Palin Repeats "Bridge To Nowhere" Falsehood Again Despite Intense Criticism

Speaking in Lebanon, Ohio today, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin repeated her frequently debunked lie on the "bridge to nowhere," which originated in her speech to the Republican National Convention last Wednesday. As the crowd cheered, Palin (falsely) recounted how she told the U.S. Congress "thanks but no thanks" for the project that has become a symbol of wasteful government spending.

Virtually every media outlet -- from the Wall Street Journal to FactCheck.org -- that has investigated the claim has found it to be a wholesale fiction. Though Palin did abandon her onetime support for the bridge after winning Alaska's governorship, she did so only after federal dollars dried up. Moreover, she kept the federal funds already given to Alaska.

Yet Palin still continues to use the line in each and every stump speech. In response, the Obama campaign is turning to humor. "On the same day that dozens of news organizations have exposed Governor Palin's phony Bridge to Nowhere claim as a 'naked lie,' she and John McCain continue to repeat the claim in their stump speeches. Maybe tomorrow she'll tell us she sold it on eBay," said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

The eBay dig is a reference to another tall tale from the McCain-Palin campaign -- the idea that the governor sold a luxury jet online. Palin herself has scrupulously avoided saying outright that she sold the plane on eBay -- merely saying that she "put" it on eBay. But McCain himself strayed into the realm of untruth last week by claiming that Palin not only "sold it" through the online auction site, but also did so "at a profit." In fact, the eBay auction was a failure, and Alaska had to sell the plane offline, at a $600,000 loss.

Comments

[givetruthachance]

It's like that line from the Wizard of Oz---"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain". In this case, pay no attention to the truth.

Who ARE these people swearing allegience to some one they never even heard of? Some one who has yet to grace voters with even one unscripted word. How can ANYone be so foolhardy?

[blueshield]

The fundamental difference is the Repubs don't care about anything at all but winning power.

It's the old 'ends justify the means' philosophy. Same reason we went to war in Iraq - figured some good would come out of it eventually.

[yvonne61]

AND PEOPLES THINK THIS IS OK SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THAT JUST LIKE MCCAIN IF HE PULL THAT MARKER OUT AGAIN HE NEED TO SIGN HIS PAPER TO THE FUNNY FARMS.

[ThinkBeforeUVote]

Between 1914 and 1918 France was weak....

http://www.archive.org/details/DivideAndConquer

Careful my friends and Americans.­...
ThinkBeforeUVote

[bexier]

Obama supported the Bridge? Don't make me Google it. Puh leeze.

[Daisy1111]

Yup. So did Joe:

http://cdobs.com/archive/our-columns/obama-and-biden-voted-for-bridge-to-nowhere,1628/

[blueshield]

This proves that Sen O and B voted against an amendment that would have shifted the transportation funds from Alaska to Louisiana.

So? They voted "for" nothing.

[ThinkBeforeUVote]

Special attention is should be paid to Nazi atrocities. Dead and injured children are shown en masse and the film explains how the bombing of Rotterdam leads to "thirty thousand men,
women and children killed in ninety minutes--Norway and the Netherlands do not forget....­.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/palin-repeats-bridge-to-n_n_125084.html#postComment

Careful with the propagana war....the­y said in the 30s/40's..­..
Hey, but that couldn't happen again! We'll never have someone as carismatic as that Hitler guy. No ...never again. Push down those thoughts.

We must never forget what our Grandfathers fought for in WWII. and why I protect our country so much now. We live in very very dangerous times....
ThinkBeforeUVote

[ThinkBeforeUVote]

Ok...Ok...­Ok....let us again go back to some facts:

http://www.stopthinkvote.com/facts/personalfacts.html#stripper
http://www.boycottpalin.com/
http://www.stopthinkvote.com/facts/personalfacts.html#stripper

May we not reduce our country where facts are discounted as "un-American" and books are burned:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-bookburn.htm

The Europeans are terrified at how we cannot register History.

Divide and then Conquer...­..who said it?
Come on Wise Up!
ThinkBeforeUVote

[BethStuart]

Yes, the Europeans are terrified. I was in Germany last week and got that message on multiple occasions.

Speaking of women in politics, the German prime minister is Mrs. Merkel. She has a PhD in physics and speaks three languages. I don't agree all that much with her politics but I respect her as a politician. I wish I could say the same for Palin.

[SurferKit]

Oh but back here in the US, a hockey mom, who has no experience in world affairs, tries to have books banned, and roll back progress for women, captures the hearts and minds of the brainless.

[DCtrain]

You vote for McSame/Palin and you'll be led to the edge of the bridge to nowhere and left to out to dry.

[Daisy1111]

Too bad the Dem ticket voted for that bridge"

http://cdobs.com/archive/our-columns/obama-and-biden-voted-for-bridge-to-nowhere,1628/

[SurferKit]

Then why didn't the lying reformer send the $300M back to the U.S. Treasury?

[blueshield]

Wrong. They didn't vote "for" anything, including the bridge.

The vote was AGAINST shifting transportation funding from Alaska to Louisiana.

And by the way, did Pal.in take the $240,000,000, or send it back to the US taxpayers?

Yeah, some reformer.

[ShamusNYC]

Isn't lying like this against the Christianity code or something? Oh, wait - I remember, it's far right Christianity: the Bible is a Chinese menu- pick what you need to support the far right agenda.

Hypocrites.

[LemonMeringue]

I think anything that brings money into the church coffers, or the pocketbooks of church movers and shakers, is good to go.

[DontBeFoolish]

Great, here we go again. Another politician telling us what they think will get them elected. Considering every news media in and out of the nation has stated that she is lying siad so. I wonder what spin her and McLie are going to use to clean this up.

[abouttime]

McCain and Palin are frauds and liars of the worst sort.

[LemonMeringue]

Well, other frauds and liars need somebody to vote for!

[Daisy1111]

http://cdobs.com/archive/our-columns/obama-and-biden-voted-for-bridge-to-nowhere,1628/

[optech007]

When the Senate voted to take the money for the Bridge to Nowhere and reallocate it to rebuild the Twin Spans bridge that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, both Obama and Biden voted against transferring the money.

[DontBeFoolish]

Who cares, Palin Kept her 300M.

[LemonMeringue]

Are Obama and Biden lying about that vote and campaigning on their lie?

Please post a link.

[Daisy1111]

http://cdobs.com/archive/our-columns/obama-and-biden-voted-for-bridge-to-nowhere,1628/

[Patrioticwoman]

Keep attacking Governor Palin. Please write two articles a minute. The more you do, the more people take interest in her accomplishments and read about her and find her to be the REAL DEAL. Unlike some candidates who just read teleprompters (just words) without really having a story beyond 'my mother was a single mom and my grandparents were 'typical white people' and my father abandoned me' victim hood. Get over it. Governor Palin and McCain will win this election - THANKS TO THE PRESS AND ALL IT'S ATTACKS ON A REAL EXECUTIVE WOMAN.

[IBOAT]

I think would you mean to say for lack of press coverage. I am starting to believe they are bought. No, I am certain.

[ivywoman]

Patrioticwoman, I'm sorry Palin is being exposed. Soon, her lies will be put on display for the whole world to watch. That's why she won't take questions from the public.

[abouttime]

How does the child expose fraud? :
answer: "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"
They do it so everyone near and far see the spectacle !
The whole world is listening and see the flames burning through their tatered souls.

[IBOAT]

You would think being such and EXECUTIVE, - and after those strong comments toward Obama, she would want to prove to the world she was the real deal. A Maverick -Pit bull and anxious to tell us how she is going to take the bull by the horns. Are you sure she was not reading a teleprompter, Oh wait - as an EXECUTIVE she probably has a half way decent memory. But to tell you the truth, no where in that convention did I see an EXECUTIVE talking, just some short phrased attacts.

[SurferKit]

Palin is a complete phony. And not all women are buying into her act.

[DontBeFoolish]

I am going to keep your name, because if her and McSame get elected, you'll be the first to cry. Can't you see from the way that he has changed his political message that he put this in place just to get your votes. Palin in a Token! Wake up!

[SurferKit]

B*ll. I’m single, female, and po’d. Until last week I didn’t spend much time thinking about reproductive choices. For one, I practice safe sex, unlike some people who shall remain nameless. However, rape is a completely different matter. It’s rape, people. The neocon ticket would force me, and victims of incest in the instance of rape, to carry a child to term regardless of circumstance. And that is totally…un­acceptable­. Neocons talk an ineffective game about smaller government (which is blatantly false) and yet if you have your way, vote them in, they would govern and control what happens to a woman’s body. Your beliefs are your own. But you have no respect for mine and neither does Palin. Not every womom is having this love fest over this woman.
I can’t understand why call yourself pro-life, when you conveniently disappear after the child is born. When life is starting out and help is needed most you’re out of the picture. Gone like a deadbeat dad. And your neocon party continually refuses to fund any social programs that might help both mother and child through a difficult time.
As a woman you are voting for a reproductive choice that is ludicrous. Your hypocrisy is boundless. You are without merit.

[Whitman777]

Parrot Palin. Palin want a cracker?

[Daniboy]

Is it true that Obama is for firing bad teachers? Can he afford to go against the Unions?

[IBOAT]

You are reaching, speaking half truths. But then again you have brought up the education issues just a few minutes ago. Thats right - something about how Bush got elected twice and now going for a third term. Yep, lets not take education to lightly.

[Daniboy]

Do you think bad teachers should be fired?

[Patrioticwoman]

If you think Mccain is Bush, you either can't spelll or you must be a victim of public education. Obama has made promises to everyone and he still can't 'esplain' how he will afford to keep these promises. But then again, he thinks Bush has been wrong 100% and that is wrong even for a lawyer because no one is ever 100% wrong. This is the man we want leading the free world? and he does not know Russia has a veto in the UN, and that we have 50 states and that parents not teachers should teach sex education to their kids. YIKES!

[Harleyrydyr]

Biden and Obama voted for this bill, how do you have the gall to say anything about what she did.

[Daniboy]

Are you talking about Bridge to Nowhere Bill? I thought these two guys would be against earmarks.

[LemonMeringue]

I am sure you realize that when the Senate votes on a bill it might contain a hundred projects. You don't get to veto just one.

But the real issue you have failed to understand is...

Palin is lying about her support of that Bridge bill, and launching a campaign with the lie as one of her centerpoints.

[Daisy1111]

http://cdobs.com/archive/our-columns/obama-and-biden-voted-for-bridge-to-nowhere,1628/

[SurferKit]

Palin certainly wasn't.

[MarkInEugene]

FU....the same old partisan winny line of sht!

[SurferKit]

Are you serious? She kept the money. The hypocritical reformer didn't send the money back. Why didn't she send the money back to the U.S. Treasury?