Sarah Palin Playing the Blame Game: Missed it by One R

Sarah Palin will not go away, apparently unaware that losing an election requires the loser to cede power to the victor. Staying in the limelight, she is now assigning blame for her failures, conveniently never pointing the spotlight on herself. Introspection requires some self-awareness, something she apparently lacks completely. Her latest missive is to blame her running mate, after blaming Bush, after blaming the liberal media, after blaming everybody but herself, now claiming that "McCain's biggest mistake was hiding me."

Surely that is a typo, and what Palin really meant to say is, "McCain's biggest mistake was hiring me." I know she meant "hiring" instead of "hiding" because otherwise we would have to conclude that Palin is completely delusional about her abilities and about the election she just lost by wide margins.

If Sara the Moose Killer would take a quick look in the mirror, she would see that her winking, obnoxious visage is the face of a rigid, unthinking, uninformed, incompetent ideologue who has no place on the national scene. She has become like a wart that just keeps coming back. The election was the equivalent of freezing off the offending growth with liquid nitrogen. But she stubbornly pops back through the skin like the precancerous growth she is. We just suffered eight years of buffoonery as a result of unyielding faith in obstinate ignorance. We don't need the female version of George W. to take us further down the path of destruction. That Palin believes she is capable of being president of our country is proof of her gross incompetence and psychotic delusions.

After nothing but vitriolic diatribes against the liberal media, she now claims implausibly that if only she did more interviews with those same media, she would have won the election. Her revealing and disastrous performances with Katie Couric and Charlie Rose were, according to Palin, not embarrassing because she lacks ability, but only because she chose the wrong interviews. This is one extremely sick puppy.

For those of you who have already forgotten the nightmare called Sarah Palin, let us review a few basic facts about this walking political abomination.

Palin is a religious zealot. In her world, the idea that Church must be kept separate from State is merely a quaint relic of liberalism. Palin's extreme religious views do not reflect mainstream American thought, and undermine a fundamental tenet of our Constitution. The Governor made the following statement about our troops in Iraq at the Pentecostal Wasilla Assembly of God church: "Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God, that's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's plan." This lays bare the idea that the war is a Christian Crusade. God supports her war against Islam. If that conclusion is still in doubt, consider that Palin's long-time religious leader, Pastor Kalnins, has openly preached that our invasion of Iraq is a war over the Christian faith. Conveniently, he happens to know that Jesus himself has called upon believers to sacrifice their lives for the war effort. He claims to speak directly to God.

In her latest interview, Palin said, "[My] reliance on God's direction in all that I do - that is good enough for me." In a debate during the 2006 gubernatorial election, Palin stated that religious leaders should be able to support a particular candidate from the pulpit, ignoring IRS statutes that prohibit political campaigning by any tax-exempt religious group. That is not terribly surprising coming from her. Her religious mentor, Pastor Kalnins, told followers they would go to hell if they supported Senator Kerry during the 2004 presidential election.

Palin denies a woman's right to choose. Palin wants the government, the same one she decries endlessly, to prevent a women from choosing her own reproductive destiny. Palin actually said she would oppose abortion even in the case of rape, even if the victim were her daughter. Even among abortion opponents, her views are extreme. In spite of quite obvious evidence that teaching abstinence does not work, particularly within her own family, Palin opposes sex education. Yet she slashed funding for programs that supported pregnant teens. Palin made women pay for rape kits in Wasilla. Palin's policies and actions are clearly, unambiguously driven by her religion, with wanton disregard for constitutional niceties like separation of Church and State.

Palin denies the reality of climate change. Palin believes she is smarter than 2500 climate experts from 166 countries who conclude unambiguously that climate change is real, and caused by human activity. She dismisses climate change as a left-wing conspiracy. She denies that the dramatic melting of arctic ice has anything to do with global warming caused by human activity. "The jury is still out," according to Palin.

Palin does not support renewable energy or energy independence. Palin's energy platform is to "drill baby drill" and "drill here and drill now." That includes drilling in ANWR. She believes we can drill our way out of the energy crisis, completely ignoring the conclusions of virtually every expert on the subject.

Palin is a danger to endangered species. Palin argued strenuously against listing polar bears, stating with no foundation other than her faith that the decision would be based on "unproven long-term impacts of any future climate change on the species." All biologists know that shrinking polar ice threatens the survival of polar bears, yet Palin dismisses the entire problem - both the shrinking ice itself and the cause of that shrinking. Palin, now a self-appointed environmental scientist, promoted initiatives to let citizens shoot wolves from airplanes and helicopters, and promoted weakening hunting laws in order to reduce bear populations. She did so in order to increase the moose and caribou herds to draw big-game hunters to the state.

Palin is corrupt. Special Investigator Stephen Branchflower concluded that Palin abused her power in trying to have her former brother-in-law Mike Wooten fired as a State Trooper. When Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan refused to fire Wooten, Palin fired Monegan. The report shows "a coordinated application of pressure on Monegan so transparent and ham-handed that it was almost certain to end in public embarrassment for the governor." Palin consistently denied any role in Wooten's firing, and the report proves that a lie. Her corruption is well-documented.

Palin is untruthful. How can we forget Palin's insistent and obnoxious claim that she "told Congress 'thanks but no thank' on that bridge to nowhere." The problem is that everything about that statement is absolutely false. The infamous bridge was planned for the city of Ketchikan, and officials there confirm that Palin supported the bridge during her run for governor. During that campaign, Mayor Bob Weinstein claims that Palin went as far as saying she was insulted by the term "bridge to nowhere" in the press.

Palin's support for the bridge cannot be disputed. In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News on October 22, 2006, a reporter asked Palin if she "would continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?" Her response was: "Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

The bridge created a tempest of protests because the span linked Ketchikan to sparsely populated Gravina Island, hardly in need of the bridge. In campaign rallies, Palin told Ketchikan residents that she felt their pain when other called the city "nowhere" ignoring the obvious reference to Gravina Island. When the $223 million earmark became public, the bridge became the poster child of pork barrel spending out of control. Finger to the wind, Palin eventually backed away from supporting the structure. She then lied about her support over and over and over again on the presidential campaign trail.

Palin lied about firing her government chef. As with the bridge to nowhere, Palin constantly repeated the story about her fiscal prudence in eliminating the position of chef for the governor. "...and you may have heard, we did lay off the governor's personal chef. Though I do admit with that one, my kids aren't starving, but they sure do miss her." As with that silly bridge, everything she said here is a lie. In fact, she did not fire the chef, who was simply reassigned to cook at the state legislature, largely because Palin spent so little time in the capital.

Palin lied about her membership in the Alaskan Independence Party, which advocates Alaska's succession from the Union. She joined knowing full well the Party's platform, not a big mystery given the name. This from a politician who's motto was "America First." The hypocrisy of that is beyond measure.

Palin is fiscally irresponsible. The town of Wasilla had a balanced budget when Palin became mayor; the town was burdened by a debt of $22 million when she left office. Much of the debt comes from Palin's support for a $15 million multi-use sports complex. Sadly, she built on a plot of land to which the city did not have clear title, giving lawyers more than seven years of income through continuing litigation. Palin did not spend any funds to install a badly-needed sewage treatment plant. Nevertheless, government spending increased more than 33% during her six year tenure. Much of that was funded through an increase in sales tax. This philosophy of spending and borrowing followed Palin to the governor's mansion, or more accurately, to her house for which she submitted per diem reimbursements. Alaska ranks as number one among the 50 states in taxes per resident. That dubious distinction means that each resident suffers under a tax burden that is nearly 2.5 times that of the national average.

Palin supports the politics of hate and division. At campaign rallies across the country, Palin never reprimanded members of her audience who were advocating violence against Obama. That is complicit endorsement of those disgusting sentiments. Palin also claims there is a "real America" and areas that are "pro-America" and that her opponents are un-American, unpatriotic and do not love this country.

This list of outrages is just the tip of the iceberg. Of course if Palin ever came to power, there would be no more icebergs. Palin has soiled our public discourse, debased the political process, degraded us before the world, and insulted the intelligence of the American electorate. Our worst enemies could not have wished upon us a more dangerous agent of devastation and destruction.

McCain's biggest mistake was to cause America's deep suffering by bringing Palin onto the national stage. No person to run for office has ever been so grossly under-qualified. She makes Dan Quayle look like Thomas Jefferson. For her own sake, and for the sake of the country, Palin needs to go back to Alaska and stay there. We rejected her, her politics of hate and her embrace of ignorance. She lost. We don't care who she blames for her failures, because we know only she is responsible, no matter how delusional she may be in denying that basic truth.

Let us never forget her extensive list of failures, lies, and abundant examples of colossal ineptitude and ignorance if Palin ever tries to resurrect her pathetic attempt to go national. She must be stopped using every legal measure at our disposal. She absolutely must never be allowed to hold public office beyond the borders of her state.

Comments

[exmate]

Sarah Palin will not go away . She will continue to have her following, albeit ever diminishing. From a Democrat point of view , her spliting the GOP can be seen as an advantage. Even GW Bush has a following and is admired by some. Some people even like Dick Cheney.

[amamomofsons]

SARAH PALIN...........GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Please, please, please go away. Life would be so much better if her name was never mentioned again.

[AmyS43]

Very well written. I noticed that those of you who are defending palin have failed to address what I found to be one of the most frightening truths about her. She "supports the politics of hate and division." How could anyone deny that - she seems to enjoy that image of herself. (who can ever forget that awful turkey fiasco - was that sympbolic or what?) As far as "looking like a billion dollars" - many of us could - if we had - a $150,000 wardrobe and $55,000 in hair and make-up. I too will be so happy when we no longer hear her name or her screechy voice anymore.

[KayJay90]

Now that you mention it...

I have to add one more "basic fact" that Jeff Schweitzer forgot to mention:

Palin is an ignorant embarrassment to diplomats everywhere. That incredible fiasco where she giggled and carried on like a teenager in the telephone conversation with the fake Sarkozy (the "Masked Avengers" radio DJ duo from Montreal) violated so many niceties of diplomatic and campaign etiquette that it was -- or should have been -- the most embarrassing 5 minutes of her life. But no! She blamed her RNC handlers for THAT faux pas. Does this woman accept blame for ANYTHING?

Oh, yeah, she immediately jumped into a press conference after the fire at one of the churches she occasionally attends (not "her church" as has been reported) and said, "I apologized to the assistant pastor, letting them know and if there's anything that I've done to draw negative attention to that good church, I certainly apologize for it. But I don't know. There again, experts are looking into any kind of political threat." Yeah, it's all about YOU, Sarah.

While I'm at it, I should mention that Greta Van Susteren and Ann Coulter have fawned over Sarah Palin to such a degree for the past few months it makes this straight gal nauseous (see http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29995 ) .

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for those excellent additions.

[section9]

You can tell a politician with a great future by the fact that her political enemies hate her so much and waste so much bandwidth preaching to the converted about how wicked she is. Thatcher's enemies said this about her in the first Heath Government in the early Seventies.

Like the young Thatcher, Palin has time both to govern and to learn. John O' Sullivan, writing in the Wall Street Journal, observed:

"But she has plenty of time, probably eight years, to analyze America's problems, recruit her own expert advice, and develop conservative solutions to them. She has obvious intelligence, drive, serious moral character, and a Reaganesque likability. Her likely Republican rivals such as Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney, not to mention Barack Obama, have most of these same qualities too. But she shares with Mrs. Thatcher a very rare charisma. As Ronnie Millar, the latter's speechwriter and a successful playwright, used to say in theatrical tones: She may be depressed, ill-dressed and having a bad hair day, but when the curtain rises, out onto the stage she steps looking like a billion dollars. That's the mark of a star, dear boy. They rise to the big occasions."

People, if you didn't think she had potential, you wouldn't care what she said or did.

We saw how she helped Saxby past the goal line, and so did everyone else. To paraphrase what Lincoln said of Grant, we can't spare this woman. She fights.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

It Appears You put too much Faith in 'ONE' writer at the Wall Street Journal.

You quoted His opinion. Do you have an "Opinion".. of Your own..?
Do you put all your Faith on others to see the Facts.... and then tell You what to do and think?

This Blind Faith you have is from a Financial Magazine that reports on what goes on on Wall Street.
They could not even recognize the HUGE economic Crisis right in front of their face all the while reporting on Bernie Madoff and others. GOOD Job WSJ. Bravo!

Your Faith ...seems to be misguided or misplaced.

I will agree You with one of Your Wall Street Journal statements:
" out onto the stage she steps looking like a billion dollars. "

THIS happens everyday in America.... In Vegas.
They are called "Comedians". People Laugh AT them

[deosil]

I guess someone COLLECTING facts is BLIND FAITH to you. I submit to you that your rejecion of facts, and you can GOOGLE any one of these for muliple sources or reserach yourself without the search engine Google, is exactly what you accuse others of....BLIND FAITH... in a con-artist named Sarah Palin. You´ve been hoodwinked. it´s a GIFT and she has it.

[PlainsTalk]

Sarah Palin does not have the ability to learn what she needs to govern. Her efforts are all spent in appearances. If a 44 year old cannot speak clearly, if all her sentences are awash in attempts to obfuscate, she will not learn differently in 4 or 8 more years. If she hasn't had enough interest in world affairs to read at least a few newspapers and some books on major issues, she won't develop the interest or the background in 4 years.
Her campaign appearances, except when reading a teleprompter, made it clear she has no ability to analyze or develop solutions. And referring to Chambliss is silly -- he was going to win, anyway. She didn't go to Georgia to help him -- she went to keep herself in the public eye.
Mrs. Thatcher had decades of education and background before rising to British leadership. Comparing her to Palin is insulting to Thatcher. Palin may look like a star, but so does Jolie. What does physical attractiveness have to do with governing? Nothing.

[charliehorse]

Greetings Progressive Wingnuts!!
Amazing how the multiple positions, worded differently, make sense to one faction and not the other.
1. She is a ZELOT, against the right to choose.
1a. She is right to life.

2.She is not onboard the global warming train.
2a. She disagrees with algore on the fundamentals of this science, along with many scientists.

3.She doesn't support Green Energy.
3a.She is from ALASKA, the state that is providing real useful energy TODAY.

4.She doesn't support your view on endangered species.
4aIn the state where she is Governor, Polar Bear population is increasing.

5.She is corrupt.
5a.Alaska's budget is balanced, she opposed her own party on principal, Alaska pays it's citizens dividends.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Global warming train? You mean ignoring rational science for the sake of faith-based governing? Right to life? You mean having a young girl forced to give birth to a baby conceived in a rape by her father? Polar bear population is increasing? You must be kidding. She is not corrupt? Her own state reprimanded her for abuse of power. Wake up. There are not two sides to this story.

Wingnut indeed. Just look at the facts. Palin in so unqualified for office that even discussing her gives her more credit than she will ever be due.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

Kudos to You Jeff... Summed up very nicely.

The Story was a little loooong, but then her "Resume of Incompetence" gets longer by the day. Not your fault.

One of the Best statements made by anyone during this Election was a Youtube clip by Jack Cafferty of CNN. (deserves another look for you skeptics)
Jack stated that.. 'in all his years of doing political News she was the MOST incompetent' and even got VERY angry at McCain for picking her. As he said "How dare him!!"

Thanks for the... Facts

[Ginger5]

Will the last person leaving the republican party please turn the lights off

[KayJay90]

OMG, another spelling-challenged Regressive!

Lemme see if I got these right:
*ZELOT = zealot
*right to life = does that mean she's in favor of life in prison, not capital punishment? Or is she a secret PETA member, holding that wolves (and whales, polar bears, moose, caribou) too have a right to life?
*algore = is that short for algorithm?
*principal = principle (as in "she opposed her own party on principle -- see below where I used "principal" correctly)
*it's = its (Alaska pays its citizens dividends)

[KayJay90]

And the rest of your statement, charliehorse, is provably false:

1) Alaska isn't even providing sufficient "energy" to warm the homes of many of its own citizens.

2) How can the polar bear population increase if the ice pack decreases; they LIVE on the Arctic ice. Less ice, less bears = an endangered species.

3) Alaska's budget depends on oil profit taxes, and the price of Alaska oil is down below $30/barrel -- its lowest price in 5 years -- 6 months ago it was $144/barrel. read the facts at http://www.adn.com/money/industries/oil/story/630221.html

4) As for those dividends -- Alaskans got an EXTRA $1200. EACH from the APF just before Palin embarked on her Magical VP Tour -- vote buying? There might not be any more APF dividends until the economy stabilizes. Palin, with a track record of ignoring expert advice, might authorize breaking into the principAL of the Alaska Permanent Fund to pay those vote-getting dividends.

5) She and the secessionist AIP she's STILL a member of won't have $$ to lure like-minded rednecks up from the Deep South to swell the numbers of the fundamentalist right-wingers who eventually want to secede from the Union.

6) My guess -- not a proven documented fact -- is that their plan is to establish themselves as a Third World Nation, and officially petition for an aid package from the United-minus-one-States.

[MAragon]

Indeed, NEVER FORGET...because she's coming back. As you pointed out, she thinks she'd make a swell and most righteous President. God save us from the likes of her. Whether we like it or not, we're going to have to keep an eye on her. I just wish the Alaskans would wake up and do something about her and her destructive policies toward the environment and its wildlife.

[elvischannel]

We Alaskans who know better will do our best. Now that the price of oil has dropped like a stone, she won't be able to play Santa with the state's money to buy our votes. Investigations about her travel expenses and per diem expenses are still ahead. The man she fired for not firing her former brother-in-law, Walt Monegan, is now running for Anchorage mayor. I can't wait for him to take Sarah on in her reelection bid. Stay tuned.

[Mario Almonte - Huffpost Blogger]

Amen to that! The article is a solid home run. They should post this on the wall of every newspaper editor to keep them from continuing writing any more stories about her and continuing to feed into her delusions.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks to both of you for your comments. I dream of a day when the ugly words Sarah Palin will be uttered no more.