The Peasants Are Revolting
By Mitch Berg
How do I count Sarah Palin’s strengths, at a few days’ remove?
Sharp. Photogenic. A short but action-packed record. Paleocon. Of faith. Dealing with some of life’s challenging vicissitudes like very American family does to one degree or another, and doing it with style. Has to have Ahmadinejad thinking if he steps out of line she’ll stalk, shoot, skin and mount him on her office wall.
Oh, yeah – and an agent of rebellion.
I don’t agree with Pat Buchanan a whole lot (once he steps outside of interpreting conservative orthodoxy, anyway), but I think he’s got the real importance of Palin figured out better than anyone I’ve heard yet.
The arrival of Palin on the national scene, with her youth, charisma and vitality, probably also portends a changing of the guard in Washington.
With Republicans having zero chance of capturing either House, and but a slim chance of avoiding losses in both, a Vice President Palin, with her reputation as a rebel and reformer, would surely inspire similar revolts in the Republican caucuses.
As Thomas Jefferson said, from time to time, a little rebellion in the political world is as necessary as storms in the physical.
And the GOP needs this; indeed, Palin’s record in Alaska, upsetting the Murtkowski/Stevens GOP machine’s applecart, is the GOP’s challenge in microcosm. The party needs to clean its house and focus on its real mission – interpreting Hayek and Jefferson into terms that make sense to people like the ones next to you at little league or the grocery store or the gas pump or on the freeway during rush hour.
The Palin nomination could backfire, but it is hard to see how. She has passed her first test, her introduction to the nation, with wit and grace. And the Obama-Biden ticket, having already alienated millions of women with the disrespecting of Hillary, is unlikely to start attacking another woman whose sole offense is that she had just been given the chance to break the glass ceiling at the national level.
It’s been noted today by better bloggers than I – the Democrats are the real bigots (although I did kinda make the point last week).
Let the Dems try to crucify a teenage couple, to babble on about the woman’s “experience” when their Presidential candidate can’t hold a candle to her, to try to keep standing on the glass ceiling (for non-establishment liberal women). There’s a party to resuscitate out there; we’ll come back to them later.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Why is it that lately every time I hear some attempted smear at Gov Palin and her family I hear the voice of the late Joseph Welch saying “Let us not assassinate this (person) further, Senator. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” ??
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Mitch is right, her executive experience is what sets her apart.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska National Guard she traveled extensively to both Germany AND Kuwait, not even including the refueling stop in Ireland.
As Mayor of Wasilla, she fired those beltway bureaucrats in the library AND the police station.
And as Governor, she had over 20 months experience managing the largest land-mass in the country.
There was no need to vet any further, her lengthy resume speaks for itself.
/jc
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I just walked by a TV with CNN on..the reporter lady is really angry because Palin doesn’t have enough “stamps in her passport”.
I’ve never seen so much hatred before.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Slash, please give us a lecture on ‘authenticity’!
Your shtick is getting old, man.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:57 pm
her lengthy resume speaks for itself.
Good, because after trying to find any useful experience on Obama’s, I have no energy left.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
“upsetting the Murtkowski/Stevens GOP machine’s applecart”
Palin and Stevens are supporters and allies of each other. She ran the 527 organization Ted Stevens created.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/01/palin_was_a_director_of_embatt.html?hpid=topnews
Stevens supported Palin for Gov. in 2006 and cut a commercial for her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nTX-oJUCaU
In return Palin stood by Stevens when he was indicted
“Gov. Sarah Palin today said indicted U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens “has dedicated his life to the betterment of the state” and said she couldn’t say yet whether he should resign.””
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
“Let the Dems try to crucify a teenage couple”
Don’t look now, but it is the McCain camp using the ‘teenage couple’ to distract from the Gov.’s extreme record.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/212890.php
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Palin and Stevens are supporters and allies of each other.
Of course they cooperated on things, and were civil to each other in public. But Palin reformed much in the AKGOP.
Your context-mangling verges on dishonesty.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
We don’t need to bother being bigots, Mitch. We’ll just stick with discussing Palin’s impressive record of scandal in only a couple short years as Governor.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
“Your context-mangling verges on dishonesty.”
Care to dispute the facts? I would agree that Palin, to her credit, took on her State Party Chair, the GOP AG, Gov. Murkowski, and now Rep. Don Young. It is a good record, probably the standard combination of good government and personal ambition. But she is also a protege of indicted Sen. Stevenson. She pursued federal earmarks extremely aggressively and hired a former Stevenson staffer to lobby for those earmarks. Certainly Sen. Stevens does not think Palin is out to ‘reform’ him.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Yeah, Jeff, you guys keep on hanging your hopes on that “scandal”. If that’s the best you can manage, we might be looking at Sarah Palin handing over power to someone else in January of 2021.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
RickDFL thinks 527s are devices of the Devil? Please, do tell us more about these devices and who uses them to evil ends.
Palin and Stevens were both *gasp* AK GOPers. How scandalous.
I always rely on TalkingPointsMemo for my information. Oh wait, that’s “never”, not “always”. “The Rise And Fall Of The GOP” videos? Nice news source, RickDFL.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Care to dispute the facts?
Yep.
I would agree that Palin, to her credit, took on her State Party Chair, the GOP AG, Gov. Murkowski, and now Rep. Don Young. It is a good record, probably the standard combination of good government and personal ambition.
Kudos for the honesty.
But she is also a protege of indicted Sen. Stevenson.
Guilt by association? I thought you wanted me to argue the facts. Which of Stevenson’s objectionable characteristics (to say nothing of indictable offenses) do you claim Palin shares?
She pursued federal earmarks extremely aggressively and hired a former Stevenson staffer to lobby for those earmarks. Certainly Sen. Stevens does not think Palin is out to ‘reform’ him.
Not aware that personal reformation is the issue.
She attacked the Alaska GOP system. The fact that she had an “inside” connection or two changes that not one iota.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Scandal?
Are you referring to the trooperwhotazedmynephewgate scandal?
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
“Which of Stevenson’s objectionable characteristics (to say nothing of indictable offenses) do you claim Palin shares”
Trading earmarks for financial support. Palin hired a Stevenson staffer to get earmarks. That is the heart of the corrupt system.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Biden’s sone is lobbyist and he used his father’s office to get earmarked funds for his clients.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/26/AR2008082603894_pf.html
I imagine RickDFL is busy even as we speak, calling Biden’s office to complain, trying to cancel the check he wrote the Obama/Biden campaign committee, and trying to change his wordpress moniker from ‘RickDFL’ to “RickIndependent’.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Earmarks? Did someone say earmarks?
Obama Requested $1.6 Million To The University Of Illinois College Of ACES For The Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative.
Obama Requested $2 Million For The Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES.
Obama Requested $3 Million The Future Foods Initiative At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES.
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Illinois Program For Integrated Sustainable Agriculture At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES.
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES.
Obama Requested $3 Million To Support The National Center For Food Safety & Technology At The Illinois Institute Of Technology.
Obama Requested $310,000 For The Slocum Watershed Management Project In Lake County.
Obama Requested $2,499,400 For The Food Stamp Participation Project Of The Illinois Department Of Human Services.
Obama Requested $1.75 Million For The Secure User Network For Food And Agriculture Response And Mobilization (SUN-FARM) For The Illinois Department Of Commerce And Economic Opportunity.
There’s over seventy more. My he sure was busy during the eight months he actually served in the Senate.
http://www.electiongeek.com/blog/2008/03/13/obama-releases-his-long-list-of-earmarks/
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
WTF?
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Obama has those stamps in his passport from going to Africa to visit his little round-headed half brother who lives on $12 a day.
He won two political positions, basically by default.
By his own admission, he spent a good chunk of his life stoned out of his mind.
He knows the greed of the wealthy first hand, because last year, as a rich guy himself, he’s only given 2% of his wealth willingly to charity… and that is a lifetime high! No pun intended.
Newt Gingrich said it best. Hopefully this attempt at HTML worked, If not, you can see it at my NEW blog:
http://pushypeasant.blogspot.com/
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
It didn’t work. use the “shameless plug”
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
$12/year, I believe.
I could live on $12/day if the price of beer went down 🙂
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
You are correct, & that is what I meant. My wife was giving me the “C’mon, we’re trying to eat dinner” speech as I was typing.
$12 a year!
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Uh, Rick, you do know that after Obama got elected his wife managed to get a massive 200% raise and that soon after that her employer started to get lots more earmarks, right? How does that play into your “trading earmarks for financial support?” How much more gross does it get than effectively shovel taxpayer funds into his own pocket? Or do you believe that this is all just a coincidence?
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Terry:
So Obama gave an earmark to someone in order to enhance the power of the man running against him for President? That is the reverse of corruption.
nerdbert:
“after that her employer started to get lots more earmarks, right”
Any evidence of that?
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
OK, let’s take a look at some pre-nomination news:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Sep21/0,4670,AlaskaCorruption,00.html
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday she wants some answers from U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, a fellow Republican, who is under federal investigation.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070919-1153-wst-stevens-rnc.html
The son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens should give up his position as a committee member for the national Republican Party, Gov. Sarah Palin said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/us/17alaska.html?ref=us
Asked about fears that the state would be at risk without Mr. Stevens in the Senate, Governor Palin, sitting in her Anchorage office on a sofa draped with the skin and skull of a grizzly bear her father shot, said: “I will never be that pessimistic to think that the state’s future hinges on one individual or on government dollars to sustain us. We should not be afraid of change.”
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32597676_ITM
An extraordinary political drama is unfolding in Alaska as the FBI and federal grand juries investigate Stevens, the nation’s longest-sitting Republican senator, and his son Ben Stevens, a former state Senate president whose office was twice searched by federal agents last year.
The wide-ranging public-corruption investigation started with bribery allegations in the Juneau statehouse. It now threatens one of the most powerful Republican politicians in Washington, D.C., and could reshape politics in the state.
“Our state needs to grow up and clean up,” Alaska’s GOP governor, Sarah Palin, said last week. “We need to prove to the rest of the nation that our government is as clean as our environment and … that we can do it right.”
Clearly the best of friends.
(Oh, and by the way, she surely hasn’t ever made national headlines before, has she? An awfully well-documented “unknown.”)
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Actually, he requested at least one particular earmark that didn’t get through:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/us/politics/14campaign.html
The list included $1 million for a hospital where Mr. Obama’s wife works, money for several projects linked to campaign donors and support for more than 200 towns, civic institutions and universities in Illinois.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
RickDFL you’re not even trying. Hard to win when you deal yourself a bad hand.
And Rick, by your own methodology Nerdbert doesn’t have to prove anything. Once he’s made the accusation it’s up to you to disprove it.
Too many of you guys on the left don’t even bother to try to make coherent argument. That’s made you mentally soft. You’re easy pickin’s, RickDFL.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Steve G:
So did the U of C get more earmarks more after Michelle was hired?
Terry:
If I cite a fact you claim to be false, let me know and I will provide evidence.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
For $325,000 per year, I’d be happy to give up my greedy, self-centered aspirations & become a “community activist”
Hell, If I earned the $4,000,000 that the Obama’s got last year, I’d even be willing to DOUBLE, no wait… I’d TRIPLE my brother’s $12 per year salary.
Hey, a little off topic, but did the MSM ever ask John Edwards if he could handle the stress of the Presidency, while secretly maintaining TWO separate families… One with a wife dying of cancer, & the other with a mentally unstable mother & a toddler? Talk about special needs!
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
9:10 PM CDT Wednesday night, Guillianni is absolutely eviscerating Obama.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
RickDFL, once again you demonstrate that actually understanding and arguing a position is one of those brainy skills you do not posses.
I do not have to claim that anything you say is false to show that you are not effectively making a point. If you say Bush is a bad president because Mork From Ork appeared to you in a dream and told you that Bush is a bad president, it is not necessary for me to refute your point that ‘Bush is a bad president’. You are free to believe about Bush whatever you like. What I can do is demonstrate that if you are taking that position because of a dream you had about Mork from Ork, you are not a person whose opinion should be taken seriously. No one should be convinced by your argument, even if by chance it is true.
It has been interesting, though, watching you hold your candidate — who launched his political career in a city legendary for its corruption — as the model of probity while portraying his vice-presidential opponent — who has an actual record of fighting corruption within her political jurisdiction — as the model of a corrupt politician.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Terry:
“No one should be convinced by your argument, even if by chance it is true.”
Not to get technical, but arguments are valid or invalid. Statements of facts, including premises and conclusions are true or false. If you think some argument I used is invalid, say so. If you think some factual claim is false, say so.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Assertion, without evidence:
I asked you in another thread to show evidence that backed up these claims that did not come from an opinion pievce by a sorosbot. So far your only response has been “If you want to dispute one of the facts, feel free.”
You believe that your assertions should be understood as facts. Only a fool takes assertions as facts, RickDFL. That’s something you should keep in mind when you try to argue with people who understand rhetoric.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
“You believe that your assertions should be understood as facts”
No assertions are statements about matters of fact. Some are true, some are false. If you think any of the 4 I made are false, feel free to say so.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
“A small town mayor is kind of like being a community organizer, except with responsibilities.” -Sarah Palin
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Ok, how about this one Rick? The WashPo doesn’t think much of your “troopergate” memos — they saw them and the excerpts they print are pretty tame: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303210_pf.html
And I did misspeak, I indeed should have said he TRIED to give his wife’s employer a nice chunk of change. Is the attempt less egregious because he failed? Or should we take that as a sign of his ability?
And make the timing of the request VERY clear: Obama’s elected in 2004, but between the election and his actual start his wife gets that new job and a rather nice raise in 2005. At the very next budget cycle he ATTEMPTS to shovel his wife’s employer a very nice earmark. Nothing suspecious there. Nope, not a thing. And certainly NO sign of self-dealing.
He did, however, manage to get earmarks to General Dynamics for contracts just after he got some very nice donations from a board member. He wanted $8M but “only” got $1.2M for that earmark. $200K to get a $1.2M earmark? Sign me up for his kind of change! With that kind of return, I know where to place my investments!
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
It’s like teaching a pig ballet. you’ll never be successful, & the pig only gets mad.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Doubling down, RickDFL?
No assertions are statements about matters of fact. Some are true, some are false. If you think any of the 4 I made are false, feel free to say so.
I’m much more interested in what convinced you that your assertions were true. Please share!
as·ser·tion Audio Help /əˈsɜrʃən/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[uh-sur-shuhn] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason: a mere assertion; an unwarranted assertion.
2. an act of asserting.
American Heritage Dictionary – Cite This Source – Share This
as·ser·tion Audio Help (ə-sûr’shən) Pronunciation Key
n.
1. The act of asserting.
2. Something declared or stated positively, often with no support or attempt at proof.
assertion
noun
1. a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary)
2. the act of affirming or asserting or stating something [syn: affirmation]
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Assertion
As*ser”tion\, n. [L. assertio, fr. asserere.]
1. The act of asserting, or that which is asserted; positive declaration or averment; affirmation; statement asserted; position advanced.
There is a difference between assertion and demonstration. –Macaulay.
2. Maintenance; vindication; as, the assertion of one’s rights or prerogatives.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Nerdbert:
I am not sure what “tame” means.
Your original claim was “after that her employer started to get lots more earmarks, right”. To show that you need to compare earmarks received by the U of C before 2005 and after 2005.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Terry:
“I’m much more interested in what convinced you that your assertions were true. Please share!”
For starters, public records, news reports, and your inability to offer any evidence to the contrary.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
“Guilty until proven innocent!”
You make wild assertions.
You refuse to back up your assertions with agreed upon evidence.
You insist that if I do not refute your accusations, they must be true.
You would have made a great Witch-finder General, RickDFL.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Rick,
When was the last time YOU got a 200% raise without a promotion? Do you find it a bit odd that the raise came only after her husband achieved the power & ability to affect the funding of her employer?
Can you “provide evidence to the contrary” showing that this wasn’t a pay off to the Obama’s?
September 4th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Terry:
You continue to fail basic English. I did not ask that you “refute” any argument or statement. I simply asked for you to identify a statement you thought was false. Before going through the trouble of proving a statement, it seems advisable to at least establish we disagree about it.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Mr. Shirt:
Michelle Obama did get a promotion to Vice President for External Affairs, a job she was offered and turned down before his election. Her base salary increase was not 200%, only 120% or so.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Dude, you know why it happened.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:44 am
& furthermore, where is the EVIDENCE to the contrary? You rattling off something you hope is true is not evidence.
Her big raise was much closer to 200% than 120%, but you are correct in thinking I was off a significant amount I’m off by about 60%… her raise was 260%! The hospital says she’s “worth her weight in gold” Interesting choice of words considering the hospital gave her the promotion & raise right after Obama was elected to congress. In other words, making the Obama’s happy will bring home the bacon.
You like apples? How you like these apples?
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/09/hospital_offici.html
See Rick, THAT is evidence.
September 4th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Terry:
If I cite a fact you claim to be false, let me know and I will provide evidence.
RickDFl, if you make an assertion you must back it up. You’ve asserted:
1. Palin improperly tried to get someone fired. 2. Fired the person who tried to stop her 3. Lied about it and is now 4. stonewalling the investigation.
This is what I meant when I wrote that there was no “there” there to your accusations. Take your accusation #3, for example, “[Palin] lied about it”. To who? To her friends? To the press? To an authorized investigator, while she was under oath? Was the nature of the lie, as you see it, material to the complaint? How? Was it a caught-in-the-act lie or just one of the “mis-remembrances” that politicians are famous for? How in the world can I dispute an assertion you’ve made when you’ve made no clear assertion at all?
In number #2 you claim that Palin”Fired the person who tried to stop her” in reference to #1, “Palin improperly tried to get someone fired. ” Palin does not argue that she did not fire this person, but that it was for other reasons. She also claims that she did nothing improper in questioning (within bounds) the continued employment of a patrolman when she knew he was bad character. She’s the governor of a state, sworn to uphold the laws & regulations thereof, subject to civil and criminal penalties should she abuse her office. You’re just an anonymous blogger. Tell me why I should believe you and not her.
Otherwise your accusations are about as noteworthy as the droning of a fly.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:03 am
#3 Palin admits she herself did not tell the truth to Alaskans. “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.
http://www.adn.com/monegan/story/492964.html
We also now have the email in which Palin herself clearly raises the issue and tries to pressure for his termination. Another contradiction to her previous statements.
As for #1, Palin says the PSC was not fired for failing to fire the trooper, but she has given no explanation for why she fired someone with an otherwise sterling reputation. In fact, her replacement candidate was forced to withdraw after just two weeks when it came out he had a history of sexual harassment. Instead of trying to shed light on the matter, she and her key aides are now stonewalling the investigation. Her COS canceled a previously agreed to deposition.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=5717877
“She’s the governor of a state, sworn to uphold the laws & regulations thereof”
One of which is that after a State Trooper has been investigated and punished for an infraction, the Gov does not get to revisit the issue and insist on a different outcome the agrees with her own personal preferences.
Now I know you people are against the very principle of accountability and personal responsibility, but they rest of us still believe in them.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:23 am
they rest of us still believe in them.
Good. We’ll talk about Rezko and Ayers in a bit.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am
“Good. We’ll talk about Rezko and Ayers in a bit. ”
Have at it. Throughout her entire career, the Palin family supported a secessionist party that preached hatred of America. Imagine what you would do if Bill Ayers organized a political party of which Michelle Obama was a member and which Barack Obama attended the conventions. Will run split screens of Palin’s perky welcome to the 2008 AIP convention with radical anti-American statements of its members.
Rezco’s case has only a tangential relation to Obama, while Palin is actively stonewalling an abuse of power case in which she is the principle target.