Wow

by: Matt Stoller

Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 13:50


From Laura McGann, who is in Alaska talking to the Wasilla City Clerk.

I told her I appreciated her help, since I'm sure she's been bombarded with requests these last few weeks. The clerk's office keeps all City Council meeting agendas, minutes, legislation, ordinances, etc. She chuckled. Then she told me that I'm the first person who has asked her office for anything.
Matt Stoller :: Wow

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Wow | 22 comments
He wanted Lieberman (4.00 / 6)
The fundies wouldn't accept Ridge. McCain saw Barack on Thursday night and knew Pawlenty or Romney wouldn't cut it so he gambled on the spur of the moment with Palin. Seems pretty obvious to me.
Hilarious (4.00 / 1)
John McCain has managed to make Dan Quayle look like an excellent Second-in-Command.  

Former Edwards Supporter, Obama Supporter since January 30, 2008
[ Parent ]
Dead right (4.00 / 3)
I think his instincts were that he needed Lieberman.    

I think he knew he was in more trouble that the surface polling showed.

This pick says an enourmous amount about what the GOP leadership thinks about the state of this race.  

[ Parent ]
Would Joementum have actually helped him? (0.00 / 0)
Remember that recent Mason-Dixon FL poll that showed Lieberman as the only VP (out of those asked) who was noticeably hurting McCain's numbers there?
[ Parent ]
A number of my more moderate friends (0.00 / 0)
mentioned stuff along the lines of actually being excited by a Lieberman pick.  So my anecodotal evidence from personal life indicates that it would hurt him with conservatives and help him with independents.
[ Parent ]
Wait a Minute... (0.00 / 0)
So basically, John McCain and staff literally just went:

- Conservative

- Evangelical

- Woman

- Unexpected

and then just picked whoever met those criteria? Without even looking up their political past? What, did they stop vetting after they found out she wasn't a registered sex offender?

Former Edwards Supporter, Obama Supporter since January 30, 2008

They didn't check anything, including asking the clerk a question... (0.00 / 0)
Or whether she was a strong supporter of making Alaska a separate Country.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
It really is astonishing (0.00 / 0)
that McCain would just ignore all the lessons of the last forty years and ignore the need to vet the candidate. Really, it does seem that McCain is the man Bush was pretending to be, as digby said.

Or maybe he is just a man of the early-to-middle 20th century.



New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.

It's sad (4.00 / 2)
This is an indictment of the McCain campaign and the Republican hierarchy as it reveals that neither took even the minimum steps to vet the candidate who would be one heartbeat away from a presidency of the oldest man ever to take the office.

But I expect that level of inattention from Republicans.

What's even worse is, we have known McCain's choice of Palin since Friday, and over four-plus days, no journalist has darkened the doorway of the city clerk's office that is the foundation of the argument, proffered by the McCain campaign, the GOP, their surrogates and nominee herself, that Sarah Palin has valid experience.

Our lapdog media again underwhelms.

word! (4.00 / 1)
I love that the NYTimes has been running a big "was Palin vetted enough" story, and yet according to this report the NYTimes hasn't even contacted the city clerk up there. Hello?

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
[ Parent ]
Who needs to vet? (0.00 / 0)
Clearly McCain has no plans to include Palin in the process of governing. Except maybe to select fundie judges.

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
it keeps getting worse/better (0.00 / 0)
So now not only do we have an example of McCain's incompetence and irresponsibility, but we have caught him lying to cover up that incompetence and irresponsibility?

Sounds like Bush 43 to me.

The truth about Saxby Chambliss

CNP picked Palin (0.00 / 0)
Good read from Alternet
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/...

The members of the Council for National Policy are the hidden hand behind McCain's Palin pick. With her selection, the Republican nominee is suddenly -- and unexpectedly -- assured of the support of a movement that once opposed his candidacy with all its might. Case in point: while Dobson once said he could "never" vote for McCain, he issued a statement last week hailing Palin as an "outstanding" choice. If Dobson's enthusiasm for Palin is any indication, he may soon emerge from his bunker in Colorado Springs to endorse McCain, providing the Republican nominee with the support of the Christian right's single most influential figure.

McCain folded.  What a clusterf*ck.

This secessionist stuff (0.00 / 0)
is a BIG deal! McCain's base, the nutwad fundie right, are also THE "my country wrong or right" crew! Amerika uber alles.

A knocked up 17 year old, that's old news, most of these fanatics have to deal with this problem sooner or later. Plus, remember, Obama's mama was also a knocked up 17 year old with a black African boyfriend.

The left needs to be careful about personal attacks, or attacks on family. Barbie's family are well within the norm of the GOP base whether in lack of educational activities, number of children or NRA and moose stew values. However, the Alaskan Independence Party thing is a Godsend for the Dems. It's gonna be really hard to stress patriotism when your vp is a secessionist.

"I never supported succession" (0.00 / 0)
"but I listened to those that did, because they seemed to feel, as I do, that America has been drifting for too long from its core Judeo-Christian values. I wanted to hear their ideas, ideas that come from the people not Washington, about how we could put America back on track."

American's love succession talk when they have a gripe with the Federal government. This is easy as cake for them to spin successfully.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare

[ Parent ]
Fine, let them spin it on TV during interviews (4.00 / 1)


"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."
[ Parent ]
Then why are they trying to distance her? (4.00 / 1)
Their two main attacks on Obama have been insufficiently experienced/ready, insufficiently patriotic.  Palin helps on both of those.  Less experienced, and she supported secessionists.  

Saxby Chambliss  
[ Parent ]
I think not (4.00 / 1)
Americans don't love seccession talk: it was the cause of one of the bloodiest wars in our history. Putting American back on track by breaking it apart is looney and is easy to call out as such.

Also, here's a choice quote which pretty much destroys any kind of pandering I-wanted-non-DC crap excuse she can make: "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

She can't get out of it that easily.

[ Parent ]
The purest awesome (0.00 / 0)
The AIP FAQ is hilarious.


Q: What will happen to major U.S. stores such as Sears, Safeway, and McDonald's?

A: Any company which found it profitable to sell in Alaska would remain. Without the constraints of the deteriorating U.S. economy, and with the enormous wealth of Alaska, international as well as local companies will prosper.


[ Parent ]
This may confirm the rumor (4.00 / 2)
that Sarah is Michael Palin's sister.

Evidence: they both have a firm grip on the concept of absurdist farce.

"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

Palin was used and disrespected by McCain and his campaign (4.00 / 1)
Keep the hammer down on McCain, but this is looking more and more like a fatal mistake for his campaign. So, at this point, just as Paul Rosenberg strongly suggested a couple of days ago, keep the light on John McCain's lack of decision making skills and judgment, not on Palin as the sideshow she has become providing fodder against McCain's campaign.

I'll tell you why I think that has become even more important than ever now. As much as I want McCain to lose I'm feeling down right sad for Palin, and Palin's family. So just think how some of those who might have a leaning towards McCain might be feeling or thinking.

She'll survive this and come out of it all right after it's over. But think about it, people in the highest floors of the US government used this person without regard to what it might do to her and to her family. She was, of course, lured by power to take up the offer, but on the other hand she was given short notice to either take or turn down a hugely life changing opportunity. Tough spot to be in for anyone.

when I was there Friday... (4.00 / 1)
I'm glad I didn't ask for anything when I was in the Wasilla City Hall on Friday, otherwise this story might not have legs (unless the clerk had mentioned to me, too, that I was the first).

Some part of me wishes I did more oppo research on Friday when I was the only "reporter" in Wasilla, but with everything that's happened, it's hard to be disappointed.  I haven't even bothered posting a longer piece about her support of exurban sprawl in Wasilla because I think I'd be detracting from the coverage she's already getting, but this is certainly an issue that needs to get covered at some point in the next 60 days.

end the occupation of Iraq

Wow | 22 comments
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