Palin Loses the War

Sarah Palin just suffered a massive defeat. For the first time in Alaska history, an appointed attorney general has been rejected. With a bipartisan vote of 35 NOs to 23 YEAs, the Alaska joint House and Senate voted down W.A.R. (Wayne Anthony Ross).

Palin is not a graceful loser. Think lumberjacks performing Swan Lake.

When an legislative aide made copies of an Anchorage Daily News article last week that reported the governor would be going to Indiana to give a speech at an anti-choice event during the last week of the session, the governor personally confronted and scolded him. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted her for leaving Juneau at such a critical time. Stimulus money, the budget, critical bills, legislation the governor herself was pushing, as well as the confirmation vote on her appointment of W.A.R. for attorney general were on the table this week.

The response from Palin's chief of staff, Mike Nizich, was patronizing at best. "During the final week of session, legislators rarely want governors around stirring things up. We did not anticipate that the governor's political opponents would want their hands held in the final hours of the session."

A little "hand holding", also known as lobbying, may have resulted in the confirmation of her Attorney General pick. Instead, the governor chose to travel 6,000 miles to give a 5-10 minute guest appearance at a Right to Life (Denial of Choice) fundraiser in Indiana. She put her own political agenda and ambition in front of the needs of Alaskans.

The AG vacancy occurred due to the Troopergate scandal. Because of many questionable acts by then Attorney General Talis Colberg, including questionable legal advice, the Senate voted 16 to 1 on Senate Resolution 10. It found Todd Palin and the governor's aides in contempt of the Senate for ignoring the Branchflower subpoenas. Colberg resigned the next working day.

When Palin appointed Wayne Anthony Ross, I was stunned -- I knew his reputation. I've been cut off in traffic by his big red Hummer with the W.A.R. license plate. I knew he ran for governor 10 years ago as the Alaska Independence Party candidate. I knew of his pro bono work for a criminal defendant who had physically attacked peaceful war protesters-shockingly described today by Senator Fred Dyson as Ross's pro bono defense of free speech. I knew of his NRA and gun fetish. However, I didn't know half of the reasons that led to his rejection today.

I started writing about it, and the emails came pouring in. One was from a woman named Leah Burton. I encouraged her to write down the abusive drivel she had witnessed W.A.R. publicly deliver at a DADs (Dads Against Discrimination) meeting. She was brave and testified at W.A.R.'s confirmation hearing. She told the truth. She was not alone.

The Alaska Native Federation weighed in with a resounding NO. The LGBT community said NO. Women's advocacy groups said NO. Child protective agencies said NO. Alaskans who DON'T want to secede from the Union said NO. Citizens for First Amendment Rights said NO.

35 out of 58 present members of the Alaska Legislature-Republicans and Democrats-said NO.

Palin's long distance response to the vote punctuated her out of touch status. "I believed I knew what Alaskans wanted when I selected an individual who is a strong backer of 2nd Amendment rights, a staunch supporter of the state Constitution and a defender of life," Governor Palin said.

It should be noted to the governor there are more amendments to be protected than just the 2nd. It is inferred at least one amendment comes before. It's no accident The Right to Free Speech is the 1st amendment. It is perhaps the cornerstone of all others. As far as "defender of life" goes, consider yourself fortunate that W.A.R. will now never be in a position of legal authority to provide council to the governor in the event Alaska adopts the death penalty. They both support retroactive abortion.

The past month has been one drama after another; a series of erratic, high school mean-girl antics. Palin's blatant appointments of unqualified candidates to replace the Juneau Senate seat vacated by Democrat Kim Elton have resulted in an empty seat-no representation for the deserved citizens of Juneau.

As I predicted last fall, the political shrapnel was widespread because of the "Truthiness Seminars" held almost daily by the McCain-Palin campaign. Every former political ally of the governors was thrown under the Hate Talk Express. After the election, Sarah came home to the Alaska she had divided and damaged with her unholy quest for the White House.

The most popular governor in the country last August was Sarah Palin. After the rejection of W.A.R., the Palin Express Bus has no more wheels. None of us will be safe until that bus is in Wasilla, parked in front of Palin's home, resting on concrete cinder blocks, covered in a Blue tarp.

I've said that the governor's political ambition combined with her intellect is like a jet engine on a golf cart.

Today, the legislature managed to find the brakes.

Comments

[Cye]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Palin is quite simply a lazy politician. She wants the profile and the power, but she wants it handed to her. None of this pesky lobbying, researching issues, informing yourself or actually paying attention to what the electorate needs. In short, she wants to do exactly none of the work required of her to earn her stripes. This accounts for her astonishing disconnect with realty and her constant indignance when things don't go her way.

[alaskacat]

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/SearchResults.asp?vendor=wss&qu=palin+interviews

Listen to Palin on this interview about WAR. OMG.

[beauregard62]

Would have given anything to be a fly on the wall...when Palin got the news. NO MORE W.A.R.........
Looks like her political clout in AK is waning. HOORAY!!

[Cat401]

WOW....Love your article. Please keep us posted on this Governer which I knew wasn't turn out to be a good VP.

Thanks

[LMPE]

If Sarah Palin's ethical problems continue as they have...she'll be the PERFECT Republican candidate in 2012!

[kingmiller]

Nice piece. I'm kinda into a girl from Homer. Sorta like the farthest northern sentient being. As for Sarah, well we can all see this is going to play into a Fox News Channel program that she'll host in late 2012 (if she plays her cards right). Obviously, this is far as the woman can go -- for chrissake my own dear high school educated mum is smarter than Palin. Let's all watch (just like a car crash, it's gruesome, yet informative). BTW Girls from Homer know of what they speaks, boyos!

[Citizen-Jane]

I too liked the lines a jet engine on a golf cart and Denial of Choice. Palin is long past the state of Alaska. Her ambitions lie in 2012 where she hopes to bash Obama for his terrorist ties with Bill Ayres all the while holding the hand or her "ex" secessionist husband.

[realpolitic]

Sarh Palin is very charismatic and strikingly attractive. She gives a good speech and excites the base. But the base is not large enough to win a national election. Many independents fear the choices she wants to eliminate for them. She knows little and likes it that way. I think inwardly, like many conservatives, she feels too much knowledge corrupts. She can never win national office with her fleeting familiarity with almost all isues of substance.

[Piatt]

The last polling I saw said that she was the favored 2012 nominee of 29% of Republican voters. Less than a third of less than a quarter of the electorate doesn't add up to much.

[Liberal2]

Duh. And what was Obama polling in 2007???

[mydwyf]

There was a big conference on sexual violence in Alaska held in Anchorage this week.
If Miss Sarah simply had to travel away from Juneau and show her face elsewhere,
THAT conference is where she should have been.

[PatricefromNH]

2 great lines...I laughed about the jet engine on a golf cart!! I also appreciated how you called the Right to Life, The Denial of Choice...why doesn't everyone do that? Framing the difference as Denial of Choice strikes me as starker in contrast, richer in nuance, history and depth and certainly carries a lot more weight than Right to Choose.

[greymom]

You are very right. Whenever someone refers to "right to life" I will say "you mean, denial of choice." It is kind of like calling inheritance tax the "death tax" or global warming "climate change."

[JohnSkookum]

It is kind of like calling inheritance tax the "death tax" or global warming "climate change."

-----

You do realize that the "climate change" terminology was not invented by global warming skeptics, but rather by the true believers on the Left who are using the issue as a hobby horse? That way, whether temperatures go up or (as they have been doing lately) down, they can use it as a club to beat long held liberties and gobs of tax money out of the public's hide.

[CanadianforObama]

I also like the reference to Palin's "erratic, high school mean-girl antics." That's the lens I've seen her through from her speech at the Republican convention on.

[jcwtts1]

Sarah Palin has the worst advisers in the history of the free world. It is almost impossible to maintain a national presence from Alaska. The distance from the rest of the country, the local issues that may be at odd with the lower 48 all combine to make holding a national presence very very difficult. So why try. She had the religious right sown up. All she had to do was go home, keep her mouth shut, run to the center on most issues, go through an intensive 6 year foreign policy course, govern well, repair the damage in Alaska, win re-election in a landslide, then in year 6 beat the dem who beat Stevens. She would have run as a popular well respected gov and been in the senate for about 6 months before she announced. She would have been in a much stronger position than she could ever be in now. It would be a fund raising war but she could win it. And then run against the dems, talk about Obama fatigue etc and have a shot at the white house. Now, her national political career is over.

J

[JohnSkookum]

Because she lost one AG appointment her career is over? Rubbish. The rest of your analysis makes sense and I devoutly hope it comes to pass.

[floridafun]

she lost ONE? check again. wasnt this was steeerike three on her ag choices being declined?

[Shannyn Moore - Huffpost Blogger]

The AG appointment defeat was the largest political loss in State history, short of an election. She also lost her appointment to the Fisheries Board the same day...kind of a big deal here. She has appointed 3 people to the State Senate seat and has had all three defeated for VERY good reasons - like, they aren't democrats and it's a dem seat. She has until tomorrow to fill that seat with an acceptable candidate or she is breaking the law.

[naughtymonkey]

A golf cart with jet engines--priceless!
But maybe it's more like a stink fan on the back of a bedside commode on wheels!!

[Articulator]

Rush and Sarah in 2012!

[Weirdwriter]

Yes, oh, please! Then maybe after they've lost they can retire to host a reality show together.

[othorp]

Bravo Shannyn!!

Now maybe Alaska can send Palin toTexas and she can secede with Gov. Perry and let everyone get a rest from her 3rd grade rhetoric.

[jdfast]

Todd would fit in very well in Texas also.

[emariejon]

Jet engine on a gold cart.....Priceless!