Palin In '06: I Won't Let "Spinmeisters" Turn Bridge To Nowhere Into "Something Negative"

On the campaign trail Saturday, Gov. Sarah Palin defended her record on earmarks and spending claiming - per ABC's Jake Tapper - that she "championed reform of earmark spending by Congress, and I told the Congress thanks but no thanks on that 'Bridge to Nowhere.' If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves."

By now, it is evident that the Alaska Republican is either knowingly deceiving voters or simply has her facts wrong when it comes to her support for the bridge. Palin backed the project when she ran for the governor's seat, even posing for a picture holding a t-shirt reading "Nowhere, Alaska" - a sympathetic gesture to the ridiculed construction plans.

And, it turns out, she once promised the voters of her home state that she would not only come to the defense of the bridge but would "not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative."

Here Palin is from an October 2, 2006 interview with the Ketchikan Daily News, conducted before she was elected governor (and before her opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere became a linchpin of her national persona).

"Asked what issues she's hearing about from Southeast Alaskans, Palin said many residents here feel they've been ignored in some sense.

"I'm hearing from a lot of Southeast residents who believe that maybe they haven't been given their due respect," she said. "Part of my agenda is making sure that Southeast is heard. That your projects are important. That we go to bat for Southeast when we're up against federal influences that aren't in the best interest of Southeast."

She cited the widespread negative attention focused on the Gravina Island crossing project.

"We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative," Palin said.

The Gravina bridge proposal has been a priority of Govs. Frank Murkowski, Tony Knowles and previous governors as well as the Alaska Department of Transportation, said Palin.

"There needs to be a link between Ketchikan and its future and its future opportunities and progress, opening up land in this area," she said.

Then there is this quote that was picked up by NPR, in which Palin praised the pork that the Alaska congressional delegation was able to secure in the transportation bill. The praise of Don Young, who has been ridiculed for his earmarks and is under criminal investigation for his dealings with Alaska oil services company Veco Corp., is particularly problematic.

"And our congressional delegation, God bless 'em. They do a great job for us," Palin said at the forum hosted by the Alaska Professional Design Council. "Representative Don Young, especially God bless him, with transportation -- Alaska did so well under the very basic provisions of the transportation act that he wrote just a couple of years ago. We had a nice bump there. We're very, very fortunate to receive the largesse that Don Young was able to put together for Alaska."

Comments

[Shadow08]

I think Plain's entry into National politcs is going to motivate more democrats to go to the polls in November. Liberals and democrats see her for the fraud that she is and will turn out to vote against her, and I'd bet by November indepedents will mobilize to keep her out of the Whitehouse. She's way to risky to take a chance on after 8 years of bush.

[WatchmanD]

America's last great hope, the liberal blog. Speaking truth to the soundbiters.
The hardest work is ahead of us.

Obama/Biden 08

[cbeenthere]

Alaska is not a State, it is a Kingdom, and I for one am opposed to being beholding to Kingdoms for our survival anymore!! It is not only the "Bridge to Nowhere" that she is to be held accountable for, but she also touts her dubious achievement of the Great Gas Pipeline! You mean her Kingdom of Alaska really intends to sell the gas for the benefit of the lower forty-eight after spending "BILLIONS" of whose money to push this through, and claim we are being released from foreign dependence. We've already brought the bridge, will we never learn. I happen to be from the District of Columbia, and THAT is the only colony in the USA, and I never got a check from the Feds for the rent they should have paid for the land they occupy in our city, yet Alaska citizens are getting two checks this year. As a matter of fact , Congress holds the District of Columbia under "RABID" oversight every time the budget comes up. What is wrong with this picture?

[YunekFlava]

Palin became a first term mayor of the town with 616 votes. WOW!

Check out this site:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008163431_palin070.html#pdf

[bygollymissmolly]

And the thing that is scary is the Mayor of Wasilla is a full time job paid $68,000 a year! Only in Alaska could a town of less than 10,000 citizens have a well paid full time Mayor. I live in Corvallis, Oregon population 60,000 and our mayor is part time and is paid a stipend for meetings he attends.

I wonder if it was a well paid full time job before Sarah Palin was elected.

[MickyD10]

As I recall, the Mayor's position in Wasilla was well paid prior to Palin taking the helm because it had ALWAYS BEEN the Mayor who actually handled the responsibility for the day to day operations of the City. It was a full time job and then some. Whether it was $$60K I can't say. Talk about town was Palin was pushed to hire a City Manager to do the bulk of the work for her because very early on in her tenure it became apparent to City's power brokers (yes, even small towns have them) that she could not perform the duties adequately all by herself.

[WatchmanD]

"Knowingly deceived." When does that become purposely lied?

[blueshield]

Amen.

I think the tipping point is when enough people recognize the truth.

[Audrey704]

Never in the GOP and Always for the Democrats and for the common folk we were not being knowingly deceived we just misunderstood.

[kristianidol]

Lies and the lying liars who tell them.

(Franken '08!)

[Msohio]

This Palin woman believes her own publicity. Publicity that was dreamed up by the RNC and the evangelical "blow in the wind" nuts. They brought her scandals and turned this election into a terrible soap opera. Her pregnant daughter is an issue for discussion because no proper mother would throw the family into this fishbowl. They thought that they could hide this pregnancy with a blanket, then when called out on it. They said that it was the Dems fault and the media's fault. Never could be the fault of Todd and Sarah Palin as parents.

[jeanrenoir]

As a strong Obama supporter, I say the problem now is that the American masses don't care about the facts. They saw Palin castrate Obama with mockery, and they haven't heard any significant peep coming back at her. All the masses care about is "strength" to protect them in a president. Palin's made Maureen Dowd's designation of Obama as "Obambi" seem horribly prophetic, since Hillary's attacks on him were bean bag compared to the withering mockery he's going to be subject to from Palin from now on, all designed to prove he's a hopeless wimp, which will kill him politically. The latest Gallup poll has McCain now AHEAD of Obama by 3, instead of trailing Obama by 8 right after the Democratic Convention. Either Obama gets up off the mat VERY fast and counterpunches with Palin effectively, he's through. That was what was so devastating about her speech: Instantly, the whole country perceived HER as TOUGHER than Obama, so Republicans were ecstatic and Dems completely in despair, since both sides felt it was true. Only Obama can prove both sides wrong. If he has it in him to be brutal with her, he has a tiny chance. Otherwise, he's dead. And all the facts in the world against Palin will be worthless.

[drencrom]

Look up the word LARGESSE in the dictionary and you'll find it means "liberal giving." So the Barracuda is a liberal as long as her state is the beneficiary.

[timberdoodle]

Being from outside the U.S. your country is at a very serious crossroads. I watch all the issues and policies or lack of policies and can honestly see a large segment of uninformed voters together with religous radicals electing McCain and Palin and a subsequent transformation from a recession to a full blown depression. It won't likely be a mental depression as the GOP considers your current recession.

[smed]

timber -- you are right. we are at a serious crossroads.

i'm seriously scared for our future with the vast numbers of uninformed voters out there that are "played" by the GOP "Factory of Lies and Half-Truths" (Co-Presidents Rove and Schmidt).

Now with Palin the "New Celebrity" of the election season, too many are going to be distracted from the truth and vote for someone (Palin) that lacks the knowledge, background, and experience to be VP. they will vote for her like they would vote for a cute girl as their HS class president. sad and scary at the same time...

[Shadow08]

I don't know if American voters are as uninformed or as uninterested as they were in 2000, 2002, and 2004. America experienced a wake up call in 2006, and I believe that as many people who got off their b*ts to vote republicans out then more will get out to the polls in November and put Obama-Biden in the Whitehouse and increase our seats in congress.

[vincefango]

Too bad we don't all see it that way. I beleive our country's name should be the Uninformed States of America...­that or name it after some celebrity. We get the government we deserve...­although I think we deserve better.

[warsaw]

Unfortunately, those uniformed voters will NOT change their minds. They are adamant about their beliefs. Just like the racists. You know that they will not vote Democrat. There is absolutely no way to pursuade them. The only voters we can try and reach are the undecided voters.

[Mort]

Want to prove you're against the bridge? Just give back all that earmark money you got for it.

[levibatgirl]

I picture palin as a 12 year old going to her parents crazy church filled with crazy talk. Most 12 year old girls are thinking adults are out of it anyway so I picture her saying to herself, "These people will believe anything. I could really pull the wool over their eye."

And she's been doing it ever since.

[naschkatze]

Something I just learned about Palin Salon.comm via Raw Story) is that her mayorship of Wasilla was PART-TIME. This makes her experience even more of a joke. Was anyone aware of it, or have they done a good job of keeping it under wraps?

[bygollymissmolly]

I don't think that is true. I did some research and read that it was a full time job paying $68,000 a year.

Only in Alaska.

On the other hand, Ms. Palin hired a City Administrator to do the job she was hired to do.

[Audrey704]

If 2 people are doing the job doesn't that mean part time?

[ThePublicRecord]

http://www.pubrecord.org/nationworld/299-documents-suggest-palin-obsessed-over-retaliating-against-ex-brother-in-law.html

Documents are available for download at the bottom of the story.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s vendetta against the state trooper who divorced her sister may have spilled over into a broader retaliation against Alaska’s police with more than $2 million slashed from their budget as well as the elimination of temporary staff positions and the firing of the public safety commissioner, according to police representatives.

[lynnegreco]

She is a liar, plain and simple. The only good thing I can say is that she is relatively new to the world of good spin and her lies may be obvious even to the "low information" voters.

[CindyInIndy]

I hope you are right, Lynne. So far, my take is that the lies are adored.

[Audrey704]

Well watching her on the stump for 2 days, she is just a recording of the convention speech ... only difference she reads it off a paper nearly word for word....ra­ising her head only when she delivers her sarcastic one liners...B­eing a former newscaster that isn't a stretch that reading off a teleprompter would be easy for her..it would be nice to hear even a slight variation.­..Kind of makes you wonder why she is still telling the e bay story when it is clearly a lie.....