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Palin v. Political Punch
March 13, 2009 6:43 PM
A very irate aide to Gov. Sarah Palin contacted ABC News today to explain why his boss's 31 requests for earmarks in the fiscal year 2009 budget, totaling $197 million, represent a victory for fiscally conservative values.
"I am disturbed by this item," wrote Bill McAllister, director of communications for Gov. Palin, referencing a blog entry from last night in which we referred to an article in the liberal magazine Mother Jones noting that Palin -- after what seemed like a campaign against earmark abuse -- was back at the proverbial trough.
"The headline doesn't seem very dignified for a major news organization," said the spokesman for the governor who repeatedly referred to then-Senator, now-President Obama as "palling around with terrorists." He also quibbled with our referencing Mother Jones. (We also reference conservative publications here. But anyway.)
"Let's start with the overwhelming mischaracterization of Gov. Palin's stance on earmarks that has been repeated and repeated since Aug. 29," McAllister wrote. "The governor never said that earmarks should be abolished or that the State of Alaska wouldn't seek or accept any. Didn't happen. What she said well before she was a national candidate (going back at least to October of 2007) was that earmark reform was necessary and the state would need to rely less on federal money than it had been."
McAllister then pointed out that Palin made 51 earmark requests for the FY 2008 budget, totaling $256 million; and 31 requests totaling $197 million, for the FY 2009 budget.
McAllister said that for next year's budget, Gov. Palin will only make eight requests, totaling $69 million, which will include "six ongoing federal appropriations and just two new projects: an upgrade at the Kodiak Missile Defense Facility, which is relevant to national security, and a bridge replacement critical to construction of the pending Alaska natural gas pipeline, also in the national interest."
"Governor Palin is a fiscal conservative," he wrote. "Literally moments ago, the Alaska State House of Representatives passed a budget that differed little from what she proposed, that spends less in the next fiscal year than this one. She has spoken out on reform of the federal process, and it is a disservice to her that her position was so egregiously mis-reported last year and that those same false stories are now being used to make her look like a hypocrite -- adding insult to injury, quite literally."
Alarmed, I asked McAllister how Palin was "literally" injured. Was she okay? Was she infirm?
"I didn't say physically injured," he wrote back. "Certainly her reputation was injured by the erroneous reporting."
Ah.
In any case, the point is, Gov. Palin as a vice presidential candidate claimed that she "championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending of Congress."
And yet, she has asked for and is still asking for -- and receiving -- tens of millions of dollars in earmarks -- pork barrel spending that does not go through the normal appropriations process.
Including, you might be interested to know, moneys for alcohol bootlegging interdiction and North Pacific fisheries programs.
Her former running mate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., requests no earmarks.
That's a fiscally conservative position.
We've never hesitated to point out political mixed messages, on earmarks or other subjects, whether they come from Democrats such as President Obama (read HERE or watch HERE) or Republicans such as Gov. Palin.
We will continue to do so.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
- jpt
March 13, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (299)
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CORRECTIONS, PLEASE!
Why can't this woman just keep quiet for just a little while, even better just disapear from news coverage? Amazing she is still seeking our attention--like a cry baby or delusional prima donna! One problem with people like Palin is the inability to make correct self-analysis,recognize their own deficincies and their level of intellectual depth. During the last Presidential campaign, judging from all appearances, she must have presumed that she could win simply by a charm offensive in an increasing knowledge-based world. She could not see how inadequate she was for the task ahead in the face of challenge. She couldn't even recall basic and widely known facts, let alone analyze geopolitical situations. Yet she felt able to picture her self on the world stage discussing and making sense with world leaders on difficult issues in our much more complex world. For ideological Republicans like herself, the problems of the world are much illogically simplified to fit into their trunketted worldview. They always try to speak to us in the superlatives: their opponents are definitely wrong and they are surely right. We are now painfully reminded in the Presidency of George W. Bush what heavy damage such backward thinking can do to us all here and globally. Ironically, Bush failure has not stopped Republican ideologues from still promoting the same old tried and tested solution--e.g., tax cut as the solution to all tax problems; stunch support for expoitative corporatocracy even at the risk of unnecessary foreign wars; attempt to impose personal religious goals upon all as law and public policy. Higher ambition should be made of higher brain matter and intellectual curiosity.
Posted by: Dr. Sam | Mar 16, 2009 2:18:16 PM
Why can't this woman just keep quiet for just a little while, even better just disapear from news coverage? Amazing she is still seeking our attention--like a cry baby or delusional prima donna! One problem with people like Palin is the inability to make correct self-analysis,recognize their own deficincies and their level of intellectual depth. During the last Presidential campaign, judging from all appearances, she must have presumed that she could win simply by a charm offensive in an increasing knowledge-based world. She could not see how inadequate she was for the task ahead in the face of challenge. She couldn't even recall basic and widely known facts, let alone analyze geopolitical situations. Yet she felt able to picture her self on the world stage discussing and making sense with world leaders on difficult issues in our much more complex world. For ideological Republicans like herself, the problems of the world are much illogically simplified to fit into their trunketted worldvie and they always try to speak to us in the superlatives: their opponents are definitely wrong and they are surely right. We just so the damage such backward thinking can do in the Presidency of George W. Bush. Ironically, Bush failure has not stopped them from still promoting the same solution--e.g., tax cut as the solution to all tax problems; stunch support for expoitative corporatocracy even at the risk of unnecessary foreign wars; attempt to impose personal religious goals upon all as law and public policy. Higher ambition should be made of higher brain matter and intellectual curiosity.
Posted by: Dr. Sam | Mar 16, 2009 2:11:00 PM
Caribou Barbie and her political hack press secretary McAllister are a joke. ABC has it right. She likes to claim she is a fiscal conservative but Alaska gets a free ride off oil wealth. Thank God her and McCain are not in the white house now. What a disaster that would be. McCain would be spending his day planning air strikes on Iran with Israel and Palin would be giving anti abortion speeches, meanwhile the US economy would go down the drain.
Posted by: Paul | Mar 16, 2009 12:48:14 PM
Nowadays, I've deeply regreted that I supported for Obama. If I knew that 3.55 trillions dollars would be spendthrift by Obama economic team and DNC until 2010, I could not embrace for him at all. So many Americans are trembling the fact that $2.85 of the 3.55 trillions will be printed bills.
Sarah Palin and Gov. Palin's plan is
right. I can't await your economic plans in 2012. GO SARAH/2012
Posted by: Sharon-NY | Mar 16, 2009 12:32:23 PM
The worst, fiscal conservative bar none - extreme right wing Republican Gov Sanford of SC. This man is single handedly destroying the economy of South Carolina.
Posted by: Bob | Mar 16, 2009 9:18:32 AM
if you dont keep bringing up sarah palin people might start paying attention to what obama is doing.he and pelosi are spending our strong capitalistic country into a socialistic welfare state.palin isnt the one destroying our country.
Posted by: jane gutowski | Mar 16, 2009 8:13:36 AM
Better get Tina Fey on this right away. Let her have her way with Sarah, she can destroy Palin once and for all with huge ratings on SNL. Just turn the whole dilemna over to Tina and let her make short work of Palin.
Posted by: Gloria | Mar 16, 2009 2:13:34 AM
Palin is not smart and a hypocrite.
Posted by: jeremy | Mar 16, 2009 12:22:41 AM
It's time for the FBI to step into Alaska and deal with the Palins
Posted by: Rhonda Davis | Mar 16, 2009 12:15:14 AM
Sarah Palin is the ....
Peggy Hill of the Klondike !!
Todd Palin is the...
Hank Hill Of the Great Yukon..
Thank God, Fate was kind to America in [2008]]
Posted by: O. | Mar 15, 2009 10:30:16 PM
DJN: Oh Yeah...
Yu want Peace on Earth....
Go to Alaska and let Sarah Palin Lead You.
Its a Government Dolling State and You would Love it...
Go SEE first hand, how Sarah Palin will Govern You.
Go to Heaven On Earth...Alaska
Posted by: O. | Mar 15, 2009 7:48:37 PM
It's time for the FBI to step into Alaska and deal with the Palin Gates building around the state. (Before any more starry eyed southerners are encouraged to donate any more money into the SarahPAC bridge to nowhere.) This is a free country, however, so keep on fushing that money away. Sad, Sad Day for Alaskans to see robbery in broad daylight.
Posted by: PalinGate | Mar 15, 2009 7:22:59 PM
Why don't you do a report on Jack Murtha and all of his Earmarks and PMA? We should have term limits and then people like him wouldn't exist.
Posted by: katy winters | Mar 15, 2009 6:35:42 PM
Palin's comet, still barely visible but fading away rapidly.
Posted by: BMCC | Mar 15, 2009 5:57:33 PM
The Godliness/Goodness of Sarah Palin reflects to those godless people who despise and viciously attack her. And that's normal; Jesus was murdered because of His goodness. There is always struggle between the Good and evil and Good always prevail.
Posted by: Ramon L. Sagrado | Mar 15, 2009 5:50:51 PM
I love Gov. Palin! I cannot imagine how much better our country would be today if we had McCain/Palin at the helm instead of...what we have. President Teleprompter and Vice President Oops. America is going to be a Saturday Night Live bad dream for the next long, drawn out 4 years. No reruns, please.
Posted by: djn | Mar 15, 2009 5:27:51 PM
Jake: RUN OUT AND GET YOUR RABIES SHOT - THAT PITBULL IN LIPSTICK IS ARMED AND DANGEROUS!
She's addicted to the spotlight - this has nothing to do with you.
Posted by: Xango_Xango | Mar 15, 2009 5:26:01 PM
@ Bill
I don't know how often you read Political Punch, but Jake Tapper never treats President Obama with kid gloves in any of his articles. Jake Tapper asks tough questions (mostly fair questions) and has comments(sometimes a little sarcastic) about almost everything President Obama does or says. I have questioned a few times if President Obama has done something personally to Jake Tapper after reading a few of his articles. But, for the most part, Jake is very professional and unbiased. I think he is one of the best out there.
independent viewer/reader
Posted by: dz | Mar 15, 2009 4:33:17 PM
Why are you still giving this woman free publicity? She is like a dry sponge...she waits for any news org to write about her and then she, or her minions, pounce..Ignore her and she goes away. She has been outed as a liar, a spin artist, and I truly hope the Repubs run her for potus in 2012. She will be annihilated along with Bobby Jindal the elevator operator.
Posted by: The Cp29 | Mar 15, 2009 4:15:55 PM
Don't praise John Mccain not getting ear marks to quickly. As he rely's on his other sources in Arizona to bring home the bacon. That way he can keep his hands clean, while others draw in the pork for the state. They need some of what they call pork for the states,but it needs to be a worthy cause/program and not just PORK!
Posted by: jupitor | Mar 15, 2009 4:06:22 PM
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