Fun Facts About Wasilla
Just to put all these claims about Sarah Palin's experience as Mayor of Wasilla into perspective, it turns out that in 1996 she won the mayoralty by 200 votes -- and given the size of Wasilla, it turns out that this constituted a landslide victory.
From the Anchorage Daily News in 1996, just after the election (via Nexis)...
Palin's victory was seen as a major upset. Stein has been mayor since 1987 and was seeking his fourth term. He lost by more than 200 votes, with a final tally of 616-413.
A "major upset" of 616-413. That would actually be kind of cute, if her experience as mayor of Wasilla wasn't genuinely being touted by GOPers as one sign of her preparedness to be back-up commander-in-chief.
Relatedly, today, Barack Obama himself took up the argument about the size of Wasilla, pointing out that Wasilla has approximately 50 employees, while his own campaign has 50 times as many, or roughly 2,500.
Advertisement
I actually Obama made a mistake going there this morning and should have laughed off the question.
More on this here:
http://strategy08.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/obama-made-a-small-mistake-this-morning/
September 2, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're buying the GOP spin. They have been saying he has no executive experience. Well, what do you call running a half-billion dollar enterprise with 2500 employees with ruthless efficiency for two years? That's executive experience and we need to defend that instead of ceding the point that being part-time mayor of some one-horse shit hole trumps that!
Give me a break. Obama is right. He's running a freaking corporation!
September 2, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm buying the spin? That's ridiculous, of COURSE Obama is more qualified and experienced. And who is arguing we cede it?
I'm arguing from a political standpoint it doesn't benefit him to get into this discussion. Just laugh it off.
He's already considered qualified by a majority of the country, he doesn't need to be pulled down to Palin's level with an argument.
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
September 2, 2008 1:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hear you, but I think he handled the question appropriately. He took it head on and responded factually. Not a bunch of hyperbole, but facts. And then he dropped it. Remember, he didn't raise the issue and if he didn't respond, you'd better believe it would gain traction with the talking heads.
I don't think you'll be hearing more of it after this because, frankly, there are just too many other issues with her qualifications than to dwell on whether her experience trumps Obama's.
September 2, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I certainly hopes he responds differently next time.
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
September 2, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Me too. It would have been more appropriate for him to compare her gubernatorial experience to his senatorial. Comparing his campaign to her 10 year old mayoral stint is cherry picking, not terribly worthy of him.
September 2, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excuse me. There is no executive experience in being a senator. Since he was asked about his executive experience, his executive experience comes from running his campaign.
I get so tired of liberals being scared that anything will be used against us. Obama compared what Palin has run with what he has run.
September 2, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excuse me. There is no executive experience in being a senator. Since he was asked about his executive experience, his executive experience comes from running his campaign.
I get so tired of liberals being scared that anything will be used against us. Obama compared what Palin has run with what he has run.
September 2, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're not 100% correct. Senators' executive experience is in handling their own office -- budget, staff, policies and procedures, communications with constituents, etc. They are, effectively, small nonprofit Executive Directors.
September 2, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Barack shouldn't laugh off questions; that seems elitist. He gave the perfect answer. You want executive experience? I got your executive experience right here.
September 2, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. They'll also say that if he laughs it off, ignores her, he's being sexist and not taking her seriously. He needs to address it very much in the way he did. No problem with his response. In a logical world, he actually could laugh it off, but we know we don't live in a logical world - the GOP and the media are waiting for the first moment anybody remotely associated with the Obama campaign says anything that could even remotely be considered sexist.
September 2, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with das on this. Arguing about Palin's experience makes Obama look small, imho. He should leave the tit-for-tat on the VP selection to Biden. Maybe laughing isn't the right way to handle it, but a bland "let the voters decide who they want to see leading the country" would have the right tenor to it.
September 2, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with das on this. Arguing about Palin's experience makes Obama look small, imho. He should leave the tit-for-tat on the VP selection to Biden. Maybe laughing isn't the right way to handle it, but a bland "let the voters decide who they want to see leading the country" would have the right tenor to it.
September 2, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with das on this. Arguing about Palin's experience makes Obama look small, imho. He should leave the tit-for-tat on the VP selection to Biden. Maybe laughing isn't the right way to handle it, but a bland "let the voters decide who they want to see leading the country" would have the right tenor to it.
(btw-my third attempt to post this response, so if it shows up mutliple times, apologies)
September 2, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sigh.
September 2, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's what I think: If the Republicans hadn't started ridiculing Obama's answer, you would have been fine with it. But you're scared shitless about what they will say.
For days the republicans have been saying that Palin is more qualified than Obama because she has executive experience. He is asked directly about that. He responds straight up, comparing his executive experience with hers and you start shaking thinking "ooohhhh, the republicans say he was stupid." What was stupid is putting this county clerk up against Obama.
Sheez. Get a spine.
September 2, 2008 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
616-413, well, that says it all!
September 2, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm guessing the real horse race there must have been for dog catcher.
September 2, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
The city hall is a joke.
September 2, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is such a great photo. It looks like a converted 7-11.
September 2, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone should post a comparison between the Wasilla city hall and the McCain mansions.
September 2, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg, we can't use the size of a victory margin to underrate her experience.
After all, 200 votes . . . I think, since it's a positive number, 200 would be larger than the margin of certain Presidential elections I can recall.
September 2, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree - that does after all translate to winning %60-%40, which is pretty good for a first-time candidate.
But I also agree that it is hardly an argument for preparedness be President of the United States. It's just a fun fact, nothing more.
September 2, 2008 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the point was to further illuminate the size of the community she has "executive experience" governing.
September 2, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the point was to further illuminate the size of the community she has "executive experience" governing.
September 2, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are not allowed to talk about Sarah Palin's unwed teenage daughter being pregnant, because John McCain was held as a POW for more than five years.
http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/q/F/2/pow-card-lk0827d.jpg
McCAIN/FAILIN' 2008BC YUP! YUP!
September 2, 2008 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which means, should he somehow manage to win the Presidency, he'll have been a POW longer than he'll be a President.
September 2, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg, I saw where as mayor, Palin tried to get the Wasilla city librarian fired because she refused to remove books that Palin objected to from the library's shelves. Can TPM find out what books those were?
September 2, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
link?
September 2, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/an-wasillan-on.html#more
September 2, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
My guess: The Origin of Species by Darwin
September 2, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Inherit The Wind?
September 2, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oooh. Don't get the librarians pissed off, Sarah...
I'm only half-kidding there.
September 2, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Was that really the vote tally for mayor? I think there were more votes for class president at my high school!
September 2, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but did your class president hire a lobbyist and nab $27 million in earmarks?
September 2, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
that and that alone should be the democrats' line concerning gov. palin
September 2, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
that and that alone should be the democrats' line concerning gov. palin
September 2, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
sorry about the double post
September 2, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
O no - there are about 2500 different ways to attack Ms Sarah and there are lot of Democrats. We don't all work for Obama, either.
Some of us - like me - have our own axes to grind with Ms Klondike Barbie.
September 2, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Naw, I think they need to leave off the HRC stuff and just focus on McCain's judgment, saying:
The vice president is a heartbeat away from becoming president, so to choose someone with not one hour's worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice. If John McCain thought, in his judgment, that choosing Sarah Palin is the best person to step into his shoes as CinC then the America public will need to decide if that demonstates he is ready to lead.
Forget the gender angle completely..focus on McCain's judgment being ready to lead.
That is the ticket and that is what selecting a VP is all about. It is the very first and most important decision of a Presidential nominee.
Now, we know what McCain considers the judgment to lead means.
September 2, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
On the money. Leave Sarah Palin, attack McCain because he choose Sarah Palin.
September 2, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
As Brad Delong points out, you'd think that after ten years of running for president, John McCain would have had enough time to think of a better running mate.
September 2, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, check out the three day tracking polls for gallup and ratsmussen. Every pundit has been whining about obama "not closing the deal." I guess palin closed the deal for him. He broke 50 percent. Too funny. Thanks mcbush.
September 2, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
But then of course there is the right-wing media spin. "Obama's DNC bounce smaller and shrinking" is the headline on the front page of yahoo, that I keep checking to be one of the first to see palin's withdrawl announcement. Wow, facts just never seem to support these "journalists" nowadays. Shrinking? WTF?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/13068
September 2, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
That article is from wack ass Politico and its a day old.
September 2, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
And, its on the front page of yahoo as a recent news item. Pathetic.
September 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's also written by David Paul Kuhn. He recently published a book about how the Dems can't win white male voters and how that dooms them in election after election. That a black, liberal, Dem, who isn't following the script he laid out in his book is leading a white, establishment, Scots-Irish war hero directly refutes most of Kuhn's argument. That Obama is actually doing quite well, relatively speaking, among white males, makes it even worse. I've seen Kuhn do this before this year - he'll be damned if his book's argument is proven wrong this year...so he publishes stories that make it appear that Obama problems are greater than they actually are in reality.
September 2, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Slightly off topic but Phyllis Schaffley(sp?) was on NPR this morning (or maybe just Wisconsin Public Radio) making the usual ass of herself when she came out with the assertion that Palin is an example of a good republican mother even though she went back to work just two days after giving birth to her Down syndrome baby because she carried the baby to term where a Democrat would have aborted it. God love her she's the best spokeswoman that hate, prejudice and vitriol have ever had.
BTW Hacktacular: Les Nessman! Awsome!
September 2, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."
September 2, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I honestly don't know why the GOP is pushing the mayor job as a talking point (let alone her PTA presidency). It just makes them sound silly. I would focus on her governorship, regardless of her relatively short time on the job. I'd say, "Look, she's doing the job as governor, and that should be respected."
September 2, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
There really isn't any time left for this nonsense. The GOP has been deprived of nearly a week of attack time agin Obama, and Sarah Palin is only going to suck more O2 out of the room. The attacks coming tonight and tomorrow night are going to ring hollow.
We will be treated to the same brain freeze that allowed Gonzo to stay on the job far too long. They will waste another week in denial.
Meanwhile, Obama's org of the People is completely disconnected from all of it. He need only smack away any overflow attacks and stay focused on the issues.
As we know he will.
The time it ticking away here at the end of a long campaign, and McCompletelyLostit has, well, completely lost it.
September 2, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Talking about distractions, don't forget W tonight.
September 2, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah Palin looks like October surprise delivered in installments to your door every week. From the tone and rhetoric of the MSM it's clear there a few more, many more, skeltons in her closet. While MSM will ignore until the moment it can, I've a feeling, there are few stones to be turned before Nov.
September 2, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah Palin looks like October surprise delivered in installments to your door every week. From the tone and rhetoric of the MSM it's clear there a few more, many more, skeltons in her closet. While MSM will ignore until the moment it can, I've a feeling, there are few stones to be turned before Nov.
September 2, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's going to have to testify before then, under oath. The press will nearly outnumber Alaskans on that day.
September 2, 2008 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe not.
She has hired a lawyer..who is stonewalling them from deposing her.
The lawyer is demanding 'discovery' of all materials the investigator has to date and challenging that he has authority..saying some other body has that authority...of course that governing body reports to none other than Gov. Palin and is full of her appointees.
We may not see her deposed as the investigator will not be allowed acces on the campaign trail.
the latest word, is that they are going to seek subpoenas from teh legislature.
Seems Palin, has a lot of GOP enemies, given she was a whistleblower on the State RNC party chair.
Delicious...devil in the details!
September 2, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stonewalling works better for an incumbent than for a candidate. Even if she succeeds in fending off the deposition until after the election, it's bound to hurt McCain at the polls.
September 2, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone seen this composite of storylines: http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
September 2, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I found this on the net...pass it around...it's soooo true. "Only in Republican America would a black man with a law degree from Harvard, 12 years in politics, four years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and manager of one of the most impressively flawless and forward thinking presidential campaigns ever not be ready for the presidency while a white female evangelical with 19 months in national politics and a bachelors in journalism is considered "ready on day one." so true.
September 2, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah Palin represents affirmative action as the whiteworkingclass stereotypes it: UNQUALIFIED.
However, they call Obama the affirmative action candidate DESPITE him being qualified.
This is about race vs. gender.
As long as the affirmative action candidate is a white female...it is OK and if she is, as most often times she is unqualified it is STILL OK.
The person only becomes the derisive version of afffirmative action when they are black. Only blacks are the ones getting ahead without qualification on the basis of race.
Which of course is soooo specious because affirmative action for white females is nothing more than entitlement on the basis of race.
This again is how the GOP twists the spin.
You are ALWAYS qualified if you are white.
You are NEVER qualified if you are black.
Affirmative action is about being unqualified and BLACK.
That is why they are comparing Palin to Obama..to 'prove' HE is affirmative action not her.
September 2, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know if anyone has made the connection or if there IS a connection, but: federal earmarks and her later chairwomanship of Stevens' 527?
September 2, 2008 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
God I love my candidate and his campaign.
Just how brilliant are they? The most innocuous - from about 10 different standpoints - attack they could make and it's still devastating.
September 2, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
To be fair, attacking Palin's candidacy is like shooting fish in a barrel. Or shooting barrel in a barrel.
September 2, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, yah, you're right.
She is one enormous target - she has more junk in her trunk...
September 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tena, you and I have crossed swords before. I thought I was a Republican (of the Goldwater ilk) but now that MY Governor has been put forth as McCain's Jesus' representative I am fully converted.
I'm not a Dem, but I will never again associate myself with the Republican party.
I will be changing my voter registration to Independent.
Signed,
Disgusted in Wasilla.
P.S. You were totally right, Republicans are all about lying and obfuscating - especially Alaskan ones.
September 2, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Ms. Palin's experience in government makes Barack Obama look like George C. Marshall." -- David Frum, former W speech writer.
September 2, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama needs to keep focused on McCain. Feeding into any comparisons between he and Palin only lowers his stature. She is the VP candidate, he is at the top of the ticket.
What he should do is force comparison between Biden and Palin, specifically the point that he chose a runningmate the stature of Biden, respected across the aisle. Re-affirm that the first criteria for a running mate is that they be ready on day one. Leave it there and let the crowd and the media read between the lines about what he's saying about Palin.
September 2, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
GREG:
Inquiry: I have heard that Palin left Wasilla $20 million in the RED.
Inquiry #2: I have heard that she was almost recalled.
Can you confine these statements?
Palin's tenure in Wasilla appears to have been the perfect example of a Republican executive outcome.
September 2, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've read the $20 million in debt thing, too. Along with that fun fact, I've also seen it mentioned the city is the Meth Capital of Alaska and has the largest burglary rate in the state. Sounds like she did a heck of a job.
September 2, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
$22 million.
Ms Kilkenny, the Alaskan whose letter is posted on these threads a couple of times.
September 2, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's true. I think the number is $22 million. And as I understand it most is the result of the monument she built to her own ego, a big ice sports complex. Unfortunately, construction was started before the town had clear title to the land, and so they had to exercise eminent domain (conservative values?) and endure a lengthy and expensive litigation.
September 2, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's true. I think the number is $22 million. And as I understand it most is the result of the monument she built to her own ego, a big ice sports complex. Unfortunately, construction was started before the town had clear title to the land, and so they had to exercise eminent domain (conservative values?) and endure a lengthy and expensive litigation.
September 2, 2008 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's true. I think the number is $22 million. And as I understand it most is the result of the monument she built to her own ego, a big ice sports complex. Unfortunately, construction was started before the town had clear title to the land, and so they had to exercise eminent domain (conservative values?) and endure a lengthy and expensive litigation.
September 2, 2008 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Part-time mayor, part-time mayor. Say it with me now: this was not a full-time job.
September 2, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anybody else view the polling trend as reaching some kind of threshold? Just focusing on Obama's numbers, every poll since last Wednesday or so has him between 48 and 51 percent, gradually edging upward. Previously most of the fluctuation has been in McCain's numbers. The negatives on Obama are out there--I don't see his numbers going back down in a significant way, and if the election is a landslide, that would mean something like a 52-48 split. I don't want to read too much into polls, but I feel like consistent numbers at or above 50% indicates a tipping point in the election.
September 2, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't expect him to stay up there, this is, in part due to the Convention bounce and in part due to Ms. Palin's negatives. McCain's convention will take some of this away, but I expect that Obama will hold onto a 2 to 3 point lead over McCain by the beginning of next week. But note that to do that and stay over 50%, the Undecideds would have to be committing in large numbers and that won't happen at this point.
September 2, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
"This is like a cat covering up crap in its litter box," she says
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/another-aip-off.html
September 2, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
What an interesting way for Obama to compare his experience to Palins. "I'm more experienced because I'm running a presidential campaign". I can hear the repubs laughing already.
September 2, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given the way McCain's campaign has been run, I'd think they would be crying instead.
September 2, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, they're positively licking their chops at the chance to defend Palin.
September 2, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm laughing right now at your lame attempt to push back on the idea she's too inexperienced to be Vice President.
September 2, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about these responses to the "experience" issue?
1. Palin also has more "executive" experience than McCain
2. Obama has been vetted by 18 million voters who think he has what it takes to be president; Palin was vetter by 616 for mayor...
September 2, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't she a governor now?
September 2, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Vetted by, what, 700,000?
September 2, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually she only got around 115,000 votes for governor and the opposition got around 100,000. She is nothing more than a mid-level city mayor. What a joke.
September 2, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
in fact the candidates who came in 2nd and 3rd got 120,000 votes all together (about 5,000 more than palin's 115,000). she only won (with 48.3% of the vote) because of the 3rd place independent (ex-republican) spoiler.
fewer than 116,000 people have ever cast a vote electing sarah palin to anything.
the obama campaign doesn't need to spend a lot of time explaining to the media what the media already knows: palin is an absolutely ridiculous pick for vice president of the united states.
of course i heard on npr tonight someone from the weekly standard saying that that is precisely why mccain chose her. that mccain wanted to chuck the experience argument and be the 'change' candidate he imagines himself (the 'maverick') to be.
guess we could call that mccain's 'new coke strategy'. seems certain to work just as well as new coke worked for coca-cola.
September 2, 2008 11:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I realize the tactic is to pin the "mayor of a small town" label on her, but we do all remember that Palin is governor of Alaska, right?
September 2, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, and alaska has less people than memphis tennessee. What's your point? She's currently mayor of a mid-sized town? For a year and a half?
September 2, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the point may be that now the left/liberals/Dems/yada, yada are attacking "small towns and small town values".
I heard it already elsewhere...
September 2, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska has fewer people than Obama's Illinois state senate district. Wasilla has about as many employees as the Harvard Law Review did when Obama ran it.
September 2, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed, most states in the Union have cities and counties whose population is larger than Alaska's. America is covered with little five-skyscraper cities whose population is larger than Alaska's. Does anyone think being mayor of one of those those burgs for a couple of years would make one ready to take over leadership of the Free World in the middle of a crisis?
September 2, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, who she "equips and deploys" according to Tucker Bounds....Thank you Campbell Brown (did I just say that?) for not accepting that bullshit, and pointing out that in fact the Pentagon does that, and asking again and again (to no avail) for an example of this impressive leadership.
September 2, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's been staring down Putin for over a year and a half. What could be more impressive than that?
If she weren't standing point on the Bering Straits, Putin would've invaded Alaska instead of Georgia. Just like in Amerika and Red Dawn.
September 2, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
If she weren't standing point at the Bering Straits for the past year and a half, Putin would have invaded Alaska instead of Georgia.
Just like in those movies Amerika & Red Dawn.
September 2, 2008 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone know when was Palin's last public appearance? Just curious.
September 2, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Possibly Sunday in Missouri?
September 2, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
She was in mississippi with mcbush for the hurricane photo op. Since then I haven't seen her. I have been wondering as well.
September 2, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
What nut picks a running mate under investig...?
...never mind.
September 2, 2008 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
New Obama Campaign Ad: "Same"
Watch it here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gG5XRV
September 2, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently someone had the bright idea of looking in on Levi Johnston's sister's myspace page. some of the photo/captions were quite devastating to the babygate cover story. One had the sister in a rocker cradling Trygg in here arms with Sarah leaning over looking into the camera. The caption labeled Palin as "mother-in-law" !! Lots of gab about being a bridesmaid for Bro & Bristol too.
The authenticity of it is an unknown so keep that in mind, but still ...
look for yourselves http://cajunboy.tumblr.com/
September 2, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently someone had the bright idea of looking in on Levi Johnston's sister's myspace page. some of the photo/captions were quite devastating to the babygate cover story. One had the sister in a rocker cradling Trygg in here arms with Sarah leaning over looking into the camera. The caption labeled Palin as "mother-in-law" !! Lots of gab about being a bridesmaid for Bro & Bristol too.
The authenticity of it is an unknown so keep that in mind, but still ...
look for yourselves http://cajunboy.tumblr.com/
September 2, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently someone had the bright idea of looking in on Levi Johnston's sister's myspace page. some of the photo/captions were quite devastating to the babygate cover story. One had the sister in a rocker cradling Trygg in here arms with Sarah leaning over looking into the camera. The caption labeled Palin as "mother-in-law" !! Lots of gab about being a bridesmaid for Bro & Bristol too.
The authenticity of it is an unknown so keep that in mind, but still ...
look for yourselves http://cajunboy.tumblr.com/
September 2, 2008 2:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
During an interview on CNN last night, Obama mispronounced Wasilla as Wasilly. :-)
September 2, 2008 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
pardon the 2x post :P
September 2, 2008 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
616!? My statistics class in college was bigger than 616.
September 2, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
if i'm not mistaken, the small vote totals mean that in her lifetime, sarah palin has received fewer general election votes than Joe Biden's son Beau.
September 2, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's put some more perspective on this: there are 1.1 million children in the New York City school system. There are 693,000 children in the L.A. Unified school system. But in all of Alaska there are only 670,000 men, women and children. So Ms. Palin has a lot fewer names on her clipboard than the Superintendent of Schools in L.A.
Or look at it another way: if the entire state of Alaska were a U.S. city, it would be downtown Memphis. Not the suburbs, mind you, just the downtown. And also without the, y'know, jazz and great 'cue.
September 2, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
But, but alaska is right next door to the great red menace. She is a leading foreign policy expert based on geography. Didn't you know?
September 2, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, Bush has lived across the street from the Washington Monument for the past eight years without reaping any apparent benefit.
The folks in St. Paul need to know that this ain't horse-shoes: Close Don't Count.
September 2, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
This whole population argument is just silly. Biden is from Delaware and the population there is only about 800k. Does that mean his 36 years are worthless? Come on, guys. Let's be a bit less intellectually obtuse.
September 2, 2008 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is being immensely shrewd here...he's answering the question effectively and earnestly, while at the same time the suggestion that the comparison is indeed laughable. Palin is becoming a heavier and heavier albatross around McCain's neck, and engaging in this with a certain seriousness only extends her life as the biggest political liability ever freely chosen in modern history...
September 2, 2008 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, RobbyLove, why don't we just move away from personal attacks like "silly" and "intellectually obtuse," shall we? There's no point in that kind of talk.
The reason why numbers count in this instance is that the Palin posse is making a big distinction between her experience as a member of the Executive branch, while denigrating Obama's experience as having taken place in the Legislative branch.
Now, I think most of us understand that every state sends two Senators to the Congress... whether the state is California or Wyoming, or, yes, Delaware. So the size of Biden's (or McCain's ... or Obama's) state really doesn't matter. Constituent services aside, a Senator makes just as many votes and serves on just as many committees, and attends just as many hearings, regardless of the size of their state.
An executive at the State or local level, however, has a job that is highly sensitive to the size of their constituency. So, a mayor of a town of 6,500 has a piss-ant job compared to the mayor of Chicago, for example. And if an entire state has a population the size of Memphis, then that is, yes, a relevant and pertinent piece of information.... because it means that that governor's job is a whole lot less managerially complex than that of a governor of a major industrialized state. But, y'know, what do I know.
September 2, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
right.
and keep in mind that folks wouldn't be nit-picking these numbers if the mccain camp weren't trying to make the ridiculous argument that plain has such a tremendous amount of experience. everybody's just calling the degenerate gambler on his bluff.
September 2, 2008 11:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Palin pick makes perfect sense. The NeoCons want a government they can drown in a bathtub. In Wasilla, AK, you can do that.
September 2, 2008 10:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
There has been all this talk of Palin's experience and that she is sharp and shouldn't be underestimated. Well, let's assume she is familiar with the handful of major issues that dominate Alaska politics and can debate them persuasively. What is even the remote possibility that she is able to have a far-reaching debate with Joe Biden on the myriad national issues at stake, not the least of which involve foreign policy? I wonder if she knows the difference between a Sunni and a Shia.
I mean let's get real. She is a hockey mom with five kids whose only prior political experience was as mayor of a small town before she parlayed whatever Alaskans consider charm and charisma into an upset gubernatorial victory 18 months ago. The likelihood that she has a firm policy on anything besides whether to put a new stop sign at the intersection of Caribou Lane and the Bridge to Nowhere is pretty slim.
I have knocked Obama for having won his race primarily on charisma, but that was really a knock at his adoring throngs (not you informed folks here, but the masses of kids I meet in my college town who love him but don't know a damn thing about his policies). However, I have also read his blueprint for change and he clearly has thoughtful, progressive, and well-articulated positions on every major issue this country faces. It's not even a contest in that regard.
September 3, 2008 5:04 AM | Reply | Permalink