Palin and experience (less genius, more common sense).

It's ironic that the same people mocking Palin for her inexperience are championing the same experts to get our economy out of the position that they put themselves in.

We need a little less genius and a little more common sense.

Don't get me wrong, if she supports this mess then I am done with her as a VP candidate, but if anyone should be attuned to the Main Street aversion to bailing out Wall Street it should be her.

Unfortunately, I think McCain might muzzle what would be her natural position.

Liberals and Wall Street

Let's be clear.  This financial crisis was created because the liberals (and Bush) liked the idea of the poor being able to buy houses, and Wall Street figured out a way to profit of the idiocity of the whole concept until the whole ponzi scheme went bust.

I think there will be an inevitable push against deregulation, but deregulation wasn't the problem.  The problem was the expectation that the government would be there to bailout the companies, since they were the ones pushing for an "ownership society" anyway.  Well it looks like they were right...

I blame HGTV and their endless run of "house flipping" shows.  In a few years we went from a country where the middle class was happy to have 3 bedrooms to a country where they were putting in granite counters in the ghettos.

Government paychecks for a government bailout

Every single person working for AIG right now should have his paycheck cut to a reasonable government salary.

If we go ahead with this bailout of Wall Street, it should be on the condition that any company we (the government) buy toxic debt from should have to cut salaries by half (at least).

My vote is officially up for grabs again, and goes to the first candidate to take a stand against the bailout of the corrupt and incompetent.

Update

No I didn't burn out... I am on 12 hour shifts for an exercise at work.

Obama still scares me.

I am still voting for Palin.

Seriously, how cool is Todd Palin?

Ask yourself this one question?

When a crisis hits, who would you rather be at the helm?  Obama or McCain?  Obama or Palin?

If you answered Obama for either one of those questions, you are seriously deluded. then I disagree.

Don't even talk about experience.  If you really cared about experience, you would of voted for Hillary, since she had the benefit of President Clinton as an advisor.

UPDATE: ms-teacher made me feel guilty.  There are valid reasons why someone would vote for Obama.

Obama reminds me of my kids...

When I first heard about Obama's "pig in lipstick" comment, I thought... no, he ain't that dumb.  Then I found out that he followed it up with an "old pig" joke.

He knew what he was doing.  He was doing what my kids do.  Insulting someone with an innocent look, and them feigning ignorance.

I am calling Obama a liar.  He knew.  He meant it.  

Kudo's to you Obama... now you get to say "burn".

Have you noticed...

Have you noticed the media smears and non-stories written against Sarah Palin are having a shorter and shorter lifespan.

Now, Obama's "lipstick on a pig" smear is lasting.  A smear only lasts as long as the public want's it to.

Hollis French claimed 5x the per diem of Sarah Palin

Thanks to Governor Palin, the state of Alaska publishes it's "checkbook" online for public viewing.

I decided to go and compare Sarah Palin's "per diem" payments to those of State Senator Hollis French, the democrat leading the "troopergate" investigation.

According to the detailed report of expenses for the dates 1 July 07 to 30 Jun 08, Governor Palin was paid a total of $5,212.91. In the same time period, Hollis French was paid per diem of $25,009.12.

This seems pretty extravagant, especially when you consider that Senator French lives in Anchorage, where I imagine he does much of his work.  Just like Governor Palin.

Now this doesn't include individual payments of less than $1,000, but it's still pretty interesting.

Do you think the Washington Post would be interested... nahhhh of course not.

[UPDATE] - Hollis French collects per diem while in Juneau for legislative sessions, since he doesn't have a residence there.  Still, feel free to go to the links and do your own digging.

Hillary deserves props...

Hillary Clinton, who I am a big fan of, deserves kudos for not being driven into "gutter" campaigning.  She continues to talk about issues, and refuses to follow the Obama campaign into the mud.

I hope Hillary is around for a while.

Obama: "The American people aren't stupid."

Steve Benen over at the Washington Monthly thinks that Obama's like "They must think the American people are stupid" is a good campaign slogan.

I admit that I am not neutral, but I don't think the line works that well, at least for swing voters.

I am not sure what would work for him, but I don't think he can turn Palin into a weakness, best for him to pray that she flubs on her own (though I don't think it's likely).

Democratic candidates don't do well on attacks unless it is on issues of "corruption".

I think a good move would be to take a deep breath for a week or two, then announce some sort of major position in his administration for Hillary Clinton (who was my initial pick). It might be too late, but it's his best shot to shore up his support.

If he had picked Hillary as VP, he robbed McCain the impact of Palin and he would of cemented her base of women voters.

I think in the end, its these two decisions (Hillary and Palin) that will analyzed over and over. This is the year of women. Sort of ironic that the Republicans stole the thunder.

Sarah Palin and the inevitable "experience" question

I think the "experience" question is going to be the most difficult question to answer during Sarah Palin interviews. Sooner or later the "executive experience" answer will get old.  

As a Palin supporter (and one who totally thinks the left and right have the completely wrong impression of her), I would like to see her answer the "experience" question something along the lines of this.  

If by experience do you mean do I know how things are done in Washington, then by that definition, I don't have it, but I am not going to Washington to do things the same old way it's been done for years. But I do have experience in harnessing the best and the brightest of all parties and working across the isle to accomplish things that benefit the people of Alaska. As VP, I will use this experience to work across the isle and help John McCain develop realistic and workable solutions to the problems of energy and the economy.

Pretty balanced article on Governor Palin - by those who know her best

Palin's leadership: Opinion adn.com

The Anchorage Daily News has an op-ed piece up about Governor Palin.

It's definitely no puff piece, but there are some key points they mention that the media and the left aren't aware of.

Palin is the only major political figure in the past 20 years who regularly comes to Daily News editorial board meetings by herself, with no flunkies or handlers.

...

Palin dislikes the give-and-take that usually helps smooth the way for political decisions. She states her case and expects legislators to base their actions on the merits of the issue.

...

One of Gov. Palin's great strengths as a reformer also has a downside. She has a fervent sense of what's right and what's wrong and has little concern for political consequences. This fearless sense of righteousness has generally served her well -- as when she went after Alaska's arrogant and corrupt Republican political establishment.

...

One big surprise about Palin's term as governor: She has been thoroughly bipartisan. Her most reliable supporters on her big three accomplishments have been Democrats. The partisan side that Palin showed in her acceptance speech Thursday is something Alaskans haven't seen in her time as governor.

Republican talking heads are idiots

It is so annoying to see all these Republican talking heads do such a crappy job of articulating Governor Palin's true views on issues.

At least three times this morning I have heard accusations from the left wing about Sarah Palin's views on sex education and creationism.

These are smart people, supposedly, so you would think they would be prepared for the untruths from the left.

Sarah Palin is not against teaching about the use of birth control in schools.

Sarah Palin has not pushed for the teaching of creationism in schools.

[UPDATE] They are less idiotic than the Democratic talking heads, but that is no excuse for not do a little background prep.

This is mandatory reading.  Palin Rumors

Janet Napolitano says "Commander of the National Guard" is "big responsibility."

I was watching a Charlie Rose interview with Governors Palin and Napolitano, and get this... Governor Napolitano is the one that brings up the significance of being a Commander of the National Guard.  She says "It's a big responsibility."

See the link below at approximately 11:20 into the interview.

http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/10/12/2/a-conversation-with-governors-janet-napolitano-sarah-palin

Left wing nuts provide hours of entertainment

They are desperate... all sorts of rumors flying about affairs, racial comments, etc...

I am thinking of registering at the Daily Kos and at Demographic Underground and adding some extra rumors.  The more they chase these smears, the more unhinged the appear.  It's like watching rats gnaw at their own tails.

What no one mentions about Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin meets and greets returning troops at the airport, at Elmendorf AFB, and at Fort Richardson whenever they arrive.  She has shown up at 2am just to say "welcome home".  This isn't a publicity stunt.  She does it because she cares.

Alaska and Pork Barrel spending

I have read about a lot of accusations about Alaska being a welfare state, and how it takes a lot of federal funds.Publish Post

What people fail to note, is that Alaska provides a significant amount of energy and raw materials to the rest of the United States.  Alaskans provide food, wood, minerals, gold, oil, and soon natural gas.  They do it in extreme weather conditions.  The economic benefit of all this far and away out weighs any Federal funding that is provided.  Federal funding helps fund the roads and infastructure that America requires for economic growth.

If anything, Alaska is ripped off in the deal.  Thank god that Sarah Palin at least struck a deal to keep a small part of it in Alaska.

More Governor Sarah Palin on education

I am completely remiss.  I should of pointed out Christina Samuels rebuttal of the false claims of Sarah Palin cutting money from special needs.

Gov. Palin's Budget for Special Education

The difference in funding, however, is because the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy moved to a budget line item of its own. In the fiscal 2009 budget, you can see that the academy alone has a budget of $6,082,100. When you add that to the $3,156,000 that is being spent on all the other projects, it adds up to $9,238,100--an approximately 12 percent INCREASE in spending on all those particular programs, put together, since fiscal 2007.

It should also be noted that Alaska spends far more on education than just these few programs indicate. Education is typically one of the biggest parts of any state's budget, and in Alaska lawmakers plan to spend about $1.2 billion for fiscal 2009.

Edweek also has a few more Sarah Palin related articles up.

Palin Has Not Pushed Creation Science as Governor

When asked during a televised debate in 2006 about evolution and creationism, Palin said, according to the Anchorage Daily News: "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."

In a subsequent interview with the Daily News, Palin said discussion of alternative views on the origins of life should be allowed in Alaska classrooms. "I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum," she said.

VP Choice Backed School Funding Overhaul

Alaska has one of the nation’s most unusual performance-incentive programs, which rewards school employees with payments for gains in student achievement. The state-run program is distinct in that it includes many different kinds of employees, from administrators and teachers to custodians and secretaries, offering them payments for increased student performance at their school.

and

Members of education organizations in Alaska generally spoke favorably about Ms. Palin’s record on school issues since she took office in January of 2007. The governor has become a popular figure among the 13,000 members of the Alaska National Education Association, said Barbara Angaiak, president of the state affiliate of the National Education Association.

The union official credited Ms. Palin for having backed a legislative proposal, which became law this year, that overhauled the state’s school funding system. That plan brought more money to the state’s many rural and remote school districts and raised spending for students with special needs. ("Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding," April 30, 2008.)

www.hotgovernor.com

I own the website hotgovernor.com (nothing but a holding page right now).  I thought about selling it and donating the money to the McCain campaign, but I am afraid whoever bought it would use it for nefarious means.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

Snowmachine vs snowmobile

Alaska calls them snowmachines.  The rest of the U.S., uses the word snowmobile.

I predict a drastic shift in word usage thanks to Todd Palin.

Secret service dreads Alaska

Do you think the secret service is having nightmares about trying to guard Sarah Palin while she is hunting in the middle of an Alaskan winter?

Just a thought?