There's many strange facts emerging online today in the uproar over Alaska governor Sarah Palin...
Enthusiastic bloggers have already uncovered these 2007 photos from Vogue magazine (plus a fake cover photo, pictured above-left) — and this 1984 beauty pageant photo. Her Wikipedia page was even edited to identify her as "the hot governor of Alaska" until editors increased the security on her page. (Vandals had swapped in a photograph of Hulk Hogan to represent the female governor, while another committed a major revision they described as simply "Replaced content with 'tacos'.") And the corrected entry still points to a URL describing Palin's smoking of pot — when it was legal in Alaska, though illegal under U.S. law. (According to an Alaska newspaper, Palin says she didn't like it and doesn't smoke it, but "I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.")
She's drawing lots of comments online. ("For some reason she looks like Kermit the Frog in this picture to me," wrote on Digg user about Sarah Palin.) But one user on Fark was more enthusiastic — "Jesus Christ. This campaign has turned into a Viagra commercial" — and within a few hours, Fark users had posted a whopping 2,700 comments. The snarky discussion continued on Metafilter, joking about how Sarah named her children Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow, and Piper. ("Dear GOD! Vice Presidents don't get to NAME anything, do they?!")
But Palin could also be the center of the biggest controversy for McCain's vice presidential pick. Dubbed "Trooper-gate," the potential vice president is currently being investigated by the Alaska legislature over charges that she pushed for the firing of a state official after they refused to fire her sister's ex-husband. (The couple was locked in a bitter custody battle.) It's been an especially messy divorce, according to Alaska newspapers. Her ex-husband "admitted to using the Taser on his stepson in a 'training capacity' and said he shot a moose on his wife's tag, but didn't think the act was illegal."
Governor Palin actually wrote a letter to his superior saying Molly's trooper spouse had drunk a beer at her house and then drove off in a state patrol car, "waving with beer in hand." And after an investigation, Alaska's Public Safety Employees found her ex-husband threatened Molly "with shooting her father if he hired a lawyer to represent her. Wooten denied making the statement, but [Sarah] Palin, McCann and Palin's son all confirmed that he did."
Sarah Palin joins McCain's campaign at a crucial time. According to one focus group, after viewing Obama's Thursday speech, more than 25% of swing voters switched from undecided to supporting Obama — or from supporting John McCain to undecided. Politically it's hoped that Palin can help McCain with conservative voters. (The Christian Coalition has already issued a statement praising Palin, who has said she believes schools should teach creationism.) Though ironically, Palin has also expressed her support for Barack Obama's energy plan.)
And she's currently taking some heat for an interview she gave with the CNBC.
As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day...? We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we're trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.
But today, it's the online world that's providing her first vetting. And many of the comments have been strongly unfavorable. ("My third grade teacher had more gravitas," wrote a user at Wonkette.) U.S. News and World Report asked "Will Palin Stand Up to Scrutiny?" on one of their blogs — and received a withering critique from a user named "Educated Female from FL."
She's is essentially a beauty queen....a housewife....that became Governor of Alaska.
We are one heart attack away from her as commander in cheif. [sic] Just like when Dubya picked Harriet Miers for Supreme Court Justice.
Why is it that Republicans always pick inexperienced females? Is it that they are trying to be equality minded, but can't get away from choosing someone that is really unqualified, because their insecurities won't let them have a female sharpie next to them? Their idea of women is hilarious...they are stuck on mommy.
Not every online voice is critical. A U.S. News blogger argues that she's a real asset for the McCain ticket. "[T]hough she comes from far-off Alaska, she will help—big time—in Montana, Colorado, and other western states that McCain has to lock up quickly. She can talk guns, and energy, and wildlife, and make conservative dogma sound reasonable."
But after watching McCain's press conference, Politico's Jonathan Martin saw her rural background as a negative — and put his finger on yet-another strange oddity about the life of Sarah Palin.
"There are more people in that arena than in the town she was mayor of."
See Also:
Why Sarah's Sex Life Matters
20 Wildest Reactions to Obama's Victory
Can Senator Lieberman Be Recalled?
Here Comes the Judge's Porn
War of the Candidate Music Videos
Is It Legal Porn or Illegal Porn?
There’s More:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/29/17933/7330/417/579267
** Just another ugly, cynical choice **
Palin is as cynical a choice for VP as Clarence Thomas was for the Supreme Court. And for exactly the same reason. Thomas will never grow into the shoes of Thurgood Marshall. He was chosen as an African American of the far right who would trample the hard won gains of the civil rights era.
Palin is a few feet shy of the stature to take over the presidency. She was chosen as a woman of the far right who would trample the hard won gains of women’s rights.
Both of them are small human beings, intellectually and morally. Their xianity is not a substitute for foreign or public policy.
McCain’s calculated cynicism at the same times betrays his lack of judgment and his essentially frivolous nature. He finally capitulated to the death impulse of the christo-fascists who now control his party; those who look forward with glee to a nuclear Armageddon.
Now, the choice is stark. McPain and a continued assault on the Constitution by ignorant, arrogant “servants†of an imperial presidency. Or, Obama-Biden and a chance to undo the harm suffered by the Republic from the Bush-Cheney thugs.
bipolar2
I just want this cleared up: Is she related to Michael Palin? and can she read a palinspastic map? otherwise, she’s a breath of fresh hair spray in an Ensure-scented room.
The insistence on “beauty queen” reminds me of the desperation with which Democrats kept saying “but he’s an ACTOR!!!” back in the days of Ronald Reagan. They kept focusing on that and missing the message that Reagan was giving and how it differed from the dreariness and predictability of Carter and Mondale.
Palin is going to wipe the floor with Biden. His smugness and sense of entitlement, when compared to someone who’s actually had to work for a living, is going to be palpable.
If you want to beat Palin, understand what makes her strong: her appeal to conservatives is based on her being pro-life, pro-guns, pro-victory, and standing up to corruption. Her base is ecstatic that someone who believes in tax cuts and rejecting earmarks has been selected. Biden, with his track record, must be very careful. And Democrats cautioning that she has no experience are of course forgetting that Obama’s experience to date is that he’s written a nice book.
BadLiberal: You obviously don’t have any clue as to what you are talking about. Palin has been mayor of a town with the population of less than 9,000 for 2 years and then the Governor of Alaska for 2 years. She hasn’t done shit with her life when it comes to foreign policy or dealing with OUR Country’s needs. No, instead she has been a beauty queen, a sports caster and holds a “Bachelor’s” degree in journalism (Notice how I have put quotations around the word bachelor meaning sarcasm). She herself said she has no clue as to what the Vice President does. People don’t know a thing about her or what’s she’s done in her life. People, mainly Republicans, want to back her up because most Republicans are naive and “think” that just because she is a Republican that backs up pro-life, pro-guns and anti-gay marriage is the right woMAN for the job. How can anyone trust someone who has no real experience of ever doing anything with their life. Biden has been around the world and knows a lot about foreign politics and has ran for the Presidency twice, meaning that he “probably” knows his shit. After Obama graduated, he moved to the south side of Chicago and made a difference in peoples lives. Not only did he help people there but many other places as well. He is living the American dream and giving it to many others with hopes and admiration. he is what’s called a “good” Samaritan. How can you or anyone say that he has done nothing else but write a book? Have you ever done anything to help others?
Trying to bring religion into the classroom is a HUGE mistake. The separation of church and state was established a long time ago and for good reasons. There would be a movement against religion in the classroom and would put a lot of people in bad situations.
If Obama had picked someone like Palin, then the Republicans would be pulling the same stunt, so there is no excuse for this. She is no Hillary Clinton. Everything that Hillary and many other women have stood up for will go out the window with this sad joke of a veep. Republicans are trying to find every little thing they can to make themselves feel better because they all know that things are getting worse for their party. A woman is certainly not the key to winning the election just based on the fact that she is a woman. Why her and not someone else with REAL experience? There are a number of other Republican women who are more qualified for the veep position but it’s obvious that McCain has picked her because of her looks, her age, and the fact that she doesn’t know as much about politics as he does because anyone else would be a threat to his intelligence.
She’s got more government and real-world experience than the Democrat’s presidential candidate does.
Or is she unqualified simply because she’s a broad?
“She’s got more government and real-world experience than the Democrat’s presidential candidate does.”
What does that mean, “real world experience”? When Obama took 3 years out of his life to help the poor in Chicago that wasn’t the real world? When Biden met with world leaders that wasn’t the real world? According to that argument she has more “real-world” experience than McCain too, so I guess he should be VP instead of her. Besides, how is being a beauty queen and TV sports reporter more “real-world” than anything Obama/Biden offer, how is that going to give her insight into running the country?
As for government experience, Obama has a total of 11 years government experience to her 10, that’s local/state/national combined for both, and Obama’s were in a more populated state with a bigger budget than Alaska.
If I look at her record it is unimpressive, no matter her gender, and there is more weight to her “trooper-gate” scandal than the similarly named “scandal” connected to Hillary that the right-wing has harped on for years.
It’s funny that many conservatives are pulling the gender card now, since I recall Anne Coulter arguing that a female shouldn’t be president (or even have the right to vote) in her attacks on Hillary Clinton. How much outrage was there among conservatives over Coulter’s comments?
If she were a liberal and part of a DEM ticket the conservatives would be eviscerating her on her LACK of executive experience (small town mayor, only 2 years as governor), instead they are praising it, because well. . . that’s partisan politics for you; it doesn’t matter how qualified she is, only that she’s on your team.
I say bring on The Rapture, just as long as it takes Sarah Palin and all those fuckers with it.
Palin can do what she wants, she is God. Get over it. GO SARAH!!!
And no that wasn’t sarcasm..she is God…
How’s that hopey changey working out for y’all?
Sarah Palin is a very intelligent woman in my opinion*;-
the best beauty queens are coming from south america, i really love latinas :”*