Sarah Palin's Strange eBay Exaggeration

Politicians lie. They all do. The ones we have running all will lie, and if you're not choked with pure idealism you'll admit it. In fact, if you're jaded enough, you might even come to accept it, even respect it when it's done well. The concept isn't perplexing, especially when a deftly placed, glibly drawn half-truth can get yourself out of a dead-end argument.

What is perplexing, however, are unnecessary lies. Silly falsehoods, said for no apparent reason, on topics that the world would have totally avoided had you not lied about it in the first place. One strange Sarah Palin falsehood, which she acclaimed as truth yesterday and the campaign reaffirmed tonight in video was that she successfully auctioned a private jet she deemed unnecessary for the State of Alaska to maintain on eBay. It's a strange falsehood because, in the first place, really, who cares? Moreover, it's bizarre because eBay founder Meg Whitman works for the McCain campaign! She's right there! In the building! And surely she can explain to Palin that she is getting that weird bit of biography wrong.

Via Radar, the facts are these:

After going unsold for months, the jet was put into the hands of Turbo North Aviation, an Anchorage aircraft broker, which put an asking price of $2.45 million on the nearly $2.7 million jet. It quickly sold to Alaska businessman Larry Reynolds for $2.1 million ($31,000 of which went to Turbo Aviation). Today the Westwind II jet spends its days ushering wealthy hunters around Alaska and Russia

.

So why on earth would Palin lie about this, knowing that it would bring scrutiny to this story, and knowing that the scrutiny would reveal that a) the auction wasn't successful, b) she lost the State of Alaska's money on the deal, and c) the state's valuable resource had basically become a luxury for wealthy elites? I have no idea! But whatever! It's definitely not the worst lie she's ever told.

Comments

[Dashiii]

Jason, why don’t you ask OBAMA to explain without any spin his friendship and connection to William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist who participated in the bombings of New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, the Capitol building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972? “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough,” Ayers told the New York Times in 2001. And what about the corrupt dealings he had with Tony Rezko, who was convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery in 2008. He gave a sweetheart deal to OBAMA to buy his current home, and adjacent property. Rezko was one of Barack Obama first major financial contributors. And what about Joe Biden’s sons, James and Hunter Biden’s corrupt hedge fund deal? Why isn’t the media doing it’s job and asking the hard questions about Obama and Biden’s shaky dealings?

[Dashiii]

For someone McCain's age it's probably not very important that it eventually sold through a broker. The important thing to him is probably that she sold it. I don't expect democrats to get the point that it really doesn't matter how it sold. I'm sure it requires far too much thinking.

Here is Sarah's comment on the jet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjYlLDyY_dc
She said she put it on ebay, not sold it on ebay.

[Dashiii]

In this highly biased piece, Jason Linkins states: "she acclaimed as truth yesterday and the campaign reaffirmed tonight in video was that she successfully auctioned a private jet she deemed unnecessary for the State of Alaska to maintain on eBay." Where is the video showing Palin confirming that it actually sold on ebay?

Here is what she said in her acceptance speech: "I PUT it on ebay."Not I sold it on ebay, I PUT it on ebay. Watch the first 5 seconds of this video and you'll see that I'm telling the truth and that Mr. Linkin is not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjYlLDyY_dc

How relevant is it that the jet didn't sell on ebay but later sold through a broker. When the State of Alaska had tried in earnest to sell the jet for some time, is it important that it was later bought by a Palin campaign contributor? I could see the problem if it had been sold directly to him in a shady under the table deal without first pursuing other options.

The important thing is that it did sell and the cost of transporting prisoners to Arizona was more than cut in half and the governors travel expenses were cut from $463,000 (under the previous governor) down to $90,000.

Here is Obama making stuff up as he goes along the campaign trail. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2Cg_FDRy4

[jake-deals-4u]

You do know tis no secret that Larry Reynolds contributed cash to Palins campaign?

Palins killed ebay account.
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=stateofalaskasurplus

[lilylin]

It's frightening that John McCain is so ill informed..­.. If this is an example of how he will govern, God help us all. What if someone tells him Russia is going to attack the U.S. will he pre -emtively strike?Or will he check the veracity of the statement? In addition if I were the rest of the world I'd be really scared....­..

[autumnimprov]

We in Alaska thought the jet was a raw deal for prisoners - wouldn't they want to get there slowly rather than more quickly? (with respect to all the families of those in prison)...

Many Alaskan prisoners are housed Outside, in Arizona, in privatized prisons (i.e. prisons making a profit) - so much for Sarah's 'executive experience' - she can't even get a prison built in the state when we're rolling in oil money - when it would keep people in state near their loved ones so hopefully they wouldn't become even more alienated (and more problematic) - and when it would employ a few more Alaskans, in a state where there are so few opportunities for revenue generation (needless to say the oil won't last forever).

I've talked to Sarah. She'd make a great friend, I think, but governing? Nah....

[kkmiausa]

Sarah Palin did not have the "cute" idea of putting the jet on Ebay. The state of Alaska had been selling items including airplanes on Ebay since as early as 2003 when it sold a barge for $300,000 and made a profit. Why do they not bring this out? People think she is SO SMART to put it on Ebay when every candidate that ran was for selling that jet. Please get this out to CARVILLE and CNN>

[ampersand123]

"Moreover, it's bizarre because eBay founder Meg Whitman works for the McCain campaign! She's right there! In the building! And surely she can explain to Palin that she is getting that weird bit of biography wrong."

FYI: Meg Whitman was not the founder of Ebay. She joined the company in 1998.

[MourningDude]

-GASP!-

You have to admit that all bloggers exaggerate­... In this case, the exaggeration is bizarre, since the blogger claims to be setting the record straight. LOL!

[trubluelefty]

So we have to wait until Charlie Gibson asks her about this, ha ha. Why on earth are the Obama campaign sitting on their hands> I just saw the new Mc Cain commercial, well done, and I bet that we will see it replayed on all the programs this evening. Meanwhile MSNBC is spinning the Oprah story but too afraid to spin this one ?

[pgobrien]

A little armchair psychologizing, but hey:

Do you understand what drives a narcissist who believes herself to be special, exempt from the controls that the rest of us labor under, with even her God behind her wanting what she wants over and above all else? It's strange, but narcissists have a tough time telling the truth. They stretch and embroider and even tell flat out lies because they love the narrative and adore hearing themselves speak. Reality is something they manufacture from minute to minute (which is why you can be their best friend one minute and find a knife in your back the next -- they make up reality as they go along, and you are a pawn in their game. Sound familiar?)

And they live on the adulation of people who are seeing them for the first time and buying the story they're spinning. Adulation is mother's milk to them. Saying she put the plane on eBay -- and made a profit -- is a classic narcissistic fabrication. But not all that surprising.

[EricPrentis]

Sen. John Bush McCain and Gov. Sarah Cheney Palin are Republican ideologues who tell big, fat, Republican lies in support of their untenable positions. Republicans live in a fantasy world where factual knowledge or evidence does not matter to them, only winning in politics. The main stream corporate media (MSCM) is complicit in not reporting Republican lies to the unknowing public, so the voters believe the show and vote for values rather than issues which, ironically, is against their own economic self interest. This greatly pleases large corporations and the rich who control the MSCM, i.e., the rich get richer, the circle is complete.

[ibsteve2u]

"So why on earth would Palin lie about this[...?]­"

Same reason she told al-Qaeda and the world to expect her son and his unit in Iraq on 9/11:

She will not let anything come between her and wealth and/or power - not morality, legality, ethics, family values, nothing...­.

I.e., same reason she is a "good Republican".

[Territc]

Fellow Democrats and Obama supporters, let us not get caught up in the heat of these stupid comments by people trying to create issues where there are none. The Republicans know they cannot win this election and will do anything to take us off our course and goal of assuring that Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States of America. So forget their smears and lies, which are not true. We need to go out there and campaign for our candidate. Convert those independents and undecided voters and get them on to Obama’s tickets. We don’t need to waste our time responding to this rubbish - our time should be spent on the campaign trail. A lot of bloggers and people making comments are just pretending to be Democrats or PUMA supporters or even Republicans who are just working to incite and create issues and friction. Obama has shown us how to handle these issues - with calm and dignity. Come On Dems, don’t get caught up in this BS. McCain and Palin are just another bump on the road, which we will flatten.
YES WE CAN!

[diogeron]

There is no press to call them on it and Palin isn't playing with them. It is ten days since she was announced and she has still not said one thing that was not written for her by someone else. Hell, he should have picked Meryl Streep if the press is going to give her a pass for not showing up. Meryl is a hell of a lot smarter than Palin and she's a really good actress. If the media had any balls, they would invite Biden on for 15 and her for 15 minutes. If she doesn't show, give Biden the entire half hour and don't allow some surrogate to do her job for her. If she wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, she should have to earn it, not just get the job by showing up and waving and reading something someone else wrote for her.

[MourningDude]

That's what they should have done with the public financing.

Each candidate gets $84 million. If one of them opt out, their opponent gets all $168 million...

[trubluelefty]

You have more faith in the campign than I do. I adore the canidate but I think we got left in the dust at the end of the democratic primary and that the MSM is going to close this one out too.

[BadgersBite]

In the final episode of Sienfeld - Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine are all traveling on jet that for a few moments seems to be going down. George thinking this may be his last moments on Earth tells Jerry that he lied during "The Contest", if your a Seinfeld fan you'll know what contest, and Jerrys asks him why did you lie? George replies "Because I'm a Liar!"

Same is true in this situation.­..

[CamsDad]

Remember the first rule of lying: The more outrageous it is, the more likely people will believe it. Rove's handprints are easily detected by those who have been down this road before - but invisible to the masses.

Unless the Dems find the antidote, he will remain in power. By reacting to everything at face value, you are playing into his hand. Remember Karl's comment about Obama being "that guy at the country club with a martini and one hand a cigarette in another with a beautiful date...". It hit all the political shows and blogs and was repeated at the water cooler.

That's exactly what the statement was designed to do! You all fell for it. Now ask yourself, why would Karl have been so outrageously arrogant in his comment about arrogance and why did he bother to be so descriptive?

It's a well played hand. By making it a country club, a martini, a cigarette, etc. he created a VISUAL picture in your mind. It was no longer a concept, it was an image. Now ask yourself, what did his beautiful date look like in your mental image?

By making a statement so outrageous it was repeated he virally spread a mental image that triggers latent biases and fears in so many of us.

He did it again with the Palin nomination and now with eBay. The story doesn’t reveal a white lie as much as it connects millions to Palin and Meg Whitman.

Don't take bait people.

[Daisy1111]

And yet O flubbed his way through an interview this morning.

No one is discussing it here though.

[sunny4]

I am replying to your comment. I didn't see it, but would you not think that flubbing through an interview is better than not giving one at all.