What exactly has Sarah Palin reformed?
I know that all I do is snark here, so work with me, as I am serious. I keep hearing she is some crazy reformer, when so far, the facts look pretty clear to me.
1.) She lied about canning the bridge to nowhere, and instead of canning it, used the money on other projects (but still built the road to the bridge). It saved the American taxpayers not one penny.
2.) She hired a lobbying firm to funnel earmarks to Alaska, sending millions to her former constituents at Wasilla.
3.) She ran a PAC for the indicted Ted Stevens.
4.) She is embroiled in an abuse of power scandal, in which it is alleged that she fired someone for not firing a trooper who used to be an inlaw, and then replaced that person with a high school buddy. She has recently lawyered up when it became clear she was lying.
5.) She was a member of a fringe secessionist political party who have what many would consider to be pretty bizarre views. (*** Update ***- The McCain campaign has provided voter registration that shows Palin registered as a Republican for a long time, so this may very well be untrue)
Folks, this is not the record of a reformer, this is the record of a REPUBLICAN. So I am seriously asking- Where is the reform?
BTW, this is just funny:
Amy Gwin, 43, of University City, grew up in Alaska and competed in the Miss Wasilla, Alaska, competition in 1984 against GOP vice presidential choice Sarah Palin. Gwin said Friday that she won the Miss Congeniality award in the competition, although Palin’s Wikipedia entry says she won the contest — and the Miss Congeniality award.
I am so looking forward to listening to serious Republicans on the cable shows arguing that yes, in fact, she did really win the Miss Congeniality award.
donovong
I would hazard a guess, and suggest that she has reformed the vetting process for the VP candidate for the Republican Party – next time.
But I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
dewberry
It’s reform in much the same way that Bush has reformed American government. And by that I mean using the power of the office to do whatever one wants, vacuuming up as much power as possible into the executive branch.
And the 29% crowd loves it. Because it’s not really about being a “reformer” (although that’s said for the teevee cameras), it’s about having certain positions on the most important issues to them–what other people do with their lives.
cleek
i think this comes from her past as a “whistle-blower“:
Conservatively Liberal
She used to smoke pot and now she don’t. There ya go, she reformed! She even admits that when she said:
I can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled..
She inhaled. Now she is pot free, so she can lead! ! !
Happy Days are here again!
Sorry but I probably would trust her more is she said that she still got stoned.
Conservatively Liberal
is = if
More coffee…
KRK
She fired a bunch of people as mayor, at least some of which was supposedly in the name of reform and eliminating waste. (But then she hired a full-time deputy for $50,000 a year).
As governor she eliminated or tried to eliminate part or all of the state department of agriculture, but what I’ve read seems conflicting as to whether that was in the spirit of downsizing government or was more petty tyranny.
DrDave
John:
I think that Campbell Brown’s interview with Tucker Bounds sums Palin’s record up: She does not have much of one.
Rachel Maddow interviewed Bob Weinstein, the mayor of Ketchikan, on last night’s show. It is worth listening to. (You can catch the podcast for free on iTunes) They discussed the history of the bridge, its funding, and Palin’s role. Weinstein also offered his opinion on how Palin’s nomination is being received by those who know her well back in the Alaskan political scene.
Regardless of the GOP talking points and the supposed throrough vetting Palin received before she was named, she will be a candidate of daily surprises. One only has to wonder if her candidacy will survive until Election Day.
KRK
This may be of interest, from a peer in Wasilla.
It’s long. Here are some quotes:
“She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.”
“During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.”
“She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers involved!”
“While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.”
“Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal…”
“She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.”
“As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.”
“There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she. However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.”
(Mudflats also seems like a good view-from-Alaska blog.)
Stuck in the Fun House (nj)
This woman isn’t just a REpublican, she’s a fetching replica of
George Wingnut Bush.
And a Good morning to you WordPress Error. Haven’t had your coffee yet have ya.
SGEW
An important thing to note:
The American Independence Party kerfuffle will definitely be a dark stain on the lives of everyone involved with the American Institute of Physics (aka A.I.P.).
Sigh. Another blow against science by the Republican party.
flavortext
Well as Governor of Alaska she cut $231 million off the state budget in 2007. Reform, right? A model of fiscal conservatism!
That is unless you notice that the state was running a surplus, she cut funding for emergency services and roads, and very conveniently left Wasilla untouched.
Now that I think of it this is probably the best accomplishment Republicans can tout, and it’s still pretty sketchy. Someone should really notify McCain that Palin’s job was accomplished (distracting us all from Obama’s speech) and let him know that he can go ahead and choose his real VP pick now – although if he doesn’t, I certainly won’t be complaining.
John
That’s a great blog post, KRK. I liked this bit:
That might help explain why the mother-in-law has now refused to endorse McCain-Palin.
Jim Pharo
Um, what exactly has John McCain reformed? When has he stood up to his Republican pals? Campaign finance reform? Doesn’t seem very reformed to me. Torture? Only the Army is barred under McCain’s plan, and even then, if they really need to, they can. And of course the CIA is free as always to torture away. Global warming? What action has the government taken to combat that?
I can see the Abramoff investigation as a legit credential, though the invetigation seems to have been conducted so as to minimize the potential exposure of many Republicans…
Seriously, I’d like our guys to just ask the question, “What exactly has McCain reformed? What steps has he taken to make Washington more responsive to the needs of voters?
I know of course it will never happen, but it’s nice to dream…
cleek
his image, many times.
flavortext
In my earlier post I was mistaken, two links discuss cuts she made in 2007 for FY2008 and two of them are about cuts made in 2008 for FY2009. She’s had a shotgun aimed at the state budget her entire time in office. Like the quote KRK gave stated, she’s freaking clueless.
dbrown
Looks like she only looked out for Palin – she would use anyone and then turn on them if it would advanced her. She is a perfect repubic; hell, I bet she’d use her looks to …wait, too late; been there, done that.
charlotte
Should be obvious that Governator Sarita P. has singlehandedly brought back the beauty queen up-do from past episodes of “I Dream of Jeannie” and has selflessly foisted the retro on our collective eyeballs as a vision of all that is great and good about America. And, wow, the super compelling rimless eyeglasses of intellectual promise!
Which would make McCain, what, Larry Hagman? I wish … I love Larry Hagman.
She’s a reformer for sure. Now … how do we get her back into the bottle?
The Moar You Know
Jesus Christ on a stick, it’s like an inept backwoods retard re-creation of “Dynasty”.
PeterJ
I read somewhere that Gwin was voted Miss Congeniality in the Miss Wasilla competition, but Palin won that title in the Miss Alaska competition.
Sylvia Cope
If McCain is such a mavericky reformer, so resolutely opposed to government waste and earmarks, I think a legitimate question would be: How come he hasn’t gone after any of the waste and corruption in the Iraq War? BILLIONS of dollars have been wasted and misused and yet I haven’t heard a peep out of Maverick McCain about stopping it. Hell, I haven’t even heard him mention it. Have you?
forked tongue
Hell, I’m just surprised that the Rethugs haven’t been including the Miss Congeniality award in their list of her qualifications.
neil
She beat the incumbent Republican governor in his primary — that’s reform, isn’t it?
CrazyDrumGuy
By the way, you can add to number 4 that Palin is having the state of Alaska pay for a lawyer to stall the Troopergate investigation until after the election.
chopper
what’s funny is how, on the most superficial level, this choice does help add ‘maverickity’ to the ticket.
then when you find out a day later that he wanted to pick holy joe or tom ridge and the christian right told him ‘no way, you’ll do what you’re told’, it just shows mccain to be a party tool. what kind of maverick bends over for the fundies rather than pick who he wants to pick?
Sean
I love how Alaska receives three dollars in federal pork for every dollar they pay in taxes, but that’s not enough for Palin, who runs off to join the secessionist party. The land is ours and you have no business here (but don’t stop sending the checks.)
New nickname = “Republican Welfare Queen” (scans better than “Republican Welfare Miss Congeniality”)
MNPundit
Reformed?! How DARE YOU?!
Palin sold a plane on EBAY! On EBAY!!!!
Alex
She was outspoken in supporting Alaska’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. That’s a highly important reform, because if you allow a man to claim another man on his health insurance policy, then you utterly destroy that blessed and sacred institution that two careless teenagers find themselves forced in to after one of them lets the other “just put it in for a second – I’ll take it right out, I promise!”
Loneaok
She tried to fire the local librarian for refusing to ban books at Palin’s behest. So, she tried to reform the dirty, dirty minds of the people of Wasilla.
If there is a god, it will grant us with a list of the books that Palin wanted to ban. On that list will be Fahrenheit 451, To Kill A Mockingbird, Origin of the Species, and The Diary of Anne Frank. If there’s any Russian literature, the wingnuts will talk it up as foreign policy experience.
kid bitzer
hey john–
tpmmuckraker now has documentary evidence that todd palin was a registered member of the aip party from ’95-’02.
w vincentz
@KRK,
Thanks for the “mudflats” link. I haven’t laughed quite so hard in a while.
NonWonderDog
Gi911ani on MSNBC said that Palin “took on oil companies.” What in all of fuckdom that is holy is he talking about? Is he actually referring to the windfall profits tax she imposed as a positive? The REPUBLICAN party is trumping up a windfall profits tax as a reason to vote for REPUBLICANS!?!??! I need a lie down.
skippy
i luv the quote from the real miss congeniality from the article:
that’s ok, ms. gwin, so was the entire vetting process!
Alex
The fact that she was registered a Republican would not preclude membership in the AIP or participation in its convention or platforms. The fact that her husband was a member for so many years lends credence to reports from party officials that she was present at functions and at minimum lent an appearance of involvement in the AIP.