Palin Again Repeats Bridge To Nowhere Lie
Another day, another fusillade of lies. At a rally today in Colorado, Palin again repeated the falsehood that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere.
Only today there was a bit of a twist: Palin suggested she has at least a glimmer of an awareness of all the criticism of her lying. Not that that stopped her from lying again, of course...
Note that Palin seemed a bit defensive about the falsehood this time, saying: "And that infamous Bridge to Nowhere -- I did tell Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks.'"
Of course, everyone knows she was a staunch proponent of the bridge until it became clear that Congress wouldn't provide additional funding, so she kept the money and used it on other stuff. What's more, Palin herself basically admitted that she Said Yes To Pork in her interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson.
Clearly, the McCain campaign cares what the American press says about as much as it cares what some tiny paper says in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Fucking shameless.
And can they please give this lady a new set of lines. It's been the same set of talking points for 3 weeks now.
September 15, 2008 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
who is palin?
September 15, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
And why are we reading about her?
September 15, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many times has she said this lie? 9, 10?
September 15, 2008 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously! Someone should add them all up and juxtapose them with the truth. Make a web ad and go viral with it.
http://thepajamapundit.com/
September 15, 2008 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tiny papers in Micronesia are just another example of the liberal bias of Eastern Media Elites.
September 15, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I also notice that she rushes the line a little, the people behind her smile sheepishly, and the applause seems tepid.
Keep it up, Eastern Media Elites, and we might eventually agree that 1+1 = 2, even if "some have suggested it might be 3."
September 15, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
As of right now, this post is not showing up on the TPMEC main page for me for some reason, even when forcing cache bypass.
September 15, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
She has no idea whether she is right or wrong. She just reads what is handed to her.
Palin is doing as well as she can given her experience. However, Palin's continued scripted performance shows why McCain's decision making abilities need to be questioned.
September 15, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exatly. She doesn't seem to reflect or impose her opinion on what she's saying. She just says what's been told.
For get those who will vote Rebublican not matter what, but it is deeply disturbing if those in the center cotinue to buy this shit.
September 15, 2008 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
In the words of our esteemed Vice President: "So?"
September 15, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope she does keep on repeating it because it only reinforces the idea that McCain & Co. will lie, cheat and steal in order to win this election.
September 15, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
It will be true if you just repeat it often enough.
Just look at Gallup:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/110230/Both-Candidates-Share-Change-Washington-Reputation.aspx
Apparently McCain presents just as much Change as Obama.
September 15, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok!So if elected we will see another Dick Cheney Lying in Hiding..Just great, let's hope we get get home soon and safe.
And we aren't the only ones...think this is just wrong
Former Alaska Native chief speaks out on Palin, oil and his state
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/tundra-talk/1-talk-of-the-tundra/110-alaska-native-speaks-out-on-palin-oil-and-alaska.html
September 15, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Their tactic now clearly seems to be waging a war of attrition.
They're betting that if they keep repeating the lie, the media will get tired of pointing it out, at which point they'll have license to lie about it forever.
Cynical bastards.
September 15, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. However this could be a prime VP debate question.
September 15, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Big Lie folks. Just keep repeating it. I read somewhere - 538.com, I believe - that when some Obama supporter challenged a Palin supporter (no, I didn't forget McCain - that's not who they're supporting) with facts at the Palin rally in NV yesterday, the Palin supporter said, "I don't trust the facts!" That's the mentality we're dealing with folks. The bad thing is that there are a lot of independents/undecideds who think and feel the same way. They like Palin because she reminds them of their quirky neighbor and they think everything the media says about her is a lie and part of a witch hunt.
BTW, anybody see that SurveyUSA VA poll to the right showing Obama up 4 and hitting the 50% mark in that state. Yeah, that's great for Obama but I'm going to have to call "outlier". Need to check the internals.
September 15, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why isn't this bigger news -
The New York Times reported that Palin had given the 95,000-dollar-a-year directorship of the state division of agriculture to a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, who cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the agency.
Havemeister was one of at least five schoolmates Palin hired, often at salaries far exceeding their private sector wages, the paper noted in an investigative report.
September 15, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn gremlins. The two paragraphs under the block quote are supposed to be quoted as well.
September 15, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Saw a decent analogy (apologies to the person who came up with it - can't remember where, possibly here on TPM). To say that Palin was responsible for killing the Bridge project is like crediting an undertaker with shooting the gun that killed the bank robber lying in his morgue.
(Of course, to make it truly parallel, the undertaker would get to *keep* the money that was stolen .....)
I'm asking (politely) every Republican who is willing to mention her around me (not many, I note - even among people proud to chat about McCain in the past) the following questions:
(1) why has she been given exactly the same speech (which everyone knew was written for her because of the short time between selection and the convention) for three weeks -- even on her return to Alaska (when you'd think she would have something personal to say to her own state)?
(2) Why, when she gave the speech in Alaska, did she omit the references to the Bridge to Nowhere and the 'e-bay sale' of the jet but then pick them back up and put them in the speech again when returning to the lower 48 states?
(3) Did they see the ABC interview? (If they say 'no' I encourage them to do so.)
There are a LOT of things one can say/ask about Sarah Palin, but the lack of ANY public statements of her own and the omissions-when-on-the-home-turf can't help but raise questions in even the most partisan minds. That's all that's needed --- if you look at her record with any sort of doubt in you mind, it all crumbles pretty quickly.
Especially dropping those 'brags' and then picking them up again -- NO ONE can help but have a momentary "How dumb do they think we are?!?" reaction.
Other than that, I'm keeping to the Obama drumbbeat of McCain = more of Bush/Cheney and there has been no 'Maverick' (except in sticking by Bush when others backed away) since 2004.
September 15, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is funny that you used the Federated States of Micronesia analogy, because believe it or not, McCain probably cares more about the press there than the US press. The McCains actually have been benefactors to the country, and have visited it frequently to scuba dive, and this is where Cindy McCain started her medical relief efforts. Upon a diving vacation in the 80s, she went to visit a hospital on the island of Chuuk, and upon seeing the awful conditions of the hospital, she started efforts to donate medical supplies, and that was the influence for her to start her charity. She actually mentioned it in her speech at the RNC. (And also her medicine cabinet).
I used to work in Micronesia for four years as a legislative advisor, and I can tell you, from talking to a lot of my friends out there, there is enthusiastic support for McCain because of his connection and support to the region. So I am serious that McCain cares more about the press out there than here.
September 15, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have been perplexed about something for a week or so, and I'm hoping someone can explain it to me...If the company that makes Cheerios put out a tv ad that says "Cheerios are filled half-full of fresh strawberries", when everyone knows that boxes of Cheerios only contain Cheerios - wouldn't the FCC have a field day with false claims in advertising? Why doesn't this same principle apply to political ads? Why doesn't the FCC come down on McCain/Pailin when they blatanly lie and/or make false claims about Obama? And don't just tell me its because the FCC is run by a bunch of Republicans, or that the McCain campaign is only saying the lies as to what they interpret Obama's record to be. I want to know the actual policy and how it applies to political ads. And, if this is so, can a regular person like me file a compaint with the FCC? Can't we ALL do it and actually get something done instead of just sitting around and complaining on blogs? Someone out there enlighten me.
September 15, 2008 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that the Cheerios claim wouldn't be handled by the FCC - but would be handled by the FTC. Either way, it's my understanding that anything goes in campaign commercials. The FCC doesn't have the jurisdiction.
September 15, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Never let facts get in the way of a big lie.
Goebbels would be proud.
September 15, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
So why isn't there a Bridge to Nowhere Lie Tracker on the TPM site? Seriously. You could count the days the lie has been repeated, or better yet, count up until she recants.
Sure, it's a cheap stunt, but that's the kind of shiny ball the media pays attention to.
September 15, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
At some point before the election someone needs to do an ad that puts her lies and McCain's lies as clips together with a good source or multiple sources stating the facts... then some way of the making the point...
No matter how many times you tell a lie you can never make it the truth.
September 15, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is simpler than everyone seems to be making it.
Congress removed the earmark for the bridge in 1995.
Palin did not begin her run for Governor until 1996 - and she supported the bridge during her run.
When she later cancelled the bridge project, there were no funds directed to the bridge by Congress.
She did not return a penny to the federal government or in any way address the Congress on the subject of the bridge.
So she said "Thanks" to an offer that did not exist and "no, thanks" even though she kept all the money Congress had allocated for general transportation.
September 15, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even more to the point, as hammered by Bob Somerby at Daily Howler: Palin never "told Congress" anything. Not one freakin' thing.
Build a bridge, don't build a bridge, really, who cares. Governors make decisions about that stuff all the time. It's the idea that Congress offered her a free bridge and she said "No" that's really the key to the power of the tale -- and that. Never. Happened.
(Typos -- you're off by 10 years.)
September 15, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have to ask if she is at this point (both of them relly) just doing this for the attention? take it away from Obama / Biden and the issues?
September 15, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes. I don't think the DNC's lie counter is strong enough. TPM seems a great place for a lie counter that records every repetition of the 'bridge to Nowhere' lie (and others -- this would just be a start).
September 15, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Boy, she sure said THAT pretty quick. It has become a run on sentence without a period.
September 15, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lady, seriously, drop the chalupa.
September 15, 2008 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Olbermann said he was donating $100 to charity every time she says it. I think I'm going to give $10 to Obama (sorry, I don't make what Keith does) every time she says thanks but no thanks. Anyone with me?
September 15, 2008 10:35 PM | Reply | Permalink