i have no words ...

ok, so i have a few ... we now know someone who needs to stay home and change diapers.



a little black comedy amidst our economic reality.

but really, girlfriend? you were surprised by the ... um ... mocking? really?

i mean, the amount of ego, hubris, ignorance and brazen opportunism this woman must possess to think she didn't need to blink before introducing herself on the world stage ... well, like i've said before, it must rival or surpass george shrub.

my long, breathless case against sarah palin

The following are just a FEW of my objections to Sarah Palin as nominee for VP:

• Knowing where to drill for oil and gas and being able to view Russia are not the baseline requirements for foreign policy competence and diplomacy.

But, a brain is.

Seriously ... is that all you got, girlfriend [obviously, not the brain part]? But hey, your "knowledge"--such that it is--might be good enough for a cushy cabinet post!

• However, thinking one should never blink before going to war--with Russia, no less--IS a foreign policy ANTI-requisite. Come on lady, war is not one of your son's hockey games! In the words of Therese Heinz-Kerry [2004], perhaps this little lady may be a bit “fazed by complexity.”

And she seems to have more than a little of George Bush's hyper-charged certainty. I don’t know about you, but THAT doesn’t make me feel safer. And sure, let’s just add a few more conflicts to our federal deficit! Let's prop up China's economy even more [cause that's where we're borrowing to pay for the war in Iraq], watch the dollar burst into flames and really break the backs of our children and our children’s children! Or let's watch what's happened to 3 of 5 of our most venerable financial institutions happen to our gov't!!! I'm sure those white supremist groups holed up in Montana would say, Yayyy!

Achem ...

Sorry.

Kinda went off the rails there ... mixing flames, broken back metaphors w/ white supremists. I'm a little worked up over this stuff in case you couldn't tell.

Whew, so, moving on ...

• Building a tax surplus in a state with low populations and large oil and gas revenues does not require the intellect of a brain surgeon. 85% of the state's budget comes from those oil/gas revenues. And what has the price of oil been doing lately? Right! Going up! In fact, Exxon-Mobil, BP et al. have been at record highs during the Palin administration, right? So guess what, Alaska's coffers have increased 66% from the prior administration. Did that have anything to do with Palin? No. Alaska's unique in that their budget has less to do w/ the state govt than the price of oil. But in Palin's meager defense, she did give taxpayers quite a chunk of change--$1200/every man woman and child in the state. You can do that when you're oil rich.

So maybe she has high approval ratings in her state, but how hard was that to accomplish in a mostly white, "conservative" [whatever that means anymore], evangelical population that got an extra $1200+ in their pockets? What's not to like?

But does anyone really think she has anything to contribute to reducing a $10 Trillion [now, possibly $11 trillion] debt in a $14 Trillion economy [or dealing w/ the worst Financial crisis in our economy since the Great Depression]? You think she can fix that by working to cut taxes? Of course, I’m speaking in the ghastly case of a Palin-McCain administration. Or worse, a Palin administration. Not only that, she has a history of secretiveness and NOT reaching across the aisle. But we'll get back to that later.

And trust me, if I can get this, that means it's not rocket science.

• Views the war in Iraq as a “task” sent from God. And don’t give me that horse sh*t about Lincoln. I saw the video! She was not up on the pulpit giving a civics lesson on the Gettysberg address! Nor was she suddenly struck by the spirit of Lincoln.

Her handlers forsaw that question hurtling toward them like a meteor. She was clearly rehearsed, and only the far right could convince themselves that part of Gibson's interview was anything but ridiculous. Also, tells you what the campaign thinks about what the American people will swallow.

• And note this comment from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:
  
  "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 pubic premises before the snow flies."

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

• Comes from a fire and brimstone brand of belief that, not infrequently, likes to flirt a little with anti-Semitism.

And I've been to Assembly of God churches on a half-dozen occasions. That was quite enough, thank you. I know very well what they're about. I had two women fall on the floor speaking in tongues right next to me.

Not only that, Palin is seen on video from this past June giving praise to Pastor Muthee. The guy who laid hands on her and "made" her "a way" to become Alaska's Governor. Ok. So, that's a little freaky for me, but it gets a lot freakier. Seems this pastor Muthee is a confirmed witch hunter [as in, actual witches] and was praised by other senior members of Palin's church for abolishing crime and closing down bars one day because he deposed said witches and demons during a revival in a Kenyan town. Could the non-existent crime rate that day have something to do with--oh, say--everyone in the village being at the revival/exorcism---just maybe?

[UPDATE 9/27: careful what you pray for ... seems "making a way" can mean becoming a nail in the wheels of the "No Talk Express."]

Oh, and apparently, she and her congregation think Alaska's gonna be the place to go at the end of days.

Just imagine if all this stuff had been connected to Obama. He'd never survive till morning.

So ... um ... what century are we in? Are you effing kidding me? And yup, I did it. I criticized her religion and her pastor. Her's makes his look like freakin' Troy Donohue.

• Has disdain for ideas that don’t serve her unscientific, supernatural worldview; which is fine [not really, but that's just my opinion]. But she seems inclined to inject religious belief into her policy. [i.e. teaching intelligent design/creationism as a legitimate science, desire to ban books in her public library] so I'm doubtful about her capacity to honor the separation of church and state.

Who was it today that called her the equivalent of a flat earth society member?

• And while we're on the topic of the book-banning, let's be clear. She did not fervently pursue such efforts.

But note:

"While the purported list [of banned books circulating the internet] is bogus, we do know that something happened with regards to Palin and at least a question about book banning.

Time reported last week, for example, that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.

Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical." [CBS News]

• Moving on. About that bridge. Personally, I don’t care that she was for that bridge before she was against it. I think it’s legitimate for a politician to change their mind about public policy if, once in office, they come across perspective-altering information [we don't think that's quite what happened here, tho.].

However, I DO think it’s LYING if you get up in front of the American people and claim you said “Thanks, but no thanks” when you actually said “THANKS for the cash! NO, we won’t build that bridge with money you've already given us. BUT THANKS, we'll keep the change [$223 M].” Seems to me she doesn’t have a problem misrepresenting herself. Interesting, given her supposed religious values.

• Claimed that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got too large off of the backs of taxpayers. Hmmmm. Well, now they are! So she didn’t even have a basic understanding of how two of the most important institutions in the American economy function.
• Larry Persily
• So I don’t even NEED to argue about right-wing trigger issues like Choice [which I concede, over which reasonable people might differ ], humanity's influence on climate change, gun control, drilling, shooting wolves from helicoptors/airplanes or Troopergate and the abuse of power to consider her a looming catastrophe for our country.
• Oh, and did she really have the nerve to claim that Barack Obama was more concerned about terrorist’s rights than the safety of our country? Well, I guess she did. But, I thought ... hmmmm, Alaska's close to Russia ... maybe she thinks it's still the 80's [proof: big poofy hair] and that Alaska's part of the Soviet Union! Anyway, more fodder for my “complexity,” or lack thereof, argument.

So lets follow this a little more. First, off---dirty, dirty, dirty. Lie, lie and lie! Spin, spin and spin. Does she really think just because we state what a prisoner's been charged with they won’t be convicted at trial? Or that everyone rounded up in Guantanamo is guilty of whatever it is they’ve been blamed for? Forgive me, but the current administration has been caught in so many blunders and lies it’s hard to believe maybe they haven’t screwed a few things up here, too. Stating charges is really just a way of protecting anyone who’s innocent.

But great, just what we need. Another hardline, non-thinking, fascist member of the executive branch who has complete disdain for the Constitution. Either that, or they didn't get a copy in Alaska.

• And what is this bit about being against earmarks? Let's see, oh for instance, here:

So I think it's safe to say, first she was for it before she was against it. So, the b.s. about how she’s such a "we'll do it ourselves" kinda gal ... well, it’s self-serving horse poopy.

• She gave one good speech [over and over again on the stump] and truly, that’s it.
• And what is she so afraid of that she can’t take random questioning from the media? That is, if she’s ready for prime time, now.
• And my number one objection to Palin as the Republican VP pick—she could become President!

If there’s anyone who coalesces EVERY character flaw [maybe more] of the current administration, it’s absolutely Sarah Palin! And her running mate is a grumpy, 72-year old man in questionable health!

But don't fret, I don't only have bad things to say about her. After all she's a great cheerleader and does phenomenal introductions! The snarky Vanna White of politics, if you will. But being perky, cute and exciting on stage does not make one truthful or equipped to be a "grabber"--as my brother-in-law says--away from the most important position in the world.

And it's not lost on me that Obama's loudest detratctors would claim the same about him, but he's been vetted for the last 19 mos. and at least 1/2 the country is satisfied w/ his answers. Sarah, not so much.

Sorry, but I don’t think she deserves our faith in her judgment. And now I have absolutely no faith in John McCain choosing Country first before losing an election. Come on America, don’t we want to make a different choice this time? Don’t we want to choose intellect over bluster ... or idiocy? Don’t we want to hire a team who at least understands the concept of nuance? Important when considering getting out of Iraq properly and reigniting a wacked out economy? Don’t we want the good ol’ USA back in the black [ha! or at least no ballooning deficit--which McCain's plan would do] and leading the world economically, intellectually again? Don’t we? Because peeling away the layers and solving 8 years of screw ups and out-of-control SPENDING is gonna take at least a couple of minds capable of complex thought.

And that sure ain't the fading mind of McCain [who's clearly off kilter talking about the economy] or the simple mind of Sarah Palin [who we're not allowed to even hear from on the economy and the financial crisis. Where the hell is she?] So, lord knows those two won’t be pulling off any of those aforementioned minor miracles.

Not only that, she's the most appalling candidate to ever run for the executive branch in my life time ... only surpassed [by a hair] by David Duke. To quote my new favorite senator, Chris Dodd from our new home state of CT, "[Palin] is the choice of [James] Dobson, [Pat] Robertson and [Rush] Limbaugh. This is a real sop to the extreme conservative elements of the Republican Party."

Man, I love blue states!

Oh, and did I happen to mention, I can't stand Sarah Palin?