I'm not much of a Facebook guy--I couldn't even figure out how to get onto the web site--so I had my 14-year-old daughter help me to find Sarah Palin's "Facebook page," where, lo-and-behold, there's the Governor of Alaska opposing Obama's stimulus package and also hustling money for her new political action committee, SarahPAC.
Palin doesn't beat around the bush: The link to SarahPAC goes straight to the "donations" page requesting funds.
Federal Election Law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.
Let's get real here folks. This page has nothing to do with Alaska and everything to do with Palin establishing a national platform and positioning herself for a presidential run in 2012.
We also learn on Facebook that Palin has "serious concerns" with Obama's stimulus package. Say what?
"It's a given that a stimulus package is needed and will happen," Palin said. "With guaranteed spending on the table, I am arguing for needed construction projects and tax breaks that will truly stimulate the economy and create jobs, and against increased federal programs that will become a state's unfunded mandate to continue funding for generations."
Palin, of course, is having trouble balancing Alaska's relatively miniscule state budget, one that is driven by abundant oil and gas revenues and federal subsidies, and it takes a special chutzpah for her to think that anyone outside of her band of sycophants has the slightest interest in her position on the stimulus.
Has anyone forgotten Palin talking about economic issues during the 2008 presidential campaign with Katie Couric--the infamous string-of-non-sequiturs-pit-bull-in-headlights interview? Where she said this about the economy:
But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the--it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.
Is there anyone out there who thinks she has the slightest clue about the U.S. economy? That this woman who failed in every private-sector business enterprise she attempted understands economic issues in the New Millennium?
The good news is that my daughter showed me a counter-group on Facebook called "1,000,000 Strong Against Sarah Palin" which was formed for the following reasons:
For those of you completely dumbfounded by John McCain's selection of the trigger-happy, homophobic, anti-abortion, anti-choice, animal-killing, political featherweight, Sarah Palin, as his running mate. Palin has to be one of the biggest political ploys in history.Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, we can all agree on one thing: Sarah Palin is in no way fit to come anywhere NEAR the West Wing.
No way, no how, no Palin.
They obviously watched Palin discuss the economy with Katie Couric, too.