Anchorage paper cites falsehoods in Palin’s speech to GOP convention
September 4th, 2008 at 08:15am Pat Cunningham
The biggest newspaper in her state SAYS Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin misrepresented certain realities regarding a gas pipeline and her record on federal earmarks in her speech last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Beyond that, of course, were her blatant distortions of Barack Obama’s record, about which we’ll have more here later today.
UPDATE: The Associated Press also has done a little FACT-CHECKING on the GOP rhetoric.
Entry Filed under: Sarah Palin
20 Comments Add your own
1. Mike Carroll | September 4th, 2008 at 8:27 am
To quote an Alaskan elected official-”The Alaskan landscape is littered with the bodies of those who underestimated Sarah Palin”.
Face it Pat, she gave one hell of a good speech.
2. Pat Cunningham | September 4th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Mike: The speech was good in terms of throwing red meat to the partisans. In terms of veracity, it was lame, as will become more evident over the coming hours and days. This woman is not ready for the political big leagues, and when her right-wing views become more widely known, independent voters will shun her like the plague.
You have to remember, Mike, this ticket cannot win if it only gets reliably Republican votes. Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans, and independents, as I say, aren’t likely to support this GOP ticket.
3. Uncle Bouncy | September 4th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Please Pat
Tell me what speech Obama gave that proved HE was ready for prime time?
Time to stop with the sexism. Palin is the real deal…
And Pat, you really should know better…but historically, Republicans turn out to the polls in far greater reliability than Democrats do
And the base is beyond fired up…Palin could have shouted “Who likes Mooseburgers?” and the whole crowd would have been chanting “Moose! Moose!”
Clearly, you liberals are rightly in full panic mode
4. Craig Knauss | September 4th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Here’s a few facts regarding Palin’s executive experience as Gov. of Alaska:
If Alaska were an Illinois county, it would rank only 4th or 5th by population. That means that 3 or 4 Illinois county board chairmen, and one mayor, had more responsibilities.
Alaska only has one moderate sized city, no mass transit, no interstates, few paved roads, only a couple of good-sized airports, no decaying inner cities, and its largest minority group (Indians) is supported by the Federal Government, not the state. The state is a cash surplus state because of the oil revenues. Even George Bush could balance that budget.
The governor of Hawaii has a more impressive resume’.
5. Mike Carroll | September 4th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Craig-but that experience still exceeds anything that Obama has done.
Pat-I think your conclusion is wrong regarding Independents supporting this ticket and I think it will pull in Reagan Democrats where Obama is weak and Biden adds little if anything. Your party is running the 1st and 3rd most liberal senators on the ticket. That has not proven to be a historical winning combination.
6. Billybeermonicagar | September 4th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Craig, you are right! I say lets elect Todd Stroger President.
7. Pat Cunningham | September 4th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Mike: I hate to burst your bubble, but Obama is NOT the most liberal senator. See here: http://blogs.e-rockford.com/applesauce/category/national-journal/
8. Jim Phelps | September 4th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Really Pat? I think she will make a hell of a good President in the future.
But, that is just the Feminist in me…
You are forgetting that Alaska Republicans are a Libertarian oriented bunch at the electorate. They are the quintessential “Independents.”
I look forward to Idaho, Montana, N. Dakota, and Wyoming overwhelmingly vote GOP.
Not to mention Alaska.
Pat, I’m from Northern Wisconsin originally. Palin’s rhetoric and values will echo well with everyone up there. I suspect it will be the same for the UP and Northern Minnesota. And New Hampshire won’t be left out of this, either.
I would not be surprised if she is run as a Presidential candidate in the future.
The best line of the night, and I’m paraphrasing here, was Mayor Giuliani - “The Democrats are looking to the past, and they picked Biden. John McCain is looking to the future and he picked Sarah Palin.”
We are at a generational tipping point between The Traditionalist Generation/The Baby Boomers and GenX/GenY in terms of overall population.
Red Meat?! To a partisan crowd?!! Lame speech?!!!
No Pat. John McCain just infused fresh blood into the Republican Party. He just showed us the future. The future is a new version of the Progressive Republican Party. Fighting Bob La Follette, Sr. would approve.
How quickly modern Liberals forget that their Progressive Movement and the Progressive Magazine they so often quote was founded by Progressive Republican Bob La Follette, Sr. on January 9, 1909.
Senator Obama just showed us how regressive modern Liberalism really is.
BTW, I am fundamentally a Libertarian with Paleo-Conservative Foreign Policy roots.
One of those Independent voters you just derided.
9. Peter Gunn | September 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
IT’S OVER !!!!
Thats what Two conservative commentators on MSNBC, after they’re off the air, say what they really think about the veep choice.
Mike Murphey @ Peggy Noonan Admit defeat for McSame and Company
Open Mics Tell No Republican Lies
:) 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG8w4bb3kg
10. Mike Carroll | September 4th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Pat-You got me. How could I ever dispute the conclusions of the Crooks and Liars site over the National Journal. I am chagrined.
11. Pat Cunningham | September 4th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Jim Phelps: Several things: 1) Where did I deride independent voters? I expect most of them to vote for Obama, and I’m an independent myself. 2) Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming count for 13 electoral votes. That’s fewer than Michigan alone, where Obama is ahead by 5 percentage points. Also, according to the latest polls, Obama is ahead in Montana by 3 percentage points, and trails in North Dakota by only a little less than 3 points. You’re right about Idaho and Wyoming; they’re strongly Republican. 3) Bob La Follette is spinning in his grave at the very thought that he’d support a right-winger like Sarah Palin. 4) As for Wisconsin, Obama leads there by 10 points; in Minnesota, he’s ahead by 8 points; in New Hampshire, he’s ahead by 1 point. 5) If you’re a libertarian, I don’t understand why you would want anything to do with the authoritarian conservatives who now hold sway in the Republican Party. You should read John W. Dean’s “Conservatives Without Conscience.” Dean’s a disciple of Barry Goldwater, who was much more liberatarian than this current GOP crowd.
12. Jim Phelps | September 4th, 2008 at 10:10 am
1) You said essentially they don’t count because they don’t share similar values. May I remind you of Reagan Democrats as an example of voters likely to be more “Independent” in their voting? A lot of those swing independents are church going gun toting citizens. Clear enough?
2) Yes, while those states don’t have a lot of electoral votes, they do have votes that will be counted into the total, no? That was the point. You missed it. The total wins, and it may not be up to major states like Illinois in the final count.
3) I sincerely doubt Bob La Follete would be spinning in his grave. Wisconsin is a different state without the political oddities like 3 State Constitutional Conventions and another on the November Ballot. Wisconsin has far less corruption than Illinois to boot. I think that Bob La Follette would recognize the populist and independent genes of Senator McCain’s choice as I clearly have done.
4) As far Wisconsin, nothing there is sacred in the end politically. Also, please don’t just look at where the polling is predominately being taken, that is Dane, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Things are much more conservative the further away you get from skewed population bases that these polsters use.
Trust me when I say this, but I have personally been subject to some of these polls.
5) Well, Pat good question, but using a broad brush in painting Libertarians as a monolithic group is astoundingly funny as they comprise a wide range of viewpoints.
As far as Dean being a Goldwater disciple, that goat path has been so worn down by the Liberals that they forget a Libertarian today would be best described as a Liberal in the 1950 Red Scare Trials in Congress. My next door neighbor was a Goldwater girl and I know for a fact she thinks Dean is a drip.
Sorry Pat, I’m not buying what you are peddling today.
13. equalityrkfd= | September 4th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Was it just me or did it seem less of a speech than a stand up routine, you gotta think that turd blossom wrote that skit and he had Tina Fey-rather Sarah Palin in mind. All she had to do is tand and deliver whatever they fed her. There was no substance to her speech, just more attacks and thats all they do when they have nothing to offer is to attack. It is so sad that she had to go so “small”. I’m sure SNL is going to have a field day with her. And on top of it all they are pimping out her kids, esp. the one with downs syndrome, how pathetic and desperate can you get?
14. Peter Gunn | September 4th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Quote:
“how pathetic and desperate can you get?”
Pretty Desperate, And Pretty Pathetic if a sign I saw yesterday has any meaning
It actually read ……
“McCain/Palin 08″
15. Kevin Jensen | September 4th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
It is interesting that McCain and Republican faithful have begun to call Alaska “our largest state” at every opportunity. With a population density of barely one person per square mile a more intellectually honest reference would be “our most EMPTY state.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population_density
16. Pat Cunningham | September 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Yes, Kevin. As my colleague Chuck Sweeny puts it, New Orleans is The Big Easy, and Alaska is The Big Empty.
17. Craig Knauss | September 4th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Jim Phelps says, “I look forward to Idaho, Montana, N. Dakota, and Wyoming overwhelmingly vote GOP.” Don’t bet on it. Idaho has the famous men’s room tapdancer for senator. That doesn’t sit real well with some of the people in the NW. And Montana has a VERY popular Democratic governor. I don’t know much about N. Dakota. Wyoming is Cheneyland, and as long as he doesn’t shoot any more judges, you’re probably right on that one. And don’t forget, there isn’t much in the upper parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, Madison are where the voters are.
And Mike, Palin’s “experience” also exceeds anything McCain has done. And HE’s the one running for president. Besides, bits and pieces of her “experience” are coming out regularly now.
18. Milton Waddams | September 4th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
SNL should get Tina Fey back, she’d make a great Sarah Palin impersonator.
19. hokumboy | September 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Milt,
I’m sure they have one ready. I’m betting on Kristen Wiig.
A few skits with her as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton would be a great way to start the season.
20. unmanager | September 5th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Odd…even the ones here that liked the speech did NOT mention the many LIES in the speech…..(off limits cuz she’s a woman?outsider?etc.etc.????
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed