So once again we will state the obvious, the election is over. Palin after providing an initial burst of energy to the Republican Presidential ticket hopes of John McCain became more of an albatross than a ray of hope. The “Wasilla Hillbilly’s” as they have become known plundered stores from coast to coast on the RNC’s dime. But John McCain’s election staff has stated that the RNC wasn’t the only one footing the bill for the “Hillbilly’s” expensive tastes. Governer Sarah Palin denounced the criticisms by former John McCain aides as lies, including allegations that Republican lawyers were traveling to Alaska to reclaim her families high ticket wardrobe.
“Those accounts are not true,” the Palin said in her first public comments on the matter since the trouncing she drew for the Republican party on election Tuesday.
Palin who returned Friday to her Anchorage governor’s office with an approval rating that had slipped over 20 points in the past few days, said she had no immediate plans to build on her new found national name-recognition and popularity with the Republican base for a possible 2012 presidential run. Though she apparently had no problem using her name recognition from her journalist career to gain a seat in the government of Alaska. Staffers and aides have stated that her aspiration and end goals have now been set on the White House and that she feels the loss should rest squarely on McCain’s shoulders.
As is her childish glee and pitter that she was special was not evident in the recorded phone call with the supposed “President Sarkozey” as she stated “you called … Me!” as if implying that she was discounting the McCain half of the ticket and self imposing an imaginary halo over her head. I still find it hard to believe that she could have fallen for that phone call. There is no person out there that honestly can say that after hearing the audio, you would not have picked up on the fact that it was a prank after the first minute. I still suspect that her staff allowed that call to pass through just to put Palin in check.
Instead, Palin said, she wanted only to get back to the governor’s desk to advance a proposed pipeline that will tap into Alaska’s North Slope natural gas reserves and rip through the Natural forestation and wilderness of Alaska’s natural environment. Remember the phrase “Drill baby, drill”. Keep that in mind as her Governorship winds out over the next few months. Natural refuge be damned, to hell with the environment, there is no back lash to worry about, after all the Global Warming thing isn’t caused by man any how according to Palin’s own views.
Palin lashed out at criticism from those unidentified McCain campaign aides. Calling the statements and people themselves ”cowardly.” She said she found it frustrating trying to respond to false allegations when she didn’t know who was making them. As if implying that she can not apply pressure against those who make the comments with out there names. “It’s ridiculous,” she told reporters. “You guys report based on anonymous sources, so it’s hard to have a defense.”
The previously reported overall expenditures of the Palin family wardrobe was at the $150,000 mark. However the McCain staffers are saying that number is low. They have stated that the Palin aides made purchases on there personal credit cards and then were allowed to submit those charges to the campaign as expenses for reimbursement. “The RNC purchased clothes,” Palin said, “Those are the RNC’s clothes. They’re not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything. I never asked for anything more than maybe a Diet Dr Pepper once in a while.”
She laughed off the reports that the RNC will be inventorying clothing it purchased for her to account for dollars spent. “It’s not happening. Nobody’s told me that they’re coming to my house to look through closets, to look through anything. The belly of the plane that had clothes in it, and those clothes being packed up and sent back by staffers, perhaps that’s what they’re talking about, but these aren’t attorneys.”
She said she wasn’t angry at the continued coverage of her clothing, but mostly disappointed. I would hazard to guess the disappointment stems from the fact that she wont be able to keep Todd’s new shoes and suits for his run at the Governor’s seat that will be coming up.
“This is Barack Obama’s time right now, and this is an historic moment in our nation and this can be a shining moment for America and our history, and look what we’re talking about. Again, we’re talking about my shoes and belts and skirts. It’s ridiculous.”
She also denied a report that she didn’t know Africa was a continent, not a country, and that she didn’t know the members of the North American Free Trade Agreement — the United States, Canada and Mexico. She remembered discussing both Africa and Obama’s stance on NAFTA with people preparing her for her debate, she said. Anything reported as a gaffe was taken out of context, she said.
When asked about her misunderstanding of Africa not being a country but a continent and that she didn’t know the three members of the North American Free Trade Agreement Palin said “That’s cruel. It’s mean-spirited. It’s immature. It’s unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context, and then tried to spread something on national news. It’s not fair and it’s not right.”
Asked if she felt muzzled by McCain staff and her handlers during the campaign, Palin said the media is a cornerstone of democracy and an important part of the checks and balances on government. Which media I would ask. the Gotcha media that she claimed was always attacking her? Was that the same media she snubbed at every turn? The media that she had nothing good to say about every other day? “Heaven forbid that a candidate or an elected official shy way from speaking to the media,” she said. “So it was a little bit of a frustration that I didn’t get to call more of those shots, and I guess that was sort of the ‘rogue’ criticism was, ‘She wants to talk to more of the media’ than perhaps some in the campaign wanted me to.”
Palin backed off from calling for the resignation of fellow Alaskan Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history. A Washington jury convicted Stevens on Oct. 27 of seven felony counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, mostly renovations on his home. Stevens is appealing the verdict.
“The Alaska voters have spoken and me not being a dictator won’t be telling anyone what to do,” she said. Not being a dictator. Does she think she wields enough power to pretend to be a “Dictator” or that she could be perceived as a “dictator” or is she simply stating that she is not a “dictator”?
Fellow senators have indicated they could boot Stevens. “That’s their baby,” Palin said. “They’ll have to figure out what to do there.” Again this leaves me wondering if she thinks she has the power to do something. She did after all think that the office of Vice President set policy. But perhaps she never read the Alaska Constitution either. According to Artical 3 of the Alaska Constitution:
Article 3 – The Executive
§ 16. Governor’s Authority
The governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws. He may, by appropriate court action or proceeding brought in the name of the State, enforce compliance with any constitutional or legislative mandate, or restrain violation of any constitutional or legislative power, duty, or right by any officer, department, or agency of the State or any of its political subdivisions. This authority shall not be construed to authorize any action or proceeding against the legislature.
Article 2 – The Legislature
§ 1. Legislative Power; Membership
The legislative power of the State is vested in a legislature consisting of a senate with a membership of twenty and a house of representatives with a membership of forty.
Just so that we are clear and perhaps if Sarah reads this it will help her out a bit.
Definitions of legislature:
- persons who make or amend or repeal laws
§ 20. Impeachment
All civil officers of the State are subject to impeachment by the legislature. Impeachment shall originate in the senate and must be approved by a two-thirds vote of its members. The motion for impeachment shall list fully the basis for the proceeding. Trial on impeachment shall be conducted by the house of representatives. A supreme court justice designated by the court shall preside at the trial. Concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the house is required for a judgment of impeachment. The judgment may not extend beyond removal from office, but shall not prevent proceedings in the courts on the same or related charges.
That’s not a typographical error either. The Alaska Constitution reads “He” and never as simply “the Governor”, that must be more of that progressive Alaskan policy Sarah keeps talking about.
Now Palin said she was not interested in running for Stevens job if it comes open with her typical Palinease “Not planning on that. Nope,” she said. Of course she said the same thing about the Vice Presidency a few months back.
I would watch for a few things to come out of the “Wasilla Hillbilly” camp.
The pregnant 17 year old daughter will not get married. The boyfriend will join the Military as a way out of town. One of Sarah’s other daughters will carry this child around as well. Sarah will either make a move for national recognition by the Republican Party in a bid for the Senate seat the will be vacated by Stevens if and when he is ousted from power if she still wields any power after her Alaskan constituents have any faith left in her after her Vice presidential face was revealed in stark contrast to her local face. If Stevens is not ejected from power Sarah will make a move towards a national platform on a Nationally Televised news program as a reporter. Todd will make a bid for the Governorship. using Sarah’s name and the Free Alaska Party as a hopeful launch platform.
In the end ignorance may be bliss but it tends not to lend itself well to a country that needs real leadership and knowledge of the international political machine. John McCain will be kicking himself for the rest of his life for spending an hour with Sarah Palin and putting her on his ticket with the knowledge that he could have picked someone else more qualified to put on his ticket. He could have won or at least made a better bid that was less damaging for the Republican Party if only.
Sean Parnell should get himself ready, he may have to step up and take the wheel like he planned after all.
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