Governor Palin Ain’t No Hillary Clinton!

"When they were vetting her for this job, like three seconds ago, she said, quote, I'm not making this up, 'What is it exactly that the VP does every day?' Let me field that for you, Sarah. They start wars, they enrich their friends, they subvert the Constitution, and they shoot people in the face. That's what the vice president does." –Bill Maher

"Today President Bush called Gov. Palin and congratulated her. Bush told Palin the job of vice president is very important because as vice president, you get to tell the president what to do." –Jay Leno

"John McCain's VP pick is the governor of Alaska, a unknown hockey mom named Sarah Palin that no one ever heard of. The only other job she had in politics was the mayor of a small town known as Wasilla, Alaska, and now she has the opportunity to be on a ticket opposite of Barack Obama, the first black man she's ever seen." –Bill Maher


Recently Gloria Steinem wrote an Op-ed piece for the LA Times pointing out, among other things, that the only thing Sarah Palin has in common with Hillary is the female chromosome; that otherwise she's an unmitigated political boob who shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence with Hillary. To be sure, that's my characterization of Ms. Steinem's essay. Be that as it may, I received a sharply critical essay taking Gloria to task for ostensibly doing to little Miss Palin what had been done so unmercifully to Hillary. . .i.e., subjecting her to harsh, perhaps even unfair criticism.

It does seem to me that such criticism of Ms. Steinem represents a gross distortion of reality. First, it ignores the fact that Ms. Steinem was and continues to be a strong Hillary supporter, and she wrote a number of strong endorsements of the Clinton campaign during the battle when it counted. However, the important points, that seem to get lost in this discussion, has to do with the issues basic to the process. As Hillary, herself so clearly noted, this campaign has not been about me; there are basic, fundamental social issues involved; issues that will help determine what quality of life our citizens will enjoy as we march ahead.

To even suggest that Gov. Palin be given a free pass, or even our support, because she shares with Hillary WOMANHOOD, is so patently ridiculous it hardly deserves mention. Let us not forget the tremendous value differences between these candidates.

It is also true that Governor Palin has over the course of her political career been quick to harshly criticize those who disagree with her. Some of that nastiness lay just beneath the surface of her acceptance speech in St. Paul, and some of it played front and center.

Nastiness aside, much in the fashion of the "Old Politics", certainly not in a manner that could classify her as a maverick, the mendacious Ms. Palin misrepresented (I'm being kind, she repeatedly lied) herself at the recent Republican Convention in St. Paul. She made a big point of letting us know that the bridge boondoggle engineered by Sen. Stevens--the 300 million dollar bridge to nowhere--was rejected at her request. She made it ever so clear, that like Sen. McCain, she opposed "ear mark spending." Yes, Gov. Palin left the clear impression that she had saved the American taxpayers from that foolish, profligate spending; she failed to mention that the money was NOT returned to the US Treasury but was spent on other Alaska projects.

Yes! In Alaska! Alaska, the number one recipient of earmark funds in the nation, and yes, Governor Palin has led the ravenous pack in requesting and receiving such funds. Ironically, while Alaska has been receiving "earmark" largess from US Taxpayer funds, the government of Alaska itself is sending each Alaska taxpayer a $3,600.00 oil royalties check each year. Yeah, there's really a need up there for our US taxpayer "earmark money."

Oh yes, should we overlook this family values advocates own family foe paws, as we did Ronald Regan's? The political/religious Right takes every opportunity to slam the sex education programs in our public schools as opening the door to licentious, profligate behavior (Pahlin's voice has been a part of that chorus) and yet . . . . .well. . . . by now you know the rest of that story.

But in any event, you did hear the good Alaska Governor tout her success with the Alaska pipe line. . .one of her great successes stories during the convention speech, a real management, executive coup d' etat. Well, it turns out that was so much bull too.

Serge F. Kovaleski and Mike McIntire reported in the New York Times today, (11 September 2008) “The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Ms. Palin’s relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs.”

Kovaleski and McIntrie concluded, “Contributing to the project’s uncertainty is Ms. Palin’s antagonistic relationship with the major oil companies that control Alaska’s untapped gas reserves.” So much for Governor Palin’s big Alaska smoke and mirrors pipeline project.

During her acceptance speech the good governor emphasized her prudent handling of the people’s business by being thrifty. She pointedly noted for example that she put the governor’s plane up for sale on Ebay and that she dispensed with the services of a chef and did the cooking herself. Sounded good!

However, yesterday it was widely reported that while serving as Alaska's governor Ms. Palin was taking advantage of every expense voucher she could claim against the state treasury. The following headline from The Washington Post along with the first paragraph from the story shed considereable light upon Gov. Palin’s personal, self-aggrandizing approach to thrift.

Ms. Palin received a “per diem” expense allowance for 312 nights she spent at her home in Wasilla
The Washington Post-- Tuesday, 9 September

The $60-a-day allowance is available for state employees when traveling on official state business to cover meals and other sundry expenses. Ms. Palin’s per diems, which included some charges for partial days, totaled $17,059, from Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office, through June 30, 2008, the most recent data available, according to Sharon Leighow, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office."

Clearly Senator McCain either didn’t properly vet Governor Palin, or he’s playing us for a bunch of fools. Governor Palin needs to make herself available to members of the journalistic community so that we can really find who the governor of Alaska really is.

Ever on the watch,


Davy Crockett