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Mush!

September 03, 2008 11:53 PM

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin brought her rhetorical dogs over the finish line of the political Iditarod tonight, delivering a winner of an acceptance speech, despite whatever obstacles of doubt existed before tonight.

"It was just a year ago when all the experts in Washington counted out our nominee (Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.) because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves," she said, setting the stage for a "how-dare-you-you-media-snobs" address. "With their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost -- there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war. But the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off. They overlooked the caliber of the man himself -- the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of Sen. John McCain. The voters knew better."

Palin talked movingly -- and in a way, many women, and men, can certainly identify with -- about her family. "Our son Track is 19," she said. "And one week from tomorrow -- September 11th -- he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country. My nephew Kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the Persian Gulf."

The speech, well crafted and largely written by former Bush White House speechwriter Matt Scully, was effective.

"I was mayor of my hometown," she said. "And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves."

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities," she said in a clear jab at Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., "I might add that, in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people."

Palin was very much tonight the local-mom-made-good, the take-charge woman underestimated by the clueless local boys in their last mistake before losing power.

"I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing," she said. "And today, that ethics reform is the law. While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay.  I love to drive myself to work. And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef -- although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her."

Not everything she said was as it seems. She said she told Congress "thanks, but no thanks" on the Bridge to Nowhere, but the truth is a little more cloudy.

She was an attack dog tonight.  "We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers," she said of Obama. "And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs, but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state Senate. This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word 'victory' except when he's talking about his own campaign.

"But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot -- when that happens, what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... And to give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world."

Palin said that, "In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.  And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change. They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals."

- jpt

September 3, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (370)

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CORRECTION, the source I had for Sen. Obama's earmarks, while claiming it was ALL of his earmarks was actually only his earmarks for 2006-2007. It did not include his 2008 earmarks. The updated total for for Sen. Obama's earmarks is 330 projects totalling $931.3 million. That equates to slightly over $6.5 million per day served in the Senate (143 days).

Posted by: James Danley | Sep 6, 2008 7:21:05 PM

Sara, actually yes! The Obama campaign has on several occasions totally ignored her experiences as governor--even if only 20 months of experience (which is more than Sen. Obama's 143 days of service in the U. S. Senate).

Sen. Obama's own words: "Well, you know, my understanding is that, uh, Governor Palin’s town of Wasilly [sic] has, uh, 50 employees, uh, uh, we’ve got 2500, uh, in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. Uh, uh, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. Uh, so I think that, uh, our ability to manage large systems, uh, and to, uh, execute, uh, I think has been made clear over the last couple of years."

Why would he call her Governor Palin, and then reference ONLY her experience as a mayor for his comparison. As governor of Alaska, Governor Palin has 25,000 employees and an annual budget of $10 Billion.

Posted by: James Danley | Sep 6, 2008 10:09:24 AM

James Danley

Is there a REASON why you capitalize Governor...you're putting emphasis on a position she's held for 20 months...it takes people longer to get an Associate's Degree!

Posted by: Sara | Sep 5, 2008 1:12:08 PM

Sara, indy_voter referred to Sen. McCain's statement that the number one quality for a vice president is the ability to take over should something happen to the president. Once the Republican Party officially adjorns the convention in a few hours, should anything happen (God forbid) to Sen. McCain, GOVERNOR Palin would become the Party's nominee for the general election. THAT is why I am comparing GOVERNOR Palin to Sen. Obama.

Posted by: James Danley | Sep 4, 2008 5:03:18 PM

Willem van Oranje, you wrote: "When comparing the legislative records of McCain and Obama in the Senate, we should actually use McCain's first 4 years in the Senate."

In his first 4 years, Sen. McCain served 4 years. In Sen. Obama's almost 4 years, it has been reported that he has served only 143 days. Good comparison! By the way, Sen. McCain was cleared of all charges in the Keating Five scandal.

In his first 4 years in the Senate--actually in his entire 25 years of being in Congress--Sen. McCain claims to have requested NO earmarks. In Sen. Obama's 143 days he has requested 217 earmarks totalling over $500 million (per Sen. Obama's own report). Ouch! That is more than $3.5 million per day served.

Now then you mention the bills that Sen. Obama co-sponsored. All it takes is to sign your name on a piece of paper to co-sponsor a bill. He didn't write the bills. I have yet to see any evidence that he twisted a single arm to get any of the bills passed.

So 143 days of service; signing one's name on a few bills; casting a few votes; and spending $500 million of the taxpayers' money...yep that sounds like a really great resume to be president. NOT! Actually I wouldn't even vote for Sen. Obama to be dog catcher! Especially knowing that he will never catch the pitbull with the lipstick!

Posted by: James Danley | Sep 4, 2008 4:51:17 PM

Why are we just now hearing about "Executive Experience" ...like its something just now being discussed to make us think that Palin is ready to be VP??

And why do you keep comparing her to Obama...I thought she supposed to be compared to Biden?

Posted by: Sara | Sep 4, 2008 4:43:32 PM

indy_voter, GOVERNOR Palin has almost 8 years of executive experience. That happens to be "almost 8 years" more than Sen. Obama who has NO executive experience. As governor she has an annual budget of $10 Billion. If it came down between GOVERNOR Palin and Sen. Obama taking over on January 20, 2009, I would go with experience--GOVERNOR Palin. So I am not the least bit worried about whether something, God forbid, would happen to Sen. McCain.

Posted by: James Danley | Sep 4, 2008 3:56:59 PM

Grace,
Well said...As for Bristol's "decision" to have the baby I would bet that there was no decision to be made. I believe at 17 in Alaska she would have had to ask her mother's permission. And I bet her mother would have said no and not even considered alternatives such as abortion. So, there is no decision by Bristol. The decision was made by Sarah Palin I am sure.

Posted by: indy_voter | Sep 4, 2008 3:37:47 PM

James Danley,
McCain said that the number one quality for a vice president is the ability to take over should something happen to the president. If that is supposedly quality (which I agree) then the choice of Palin seems odd. It appears to me McCain would rather win an election than put the country on safe ground should he not serve out his term. So much for country first!

Posted by: indy_voter | Sep 4, 2008 3:29:11 PM

PJ:
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that my children do not grow up in Sarah Palin's world."

What is wrong with Sarah Palin's world?

You either have no children or they are babies. We can only teach them, but as much as we would like to control them it is impossible. Wake up and "smell the coffee". Better her world than the other one.

Posted by: MEW | Sep 4, 2008 2:26:16 PM

Willem:

Once again, consider the source. A single blog on a left-leaning news site is hardly indicative of "America and World". That's my point.

Posted by: Woody | Sep 4, 2008 2:21:21 PM

To Irma:

I understand a lot people, Republicans and Democrats are both crossing party lines! I'm just curious if that makes sense??

You say you voted for Hilary, she believes in Pro-choice and McCain and Palin essentially want to take that right away from women. (For example)

I mean there are several issues they differ on...or is the person who is running that affects your decision, not necessarily what they believe in and what they plan to do for our country??

Posted by: QuestionTime | Sep 4, 2008 1:40:19 PM

Oh my,
More of the same old lies. She has the greatest number of earmarks and claims to be a reformer. She was for The Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.
Good-Bye McBush/Pain

Posted by: Ohenry | Sep 4, 2008 1:31:02 PM

I voted for Hillary. Now I'll vote for McCain/Palin

Posted by: Katie Walker | Sep 4, 2008 1:07:09 PM

Woody,

Have you taken a look at Ticker on CNN? The comments will make for interesting reading.

Posted by: owen jacob | Sep 4, 2008 12:18:26 PM

To QUESTIONTIME: I value MY FEELINGS, I can't stand Obama.

Posted by: irma | Sep 4, 2008 12:16:50 PM

Willem,

I checked out that thread. OK, some "independents" from Michigan, where Obama currently leads by as much as 8 points depending on the polling organization, took issue with Palin's speech. I live in a state where registered independents outnumber registered dems and reps, yet the state legislature is 75% Democratic and we haven't elected a Republican president since '84. I always take the word "independent" with a large grain of salt.

Ooh, I see one of the "independents" is a Cindy Sheehan supporter. Yeah, OK.

Posted by: Woody | Sep 4, 2008 12:03:13 PM

OK, I googled as requested and I see a fairly mixed bag of results, about a 50/50 split of pros and cons. And nothing too unusual, I might add. The lefty sites are slamming her (theguardian, huffingandpuffingtonpost, etc.) and the righty sites are thrilled (rightpundits, foxnews, americanmissive, etc.) I fail to see "all the blogs in America and the World" spouting off about how foolish the Republican party is.

Posted by: Woody | Sep 4, 2008 11:57:20 AM

I have a question for people who are voting outside their party?

What now makes you change...do your values not matter to you in this election?

Posted by: QuestionTime | Sep 4, 2008 11:55:32 AM

I know, I am not the only one getting tired of being PREACHED to from all the Obama supporters. We KNOW the issues. But you yourselves, when attacking Hillary claimed we vote for the PERSON. Well, I CAN'T STAND BO! "Huh? Issues? Uh huh yeah, yeah wait! Palin's talking, tell me later."

Posted by: irma | Sep 4, 2008 11:19:23 AM

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