The People Have Spoken. And Their Message Is – Squirrel!

So. What the heck happened last night?
The GOP picked up 60 seats in the House, effectively reversing their losses there from 2006 and 2008, and returning control of that body to them.
The GOP picked up some 6 seats in the Senate, but the Democratic Party retains control there.
The GOP picked up several governor seats as well.
And it was a very good night for the GOP in local races around the country.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/senate

I should be suicidally depressed, right?

Meh.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m disappointed as the next progressive. Disappointed in the party, in the party leadership (Doctor-Governor-Chairman Dean, we miss you and your 50 state strategy!), in knowing I’ll have to hear the phrase “Speaker Boehner” for the next 2 years, in every failed vote and compromise and missed opportunity of the last 2 years.

But.

I’m far more confused, or bemused, than angry or sad.
What I don't get is how non-sensical the results are, when taken as a whole.
Despite what the pollsters, the pundits, the media, the GOP leadership, and the defeated TEA-baggers who seemed unclear on what the words “concession speech” mean, all tried to tell us today, there is no single clear “message” to take away from this election.
The People Have Spoken, but they all spoke at once, and not many of them agreed with each other.

It's not that GOP victories don't make sense: I expected them. Incumbents always lose in the midterms; the economy still pretty much sucks; the major reforms and achievements of the past 20 months have been distorted or ignored; and the GOP has both a major “news” network, and a multi-national secret fundraising machine.
It’s the inconsistency behind those victories (and losses!) that don’t make sense.

Sarah Palin's candidates won some races, but lost spectacularly in other races. Including, it is widely assumed, in her home state of Alaska.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/sarah-palin-endorsements_n_778556.html

So, is Palin a king-maker, an idiot, or a stopped clock? (Or all 3?) But more importantly, when will her 15 minutes finally be over?! No one in the GOP wants her to run in 2012. She’s started to lash out at her party and supporters, just like she has for her entire political career. And OMG, when will her daughter stop dancing?

For all the “Throw the bums out!” anti-incumbent mentality of this season, several incumbents did quite well. Harry Reid is probably the most surprising incumbent victory, but he’s not the only successful “old guard” campaign. Barney Frank of MA held on to his seat (like anyone was surprised), after fending off a primary challenge from a dining room table, and a general election from a TEA Bagger. Here in CT, incmubent Chris Murphy beat challenger Sam Caligiuri by a very comfortable margin, even in Caligiuri’s own town.

True to form, the electorate was largely unimpressed by self-funders (buh-bye Linda McMahon and her WWE game-face, Meg Whitman and her maid, Carly Fiorina and her “So yesterday” campaign, Iott and his spectacular Nazi uniform, and almost everyone who ran using their own fortunes), even though the best way to beat a self-funded "outsider" is to be an "establishment Washington insider:” Welcome back, Senator McCain!
Speaking of Palin and McCain, they don’t seem likely to get the band back together for a reunion tour in 2012.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-mccain-demurs-over-future-support-of-a-2012-sarah-palin-presidential-bid/

But, if I were the kind of person to spread ugly rumors (and you may want to skip the rest of this sentence), I’d wager that they must have the best hate sex since Mary Matalin and James Carville.

Of course, Marco Rubio was a self-funded candidate, backed by Mama Grizzly, and a likely criminal to boot, and he, sigh, managed to win.

(I can’t even begin to explain Rand Paul. But then, I can’t explain much about Kentucky. Enjoy him. What other choice do you have?)

Several key races were nail-biting heart-breakers (Sestak-Toomey in PA, Giannoulais-Kirk in IL), that “shouldn’t” have been so close. Toomey would have beaten Specter in the primaries, if Specter hadn’t switched parties. And given the Blagojevich/Burris debacle in IL, and Giannoulais’ banking ties, it was time for Illinois residents to be disgusted by Democrats, instead of Republicans (who here remembers George Ryan?).

Other races were mind-numbing landslides: Ayotte over Shea-Porter in NH; Rubio-over Christ (and, I guess, Meek) in FL; Feingold-Johnson in WI.

Ayotte I understand. NH really is “ruggedly independent” state: I think they enjoy bucking trends, when they’re not setting them. They’ve flipped from GOP to Dem in 3 times in the last 20 years (Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Kerry by a nose), and chose Hillary over Obama in the democratic primary. Ayotte, despite Palin’s “Mamma Grizzly” merit badge, really isn’t a hardcore conservative.

http://www.270towin.com/states/New_Hampshire

Rubio was able to take advantage of the 3-way race in Florida. (The final tally was 50-29-20. So, if Meek had bowed to the pressure applied by Bill Clinton and dropped out, FL might have flipped to Christ, who would likely have caucused with the Democrats. Not that I blame Meek for running.)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44337.html

Feingold I just don’t understand. WTF, Wisconsin? That was the electoral equivilent of pawning your grandmother’s heirloom jewelry for a few bucks at a Cash 4 Gold store, so you can go out on Friday night.

I especially don’t get this one from the TEA-bagger perspective. Feingold was anti-war and pro-campaign finance reform, things TEA-baggers are supposed to appreciate. It only makes sense if the TEA Party is really the GOP in a tea bag. (Oooooohhhhhhhhhh.)

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Progressive-Pillar-Russ-Feingold-Crumbles-in-Wisconsin-5632


We lost too many progressives last night, but the Progressive Caucus is still in tact. But, voters kicked out half of our "Blue-Dog Democrats."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/blue-dog-coalition-gop-wave-elections_n_778087.html

I actually think this is a good thing.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Are-Democrats-Better-Off-Without-the-Blue-Dogs-5536

It hurts to lose the seats, and the committee chairs in the House. But. The Blue Dogs are not exactly helpful to getting progressive legislation passed. The GOP has been purging its ranks of moderates (and non-crazies). Blue-dogs sold out the progressive base of their own party to appease the more conservative voters in their own districts. This is poetic justice. And, it leaves room for more progressive candidates to emerge in those districts.

Because I think, the take-away message from this election is this: the American voter is impatient, underinformed, and impulsive. The entire electorate just said, “Squirrel!”

I say this because, although the Democrats took a “Shellacking” last night, it’s not because the electorate loves the GOP. They don’t.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/house-gop-disappoint-2012_n_778281.html

Seriously. The electorate just broke up with Barack Obama to go back out with the guy they know is going to cheat on them, and possibly beat them up.

Why?!


A few thoughts:

1. No one realized that Change doesn’t come by overnight FedEx. And so, like Americans in crisis (like, when the computer freezes) do, they started pounding all the buttons on the keyboard at once, hoping to make something work. The Obama administration, the Congress, the press, and the public, share responsibility for this communication fail.

2. They forgot the things the Obama administration, with the Democrats in congress (and really, not 1 GOPer), actually accomplished.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

Or, if you can’t sit through the whole thing:

http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/

There. FTFY, America.

3. Also, the country seems to have forgotten what the GOP did to us.
So, here:

http://reason.com/archives/2009/01/15/where-did-bush-go-wrong

4. The Citizens United Ruling from the Supreme Court really did unleash a vast Right-wing conspiracy. Really.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2462/

This has to be the worst ruling since Plessy v Ferguson. But, even that bone-headed ruling was eventually overturned. This too shall pass.

5. The media really, really, REALLY wanted to tell the “Democrats are in trouble” story, and so they did. (See my earlier post, http://drinkliberal.blogspot.com/2010/10/rope-what.html
about how off-the-mark the coverage of the Blumenthal-McMahon was. BTW, Blumenthal won by 10.5 points. It wasn’t even close.)


Here’s one thing that it wasn’t: a repudiation of “liberalism”

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/03/pundit

But. We’re back together with the cheating, punching, ex-boyfriend. What’s life going to be like now?

Interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/us/politics/04elect.html?_r=1&ref=politics

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/john-boehner-election-obama_n_778407.html

See? Obama’s aprty lost because they refused to compromise (which apparently means, “capitulated to all the opposition’s demands”). Now that the the tables have turned (sort of), we can expect …. NO Compromise from the GOP!

And they’re going to roll back Health Care Reform (here’s where I think Christine O’Donnell is speaking through them). Good luck getting past the Democratic-held Senate and the Presidential veto …. And the percentage of your constituents who actually would rather not go back to being without reform!

And they’re going to cut the budget: everything is on the table, except the stuff that’s not.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/eric-cantor-cant-explain-how-republicans-w

Good luck with that too.
Oh, and they're going to impeach Obama. Because he must have done something to deserve it. Even if they can't figure out what it is.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/darrell-issa-obama-must-answer-several-hundr

That'll get people back to work.

So basically, we’re looking at More. Of. The. Same. For another 2 years. From the GOP. And the TEA Party.

But. The Democrats may have learned something from this season.

For one, DADT is going to come before the legislature in the lame-duck session.

http://metroweekly.com/poliglot/2010/11/after-midterms-obama-still-pus.html

And so are the Bush-era tax cuts.

http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2010/11/03/extending-bush-tax-cuts-not-a-slam-dunk/

At this point, Dems have nothing to lose, and much face to gain, by going to the left on both of these issues. Even the outgoing Blue Dogs.

The Senate now has the opportunity to reform the rules for the filibuster. They should.
And congress, either in the lame-duck session, or in the new session, needs to address the debacle of Citizens United. Because whether they wear a powdered wig or an “I’m With Reasonable” t-shirt, the voters are pissed as all hell at the way campaigns are financed.

But whatever happens, I’m pretty sure by 2012, most voting Americans won’t remember who did what when. What they will care about is, whether or not they have a decently-paying job, and whether or not they have a home not in foreclosure. And I remain confident that the Obama administration, with or without a majority in congress, can make that happen.

As maddening as the electroate’s ADD is to endure, I take comfort in knowing that today’s Wunderkinds will be tomorrow’s bums. And today’s wave will collapse tomorrow. But, even though we swing back and forth and back and forth like a carnival ride, we still move foreward in the long term.

So I remain optimistic.

I turn to National Treasure, Jon Stewart, to put it all in perspective.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/the-sanity-song-auto-tune_n_777050.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Even Republicans Love The Pork

Just a quick picture, from a Pew Research poll conducted from July 29 to August 1, of where the Republican party, the Tea Party and Sarah Palin have failed even more than Barack Obama in their messaging:

Americans love pork. Even the GOP voters.

The sound you just heard in the back of your mind was an entire line of right wing gobbledygook talking points extremism thought being flushed down the toilet.

[update] Jed Lewison provides a little more insight in to how this really is more likely to play out in elections:

Sorry, tea party: Voters prefer government project

If you look at the net impact of each hypothetical on a liklihood of support (in other words, subtracting the less likely number from the more likely number), you get, in order:

1. Government projects: +39%

2. Barack Obama: -1%

3. Candidate is neither Dem nor GOP: -6%

4. Tea party: -9%

5. Sarah Palin: -20%

So it turns out that the tea party's austerity message is a lead balloon for the GOP. Instead, voters want somebody representing them who will deliver the goods for their district. Even among Republicans, voters are just as likely to support a candidate who delivers government projects and money to their district as one who has the backing of the tea party.

Moreover, it turns out the election really isn't about any one national figure, but if it were, it would be Sarah Palin that was a detriment -- not President Obama.

[update deux] And, yes, no doubt that Pork has more political pull across the spectrum than Sarah Palin does. But none of this should come as a surprise given that we already knew that Socialism is as popular as the Tea Party. < smirk >

Valuable Lesson From Sarah Palin's Book

TRex has extracted and documented the bulk of the knowledge that can be had from Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue.

Trust me on this, there is a valuable lesson to be had from her book that every Blogger, journalist and pundit should be sharing with anyone that is truly interested in the politics of this nation. (H/T to Mike Finnigan at C&L's "Mike's Blog Roundup")

Stump and Stumper

After announcing her latest in a long line of quits and on the heels of another in a long line of ethics complaints aimed at her, Sarah Palin inexplicably offered up her witch hunting maverickiness in aid and comfort of "socialist/commie/pallin'around with terrarists" candidates in the conservative coalition of the Democratic party:

The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP's base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and "energy independence."

If the "much of GOP's base" that thinks she makes a good candidate for president, all 33% of the ever declining GOP base, aren't as excited about this as the American people in general are then I don't know what will get them going?

But would there be any takers on Palin's career stumpabilities from the Democratic party's conservative bench?

Democrats reject palling around with Sarah Palin

Interviews with a number of the most conservative Democrats in the House and Senate induced an awkward, stare-at-your-shoes unease when the prospect of appearing with Palin was posed.

Some of the members lunged for elevators, others moved to get into meetings (or at least behind closed doors), and a few just chuckled nervously and replied in a clipped fashion that reflected an immense desire to not discuss the topic at any length.

Not asked for reaction to this recent development in her non-political future, Sarah Palin's answer was anything but stumped:

h/t Tengrain for the image.

What? She can't include this in her per diem?

But I can't help but wonder if the same logic can't be applied to your daughter, Mr. Heath?

"I don't agree with what he's doing right now," Heath tells Us of Johnston's press tour. "It's not right. He's broke, so he's trying to capitalize on this. I wish he’d take some of this money he’s making and buy some diapers with it."

But Sarah Palin appears to be too busy trying to stay in the celebrity spotlight, as well, for her 2012 campaign and seems to use all of her money for legal defense funds.

And since you have resurfaced to inject Sarah and yourself into the celebrity spotlight of Us Magazine, Chuck Heath, would you care to answer a few questions about the Sandpoint, Idaho, Heath family connections?

Palin was born Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, the third of four children of Sarah Heath (née Sheeran), a school secretary, and Charles R. Heath, a science teacher and track coach. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin)

Up in the northwest, it's well known that Sandpoint, Idaho has a huge Aryan Nation/white supremacist background. My dad had lived there at one point, and we're not white. One of the more prominent family names there in the Aryan Nation is HEATH.

There is a price to the power, fame and fortune your family seeks and that is the loss of a typical citizens' right to privacy. Welcome to the beginning of your 15 minutes, Mr. Heath.

As far as Levi paying for diapers, I can sympathize with the mother expecting him to help support the kid because he should be if the child is his, but they both should have thought about how poor high school kids are when they both decided to do something that could lead to a dependent.

Will the GOP upChuck on Norris support?

Here we have the GOP's favorite far right wingnut Chucky Norris discussing his wish to destroy America with dreams of a Texas secession where he can reign supreme because he didn't get his way in the last elections with FOX news lunatic, Glen Beck, trying to start a wingnut revolution:

On Glenn Beck's radio show last week, I quipped in response to our wayward federal government, "I may run for president of Texas."

That need may be a reality sooner than we think. (...snip...)

How much more will Americans take? When will enough be enough? And, when that time comes, will our leaders finally listen or will history need to record a second American Revolution? We the people have the authority according to America's Declaration of Independence, which states:

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

When I appeared on Glenn Beck's radio show, he told me that someone had asked him, "Do you really believe that there is going to be trouble in the future?" And he answered, "If this country starts to spiral out of control and Mexico melts down or whatever, if it really starts to spiral out of control, before America allows a country to become a totalitarian country (which it would have under I think the Republicans as well in this situation; they were taking us to the same place, just slower), Americans won't stand for it. There will be parts of the country that will rise up." Then Glenn asked me and his listening audience, "And where's that going to come from?" He answered his own question, "Texas, it's going to come from Texas. Do you agree with that Chuck?" I replied, "Oh yeah!" Definitely.

...snip...

For those losing hope, and others wanting to rekindle the patriotic fires of early America, I encourage you to join Fox News' Glenn Beck, me and millions of people across the country in the live telecast, "We Surround Them,"

Certainly explaining why Chucky was so fond of secessionist Sarah Palin...

When I heard Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was McCain's choice, I knew she was a woman whom Americans could support and trust.

Will Palin renounce him and his lunatic call for secession? This is a woman who has secessionist issues of her own and still has aspirations to be the president. (Maybe president of Alaska?) But you have to remember that her and her families involvement in AKIP is about secession through a vote, not with some call for a violent revolution.

Although, some of her connections to far right wing secessionists are also tied into people with racist/conspiracist whack job extraordinaire Mark Chryson and other crazy militia type ties like "Black Helicopter Steve" Stoll:

During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played a quiet but pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin's campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory.

Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution's language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring. She attempted to name Stoll, a John Birch Society activist known in the Mat-Su Valley as "Black Helicopter Steve," to an empty Wasilla City Council seat. "Every time I showed up her door was open," said Chryson. "And that policy continued when she became governor."

...snip...

After intense evangelizing by Chryson and his allies, they claimed Palin as a convert. "When she started taking her job seriously," Chryson said, "the people who put her in as the rubber stamp found out the hard way that she was not going to go their way." In 1994, Sarah Palin attended the AIP's statewide convention. In 1995, her husband, Todd, changed his voter registration to AIP. Except for an interruption of a few months, he would remain registered was an AIP member until 2002, when he changed his registration to undeclared.

...snip...

Clark pointed to Palin's political career as the model of a successful infiltration. "There's a lot of talk of her moving up," Clark said of Palin. "She was a member [of the AIP] when she was mayor of a small town, that was a nonpartisan job. But to get along and to go along she switched to the Republican Party … She is pretty well sympathetic because of her membership."

Much like the loony secessionist Sarah Palin in Alaska, Norris is a crazed wingnut that has always been treated as a mainstream representative of the GOP...

1. Chuck Norris roundhouses GOP presidential campaign

   Dec 8, 2007 ... Chuck Norris roundhouses. GOP presidential campaign. Surge of national support for Huckabee triggered by WND column endorsement ...
   www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59090 - 38k - Cached - Similar pages -

2. Chuck Norris Boosts Huckabee | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 ...

   Chuck and Huck: GOP's Delta Force? Now that the Gipper is gone and Charlton Heston is in his 80s, Chuck Norris has emerged as a dream celebrity 'get' on the ...
   www.newsweek.com/id/73272 - 70k - Cached - Similar pages -

3. Chuck Norris (I) - Biography

   A website known as "Chuck Norris Facts" has been created as a parody of his career. ....GOP candidate can be dissected to a point that he is railed for ...
   www.imdb.com/name/nm0001569/bio - 49k - Any Cached - Similar pages -

4. Video results for chuck norris, gop

   Mike Huckabee Ad: "Chuck Norris Approved" 1 min www.youtube.com

   Republican Debate OVER: Where is Chuck Norris? 34 sec www.youtube.com

5. Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Alaska GOP Touts Chuck Norris's ...

   Oct 7, 2008 ... Brad Haynes reports on the 2008 election. A few facts: Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open. Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one ...
   blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/07/alaska-gop-touts-chuck-norriss-endorsement-of-don-young/ - 178k - Cached - Similar pages -

6. GOP's Mike Huckabee campaigns with Chuck Norris in Huntsville ...

   GOP's Mike Huckabee campaigns with Chuck Norris in Huntsville S. Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee visits ...
   videos.al.com/birmingham-news/2008/02/gops_mike_huckabee_campaigns_w.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages -

7. Hotline - Chuck Norris' Tears Could Heal GOP Rift; Too Bad He ...

   Jan 13, 2009 ... Chuck Norris' Tears Could Heal GOP Rift; Too Bad He Doesn't Cry. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Large GOP donors are "having to choose" between Gov ...
   nationaljournal.com/hotline/hl_20090113_4120.php - 32k - Cached - Similar pages -

8. CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive ...

   Obvisouly all those cuts in education by the GoP have made a difference over .... Go Chuck Norris…I love finding out whose a republican in Hollywood…there ...
   politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/22/martial-arts-tv-star-picks-presidential-candidate/ - 327k - Cached - Similar pages -

9. Chuck Norris Pictures - CNN And YouTube Host GOP Presidential ...

   Actor Chuck Norris sits in the audience during the CNN-YouTube Presidential Debate at the Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts ...
   www.zimbio.com/pictures/aHV7U6TlYFj/CNN+YouTube+Host+GOP+Presidential+Debate/4oP2iirr8Vo/Chuck+Norris - 17k - Cached - Similar pages -

10. Chuck Norris - the GOP's Oprah - The Daily Breeze

    Chuck Norris - the GOP.
    www.dailybreeze.com/ci_7748032 - 49k - Cached - Similar pages -

Right now, the FOX news sponsored group "We surround them" has not only exposed, yet again, their true allegiance to Republican rule for ever but, also, the violent underbelly of supporters amongst their viewership willing to fall in line for a war against the USA, with literal calls to arms by some of the most extremist Americans:

The call by some right wing leaders for rebellion and for the military to refuse the commander in chief’s orders is joined by Chuck Norris who claims that thousands of right wing cell groups have organized and are ready for a second American Revolution. (snip) Norris claims that; “Thousands of cell groups will be united around the country in solidarity over the concerns for our nation.” The right wing cells will meet during a live telecast, "We Surround Them," on Friday March 13 at 5 p.m.

Which the rest of the lunatic fringe right wing is already quite willing to do:

Norris and Beck are not the only crazies. Watch this video by a group called "Restore the Republic" calling for soldiers and law enforcement to not only to disobey President Obama but to be prepared to arrest and detain federal officials.

The lit match has always been there in the heart of the crazed GOP and these fanatics are trying to lead their allies into a pool of gasoline, dragging the entire USA into the fire with them.

Will the GOP stand by and watch their own side ignite a war on the USA?

Will Huckabee renounce him? John McCain, whom Norris eventually stood beside? How about WorldNetDaily? Will they renounce these calls to violence? Townhall? The Alaskan GOP and Rep. Don Young? Will Ron Paul, a guy he told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was "the only guy he trusts" in politics kick Norris to the curb?

And How about FOX news? Will they fire Glen Beck and renounce these lunatic calls for a treasonous movement to begin their violence against the USA?

I doubt it because these people are just sick. All of them. Hate, lies, violence and tearing down our own government is all they know.

Palin's 15 Minutes Ticks Off Right Wingnuts

Via the far right wing Newsmax, it appears even the wingnuts are tiring of Sarah Winky Palin's never ending quest to become relevant:

Palin is fueling the stories she condemns by talking about them instead of ignoring them, said Janis Edwards, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama and an expert on women candidates. One of Edwards' classes monitored Palin's role in a project called "The Palin Watch."

Palin "does seem to have ambitions, and this is one way of staying in the public eye," Edwards said.

The governor's complaints about the media assure continued coverage, said Lisa Burns, associate professor of media studies at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.

"The media interest will wane. I think it already has," Burns said. "I have to wonder if this is something she's doing to keep her name out there."

When your own side is writing stories that are calling you out for your hypocritical attacks on the media you have jumped the shark. And though I must admit, Winky, we did thoroughly enjoy the comedic value you brought to the news cycle in your 15 minutes... Even down to your very last brain-emptying flatulated sputter of hollow charges:

Tick - Tick - Tick - Tick - Tick - Tick -
Time's up, Dingaling!

GOP Voters Were Wishing McCain Would Die

Via Crooks and Liars, Glen Beck didn't think that these sick and crazy GOP voters were newsworthy:

Glenn Beck had Erick Erickson on his radio show today to talk about his plans for a Republican bloodbath over Sarah Palin, of which Beck thoroughly approves.

Indeed, Beck believes most conservatives voted for John McCain in the hopes that he would soon die:

I mean, I have to tell you if I heard once, I heard 1,000 times from people, and I never said this, never said this on the air because you just don't say these things, but I heard a million times from people, "I'm going to vote for John McCain and, you know, I mean, he's old. Maybe we get Sarah Palin in the first term." You know what I mean?

Imagine how these whack job Palin voters Glen Beck talks to all the time feel about Barack Obama being the President of the United States of America? You know what I mean?

Palin On Stevens Guilt

Via Think Progress:

Hotline reports that Sarah Palin issued a statement about the guilty decision in the Ted Stevens corruption case:

Thanks for your patience there. It’s a sad day for Alaska, and a sad day for Senator Stevens and his family. The verdict shines a light though on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company up there in Alaska that was allowed to control too much of our state. And that control was part of the culture of corruption that I was elected to fight.

Just exactly how did Palin fight this corruption in Alaska?


Yep... She has an image as some kind of political reformer but she is just another booster of the Corrupt Bastards Club. Obviously the feelings are mutual:

I bet Governor Palin wishes she could take this commercial back.

Ted Stevens Endorses Sarah Palin

Oh yeah... And Palin was groomed by the criminal as the director of a Stevens organized 527:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin began building clout in her state's political circles in part by serving as a director of an independent political group organized by the now embattled Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.

snip

At the time Stevens revealed the existence of the 527 group -- a type of independent political corporation named for its the section of the tax code -- ethics experts questioned whether it was appropriate.

The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that several experts called the group an example of the fine legal line between a legal effort to conduct political activity and then-new prohibitions against raising unlimited soft-money.

The same kind of "maverICKY" 527 groups that are skating on the edge of election laws and attacking Barack Obama with outrageous lies for the McCain campaign. Both John McCain and Sarah Palin are prime examples of everything that is wrong and needs to be reformed in politics... Hypocritical sell outs to the big corporations that are corrupting the system.

Palin and McCain Supporters Assault the Press

McCain, Palin and their violent right wing supporters are getting way out of hand:

Report from Palin rally
Newspaper stories from Palin's rally from [Mark Binker] and Joe Killian.

snip

As he was telling me a large, bearded man in full McCain-Palin campaign regalia got in his face to yell at him.

“Hey, hey,” I said. “I’m trying to interview him. Just a minute, okay?”

The man began to say something about how of course I was interviewing the Obama people when suddenly, from behind us, the sound of a pro-Obama rap song came blaring out of the windows of a dorm building. We all turned our heads to see Obama signs in the windows.

This was met with curses, screams and chants of “U.S.A” by McCain-Palin folks who crowded under the windows trying to drown it out and yell at the person playing the stereo.

It was a moment of levity in an otherwise very tense situation and so I let out a gentle chuckle and shook my head.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?!” the large bearded man said. His face was turning red. “Yeah, that’s real funny…” he said.

And then he kicked the back of my leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

There was no cop or security officer around to report this lugnut to, and Joe resisted the temptation to smack the guy back, which I commend. But let me say this: the guy who attacked Joe is a criminal, no better that the lunk-head who steels your car stereo or snatches a purse.

Any Obama supporters happen to catch any of this on video or a cell camera snapshot or something? Maybe the reporter can pick the Republican thug out of some pics that may be circulating on the Blogs?

[update] OMG! Joe Killian really has a sense of humor about all of it, all things considered:

How I Became Joe Sixpack
And then he kicked the back of my leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

From my position there I saw the bottoms of a number of feet almost accidentally stomping me to death as the two political camps screamed back and forth, the music continued to blare and some of the Obama crowd moved the large bearded man and his friends away. When I was helped to my feet the bearded man was walking away quickly.

For a moment I considered running the bloated, twelve-sandwich eating prick down and beating the living hell out of him…and then I remembered that I’m a reporter, how much I enjoy being gainfully employed and how hard it would be to keep my job if I got into a fistfight with a guy at a political rally.

So instead I limped off to try to find a security guard or cop.

When I did the guy was nowhere to be found.

“He’s this big fat guy with a brown beard and he’s wearing a McCain-Palin shirt and hat,” I said.

And then felt like an idiot. I was surrounded by people who fit that description.

The entire thing is worth the read... And kudos to the Obama supporters that helped him out.

Palin Witch Hunter Exposed as Charlatan

Palin's witch hunting Bishop has been exposed as a charlatan:

False claims exposed of Kenyan pastor
who protected Sarah Palin from witches

Bishop Thomas Muthee staked his early reputation in the town of Kiambu on boasts that he banished a witch named Mama Jane, whom he blamed for crime, traffic accidents and public drunkenness in town. Once she fled, Muthee claimed, her spell was broken and peace returned.

In fact, Mama Jane never left. She is a pastor just down the road from Muthee's Word of Faith Church.

"Muthee was saying that this was a place of witch doctors - where do you see the witch?" said Mama Jane, whose real name is Jane Njenga.

A pastor at Muthee's "church" had no comment... But I will try to make up for their silence here:

Palin-McCain Troopergate Witness Tampering Witch Hunt

The charges are flying as Alaskans seem to be pushing back against the Palin-McCain Campaign for trying to silence the witnesses:

Criminal Witness Tampering in Troopergate?

Alaksa State Representative Les Gara (D) of Anchorage, just released the following press release, plus a big stack of supporting paperwork. Another shout out to Les Gara, who has been fearless and forceful about speaking up in this matter.

It was a unanimous vote from a Republican controlled committee that voted to start the investigation but now it appears to be a truly bipartisan effort to get to the truth in Palin's Troopergate scandal and they are getting pissed at the rovian tactics being used by the Palin-McCain campaign's herd of lawyers. Palin has tried cutting off the real investigation by doing a farce investigation of her own.

Alaskans better be careful... If they piss Palin off enough she may sic her witch hunting priest on all of them! I am not kidding here. Witch hunting is one of Palin's "missions from God!"

We could easily think of the connection of Sarah Palin to Thomas Muthee, a man who hunts people he accuses of witchcraft, as just a story of harmless eccentricity, a humorous anecdote to giggle about.

Only, it’s much more than that. It’s part of a larger story, a gruesome story in which accused witches have their hands hacked off or are burned alive. It’s a story in which children are accused of witchcraft by the tens of thousands.

Please, read more…

Nothing like using your God to incite violence on women, among the many other victims of their violent and godly pursuits, eh? Some of you may be unaware of just how crazy Sarah Palin's religion is. What? You don't believe me?

But the Irregular Times has been all over this for weeks and trying to get the medias attention:

In the United States of America, we’ve got freedom of the Press guaranteed in our Constitution, right there in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. And why do we have freedom of the Press in the USA? It’s for a very good reason: So that reporters can write freely about political candidates’ hair!

Irregular Times has spent a good amount of time over the last couple of weeks trying to alert American journalists to the serious threat of a theocratic conspiracy that claims a goal to “invade”, “infiltrate” and “penetrate” American secular government, taking it over in order to push a narrow, right wing religious agenda. That theocratic conspiracy comes through Sarah Palin, the political newcomer we know very little about, and we’re tipped off to it by Thomas Muthee, the favorite witch hunter of Palin’s home church.

It isn’t just that Thomas Muthee incites violent mobs, or gives supernatural protection to Sarah Palin from witchcraft. It’s that Thomas Muthee campaigned illegally for Sarah Palin in her own church, announcing that Palin would enter government in order to implement what that church thinks is the will of God. Palin’s church responded to that call to arms with enthusiasm, and then Sarah Palin came right out of the audience in order to pray with Muthee that the theocratic mission would be accomplished, “in Jesus’s name”.

Oh, but never mind that. That’s just details of the story that have to do with preserving the Constitution, and not going back to the religious vigilante churches of colonial times. What is that, when compared to Sarah Palin’s personal sense of style?

What? Now you want video evidence of just how crazy her religion is? I know many of you have already seen her drug induced like stupor and advocating the for the crusades in Iraq in the earlier videos on her church, and know about Palin's talking in tongues wackiness. But that ain't nothing compared to the theocratic quest to "invade and infiltrate the government" that is featured in this highly politicized appearance at her wacky church by the witch hunting priest Thomas Muthee and Sarah Palin:



There is a huge difference between having a religion and being a batshit loopy Christofascist Dominionist hell bent on taking over the world.

For those of you that came here looking for more Sarah "million and one scandals" Palin dirt and even more on the Troopergate scandal:

Previously Brewed in New Milford:

Palin's Troopergate Troubles Start To Spin Out of Control

Just an update on the impeachment for abuse of power story that I wrote about on Friday. Via Steve Benen at The Political Animal:

THE CRIME AND THE COVER-UP.... At her kickoff event in Ohio yesterday, Sarah Palin boasted about having rejected congressional funds for the infamous "bridge to nowhere." Soon after, we realized that Palin wasn't telling the truth about one of her signature issues, on her very first day as a candidate for national office.

Now, some might say this is excusable, because Palin's remarks were written by McCain campaign aides, and the McCain campaign barely knows who Palin is. That's probably true.

But lying about an alleged abuse of power is far more serious.

Remember the expression, the cover-up is worse than the crime? It's plainly true in the case of Palin firing Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan. Take a look at this video, from the ABC affiliate in Alaska, and notice that Palin seems to have been caught, rather blatantly, misusing her power and then lying about it.

While we're at it, read this rather extraordinary report from the Washington Post about just how embarrassing this scandal is for Palin.

For that matter, let's not forget that Palin fired the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner for the most dubious of reasons, and then replaced him with a guy facing a credible sexual harassment accusation, and who was out of the job two weeks later. What a great example of sound judgment.

Interestingly enough, the right wing only seems to want to address Palin's charges concerning Wooten being an asshat, but they completely ignore the very credible evidence of serious abuses of power and the fact that their family was directly involved in some of the asshat things Wooten did, as well.

I am sitting back and laughing because, outside of Alaskan Blogs, there were maybe about a dozen Blogs that had even one of the many stories I had bundled together on Friday about Palin being a pothead, her "Bridge to Nowhere!", whether or not she will be inducted into the Alaskan CBC... And, of course, the impeachment story, known as Troopergate, that many Blogs were playing catch up on.

Brewed here weeks ago:

McCain Pick Pot Head Palin Running From Impeachment

Anyone that thinks this is going to win over former Hillary Clinton supporters already firmly in the Democratic party fold don't understand the fact that Hillary supporters were and are strongly Pro-Choice for the most part.

Her lifetime membership in the NRA may help solidify one of McCain's many weaknesses in his own party base, as well as her advocating religion in schools under the banner of "creationism" may help solidify some of the Christian fundies, but I fail to see how any of it will get her anywhere with moderates or women, in general. Some of the Christian fundamentalists may even despise her just for the fact that she is woman seeking power.

As for her supposed record of cleaning up Alaskan politics and conservative cred?

Well? Palin did smoke pot and, yes, she did inhale:

Palin said she has smoked marijuana -- remember, it was legal under state law, she said, even if illegal under U.S. law -- but says she didn't like it and doesn't smoke it now.

Breaks laws but says it is OK... Sounds bush-like. IOKIYAR, to say the least.

Palin gave up on the Alaskan bridge to nowhere when it became a hot button showcase issue for Senator Steven's wasting tax dollars.

The $398 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan, on one island in southeastern Alaska, to its airport on another nearby island.

Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday the project was $329 million short of full funding.

"We will continue to look for options for Ketchikan to allow better access to the island," the Republican governor said. "The concentration is not going to be on a $400 million bridge."

And any doubt about her place on the ticket to distract from corrupt Republicans can be removed here:


Yep... She has an image as some kind of political reformer but she is just another booster of the Corrupt Bastards Club. Obviously the feelings are mutual:

I bet Governor Palin wishes she could take this commercial back.

Ted Stevens Endorses Sarah Palin

Oh yeah...

And she is running from possible impeachment in her state too:

Palin, who has previously said her administration didn't exert pressure to get rid of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.

"I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to exist although I have only now become aware of it," Palin said.

But Palin said her decision to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan last month had nothing to do with his refusal to dump trooper Mike Wooten.

The governor said evidence of what she called a "smoking gun" conversation, and other calls made by her aides, only recently surfaced as the attorney general started an inquiry at her request into the circumstances surrounding her firing of Monegan. Palin wanted the review because a special investigator hired by the Legislature is about to investigate the firing and a legislator has been quoted in a newspaper story talking about impeachment.

Got caught and threw others under the bus. Can you get any more bush than that? Yes she can... Here she tried to head off an investigation by having a farce inquiry of her own.

Gov. Sarah Palin is trying to find out what the Legislature's special investigator might discover as he probes her controversial firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

Obviously Sarah Palin wants the inquiry for ethics reasons... Not to head off any damaging information that might come up in a real independent investigation.

Questions have been raised since Monegan's firing about whether Palin, her family, or members of her administration pressured Monegan to fire Wooten, a Mat-Su-based trooper involved in a rough divorce from the governor's sister.

Image taken from here

Sarah Palin has Corrupt Bastards Club written all over her.

• Palin aide put on leave in firing flap
• Palin says staff's calls were not pressure
• Palin staff pushed to have trooper fired
• Excerpts from conversation between Frank Bailey and trooper Rodney Dial
• Palin aide says he acted on his own

Just so you know who and what the Corrupt Bastards Club is all about:

Alaska political corruption probe refers to a widespread investigation from 2004 to the present by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service into political corruption of lawmakers in the Alaska State Legislature, focusing in particular on lawmakers' official actions in relation to the oil industry, fisheries, and private corrections industry. As of May 2007, the investigation has resulted in indictments against four current and former Alaska state legislators on corruption charges; and guilty pleas by two executives of the oilfield services company VECO Corporation to charges of bribery and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service. Indications are that further indictments may be forthcoming as the investigation progresses.

Former Representative Tom Anderson was indicted in December 2006 on allegations of extortion and bribery involving his support of a private corrections company. Anderson was convicted of all seven felony counts on July 9, 2007. Former House Speaker Pete Kott (R-Eagle River), former Representative Bruce Weyhrauch (R-Juneau), and current Representative Vic Kohring (R-Wasilla) were arrested and arraigned on May 4, 2007 on charges of accepting bribery and extortion related to their support of an oil tax law favored by the oilfield services company VECO Corporation.^[1] On May 7, 2007, VECO Corporation founder and CEO Bill Allen and Vice President for Community & Government Affairs Rick Smith pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Anchorage to charges of bribery and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service.^[2]

If you want to have a little fun...

Last November voters identified corruption as the number one issue affecting their vote, in short: vote the bastards out! We here at the C.B.C. couldn’t agree more but there are plenty more of these bastards out there in politics, the media and big business so let’s hear more about them. Play Who’s Your Corrupt Bastard? our award winning national contest ripped straight from the headlines of Alaska politics where you can win fabulous prizes and call out your favorite corrupt public figure. Peruse The Bastard Files for a look at current nominees. We are also the official headquarters for the now infamous Corrupt Bastard Club Gear - perfect for that corrupt bastard in your life.

Of note is that Josh Marshall says that this wouldn't be the first time that a politician has abused their power to settle family scores in this way. In Connecticut we don't have to look any further than Governor Rell's hit job on any policing effort when her son was caught with a stolen jet ski.

I mentioned this last week, and bears mentioning again:

Get back to me later on today to see what the media will be talking about tomorrow... If you want a good idea of what the pundits will be talking about today just look in my archives for the past week or so. lol jk

I am doing the best I can to be out ahead of everything that is "NEWS" here, more so than usual... And I think I have been well ahead of the curve on the biggest stories of the campaign in the last month or so. Certainly running with pack of Bloggers that are lookin' way back over their shoulders at the flailing and floundering Traditional Media.

And there is still a lot more to come on this pitiful Palin pick...

I am just not irresponsible enough to start posting based on rumors of her daughter being - or having been - pregnant, or any of the other weird and wacky stories floating around the internet concerning the birth of Trig. But, apparently these stories worry the right wingnuts enough to start refuting them before they make any big splashes in the news. Go figure?

Here we are talkin' about someone that not only should never have been picked as McInsane's running mate, but she knows she is completely unprepared for this, via kos:

In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job, saying it didn't seem "productive." In fact, she said she doesn't know what the vice president does. Larry Kudlow of CNBC's "Kudlow & Co." asked her about the possibility of becoming McCain ticket mate. Palin replied:

Palin replied: "[A]s for that V.P. 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 V.P. does every day?

Since all muck is best when it is local, I am going to farm you out to a pretty good Alaskan Blog, Mudflats, that has a decent handle on the entire Troopergate scandal, and this story really does read like a trashy novel:

So, if McCain had made his selection six months ago, the squeaky-clean governor meme would have made a little more sense. But, Sarah Palin is currently under an ethics investigation by the Alaska state legislature. The details of this investigation read like a trashy novel, and I suspect that the players will soon have newfound celebrity on the national stage. I’ll try to explain for all you non-Alaskans who suddenly have good reason to want to know more about Sarah Palin. For those of you not interested in trashy novels, feel free to skip ahead. Here it is…what we in Alaska call “TrooperGate”.

Sarah Palin’s sister Molly married a guy named Mike Wooten who is an Alaska State Trooper. Mike and Molly had a rocky marriage. When the marriage broke up, there was a bitter custody fight that is still ongoing. During the custody investigation, all sorts of things were brought up about Wooten including the fact that he had illegally shot a moose (yes folks this is Alaska), driven drunk, and used a taser (on the test setting, he reminds us) on his 11-year old stepson, who supposedly had asked to see what it felt like. While Wooten has turned out to be a less than stellar figure, the fact that Palin’s father accompanied him on the infamous moose hunt, and that many of the dozens of charges brought up by the Palin family happened long before they were ever reported smacked of desperate custody fight. Wooten’s story is that he was basically stalked by the family.

After all this, Wooten was investigated and disciplined on two counts and allowed to kept his position with the troopers. Enter Walt Monegan, Palin’s appointed new chief of the Department of Public Safety and head of the troopers. Monegan was beloved by the troopers, did a bang-up job with minimal funding and suddenly got axed. Palin was out of town and Monegan got “offered another job” (aka fired) with no explanation to Alaskans. Pressure was put on the governor to give details, because rumors started to swirl around the fact that the highly respected Monegan was fired because he refused to fire the aforementioned Mike Wooten. Palin vehemently denied ever talking to Monegan or pressuring Monegan in any way to fire Wooten, or that anyone on her staff did. Over the weeks it has come out that not only was pressure applied, there were literally dozens of conversations in which pressure was applied to fire him. Monegan has testified to this fact, spurring an ongoing investigation by the Alaska state legislature. But, before this investigation got underway, Palin sent the Alaska State Attorney General out to do some investigative work of his own so she could find out in advance what the real investigation was going to find. (No, I’m not making this up). The AG interviewed several people, unbeknownst to the actual appointed investigator or the Legislature! Palin’s investigation of herself uncovered a recorded phone call retained by the Alaska State Troopers from Frank Bailey, a Palin underling, putting pressure on a trooper about the Wooten non-firing. Todd Palin (governor’s husband) even talked to Monegan himself in Palin’s office while she was away. Bailey is now on paid administrative leave.

As if this weren’t enough, Monegan’s appointed replacement Chuck Kopp, turns out to have been the center of his own little scandal. He received a letter of reprimand and was reassigned after sexual harrassment allegations by a former coworker who didn’t like all the unwanted kissing and hugging in the office. Was he vetted? Obviously not. When he was questioned about all this, his comment was that no one had asked him and he thought they all knew. Kopp, defiant, still claimed to have done nothing wrong and said to the press that there was no way he was stepping down from his new position. Twenty four hours later, he stepped down. Later it was uncovered that he received a $10,000 severance package for his two weeks on the job from Palin. Monegan got nothing.

After extensive news coverage about all this nasty behind-the-scenes scandal, which is definitely NOT squeaky clean, Palin’s approval ratings fell to 67%, still high, but a far cry from the 90% number that’s being thrown around so glibly by the Republicans today. Alaskans are quickly becoming disillusioned once again.

You will find about 800 comments there now, and a lot of it concerns rumors from locals on the Palin kids' origins, so to speak. They are debating whether Sarah Palin was ever pregnant OR if their daughter Bristol is or has been pregnant OR if Sarah Palin had the amniocentesis tests done because she might have been considering having an abortion, among other interesting subjects.

All of these issues are things that should instantly kill Palin's already lukewarm support from the Christian Fundamentalists, Christianists, and Christofascists IF they are proven true. You have to remember that while most of these groups may celebrate her far right wing religious positions, there are many among those groups that don't like women that go to work, never mind chasing that supposed manly power.

And as a last note...You hear guys using this word a lot on the internet when they talk about Sarah Palin - some girls use this term too - but here is someone bringing a whole new meaning to the word MILF:

Sarah Palin's hometown rallied around her as mayor - now Republicans wonder if the rest of America will warm up to the surprise pick from cold country.

Though her mother-in-law has doubts.

Faye Palin admitted she enjoys hearing Barack Obama speak, and still hasn't decided which way she'll vote."

Holy Crap! Her mother-in-law eFed her good...

[update] The McCain campaign is in a Bush-like desperation mode to try and stall anything from moving on Palin's Troopergate:

A former top Justice Department prosecutor now working for John McCain's presidential campaign has been helping to direct an aggressive legal strategy aimed at shutting down a pre-election ethics investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The growing role of Edward O'Callaghan, who until six weeks ago served as co-chief of the terrorism and national security unit of the U.S. attorney's office in New York, illustrates just how seriously the McCain campaign is taking the so-called "troopergate" inquiry into Palin's firing last summer of Walt Monegan,

Alaska's Public Safety Commissioner.O'Callaghan emerged publicly for the first time this week when he told reporters at a McCain campaign press conference, in Anchorage, that Palin is "unlikely to cooperate" with an Alaskan legislative inquiry into Monegan's firing because it had been "tainted" by politics.

The "tainted with politics" claim? I guess it is based on the fact that 3 Republicans and 2 Democratic members on a committee looking into claims of Palin's abuse of power voted to go forward with subpoenas and a formal inquiry...

Previously brewed in New Milford, as well:

Talkin' Sarah Palin Paranoid Blues

It seems like every day there is another Sarah Palin lie exposed or another wacky fringe group she gets tied to... Via Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner:

Photo Shows Palin Reading John Birch Magazine

First discovered at BagNewsNotes, then posted by Ben Smith at Politico:

In a picture supplied by Sarah Palin's family to the Associated Press, Palin appears with some rather odd reading matter: The magazine of the ultraconservative John Birch Society. The picture, dating to 1995, when Palin was a member of the Wasilla City Council, ran beside a profile of Palin in Saturday's New York Times. The magazine, The New American, is sitting on top of her calendar on her desk, unopened.

Here's the photo in question:

There is no doubt bout the authenticity of the photo evidence since the Palins provided the picture for campaign purposes. What we know about the far-far-far-right wing John Birch Society:

The Society is generally considered to be well on the right of the American political spectrum and has been described as "ultraconservative" on its own website. However, due to various changes in the personalities, tactics, and ideologies within the conservative movement, the Society has been greatly marginalized since the 1960s among mainstream conservatives.

You can read a lot more on the fringiest of right wing groups - the John Birch Society - here.

I have written on Secessionist Sarah's clear ties to AKIP, and not just Todd Palin's documented membership in that anti-American group... Couple this with both of them clearly knowing the ultrawacky Mark Chryson (I would think he is clearly a bigot, as well) and we start seeing a a clearer picture of Sarah Palin: The wingnuttiest person ever to run in an election at such a high level of government.

You can thank John McCain for making such a farce of the vetting process in the GOP's choice of a VP candidate. Here is a little Dylan for ya, Johnny:



Previously Brewed in New Milford:

Palin Membership in Anti-American Group was Extended

TPM has nailed down the true extent of Todd Palin's membership in the anti-American secessionist group known as AKIP. Previously, I had referred to them as AIP - the Alasakan Independence Party- but they seem to have a preference for AKIP. And this is more than just the membership in the '90s and attending an AKIP convention in '94 as was previously reported on, concerning both Todd and Sarah Palin, by the media when her 2006 video address to the group surfaced.

This afternoon, the director of Division of Elections in Alaska, Gail Fenumiai, told TPMmuckraker that Todd Palin registered in October 1995 to the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States.

Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.

There appears to be some conflicting reports on the Sarah Palin's membership which we hope to clear up soon. But there is no doubt that they both attended a 1994 convention, as well as Sarah Palin's video address to the group in 2006 (Video Below).

But make no mistake about the significance of this when you consider that as the "First Dude/Dunce" of Alaska, Todd Palin, has been seen having a significant hand in Alaskan politics not typically allowed for a person with the status of citizen, given his access to what is claimed as supposedly confidential information, information that Sarah Palin refuses to release to the media or any other citizen based on obviously and demostrably false claims of "executive privilege" Sounds like the corrupt bush admin. all over again, eh? Now wonder McCain likes her.

Alaskan Republican Andrew Halcro (disclosure here: Halcro ran against Sarah Palin in the primaries for the Republican Governor ticket) has attempted to document what seems to be some pretty compelling evidence for an Alaskan "Shadow Government." Some of this information may already be known to you if are following all of the developments in Sarah Palin's Troopergate scandal.

Previously brewed in New Milford:

McCain VP Still a Secessionist - Pics May Prove It

Considering just how well the McCain campaign vetted Sarah Palin before picking her as his running mate for the upcoming campaign, I wonder how Palin's "Patriotic" credibility will be viewed by his rabidly faux patriotic supporters when they find out that her idea of foreign policy experience may be in dealing with the government of the USA?

According to the AIP (Alaskan Independence Party), Sarah Palin was a member of their party and they mention this fact in videos where they outline their plans to infiltrate other organizations in order to push their platform:

In the first clip we see Palin address the AIP convention earlier this year:

This next clip is the 1st of 2 parts from the convention itself. About half way through the speech(at 6:00), the Vice Chairman of the AIP, Dexter Clark, says this of Palin: "Our current governor who I mentioned at the last conference, the one we were hoping would get elected, Sarah Palin, did get elected . . . .and there was a lot of talk about her moving up. She was an AIP member before she got the job as mayor . . . "

This last clip is a continuation of the speech from Dexter Clark, the Vice Chairman from the AIP. In it, he talks about the necessity of infiltrating the major national parties in order to further the goals of the AIP.

The AIP’s main aim is to secede from the United States, becoming either a territory or a sovereign nation. They aim to be entirely "self-sufficient" using profits from the oil and gas resources of the state.

On their website, you’ll see this:

The Alaskan Independence Party can be summed up in just two words:
ALASKA FIRST!

And their 2008 platform:

To seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution.

Governor Palin’s connections with the AIP are also furthered by her connection to Wally Hickel, a former Alaskan governor. Hickel was elected on the AIP ticket. He served as the co-chairman of Governor Palin’s campaign in 2006
Here is a quote from an interview Hickel did with the Alaska Dispatch:

When Palin was running for governor in 2006, Hickel appeared in advertisements supporting her and the Alaska pipeline.
"I made her governor," Hickel told me.

When asked earlier this year on CNBC about whether she’d be picked for McCain’s VP, Palin said, "We wanna make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans, and for the things we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the US, before I can even start addressing that question."

So, besides the fact that she doesn’t know what the VP does everyday, Palin wants to be VP only if it’s a good thing for Alaska?

Now this proves that she was once a member of the AIP, IMHO... Why would the AIP lie in that video and why else would Palin be willing to address the secessionists after being elected? Anyone outside of Alaska would consider that political suicide with those faux patriots on the right wingnut side of the aisle in the rest of the nation.

But there has been a lot of speculation on all of the fast disappearing Sarah Palin pics on the net being related to the fact that both Sarah or Bristol Palin were or are pregnant...

That is all just a canard, IMHO. A ruse to throw the dogs off of the scent of the real story they are covering up in all of those pictures. And it has nothing to do with any alleged nude pics of Sarah Palin.(NSFW!)

They may be trying to hide the fact that Palin is still a member of the AIP and that she is one of the highest placed members of the AIP that they have managed to elevate in politics thus far.

If I were a betting man, I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of deleted Sarah Palin pics with lapel pins and other paraphernalia that show her true anti-American allegiance to the Alsakan secessionist movement.

There is no way on earth that McCain honestly vetted Palin before he picked her as a running mate. No republican candidate that understands their own base would ever have let this get so far.

[update] ABC news Political Punch confirms that both Todd and Sarah Palin were members of the AIP:

Members of "Fringe" Alaskan Independence Party
Say Palin Was a Member in 90s

Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which since the 1970s has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States.

And while McCain's motto -- as seen in a new TV ad -- is "Country First," the AIP's motto is the exact opposite -- "Alaska First -- Alaska Always."

Lynette Clark, the chairman of the AIP, tells ABC News that Palin and her husband Todd were members in 1994, even attending the 1994 statewide convention in Wasilla. Clark was AIP secretary at the time.

[update deux] I had a conspiracy tag on this diary since I know that it was speculative... I removed it since ABC confirmed the basis for my opinion is factual. This sure as hell would be a good explanation for all of those missing pics. Imagine what the faux patriots on the right will say when they find out she didn't like the USA at all back in the 90s. And she may very well not like it much now.

[update trois] Oh My God... I did not look too much on the origins of the AIP but Gary from Covert History points out in comments that he has been digging into it:

Joe Vogler and the Alaskan Independence Party

In my previous post you will find a Youtube video of Sarah Palin warmly addressing the Alaskan Independence Party. What sort of organization is this and what is its history?

The AIP was founded by one Joe Vogler, who seems to be a rightwinger from way back.

And then Gary gets into Vogler quotes and here is but one example among many:

"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government and I won't be buried under their damned flag...and when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home to be buried in my country."

Hate is a pretty strong word Mr. Vogler... Don't ya think? Anyways, Gary, thanks for the illuminating comment.

and The Jed Report sums up McCain's big problem with this pick:

McCain Camp Mum On Palin's Role In Alaska Secession Party

So it turns out that in the 1990s, Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party whose primary objective is to secure a vote on whether Alaska should secede from the United States. Their party's motto? "Alaska First - Alaska First Always."

I'm sure McCain will eventually have to comment, but according to Marc Ambinder: "A McCain spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment." I'll guarantee you that we know more about Sarah Palin than does McCain or his campaign.

I am willing to guarantee that as well. Because I know I still have Palin news that I am working on! lol Right now all the McCain campaign campaign can do is shut their mouths on this huge story and hope the media don't start covering it like they should.

[update quatre] The media everywhere is starting to pick up on this... I just watched David Schuster toss it out on MSNBC while interviewing some pundits and surrogates. And you could tell by the McCain flack's (?Andrea Tantaros?) reaction that she was taken aback - that flinch and look of "Say what?" - by this news before she plowed into her talking points on everything but the secessionist point.

John McCain has totally and thoroughly embarrassed his entire brigade of GOP talking point twits because they honestly do not have a clue about what scandal is going to break next.

Even Karl Rove acknowledged that she was a risky pick in his talk this morning with the Maine delegation. The soap opera is getting surreal. Sarah Palin's involvement with the secessionist Alaska Independence Party is just the latest punch in the stomach to a reeling Grand Old Party. She is a Buchananite who liked (and maybe voted for) Ron Paul? Now news of her daughter's pregnancy adds new poignancy to her 2006 campaign promise.

"Explicit sex ed programs will not find my support."

Lord have mercy, it's hard out there for a Republican pimp.

Many Republicans are going to wake up tomorrow just finding out about this and other scandals and they will still be behind on the next one. No matter how many lawyers the McCain campaign just got around to sending out to Alaska to actually begin vetting her properly, probably to legally represent Palin in the Troopergate scandal as well, this is not going to be a good week for any Republican that was counting on Sarah Palin to fix everything that is wrong with the John McCain campaign.

[update cinque] Two quick notes... First, it is always nice to know that someone out there is reading what you are writing and, in turn, is writing something well worth reading. Secondly...

I think I may be getting closer to nailing down Sarah Palin's connections to the AKIP. But considering trying to keep up on all of the other Palin scandals breaking so fast it is hard to dig on. Added to the multiple scandal factor is the fact that the AKIP connections are very computer savvy, if I am even on the right track?

...snip...

Sarah Palin AKIP Missing Link: Mark Chryson

TPM has nailed down the true extent of Todd Palin's membership in the anti-American secessionist group known as AKIP. Previously, I had referred to them as AIP - the Alasakan Independence Party- but they seem to have a preference for AKIP. And this is more than just the membership in the '90s and attending an AKIP convention in '94 as was previously reported on, concerning both Todd and Sarah Palin, by the media when her 2006 video address to the group surfaced.

This afternoon, the director of Division of Elections in Alaska, Gail Fenumiai, told TPMmuckraker that Todd Palin registered in October 1995 to the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States.

Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.

There appears to be some conflicting reports on the Sarah Palin's membership which I think I have found the way to clear up. But there is no doubt that they both attended a 1994 convention, as well as Sarah Palin's video address to the group in 2006 (Video Below).

And make no mistake about the significance of this when you consider that as the "First Dude/Dunce" of Alaska, Todd Palin, has been seen having a significant hand in Alaskan politics not typically allowed for a person with the status of citizen, given his access to what is claimed as supposedly confidential information, information that Sarah Palin refuses to release to the media or any other citizen based on obviously and demostrably false claims of "executive privilege" Sounds like the corrupt bush admin. all over again, eh? No wonder McCain likes her.

A phone number search for a number I got out of AKIP archives sent me to this dKos Diary by Ash Meerstrand... It appears he had the same lead I was on. The phone number:

The claim that the AIP held meetings in the town where Palin was mayor while her husband was a member can easily be confirmed using Internet Archive. Meeting information from that time (the first set is from 1998, the other 2000):

Wasilla ,Alaska

Country Kitchen Restaraunt,

411 W. Parks Highway, Wasilla

Tuesdays at 7:00 PM

Wasilla, Alaska

Nobody's Inn Restaraunt,

W. Parks Highway, Wasilla

Tuesdays at 7:00 PM

Call 376-8285

It's only 8pm in Wasilla, Alaska. Is it too late to investigate? Wasilla has only about 9,000 people, and about 5,500 people lived there in the year 2000, so maybe there could be someone there that would know if Todd or Sarah ever showed up.

Check out the other place I found the phone number:

Web Alaska
Wasilla
376-8285
mailto:web-ak@ak.net

I edited out the "image source" and formatting crap so you could see the plain email addy for the "same phone" number contact. I was unable to find another reference on a quick Google of that eMail BUT I also did on a search of "web-ak". Info on website addy for this site

Excerpted from the website description:

Alaskan owned and operated, Web Alaska offers web services for Alaskans and outsiders alike. Compu Doc offers computer repair and services thoughout South Central Alaska.

edit Languages

English
edit Address

2140 Wolverine Cir
Wasilla AK 95654 US

edit Contact

Mark Chryson
+1 907 376 8285

Forget the phone number... We have a name! This from a Google search for "Chryson" and "Palin":

The following is a first hand account of a gentleman who has a story to tell about his experiences with Sarah Palin. I am granting him this venue to say what he has to say because firstly, it gives us another non-press view of a soon-to-be mainstream name, and secondly, the person giving this account is a Geek with Guns (and used to host this website for me when I needed his help).

"I just wanted to let you know ... Sarah Palin who McCain just picked as the next vice president is one of the most honest people I have known. I have known her for over 15 years, been in her house and have had numerous conversations with her, in person, on the phone both for personal issues as well as political issues.

"She is an excellent choice and this might have even saved McCain from going down in history as a loser in the presidential race. Sarah is one elected official that I can’t say anything negative about. And after 15 years of knowing her if there was something that was bad I would have known it.

"This lady has contacted me personally to get help discovering how one of her co workers was abusing his state office because she didn’t believe she could trust the states department of law. The guy later copped a plea, paid a hefty fine and lost his state job but this was after she quit her 2000 / week job and was forced to go public to expose his corruption. By the way he was/is the chairman of the state republican party
"She is VERY approachable which is going to make the insiders and secret service crazy."Wanted to let you know."

Mark Chryson
Wasilla, Alaska

If you would like to know more about the personal experiences of Mark in regards to Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, Mark has given us permission to present the following contact information for that purpose, and offered his phone number up for that purpose as well (which I will decline to provide here do to the GwG haters).

mark [at] web-ak.com - Email Mark Chryson by removing the [at]

I have not verified the credibility of "Geeks with Guns," BUT remember how she hacked computers to out the Alaska Republican chairman...

Now from Jack Tapper's update at Political Punch:

But Fenumiai adds that Palin's husband Todd was a member of the AIP from October 1995 through July 2002, except for a few months in 2000. He is currently undeclared.

As part of their pushback against the charges of Lynette and Dexter Clark of the AIP, the McCain campaign says that Palin did not even attend the AIP convention in Wasilla in 1994.

But another former AIP official -- Mark Chryson, chairman of the AIP from 1995 to 2002 -- tells ABC News that "Palin was at the convention in 1994. She was there."

Was she a member?

Chryson can’t say. "She may have been, I do not know," he says. Their records don't go back that far.

"Ask Sarah," he suggests.

I'd love to. But she hasn't exactly been making herself available to the press.

Former AKIP chairman Chryson, friend and neighbor of the Palins for over 15 years. Chryson was in charge of Wasilla meetings for the AKIP. And Todd Palin was a member almost the entire time Chryson was in charge.

Chryson can't say if she was a member of AKIP? Or he won't say it knowing it would doom her politically.

Chryson's computer expertise coupled with Palin's inside access to computers brought down the Alaskan Republican Party Chairman leaving a power vacuum. I wonder how many AKIP connected people have since been elevated in the Alaskan GOP? Sarah Palin sounds like a woman on a super-duper-double-secret mission to me. An AKIP mission, IMHO.

This may turn into the missing link if we dig enough... heh

Side Note: This diary is just a follow up on Secessionist Sarah diary I did earlier that I felt deserved to be more than just an update in an outdated diary.

[update] Some preliminary digging on Mark Chryson, and this ain't pretty:

various comments at dKos from myself and others that are digging.

Okay, so Walter Hickel is widely believed to have just run on the Alaskan Independence Party ticket because he felt the Republican nominee was too liberal, since he was a major advocate for statehood in the first place. He did, however, threaten to "take our star off the flag."

This was documented once on the AIP's website until 2000, and it still has a reference here: http://www.akip.org/history1.html

The audio is from her 2006 inaugural speech, which I already wrote about, but failed to mention that. Nevertheless, here it is again: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/audio/inaugural_v1.mp3

Now, the Alaska state government may be scrubbing their website, but so far it's mostly as far as links go. If you poke through Internet Archive, even if their robot crawler didn't copy the old 2007 web page, odds are it'll still be hosted somewhere on their servers and accessible via Internet, if you just remove the Internet Archive part of the URL.

That might be a good place to dig.

You can't see them on the 2008 website, and http://www.gov.state.ak.us/... is "forbidden," but here's a link to 212 audio files.

http://web.archive.org/...

I'll get crackin'.

dKos again, and this is some weird, scary and wacky stuff:

Okay, it appears that web-ak.com is a webhosting company that is owned by this friend of Palin's. I went to this site and had a look around. Under the links page, we find something called the "Waco Holocaust Museum". Now, note that this is on the links page and is hosted on the same domain. In fact, it appears to be the only thing on the links page on the same domain. At the bottom of this Waco page, there are more links, a big list of them at the bottom. Half the links don't work (archive.org anyone?), but the ones that do work include:

"Seventh Seal" An 'apolitical' history of the Axis (Nazis).

"The Confederate Memorial Association"

"Brasscheck" Appears to be a 9/11 truther site.

"Real History Archives" Assorted conspiracy theories.


"Brood of Vipers" More conspiracy theories.

"Final Conflict" Incoherent website about Nationalism. The page has an article "Did six million really die?"

Enjoy!

There are also hundreds of photos, gifs and other stuff stored in zips with file titles like /death/burial.jpg, /death/waco/burial.gif, /death/coffin.gif, /waco/coffin.html etc.. This is one wacko dude.

http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/web-ak.com/

McCafee site advisor shows 4 ZIP files that can be downloaded from the site... Virus free and all. But they look like they are just stuff for his wacky website. I really don't think I want to sift through them after looking at the site.

at the bottom of the waco page:

Published by Public Action, Inc, a news and news analysis service. All commercial rights are reserved. A full statement of terms and conditions for copying and redistribution is available in the Museum Library. "Waco Holocaust Electronic Museum," "SkyWriter," and the sky writing logo are trademarks of Public Action, Inc.

http://www.Public-Action.com/...

or http://206.55.8.10/...

Curator@Public-Action.com

All original material is copyright 1996-2000 by Carol A. Valentine, on loan to Public Action, Inc.

Postal Address: Carol A. Valentine, PO Box 10933, Burke, VA 22009

This page last updated February 28, 2001


This Page is mirrored courtesy of Web Alaska

Not "hosted by web-ak"

"This page is mirrored COURTESY OF WEB-AK"

Interesting choice of outfits to offer freebies there...

More dKos comments because I had to wonder if he goes to Sara Palin's "non-demonicnational" church:

I couldn't find anything to that effect. But I did find a choice quote by him in an apparently defunct guestbook on the akip site that does not appear to be accessible from the main page.

"I am not paranoid because socialists and communists are everywhere."

--Mark Chryson on March 2, 2000.

This guy is seriously out there. He also derides someone else who posted to the guestbook as being "government educated" on Feb 25, 2001.

and a second reply:

Sorry about the second reply, but did you notice the article linked at the top of the Waco page called "The FBI's Catholic Church"? It seems to be trying to make the argument that Waco was a plot by the Catholic church because some FBI agents happen to be Catholic. These people are seriously lunatics.

Chryson is as loony as a right wingnut can possibly get... And seems to like reading from, hosting and linking to radical/bigoted/plain-freakin'-loony stuff.

And this is the guy who was the leader of Todd Palin's political party when he was a member? As well as their neighbor who ran the local AKIP meetups? And Sarah Palin got help from him to bring down the Alaskan GOP chairman according to Chryson's words.

And the media gave him a public stage to give a Sarah Palin testimonial. WTF???