Reality Liberation Front

You know…I really thought I might be able to go at least a month before doing another edition of Palinwatch. I mean, really – she’s SUPPOSED to be back managing the affairs of the State of Alaska, right? Well, it appears that neither Sarah, her brood, nor her “dude” have the ability to avoid cameras, scandals, or expensive political dinners. Each day, I bookmark any interesting Palin-related articles that I encounter, and I tell myself, “Once I get five or so, I’ll do another Palinwatch posting.” This time, I had five after three days…so I held off as long as I reasonably could, but here goes…

The latest events and scandals involving “She-Who-Must-Be-Watched-Closely:”

- They’re already calling it the “Road To Nowhere.” Apparently having forgotten the lashing she took over the ill-fated and expensive “Bridge To Nowhere,” as well as her campaign stance against earmarks and expensive, useless pet projects…Palin is currently behind the drive to build a road from Fairbanks to Nome. The road would be 500 miles long…and cost 3 to 4 million dollars a mile. Some state legislators seem to have a small problem with the $2 billion dollar project, especially since Palin chose to announce the project in the same speech where she highlighted the state’s budget shortfall. She is also looking at a road to Umiat (also $4 million-a-mile) as well as multibillion-dollar dam projects as well…which could lead to a $2 billion to $3 billion deficit in the Alaska State budget next year. These projects would not qualify for the federal stimulus…so no help there for the Alaska taxpayers, and Sarah’s trend of “borrow money for big projects, cut taxes, build huge debt” continues unabated.

- House Republicans recently invited Palin to their annual winter retreat…hoping to feature one of her stirring speeches. Palin declined, stating as the reason that pressing state business required her attention. The pressing state business? She had to fly to D.C. to attend the prestigious Alfalfa Dinner…apparently wishing to have some face time with President Obama and the other Washington bigwigs in attendance. Some of the 130 House Republicans expressed anger (“She lied to us“), others certainly bravely fought back tears, and House Republican leader John Boehner seemed unaffected (“Whatever“).

- A recent Rasmussen poll shows that the majority of Republican voters, at the very least, have…absolutely no idea why they lost the election. What points to this confusion? Start with the result that the majority of GOP voters surveyed…think the party has become WAY too moderate, especially the Evangelical Christians (thank you, Captain Obvious). And then add…here’s the kicker…that 55% of Republicans polled believe that Palin represents the direction the GOP should move towards. The only substantial issue where the Republicans agree with Democrats and unaffiliated voters? There’s a consensus among ALL that George W. Bush may not have been the way to go…

- So much for the “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pantsuits.” In the Texas primary between incumbent Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison…Palin picked Perry, calling him a “true conservative” and citing his hardline anti-abortion stance and his opposition to federal bailouts. In other words, Sarah would love for women to vote for HER just because she’s a woman…Kay Bailey Hutchison…not so much.

- Oh, about that ritzy Alfalfa Dinner I mentioned earlier? Palin attended with Meg Stapleton (part of the GOP hit squad during Sarah’s campaign), Bob Cockrell from her security detail, and…Fred Malek. Malek is Palin’s new Republican patron, and the previous night he hosted Palin and McCain for dinner at this home. Oh…and just a few years ago Malek was forced to pay a $100,000 fine by the SEC for investment fraud, complete with charges of political payoffs. Oh…and back when Malek worked for Nixon? Malek helped provide Nixon with a list of Democrats and “important Jewish officials” in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to help Nixon eradicate the “Jewish cabal” that Nixon believed had overrun the agency. In a secret correspondence with H. R. Haldeman, Malek wrote, “These moves [removing Jews from the bureau] do not go as far as I would have preferred, but represent a reasonable compromise that I feel will make the BLS a more responsive and effective unit.” Details of Malek’s anti-Semitic “name gathering” can be found here, here, and here.

- Ashley Judd recently filmed a clip for Defenders of Wildlife, slamming Palin’s promotion of the aerial hunting of wolves…particularly Sarah’s suggestion of a $150 bounty for each severed wolf foreleg. Palin’s response: “The ad campaign by this extreme fringe group, as Alaskans have witnessed over the last several years, distorts the facts about Alaska’s wildlife management programs. These audacious fundraising attempts misrepresent what goes on in Alaska, and I encourage people to learn the facts about Alaska’s positive record of managing wildlife for abundance. Shame on the Defenders of Wildlife for twisting the truth in an effort to raise funds from innocent and hard-pressed Americans struggling with these rough economic times.” First off…Canada tried this once: it results in MORE wolves, not less and therefore does not serve the intended purpose of “managing wildlife for abundance.” In each wolf pack, only one male and female can mate. Aerial culling breaks up wolf packs…without the pack structure, ALL the males and females can mate. This equals…MORE WOLVES. Secondly…the reference to “these rough economic times” is just bizarre…it reminds me of when she wandered off subject when asked (during the campaign) what she thought about bailing out the banks.

- The big question is answered: Sarah’s daughter, Bristol, is named after ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. because Sarah wanted to be a sportscaster. Which makes perfect sense…I always wanted to be a radio dj, so I’m naming my future children “WKRP,” “Cincinnati,” and “Dr. Johnny Fever.” We can only hope that the rationale behind “Piper,” “Track,” “Willow,” and, “Trig” is as normal and obvious.

- In July of 2008, Sarah Palin told her staff to completely comply with the Alaska legislature which had just unanimously voted to investigate allegations that Palin had abused her power of office. In August…Palin changed her mind. The legislature would have to issue subpoenas. Then…the her staff members IGNORED the subpoenas. The seven people who sought the advice of the Attorney General are ok, but those like Todd Palin who simply ignored the subpoenas…by senate resolution with only one dissenting vote, they are now guilty of contempt. That’s right, the former “potential first dude” is guilty of contempt of the Alaska State Senate.

- Remember Troopergate? Remember when six Republican Senators filed a lawsuit (unsuccessfully) to halt the Troopergate investigation into Sarah Palin? What you didn’t know is that the attorneys representing them worked for or were advised by the Liberty Legal Institute. And the Liberty Legal Institute is part of the Free Market Foundation. And the Free Market Foundation is associated with Texas evangelical leader James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. The Republican legislators were told that their attorneys “volunteered” their services. Well, imagine their surprise when the attorneys listed the cost of their services as a “gift“…a $185,000 gift which the Republican legislators now have to declare on their taxes and financial disclosures. In short…Texas evangelicals fought the battle to stop the Troopergate investigation…and then screwed the legislators they were trying to help. Fair warning: readers are not entitled to be surprised by either the “Texas” or the “evangelical” aspects of this piece.

- Apparently, Sarah Palin’s Facebook page voices her objections to the stimulus bill as well as a link to the donation page of her new PAC’s website. No word on whether or not she’s posted her “25 Random Facts About Me” yet. On a sadder note, she still hasn’t responded to my friend request, or my request to join my vampire clan…

- File this under, “I hadn’t considered that.” This author speculates on what he refers to as a potential “$159,050 conflict of interest” for Sarah Palin. No…we’re not referring to the amount of money that she spent on campaign clothes. It’s the purse for the Iron Dog snow machine race. The race which is sponsored by Tesoro, Conoco-Phillips, State Farm, Wells Fargo, Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines and the Alaska First National Bank (among other sponsors). Two of these sponsors are oil companies…Todd Palin is in the race every year…and his wife Sarah is the governor. As the author points out…he’s won it four times: “Once after Sarah was elected to the Wasilla City Council, once after she was elected mayor, the year she was appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission, and the year she was elected governor.” Huh. I’m certain it’s just a coincidence.

- Sarah just informed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that she will no longer be able to attend and speak at the conference this month. She cites “duties of governing” as the reason. To anyone who read the second item above regarding the House Republican retreat…this should sound familiar, leaving us to wonder, “What passes for ‘official state duties’ this month?”

Perhaps Sarah Palin is following the George W. Bush Behavior Model: do and say a large number of asinine/inappropriate/unethical things with SUCH FREQUENCY that attention cannot be paid to everything, and the attention given to any single instance is brief. Well, it worked for Dubya his whole life…and as I always say, “Stick with what you’re good at.” I guess it’s either that or try the Ronald Reagan Behavior Model (one gigantic, complex, international scandal…too complicated and nuanced for anyone to understand) or the Bill Clinton Behavior Model (annual sex scandals…effectively distracting from anything else you might be up to). I think she made the right choice for her particular skill set.