John McCain's maverick partner, self-proclaimed reformer of politicians' ethics, during her 20 months as governor has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from the largest mining interests in Alaska.
According to the Washington Post, Gov. Sarah Palin got expensive artwork, free travel for a family member, more than $2,500 in personal items from a corporation with pending regulatory and budgetary issues, and a gold-nugget pin valued at $1,200 from the city of Nome, which lobbies the state on budget matters.
On another ethical front, lawmakers investigating Gov. Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner yesterday accused the McCain-Palin campaign of stonewalling the probe by helping witnesses, including her husband, refuse to comply with subpoenas.
But then again, she did (eventually) say thanks but no thanks to the Bridge to Nowhere and try to sell the state airplane (unsuccessfully) on e-Bay.
Showing posts with label Bridge to Nowhere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bridge to Nowhere. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Palin: Speaking in Forked Tongues
The surge in untruth from the McCain campaign this week may have its roots in the Pentacostal faith that Sarah Palin practiced all her adult life until she entered politics six years ago.
"When the spirit comes on you," a fellow Assembly of God member discloses, "you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."
That might explain what unbelievers are seeing as Palin's lies about opposing the Bridge to Nowhere, soliciting pork for Wasila, her Troopergate involvement and the growing list of fast-and-loose statements on the campaign trail.
Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says some of his members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so, and believe in "faith healing" and the "end times," a violent upheaval that will herald Jesus Christ's second coming, both iffy propositions for placing someone a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Some Democrats, such as Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, a former Hillary Clinton supporter, are starting to speak out about "the big lie strategy" by the McCain-Palin campaign, but they may just not be sufficiently tuned in to the phenomenon of speaking in tongues.
"When the spirit comes on you," a fellow Assembly of God member discloses, "you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."
That might explain what unbelievers are seeing as Palin's lies about opposing the Bridge to Nowhere, soliciting pork for Wasila, her Troopergate involvement and the growing list of fast-and-loose statements on the campaign trail.
Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says some of his members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so, and believe in "faith healing" and the "end times," a violent upheaval that will herald Jesus Christ's second coming, both iffy propositions for placing someone a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Some Democrats, such as Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, a former Hillary Clinton supporter, are starting to speak out about "the big lie strategy" by the McCain-Palin campaign, but they may just not be sufficiently tuned in to the phenomenon of speaking in tongues.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Oprah, Palin, Drudge and Agnew
In her convention speech, Sarah Palin bashed the media with "a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion." Her defiance harked back to another GOP VP, Spiro Agnew, who assailed the "nattering nabobs of negativism" before being forced to resign for taking bundles of cash when he was a governor.
Palin is, among other things, the Agnew of a McCain campaign as eager to blame the media for its problems as the Nixon Administration was back then, and now good old reliable Matt Drudge has started the ball rolling with an assault on Oprah for not inviting Palin to appear on her show.
"Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin," the Drudge Report quotes its usual anonymous sources as confiding. "One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!"
Never mind that Oprah denies any such discussions, confirms that she will not interview any of the candidates and expresses interest in having Palin on after the elections. That hasn't deterred her competition such as ABC from picking up and running with the story by asking, "Is Oprah Biased?"
In stirring this first little media tempest in a teapot, McCain backers get a twofer--discrediting Oprah for backing Obama and painting Palin as a victim of gender bias. If they had picked Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge, would anybody be badgering Oprah?
The next stage, which has already started, will be a sustained attack on journalists for investigating Palin's background and beliefs and questioning her claims such as selling the state jet on eBay or rejecting federal funds for the Bridge to Nowhere.
Somewhere in political rogue purgatory, Spiro Agnew must be smiling.
Palin is, among other things, the Agnew of a McCain campaign as eager to blame the media for its problems as the Nixon Administration was back then, and now good old reliable Matt Drudge has started the ball rolling with an assault on Oprah for not inviting Palin to appear on her show.
"Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin," the Drudge Report quotes its usual anonymous sources as confiding. "One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!"
Never mind that Oprah denies any such discussions, confirms that she will not interview any of the candidates and expresses interest in having Palin on after the elections. That hasn't deterred her competition such as ABC from picking up and running with the story by asking, "Is Oprah Biased?"
In stirring this first little media tempest in a teapot, McCain backers get a twofer--discrediting Oprah for backing Obama and painting Palin as a victim of gender bias. If they had picked Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge, would anybody be badgering Oprah?
The next stage, which has already started, will be a sustained attack on journalists for investigating Palin's background and beliefs and questioning her claims such as selling the state jet on eBay or rejecting federal funds for the Bridge to Nowhere.
Somewhere in political rogue purgatory, Spiro Agnew must be smiling.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
McCain Didn't Google Deep Enough
A few months ago, the Republican candidate told backers that choosing a running mate was easy. "You know, basically it's a Google. What you can find out now on the Internet--it's remarkable."
Now it appears that vetting his last-minute choice of Sarah Palin was no search engine slam dunk as a traffic jam of revelations clogs the path to her nomination and raises once again the question of whether McCain's shoot-from-the-hip temperament is suitable for a 21st century presidency.
The list keeps growing--the ethics investigation of her firing the state's public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law; her membership in a party that advocated Alaskan secession from the Union; her support for the Bridge to Nowhere before opposing it, along with such family items as her teenage daughter's pregnancy and husband's drunk driving arrest.
What's more troubling than any of these disclosures is the fact that the decision was so impulsive, the fact-finding behind it so slipshod and, worst of all, that McCain's staff is so clearly lying about the process to cover up its shortcomings.
After seven years of an Administration that manipulated intelligence for life-or-death decisions, the last thing the nation needs is a new President who can't even keep the information-gathering on his running mate from going off the rails.
Now it appears that vetting his last-minute choice of Sarah Palin was no search engine slam dunk as a traffic jam of revelations clogs the path to her nomination and raises once again the question of whether McCain's shoot-from-the-hip temperament is suitable for a 21st century presidency.
The list keeps growing--the ethics investigation of her firing the state's public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law; her membership in a party that advocated Alaskan secession from the Union; her support for the Bridge to Nowhere before opposing it, along with such family items as her teenage daughter's pregnancy and husband's drunk driving arrest.
What's more troubling than any of these disclosures is the fact that the decision was so impulsive, the fact-finding behind it so slipshod and, worst of all, that McCain's staff is so clearly lying about the process to cover up its shortcomings.
After seven years of an Administration that manipulated intelligence for life-or-death decisions, the last thing the nation needs is a new President who can't even keep the information-gathering on his running mate from going off the rails.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Obama's Coattails
The surest sign that primaries are really over is the surfacing of talk about how long and strong Barack Obama's coattails may be in carrying state and local candidates into office in November.
In the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza reports that even Alaska, that frozen tundra of Democratic hopes, is looking good, with polls showing Sen. Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens behind his challenger, and prospects looking up in deep red hot-weather states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.
"Rarely in politics is a narrow loss as good as a win," says Cillizza, "but if Obama can keep McCain from running up the score in these Republican-friendly states he may well do a world of good for the down-ballot candidates seeking Senate and House posts."
To start undoing the damage of the Bush years will take solid Democratic majorities in Congress to help the new man in the White House with something akin to the "Reagan Revolution" in 1980, which swept a dozen Democrats, including George McGovern, out of the Senate.
This could be a "Change" election in more ways than one.
In the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza reports that even Alaska, that frozen tundra of Democratic hopes, is looking good, with polls showing Sen. Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens behind his challenger, and prospects looking up in deep red hot-weather states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.
"Rarely in politics is a narrow loss as good as a win," says Cillizza, "but if Obama can keep McCain from running up the score in these Republican-friendly states he may well do a world of good for the down-ballot candidates seeking Senate and House posts."
To start undoing the damage of the Bush years will take solid Democratic majorities in Congress to help the new man in the White House with something akin to the "Reagan Revolution" in 1980, which swept a dozen Democrats, including George McGovern, out of the Senate.
This could be a "Change" election in more ways than one.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Republicans Wrestle With Pork
A generation gap is dividing GOP members of Congress over the classic conflict between doing good for the country and doing well for the voters who sent them there.
According to Washington insiders' bible, The Hill, "earmarking funds back home is becoming the most divisive issue facing congressional Republicans.
"The fight largely pits junior conservatives--arguing that the failure of Republicans to aggressively fight earmarking is preventing the GOP from reclaiming the mantle of fiscal responsibility--against party veterans, who say that it is their prerogative to choose funding priorities..."
Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Alaska's Ted (Bridge-to-Nowhere) Stevens, who is trying to remove him as chairman of the conservative Steering Committee, are the leading antagonists. The subject is likely to set off sparks at today's annual retreat of Senate Republicans.
In the House, a proposal being pushed by Young Turks Mike Pence of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Jeb Hensarling of Texas, calls for a moratorium on earmarking for the rest of the year. They plan to push the House GOP conference to rally around their plan at their retreat tomorrow.
“This would be pure electoral gold for Republicans,” Flake says, pointing out that Democrats were not likely to stop earmarking in response.
Pence asserts the pledge would show Americans that House GOP members were willing to “set aside the priorities of our districts for a year” to get spending under control and would pressure Democrats to follow suit.
Proof that voters care about the issue can be seen on a web site that tracks earmarks.
Post-Bush, Republicans may be in disarray, but at their retreats this week, there will be a good deal of talk about charging back toward power.
According to Washington insiders' bible, The Hill, "earmarking funds back home is becoming the most divisive issue facing congressional Republicans.
"The fight largely pits junior conservatives--arguing that the failure of Republicans to aggressively fight earmarking is preventing the GOP from reclaiming the mantle of fiscal responsibility--against party veterans, who say that it is their prerogative to choose funding priorities..."
Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Alaska's Ted (Bridge-to-Nowhere) Stevens, who is trying to remove him as chairman of the conservative Steering Committee, are the leading antagonists. The subject is likely to set off sparks at today's annual retreat of Senate Republicans.
In the House, a proposal being pushed by Young Turks Mike Pence of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Jeb Hensarling of Texas, calls for a moratorium on earmarking for the rest of the year. They plan to push the House GOP conference to rally around their plan at their retreat tomorrow.
“This would be pure electoral gold for Republicans,” Flake says, pointing out that Democrats were not likely to stop earmarking in response.
Pence asserts the pledge would show Americans that House GOP members were willing to “set aside the priorities of our districts for a year” to get spending under control and would pressure Democrats to follow suit.
Proof that voters care about the issue can be seen on a web site that tracks earmarks.
Post-Bush, Republicans may be in disarray, but at their retreats this week, there will be a good deal of talk about charging back toward power.
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