Posted on 08/29/2008 11:09:58 AM PDT by Dawnsblood
As John McCain has shocked pretty much everybody with his pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, it's important to prepare for the attacks on her that will be launched, starting this afternoon, by the Democrats and the media. For attack they will, relentlessly. And they'll start with these three things:
First - "Palin has no experience". That's an easy one to dismiss. Sarah Palin has had more executive experience, meaning experience in running either a business or a government, than either Barack Obama or his running mate, Joe Biden. She has more executive experience than even her running mate, John McCain. Governor Palin served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska from 1999 to 2002. She was elected as President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. She was elected as Governor of Alaska in 2006. And she has quite a few concrete achievements, considering the amount of time she's been in office.
Second - "Palin's part of the corrupt GOP establishment in Alaska (Stevens, Young, etc.)". That's an even easier one to dismiss. Governor Palin has always run as the anti-corruption candidate. She served as Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004, when she resigned in protest over the actions of her fellow Alaskan GOP leaders, including then-Alaskan Governor Frank Murkowski. She was furious over the fact that they ignored her reports of rampant GOP corruption. When she chose to run for Governor, the GOP establishment ignored her and supported the incumbent Murkowski. Palin beat him, and went on to beat former Democratic Governor Tony Knowles with no support from Alaskan GOP leadership. She has actively supported and helped the GOP primary opponents of current indicted Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens and Representative Don Young, and denounced both of them often in public.
Oh, and the forthcoming claim that Palin's in the pocket of big-oil? Her ethics complaints were filed against people who really were in the pocket of big oil - she was on the outside, investigating.
Third - "Palin used her position as Governor to get back at the man whom her sister was divorcing, and fired the man who refused to fire her sister's ex-husband". This is the slimiest attack that the Democrats and the media will launch. It concerns a current investigation into allegations that Governor Palin fired former Alaskan Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan because he would not bend to her will.
When Palin fired Monegan, her office gave no reason for her decision. As the Commissioner serves at the discretion of the Governor, no reason is needed. In an effort to save his job and get back at the person who fired him, Monegan claimed that he was fired because he would not fire an Alaskan State Trooper, Michael Wooten, who was going through a messy divorce with Palin's sister. Recently, the Associated Press ran an article about some tapes that surfaced regarding phone calls made by some of Palin's staff worried about Wooten - and worried about the safety of the Palin family:
JUNEAU, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday said at least two dozens calls were made from her staff members to Department of Public Safety officials questioning the employment of a trooper who went through a messy divorce with Palin's sister.
But Palin maintained none was done at her direction, a claim backed up by one administration member caught on tape.
...The Palins have accused Wooten of drunken driving, illegal hunting and firing a Taser at his 11-year-old stepson, Palin's nephew. These allegations led to an internal investigation, which occurred before she ran for governor.
Todd Palin has said the family was concerned about the governor's safety, claiming Wooten threatened to kill Sarah Palin's father and made vague threats to her. Todd Palin has said he took concerns about Wooten directly to Monegan.
So, the tapes seem to prove that Governor Palin was unaware that anyone from her office was aware of this, which should take care of questions about Palin's possible complicity. But we should go past that, and look at the facts of the entire situation. Even if this investigation shows that someone in Palin's office did pressure the Public Safety Commissioner to fire Wooten, this is a fight that we should relish having with the white male hierarchy of the Democratic Party and the drive-by media. Let's get all of the dirt about Wooten out in the open. Show that the police union and the Commissioner were protecting him, and then ask why? What would any American do, if faced with the same situation - an overt threat to their family?
Over the years, many of the allegations against Wooten - including the fact that he Tasered Palin's sister's 10 year old son and threatened the life of Palin's father - have turned out to be true:
Grimes suspended Wooten for 10 days. He also was punished for illegally shooting a moose and using a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson. The trooper admitted to using the Taser on his stepson in a "training capacity" and said he shot a moose on his wife's tag, but didn't think the act was illegal.
...Wall's investigation did find that Wooten threatened Palin's sister, Molly McCann, with shooting her father if he hired a lawyer to represent her. Wooten denied making the statement, but Palin, McCann and Palin's son all confirmed that he did.
Wall said the act wasn't a crime because Palin's father was not present when Wooten made the statement.
Who the heck uses a Taser on a 10 year old kid!? It appears as if Wooten's gotten off scott-free so far, and it's those that are protecting him that should be ashamed. And once the facts of the entire situation come out, the voters will largely agree. I can't wait until Keith Olbermann attempts to use this!
Read as much as you can about Sarah Palin. Her story is remarkable and inspiring. She's about as solid a conservative as you can find right now. There will be many attacks on her launched in the media over the next 60 plus days, primarily because she is such an excellent pick for McCain. A suggestion - don't rely on the ads or the pundits, go to the Internet and read the original source material. Then launch a counter-attack, armed with the facts.
When this year's Presidential campaign started, shortly after the 2006 elections, I felt that this would be the last of the old-guard GOP elections. Regardless of who wins this election, I felt that 2012 and beyond would belong to the likes of Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin. As a matter of fact, I was kind of rooting for a one-term McCain Presidency followed by a Jindal-Palin or a Palin-Jindal ticket.
I'm pleased that the future of the GOP is coming a little early.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3459772
McCain - Senator
Obama - Senator
Biden - Senator
Palin - Governor
She's never read Saul Alinsky.
She's never organized a street demonstration.
She's never participated in mau-mauing
She's never gone to other countries and condemned the U.S. of A. with virulent criticism.
. . . .
I am waiting to see if there are any congratulations coming from the National Organization of Women.
If they are all about women’s empowerment, women’s advancement, women breaking glass ceilings, etc. , then an organization devoted to women’s issues should be happy that a woman is going to be a vice-presidential candidate. And they should be happy to say this is a big step in women’s advancement, and is a preview of a woman being president someday. And if the McCain-Palin ticket wins the election, they should similarly offer their congratulations to a fellow woman being in the highest political position yet achieved by an American woman.
Will any statement come from NOW? Keep listening..........
Well, I want McCain/Palin to win. Paul Begala doesn't. Begala is very upset about this pick. I'm very happy. Make of that what you will. LOLOLOL
LOL, wackos on parade.
I note that Obama talk (24 hours after the fact) is down to nil on many sites. He he.....
Mac sure stole Obamas thunder, didn’t he? LOL
Keep listening, but don’t even consider holding your breath.
Today, in Beaver PA, a town of 7500, OBiden spoke to 20,000 cheering supporters. And that was just the press corps.
marking for later
Yes, NOW made a statement all right. Typical Johnny One Note type of thing, where if you don’t go along with my Single Issue I will oppose everything you do:
Not Every Woman Supports Women’s Rights
August 29, 2008
Statement of NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy on the Selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick
Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest.
Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women’s rights, just like John McCain.
The fact that Palin is a mother of five who has a 4-month-old baby, a woman who is juggling work and family responsibilities, will speak to many women. But will Palin speak FOR women? Based on her record and her stated positions, the answer is clearly No.
In a gubernatorial debate, Palin stated emphatically that her opposition to abortion was so great, so total, that even if her teenage daughter was impregnated by a rapist, she would “choose life” — meaning apparently that she would not permit her daughter to have an abortion.
Palin also had to withdraw her appointment of a top public safety commissioner who had been reprimanded for sexual harassment, although Palin had been warned about his background through letters by the sexual harassment complainant.
What McCain does not understand is that women supported Hillary Clinton not just because she was a woman, but because she was a champion on their issues. They will surely not find Sarah Palin to be an advocate for women.
Sen. Joe Biden is the VP candidate who appeals to women, with his authorship and championing of landmark domestic violence legislation, support for pay equity, and advocacy for women around the world.
Finally, as the chair of NOW’s Political Action Committee, I am frequently asked whether NOW supports women candidates just because they are women. This gives me an opportunity to once again answer that question with an emphatic ‘No.’ We recognize the importance of having women’s rights supporters at every level but, like Sarah Palin, not every woman supports women’s rights.
http://www.now.org/press/08-08/08-29.html
So I guess if you aren’t a shrieking bra-burning harpy, NOW doesn’t want you.
I am a cynic and I know there are more horses a$$es than there are horses so I believe that McCain and Palin should beware of voter fraud. It has become all too common.
Thanks for a great post!
Sent it to my (usually)dem folks.
Palin-Jindal 2012!
Certainly not grown men. But other 10 year old kids might do it when they are screwing around. When I was a boy, my brother and friends and I dare each other to do all kinds of crazy things, including shooting each other in the back with bb guns. If we had a taser, you can bet your butt that we would have zapped each other with it just for laughs.
The Left Stream Partisan Propagandistas, for the most part, are covering Palins nomination like it’s a state funeral, and the rest are like that death freak reincarnated Gestapo Death Camp matron from Florida, Wasserman-Schultz, and the left wing toilet bowl “blogs”, are all in full blown, spitting poison and smears mode, are showing just how much of a mask their supposed love and respect of women, boils down to misogyny and control tactics.
They are already smearing, character assassinating with lies, and making fun of her womanhood, children, clothes, hair, demeaning her intelligence, and creating a completely hostile environment, devoid of all human respect.
Everything they always say that *republicans* are the ones who foster, and institutionalize and who they are always backing multi-million dollar lawsuits against corporations, about.
Perhaps the Republicans should file sexual harassment and hate crimes charges against Daily Kos, Huff&Puff the Post, Democratic Underground, et al...and at least force them to expose their evil posters real names and addresses!
That way, we’ll all know who and where the online sexual predators in our neighborhoods are posing as “feminists”..
Disgusting, to say the least. I sure hope the people at DU that are spreading this crap kept their genes out of the pool.
I have to agree. “Sarah Palin killed a fish once” is not quite as scathing a denunciation as that DU-er obviously thought it was, LOL.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3459772
Fear, whining, and a lot snarling.
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