McCain Was Against Palin Before He Was For Her

One of John McCain's main selling points as a government reformer is that the Arizona Senator sure hates him some earmarks. He hates them so much that he's been willing to call them out by name. As a Senator, McCain's published "pork lists" full up with government spending he's deemed wasteful. On the stump he has promised much more of the same, vowing to make Congress' major pork players "famous."

That brings us, again, to Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Long before McCain focused the national spotlight on Palin as his Veep pick, he was making her famous as a dedicated feeder at the pork barrel trough. As the Chicago Tribune details:

In 2001, McCain's list of spending that had been approved without the normal budget scrutiny included a $500,000 earmark for a public transportation project in Wasilla. The Arizona senator targeted $1 million in a 2002 spending bill for an emergency communications center in town -- one that local law enforcement has said is redundant and creates confusion.

McCain also criticized $450,000 set aside for an agricultural processing facility in Wasilla that was requested during Palin's tenure as mayor and cleared Congress soon after she left office in 2002. The funding was provided to help direct locally grown produce to schools, prisons and other government institutions, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

McCain's surrogates contend that Palin had no other choice but to seek funding through Federal earmarks. McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin told the Trib that Palin said she was "disgusted" at the fact that "small towns like hers were dependent on earmarks." But the records actually show that "Wasilla had received few if any earmarks before Palin became mayor."

Comments

[DoTheMath]

Sorry, McCain, something's got to give. You either need to:
a. modify your position on earmarks.
b. modify your position on Sarah Palin. OR
c. modify your position on other people changing their positions.

We know it's OK for you to change your position since you have already done so on the Bush tax cuts, off-shore drilling, and probably other issues with vote-generating potential. So far, though, you have not given any indication that others may avail themselves of that option.

[Viper]

McCains people created a story about her. Unfortunalet the facts show it was a fairy Tale.

Her town not only added few earmarks before her , it also was debt free as was Alaska. She hired a lobbyist to get more earmarks.

Regards

[mgray34]

This will squash all this talk about her being the best qualified. The list below are the last 7 Vice Presidents. Where does Palin rank with this group? I thought so...

Cheney
Gore
Quayle
H. Bush
Mondale
Ford
Rockefeller

The republicans are too funny. They can't be serious, right?

[SailawayJane]

Now see, feeding from the pork barrel trough is exactly the kind of thing we need to know about. Did McCain forget he said that. Oops, I forgot he's old, and he's a POW, I can't forget that one.

[Forsetti]

She was "disgusted that small towns like hers were dependent on earmarks" but she took them anyway. Is this like the guy who, when confonted by his wife for going to the strip club says: "it disgusts me to go but they are the only ones who have a buffett from 3-4".

[cnobody]

well then, as governor, perhaps she should enact some sort of system where by the people are taxed on their income, we'll call it a "state income tax" and then perhaps small towns wouldn't have to take that "disgusting" federal money to do projects that should be paid for at the local level.

[strength]

I mean, I know we obamamaniacs have the ayers thing, and wright and rezko, but sweet jesus she has a lot of things that they are spinning out of control, i hope they all have the same print out to explain it like last night when they said "I havent seen this much excitement in the rep party in a long time...bla­h blah executive experience­.....verb.­.noun....r­efromer...­.verb....B­ULLSHI....

[SailawayJane]

We may have wright, but Palin has Rev. Ed Kalnins her pentecostal pastor at Wasilla Assembly of God who said and I quote, "I question the salvation of people who voted for Kerry and that critics of Bush are going to hell." Kalnins also sees Alaska as a refuge state where people will flee at the end of time. Palin herself thinks the mission in Iraq is a task from God.
Now there's some real deep thinkers. But McSame doesn't want us to question anything about her.

[lis60]

WOW, now this needs to be sent to the TV stations. This is a complete joke-his selection of her.

[LemonMeringue]

In Wasilla she increased taxes by 38% and spending by 33% - but on on what the town sorely needed, on an ice hockey rink that continues to be a money pit.

She decreased taxes for businesses but increased regressive taxes including a first-ever tax on food.

She's a neocon's dream, and America's nightmare.

[layman]

TWO PORIES RUNNING AS REFORMERS.

[GSMRaleigh]

When will Palin be allowed to take questions from the media? And, not reporters handpicked by the McClueless campaign.

[kellygrrrl]

she's part of an "Ongoing Investigation" thereby cannot be questioned.

sound familiar?

[lis60]

this is how he is going act if we are at war or if there is a crisis going on? can you imagine?

[LAB10]

So Palin is just another flip flop??? Why are we not surprised???

[RRK70]

Excuse me, but I think the politically correct term for Palin is not flip-flop, it is "mukluk". They don't wear flip flops in Alaska!

[ldillworth]

Yes. She also flip flopped on the "Bridge to Nowhere" she supported it as a candidate for gov. and reversed her position after reachng the gov's mansion (errr, do they have one of those in Alaska?) after the project was already dead at the US congress level.

[08politicaljunkie]

Alaska was with Palin before she was with McCain:

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/sep/02/alaska-afl-cio-endorses-barack-obama-over-sarah-pa/

[iluvsam]

Please for the love of this country, why are there no political ads running on the stuff we've learned over the last week? When McCain made the how many houses do I own gaffe, there was an ad out in a matter of hours!
I was speaking to a friend of mine who does not get any info online, and she had NO IDEA that any of these issues were out there. She's been repeating Republican talking points. When I told her about this stuff, she said, "I haven't seen it on the news." I responded, "yeah, me either."

UGH! Where are the ads? That's all I want to know....so­meone help me out...anyo­ne? anyone?

[jhw22]

Sorry if I am repeating anyone else, but I have been wondering what he meant when he said he'd been watching her career for years. So he HAS been watching her! Well, at least something has been true in all of this.

Jennifer

[peorgietirebiter]

"...surrog­ates contend that Palin had no other choice but to seek funding through Federal earmarks." Really? Mayor Palin borrowed money for needed infrastructure and used federal monies for a sports complex.
Why don't reporters call these people on their b.s.?
Spend and Borrrow Republicans