Palin Confuses Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae and Government Role - First Gaffe

Well, McCain campaign advisor Todd Harris said they didn't want Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to make a mistake early on, and that's exactly what happened today.  Palin, commenting on the news that the Federal Goverment was going to take over the poortly performing loan organizations Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, apparently did not know that the firms were privately owned and held.  Palin said this, as written by the McClatchy Washington Bureau:

McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speaking in Colorado Springs, Colo., said Fannie and Freddie had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." The companies, however, aren't taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization.

It's this basic lack of knoweldge of Federal Government operation that both Obama / Biden supporters and GOP backers who questioned McCain's logic in selecting Palin are concerned with.  Palin has no experience in talking about, let alone working to solve, Federal Government problems and policy matters on a regular basis that many wondered if McCain would have to engage in "on the campaign trail" training.

It appears that's the case.

This comes a week before Palin's scheduled ABC interview.

Sarah Palin Asked For $853,623 In Earmark Money Per Day As Governor

This video of an interview grilling by Fox News' Chris Wallace of McCain Campaign Manager Rick Davis reveals that Alaska Governor and GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin hired a Washington Lobbyist to get $27 million in earmarks for Wasilla, Alaska when she was mayor (and left that town with a $20 million deficit) and as governor she asked for $589 Million in Pork Barrel Projects.

That comes to $853,623 per day for a state of just 670,000 people!

Sarah Palin Earmark Queen Left Wasilla $20 Million In Debt

Crooks and Liars has this new report debunking the idea that Alaska Governor and GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin is a fiscal reformer and dislikes earmarks.  Indeed, Governor Palin took $20 million in earmarks when she was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.  

Here's the rest:

In 2000, Sarah Palin, as mayor of the Alaskan town of Wasilla, hired a Washington lobbyist to secure federal earmarks for her community.

This is not totally atypical in her state. Alaska’s government receives more money per capita in federal earmark money than any other state, despite being the only state in the union with no income tax and no sales tax. They fund their government primarily with petroleum money, and recently distributed oil profits to its citizens in the form of rebate checks.

But even in her heavily earmarked state, Sarah Palin was the earmark queen.

From 2000 to 2003, she secured over $27 million in earmarks, averaging $6.7 million in federal money every year for her town of about 6,700 people. …(read on)

As mayor, Sarah Palin managed to secure a thousand dollars a year per person in her city in earmarks, yet…

When Palin left office in 2002, Wasilla had “racked up nearly $20 million in long-term debt,” or roughly$3,000 of debt per resident. …(more)

Asked in 1996, her first year in office, about her ability to “effectively run” the city, Palin claimed:

“It’s not rocket science,” Palin said, “It’s $6 million and 53 employees.”

Todd Harris - GOP McCain Strategist On Palin's Mistake That Could Come

Todd Harris, who was Senator John McCain's communications director, said to Chris Matthews "If she goes out and makes a mistake, that will be something that will haunt them for a long time" in response to the current (as of this writing) situation where Governor Palin has not adressed questions from the political press.

Here's the video:





It's as if they have to put training wheels on Palin or something. Yikes!

Sarah Palin Worked To Ban Books, According to Time, Other Sources

There is much buzz about how Alaska Governor Sarah Palin attempted to ban books from a library while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.  While there's disagreement on which books were targeted, led by conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, there seems to be no question that Governor Palin did indeed work to block books as reported in TIME Magazine:

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

This has become so widespread, there is a blog called "Librarians Against Palin".




OpEdNews has more to add, also pointing to Palin's call for a gag-order on city staff:

In 1996, Palin first ran for the Office of Mayor of Wasilla. According to articles in the Alaskan newspaper, The Frontiersman, Mayor Palin asked the director of the town's free public library if she "could live with censorship of library books." Palin was not specific about which books, what topics or passages would be questionable in nature.

Rindi White reports in today's edition of the Anchorage Daily News that in December of 1996, "Emmons told her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman, that Palin three times asked her -- starting before she was sworn in -- about possibly removing objectionable books from the library if the need arose." White goes on to further state that "Emmons told the Frontiersman she flatly refused to consider any kind of censorship."

In response to the firing of Emmons, the well respected former Wasilla mayor, John Stein, told local newspapers that Palin felt some voters thought the library held inappropriate books and "asked the library how she could go about banning books," Stein further stated the head librarian, Emmons, was "aghast" at Palin's question.

"The librarian, who resisted mayoral censorship, was fired shortly after Palin took office." [CBS News]

Several of the conversations between Palin and Emmons took place within a new and very radical political environment for the small town of Wasilla, one wherein Palin, during her very first days in office, asserted her newfound authority by instituting a mandate requiring all department heads obtain her direct permission before talking with any reporter on any subject at any time.

"She put a gag order on those people, something that you'd expect to find in the big city, not here." [The Frontiersman]

And writing of The Frontiersman, I happened by that paper to read the coverage of Palin.  I found a letter from a Palmer Councilman that made no sense at all and since he's a politician "under" Palin, who's governor, I discounted it. But then I saw this letter by a simple Alaska resident, Suzanne McCausland, also of Palmer, Alaska:

John McCain is pandering. By selecting an inexperienced person, he is disrespectful for the office of the President of the United States. He is acting in a vindictive and unpatriotic way. Is he senile?

 Someday maybe Sarah will be qualified, but right now she is just too inexperienced to be a heartbeat away from the presidency of our country. Our country is in trouble. We have to act like adults, not for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren.

We have saddled them with a huge national debt, we have lost our jobs overseas, and now our very Constitution is being eroded along with our freedoms. Anyone remember that we are in a war based on a lie?

It is time to take our country back.

Shame on you, John McCain. 

Suzanne McCausland

Palmer

The bottom line here is that Palin is clearly conservative and opportunistic.  Nothing wrong with ambition, but such a hunger always leaves a trail of angry people.  It's only a short matter of time before more of them come out against Palin.  The question is what did she do to gain the positions she obtained?  That's not clear.  Who was her mentor?  Who backed her?  When and Why?  More questions than answers.




 

Martial Law at the Republican National Convention - Video

Russia Today analyzes the situation between protesters and police in what they are calling a “police state” against the backdrop of McCain’s GOP acceptance speech.During McCain’s campaign defining speech, which has been roundly energized since the nomination of Palin, Russia was a talking point– McCain blamed Russia for invading Georgia.



read more | digg story

Sarah Palin's Other Side - A Hero To Young Alaska Girls and Women

Lost in all of the partisan arguments in this election is any real look at who the candidates are, unless we push for it.

While I don't believe Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's the best candidate and certainly not with any Senate experience, my soft spot for kids and for the advancement of women compelled me to find this side of Governor Palin: that of a hero and role model to thousands of young girls and women in Alaska, as this photo group will show.

Again, she's not the best candidate and I feel she should go back to Alaska and serve a full term as Governor, but I have to give her credit for how she impacts these girls you see in photos.

Alaskans Speak: Sarah Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”

“So Sambo beat the bitch!” This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination. (Story needs follow up work.)

read more | digg story

Gavin Newsom - SF Mayor On GOP, Sarah Palin, John McCain

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com -- This presents SF Mayor Gavin Newsom at a rally for Barack Obama in Berkeley on September 4th, 2008, and an interview given just after his speech before the crowd.

Sarah Palin, Jesus Christ Was A Community Organizer

Cristo de la Piedad (Transeuntes o Refugio). Zaragoza 2007, originally uploaded by Asemta.

In her speech last night, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's comments insulting community organizers as not having responsiblilty, or at least enough to demand respect, upset a great many people I know. From elected officials to students.

To mothers and sons and fathers. The people I talked to expressed an almost singular dislike for what Palin said, and in some cases Palin herself.

I'll not go there.

I will only remind Gov. Palin that there was one person who did work to serve the needs of those who had nothing and lost there way. A man who showed all of us in the World that we could be forgiven for our sins. A person who did instruct us in the ways of the Lord.

That person is the greatest community organizer ever.

We know him as Jesus Christ.

Obama / Palin? 37 Million Tune In To See Palin Fail A Speech She Gave Well

37 Million people -- almost as many people as tuned in to see Senator Barack Obama's historic speech -- went to a television to see Alaska Governor Sarah Palin give her Vice Presidential acceptance speech.  But I think the reasons why people tuned in were vastly different than those for Senator Obama.

They tuned in expecting to see her fail, even though I don't know what that definition is.  I mean what was she supposed to do, cry?  Hickup?  Get stage fright?  She's the Governor of Alaska.  She's suppose to be able to give a basic speech.  That's what she did.

What's sexist about all of this is how America seems to have "lowered the bar" for her and made it so it's ok that she' just "shows" rather than a "place" or a "win."   If a man gave that speech, he'd have been held to a higher standard.

My point is that there should be a vice presidential standard, not a mass-culture standard.

Now, if John McCain gets fewer ratings then we've got a scoop for the ages.  Maybe things are all turned around. Perhaps the ticket should be "Obama / Palin."

Just a thought.

Kevin On YouTube Video Claims To Be Bristol Palin's Daughter's Father

I just happened on a video that, if true -- and I stress if true -- could be very damaging to the crediblity of Alaska Governor and now Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. 

In the video, Kevin sits down on a couch and says that he met Bristol Palin because his uncle worked on the pipeline and got to know Bristol for "the couple of months I was there" and that they conceived a child while he was there.  He says she's a nice young lady and that he wants to be a part of the child's life. 

Kevin, who's Black and an Obama supporter, also reports that the parents -- Governor Palin and her husband -- have said that they do not want him near their daughter or associated with her.  Kevin says, again on video, that he wants to be a part of the child's life.  He also says that he does not want to play the "race card" but that the family may have some problem with the public knowing that Palin's daughter had a Black boyfriend.

(Frankly, no one cares about that.)

I sent a message for Kevin to call me to get to the bottom of this.

Watch the video.  He certainly seems like he's serious and he explains that he's a musician, gives his contact at his MySpace page, and I'm sure is aware of what could happen to him if he's caught lying, so he must be telling the truth otherwise, why stick his neck out?  At first, I thought it was a way for him to promote his songs, but that would be stupid.  And given the affinity young teenage white girls have for Black rappers, it's well within possibility they could have hooked up. 

The first order of business is to determine if his uncle really works up there.  If that's the case, then there's smoke.  And where there's smoke, there's fire.  

Here's the video.  You decide:

Palin No Impact On Poll: Obama Ahead By Seven Points 49 to 42 Percent

The speech by Alaska Governor and now GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin had no impact on Senator Barack Obama's lead in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll for September 4th 2008.  Obama still leads by seven points today, 49 percent to 42 percent.

Palin Angers Community Organizers, Who Ask For Applogy

A new blog expresses how much community organizers are upset with the speech of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  Here's some of the text from a new blog called "Community Organizers Fight Back":

Organizers demand apology from Alaska governor, say “we’re working to clean up your mess!”

Community organizers across America, taken aback by a series of attacks from Republican leaders at the GOP convention in St. Paul, came together today to defend their work organizing Americans who have been left behind by unemployment, lack of health insurance and the national housing crisis.  The organizers demanded an apology from Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for her statement that community organizers have no “actual responsibilities” and launched a web site, http://organizersfightback.wordpress.com, to defend themselves against Republican attacks.

I'll say it again:  attacking community organizers, some of whom register people to vote, was just plain dumb.  

Gov. Sarah Palin Speech Poorly Delivered To RNC

Tonight Alaska Gov. and now Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin gave a well-written, but poorly delivered speech to the Republican National Convention.

Gov. Sarah Palin: No Double Standard Applied To Palin

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com -- There's no double standard in how Governor Palin's being covered at all. She's vieing for the second most powerful position in the World. Indeed, Palin may be getting a pass by some. Suppose she was black and we saw photos of her kids friends -- teenagers -- holding rifles and guns? That would be an outrage. Why is that not the case here?

Governor Palin is in a position tonight where she has to give "that speech" it's a tradition by which presidential and vice presidential candidates are measured by. If she does not give anything less than "that speech" forget it.

Sarah Palin's Daughter Should Not Be Blogger's Focus Or Perez Hilton

In an earlier post, I wrote that the family of Alaska Governor and Presumptive Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin should not be the focus of bloggers.  Then someone associated with Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol put photos of her -- or someone who looks like her -- up showing the young lady holding bottles of alcohol.

And PerezHilton picked it up. 

That's news.

It's news because Palin has preached "family values" and abstenance of sex before marriage, yet her own girl is the living example of how both ideals are violated on a daily basis.

The question is what will Governor Palin do about this?  There will be questions from the press; she can't hope to escape them.

This whole episode has served to throw the GOP message off it's foundations.  Instead of the party platform, we get a steady diet of the past alledged activities of "The Palin Bunch."

I write that because it's fair to ask of the photo is authentic.  Stay tuned.

Sarah Palin's Church Video Webpage

I was reading this Huff Post article on the way Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Church impacted her life when I saw a link to a page with other videos from the Church.

This is the link:  http://www.wasillaag.net/all.html

Check it out.  Let me know what you find. 

Barack Obama Tops 50 Percent In Today's Gallup Poll

After a historic Democratic National Convention and the subsequent major misteps of the John McCain annoucement of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, today, Gallup's Daily Tracking Poll finds Senator Barack Obama at 50 points for the first time, with Senator McCain at 42 points. 

If one looks at the Gallup Graph, it shows that Senator Obama picked up a point over 24 hours, and Senator McCain lost a point over the same time period, and as more negative information comes out about Governor Palin. 

Gov. Sarah Palin Will Resign Or The GOP Is Toast

On Friday, Governor Sarah Palin was the selection of Senator John McCain to be his running mate as the presumptive Republican Vice Presidential Nominee.  Already we have problems.

1) TrooperGate, where Gov Palin is accused of using her position to fire a state trouper, who's still on the job as of this writing.

2) The news that Palin was part of a group that wanted Alaska to leave the Union.

3) Palin was fundraising director for Senator Ted Stevens' 527 committee.

4) Palin was almost recalled as Mayor of Wasalia, Alaska.

5) She says the Iraq War, costing over 80,000 iraqi lives and several thousand American lives is a war for oil -- she's right, but Republican, so she should not say that.

6) She took earmarks totalling over $197 million, while saying she did not.

Why Palin? Senator McCain could have picked from five Republican female senators, but failed to do so. Why?

More questions than answers. It's my prediction that Palin will be forced to resign as this steady stream of negative information continues to come in.