Given our legislators’ demonstrated enthusiasm for laying federal dollar on top of state dollar, they likely would override the vetoes and go home.It as simple as that, really. Of course, the Palin-hatin' bloggers on both the right and the left won't mention that inescapable fact.
"In an effort to shed the 'party of no' label, Congressional Republican leaders will launch a new initiative on Thursday outlining solutions the GOP hopes will convince Americans that they have tenable solutions to the issues gripping the country."In a conference call this morning with reporters and bloggers, Rep. Eric Cantor and Sen. Johm McCain denied that the effort is a "rebranding" of the Republican Party:
"The program, dubbed the National Council for a New America, which will involve town-hall-style meetings, will include not only House and Senate Republicans but also a panel of former and current state lawmakers whose roster reads like a who’s who of potential 2012 presidential contenders, including former Govs. Jeb Bush (Fla.) and Mitt Romney (Mass.). A pair of current governors, Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal and Haley Barbour of Mississippi, will also join the group, according to a letter obtained by Roll Call. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the party’s 2008 presidential hopeful, will fill out the panel of 'experts.'"
Cantor told reporters that "what we're aiming to do is to join together in a conversation with the American people" on major looming issues such as healthcare, energy, and national security.Warner Todd Huston's report on the conference call is here.
McCain called it an effort to include Americans across ideological spectrum -- Republicans, independents, and like-minded Democrats -- to come up with solutions to issues such as healthcare. "We're going to spread a wide tent," he said.
"This is not a Contract with America," McCain added, referring to the campaign promises that Newt Gingrich and Republicans used to win a House majority in 1994. "This is a conversation with America."
McCain also addressed reports that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, his vice presidential pick last year, was not invited, saying that she could be involved.
"We've reached out to her," he said.
"The biggest red flag proving her popularity with normal Americans is that liberals won't shut up about her... There's a reason there's no 'Stop Olympia Snowe before it's too late!' movement."- JP
Perhaps this is a tipping point for Twitter - conservative icon Governor Sarah Palin is now tweeting. Under the moniker @AKGovSarahPalin (not very snappy but there are, by my reckoning, already 32 Sarah Palin twitter accounts) the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate has plunged into the social networking maelstrom.Actually 2,250 as of this posting, but who's counting?
Well, plunged is a bit of an exaggeration. More like dipping a toe in really. In the 14 hours or so since she's signed up she (or whichever staffer is tweeting for her) has sent three tweets. But there's certainly an appetite out there for all things Palin - in that time she's already gained 2,012 followers.
April 29, 2009, Haines, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today signed legislation that continues retirement benefits for members of the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG). The ATG was a military reserve force component of the U.S. Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on American soil in Hawaii and Alaska by Japan during World War II.- JP
Senate Bill 89, sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee, provides temporary retirement benefits to 26 surviving veterans for their service in the ATG. The Department of Defense decided in January to discontinue retirement benefits to ATG members, but temporarily suspended its decision at the urging of Governor Palin and Alaska’s congressional delegation. The Department of Defense agreed to extend payments until April to give Congress time to devise a permanent solution through amendments to the law. Congress has not yet acted, so until it does the state will fund the payments, which total about $10,000 per month.
“It is a great honor to sign this bill into law today,” Governor Palin said. “These Territorial Guard veterans are bona fide Alaskan heroes, cut from the same cloth as the Minutemen who answered the call to defend Lexington and Concord. They have earned every cent of their retirement benefits, as well as our enduring gratitude for their service.”
The governor was joined by members of the American Legion as she signed SB 89 at Lookout Park in Haines.
"I recall a certain president named Clinton, along with his wife, had an enormous legal defense fund. I guess only Democrats are allowed to defend themselves."- JP
"Well, Senator McCain made the pick. I…and it’s been reported that I was a, that I was an advocate of it, and I was. And politically, I believe it was the right thing to do in the time. [...] But no, I don’t regret it, and I still believe electorally, her pick helped the Senator in the election. And I think that when you look at all the things that we had stacked up against us, I believe it was the right pick to make, politically, still."Read the full transcript of the interview here.
According to the American Chopper website, in tomorrow night's episode:Sr. takes a trip up to Alaska to research a bike and ends up meeting with Governor Sarah Palin.Should be worth watching (Thursday, 9:00 PM on Discovery). Meanwhile, People Magazine has more here.
WAKE UP AMERICA!! It is time NOW, to look at the chaos the US Government has handed to us! I don't need someone else telling me what my rights are, so much as them understanding what rights they have lost. Simple Freedom! Ron Paul WILL make an excellant choice for President, not only for what he too believes in but because HE HASN'T CRIED TO WIN VOTES, HE HASN'T CLAIMED HIS RACE IS WHY HE IS RUNNING, HE HASN'T PROMISED TO CUT TAXES WHILE RAISING SPENDING IN THE GOVERNMENT, HE HASN'T USED HIS RELIGION AS A SOURCE FOR VOTES AND MOSTLY, HE HAS NOT LIED ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK GOOD TO VOTERS!! Fellow Americans, you should be ashamed to think that the government has your best interests in mind. Tomorrow you will still have the same jobs, the same taxes(if not more) and the same lack of services from the government in your hour of need. Stop being fooled by the naysays of America. Stand up for your rights and speak out to the beaurocrats who want to control your every moment here on Earth!I suspect his fondness for the Caps Lock key and use of eight exclamation points in a row is rather cleverly designed to discredit your reputation. IMHO, you should take immediate action to find this miscreant and stop him before he completely ruins your good reputation. No one will take you seriously if they believe that you are the person who is responsible for the above.
SUPPORT RON PAUL!!!!!!!!
She is the most charismatic republican stumping on the national and international scene since Ronald Reagan. Crowds of people make endless lines to see her and listen to her. She is the most popular governor in America with a steady over 65% approval rating in her state. What could prevent this lady from becoming the republican nominee for president in 2012?The post predicts that Gov. Palin will run for re-election in 2010 and will win an easy victory. It says the GOP has an opportunity two years after that to have the first woman ever nominated for US president by a major party and one of the youngest republican nominees.
Nothing!
"I have been clear and consistent about my concerns with accepting economic stimulus funds as our nation incurs tremendous debt," said Governor Palin. "As I am required to certify that stimulus dollars will create new jobs and stimulate the economy, I acknowledge the legislature’s action. And now I must make sure that, by applying for funds that they’ve resolved to accept, we do not grow government but instead put people to work and grow Alaska’s private-sector economy."The Governor said that she's satisfied that Alaska's House and Senate finance committees provided her state's citizens with ample opportunity to express their opinions on the federal money, conducting nearly 20 public hearings on the matter. She also said that the committees worked closely with her administration to research various aspects of the stimulus bill:
"We provided the public with the opportunity to weigh in and for them to understand the complicated and evolving federal requirements in this package," Governor Palin said. "My concern remains that we must acknowledge these are one-time, temporary funds, that the federal government is deeply in debt, and that we must borrow money from other countries to fund much of government."Gov. Palin seems confidant that the legislature understands that the stimulus funds should be used to generate new private sector jobs - not to create new services or programs. She is satisfied with the inclusion of the following language into one of the measures, HB199:
"The state will not be granting additional funds to continue the programs after the federal aid is exhausted."Again, the full press release from the governor's office is here.
"Sarah Palin is the Real Deal. She knows it, we know it and, most importantly, THEY know it - which is why they are determined to completely destroy her."- JP
I have always viewed the GOP as a Big Tent Party, and appreciate the inclusion of moderates like Arlen.I normally have very little use for moderates. Fred Malek is a rare exception to my rule of "Don't trust moderates; they will stab you in the back and walk all over your corpse." He is, first and foremost, a party guy, and his loyalty to and passion for the GOP are without peer. I'm not a party guy (I'm for conservative principles first), but I can appreciate that. And I will always appreciate him for his kindness to Gov. Sarah Palin, his admiration of her, recognition of her political potential and support of her, always talking up the governor to the Republican Party's other movers and shakers.
However, in leaving the Republican Party, Arlen has abandoned people who have been his allies for another team. He has thrown in with people who have a fundamentally different vision for America, and one that I profoundly disagree with.
-snip-
I will be supporting Pat Toomey for US Senate against my friend Arlen Specter. Right now, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party are taking America in the wrong direction. And we need a strong voice in the Senate fighting for our party’s perspective against them.
Today, Alaska governor Sarah Palin's office acknowledged the state legislature’s action to "accept economic stimulus funds with passage of House Bill 199, Senate Bill 75, HB81, HB113, and two legislative resolutions supporting receipt of the funds, House Joint Resolution 11 and House Concurrent Resolution 13."
“I have been clear and consistent about my concerns with accepting economic stimulus funds as our nation incurs tremendous debt,” said Governor Palin. “As I am required to certify that stimulus dollars will create new jobs and stimulate the economy, I acknowledge the legislature’s action. And now I must make sure that, by applying for funds that they’ve resolved to accept, we do not grow government but instead put people to work and grow Alaska’s private-sector economy.”
-snip-
“We provided the public with the opportunity to weigh in and for them to understand the complicated and evolving federal requirements in this package,” Governor Palin said. “My concern remains that we must acknowledge these are one-time, temporary funds, that the federal government is deeply in debt, and that we must borrow money from other countries to fund much of government.”
-snip-
HB199 includes intent language to that effect: “The state will not be granting additional funds to continue the programs after the federal aid is exhausted.”
April 27, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today paid tribute to Marines who lost their lives in the Iraq war, with a visit to the “rolling war memorial” that passed through Juneau this afternoon.The custom-painted H3 Hummer was commissioned by the mother of Marine Lance Corporal John Martin Holmanson, who was killed in action in Iraq, along with nine others, in December 2005. The artwork on the vehicle features images of the Marines, the Marine seal and an American flag.
“What a privilege to be able to honor fallen American heroes in this manner,” Governor Palin said. “The rolling memorial is a humbling reminder – to us all – of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom.”
During her visit to the rolling memorial, Governor Palin met with Haines Mayor Jan Hill and Holmanson’s grandfather, John Orr, also of Haines. The Hummer originally came to Alaska for the annual convention of American Legion, Alaska Department, held last week in Haines.
Photos from the event can be found here.
- JP
"That's why I campaigned for Sarah Palin and her running mate."- JP
He says Palin should concentrate on building a conservative record of success as governor while also gradually placing herself in situations that demonstrate her knowledge of national and international issues.Gov. Palin is working on it. She speaks with authority on energy issues, and her arguments for saving the nation's missile defense capabilities are both well-reasoned and compelling, especially considering the military ambitions of North Korea and Iran. She's also up to speed on trade issues, as Alaska ranks fourth among the states in trade on a per capita basis and eighth in exports as a percentage of gross state product. She has met individually with scores of trade representatives and addressed a number of international trade delegations. While she's no economist, the governor has rather wisely invested a considerable portion of her state's oil and gas revenues, enough to give Alaska some breathing room while most other states are feeling much more pain at this point in the recession. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Gov. Palin take the other advice of Walsh's strategist source and start making the rounds of some of the better-known conservative think tanks.
These could include participating in forums of political leaders or policy experts at prestigious universities or giving a series of speeches at think tanks or conservative gatherings. "She needs to show that she's more substantive than people think," the strategist adds.
"I think Palin can speak, and reason, and navigate with bureaucrats and lawyers as well as can Obama; but he surely cannot understand hunters, and mechanics and carpenters like she can. And a Putin or a Chavez or a Wall-Street speculator that runs a leverage brokerage house is more a hunter than a professor or community organizer."She should be welcome also at The Heritage Foundation where Rebecca Hagelin is one of that think tank's vice presidents. Hagelin has written of Governor Palin:
"What makes her absolutely appealing to ordinary citizens across the country, both young and old, is that she didn't go looking for greatness somewhere 'out there.' Instead, she sought to make a difference in the lives of the people in her path -- and in so doing, greatness found her."Likewise, the doors of the Hudson Institute should be open for Sarah Palin. Hudson Senior Fellow John O'Sullivan had no qualms at all in connecting the Alaskan and Britain's Iron Lady:
"I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common."How about it, Governor? Shouldn't you visit these good scholars and thank them in person for singing your praises, while at the same time less accomplished beings such as Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan and David Frum were haplessly engaged in trying to dig your political grave? Mark Twain once said of critics:
"If a critic should start a religion it would not have any object but to convert angels, and they wouldn't need it."Although the timeless author was speaking of literary critics rather than the political kind, somehow I think he would would still approve of such a tour, if only just to poke a stick in the eyes of the latter.
Office of Management and Budget Director Karen Rehfeld said Palin asked the Legislature to bring the public into the process of deciding which stimulus funds to accept.- JP
“She will be evaluating that information and making decisions on the appropriation bills and the substantive legislation, including health records, unemployment insurance, and air quality grants,” Rehfeld stated in an e-mail. “And no, she has not said she would reject anything — she wants to make good decisions and she wants to make sure that these funds are used wisely and people understand they are one-time.”
"Obama soared to victory on the hopeful promise of a new era of bipartisanship. During his inaugural address he even promised an 'end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.'Not a bad job of writing, Governor. Of course she does have a journalism degree...
"Too bad it took all of three days for the promise to ring hollow.
"Start with Obama's big meeting with top congressional leaders on his signature legislation -- the stimulus -- on the Friday after his inauguration. Listening to Republican concerns about overspending was a nice gesture -- until he shut down any hopes of real dialogue by crassly telling Republican leaders: 'I won.' Even the White House's leaking of the comment was a slap at the Republican leadership, who'd expected Obama to adhere to the custom of keeping private meetings with congressional leadership, well, private.
"It's only gone downhill from there. The stimulus included zero Republican recommendations, and failed to get a single House Republican vote.
"It's not just the tactic of using Republicans for bipartisan photo-ops, and then cutting them loose before partisan decisions, that irks Obama's opponents. The new president wasted no time rushing forward with policies and legislation guaranteed to drive Republicans nuts. The first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- a partisan hot-button that drew all of eight Republican supporters in the entire Congress. Then there was the swift reversal of Bush policies on abortion and embryonic-stem-cell research -- issues dear to the Republican base.
"And when Obama and the Democrats in Congress took up SCHIP -- the children's health-insurance bill that Republicans say vastly expands government's role in health care -- they had an easy chance for real bipartisanship. After all, the bill had been hashed out in the previous Congress, and a bipartisan accord was reached before President Bush responded with a veto. Did the Obama team push for the compromise version in the 111th Congress? Nope. They went back to the drawing board, ramming through the Democrats' dream version.
"Of course, the lack of bipartisanship isn't limited to Capitol Hill. Obama has taken gratuitous swipes at the Republicans who recently decamped Washington, blaming President Bush for everything from the economy and the war to the lack of sufficient puppies and rainbows. And who could forget the Rush Limbaugh flap -- in which Obama's top advisers, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, orchestrated a public relations campaign meant to undermine the Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, by framing talk-radio personality Limbaugh as the real head of the Republican Party.
"For now, Obama's back-pedal on the bipartisanship promise just makes him look insincere. But the real consequences of the mistake will be felt soon enough. As Presidents Bush and Clinton could tell him, congressional majorities do change -- and at some point, Obama will need Republicans on his side. He'd be smart to spend his second 100 days making up for the serious snubs of his first."
North Korea has restarted its nuclear facilities to harvest weapons-grade plutonium, an official said Saturday, in an escalation of the communist state's standoff with the international community over its nuclear and missile programs.Diplomacy has been a miserable failure as a strategy for the West to deal with North Korea. Negotiations with the NoKors have been dead in the water since December. And, like Generalissimo Francisco Franco, they are still dead. The United Nations, in a characteristically ineffective move, announced sanctions against three North Korean companies. I'm sure that Kim is quaking in his jack boots. The UN is the Barney Fife of world cops. But Barney, at least, had a bullet and he wasn't afraid to use it.
The move "will contribute to bolstering the nuclear deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military threats from the hostile forces," the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said in comments carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
The world’s intelligence agencies and defense experts are quietly acknowledging that North Korea has become a fully fledged nuclear power with the capacity to wipe out entire cities in Japan and South Korea, the Times of London reported.At least the Korean communists, unlike their Iranian allies, are beyond the stage of trying to convince the rest of the world that their nuclear development is for the peaceful purposes of generating electricity. No, Kim makes no bones about the fact that he has the bomb and he's willing to use it.
The new reality has emerged in off-hand remarks and in single sentences buried in lengthy reports. Increasing numbers of authoritative experts — from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the U.S. Defense Secretary — are admitting that North Korea has miniaturized nuclear warheads to the extent that they can be launched on medium-range missiles, according to intelligence briefings.
"I am deeply concerned with North Korea’s development and testing program which has clear potential of impacting Alaska, a sovereign state of the United States, with a potentially nuclear armed warhead," Governor Palin said. "I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that we continue to develop and perfect the global missile defense network. Alaska’s strategic location and the system in place here have proven invaluable in defending the nation."Governor Palin never misses an opportunity to stress the importance of Fort Greely and the need for continued funding for the Missile Defense Agency. The governor opposes SECDEF Robert Gates’ proposed $1.4 billion reduction of the Missile Defense Agency. Greely is the nation’s only ground-based missile defense complex:
"Our early opposition to reduced funding for the Missile Defense Agency is proving to be well-founded during this turbulent time," Governor Palin said. "I continue to support the development and implementation of a defensive missile shield based in Alaska. We are strategically placed to defend the critical assets of the United States and our allies in the Pacific Theater."Her political opponents, of course, attempt to deflect her compelling argument with such nonsense as, "What does this snowbilly know? She said that she could see Russia from her house." Not only does this not address the issue, but Sarah Palin never said that. Her detractors have her confused with comedic actress Tina Fey. But this isn't the first time that small minds have been unable to distinguish between whimsy and reality. They've got nothing more than snark, and they're not afraid to use it.
Now it’s not so much jealousy, but anger and the assumption that if a woman is beautiful and smart and not your wife and not a Democrat, she must be a whore or filled with nefarious motivations. And even if she isn’t a whore, you need to viciously smear her reputation like a lying, pimply, angst-filled teenage boy will do, someone who will never get a chance to take the high school beauty to the big prom.- JP
"Get up early, work as if it depends on you. Pray as if it depends on God, be outward focused not inward focused. Make sure that others get what they want first and you will get what you want. Be a great leader. Leadership is the difference between success and failure."Cole has a history of community involvement, and she has served on a number of boards and commissions, including the boards of two hospitals, the Alaska Royalty Oil & Gas Development Advisory Board, the Alaska Real Estate Commission and the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund. She currently chairs two panels, the Board of Agriculture & Conservation and the Creamery Corporation. She is also involved in charity work, most notably for the Children’s Miracle Network.
"Over the past months it became increasingly clear that supporters of Governor Palin needed to help defend against the onslaught of frivolous attacks against her. These baseless accusations are designed to inhibit her ability to focus on the issues Alaskans truly care about and force massive personal debt on her and her family. I joined with fellow Alaskans in forming the Alaska Fund Trust to help alleviate the Governor's legal debt incurred while performing her job as well as eliminate the incentive for future attacks by her opponents. In doing so, we have created one of the most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history."More about the Alaska Fund Trust here. Frequently asked questions and answers here. Additional documents and media contact information here. To make a donation of $150 or less, go here.
"The purpose is really to provide a legal and proper way for the governor's supporters to help her respond to these frivolous complaints that have been leveled, keeping her from being able to do her job and...really harassing her," said fund trustee Kristan Cole, a real-estate agent and longtime friend of the governor from her hometown of Wasilla.Legal defense funds for politicians are becoming more common as scrutiny of politicians has intensified, but such accounts are sometimes less regulated than campaign funds. For that reason, the fund for the governor will operate under stringent guidelines. Donations will be limited to $150 or less and will not be accepted from corporations, state contractors, state or federal lobbyists, lobbying firms or foreign nationals. Names of donors, dates and contribution amounts will also be made available to the public. Those who are organizing the fund say that Gov. Palin wanted the fund to be more restrictive and transparent than other legal defense funds.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
At the White House, Press Secretary Adam Brickley said that President Sarah Palin stands firmly behind the decision. "It's not as if we relish the thought of prosecuting members of the previous administration," Brickley said, "but, at this point, there is a clearly established precedent..."Intrigued? The go read all of it.
Sarah Palin's numbers are an interesting conundrum. She easily has the best favorability among Republicans voters, with 76% saying they have a positive opinion of her. The other three range from 60-67 with the party base. But she also has the largest percentage of GOP voters- 21%- who say they would vote for Obama if she ended up being the party nominee. So for the folks in the party who don't like her that feeling is strong enough they'd rather vote for a Democrat. It adds up to a 12 point deficit for her, 53-41. Overall the electorate has a negative opinion of Palin, 42/49.I'm a bit more skeptical about the results of this poll than the good people at GOP 12 for several reasons:
The following list ranks the 23 organizations by the accuracy of their final, national pre-election polls (as reported on pollster.com).Public Policy Polling is a Democrat polling organization. Unlike Rasmussen, they have a vested interest in the outcomes of their surveys. I'm not accusing them of fudging their numbers. Just saying that they are not without their biases.
1. Rasmussen (11/1-3)**
1. Pew (10/29-11/1)**
2. YouGov/Polimetrix (10/18-11/1)
3. Harris Interactive (10/20-27)
4. GWU (Lake/Tarrance) (11/2-3)*
5. Diageo/Hotline (10/31-11/2)*
5. ARG (10/25-27)*
6. CNN (10/30-11/1)
6. Ipsos/McClatchy (10/30-11/1)
7. DailyKos.com (D)/Research 2000 (11/1-3)
8. AP/Yahoo/KN (10/17-27)
9. Democracy Corps (D) (10/30-11/2)
10. FOX (11/1-2)
11. Economist/YouGov (10/25-27)
12. IBD/TIPP (11/1-3)
13. NBC/WSJ (11/1-2)
14. ABC/Post (10/30-11/2)
15. Marist College (11/3)
16. CBS (10/31-11/2)
17. Gallup (10/31-11/2)
18. Reuters/ C-SPAN/ Zogby (10/31-11/3)
19. CBS/Times (10/25-29)
20. Newsweek (10/22-23)
The first time I stumbled accidentally upon an anti-Palin blog was after reviewing my stats to see which sites were linking to me. I noticed I was getting a lot of visitors from one site in particular that I had never heard of (and it will continue to remain nameless since I am not in the business of reputation destruction). I clicked the link and got my first look at a genuine, full-fledged, Palin-bashing blog.- JP
The blog in question had linked to a poll we had published regarding Sarah Palin. I was surprised to find that there were many visitors to this anti-Palin blog. Palin-bashers are almost always women and this place was full of them. Women were commenting with glee about the crucifixion of Sarah Palin, the frivolous ethics complaints (which they don't recognize as frivolous, of course), the trashing of her reputation by her former future son-in-law, etc. Lots of women were posting daily and frequently there about how awful they think Sarah Palin is. Simply put, Sarah Palin can do NOTHING right in their eyes.
-snip-
These poor women don't get that a person they despise is, without lifting a single finger and without the tiniest intention to do so, controlling them. Simply by being who she is, the person they love to hate, Sarah Palin controls their lives without even intending to. How ironic that they spend so much time thinking about Sarah Palin. They have devoted their daily lives to her. What irony.
King: Do you have a lawyer?After the break, Levi admits that he had not been honest with King and does indeed have a lawyer. In the next segment, Levi is joined by his mother Sherry and his sister Mercede:
Levi: No.
King: Why Not? [...] Why wouldn't you hire a lawyer to fight for your rights as a father?
Levi: We're not in a big fight with the Palins. I mean... I still like the family very much. I think we can work things out. I don't think either one of us wants to go to the lawyers and fight things out.
King: Why can't you take your baby - it's your baby - Why can't you take your baby for a weekend?
Levi: I don't know.
King: But you're not interested in finding out legally why you can't.
Levi: If it keeps going like this, I think we're going to have to.
[Commercial Break]
King: Now he says you do have a lawyer.Never mind that Lewd Larry is a sleazebag to ask some of the intimate questions he did. Let yourself get over King's outlandish comment to Levi that he isn't doing other interviews. And don't even wince over Levi's ridiculous boast that he's "a gentleman" who doesn't "kiss and tell" when that's all he's been doing lately. Don't let your blood boil over King inserting himself into a unfortunate situation involving the two families by pushing the Johnstons to go all litigious on the Palins. Here's what is most significant about this sordid slab of television at its worst: Denying that he has a lawyer - and then later admitting that he has retained a lawyer after all - doesn't speak well for Levi's veracity on anything that he has said on television or in the tabloids.
Sherry: Yes, we do.
King: Don't you think you should now press for his rights as a father?
Sherry: Well, that is what we're going to have to do next. We were just hoping that we wouldn't have to. We really didn't want to have to go this way. We were hoping that we could all come to an agreement and all get together and be there for Tripp.
King: Is the lawyer going to file charges?
Sherry: We haven't got that far yet.
King: Levi, do you and Bristol have a formal child custody agreement? It's our understanding that in Alaska both parents have equal rights regarding custody unless a court orders it otherwise.
Levi: No, we...
King: So according to the law, you and Bristol have the same rights to Tripp.
Levi: Right. No, we don't have anything like that. We haven't went to court or done anything at all.
King: Why not, Mercede, why not?
Mercede: I don't know. I don't know. I hope it happens soon, to be honest. I want that baby in my life as much as he does.
King: Are you hesitant to force action? Do you feel that you're at the wrath of the governor or not?
Sherry: Yeah, well we don't want to... We want to keep this on the lowdown and not stir trouble, but obviously if things don't change, that's our next action when we get back, to go forward with that I guess.
King: Because you have every right to go forward.
"If Levi could get a million bucks, it would be worth telling all he really knows."Yeah, tell lies and go for the quick and dirty money. That's just the sort of dad every mother wants to have in her child's life, isn't it?
Newt’s recent slight of Palin is not an isolated case. When interviews among other GOP males are examined collectively, their responses towards Palin tells a similar story. Palin’s former presidential running mate John McCain, exhibited a common air of discomfort and unresponsiveness when questioned about Palin’s political future within the Republican party. On one Jay Leno appearance McCain failed to even mention Palin’s name when asked who were the “rising stars” of the GOP.It's not just GOP males, Afrocity. Exhibit A: Kathleen Parker. Exhibit B: Peggy Noonan. Exhibit C: Kay Bailey Hutchinson. And liberal females have been even more vicious in their attacks on Sarah Palin.
April 22, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – The Office of the Governor today expressed outrage that yet another baseless ethics complaint has been filed as part of an alarming new development in Alaska politics.- JP
"In the past several months, we have seen an orchestrated effort by the governor’s opponents to make differences of opinion and ideology almost criminal," said Mike Nizich, the governor’s chief of staff. "Governor Palin has spent a considerable amount of time and money fighting ethics complaints – and no charge has been substantiated. I hope that the publicity-seekers will face a backlash from Alaskans who have a sense of fair play and proportion. I served six previous governors, and I've never seen anything like the attacks against Governor Palin."
The latest ethics complaint against the governor alleges that she entered into a "contract" outside of her official duties in regard to a political action committee and that her recent trip to Indiana also conflicted with those duties.
"These allegations are categorically false and ridiculous, and are an abuse of the Executive Ethics Act," Nizich said.
"We are blessed to live in a democracy in which everyone has the right to free speech, to petition their lawmakers, to vote, to run for office and, yes, to allege misconduct by public officials," said Bill McAllister, the governor’s communications director. "But obviously the purpose of this complaint and the previous ones is to distract the administration and the public, and to paralyze the Department of Law and the executive branch."
"There's a core hypocrisy in nearly all of the ethics complaints brought against the governor, including this one. The ethics act clearly states that complaints, when filed, are to be confidential. Ms. Tompkins publicized her filing on several blogs, breaking the letter and the spirit of the law. While there are no penalties in the statute for this illegal behavior, Alaskans of all political persuasions should be appalled that the people who are alleging unethical behavior by the governor are repeatedly doing so unethically."
The relevant section of the ethics act follows:
"Sec. 39.52.340. Confidentiality. (a) Except as provided in AS 39.52.335, before the initiation of formal proceedings under AS 39.52.350, the complaint and all other documents and information regarding an investigation conducted under this chapter or obtained by the attorney general during the investigation are confidential and not subject to inspection by the public. In the case of a complaint concerning the governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general, all meetings of the personnel board concerning the complaint and investigation before the determination of probable cause are closed to the public. … The attorney general and all persons contacted during the course of an investigation shall maintain confidentiality regarding the existence of the investigation."
Under the Legislative Ethics Act, publicizing an ethics complaint against a lawmaker would result in the automatic dismissal of that complaint. The Executive Ethics Act does not contain that provision.
While the latest complaint concerns 36 hours that the governor spent out of state this month, her opponents have spent months filing ethics complaints and records requests in a volume that constitutes a pattern of harassment and that has negatively impacted the Department of Law, McAllister said.
He noted that the governor left Alaska only twice during the recently completed legislative session -- for a total of just four days, including travel time -- and that during both trips she conducted state government business.
"Governor Palin hasn’t done anything that any other governor in the nation hasn't done," McAllister said. "I hope Alaskans can see through this stunt."
Meet Sondra Tompkins from Anchorage, Alaska..Tompkins has joined a small group of Palin-haters who have previously filed ten nuisance complaints against Governor Palin for what they contend are ethics violations. Six of the bogus complaints have been dismissed, and several are pending. They force the governor to retain legal counsel, and they have cost her $500,000 in legal fees. This is why an official legal defense fund is being organized to help Palin pay her attorneys.
Now, if you do a quick Google search, you’ll see Tompkins continually described as a “reliably Republican voter”. And a “child disability advocate and mother of a special needs child.”
Seems nice enough. But as we all know, “reliable Republican”, when written in a newspaper, means they are a democrat, have voted mostly democrat, and contributed money to the democrat party.
Governor Palin has had a non-stop assault on her by both the left wing loons and the RINOs in the Republican party since the day the election was over with.And offers a solution:
And I do mean non-stop!
So what is my point?
My point is the Republican party needs to learn how to protect it’s own.
The Republican party is whining because the Governor hasn’t brought her star power to help them, but she hasn’t received even the slightest back up from Republicans.
Not one ounce of effort from the party.
If the Republican Party is not going to help defend Governor Palin, or other conservative leaders, then I say we stop funding the Republican party!Perhaps if Palin supporters would redirect their donations which would otherwise go to the GOP to SarahPAC instead (and her official legal defense fund, once it is up and running), the GOP will wake up and smell what's brewing.
