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

[08politicaljunkie]

and as Governor, she slashed budgets! -- all budgets, that is, except Wasilla's. She increased Wasilla's appropriations

[Snerdgronk]

Either Mc'Cane's anti-Ear Mark campaign is valid and Palin's use of them improper,
or,
Mc'Cane's anti-Ear Mark campaign is a fraud and Palin's use of them is proper,

Snerd

[sydney01]

The Republicans WANT sexism to emerge so that they don't have to address REAL issues like this!

I can't believe they are out there praising her for earmarks when her history clearly shows that she is an EARMARK ABUSER.

All of their talking points are lies (the National Guard one is a whopper too)!!!!
Do they REALLY think that Americans are so stupid you can tell us anything, and we won't check to verify that you are telling the truth? The McCain campaign is just insulting.

[vincent1]

I don't think they quite understand what they call "the google."

[Snerdgronk]

Syd: "... Do they REALLY think that Americans are so stupid you can tell us anything, and we won't check to verify that you are telling the truth?"

SG: In a "wo(R)d", yes. You ought ta read George Lakoff's explanation of campaign messaging being of two types ... issues and symbols. He explains how the (R)z understand how to use symbols which 'elicit' a pre-conceptual connections, prior to conscious thought.

NOT understanding this has left (D)z with the best 'issues' but with election losses in the past.

Snerd

[Hardtostop]

YES, the average American is that stupid and will not check the facts. Where do you think GWB came from?

[EducatedAmerican]

Amen! Sad but very true.

[figa30]

This all means nothing if the Obama campaign doesn't get it's act together. Stop having their surrogates question her experience and focus on the corruption. That's how you challenge reformers. They should be bringing this up every day, every hour, on every show. They need to take lessons from the Clintons to see how they mastered the airwaves. The Republicans are just going to cry Sexism if the Obama folks don't start bringing these issues up. They have to force the media to do the job or shame them into doing it. This is a total disservice to the American voter.

[vincent1]

"They" say this VP pick will energize voters. I know it did me. Right after I learned who he picked, I got right on-line and contributed to Obama.

[Snerdgronk]

Fig: "Stop having their surrogates question her experience and focus on the corruption"

SG: A path fraught with risk, but the direction they should be heading in. Let's hope they are waiting for the dust to settle, in order to better pick their targets ... but I worry about (D)z generally in this regard, as you point out

[musicka]

All Obama has to do is sit back and watch the McCain campaign implode. When is the last time you saw a convention spend all it's time defending the VP pick? Says it all doesn't it?

[dbm1966]

I think the Obama campaign is handling this one very well. For once, even the MSM is doing its job and vetting Palin and revealing her serious flaws. Obama doesn't have to do anything, so he can't be accused of doing anything nasty. He's just letting the media do its job of vetting her. The media is really going to town on her.

[TGCNY]

This campaign is like picking a bad scabb that just keeps bleeding.



Obama/biden 08

[JohnnieP]

It seems that John McCain changes his stances on the issues more often than he changes
hs draws, which probably occurs every 3-4 days.

[Snerdgronk]

I imagine he's changing them a little more often recently ...

Snerd

[rabprevent]

HAH, THE DOUBLE TALK EXPRESS AT IT'S BEST!!!!!!!

ANY CITIZENS WITH A BRAIN CAN SEE THAT MCMORON AND HIS CRONIES ARE DOING A TON OF DOUBLE TALK AND THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY HAS LEARNED A HARD LESSON; YOU PUT A SIMPLETON IN THE WHITEHOUSE AND YOU GET THE SAME RESULTS THAT BUSH DID, A DETROYED ECONOMY, NO RESPECT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD, A STUPID UNNECESSARY WAR, A WASTE OF TAX PAYER'S MONEY, HARDWORKING CITIZENS LOOSING THEIR HOMES, GAS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH, FOOD AT AN ALL TIME HIGH, A DRAFT LOOMING FOR HIS PERSONAL WAR!!!

HERE IS AN ADD YOU COULD RUN;
YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN DRAFTED FOR WAR, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTERS TO HAVE NO CHOICE, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT TO CONTINUE PAYING $4 A GALLON OF GAS, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT FOR OIL COMPANY TO GET HUGE TAX BREAKS, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT FOR THE GOVERTMENT TO SPY ON YOU, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZED, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU DON'T WANT HEALTH INSURANCE, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT TO LOOSE YOUR HOME, VOTE MCCAIN,
YOU WANT A THIRD BUSH TERM, VOTE MCCAIN!!!!!!!!!!


VOTE NO TO MCCAIN AND ALL HIS REPUBLICAN CRONIES!

[obamasOHangel]

Great response but can you please disable your caps lock key? It's like you're screaming at us and I'm sensitive. :(

[CTmom13]

McCain the Maverick is no more....th­is wasn't his pick, he is NOT running his campaign any longer, it is being run by ROVE, same as Bush

McCain=POLITICS FIRST, COUNTRY LAST

[ggirl00]

I can't resist refreshing every hour on the hour ... I get a good laugh each time. It's almost theraputic. When will the madness end?

Looks like the Republicans have accomplished their goal. They got the spotlight off of the Democrats. Unfortunately, the high beam is on them now and lookie lookie what we've found. Jeez. Stop the bleeding.

[KISHAGREEN]

LOL...Boy this Sarah Palin thing sure has boosted my self confidence. Perhaps I should run for public office, maybe governor of Georgia.

I have executive experience. I run a household. I have one child. I manage a budget and I'm a soccer mom and a member of the PTA.

I think I could at least be secretary of education. As I understand it from Sarah, I'll have advisors so I guess I don't have to worry about knowing what the heck I'm doing!

I'm only half kidding here. This country is so messed up...

[ricitizen]

My god! Couple this story with the stories of Democratic jewish politicians finally coming out against Lieberman and saying ENOUGH, and I would said that if this were a prize fight that they'd have to call it before the end of the first round. There's just so much it would fill a Time/Newsweek magazine from cover to cover. And Frontline would have to do a 3 part special.

[drzoon]

After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.

Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.

"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.

[joselopez]

"McCain's surrogates contend that Palin had no other choice but to seek funding through Federal earmarks WELL, AS LONG AS SHE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE!!!

[Whinger]

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!

[TrooAmerican]

yes it is!

[Chillinout]

Picking Palin was McClone's biggest flip flop to date.

[TrooAmerican]

yes that is true!
although he has many to choose from.

[PJay1]

Speaking of cloning, all you need to know about the convention is in this picture:

"The Republican Clone-vention"

http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2008/09/the-republican.html

[luv4o]

I love this every time I refresh there is a new revolation. This is like watching a massive train wreck, but I can't look away.... Hehehe!!!

[ricitizen]

To paraphrase from that old war movie: I love the smell of republican napalm in the morning...­that smell, that gasoline smell. Smells like.....V­ICTORY!

O/B '08