Update:
This post is seriously out of date and has been deleted.
It's the only post to date that I am embarrassed to have written.
Over the months of the 2008 presidential campaign, as the real NeoCon Sarah Palin emerged, as I heard her speak, as I saw her fan the flames of hatred, as I watched her pander to the lowest common denominator and the loonies and the mental defectives and the ignorant and the bigots and the paranoids, and as I saw how she behaved on the national stage, I altered my perception of her 180 degrees.
I wouldn't vote for Sarah Palin to be in charge of a salad fight, let alone in a position of political power. Today, as an Alaskan, as a decorated Veteran, as an American, I am truly glad this appalling woman is out of office - my opinion of her exit is here.
Jim Wright, Palmer, Alaska
Well, now I feel a little bad for my explosion of snark on my own blog. A little. Maybe Palin didn't deserve any, but McCain still does.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a well said blog-post!
ReplyDeleteOorah my Alaskan brother!
Damnit, Eric, I'm already behind today and now I have to immediately go read your blog - because even if it is snark, you make me laugh, and that's something I could use right now.
ReplyDeleteHowdy, Basil, thanks for coming by.
Wow Jim, thank you. That totally didn't go where I thought it would, & it was fascinating. I'm sending the link to a coworker who's a fellow Dem. He called me today, & w/ no hello, said 'Can you believe he picked a woman????' lololol He said a few times he hoped they'd find some dirt on her.
ReplyDeleteI'm pissed, but for a totally different reason. I'm also scared. It's brilliant & calculated, yes. Since Barack didn't pick Hillary, they hope to pick up the still crying Hillary women. I couldn't believe the # of women interviewed on the convention floor all week still whining that she wasn't the nom, & saying they don't think they'll vote @ all. As Hillary asked in her speech, did you do this for me, or did you do this for the country, for the party, etc.
When I started volunteering w/ the Obama campaign last Feb, I felt I could never vote for Hillary if she was the nominee - I disliked her & Bill that much. This was my first time being involved in politics/elections ever. I talked to people about it along the way, & came to realize how stupid that was. I had to vote for the party, & use my head, not my emotions. These Hillary women are still so emotional, it's scary. If Hillary was the Nom, I would be extremely disappointed, but I would vote for Hillary because I couldn't not vote, as that would be a vote for 4 more years of the country going down the shit hole.
So yeah, it's brilliant, but for different reasons on my end.
Some of my friends have asked me to write a post on Palin - and now I don't have to - I can just send them to yours. :) Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteWell, shucks.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteNot that it's ever going to happen, but I'd have the same response if someone tapped Rockefeller for something that would involve him leaving the Senate.
Not that I've ever met him, but I and everyone I know has oodles of respect for him, and--in a very different way--I think he does as much for WV as Byrd does.
It's always good to see those you admire do well, but you hate to see them abandon you, even if it is for better things.
However, regarding Palin, it still wouldn't convince me to vote for McCain, even if I wasn't all swoony over Obama. ;)
Well no, Michelle, I'm not planning on voting for McCain either.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the guy though I really have nothing in particular against him - or at least any more than any other career politician - and I like him better than some others I could name - but I increasingly dislike, intensely, the republican party. If we get McCain, we get them too.
And should McCain win - a distinct possibility, since the Democrats seem bound and determined to lose - well then I want the best McCain administration I can get, and I think Palin would go a long way towards increasing the sanity and common sense slice of the old pie chart in that case.
I think Palin finally is giving me some hope for 2008. I think that she is the breath of fresh air that the Republican Party needs. I wonder if Biden is going to be able to hold his own against her without resorting to negative, mudslinging. I bet she doesn't go there. She is too classy for that! Well done, Alaska! Sorry, but she is meant for great things and she will do you all proud, I am sure!
ReplyDeleteCheck your first linkback. You just got completely screen scraped and content-hijacked... sigh. And under a mis-spelled title at that! At least you were credited.
ReplyDeleteheh.
ReplyDeleteI just looked at the link that Jeri mentioned. Yeah, who IS Sarah PaUlin? Oh wait. Check this out...
http://favorite-free-knitting-patterns.com/data/html/books/27.cgi
I looked her up and she exists!
-bm
P.S. Seriously, thx for writing this post. It was a very interesting read.
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteI've lurked on your blog for some time after finding it from one of you comment over on Scalzi's blog, and this is my first comment here.
First, thank you for such an excellent and thoughtful post. It's good to have the take of someone who actually knows this woman, something those of us on the Lower 48 don't. As a Democrat and Obama supporter, I have to agree with you on one point: Sarah Palin sounds like an excellent Governor of Alaska. But is she ready to take her act to a national (and global) stage? From what I've read, in your post and elsewhere, I don't think so.
This quote form Governor Palin , which I've seen on various news sites, bothers me:
I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq.
This lack of focus, I think, extends to other areas as well, not just foreign policy. How much exposure has she had, for example, to issues affecting urban areas in the lower 48? I'm talking cities with populations many times the size of Alaska, living on a tiny fraction of the area. Alaska, as you point out, is a very small (as in sparsely populated) state, and one that is quite isolated from the rest of the country. She doesn't focus much on problems outside of Alaska, because she doesn't need to in order to function as Governor.
In a Republican administration, she might be a good pick for Secretary of the Interior. But to put her a heartbeat away from a 72-year-old President seems risky, at best.
As I said, she sounds like an excellent Governor of Alaska. I'm more than happy to grant you your "selfish" wish by having her continue in that office.
Jeri, yep I saw that yesterday. That link back appeared before the first comment. However, he properly credited me for it and provided a link back to here - so, I'm just fine with it, though I wish he'd fix the title. Additionally, if you look at who he is, well, I think he's a friend of a friend of the UCF, so, again, it's cool.
ReplyDeleteHugh57, you raise excellent points. Palin is inexperienced on the national level. And the issues she deals with here in Alaska are certainly far different that elsewhere in the lower 48. Your example of urban issues is a good point, we simply don't have that kind of problem here.
However, Palin is tough, smart, and a dammed fast learner. And frankly, if I have to have a McCain administration, well, I'd like to see as much overhaul of the current mess as possible. I think part of the problem with Bush's Administration is the sycophantic and incestuous group he has surrounded himself with. Some of those people, Rumsfeld and Cheney, for example have been around since long before Reagan, and so have many of the routine appointees at most of your three letter agencies - I know I used to work for one of them. If we get McCain, we're going to get a lot of these same people. Frankly, I think "experience" in this case is overrated - and may actually be a detriment (and we're back to Cheney, just saying) to the American people.
And that goes for McCain as well, he's been around a long time, and is an insider. Frankly, I think the best thing for us if we have to have McCain in the White House is a fresh perspective - and that's Palin.
Frankly, I think the best thing for us if we have to have McCain in the White House is a fresh perspective - and that's Palin.
ReplyDeletePerhaps. But I still think Interior Secretary would have been more her speed, and would have still given her a seat at the table at Cabinet meetings, where she could have as easily given her perspective, and learned more of others.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteBut, as I noted in the post, from where I sit here in Alaska, I think that certain powers have a compelling need to get her out of Governor's office. There are a number of things in play here, and some pretty strange power plays going on.
I doubt Palin would have given up the governorship for a cabinet position.
As I noted in the Michelle Obama post, one way or another when this race is over, we're going to have either the first African American president, or the first female Vice President. Either way, we win something.
Good post.
ReplyDeleteThe guy who copy/pasted has fixed the title, but the linkback hasn't changed to match, so now it leads to a "does not exist" page. It does exist though if you fix the spelling on "Palin."
Actually, I didn't have to write an analysis on this one - Bryan did. As a lawyer and reluctant occasional lobbyist, he's a much better political analyst anyway. He keeps his ear much more attuned to Alaskan politics, even if he does lean further right than me. His post is here.
ReplyDeleteWant to echo the thanks for educating those of us in the lower 48. I am not quite as appalled as I was last night.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can sympathize - I was dead scared that Obama might have picked my beloved Janet Napolitano for VP, leaving Arizona with the disastrous Jan Brewer as temporary Governor.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know that my parents stopped by after the game, and my mom started quoting the MoveOn.org line about Palin, and I was able to mention you and your knowledge and that what she (my mother) was saying, was wrong.
She pretty much stormed out in a huff.
Thanks Jim!
If you don't want to swear, then write something else. You aren't kidding anyone with this "damm" business. Find a better way to articulate your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteName one great VP
ReplyDeleteJohn Adams
He used his position in the Senate to frequently lecture the Senate on his philosophy of government. The Senate got so annoyed by this, in the second term, they threatened to pass procedural rules to shut him up.
Although, I admit Washington did ignore him as an adviser. Maybe this lack of ability to "share" his advice with Washington resulted in his unsolicited "sharing" with the Senate.
I would be happier if our modern VPs spent more time haranguing the Senate with professorial advice.
If you don't want to swear, then write something else. You aren't kidding anyone with this "damm" business. Find a better way to articulate your thoughts.
ReplyDelete(choke)
(sputter)
Shame on your Jim! Watch your potty mouth!
halojones-fan, uh, seriously? Seriously, that's what you took exception to? How's about fucking off right back to whatever video game you crawled out of. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, truthfully, John Adams is known more for his presidency than his Veep position. But, OK, I concede the point.
Michelle, a little knowledge is a beautiful thing. Are you ok - or a little flustered by the conflict?
ReplyDeleteAnd halojones-fan, that is too freaking funny. Jim is a sailor. Literally and figuratively. He teaches lessons in the art of the blue streak. He pulls his punches for emphasis, not because he's afraid to say something.
Try googling this: ad hominem attack. Then come back when you have something useful to contribute to the actual conversation at hand.
Jeri,
ReplyDeleteI'm simply amused. Because seriously, it was funny.
I mean, I'm a lifelong Democrat and a liberal, and she's getting all pissed off at me like I just said something complementary about George Bush, because I'm telling her what she's reading and hearing is bullshit, and that Palin is actually a good person.
There's a difference between separating the person from their positions. She has become incapable of doing that.
Speaking of ad hominem and all as we were. :)
Beautifully written post Jim. We will have to agree to disagree, however, because the thought of her simpering about Piper suggesting she start pulling Lyda Green's hair and that same person being VP makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I might be willing to vote R (again, I have in the past) if the Rs fielded more candidates like her. Or Andrew Halcro.
She's an ok governor, and has done many things that I think are VERY commendable. But as POTUS after McCain strokes out? ::shudder::
I'm an Independant and the more I learn about Palin the more I like her!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of voting for the Constitution Party for President but I'm going to have to rethink that now.
I just can't vote for the most leftist senator in the senate!
And I never liked Biden.
This Palin pick by McCain changes everything.
Moveon.org called her; "A Hunter and a Fisherwoman!"
LOL!
I'm more leftist than Obama's pal Billy Ayers--yeah, you don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows--but even i can find nothing wrong with this Palin chick.
ReplyDeleteA GIRL who know not only how to cook, but how to HUNT moose is fine by me...and she's the only Republican i know of that walks the talk--see a lot of rich little GOP princesses on the abortion prowl.
She's sure to get the fundies AND the Hillary Dixiecrats, and might get McCain elected!!!
Well I think most Texans regard Alaska as a state, or it would not be any fun to tell the raped polar bear joke.
ReplyDeleteHow does a replacement for Gov. Palin work in Alaska? Does she appoint a replacement or do you have a special election?
If Sarah becomes VP, a few different things could happen, because our Lt Governor (Sean Parnell) is currently in a primary election re-count for our lone House of Representatives Seat.
ReplyDeleteScenarios:
1) Sarah loses, Sean loses - no change
2) Sarah wins, Sean loses - Sean becomes governor.
3) Sarah wins, Sean wins - Tallis Colberg, State AG becomes Governor
4) Sarah loses, Sean wins - Sarah is still Governor, gets a new Lt. Governor.
"I increasingly dislike, intensely, the republican party. If we get McCain, we get them too."
ReplyDeleteA lot of us Republicans are hoping for a McCain/Palin win for the opposite reason -- they're so different from Bush and the current congressional losers. If they lose, the party bosses might think they need to push for more of the past 8 years, and we'll get stuck with more of the same; if they win, they should create a bit of a realignment, and hopefully the worst elements of the party will fall by the wayside. (I also hope Obama gets creamed and the Democrats move back toward the Clintons pseudo-centerism, though hopefully with less of the Clintons themselves. That'd be a win-win!)
P.S. thanks for writing this. Tremendously informative!
To the folks coming in from the Little Green Footballs forum:
ReplyDeleteI'm not actually pissed, that was hyperbole. I'm sure Alaska will survive the departure of Sarah Palin, if it comes to that.
Just saying. And thanks for dropping by, feel free to look around.
Thanks for an outstanding and informed assesment while the news media is simply trying to make news rather than report it.
ReplyDeleteHee. Good job on the recommendation, there, sweary-boy. Unfortunately, "for her but then I was against her" isn't going to save you with anyone. Good night, and good luck.
ReplyDeleteSave me? Save me from what? Obnoxious trolls like you, Halojones-Fan? Or those idiots who continue to hold a mistaken position despite strong evidence to the contrary?
ReplyDeleteBased on what we knew of Palin here in Alaska AT THE TIME I INITIALLY WROTE THIS POST, I thought she was getting a bad rap. I never said I was for her, and in fact I said I had no intention of voting for her or McCain - and that didn't change - but I also felt she was being misjudged by the left. So your "First I was for her then I was against her" accusation is total bullshit. Fail. Try again.
The Palin who emerged on the national stage, the hard right neocon nutbag, is not the woman who we voted into office here in Alaska (she is however the woman who left office). I was mistaken about her ability to put aside her personal beliefs, her detractors were right all along. I am big enough to admit it - and did so in writing.
If you find that, and my language, offensive, well then you're welcome to fuck right off back to whatever video game you crawled out of.
Not gonna lie, I was kind of waiting for a deleted post like this. In my ongoing archive crawl I read through the "fuck Sarah Palin and everything she stands for" posts and then the "Sarah Palin is kinda cool" posts and I was like... whut?
ReplyDeleteI feel like I missed the switchover, too.
But now I am curious as to what you said.