Governor Palin's Reading List

Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."

It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list.

Comments

[BIG JOHN]

COME ON FOLKS TO YOU REALLY THINK PALIN EVEN KNOWS WHO THIS PERSON IS,PALIN'S READING LIST, WHAT READING LIST.

BUT AGAIN, NOTHING FROM THE MCCAIN CAMP IS OUT OF BOUNDS.

[DieHardObamaSupporter]

How disgusting. As for you naysayers, trying to pin it on the speechwriter. The bottom line is that once

she walked onto that stage and started spewing her venom, she owned those words. Case closed.

[slearwig]

More than doing 'what they are told', in the last 8 years the Republicans have been following their advisors and leaders with blind faith, or simply doing what they feel like doing and damn the torpedoes.

[slearwig]

sherylsworld is right. A tacky GOP Bush/McCain speechwriter is the likely source as quoted by Time.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838808,00.html

That is, unless Sarah Palin added those specific quotes. If she didn't write them, then Scully did, and it then draws in to question Matthew Scully's association with McCain.

Note: I tried posting this link before without success, so if you see that it is only partially active, you will need to copy/paste the entire link into your browser's address bar in order to reach the page on Scully.

[chf2go]

She is a very dangerous woman who acts without blinking according to her own words. I don't think she knew whose words she is quoting, but if it were any one of us making a national speech, wouldn't you want to know whose quote you were using and attribute it to them and then do the research on who that person was?

Most intelligent and curious people would do so. Someone who is doing what they are told will not.

[sherylsworld]

Tacky GOP speechwrit­er...

[Naithom]

Tacky candidate who doesn't research the speak she is responsible for giving.

[Smirk]

And don't forget--she was a mayor, so she knows what it is to be responsible.

[CaliBoy145]

How dare Palin quote someone who wanted Bobby Kennedy dead!

[gotsmarter]

Yours would be a good line for the ad exposing this terrible wrong.

[herhonor]

The Buck stops with Palin. big period.

[mamacat]

I am sorry Mr. Kennedy, that you had to listen to that speech by McCain's running mate.

We are sure in a sorry state of affairs, when things like this are found acceptable.

[slearwig]

Are we sure that Sarah Palin chose these quotes and not speechwriter Matthew Scully?
If the latter is true, then look to McCain.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1838808,00.html

Quote: "Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully had crafted the words even before Palin was picked. A match made in heaven."

[Lemy]

With all respect to you and your family, Mr. Kennedy, your personal feelings about the author of this particular quote, mean-spirited as he may have been, really have nothing to do with the words Sarah Palin spoke during her speech. Was she even aware that the writer of the highly-effective quote from her speech was widely known for being an anti-semite loudmouth? Who knows. Not me. Probably not you. Doubtfully anyone else on this board. However, most everyone posting here seems very quick to make a value judgement against a political opponent based on the slightest and flimsiest inference of racism. Is this at all relevant to the clean, fair, issues-based campaign Barack is trying to run? Surely we can do better.
Barack Obama has pledged to run a positive, issues-based campaign and as difficult as that may sometimes be, I think he is doing an admirable job of it. It is apparent, however, that the Democratic base as cross-sectioned here on HufPo do not feel obligated to live up to the values of their candidate. This issue is a non -issue. With great respect for your very personal feelings, Mr Kennedy, let's move on.

[KimberlyKay]

That man was not simply an anti-semitic loudmouth, he was an American fascist and an agitator against American freedoms and liberties. Ask yourself if you would think the same way if Governor Palin had quoted a communist. Then, remind yourself that during the last century our Country faced two gigantic challenges-- one came from the far-right and that was called fascism; one came from the far-left and that was called communism. We defeated both. Yet, it is ridiculous to suggest that we should now parrot the words of their followers, regardless of whether the words themselves sound nice. I have little doubt that some of Pol Pot's word also sounded nice, but I would never use those words to support any position of mine because Pol Pot was a despicable human being-- so to is Westwood Pegler.

I don't know if Governor Palin had the time to vet this quote-- I rather doubt it. Senator McCain spent about two seconds vetting her and gave her next to no time to prepare herself. Yet, someone within Senator McCain's campaign deliberately included this line in her speech-- and that person should be fired, 'lest we all conclude that Senator McCain, himself, agrees with the far-right, fascist, destructive to everything that IS America ideas of Westwood Pegler.

[allis1]

Well said. Anyone on the political stage has to be extremely careful about what they say. I don't doubt Sarah Palin was not aware of the background behind this quote,
considering she seemed to know little about the Bush Doctrine when interviewed
by Charlie Gibson. Maybe she should start paying more attention to what is being said and why. However it is a little late to start a crash course in political history and current events at this point. The fact that Mc Cain chose someone so ill-equipped to be a VP much less a president says it all.

[BlueTexasWoman]

I believe that people are concerned that the Neo-Cons behind that speech (read, not written by her) knew exactly who they were quoting. And they knew exactly who he was, and his anti-semitic, racist, treasonous stances.

She's the puppet; fear the puppet-masters.

[Lemy]

Very possible, however I stand by my original statement that this argument is a distraction and a waste of time, and even more it goes against the spirit of the campaign I feel I am a part of.

Almost everyone I know is cynical about politics and politicians. Even (most) of the fervent GW supporters. Then along comes Barack Obama, who shows by example that it is possible to rise above politics as usual and offers hope to a cynical electorate that not every polticial campaign not based on fear, lies and innuendo is doomed to fail. He offers the very real hope that we can rise above that kind of gutter politics, that we can actually have a man of integrity in highest level of elected office who actually has the best interest of the country at heart, and that we don't have to resort to sleaze to accomplish it.

Yet here we are, talking about this instead.

[ritenow]

With great respect to your post of great respect.

If you are going to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States, you should know who and what you're quoting when your addressing a nation as the world listens.

[ritenow]

Frankly, I've am sick and tired of everybody making excuses for Sarah Palin.

Her ignorance in quoting such a vile personality is the result of what happens when you DON'T BLINK OR THINK!!!!!!!

[herhonor]

OK Here are the standards for public speaking and writing. The speaker is supposed to check and double check everything they say. The source , the context, the accurracy. That is the standard in all the branches of the government and in academia. Many people make mistakes. They misquote, they mis-attribute, or they use a quote without checking the authority. Regardless, the consequences are called "accountability". This is not a PTA mom speaking off the cuff and it came back to bite her. This is a highly orchestrated campaign by people far more formally educated than Palin. So, if it was a mistake; "we" expect an apology extended to the Kennedy family (at least). If was not a mistake to utilize the words of a dispicable human being, then ...?

On a personal note: How dare you instruct Mr Kennedy to "move on". Show some respect.

[Beartruth]

Mr. Kennedy, thank you for the information. The more we learn about Palin the worse it gets. Her views are rooted halfway between the McCarthty and Puritan eras -- clearly she is living in the wrong century. If the McCain and the GOP were smart, instead of just dishonest, they'd cut their losses and get a reputable VP candidate that is something more than a superficial airhead with a terrible penchant for lying (Dick Cheney with lipstick). Palin has become a living parody of a Simpson's or Saturday Night Live character. Hard to believe that the GOP has the gall to foist such a VP candidate on America in these perilous times.

[Lucy0808]

Mr. Kennedy,

It leaves me speechless that someone like this can be quoted and by a woman. Yet I'm thankful that we see this directly with no ambiguity. The shear audacity and fearlessness of these people to quote this man makes me fear for our nation. It reflects the deep darkness of a part of our nation that we had hoped we had crawled out of.

Wishing you the greatest respect for your father who helped so many of us see a way- just like MLK and provide a model.

[SCG2]

The Republican party is truly sick.

[cskoog]

O YES! This one needs to be pumped up to the max. But it needs to be given some thought. Poorly done it could still get MSM headines for a few days. But properly done it is an amazingly good opportunity to educate voters to more lasting effect about both American History and the political facades and their cynical handlers that have taken over Republican politics. The best link here is to the Dick Cheney behind the George Bush. The analogy isn't strict of course, but the dynamic needs to branded upon the Republicans for the voter, and that is the most hideously visible form of it. She is more of the same again: who's the Dick Cheney behind her?

Combine the focus with the occasion of her first big splash - the speech she READ, but didn't WRITE. Not her words then and not her words now. And where did she get those words? O boy. Someone into Westbrook Pegler - the ideology behind her scences. Most would agree it is a despicable and un-American ideology when it is fully exposed to daylight. Either she is brainlessly in service to these sinister shadows, or she is herself unfit for public life.

The Kennedys are really coming through this time. Lets hope the Clintons will give their all too here. There is a Republic to be saved.