It never ceases to amaze me how Obama supporters focus on what they call Palin’s lack of credentials for the number two spot, when Obama’s lack of credentials for the number one spot are much, much more troublesome. Palin governed an entire state, fought corruption, and got a 9 billion dollar energy pipeline project in the works. Obama spent TWENTY YEARS … yes, that’s TWENTY YEARS, as a follower of Jeremiah Wright’s racist, anti-American, Black Liberation Theology church. As a community organizer, Obama registered thousands of new voters, then used technicalities to rob his political opponents of their place on the ticket and robbed those same voters he registered, of their chance to vote, when he ran for election. Then, as a U.S. Senator of Illinois, Obama spent the first two years voting present 160 times, and never calling a meeting of the Afghanistan committee he chaired. Obama spent the next year, once again on the campaign trail running for President. Obama’s foreign policy experience consists of a 9 day whirlwind photo op visiting 6 countries. Since Obama has such a thin resume to run on, he has spent most of his campaign apologizing for America, blaming everyone else for a litany of problems, and calling his opponents racists. If it wasn’t for Obama getting 96% of the black vote, the mainstream media, who is totally in the tank for him, plus support from a bunch of spoiled elitist celebrities, plus Obama’s ability to dramatically outspend both Hillary and McCain, he wouldn’t be able to get elected to dog catcher.

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BTW the rail connecting to the town where Steven’s has a house is also used for tourism, that’s ski country.

Here’s a couple of interesting, old articles:

Editor’s note: Originally published 12/10/07)

The Palin administration, citing a need to improve the state’s credibility, plans to ask Alaska’s congressional delegation for far fewer earmarks in the coming year.

“We really want to skinny it down,” said Karen Rehfeld, Gov. Sarah Palin’s budget chief.

Rehfeld recently wrote a memo to all state commissioners telling them that to “enhance the state’s credibility,” federal earmark requests for money should be only for the most compelling needs.

They should have a strong national purpose, Rehfeld told the commissioners, not just to fill funding gaps in the state’s budget.
>snip<

A favorite target is the so-called “bridges to nowhere” for Ketchikan and Knik Arm, inserted by Alaska Rep. Don Young into the five-year transportation bill in 2005. Congress later stripped the earmarks directing that spending, but let Alaska keep the money to use on the bridges if it wanted. Palin, to the delight of budget watchdog groups, earlier this year abandoned the Ketchikan bridge and said the bridge money would be spent elsewhere.

Palin has said Alaska needs to change its national image, change that includes trying to become less dependent on the federal government.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/210308.html

Palin: Setting the earmarks opinion straight

Published Friday, August 29, 2008

Newspaper column by Gov. Sarah Palin, published March 5, 2008

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/29/palin-setting-earmarks-opinion-straight/

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(WP) Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.

There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project — all intended to benefit Palin’s town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.

In introducing Palin as his running mate on Friday, Sen. John McCain cast her as a compatriot in his battle against wasteful federal spending. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, hailed Palin as a politician “with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies — someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past, someone who’s stopped government from wasting taxpayers’ money.”

McCain’s crusade against earmarks — federal spending sought by members of Congress to benefit specific projects — has been a hallmark of his campaign. He has said earmarks are wasteful and are often inserted into bills with little oversight, sometimes by a single powerful lawmaker.

Palin has also railed against earmarks, touting her opposition to a $223 million bridge in the state as a prime credential for the vice presidential nomination. “As governor, I’ve stood up to the old politics-as-usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good-ol’-boy network,” she said Friday.

As mayor of Wasilla, however, Palin oversaw the hiring of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh, an Anchorage-based law firm with close ties to Alaska’s most senior Republicans: Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens, who was indicted in July on charges of accepting illegal gifts. The Wasilla account was handled by the former chief of staff to Stevens, Steven W. Silver, who is a partner in the firm.

Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996 on a campaign theme of “a time for change.” According to a review of congressional spending by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington, Wasilla did not receive any federal earmarks in the first few years of Palin’s tenure.

Senate records show that Silver’s firm began working for Palin in early 2000, just as federal money began flowing.

In fiscal 2000, Wasilla received a $1 million earmark, tucked into a transportation appropriations bill, for a rail and bus project in the town. And in the winter of 2000, Palin appeared before congressional appropriations committees to seek earmarks, according to a report in the Anchorage Daily News.

Palin and the Wasilla City Council increased Silver’s fee from $24,000 to $36,000 a year by 2001, Senate records show.

Soon after, the city benefited from additional earmarks: $500,000 for a mental health center, $500,000 for the purchase of federal land and $450,000 to rehabilitate an agricultural processing facility. Then there was the $15 million rail project, intended to connect Wasilla with the town of Girdwood, where Stevens has a house.

The Washington trip is now an annual event for Wasilla officials.

In fiscal year 2002, Wasilla took in $6.1 million in earmarks — about $1,000 in federal money for every resident. By contrast, Boise, Idaho — which has more than 190,000 residents — received $6.9 million in earmarks in fiscal 2008.

All told, Wasilla benefited from $26.9 million in earmarks in Palin’s final four years in office.
…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090103148_pf.html

So much for ‘standing up against government waste’.

Also, TPM tells us Steven W. Silver is an Abramoff associate.

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[...] Like I said, “Real Hope & Real Change.” [...]

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James Manning,

McCain is at the top of the ticket, HE is running against Obama. Democrats re-elect Robert Byrd time and time again yet the party of Robert Byrd is trying to portray John McCain as having one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. It’s McCain vs Obama, Palin vs Biden, that’s the way the debates will go. If elected, he goes to the WH, she goes to the Naval Conservatory. She is not up against Obama, McCain is.

Of course Obama’s handlers would rather play the Obama vs Palin game because they are trying to hide the obvious fact that Obama is a light weight compared to McCain. They know Palin has more executive experience and spunk than Obama will ever know but they want to put a negative spin on it. Would be fun watching her debate the messiah on energy though.

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I think you’ve raised some excellent points james manning…

however.. I’m no McCain fan and I do like Palin even with her faults….
The leftards hate her so that is a big plus in my book… the more they squeal the more I like it…

I really believe in the long run she will be an asset…
The one conservative woman I know is very excited by Palin… and she is much more intelligent than I am..

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the dems are scared of a strong woman who threatens their manhood because she is a far better hunter/gatherer that they are. she has made tough choices while in office and has stuck by those choices and has got awesome ratings in her state. they are scared for sure.

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Im ‘befuddled,’ too:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2944356420080901

Plus, it’s not just the democrats that are calling it “wreckless”, a “gamble”. Listen, after the 5 minute mark, to Tucker Carlson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV7tW5pkwlA&eurl=http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

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Experience may now be off the table, but judgement and character just replaced it.

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