………………………………………….from the crooks and liar blog

    “Now, when we were preparing the Salon piece for publication, I contacted the McCain/Palin campaign first by phone to ask for their reactions to our report’s findings. They asked me to send an e-mail, which I did. But I never heard a word back from them.

    So today, after CNN picked up the story, they were in fact able to elicit the following response:

    ” CNN is furthering a smear with this report, no different than if your network ran a piece questioning Senator Obama’s religion. No serious news organization has tried to make this connection, and it is unfortunate that CNN would be the first.

    We are trying to arrange to have one of the Governor’s people come on air to respond in the event you do run this piece.”

  28. Jeff says:

    Why am I not surprised. Not only does our governor try to revise history to suit the needs of the day, but she’s enough of a dumbass to think she can get away with it.

  29. Say NO to Palin in Politics says:

    trish and sjk, good ones! lol

  30. Connie says:

    “Tell me lies
    Tell me sweet little lies
    (tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
    Oh, no, no you cant disguise
    (you cant disguise, no you cant disguise)”

    It’s only a matter of time before the bigger lies come out. Time to get the popcorn, sit back and enjoy 🙂

    I can’t believe Darth Stapleton has not fired off a response yet……what’s up with that? Or perhaps GINO will be calling People magazine herself on this one.

  31. Say NO to Palin in Politics says:

    and I’d still like to know who put her speech on the teleprompter. Surly “that” would have been a topic of conversation amongst staff. Now I’m thinking it was either Toad or John Recher (her McCain senior aide). was good old Bill there? he probably knows how to do that.

    I posted this on the open thread but will put it here too.

    John Recher (her McCain senior aide that is still a staunch supporter)
    went to the Auburn thingy in NY, WITH Meg and Scarah. Does that add up to anything? hmmm? wonder what’s going on behind the scene.

    AND he’s defending her and promoting her when quoted.

  32. Say NO to Palin in Politics says:

    oh yes, I see the “mismanagement” now. They saved her butt. Remember the “too controlled” talk by her supporters, they thought she was overhandled, lol, good lord just imagine had they let Scarah be Scarah, go rogue, be the “true” maverick.

    lol……I can only imagine how many Scarah stories there are, probably at least one for every painful day of working with her, lol, and multiply that by all her family members in tow, but the kids are off limits, except stories of Piper neglect. I wonder if father Chuck or Toad ever got involved.

  33. The video here contains several complete mischaracterizations of Joe Vogler, Alaskan Patriot (as he was known and signed his name to Letters to the Editor) and the Alaska Independence Party (aka Alaskans for Independence.)
    My membership card in Alaskans for Independence was signed by Joe’s wife, Doris, many years ago when I was a student at UAF and their meetings were held up at the Geophysical Institute.
    First off: AIP is not a “radical” organization and never was.
    Second, Joe was not “attempting to buy plastic explosives on the black market.” He was murdered in the course of an attempt to steal his legendary cache of gold. He wa a gold miner. He had all the dynamite he could want, purchased perfectly legally and I am sure he held a State of Alaska Powderman card!
    But he never did or would advocate violence against anyone or anything.
    Joe was as big a character as our State. I am proud to be able to say I knew him and enjoyed talking with him. All he wasnted was to have another vote, a plebiscite, with 3 choices: Territory, Statehood or Nationhood.
    Was he tilting at windmills? Maybe. But he had plenty of logical argument for everythign he said. Did a lot of peole disagree with him? Sure they did. But hey, we are talknig Fairbanks, folks.
    I do not know who made the YouTube vid – a little attribution, perhaps?
    This video does a terrible disservice to an Alaskan legend. Please, all you folks in the Lower 48 and around the world who watch it, all I can say is that that was one of Joe’s favorite things to say, everyone knew it, and noone who knew Joe Vogler ever thought of him as anything more than a good man with a big idea. And, he paid his taxes.
    So on behalf of a lot of people who knew Joe Vogler and his wife Doris, don’t go spreading lies about him just to make someone else look worse.
    Thanks,
    Mark E. Springer
    Bethel, Alaska

    I do not know who made the YouTube video. I have heard several stories about Mr. Vogler’s passing, and I think many mysteries remain. I will edit to clarify that these things are alleged. Thanks, AKM

  34. Quince Squibb Underpinnings says:

    Being dim (and still screechingly-inflected)
    She seems to think she was the POTUS elected
    But Dr. Patois
    Left us in awe
    With a diagnosis: Dunning-Kruger Effect-ed

  35. JRC says:

    #133 @Trisha
    “Palin sure has an interesting relationship with the truth, doesn’t she?”

    Trisha, I don’t think Palin and the truth have ever been formally introduced.

  36. Moose Pucky says:

    I like it that S.P. can get so freaked out by a protest sign in the crowd. Sharpen up those sharpies, folks. Rally ’round.

  37. swe123 says:

    I’m pleasantly surprised to her that the Republican handlers refused to release information that they knew were lies. Maybe there’s hope for this country after all. Or maybe they just wanted to tick LS of H off.

  38. Lori says:

    Salon.com just posted on this in their War Room section. There is poster over there, readerreader, who constantly spews Palin drivel. He’s from Indiana and knows nothing about Alaska or its politics but is sickeningly pro-Palin. Can someone from Alaska please go there and refute what this moron is saying – Palin didn’t know Todd was a member of AIP, or maybe she didn’t realize they were pro-seccession, or maybe they aren’t really for secciossion and only want natural resource ownership or some such nonsense.

  39. sjk from the belly of the plane says:

    toad filled in the wrong box? perhaps he needs some help from ACORN to go with his word salad wife…..

    “But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. (I’ll bet you do!) and in a position to promote physical fitness (Secretary of Jogging?) and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise (Please dont bring up that wild ride thing again. Birth ismessy dontcha know) and being an example to others (Look at me, I’m pretty!!!), and I know that could do some good for our country. (PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE!!!!!!)”

  40. Lilybart says:

    trisha: Palin, as usually, was just saying what she thought they wanted to hear, being a runner’s mag and all.

    This is her pattern. Say whatever she thinks puts her in the best light at the time.

  41. crystalwolf aka caligrl says:

    Lori in Los Angeles Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 10:07 PM

    I HAD to dive into the sea of pee so YOU don’t have to. Their brilliant conclusions: Nothing to see here, AIP is no big deal. Let’s not even mention it everyone, and Sarah should say nothing, it is of no importance. Steve Schmidt is a (fill in nasty word of choice) – how dare he take charge when Sarah is the boss and he works for HER! How DARE he not broadcast it on every news outlet STAT when he was ordered to by Sarah. See: This is why they LOST, because they did not let Sarah call the shots. blah blah blah – and then some congratulting themselves on how important they are because Glenn Beck defended SP and gave them at the sea a shout out. bwahahahahaha!!!!
    With Beck, Rush, Eddie Burke and those “Ordinary Barbarians” on her side, she will DEFINITELY have the 2012 nomination and Presidency. They also believe that many of them will have Cabinet positions and that a movie will be made about RAM! I wish I was joking.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Lori, I tried to read some of it and just can’t, bleeeech! But I thought about the “cabinet” part,lol…I can definitly hear them saying all this, omg
    so much idiotcy….!
    And why is gino and megamouth so silent? It must be killing them! They will come out with something soon, I’m sure of it. Something about malicious MSM, Lies, her with a servant’s heart, blah,blah, blah more lies!
    Get the popcorn ready! and ice cream…also,too!

  42. trisha says:

    Wars and more wars, economic crisis, housing meltdown, record unemployment, international and domestic terrorists threats, immigration issues, Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, Pakistan, Russia, global warming,on and and on…………..and Palin want to promote physicial fitness from the White House.

    This is so amazing, I just have to repeat it so it can soak in.

    As the leader of the free world, Palin’s goal is to promote physical fitness.

    Hello?

  43. trisha says:

    132 g Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 7:41 AM
    “But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others, and I know that could do some good for our country.”

    I know what you mean…..I stunned me too. That sounds exactly like a beauty queen answer to the question, How would you like to change the world?

    Palin, “We ummm..welll… I would like to be President of the United States and progress forward the thinking that I too, am good-looking in running shorts…therefore I am..a good role model health-wise and being an example to others to save our men and women who are puttin’ their lives on the line when Putin rears his head. That would be good for the real parts of America.

  44. trisha says:

    You just know that Mitt will use that video of Sarah welcoming the AIP and wishing them good luck. It will be his politicial ad of Palin “palling” around with secessionist. ha, ha, ha

  45. All her running pics in Runner’s World are standing and stretching pics – no running pics at all – poses….blech….

  46. trisha says:

    sjk from the belly of the plane Says: todd palin and the accidental secessionist!

    Hilarious!!!!!!!

    Palin sure has an interesting relationship with the truth, doesn’t she? Her story is that he checked on wrong box (one year) and she corrected it the next. Say What?

    Does her reality NOT have something called fact-check or the internet?

  47. g says:

    “But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others, and I know that could do some good for our country.”

    This is her vision of her role holding a position as a national leader?

    Sounds like a First Lady vision instead of a POTUS or VPOTUS vision.

    Has SP made any statements at all on serious national and foreign policy issues, like Iran, the international economy, etc? or does she only crank up her PR machine for commenting on jokes, her kids, gay marriage and Miss California?

  48. jc in co says:

    oops forgot, see huffpo article on political page “palin emails show infighting” and read some of the comments.

  49. jc in co says:

    Perhaps instead of an iceberg it will be a thousand puncture wounds by
    icicles. Off to see greta’s lunatics take on it all.

  50. aha says:

    What does this say American politics?

    If it doesn’t matter that the wife of member of an anti-American party or one who encourages anti-American elements can be elected Vice-President then, who really runs the government?

    There must be a reason the McCain campaign wasn’t alarmed by her being a heart beat away from the Presidency. The only conclusion I can draw is they thought they could control her like a puppet.

    ”Reached on his cell phone on Wednesday, Schmidt declined to comment on the e-mail exchange. “I was proud to work for the McCain-Palin ticket,” he said. “We did our best in an extraordinarily difficult year. I wish that all this stuff could all be left in the past where it belongs because Barack Obama won the election and he’s President of the United States. It’s all over, it’s in the past.”

    Jason Recher, who remains a staunch Palin supporter and recently accompanied the governor on a trip to New York, said he hoped people would focus more on positive memories from the campaign.

    “These internal communications and debates are in reference to a campaign that no longer exists,” Recher said. “It proves wrong the anonymous claims that Governor Palin didn’t seek or follow counsel from senior strategists on a wide array of issues. Sarah Palin has moved on with her life and continues to have a positive impact on so many. We should follow her lead and do the same.”

    These guys should be arrested for attempting to destabilize the U.S. Government. They want us to forget how grossly unqualified she was on so many levels so they can do it, again.

  51. Candy Knight says:

    This tells us several very interesting things:
    1) When the McCain people vetted Sarah and asked, “Is there anything politically damaging in your or your family’s background we don’t know about?” Sarah did not tell them about Todd’s AIP membership. That is beyond appalling. One wonders, what else didn’t she tell them about?

    2) Steve says in his email that Todd was a member for 7 years, ergo on their little after-the-convention fact finding mission to Alaska, the McCain people had discovered the little AIP link but obviously did not discuss it with Sarah. So what else did they discover and not confront her about?

    3) Sarah was in the habit of lying to her handlers, sometimes so blatantly that it’s obvious she thought they were gullible idiots. Her handlers knew this, which does much to explain the mutual dislike.

    4) Either Steve or one of the three original cc’s on these emails leaked this little exchange to protect themselves by showing what a whackjob they were dealing with. While this example shows Sarah blatantly lying, I’m sure they have a lot more email exchanges that are even worse. Please, guys; bring ithem on!

  52. maji says:

    I just love this because it clearly shows how Palin seeks to influence the public’s perception of her by using the MSM. It also shows her tendency to sweep unflattering facts about herself and her family under the rug. It further shows how prone she is to take EVERYTHING said about her personally. What I like best about the article is that it exposes SP as the liar that she is.

  53. sjk from the belly of the plane says:

    todd palin and the accidental secessionist…

  54. sjk from the belly of the plane says:

    this tweet just in…”I’m too sexy for my job, too sexy for this blog, too sexy for the mobs, too sexy for my job…oooooooh.”

  55. gdwyer says:

    The link is at # 36 posted by Martha Unalaska Yard Sign.

  56. sjk from the belly of the plane says:

    Does she actually believe her own bullshit? Time after time she lies. She gets caught. BLAME SOMEONE ELSE. Inhale, LIE…How many times this week has she been caught? When will the new Comm dude speak? IS the F&G guy back from his hiatus?

    When will she tweet an apology to Mt. Tucker and the villagers who have no fish for the winter?

    This tewwt just in…”Look at my new sneakers and remember my secret cut…I’m too sexy for my job, too sexy for this blog, too sexy”.

  57. TXChick4Obama says:

    It was posted in a link a few posts up

  58. NYHawk says:

    aha Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 AM

    AKM:

    I think it would be a bonus if you could post the Voter Registration Form, so we could all (in the lower 48) see the choices.
    ___________________
    From Google:

    STATE OF ALASKA VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION

    http://www.elections.alaska.gov/forms/c03.pdf

    http://www.elections.alaska.gov/forms/c03.pdf

  59. aha says:

    AKM:

    I think it would be a bonus if you could post the Voter Registration Form, so we could all (in the lower 48) see the choices.

  60. Paula says:

    I imagine she’s overseas tossing granades to vent her anger at all of these wild attacks. Boom! You crazy bloggers and that liberal gotcha media, and those danged emails that people save forever. Blast! pow! Why can’t people just use yahoo all the time? Bang! Poof!

  61. va_soccer_mom says:

    From the CBS article: “CBS News’ Scott Conroy and special contributor Shushannah Walshe, who are writing a book about Palin…”

    Now *this* is the Palin book I will buy and read. Every day in that campaign had to be worthy of its own chapter.

  62. Terpsichore says:

    The juicy irony of this story is this: if Sarah replies and even hints what SS said is in any way ‘innacurate’, that effectively proves that what he said was the truth!

    And if she remains silent, taking his advice belatedly, it will prove that SS’s judgement was sound.

    It also bolsters up the validity of comments by others in the VF article.

    A win-win-win situation!!

    I ‘fell off the wagon’ a couple days ago and went to peeland. nothing much to report back. I can’t stand how just ’cause they find one little statement that perhaps is an exaggeration, that instantly means the whole VF article is nothing but lies. And to call it a hitpiece? What point would there be to publish a SP ‘hitpiece’ now? None!

    I will happily let Lori from my home state of CA be our designated “Senior PeeLand Correspondant”

    Can we give her that title officially?

  63. Muppet2 says:

    Hmm, got a message about spam filter on my last comment…wonder why?

  64. Muppet2 says:

    Mudflats, I have to say…I love this site. I can’t get enough. I check it often because you, the author, are so busy making new posts. I have followed it for almost a year now and if anybody challenges me on my facts about Caribou Barbie; well, they better watch out. I have this blog to prove otherwise. I’m going to start making bets. I can use the money.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know you don’t get paid to do this but know that, if I could pay you. I would.
    Keep up the good work.

    Now back to that rubbernecking, any story with Palin in the headlines makes me look. I can’t help myself. I just make sure that she’s not lying against the facts you’ve posted in the past.

    I get a big kick out of reading Politico (lurking there only, I don’t want to get cooties joining that mess) because I just want to see what the enemy says about her. For example, yesterday I saw a photo of Levi, Caribou and Baby Trig (or whatever his name is) at the convention and it said, Father Mother and son. She was holding the baby and touching Levi’s face. Wow, just wow.

    Her supporters are weird, scary and they have the worst spelling and grammar anywhere. I don’t fear them. I welcome C Barbie running in ’12. I can’t wait for that race. I’m going to make bets about the outcome because I will just come here for the facts and ‘Show ’em’ and collect. Hopefully, by then, you’ll be getting paid to write about her.

    Rest those knuckles today…
    Muppet2
    Germany

  65. EyeOnYou says:

    ^^ did not meant the person who made the comment but the link the person gave ^^

  66. EyeOnYou says:

    Heh…found an article on Daily Kos about Sarah’s ties to AIP. It is dated Mon Sep 08, 2008. Lot’s of information about ties between terrorists and AIP, but what I found most amusing is the first comment and who made it!

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/8/124910/0364/816/591072

  67. Blooper says:

    Er, well it doesn’t have ‘secession’ in its name, but independence implies secession to me.

  68. Blooper says:

    Hah! Sarah, the AIP IS an anti-American party as defined by its raison d’etre.
    If it was a pro-American party, it wouldn’t have SECESSION in it’s name.

    Sheesh.

  69. dowl says:

    wow just wow–we see what happens now…

  70. Seagull Junker Palin says:

    All I can say is Steve Schmidt was pissed. And now to have Kristol trying to say that Gov. Icon was mis-handled. Mr. Schmidt was probably fit to be tied to have to deal with the Icon’s behavior. And we know that there was more…much much more.

    AKM the link to your old story isn’t working! I want to go back!

    Thanks!

  71. lovemydogs says:

    I am going all mavericky here and getting off topic for just a minute of your time.

    I left a story and suggestion on the Fish Story gets Fishier Updated thread.

    Check it out and let me know what you think.

  72. joecurly says:

    Has anyone ever wondered why the only one in the Palin family that has a Christian name is Sarah? Who ever heard of a saint race Track, saint Bristol Bay, saint Tree Twig or saint swamp Toad?

  73. Lee323 says:

    @ Eye on You
    —————————-
    Thanks for the great links. I’m still amazed that the press didn’t do more in-depth reporting of this during the election. Oh, wait!! The press didn’t do much of anything except put dueling “talking heads” on their shows.

    It was the bloggers who did most of the work. Thanks to AKM and all the others….yeppers.

  74. oregonbird says:

    “… asked if there was a part of her that would have been reluctant to leave behind the Alaskan landscape and move to Washington, D.C., had the outcome in November been different. Notably, Palin did not use the past tense in her response. She was instead rather blunt in acknowledging that a future move to the nation’s capital is something she can envision.

    “Alaska would be hard to give up because it is such a part of who I am. So much of my life revolves around the great outdoors that that would be kind of tough,” Palin said. “But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others, and I know that could do some good for our country.”

    She wants to be Jack LaLanne? I don’t think so. He was smart enough to invent the prototypes of nearly every exercise machine in existance today. Although he was pretty evangelic… about fitness.

    And can I just point out that SHE DIDN’T ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT THE INTERVIEWER ASKED? And if she’s asked about this, and says that she did SO answer it — well, then Ms. Palin thinks that the VPOTUS spends all day extolling the benefits of soy products and jumping jacks. Which wouldn’t surprise me one bit, actually.

    Maybe she expects to be appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports? Seems like a waste of all that Alaska she’s been selling off like hog futures in Texas. Not to mention! Yeah, she played high school b-ball for a while, and reported woodenly on sports. Was a tarted-up pitbull and apparently can run faster than President Obama. But…

    Admittedly, there’s nobody running the council at the moment. In fact, there’s nobody IN the council, at the moment. There’s a place marker, keeping the lights on in this apparently empty department. But Sarah, sweetie — the seat warmer just might have better qualifications than a soccer mom and absent governor. Don’t believe me?

    Penelope Slade-Sawyer, P.T., M.S.W., is the current PCPFS Acting Executive Director

    She’s also Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, directs the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Office of Public Health and Science in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Slade-Sawyer is a Commissioned Corps Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service.

    Okay, she’s a paper pusher. She rubber-stamps initiatives designed “to build a strong nation of healthy Americans through regular physical activity, sound nutrition, prevention, and avoidance of risky behaviors and recommends programs and strategies to Americans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be physically active every day.” Two thirds of Americans are obese, sedentary and don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom.

    But this is something you’d be interested in coming to DC to do? You’d be willing to uproot your family — all three grandkids (I’ve got a crystal ball) — just to be the only little socially-conscious, sneaker-wearing soldier in a crappy little office? Gee, you’re something else!

    Like, oh, a liar. But hey, even Schmidt knew that.

  75. BigSlick says:

    PALIN/BACHMANN 2012

    EPIC GOP FAIL

  76. Bretta says:

    #23, July 1st, 2009 at 7:20 PM, Lisabeth Says: “”Dave has been quiet. I wish he would blab about her but I think she scared him!””

    No way. Dave knows you only have to give people like her enough rope to hang themselves. Happens every time because she can’t help herself…
    He’ll make snide and subtle insinuations over time that she may hear and which will get under her skin. It may not be what will send her over the edge but will certainly contribute.

  77. lexky says:

    dont mess with jr ewing now.
    he would send a couple of good ole boys to take care of her.
    i miss dallas

  78. yardwork says:

    Scarah’s pick for vp – G.I. Joe, Ken or J.R. Ewing action figure.

  79. joecurly says:

    AIP chairwoman Lynette Clark told me recently that Sarah Palin is her kind of gal.

    OH OH! she’s one of them too, also.

  80. EyeOnYou says:

    And finally we have:

    Meet Sarah Palin’s radical right-wing pals
    Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin’s political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. “Her door was open,” says Chryson — and still is.
    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/10/palin_chryson/index.html

    Oct. 10, 2008 | PALMER, Alaska — On the afternoon of Sept. 24 in downtown Palmer, Alaska, as the sun began to sink behind the snowcapped mountains that flank the picturesque Mat-Su Valley, 51-year-old Mark Chryson sat for an hour on a park bench, reveling in tales of his days as chairman of the Alaska Independence Party. The stocky, gray-haired computer technician waxed nostalgic about quixotic battles to eliminate taxes, support the “traditional family” and secede from the United States.

  81. lexky says:

    hi justafarmer
    in the cbs article, in the beginning it did say someone there was writing a book about scarah right? ive read so much crap about her lately its starting to run together.
    and im not sure but i think i dreamed about her today.
    i might need some help……….

  82. EyeOnYou says:

    Next is: The Palins’ un-American Activities:
    Imagine if the Obamas had hooked up with a violently anti-American group in league with the government of Iran.

    http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/index.html

    AIP chairwoman Lynette Clark told me recently that Sarah Palin is her kind of gal. “She’s Alaskan to the bone … she sounds just like Joe Vogler.”

    So who are these America-haters that the Palins are pallin’ around with?
    Vogler’s greatest moment of glory was to be his 1993 appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States “tyranny” before the entire world and to demand Alaska’s freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue.

    That’s right … Iran. The Islamic dictatorship. The taker of American hostages. The rogue nation that McCain and Palin have excoriated Obama for suggesting we diplomatically engage. That Iran.

  83. Lee323 says:

    Palin to Schmidt: “….and many shout-outs all claiming Todd’s involvement in an anti-American political party,” Palin wrote. “It’s bull, and I don’t want to have to keep reacting to it …”
    ————————————————–

    It’s interesting that Palin had no apparent difficulty in hearing the “many shout-outs all claiming Todd’s involvement in an anti-American political party”…… but was profoundly deaf when it came to the ugly racist anti-Obama shout-outs at her own rallies.

  84. EyeOnYou says:

    I could not get the link to work for me (the one that has the AIP information on it…) but I have 3 links that share the same information and perhaps one of them is the same one? All are good reads with lots of interesting information about Sarah and her “history”.

    I will list them each in a different post so as to not get caught in the filter for having more than one link in each post.

    Freedom Fighter:
    Alaskan Independence Party chairwoman Lynette Clark talks about why she doesn’t identify herself as an American, and about her kindred spirit Sarah Palin.
    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/10/alaska_secession/index.html

    This is the one which has the same basic information as what AKM wrote about above.

  85. Lee323 says:

    AIP quote: “But to get along and go along — she (Palin) eventually joined the Republican Party,”
    ——————————————-
    It’s fairly obvious that a variation of this politically expedient formula was behind her nomination of Tim Grussendorf for Sen. Kim Elton’s seat back in March.

    You remember Mr. Grussendorf, eh? He was the Republican who had switched to the Democratic party TWO weeks before Palin nominated him. Palin’s “get along and go along” plans didn’t work that time, thanks to the rare surfacing of actual spines among Alaskan legislators.

    Get along. Go along. Hop along. Whatever. Just one more sign of her willingness to bend ethical rules to attain her political ends.

  86. mlaiuppa says:

    “Except……………..she could have had the baby in the Anchorage hospital. Why take the time to DRIVE all the way home?

    Bristol was already in the other hospital.”

    Exactly. Hence my snark a the “healthy decisions” quote in the article. It wasn’t enough to fly all that way, she had to drive too? Because the little ol’ Wasilla hospital is the best equipped and staffed hospital to take care of a premie Downs baby?

    Good decision making skills aren’t exactly Sarah’s strong suit.

    She loses the POTUS position on two counts (already mentioned). She can’t choose good people and she doesn’t listen to anyone. We’ve already had 8 years of that thankyouverymuch.

  87. justafarmer says:

    also saw that, honesty. Colbert was, as usuall, bitingly accurate.

  88. joecurly says:

    60 Polly Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 9:23 PM
    joecurly — I’m in CA right now visiting my mom who is Japanese and speaks broken English. She asked the same thing, but phrased it like this”:

    “WHO would WANT to be vice-president with HER?”

    Good ‘ol mom..
    Yes polly, your mother is very Astute. But does she know Shellers Bachmann?

  89. Martha says:

    50 Dr. Patois Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 8:42 PM
    Rob in Ca@6
    I posted this on another thread and it may help in understanding (partially) how she has gotten where she is.

    http://tinyurl.com/n4a3w6
    ===============================
    LOVE this….

    The essence of the Dunning-Kruger effect is that “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than knowledge.”

    This effect almost perfectly describes Sarah Palin, for she clearly revels in her incompetence and lack of knowledge.

    As we witnessed in the VP debate, she spoke strongly and confidently while speaking in a completely incomprehensible tangle of mangled words and sentences.

    She stood tall and gave the American people a stunning display of stupidity and lack of intellect, all the while winking like she was letting the folks at home in on her brilliance, as though her rubbish act was a ploy to fool the witless liberals.

  90. honestyinGov says:

    AKM… A note to You.
    I know this is O T… but this is something for You….. as well as for everybody else. I didn’t want to bother you with your regular email.

    This is about the Supreme Court decision about the Cour Mine and the decision allowing the mine to dump into the lake as fill.

    In case anybody missed it Stephen Colbert was mocking 3 Supreme Court decisions. It was about halfway into the show. He was explaining that the mine was going to be allowed to fill in the 51 foot lake with ‘toxic’ fill up to the 50 foot level. So therefore it call no longer be called a ‘ lake’. It will be a toxic ‘ wading pond ‘.
    The clip might be useful if you are writing another story on it in the near future.

    I

  91. justafarmer says:

    I also thank Dr. Chill for the amazing PhotoShop at CD’s site that has apparently been the one little snowflake that created an avalanche and welcome him back from his hiatus!

  92. Martha says:

    73 Nan Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 9:41 PM
    mlaiuppa @ 56

    (But of course Trig had to be born in Alaska, so when they secede he’d be a natural born citizen.)
    _____________

    YES!

    And that is the one (and only) thing that suggests to me that Trig might actually be hers.

    Unless… what if she was trying to get to AK in time for the imminent delivery (someone else’s delivery, that is)

    too tired, going to bed.
    ====================================

    Except……………..she could have had the baby in the Anchorage hospital. Why take the time to DRIVE all the way home?

    Bristol was already in the other hospital.

  93. Lori in Los Angeles says:

    I HAD to dive into the sea of pee so YOU don’t have to. Their brilliant conclusions: Nothing to see here, AIP is no big deal. Let’s not even mention it everyone, and Sarah should say nothing, it is of no importance. Steve Schmidt is a (fill in nasty word of choice) – how dare he take charge when Sarah is the boss and he works for HER! How DARE he not broadcast it on every news outlet STAT when he was ordered to by Sarah. See: This is why they LOST, because they did not let Sarah call the shots. blah blah blah – and then some congratulting themselves on how important they are because Glenn Beck defended SP and gave them at the sea a shout out. bwahahahahaha!!!!
    With Beck, Rush, Eddie Burke and those “Ordinary Barbarians” on her side, she will DEFINITELY have the 2012 nomination and Presidency. They also believe that many of them will have Cabinet positions and that a movie will be made about RAM! I wish I was joking.
    Out of the asylum, off to shower.

  94. nswfm CA says:

    From that AIP guy:
    She had a problem with ethics alright. She thought the GOP was a problem. It is/was, and god bless her, she’s taken it to a new level.

  95. Sourdough Mullet says:

    @Dr. Patois #50:
    The analogy made on that blog link was SPOT-ON! It explains perfectly the mind (lessness) of Sarah Palin. A very quick read worth a look – here’s the link again:

    http://tinyurl.com/n4a3w6

  96. Wolf Pack says:

    Lee323 Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 9:43 PM

    …And this hypocritical sneak had the nerve to point her finger of accusation at other Americans, saying they were not “real Americans??”

    ———–
    You know what they say… it takes one to know one.

  97. Tealwomin says:

    undisclosed location::::popping pills & working on her book…I’m sure they have BIG plans for the weekend….prob gonna try to throw water on the this weeks fireworks (otherwise know as news)

  98. Tealwomin says:

    Steve S knew ‘what’ he was dealing with…

    didn’t sound as if he were happy ’bout it and also too, plus & in addition, sounds like he had been dealing with it for a while…

  99. Tealwomin says:

    yeap txindygirl, that email was so heavenly…I waited to read the whole article till i got home from work…got the ice cream, got distracted…artice made it extra special…yummy

  100. nswfm CA says:

    Yeah, we in those big cities are not real Americans. And those people in liberal NY and Hollywood, they are so mean to us while we try to stir up hate so we can secede.

    Isn’t that kind of talk considered treason?

  101. txindygirl says:

    I went back to read that delicious slap down email from Steve Schmidt to Sarah. Wow. I’m all tingly. Time for bed before I start sounding goofy.

  102. nswfm CA says:

    Todd probably has them both in straightjackets. With duct tape. Photoshop, anyone?

  103. Lee323 says:

    AIP quote: ” She was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town — that was a non-partisan job. But to get along and go along — she eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics,…. and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership.
    —————————————
    1) She was an AIP member.

    2) She joined the GOP to “get along and go along.”

    3) But she’s “pretty well sympathetic to her former membership.”

    …And this hypocritical sneak had the nerve to point her finger of accusation at other Americans, saying they were not “real Americans??”

  104. txindygirl says:

    What I want to know is, who is sitting on Sarah and Meg? The silence is so uncharacteristic. I’ll bet these two want to EXPLODE! Only the dullest of tweets. NOW they are exhibiting some self-control. Too little, too late, methinks.

  105. nswfm CA says:

    I love the smell of schadenfruede in the morning!

  106. Nan says:

    mlaiuppa @ 56

    (But of course Trig had to be born in Alaska, so when they secede he’d be a natural born citizen.)
    _____________

    YES!

    And that is the one (and only) thing that suggests to me that Trig might actually be hers.

    Unless… what if she was trying to get to AK in time for the imminent delivery (someone else’s delivery, that is)

    too tired, going to bed.

  107. nswfm CA says:

    VP choice is herself, fellow mudflatters. You know she doesn’t want to share any spotlight with anything unless it’s a sack of non-talking potatoes.

    Welcome back Dr Chill. I hope you have an idea of how you started that busy buzzing of bees on the internet. Let the games begin. I’ll bet you that the brouhahahaha that was created was just the opening some of the media was waiting for to unleash some of what they had been sitting on for months!

    THANK YOU for photoshopping.

    Thank you, all AK Bloggers!

  108. txindygirl says:

    Oh, sorry just realized the dreadful coffee house grifter tale was JunoMom #54.

    It is stuff like that, that shows one’s true character, or lack of it. The Heath’s have nothing to be proud about.

  109. ds55 says:

    I’m very glad the Palin’s AIP connections are finally catching up to them.

  110. Baker's Dozen says:

    austintx Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 7:30 PM
    oops. Here we go……..
    http://www.gov.state.ak.us/photos/apubillsignresizedee_5731.jpg

    _________________________________
    My gosh. They all look like they just found out their 17 year old daughter is expecting!

  111. wasillawarrior says:

    I love how Schmidt gives her the mental bitch slap and copies it to all her cc’s – it’s laugh out loud good….she is so crazy…

  112. txindygirl says:

    mlaiuppa #62- that is seriously disgusting, but not surprising.

  113. Wolf Pack says:

    Lieberman would do it and of course Sinford will be desperate for work.

  114. mlaiuppa says:

    “If Sara is nominated for President, who will she pick as her running mate?”

    It’s not who she picks, it’s who she’ll get.

    Two factors. Who would be willing to do it and who would the GOP allow. The GOP isn’t going to “waste” a viable 2016 candidate on a futile 2012 Palin ticket. They will be tainted by failure and association. So just because Sarah asks or Sarah wants doesn’t mean Sarah gets. Life is tough for a narcissist.

  115. txindygirl says:

    Someone will have to pay dearly for all this discomfort Palin is experiencing. Who will it be? Hmmmmm…. Will Palin finally give Meg the slap down?

  116. Baker's Dozen says:

    VP choice? Elvis!

  117. Wolf Pack says:

    joecurly,

    My bet is on the tea-bagging secessionist Gov Perry of TX as her pick for VP.

  118. mlaiuppa says:

    “A friends daughter works at a local coffee shop. Apparently our lady Sarah walked in and ordered three drinks then announced once the order was rung up that she doesn’t carry either a purse or wallet so they were forced to give her the drinks for free because after all she is Sarah”

    You see, this is the sort of thing that gets me in trouble. I would have repeated the amount. “It’s still $7.50, Governor. Where do I send the bill?”

    Of course, I don’t care if it’s rung up or not, if no money is handed over, no drinks are handed over. Here in So.Cal they don’t put the merchandise out for you to take until you hand over your money. Already poured and rung up? You void the sale and pour them down the sink.

    Sarah thinks that her office gives her a free ride. It’s this attitude that is going to get her in trouble with the IRS. She thinks political office is a pathway to riches and wealth.

  119. wasillawarrior says:

    Holy smokes this calls for wine and chocolate…has she twitted on any of this ?
    answer : Pat Robertson for her VP choice

  120. Barker's Dozen says:

    from AustinTX –
    http://www.gov.state.ak.us/photos/apubillsignresizedee_5731.jpg

    _____________________________________

    Boy, they all look like they just found out their 17 year old daughter is pregnant! 😉

  121. Polly says:

    joecurly — I’m in CA right now visiting my mom who is Japanese and speaks broken English. She asked the same thing, but phrased it like this”:

    “WHO would WANT to be vice-president with HER?”

    Good ‘ol mom.. 🙂

  122. Lee323 says:

    Schmidt: “Our records indicate that todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect then we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be inaccurate.”
    —————————————————
    Inaccurate, eh? Now, that’s a nice euphemism for a “lie.”

    Schmidt actually sounds like his temper is just about to blow in this email. He patronizes and “educates” her about the AIP…..in full view of “everyone in the email chain.” His last statement is the one that finally establishes his authority and shuts her up: “We will not put out a statement and inflame this and create a situation where john has to address this.”

    Todd was no accidental secessionist for seven years…..and Schmidt knew it.

  123. joecurly says:

    Question: If Sara is nominated for President, who will she pick as her running mate?

  124. txindygirl says:

    Lord, Lord. Steve Schmidt gave her some solid gold advice. He reminds me of a really great boss I had.

    I only wish she had ignored it. Oh, the fun we could have had. If only they had taken the muzzle off and let her run. How much great advice from Steve Schmidt deprived us of the joy that it is to watch Palin stick her size 7 naughty monkey in her mouth.

    He saved her fanny and I bet she hated him for it.

    I’m seeing a pattern… remembering the Bitney comment about how all the Palin drama got in the way of getting the job done. I’ll be Bitney and Scmidt could share some stories.

  125. mlaiuppa says:

    SP an example for others in making good decisions health-wise….

    Now I was thinking more along the lines of pre-natal care. Failing to gain weight and hiding the pregnancy, traveling well past the 2nd trimester, traveling while leaking amniotic fluid. Yeah, real good decisionmaking there.

    (But of course Trig had to be born in Alaska, so when they secede he’d be a natural born citizen.)

  126. Polly says:

    With all of her personal assistants, I hope she had one of them send the coffee shop payment and a huge tip! Of course, she won’t. Why am I not surprised???

  127. JunoMom says:

    A friends daughter works at a local coffee shop. Apparently our lady Sarah walked in and ordered three drinks then announced once the order was rung up that she doesn’t carry either a purse or wallet so they were forced to give her the drinks for free because after all she is Sarah………(speaking to self, please excuse me for a moment) “God grant me the serenity to not go postal before you get her the hell out of my town.” There I am back. She is a walking treat that one.

  128. Wolf Pack says:

    SP an example for others in making good decisions health-wise….

    Like teaching your daughter, Bristol to practice abstinence?

  129. anadventurer says:

    Funny I was at the DMV on 34th replacing/renewing my license and I almost maid the mistake of putting the AIP instead of Non-Partisan. Just for a second, then I read the whole set of words next to each box. How Todd of me!

  130. Wolf Pack says:

    So this is what a VP does…..”I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others.”

    Making good decisions health-wise…. like taking an 8 hr flight after your water breaks?

  131. Dr. Patois says:

    Rob in Ca@6
    I posted this on another thread and it may help in understanding (partially) how she has gotten where she is.

    http://tinyurl.com/n4a3w6

  132. Mirage 18 says:

    None of these people, including Sarah, look like they are happy to be there. In fact they look downright unhappy.

    Those hanging flower pots are nice. Not sure how stable they are, but we can test it out by moving that podium underneath them. 😉

    #####

    from AustinTX –
    http://www.gov.state.ak.us/photos/apubillsignresizedee_5731.jpg

  133. joecurly says:

    This is very good news for us in the lower 48. The big guys in the republican party are frying her hard like an egg and in the next few weeks she’ll be served with burnt toast. Shortly after that she’ll announce that she is running for re-election for Governor of Alaska. I hope that some one will send me a bumper sticker.

  134. Dr. Patois says:

    Rob in CA @9, I absolutely agree! Cheers and gratitude to AKM!!! With great humor and superb insight AKM has kept us all well informed. (and in stitches also too!) I have enjoyed and learned from other Alaska blogs and all the Mudpups but would never have had the opportunity were it not for AKM.

    Fringy isn’t what comes to my mind when I think of secessionist. I think, by definition, Gino has this one right… anti-American. So Gino, who are the “REAL” Americans?

  135. BooBooBear says:

    She Lies Like She Breathes……every second.

  136. Tealwomin says:

    ooopppsss he should be she..i think

  137. Martha says:

    Thanks for expanding on this AKM, I forgot about that video ….lol

    Well now, that is twice we’ve learned that Palin tried to get away with lying during the campaign, but Schmidt stopped her dead in her tracks!
    ========================================
    VF article

    At one point, trying out a debating point that she believed showed she could empathize with uninsured Americans, Palin told McCain aides that she and Todd in the early years of their marriage had been unable to afford health insurance of any kind, and had gone without it until he got his union card and went to work for British Petroleum on the North Slope of Alaska.

    Checking with Todd Palin himself revealed that, no, they had had catastrophic coverage all along.

    She insisted that catastrophic insurance didn’t really count and need not be revealed. This sort of slipperiness—about both what the truth was and whether the truth even mattered—persisted on questions great and small.

    By late September, when the time came to coach Palin for her second major interview, this time with Katie Couric, there were severe tensions between Palin and the campaign.

    She had have been soooooooooo mad.

    Imagine Palin being told “in front of everyone” (all the e-mail cc’s) ,that she is CLEARLY full of shit and they were NOT going to peddle it for her AND Schmidt went to her staff, because by now he did not believe her, and verified that her complaint to him was “full of shit” too……roflmbo!

    They even went to Todd over the health care coverage, because they did not believe her AND could not trust her……….wow…..at least Todd told the truth.

    When confronted with the truth Palin says “it doesn’t count”, just don’t tell anyone”.

    This just verifies Todd Purdum’s piece in Vanity Fair. Exact MO as everyone here well knows.

    So nice to see it being spread around the country on the major networks and respected magazines.

  138. Tealwomin says:

    …who the freak does she think he’s fooling…

  139. Tealwomin says:

    …she ain’t finished yet folks…(from the same article)

    asked if there was a part of her that would have been reluctant to leave behind the Alaskan landscape and move to Washington, D.C., had the outcome in November been different. Notably, Palin did not use the past tense in her response. She was instead rather blunt in acknowledging that a future move to the nation’s capital is something she can envision.

    “Alaska would be hard to give up because it is such a part of who I am. So much of my life revolves around the great outdoors that that would be kind of tough,” Palin said. “But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others, and I know that could do some good for our country.”

  140. seattlefan says:

    You go Dr. Chill! Your contribution was essential in the events of the past few days. It was the the genesis of a most excellent web-wide photoshop extravaganza. It even made the MSM and that is a feather in your cap.

    Be proud and step back up to the plate!!!

  141. Lori in Los Angeles says:

    Welcome back Dr. Chill. Missed ya!

  142. zyggy says:

    Whoops, she did it again, it meaning lie once again about the form and Toddy Waddy checking off the wrong box. So Bible Spice is a liar or her husband is an idiot, okay, maybe both.

    Please stop me, I gotta stop making fun of the mentally ill .

  143. Martha Unalaska Yard Sign says:

    I don’t think ANY one should feel sorry for SP – not one iota. We’re not done with her yet, anyway – there’s lots of snark left in her and tons of plans to rule the planet. Won’t be long til she’s whining (waaaaaaahhhhhh – sound familiar?) again and you’ll be sorry you ever said you might feel sorry for her!

    She does not deserve sympathy or anything but pity while she’s still got her zealot political agenda, and it’s not likely that’s going to end any time soon. Save feeling sorry for the twit when she’s TRULY out of the picture and our public lives. Til then, do NOT let up or forgive for she will throw you under the bus with all the rest!

  144. zyggy says:

    Dr Chill, I don’t see the form, but nice to see you back and you can photoshopped anything you want. Your pic of Bible Spice and Baby Burke has created a maelstrom of media. I really do think your pic helped to bring on all this eye opening info on her by msm.

    Bravo Dr. Chill.

  145. seattlefan says:

    If the last few days news have not been the “iceberg” then I cannot wait to see what is still on the horizon. This is just amazing.

    AKM, you crack me up……”The Accidental Secessionist” and “Joe the Plumber minus three hours”. Very nice! 🙂 You need to be writing a book called the Palin Chronicles–A Tale of Posing, Lying and Tweeting.

    🙂

  146. Martha Unalaska Yard Sign says:

    Dr. Chill – no need to scan – here it is! STUPID TWIT (her, not you).

    http://www.elections.alaska.gov/forms/c03.pdf

  147. Martha Unalaska Yard Sign says:

    Yep, another FAT, JUICY lie by Palin! I remember seeing the AIP snip on CNN, and remember hearing that the McCain campaign had a fit. You can download the CNN piece here, and read more about the fit, too. I couldn’t get it to play, but it downloaded just fine.

    http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/palins-fringe-elements

  148. anon blogger says:

    T/H, AKM!! What another great post!! I tried to share The Mudflats at CBS, but my machine is not cooperating with me today.

  149. sauerkraut says:

    As I have written many a times… AKM and some of the other AK blogs are weeks, indeed months, ahead of the MSM. The CBS article is but one example.

  150. DrChill says:

    Can someone scan that registration form ?
    I promise not to photo shop it too much …

  151. Lori says:

    Her first instinct is to over-react and/or lie. She will not allow anyone around her who is able to stand up to her. If she does, they don’t last long. Please God, let her run in 2012. I will never ask for anything again. I promise.

  152. austintx says:

    Tired…….click on the picture to enlarge.

  153. austintx says:

    Check out her eyes today…………
    http://twitpic.com/8z7si/full

  154. Canadian Neighbour says:

    Wolf Pack,
    Letterman is in repeats this week

  155. antiAnti says:

    Whoever gave these emails to CBS probably has a ton more of them. Just a matter of time, I suppose. (Giving in, have added popcorn to the shopping list.)

  156. zyggy says:

    Bible Spice has lots of ‘splainin to do, or is that lying to do in the next few days?
    She was warned to keep her mouth shut, but noooooooooooooooooo, she has to get all the attention, and boy is she getting some now.
    Guess I shouldn’t make fun of her because I really do think she’s sick in the head. Not good to make fun of mental cases.

  157. Ripley in CT says:

    re: austin’s link

    Is that moose doing the moonwalk? cool

  158. Lisabeth says:

    Dave has been quiet. I wish he would blab about her but I think she scared him!

    That new “flag photo” link from austintx is hyserical. I’m waiting for more of those:)

  159. Ripley in CT says:

    I lived with a narcissist for 10 years. Make that 10 long years. I have seen it up close and personal how they become when things don’t go their way. As well as how they throw out barbs at everyone else when they get caught. They can never ever be alone, ie: not fawned over by someone. They always have their flunkies by their side. When the feces hit the fan with them, the blow-out is worse than any volcano you can imagine (or live near) insofar as the wrath exhibited. The only thing is this: Once that goes down, people see them for who they really are. However, they will start again. That is the danger for whomever steps in after the fall.

  160. Wolf Pack says:

    Dave Letterman is just the guy to beat VF & AIP to death.

  161. ds55 says:

    Maybe this is passive-aggressive payback to Sarah for being such a b*tch during the campaign. She was a mean girl to her handlers, and now damaging ‘leaks’ are all over the news. She can’t blame it on the got’cha liberal media this time.

  162. Lisabeth says:

    I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. And I agree she is going to lose it and soon. She is probably freaking out and stomping around. I remember one of the comments on the CNN ticker during the Letterman thing was..”never cross a narcissist.”
    We can all sit back and watch the fireworks! She is never quiet for very long,

  163. Lori in Los Angeles says:

    This is SO juicy! Especially coming right after the Vanity Fair piece! I am nearly speechless. wow.

  164. pacos_gal says:

    Rob in Ca, I totally agree with your assessment. The Vanity Fair article wasn’t news to any of us who read AKM and Gryphen and the other Alaskan blogs. It sure was nice to see it make national news though, so others can share in the knowledge.

    Palin, oh Palin, she doesn’t have quite the political instincts that others would like us to believe she has. This didn’t get much coverage because Schmidt never allowed it to become news. Since the election has been over we have seen how Palin handles things. Every thing has to Become an issue, dumb statements that make no sense or are easily proven to be lies are put out through multiple communication means. (her blogger supporters, that have proven themselves to be about as dumb as herself, twitters (really twitters..head shaking over that one), Meg (who still can’t figure out how to read a calendar, or Fox News, that primarily news for conservatives and no one else)

    She really thinks that every little thing must be handled. Some times the smart thing is to not answer, or if your political life is at stake, as hers is, then come up with a brilliant….apology for whatever it is that anyone thinks you have done. Humble pie can go a long way. Not something she is very good at.

    Interesting how she has been able to resist answering the VF article and other things this weekend. It must be killing her to not say something. Maybe hoping it will be all over by the time she returns from her overseas (I have Foreign Policy experience now) trip.

  165. mlaiuppa says:

    If this is the kind of thing coming out about Palin when there are NO elections pending, does she have any idea what will happen if she runs for anything? Let alone POTUS?

    Can you imagine her reactions to the stuff coming out during a campaign, if how she’s reacting to this stuff is any indication?

  166. austintx says:

    Sarah Palin, America’s Pin-up Model, gets the Blingee treatment

    http://twitpic.com/8z7si/full

  167. antiAnti says:

    “Joe the Plumber minus three hours”

    AH, AKM, you bring back those wonderful days when I knew not of the existence of Joe.

  168. Visitor says:

    I would enjoy this wild ride much more if I could be assured of a happy ending. Know what I mean, Vern?

  169. GinaM says:

    Wow…GINO is getting hammered today!! No wonder we haven’t heard from her. She’s probably knows she’s being laughed at and I’m sure that is something she can’t handle. Especially when we all know she has no sense of humor.

  170. Sharon says:

    sarah certainly does love to release “statements” doesn’t she. Too bad she doesn’t have handlers now who help her stop before she hurls a “statement” at the world. But then where would the fun be in a gov who knows when to stop talking.

  171. mhrt says:

    Finally this makes the news. We have waited so long.

  172. Rob in Ca says:

    As a followup to the esteemed Professor Geezer (wish I had thought of that screen name myself!!) …AKM deserves much much credit. Over and over, we see stories at other blogs and in the ‘media’ that we have known for days, weeks, and even months…

    Mudflats has been a graduate course in Alaska politics for those of us who just can’t stay away. Thanks AKM for the education and the enjoyment!

  173. pvazwindy says:

    I think Palin is going to blow. Boy, one hit after another, all of her own making.

  174. Star says:

    Wow Akm.. This crap just blows me away!!! She is really really “evil”…

  175. Rob in Ca says:

    We now know two things about Sarah Palin.

    #1. She does not know how to surround herself with capable people. (This we have know for a long time, I know. But bear with me…)

    #2. When she is surrounded by capable people, she simply ignores them. (Steve Shmidt, in this case).

    I don’t know how someone who fails on both points could ever get elected postmistress, much less President. You can teach facts, policies, history…even the names of the countries versus the continents! You can’t teach judgment about people. You either have it, or you don’t.

    Over and over, Sarah picks the wrong person for the job. Over and over, Sarah encourages infighting and backbiting among her staff.

    Alaska, have you figured out yet what the other 49 states figured out in November

  176. janofdg says:

    I have always wondered how this part of the Palin Family Circus didn’t get more attention during the campaign. If MSM (or McCain’s people) had a better understanding of Alaska politics, there is no chance she would have gotten a second look.

  177. CO almost native says:

    *snicker* AKM, do not loan Governor Tweet your yellow wellies so she can get out of the muck. She put herself there, and keeps digging in deeper 😉

  178. Professor Geezer says:

    I remember that post of yours so fondly, AKM, as if it were just yesterday when I was regaling all my friends with the AIP info I learned in your post of yesteryear….Was it only mere months ago?

  179. nswfm CA says:

    from NH:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-donahue/in-wake-of-mccain-sanford_b_223686.html

    In discussions with Republican men and women, something has replaced the head shaking of a few weeks ago. The have a reply now. And it has nothing to do with Sarah Palin saying if she runs she can beat Obama. It has nothing to do with her at all.

    The word is this: Mitt. Tried and true in 2008, getting comfy like the baseball “mitt.”

    He’s running a quiet campaign, the underground kind the national press is not supposed to notice, but reminding voters he is in the hunt. Romney is living largely out of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

    Republicans have more than a little buyers remorse about having nominated Senator McCain.

    “If Mitt had been there when the economy went down last year, we’d be in a much better position,” or some variation, is what Republicans are echoing now.

    What kept him from the support he needed to get that nomination? Indecision. Republican loyalists acknowledge that while they liked his family values, they were concerned about how the country would react to a Mormon candidate.

    “I like his values and couldn’t care less what religion he is,” says a mother in her 40’s. “But it’s true, I didn’t know how it would play in the South and in other places. Now that seems like a small thing.”

    Having elected an African American President, many Republican voters are wondering if they let the perfect become the enemy of the good when they passed Romney over. Romney’s campaign for president was better executed than McCain’s, for sure. But McCain was a known entity, a choice made when foreign policy seemed like the main event.

    Many of the Republicans who support Romney now liked him in 2008 but talked themselves out of it.

    They weren’t ready for him; he couldn’t close the deal with them. But in a shrinking field, he now seems the elder statesman. He knows it too: not talking about the sensational stories of late. Waiting out the silly season.

  180. austintx says:

    Ah yes……..just sayin’………you say it well AKM……..just sayin’.