McCain Camp Responds To False Palin 'Banned-Books' List

In a page right out of the Obama playbook, John McCain's campaign is responding directly and forcefully to a smear email campaign currently making the rounds. Betting against the conventional wisdom -- which, until this cycle, held that scurrilous rumors were not worth drawing attention to via a rebuttal -- the Republican nominee is disputing the charge that Sarah Palin supposedly banned a list of books when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

Introducing the comprehensive memo to reporters in an email that recalls the Obama camp's "Fight the Smears" missives, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers decried "the latest false smear spreading from liberal blogs to the mainstream press - that Governor Palin banned books as Mayor of Wasilla. This is categorically false. The fact is that as Mayor, Palin never asked anyone to ban a book and not one book was ever banned, period."

That is true, though not a comprehensive account of the matter. The librarian in question has admitted that she only ever heard from Palin in the abstract on the issue of whether books could be pulled from library stacks. After the librarian responded that she would oppose such a move, no further discussions were held with Palin. Certainly, there was no official list drawn up. However, in a fact the McCain email leaves out, Palin approached the librarian three times to ask about the possibility, which could legitimately appear to some as something of a pressure campaign (especially considering that Palin attempted to have the librarian removed afterward).

Still, the list of books supposedly banned under Palin's tenure is transparently fake. What's interesting, however, is the fact that the McCain campaign responded to this issue with the same force Obama has used to combat rumors about his religion or alleged support for "infanticide." Was there a sense in McCain's universe that the banned books trope was potentially similar in terms of its crippling ability?

Democratic pollster Mark Mellman noted that it's not terribly surprising that McCain would choose to fight this smear, since "book-banners have had a bad reputation in America for a long time," adding that he's never done polling on it because "it's pretty extreme." Still, Mellman can see why the McCain-Palin ticket would have additional cause to fight against this particular lie, since other legitimate knocks against Palin could combine to paint an anti-education picture in the minds of some swing voters. Palin has, for example, declared herself open to teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools. "That's already a problem for them," Mellman said, "since creationism is a real issue. Americans are very religious, but they also believe science ought to be taught in public schools. This issue [of banned books] seems to be in a different category in addition to being false, but it's related."

But Republican strategist Alex Castellanos took a different view, suggesting that continued media scrutiny on even the legitimate facts of the Wasilla library episode could move moderate voters in Palin's direction. "I think if the media keeps attacking Palin for things like this, her favorable ratings will climb to over 80 percent like they did in Alaska," Castellanos told the Huffington Post. "A mom being concerned about what kind of books our kids read and asking rhetorical questions about what can legally be done to protect them? What's wrong with that? ... This kind of foolishness is making her a hero to more than the evangelical right. It will make her a hero to working class women."

Regardless of how the issue (and its attendant coverage) shakes out with hard-to-predict swing voters, it's clear that the McCain campaign isn't taking any chances with the false charge of banning a particular list of books. (The fake list can be viewed here.) One other aspect of the GOP's response is worth noting, as well. It took the McCain campaign the whole weekend to issue a response to the emerging smear after its first appearance late last week -- a lifetime in rapid response years. Beyond the question of the fake banned book list, the question of Palin's role in the Wasilla library scene was first raised by Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny in an August 31 email that has been widely distributed online. One explanation for the McCain camp's comparatively laggard pace of response is hinted at in their own research. Several articles cited by the McCain campaign in today's rebuttal email come from Wasilla's local newspaper, the Frontiersman. As the Huffington Post reported last week, GOP operatives lagged behind Democrats in requesting the paper's full archives for research.

Comments

[emmaspeaks]

Good vetting JM. The baggage with SP is keeping you distracted.

[sticky]

We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.

First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.

Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.

We will post your responses on a blog called 'Women Against Sarah Palin,' which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience the greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.

VIVA!

Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston
New York, NY
[e-mail]

send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.

[sticky]

Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,

We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farceon the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate that has a real possibility of becoming fact.

Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the second-mos­t-powerful person on the planet.

[PAposter]

I'm sorry just an inquiry about banning books (3 times), is highly inappropriate and unacceptable. The fact that there is no specific list is irrelevant. What is not disputed is the fact that the Librarian was subsequently threatened with termination. Where is the explanation for that?

I have never read that Palin actually banned books. However, all things considered, this story is true, and is open to debate.

[emmaspeaks]

without starting a rumour, was the librarian fired and rehired? That was mixed in with troopergate and P.lin's abuse of power.

[Mogamboguru]

Agreed.

[odoreida]

"What is not disputed is the fact that the Librarian was subsequently threatened with termination. Where is the explanation for that?"

But it IS disputed. Palin reserved the right to terminate all political appointees who served in the previous administration, including the librarian. Everybody was terminated and many were immediately rehired -- including this librarian.

[PAposter]

Whatever, you convince yourself that this is justifiable, because you will never convince me. Chances are you also support Palin's other policies.

[odoreida]

"I'm sorry just an inquiry about banning books (3 times), is highly inappropriate and unacceptable. "

Why don't you tell that to all of the self-proclaimed "intellectuals" who want Corsi's book about Obama banned?

The fact is that there is always public pressure to ban this book, or that book, and Palin wanted to know how the librarian would respond to that.

[PAposter]

First of all no one from the Obama campaign has ever asked for Corsi's book or any other book to be banned, are you f*cking kidding me? Post the link.

odoreida : "The fact is that there is always public pressure to ban this book, or that book, and Palin wanted to know how the librarian would respond to that.:"

Haven't you heard, WE'RE NOT STUPID. Your argument is weak at best, and clearly disingenuous.

LMAO!

[enlighteninglad]

Why do you always feel the need to lie? Because the truth hurts. No one EVER advocated banning Corsi's book. They just wanted it put where it belongs, in the fiction section.

[MitchelleWS]

OK, so she didn't ban any of the books in the library, but will she allow her children to read books like catcher in the rye and harry potter? That would say a lot to the average moderate american mom about what kind of person/mot­her/extrem­ist she is (might be).

[cal2008]

Can anybody verify if it is true that Palins youngest child is on public assistance due to birth defects?

[PAposter]

What if he is, McCain also receives government benefits.

[emmaspeaks]

Because SP did away with 62% funding for special needs, now she gets some of what is left. The woman buys $300 glasses that are clear and the taxpayer is giving her more money. Hypocritical don't you think? Other parents of special needs get zippo, and they could use the help.

[LCRover001]

She wasn't going to ban the books just have them removed so no one could read them, she wasn't pressuring the librarian to do so she just ask three or 4 times then tried to fire her because she wouldn’t do as she requested. There wasn’t a list but there were books that were ask to be removed from the shelves.

More spin and lies. Just like the Bush administration. They don't directly do something but still do it.

We weren’t spying on Americans only listening in on them to make sure they weren't breaking the law. If you don't have anything to hide it shouldn't be a problem, as an American I can turn that back on them and say why do you people refuse to testify, why do you refuse to testify under oath, why do you not want a recorded record of the proceedings, why do you want it behind closed doors? If you have nothing to hide from the American people and you are telling the truth then what is the hold up.

Same for you Gov. Palin if you did no wrong then why are you now fighting the bipartisan investigation being conducted right now, if you have nothing to hide why have you refused to release your emails, if you are for such and open government then why are you still withholding those emails?

Palin can talk about reform all she wants but she is just like the rest.

[odoreida]

She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of
the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time.
The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian
continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.

Newsweek's "Sliming Palin" debunks a lot of the crap that's been circulating in emails and on blogs: http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986

[LCRover001]

Ok so she said what if we remove these books.

I don't give a flip what books were supposedly on a list, there was a list of books she ask to be removed from shelves.

To even ask what if is just a Cover Your @$$ position for situations like this had the librarian done so then Palin would have said oh well I just suggested certain books be removed I didn't tell her to do so, when the librarian said I don't think I will Palin continued to insist well what if we do then when the librarian refused she was suspended then reinstated after people found out what was going on.

Spin guys spin but it doesn’t change a thing she ask for them to be removed what ifs or not it was ask. Just because it was suggested in a CYA way doesn’t change that she still considered it and continued to more than once.

[VOTER]

MCCAIN-BUSH

ENOUGH!

[Punditty]

Sarah Palin's grand entrance onto the American political stage was an elaborate exercise in manipulation, deftly orchestrated by the McCain campaign and carried out by GOP operatives. Whether it's book-banning or misappropriating largesse, the more people find out about her, the less believable the image the campaign has crafted for her will be. But for now, the GOP faithful are under the spell of a new enchantress.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/1279535-palin-enchantress

[odoreida]

"Sarah Palin's grand entrance onto the American political stage was an elaborate exercise in manipulation, deftly orchestrated by the McCain campaign and carried out by GOP operatives.

That statement about orchestration and manipulation is even more true of Obama. At least Palin was the governor of a state and had served as a mayor before that.

[RedStateVoice]

Yee-Haw!!! So that makes her what? Ok a Governor and a Mayor of a town of 9,000 (or whatever that number may be or whatever number they make it up to be). So what. No one EVER heard of Baracuda until recently. Evidentally she was not as great as the repugs make her out to be.

Obama/Biden 08

[Rotwang]

So?? O-bama was a state legislator and is currently a US Senator.

Alaska has half the population of Allegheny County, PA, where I live. P-alin is a glorified city councilwoman.

[ClevelandTom]

Please note that Obama was presented as a primary candidate who successfully competed for votes. He collected more primary votes than any other candidate in history. Palin is essentially an appointee. There is a vast difference.

[RealHRCFansVoteObama]

Seems like they're not denying that she attempted to remove books, only that she did not succeed thanks to a librarian who wasn't afraid to push back.

"A mom being concerned about what kind of books our kids read and asking rhetorical questions about what can legally be done to protect them? What's wrong with that? .."

[obamasOHangel]

Aka....a politician using her position to further her own personal biases and agenda.

[odoreida]

"Seems like they're not denying that she attempted to remove books, only that she did not succeed thanks to a librarian who wasn't afraid to push back."

No. She did not attempt to remove books. That's the point of this rebuttal and the one in Newsweek. It's too bad people like you are clinging to this scurrilous stuff after it's been shown to be false.

[JenMI]

The Bottom Line:
Why would America want more of the last 8 years?
Remember, WE, the American public and taxpayers, every last one of us, are going to pay for the astronomical deficit incurred by the Bush/McCain war and the mortgage market debacle.

[JenMI]

I've read that Palin sent the librarian notice that she was terminated and then after a meeting with her she rescinded the notice...s­upposedly the librarian will not comment.
It appears Ms. Palin demands loyalty...­."It's my way or the Highway...­.to nowhere."

[abby4ever]

Unless you work for the CIA and are testing an employee for loyalty, just to give one example of where a loyalty test would be appropriate, tests of this kind indicate dangerousdcharacter traits in the one conducting them. I've read as much as I can find on Palin, in the past week, and based on what I saw, I'd say she has a problem handling both power and authority. So that any disagreement with her or her policies warrants, in her eyes, a sacking.

If true, it's terrible, and ought to scare people away from that ticket.

[odoreida]

Most politicians -- including Obama -- demand loyalty from the people who serve under them. Why should Palin be any different? Do you think she should retain people who are being uncooperative or are not doing their jobs -- just to be nice?

[Toonadude]

Who needs books anyway? The Heritage Foundation, through Hannity and Rush, will tell you all you need to know.

[KiwisCanFly]

I wonder how much Gov Palin's favorable ratings (80 percent) have to do with every resident this year getting a $3,200 payout?

Thanks in no small measure to the efforts of Sarah Palin, the state's Republican governor.

That's $22,400 for a family of seven, like Palin's.

Gee, I wonder if a whole lot of Alaskan's are having babies right now? In anticipation.

[rango]

Biden pushed the New Bankruptcy law through and millions have lost their homes and their ability to support their families as a result. Does anyone on this post give a hoot..No they are too busy trying to get Obama a job as prez even though he is a rookie at his current job.

[KiwisCanFly]

RUBBISH

Senator Phil Gramm, McCain's economic adviser and cochairs on his presidential campaign.

Set out to completely gut the Glass-Steagall Act, and did so successfully.
Replacing most of its components with the new Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
Allowing commercial banks, investment banks, and insurers to merge (which would have violated antitrust laws under Glass-Steagall).

This deregulation helped cause the subprime mess, get your facts right.

http://losangeles.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/the-subprime-mess-and-phil-gramm-an-experiment-in-deregulation.aspx?googleid=242468

[KiwisCanFly]

FURTHER Rango

A year after the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act repealed the old regulations, Swiss Bank UBS gobbled up brokerage house Paine Weber. Two years later, Gramm settled in as a vice chairman of UBS’s new investment banking arm.

Sen Obama said “But by the time [it] was repealed in 1999, the $300 million lobbying effort that drove deregulation was more about facilitating mergers than creating an efficient regulatory framework.­”

He was right.

Phil Gramm, the one who called us "a nation of whiners" and SAID that this is a "mental recession". Gramm led the charge to DEREGULATE the Depression-era banking regulation law.

What Gramm's efforts acheived:
To roll back strong state rules that sought to stem the rise of predatory tactics used by lenders and brokers to place homeowners in high-cost mortgages

The impact of this is happening right now.

I give a hoot.

Vote Obama/Biden 08.

[LCRover001]

He also had three of those bills shot down the bill he "pushed" through protected the middle class just as much as the previous bills protected the rich. Funny how you guys can bring that one up when the majority who voted for this bill were republicans. Biden fought against the bankruptcy law reform until it provided equal protection.

Homes being taken now are a direct result of the pitiful job market in this country, and the scam banks played on those who thought they were getting a good deal, those folks forgot the tried and true saying if it seems too good to be true it often is. My bank tried to push one of those super low interest loans on me but when I ask is it fixed and they said no I said I'll take the higher interest one that is fixed. My paranoia paid off. Also banks are too eager to foreclose instead of working with their customers.