P-Day: Sarah Palin One Year Later
You gotta love John Ziegler (above getting punked by Mudflats mascot Brian the Moose). One year ago today, Sarah Palin was foisted on the unsuspecting public in a mavericky move to top all previous mavericky moves by Senator John McCain, and John Ziegler begame her super dooper #1 fan, happily devoting his life to ride shot-gun in her race to oblivion.
After seeing him in person at the screening of his puff-umenatry film on Sarah Palin called Media Malpractice: How Obama got Elected and Palin was Targeted, I left wondering how the half-full theatre in Anchorage Alaska could actually manage to hold his bloated ego and still maintain structural integrity. Then I ransacked my bag for some Mylanta.
Having recently joined the ranks of the unemployed after almost a full three months on the air in Los Angeles, saying in an email that “the series of events that led to this decision [to unemploy him] were completely unforeseen and bizarre” , the former radio host had time to pen a retrospective of the last year which is, in a word, absolutely hilarious. It’s sort of like the Glenn Beck diatribe I posted yesterday, only without the crying and the “I used to be a dirt bag” part. But the similarity in its stunning lack of connection with the actual real world leaves one breathless.
I’ll share a few of my favorite parts. His primary assertion is this:
I strongly believe that no public figure in modern America has ever endured more stress, pressure and unfair scrutiny in a more dignified fashion than she has over the past year.
That’s right. Just this week, a gubernatorial candidate in Idaho said we ought to go out and buy “Palin tags”. You know, the $11 hunting tags that you get when you want to go out and kill a wolf with a rifle. He basically said he was all in support of people going out and hunting Sarah Palin like an animal. Then he said it was just “a joke.” Ha ha.
And then there was the pastor who declared in his sermon entitled “Why I Hate Sarah Palin” that he was actually praying for Sarah Palin to die and go to Hell, saying that then she’d get what she deserved. One of his parishioners then went to a Palin speaking engagement with a loaded rifle slung over his shoulder, and walked through the crowd of people. “Good for you,” said the pastor.
And who could forget all the people who called her a Nazi, and the people who showed up outside her speaking engagements with signs saying she was the Anti-Christ?
Oh wait. Those things happened to Barack Obama. Oops.
But, all that aside, according to Ziegler, Palin was “prevented from doing [her] day job by a group of loser bloggers who lay awake at night (probably under the roof of their parents’ homes) dreaming of being interviewed by Keith Olbermann.”
(Looking up at my roof) Nope, it’s definitely mine. Parents nowhere in sight. But there was that one blogger. Who was that again?…. Oh, that’s right! It was conservative blogger Adam Brickley, the kid that started the Draft Sarah Palin for VP blog that was actually credited in part for her nomination, while living in his parents’ basement. And if I recall, Alaska bloggers didn’t actually have to “dream” of being interviewed by Keith Olbermann, because one of us WAS.
And frankly, if a few “loser bloggers” can keep you from governing a state with less than a million people, perhaps the presidency, or even the vice presidency is not for you. Just sayin’.
But instead of cracking under this unprecedented pressure, Sarah Palin has proven her courage (and perhaps wisdom) by simply pivoting. While I disagreed with the timing of her decision to resign as Governor (mostly because I knew it would be misperceived as “quitting” by those who didn’t understand the facts on the ground in Alaska), I know it was done out of intentions that in a just world would be rewarded and not condemned. So far, it has also proven to be remarkably effective.
That’s right, quitting = pivoting! And he disagrees with the quitting because people might misperceive quitting as…well….quitting. And we can’t have that. But even though she quit, and her approval numbers in Alaska have tanked with her unfavorables exceeding her favorables, it’s all been a brilliant strategy. And even though nobody knows where she is, and she’s blown off two critical conservative engagements in Alaska in the last 48 hours alienating the biggest Christian mega-church in the state, the pro-life movement in Alaska, and rich GOP donors, is facing legal questions about her legal defense fund AND SarahPAC…. he thinks it’s safe to say she’s been marvelously effective.
Nevertheless, according to Ziegler, we’ve learned a lot from the whole Sarah Experience.
That to the media if you are a young, good looking, charismatic, non-white male without a long resume and are a conservative running for Vice-President, you are an embarrassment to the country. But if you are a young, good-looking, charismatic, non-white male without a long resume and are a socialist running for President, you are the Second Coming.
Ah, now I see. Their resumes are the same length. The fact that one line says “Constitutional Law Professor” and the other says “Mayor of Wasilla” doesn’t matter. President of the Harvard Law Review vs. Sportscaster? They each take up one line, so let’s not quibble. And actually if you add up Sarah Palin’s college career, it’s five lines on a resume because she went to five different schools. Obama only went to two, so HA! She’s more edjicated.
I could have fun with this all night, but I’ll end with the only thing I agreed with:
That August 29th, 2008 was a seminal moment in our politics and media which has changed, perhaps forever, the rules of engagement in a way that may make it impossible for conservatives to ever fully recover…
Absolutely. It taught us that when a candidate acts recklessly and nominates an unvetted, unqualified running mate, it won’t work out well. It’s hard to say whether it reflects more poorly on the person who risked the leadership of the nation on a whim; on a gamble to “win the game,” or whether it reflects worse on the person who, despite an obvious lack of qualification and basic knowledge actually says “yes” without blinking. It does go to show that neither is fit to lead the country, and it also shows that the American people, unlike the Republican leadership, were actually paying attention.
Conservatives may never fully recover because they don’t deserve to.
So Happy P-Day to everyone out there. Don’t forget those lessons we learned from McCain-Palin. Raise a glass and thank all those voters out there who were paying attention, and all the Republicans who had the sense to jump ship, and all the bloggers who never took their eye off the ball, and everyone who helped us dodge the bullet.
Cheers.
John McCain….when will this man get the kudos he deserves.
He could’ve have been the POTUS but in the most selfless act of statesmanship since Gorbachev let the wall come down he resisted the temptation to fight the psychopathic Neo-Cons from within.
He knew the best thing for America was for the Republicans to lose power, and as much as possible, to help distance the psychopathic Neo-Cons.
In a humbling act of patriotism he willingly humiliated himself on the national stage and destroyed his chance to be POTUS by choosing Psycho Sarah.
He knew there weren’t enough crazy people to put Psycho Sarah within arms reach of the button when any sane person would electrify the fence so she couldn’t even get near the building.
After the election a lesser stastesman woud’ve come clean to save his name and reputation, but showing incredible devotion to his country he continues to talk of Pyscho Sarah as if she is some kind of legitimate voice and intellect on the national stage. Keeping her in the mind’s eye of Republicans and the media, knowing the longer she stays there the longer the the Repubs and the pyschopathic Neo-Cons will be out of power.
That kind of selfless courage hasn’t been seen since Jesus was a boy.
Reading that back its wierd enough to be true. bwaaahhahahaah
Hello to all you mudrevellers. This is my first post here or anywhere, the last year late at night here in Oz, while I’m working I’ve often taken 5 mins to check the Mudflats for quality info and entertainment. My compliments to you all.
Gramiam–hey now, don’t be denigrating the wonderful bats by comparing that nitwit to them!
#174 KN, coming out of hiding to say good letter, and let’s get that out there. What they, FOX does is reprehensible and reminds me of that song in Chicago where the lawyer completely manipulates the media, to a rising crescendo. I think it is called Press Conference Rag. (Back to hiding.)
Michigander – thanks you are too generous. I quite like all the posters here, they are resonable and thoughtful.
I wish I had gotten a little more feedback on the idea of opposing Fox through their sources of revenue.
Last night, I caught the beginning of Saturday Night Life, it was a re-braodcast of the show where John McCain & Tina Fey as SP did the QVC bit (selling commerative plates of the Ten Town Hall Debates that never happened).
The writers of SNL must be psychic, or maybe just highly intuitive, because in the part where Tina Fey “goes rogue” and tries to sell her “Palin 2012” t-shirts, she looks straight into the camera and says “I’m either going to be president or a white Oprah, because no way am I going back to Wasilla.”
And I thought, “Of course, that’s what she’s doing!” Right now she’s probably meeting with some fashion consultant, getting another nice wardrobe to wear on the soon to be announced “Sarah Show.” Easier than running for office because everyone will agree with her and she’ll be the center of attention. Until the show is cancelled for low ratings and once again, she’ll have to go back to Wasilla. And give back the nice wardrobe.
Got busy with guests and didn’t get back to discuss, sorry about that, as it got interesting.
I should have been clearer that in terms of the lure of money/success that Palin (I believe) sees ahead on the path she’s on, I don’t necessarily believe she has the chops to actually succeed, just that she thinks so, and that is sufficient “rationale” for her actions.
Lee323, we differ in that I consider rational to be a neutral term. Each person can act only on what they know and believe to be true. When I see someone, who from the outside appears to be acting irrationally, I assume I’m missing something of their understanding, not that they are really that far gone. Really, with some people, if they were that far gone, they’d forget to tie their shoes and eat breakfast in the morning…
Aside from true sociopaths (which are rare), I think everyone behaves rationally within their sphere of understanding. Sometimes it’s rational for the individual to be selfish and fearful and sometimes it’s rational to be selfless and heroic. Situations vary too much to only ever use one set of rules. Humanity gets by on a combination of them, all the time. It’s the balance between them that matters.
For example, it’s not heroic to hang around on an erupting volcano, being cowardly is a really good plan and an exceedingly rational one. I would also say it was heroic (heroically clueless and chutzpa laden, among other heroics) for Palin to have accepted the VP nomination at all. A cowardly person would have said, um, no thanks. So, I would posit that she does not see herself as cowardly.
@#152 – Thanks – Found it and used PayPal! Such a tragedy for one so young. Ann is an amazing person and will do her beloved husband, her family, and her community proud. I’m happy to help in my small way. I hope word gets out even further than these blogs and more help heads north to all those in need. God bless everyone.
It seems like longer than a year .I have to say that I also for the first time was motivated to help with a campaign in any way I could.After Palins attack at the republican convention i was one of many who gave to the now President Obama campaign Each month or two or sometimes 3. I gave what I had saved up by doing with out to make sure this woman would not become our VP..A big thank you goes out to all the bloggers who came out and told the truth of Palin
There is something the right forgets there are many democrats that are also pro life.and the right would have you believe they are the only ones who care about life and death.
Krubozumo @165 – You said everything I was trying to convey in my Palin/pawn/under the bus blatherings that I do!
How about I make a comment and ask you to translate? Hee-hee!
You write much better than I so please, don’t stop with the politics! You make excellent sense (o:
debinOhio, I am not trying to scare the pants off anyone but I agree she is like Beck and his ilk. Worse in a sense because she has proven she can work up a crowd and already has a following. She (yuck) has more charisma than all the wingnuts that have already incurred threats, violence and even murder.
Good for you for writing and voicing the truth. Yes we can (o:
debinOH…Have to agree with you on this one…
When Beck crashes it not goona be pretty…
He is dangerous and his cult followers are just as bad…
I really fear for our pres…Add $arah to the mix…I’ts very frightening..
I just looked at the post immediately preceding my last and I have to say, the crux of this media issue is simple. It is Fox. Murdoch’s whole enterprise is nothing more than a for hire propaganda organ. Like flu or the common cold or for that matter malaria, this is the kind of disease that will probably never be completely eradicated.
However, I think an effort, such as:
Dear Fox Sponsor,
I do not watch Fox, because it is nothing but lies and propaganda, but I do notice that your firm advertises and therefore provides the revenue to support this propaganda. I find that both irresponsible, and reprehensible. You should have noticed the bias of the media you were financing, and having so noticed, should have of your own accord ceased to be complicit.
By all evidence you have not. Therefore, henceforth, I shall specifically avoid the purchase of any of your products and will avidly encourage everyone I know to similarly deprive you of revenue.
Further, unless you refrain from purchasing advertising time from Fox
for a period of at least 5 years, I will continue to avoid your products, seek alternatives, and incite others to disdain you in a similar fashion.
Kindest regards,
Thanks nwsfm CA, I am stepping outside my comfort zone a little by talking politics when it doesn’t connect to any area of expertise but perhaps in this case it still does because there is an undercurrent of racism to the whole rightwing smear blitz going on. After all “the base” (which by the way is al queada in some version of arabic) is overwhelmingly, white, fundamentalist xtian and lives in the SE U.S.
IMO Palin dumped her Alaska job for two reasons. #1 was to cash in on her book deal. After the taste she got of really big money with the $150k makeover the RNC paid for, and she had to ostensibly give back, she could not stand the thought of having to wait two whole years to start raking in money. The book deal is big bucks and to her that is like honey to a starving bear. #2 is that the only position she can play is deep right field. So to have the latitude to comeout with the full monty crazy she had to dump Alaska and move her evangelical tent to the lower 48, otherwise she risked being ignored.
The one thing that can destroy Palin is being ignored. That is why she can never hope to challenge Obama because so far he seems to have been able to ignore her without breaking a sweat. In that respect, she is already done, I think he has enough to keep his attention such that even noticing her will not happen any time soon.
Have no doubt, there is a substantial enterprise trying to make Palin the great white hope. One of the reasons she is laying low is that she not exactly a quick study, they are trying to teach her to read from a teleprompter and not attempt to ad lib. Another is she, from the reports of the McCain staffers anyway, is not so much a maverick as just an obstinate narccisist. Unless her handlers can calm her zeal for her divine destiny she will self-destruct.
So I think it is safe to assume she is undergoing something of a re-education but she is not done by any means in terms of right-wing hate/fear mongering, she will be thrust onto the national stage at some point.
On the bright side there is good evidence that the right-wing is not so totally self-deluded that they actually support her as a “leader”. A helpful idiot yes, but not as a leader. So there is the hopeful possibility, remote admittedly, that one day it will dawn on her she is being played for the patsy to take the fall when the chips are down and she will throw a tantrum and split her nut-job base by going independent and fracturing the conservatives into ice cubes on the kitchen floor. Frankly I don’t think she is that self-aware but in politics, anything can happen. Another possibility as that even the republicans will, as a majority, realize she is a one trick pony they will start to ignore her. That might lead to the first documented case of spontaneous human combustion. The most plausible scenario that I can think up off the top of my head is that she will tread water for the next two years or so, in a rough surf, until the 2012 primaries. She will be useful for that time to the party of no, because she will spout any lie, any slander, any slur if she things it energizes her illusory supporters. But in the end, even the party of no is smart enough to realize that her presence on any ticket, as VP or dogcatcher, is akin to tossing an anchor to a downing man.
I want to say one more thing to sort of cover my posterior. I don’t think that in the majority, the US is a racist country. Nor do I think that it is a country without racists. But I don’t think it can be plausibly argued that the current yelling matches hosted by the media are not at some level about race. To the credit of the majority of Americans, they have been able to get past that irrelevant factor. I hope they will continue to see through the tactic, for the tactic is purely the cynical self-serving device of those who seek power only for the sake of themselves. The will quite obviously do anything to regain it.
True it is heady stuff, power. Of course a five year old with a loaded hair trigger hand gun has power, even if s/he has no idea what it can do. A responsible person, with great power, carries the enormous burden of using it with discrimination, with empathy, with nuance, and an obligation to those who bestowed it.
I think Palin is a racist, if for no other reason than she has never been exposed to anyone of any different race. Except maybe native Alaskans, and she seems to think of them, well, almost not at all.
I too have to thank AKM for providing the window that opens into the barren landscape that is Palin. That is why I am here today, her blog is inspiring.
I will now refrain from further political discussions, it is not my area of knowledge.
Michigan, I am with you. Beck & his 9-12ers scare the crap out of me & since Sarah invited her followers to watch Beck she is on my scare the crap out of me list.
Yesterday he showed a video and the final thing you saw was his dopey snake flag with the words “Unite or Die”. I follow his 9-12 website and his followers are nuts. They are stock piling guns, ammo, food, etc., for the upcoming “war”.
That is why I wrote a letter to all of his sponsors. Yes he is as crazy as Rush, Hannity, O’Reilly but he has given them a forum to hook up and share their hatred for the rest of the “non-patriotic” people and President Obama. He has LOST his frickin’ mind & needs medication fast.
samper – It doesn’t take that many supporters to bring down a President or cause a war. I am not trying to be a fear monger to the other extreme but I really wish more people would take this seriously.
We can have fun here but ‘don’t be silly, nothing’s gonna happen’ is the attitude that lets it happen.
GREAT post. You know how I love Ziegler, right? Remember, my husband produced the dating show he was on. Oh yes, I’m a HUGE devotee of Ziegler’s.
Snarkage.
http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/02/political-carnival-exclusive-video.html
Again, excellent post.
What’s motivating Sarah Palin to devote her life to telling lies about the President has nothing to do with any party. It has only to do with Sarah Palin. In her mind, he beat HER – and it’s no secret that Vengeance is her middle name.
The further her life slips into complete mess, the more she attacks. It’s just the way she’s wired.
I don’t even think she would bother giving any ‘party’ the impression that she would do or say anything on its behalf, or for its benefit. Sarah Palin is her own party – a party of one. A team player, she is not.
The President has nothing to be afraid of from Sarah Palin, however it’s past time the media took a long hard look at themselves.
boodog: Don’t be silly! SP doesn’t know HOW to “study”!
LOL! 🙂
Michigander: Don’t worry. There are many more of us WATCHING her than are SUPPORTING her.
Over my dead body, as they say!
Michigander, I agree. ‘She’ has almost derailed the health reform and riled people up as it is, she needs to be watched and those behind her ratted out. I think the country is in a fragile state and we can’t let the crazies bring it down.
Amazing! We all have such great stories, memories, and analysis!
Don’t forget! The party to celebrate P-Day and Buffalo Gal’s 29th birthday starts in just an hour at 9PM EDT. Do your own timezone math… I’m too lazy! 😉 I will say that it’s about 8PM now, EDT.
Come one, come all to the tree house we call “chat”! Oh, I should mention also too there that it’s BYOB.
AKM is bound to put up a link to listen to Shannyn’s show, but if you have trouble with that link, as I have in the past, just go to the station’s main website (call letters dot com) and stream from there.
See you all in an hour to relive this roller coaster of a year and extend our best wishes to BuffGal!
Funny! Loved it!
boo(boo)dog – I think she has been culled and is in seclusion being trained by rightwing nutjobs. Funny but not.
I think she has been promised money and fame but I think her real job is to bring down President Obama. I don’t care if she gets thrown under the bus for a change but I don’t want our country and Pres Obama abused/destroyed in the process.
I don’t trust this and we need to be aware.
Lee323, Darkness had some very good points IMHO. I read the comment in a totally different way apparently. What Palin did is rational to the extreme right cause.
$P is missing…..what if she is studying?….
142 Krubozumo Nyankoye Says:
August 29th, 2009 at 1:24 PM
=====
good one, as usual
GreatGranny2B – on the sidebar to the right scroll down to “Alaskan Blogs”, click on “Anonymous Bloggers” and you can read what has been happening and how to help. Ann Strongheart’s beloved husband Segundo has just passed, there is much to learn past and present.
The new admin in Alaska seems better, but feels like too little too late. Palin has injured the state of Alaska, especially rural Alaskans.
About my very long post earlier that went off in a few directions… it all got started when I was trying to find out about SP and AKM was that link.
Now AKM’s blog posts gave us the facts and all that and I am sure other news sources were reporting the same things. ( maybe even getting it from AKM ?)
The ” From the Belly of the Beast ” story was about more than just facts which I didn’t elaborate on. Like any good story writer… it pulled me in. I could see myself there. I WAS there…. because of the way the story was written, I could feel it. I had a good feeling after reading it… it made me smile 😉
And so… yes I came back because there were more facts to be learned but it was also about the ‘ stories’ that would pique my interest and pull me in and keep coming back for more. Even without Sarah Palin… there will always be the stories we love reading.
AKM’s success in the past or going forward is not determined or defined by the name Sarah Palin. That is a Fact.
134 Darkness Says:
August 29th, 2009 at 10:55 AM “I think SP is being a rational actor by quitting. She can make far more money following in the footsteps of pundits like Coulter,…(snip)…. She’s failing to live up to her own rhetoric (surprise, surprise), but she’s acting rationally. I’ll give her that.”
——————————————
Following your logic then, “rationality” only involves being self-serving and selecting the pathway that offers more money, eh?
Hmmmm….Regarding Palin’s quitting:
Since when did “rationally” become a synonym for “selfishly?”
Since when did “rationally” become a synonym for “cowardly?”
Since when did “rationally” become a synonym for “without integrity?”
Since when did “rationally” become a synonym for “not living up to her oath of office?’
Since when did “rationally” become a synonym for ” quitter?”
All of the above “synonym” descriptors are equally present in Palin’s quitting as an elected public official who swore an oath to the people of Alaska to SERVE THEM….not herself.
It’s kind of a bummer, Darkness, to hear that some people would think that the noble, quintessentially human characteristic of “rationality” is actually no more than a function of selfishness and money acquisition.
No offense but I think I’ll stick with the idea that Palin was “acting selfishly and cowardly” when she quit.
Thank you, AKM, for getting the truth out to the public. Who knows what shape our great country would be in if everyone believed the lies told by McCain, his staff and the nincompoop herself. I doubt very much that no matter what anyone believed, Obama would have won the election hands down but she might have had a chance in national politics if it weren’t for you, Shannyn and the rest of the wonderful Alaskan bloggers. So many of us are grateful for your honesty.
Saw a posting on Think Progress of someone who went to the Austin TX rally – strictly to observe and report back – at the most, 150 people, just a couple of speakers spouting the same things about taxation, government needs to leave their Medicare alone, Obama is not a citizen, blah, blah, etc.
McCain waited until Obama had named Biden as his V.P. I really think McCain waited to see if Hillary had been the pick and when she wasn’t, he decided to go with a female thinking (wrongly) that he’d be able to pick up many votes of those who were Hillary supporters.
On another topic – it only recently came to my attention about the severe situation last winter in some of the villages and Sarah’s belated photo op with cookies and religion. Are there any plans under way at this time for donations of cash or food supplies to help them through another winter? I’d like to make a donation.
It is the day after PEE day, must be P O O P day! YES – we can continue to celebrate John McCain’s “biggest mistake EVER” all through the weekend. I celebrate all of you, fellow mudpuppies – and especially AKM, who brought us together and kept us sane throughout the SP FIASCO. Yes, SHE is gone, WE are here – We win, YOU lose Scarah!
The gods of logic (with help from Google) led me to the ‘flats just a year ago. I was desparate for an answer to the question “what is wrong with these people”? After each conversation with what I came to think of as a “believer”, I’d scurry back to the blog to see if someone could unravel the mystery.
But now I come for AKM’s writing!
There is a piece by Geoffry Dunn up on HufPo about Palin that I think says it all fairly concisely…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/sarah-palins-obama-obsess_b_271993.html
134 Darkness Says: August 29th, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I not trolling here, but I think SP is being a rational actor by quitting. She can make far more money following in the footsteps of pundits like Coulter, Malkin, et al, who make millions doing no real work, just blathering without even the burden of research.
*********************
That’s not true either. Palin has a demonstrated history of nonperformance starting with her record as mayor. She is not going to make money on the speakers series because she is unreliable. If you don’t show up, you don’t get paid. Break a contract and you can be sued. Coulter and Malkin are actually educated and following career trajectories that work for them. In reality Palin has never held a job with day to day accountability. She set her own schedule and defined her own work. A daily show would be beyond her.
Palin is aimlessly going through doors and hoping for the lottery.
If you look at what she actually collected in her PAC, it is a small amount of money. Bush used to do that in a long weekend.
When you are 45, female, stupid, nasty, uneducated, talentless …. need I go on? The odds of continuing fame and fortune are moot. She had better hope Todd can keep his day job. Since returning to AK last Nov, she has done everything for failure and nothing for success.
From Alaska Dispatch today:
“It would be nice to ask Palin herownself what happened, but she can’t be found. The exact location of the former governor is being kept top secret, though there seem almost as many Sarah Palin spottings as Elvis sightings in the Lower 48 these days. At last report, she’d been rumored to be shopping for real estate in Montana, New York and Rhode Island. Take your pick.
She is also rumored to be struggling with marital problems. Who knows. The rumor has been denied vehemently, and yet it persists persistently.
What is known is that Palin isn’t at home in Wasilla.
“I don’t even know where she is right now,” her father, Chuck Heath, said this week from his home near hers in the big valley north of Anchorage.
He hasn’t heard from his daughter in three weeks. His wife, Sally, who is temporarily in the Pribilof Islands, which are closer to Russian than to America, has been in email contact with Sarah, Heath added, but “my wife wouldn’t tell me where (Sarah) was because she was afraid I’d blab it around.””
{ I got carried away and this is a little long, but it is my AKM story }
Well… I have to confess. It is not a 1 year anniversary for me ( close ?) but I am sure the Mudpups will allow me into their Party. That’s just the way they are.
After 8 years of Bush the whole ‘political thing’ had me beaten down. I just wanted to forget about Him. All of his Bushism’s and how I felt embarrassed for this Country when he traveled overseas. And Darth Vader by his side with his Haliburton Friends lining their pockets.
I came along a little after Aug 29th. As said before, I was tuned out or turned off. Yeah… they had all those campaign speeches and rallies that had been going on forever.. Years. Sarah Palin and her RNC nomination seemed to pass by unnoticed. I guess it was sometime in Sept. when I first saw Sarah speak in some interview. Not sure if it was Katie’s or who it was but a light came on and I thought to myself ” This woman is a Female George Bush” !!! The stupidity and nonsense that came out of her mouth was ridiculous and appalling. And of course You had no idea what she was saying with what later became known as her ‘ word salad ‘. You asked yourself …” What is she talking about?”
{ Something had to be done }
I guess I saw Bill Maher talking about ” THIS Wasilla woman ” on his Show. He had Arianna Huffington on there and she kept talking about this ‘ blog ‘ she had. I didn’t know what a blog was at the time ( never been to one )but she just kept talking about it and since Bill endorsed it… I figured I should check it out.
Yeah… there were many stories about $arah there. With much of the stories or info linked back to a ” AKMuckraker “, and I had no idea what THAT was..?
{I sure thought the name sounded pretty funny at the time though }
It wasn’t until I read AKM’s account or her infiltrating that RNC Fundraiser in Anchorage where Sarah spoke with more of that crazy ‘ word salad ‘ and the whining that just went on foreeeeverrr that had me hooked. It wasn’t just about Sarah anymore. I was now pulled into this ‘ spy novel’… ” Into the Belly of the Beast”. I was hooked. The Spy was dressed in disguise ( as a Republican wannabee) and had the Spy camera taking secret photos ( ‘Mission Impossible’ style… OR ‘Get Smart’..? ) of Top Secret items on display to raise money for the Cause. Question : How much would a Rare George W. Bush Jack-in-the-Box fetch or that autograph on that plate by their Fearless Leader. Ooohh! The secret photos were being taken back to headquarters and shared with the other Spies ( Mudpups )
And there were those ‘ buttons ‘…hidden in places throughout the room. Like you would plant a listening device or a secret hidden message/note to be picked up by your fellow spies at a later time. And they did. And what about THAT message on the note….” Where’s Sarah?”…What could it all mean..? I guess you need a spy decoder ring ( or to join the Club) or something to figure it out.
I joined the ‘ Club ‘ soon thereafter with the other Secret Agents.
November came around and the race was getting to the end and the horses were coming around that last turn racing to the Finish Line.
It was November 3rd and I was not working that day. I called to find out where the local Obama Campaign Hq’s was. They said come on down… we have snacks and beverages here and you can make some phone calls. I did. The little storefront HQ was over flowing with volunteers so they were using this LARGE open building on the next block as well. I walked in and put my name down. Table after table ( like in a cafeteria ) of people on phones with a list of people to call with a script. A few tables had hard line phones but most people used their cell phones. We called the names on the lists asking whether they had voted already, or if they knew where their polling place was( it was listed on our printout ) for them to vote and did they need a ride to get there. We made notes on the lists of people who we made contact with or who was not at home, turned them in and then got new lists. These Volunteers were VERY organized and on the ball and this was for one little District Office. They knew what they were doing.
My idea going in was that we would be calling neighbors or people within my City to get out and vote. I had never volunteered before so I had no idea. WRONG. CA was pretty much a lock. We started off calling people in Ohio ( far EST zone ) because it was a close race. Then there was a story about a Flyer being passed out in Missouri telling people Republicans vote on the 4th… if a Democrat come to the polls on the 5th. ( dirty tricks and misinformation ) As it got too late to call Ohio we called Missouri… as Missouri got too late to call we made calls to the Colorado time zone. It was a memorable day and one I will always remember. People who were old, young, black, white, other ethnic backgrounds, businessmen or women, housewives, Businessmen in suits or kids in sneakers and shorts… it didn’t matter. That room was truly a ‘ melting pot ‘ that came together and everybody there was working together for just one reason or cause that day. It is something that I can look back on and be glad that I participated or contributed in some small way as well to make it happen. History was not just something that was reported on the News that night… history was also in that room with all those other strangers to me.
By Sarah being Sarah ( and scaring the Cr@p out of me ) she was that one motivating factor that made me get out there, participate, make some of those phone calls and allow me the privilege of being part of History.
” THAT ” is probably the only time I will ever thank Sarah for anything.
So…. this ONE time only ” Thank You Sarah”
And how about ‘ in honor of those troops’… You start taking care of Your Kids.
They deserve and need a lot more than what you have been giving them. Remember your ‘ Iconic image ‘ child….? He might not even recognize you by the time you decide to go home.
Heck… you might even put some pictures of your Kids on Your Facebook page like the other 99.9% of REAL America uses Facebook for. Just a thought.
And just delete the Political ramblings and nonsense. Especially since the words/ideas are NOT Your’s.
OK–This is the gospel truth. One year ago today was the removal of my dog’s anal glands. As I was driving him to the vet, our local petulant right wing radio show host announced that it was Palin. As I was driving him home from the procedure, Limbaugh was on doing his “Jesus, guns, babies…hot damn!” shtick (I listen to this stuff from time to time so that I’ll know what an unfortunately large segment of the population thinks).
And so…fellow Mudflatters….in my mind, there is an inexorable link between my dog’s butt and Sarah Palin. And given the choice, I’d go with the dog’s ass any day.
Happy Birth(er) Day, fellow mudpuppies! AKM, you may have singlehandedly saved our country from itself. Unlike some others here, I’ve been active in dem politics for decades (gathered signatures for Eugene McCarthy), but really got energized to elect Barack and defeat lies and hate. Love, health, and peace to all the mudpups everywhere, and C U at the next NY Mudstock.
I remember the date so well.
Darkness makes sense to me. The only thing I disagree with is giving Palin credit for acting rationally. I believe she is being ‘forced’ to do whatever she’s doing and it’s a dangerous situation for the country.
If we count her out she just becomes more dangerous. Still think she’s a pawn and she doesn’t know what she’s really being used for.
I not trolling here, but I think SP is being a rational actor by quitting. She can make far more money following in the footsteps of pundits like Coulter, Malkin, et al, who make millions doing no real work, just blathering without even the burden of research. The people who mock Palin for quitting would be mocking her anyway and her supporters will believe her “pivoting” “focussing” whatever framing and continue to follow her, tongues wagging. She can’t lose them, no matter what. In a way, nothing’s changed, except now her responsibilities are off her shoulders and she’ll be rich. She’s failing to live up to her own rhetoric (surprise, surprise), but she’s acting rationally. I’ll give her that.
rob in ca @116 — so true so true……..here is to Anne Kilkenny – the woman whose email went viral in 2008…….salute and good fortune to you all.
Yeppers the day McCain threw Sarah in our face, I knew he was in deep doodooo…Didn’t dissapoint me either…
I was on another blog sight (ashamed to say which one) .Between that and Huff I would see the mudflats, Sooooooo here i is…
I thought i was the only one that thought Sarah was nuts..Thank you so much AKM, and mudpuppies from around the world for showing what she really is…
Sorry, I thought I was on open thread )o:
Palin is the opposite of everything Kennedy stood for and I don’t even want to think about her right now.
Palin is not merely a goofy anomaly, but reflects a political party and a segment of society that lives in the distant past, about 100 years ago, that worships ignorance, elevates religion over science, is completely hostile to education, and is steeped in racism. The parallels of the far right today to the religious fanatacism of the 1910-1920 era are interesting. Nearly 100 years after the Scopes trial, TX is trying to replace science books with creation theology.
Sarah has faded, but the segment of the population that she reflects remains, and must be ridiculed and exposed as effectively as Sarah has been. Keep it up, bloggers.
Ted Kennedy’s funeral was beautiful and inspiring. We need to not only keep the dream alive but make it a reality.
I caught part of MSNBC last night also, what a family and I do believe Irish eyes are smiling (o:
Cheers Mudpups! We’re still here, she’s not, lol.
The bully Quitter quit.
hey austintx, where r u?
The bird’s eye view says Sarah got elected governor in Alaska by finger pointing, lying about her accomplishments, smoke and mirrors and oh yeah, don’t forget about the whistle blowing and finger pointing. Her bluff wasn’t called publicly until she was exposed by McCain –
My “whatif” only wants to thank McCain for exposing her to Alaskans . She did not govern anything in Alaska with any statesmanship. She was too busy kicking up a smoke-screen of divisiveness. Finger pointing and blaming everyone else.
Get my gist? Now hit the VP election and everything since then and you get an instant replay of her Governorship of Alaska. The stock markets were tanking and our Governor’s need to create drama became more important than ever. She thumbed her nose and ridiculed other republicans in the legislature so that her own ineptness did not become evident. She kept herself out of public and didn’t work on matters of economic development or anything, just kept a low profile in her Wasilla home. She worked 24/7 alright – doing nothing but divisiveness.
Look at these boobs like the Zigster and the Beckster – Americans aren’t buying the Palin mentality any more than Alaskans did….
Cheers to all of youse and yours!
I remember well watching “Morning Joe” the day of the nomination and they were speculating like crazy about who it would be. SP’s name came up most often and both Joe and Pat Buchanan had nothing good to say about her. That lasted just until the official announcement, and then they changed their tunes fast. It was sickening and I knew something was up. I watched the announcement and her speech and hit the Internet to see what I could find: Mudflats and Andrew Halcro.
What lifesavers those blogs turned out to be, plus the others I became acquainted with over time. Thanks to all the anonymous and public bloggers who performed the vetting that the McCain campaign and the MSM didn’t do. I truly believe you saved our country. Plus, I’m glad I decided to hang around and keep up with AK politics, environmental issues and human rights issues and to help when possible. This community is fantastic.
Looking forward to liveblogging tonight during Shannyn’s show. Is AKM going to be on again? Hope so. It’s fun hearing her voice and impressive how she thinks on her feet. Well done!
Excellent article!
This is also an anniversary of my discovering themudflats.net. I remember well how shocked I was to first hear of Sarah Palin on the eve of the Republican convention. Throughout Labor Day Weekend, I searched throughout the internet (incidently, I was not under my mom’s roof either), trying to get familiar with who she really was; fortunately, I stumbled upon themudflats. Thank you so much for providing outstanding information and dialogue throughhout that tumultous campaign, and for continuing to do so. Your work is outstanding.
Another question, ‘are you tired of having to show your ID every where you go?’ WHAT?
Wait, meth sellers in texas ask for ID?
@112 & 114 – Per the website, they have a million signatures on their petition. Someone did the math and determined that it is 1/25 of the state’s population, so they probably won’t get far with their insanity.
IMHO – McCain bears a lot of responsibility for unleashing Palin on us, and she certainly bears a HUGE amount for her vituperous dialogue at rallies.
I lived in Texas years ago and still have friends and relatives there – none that I’ve talked with are happy with Perry or this latest nonsense.
you’re right bucsfan, she ran fast, and made up way too many “reasons”, but she ran for the money.
There is no comparison between Hillary and Sarah, except they are female and are mothers.
The sad thing, when historians looks back at her, they are going to wonder not only why McCain chose her, but how did she become Governor of Alaska in the first place. They will look for the substance and not find any. They will compare her to Hillary as Sarah herself did, and shake their heads. Hillary has been demonized for almost twenty years by the right and she keeps swinging. After less than a year, Sarah ran like heck. I watched the Kennedy memorial yesterday and as I watched Joe Biden speak, I thought “Now that is a statesman, that is a Vice President” And then I remembered what Rush said after her selection “We got the babe” Oh, right. She’s cute. Let’s vote for her
Okay amy @104 –
It fits right into my camp fire theme….isn’t this forum just like meeting around a campfire…
Sometimes when I get on here I have just had my fingers in the light socket of life – youcan’tmakethisstuffup.AK.com
Not being a dweller on anything negative I bop over here for some light or to shine some…. !!!
Oh, and also, Albert Schweitzer deserves a mudpuppy atta boy for that quote! Thanks…
AKM, I’m so grateful to have found you. My teeth are the worse for wear, having been gritted from August to November in 2008. As I was frantically trying to find information on this relatively unknown political name, I found out all I needed to know within the first three days; the rest of the score played out and was measured by the first unmelodious notes with the cacaphony that followed.
The fellowship here has been both a comfort and an inspiration, and I want to thank everyone for their links and quotes which have been enlightening and educational. Thank you all so very much. (austintx, I miss you.)
Let’s not forget Anne Kilkenny, who let the cat out of the bag with the email heard ’round the world!
A toast to Anne!
KareninTexas, RUN! …just kidding!
Great Granny @106 One of the questions they ask (Texans march ) is ‘are you tired of the govmt telling you who you can or cannot marry?’ Huh? Do they mean as in gay or sibling? Another question, ‘are you tired of having to show your ID every where you go?’ WHAT?
So I been mucking about this morning and was reading some of the comments and they brought back some memories. Usually they were memories that had made me go WTF! When she was questioned about what Supreme Court decisions she didn’t agree with, I was waiting for “Dred Scott”, Plessy vs Ferguson (I would have accepted “the ruling on separate but equal”) Korematsu vs United States (Japanese internment decision), because there were historical slam dunks (sorry about the basketball analogy). Okay, I know I am reaching for her to know history. But as someone stated earlier, the Exxon Valdez decision was relatively fresh and she (at least we thought it was her) had issued a statement about it. But she suddenly blanked. And I remember thinking “What happened to the woman who crowed about how she stood up to the oil companies?”
OMG..GreatGranny2B…say it ain’t so! Maybe its time I think of moving out of Texas again. It’s too hot and dry there anyway. I hope they all faint in front of the capitol in the heat. How ridiculous!
thank you sarah palin for getting me even MORE involved in politics than before to make sure you never get near 1600 pennsylvania ave. except in your dreams.
because of you i found my own political voice and learned how to use it.
because of you i become more involved in women rights that you would see taken away.
because of you i have met some amazing people who feel the same way about you i do.
because of you i learned about alaska and what an amazing and beautiful place it really is.
because of you i found this awesome website called the mudflats that i fit into like a piece to a puzzle.
so i say thank you sarah palin for being who you are.
During the discussions of narcissistic personality disorder I kept thinking about JZ. He seems to fit all the criteria. Of course it was someone else who caused him to lose his job. His writing style indicates that he took journalism classes with SP.
Matt Lauer, Do you automatically deserve the Rep. nomination in 2012?
quitty spice, “absolutely not necessarily”
I raise my glass to each of you, and I’d like to order a nice big glass of STHU for “It came from Wasilla” ~ on the rocks!
{{{{{{{{bloggers & mudpups}}}}}}}}}
sauerkraut, nope…
His political views aside, I enjoyed watching the dating show where the woman was so disgusted with John’s asinine comments that she wouldn’t even finish the date. The guy has some serious problems.
Maybe Sarah is down in Texas with Rick Perry and his group marching on Austen to declare sovereignty or secession!
For anyone who isn’t familiar with this movement going on today, you can catch an article at http://thinkprogress.org/ and the movement page with their whacko leader is at http://americangrandjury.org/secession-rally-draw-a-line-in-the-sand
My thanks also for this great blog and all the others that have clued us into this idiot.
As I sit here watching the Kennedy funeral, it occurs to me that Sarah Palin couldn’t hold his jockstrap even in death.
I didn’t miss her when I awoke this morning… did any of youse?
It doesn’t seem possible that it has only been a year, at times it seems like forever. I want to thank AKM and all the mudpuppies who have turned this fiasco into something beautiful. Without AKM, I too, would not have become personally involved in the last election or the issues that have come up this year. There are no words to describe what the mudpuppies have taken shape and evolved into.
My favorite quote about gratitude seems to have been written just for AKM, and the mudpuppies. Many thanks for everything you have accomplished this last year.
Albert Schweitzer
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us
Ebbtide: good point! She has barrelled through doors others opened for her by others (see Walter Hinkle) and she has done nothing compared to Hillary. She endured NO media sliming compared what HIllary has endured over the years.
My boss has a Hillary nutcracker, breaks nuts between her pantsuited legs. Palin knows nothing about the abuse of being in the public eye.
How well I remember that morning one year ago when I left home to drive to work. My town is in a valley surrounded by mountains, and I can’t get a radio signal untill after I emerge from the highway tunnel through the mountains. The tunnel is at 6,000 feet elevation, so often I feel a little light-headed as I drive out , and if my ear haven’t popped, I can’t hear well. So it was when the radio came on and I heard the news about Palin’s nomination. I thought it was the altitude. I was sure I’d heard wrong. But after my ears popped and my head cleared, the news hadn’t changed. I drove to work in shock and spent the day in shock. Because of my long connections with Alaska, I knew who Sarah was. And because of my father’s friendship with McCain, I thought I knew who he was. I spent the day in this incredible state of disbelief. Then when I came home that night, I went online and found this blog and right away, things got a little better. As my old friends in the Dead used to sing about, “What a long strange trip it’s been.”
Thank you, Sarah Palin, for making me get off my ass and vote for Barack Obama!
It was darn near “hate at first sight” for me. I remember listening to her say “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer except that you have actual responsibilities.” That was it for me, I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard, little did I know it was only the beginning of the hate & fear mongering she would inflict upon us to this day. Her facebook posts are like a forty something year old’s slam book. She is an articulate nitwit that conducts herself like a high-school mean girl & I wish pox upon her.
sarah who? stay away from us, crazy lady. you’re doing just fine hiding.
whats the difference between scarah and a cardboard life size picture of her?
While both are shallow and smiley, the cardboard picture doesnt lie.
Thank you all again for a great year, especially AKM and the behind the scenes mods and admins. We have never completely come off the rails yet! On the other hand, $P:
“I think on a national level your Department of Law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we’ve been charged with and automatically throw them out.”
Ebbtide, I share your sentiments. When she said that, I thought to myself, “It won’t be you, palin”….and went to work to prevent that from happening. She does not speak for me or for most women in America. I cringe at the thought of her even thinking she would be the one!
Thanks for all you do. Keep holding her feet to the fire for as long as it takes to make things right again. I’m am so thankful for the intelligent people that still seek the truth and help make it known to others. I hope that the horrible insanity of Palin’s infection will be dispersed as fast as it began. We all need to be more vigilant of the people that are running for office and the people on the air waves spreading vicious and inciteful messages.
This is my first post, although I’ve been peeking in for quite awhile. I read many blogs, but this is my favorite. I appreciate the kindness and courtesy of everyone who posts, unlike many other blogs that can erupt in personal battles. Anyway, what a difference a year makes! After reading all the SP quotes, I remember that someone published a book of Bushisms…wouldn’t it be great if there could be a book of Palinisms published at the same time as her “memoir”???
I was trying to remember when I was first creeped out by Sarah Palin. I realized that it was less that 1300 words into her initial speech in Dayton when she said,
“Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.”
That really rubbed me the wrong way. Right then and there, I thought–who does this woman think she is? Hillary worked hard for every single crack, and this interloper thinks she can waltz right through without doing any work?
John McCain needs to apologize to the world for introducing Missy Quittypants to all of us.
Couldn’t agree more! If SP did ONE thing RIGHT, it was bringing us all together under Mama Moose (AKM, I say that with utmost affection and admiration for the phenomenal job you do here in keeping this sweet little community sane and informed!).
Yup… SP was good for ONE THING! 🙂
AKM: Also, too, bring Gryphen and Diva to the party tonight!!!
One year, wow! AKM thank you so much for this blog, the information, glorious photographs, laughs and the insight you provide. I can’t believe I’ve had my morning coffee here for a whole year.
Lately I’ve been wondering (well, entertaining the thought) if Scarah and John could be hiking the Appalachian Trail together…feeding each other’s enormous ego? 😉
Thanks to Palin I finally understood the word SNARK! Also too, I met all of you. So thanks Palin!
Remember the speech she gave to the autism crowd:
Sarah Palin said, “Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? [snip] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.”
yeah the ole fruit fly fiasco — the research that helps us understand autism
i love the response at one of my fav science blogs: “something else the wackaloon from wasilla denies” (referring to evolutionary biology)…
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/10/sarah_palin_ignorant_and_antis.php
(blog has the video of her crazyiness)….remember how short a time it took by then to catch mismoosiness in her error? the very same day! i love the blogs….remember when MSM was 14 days behind the blogs? (yes i would scream at the TV – ‘we knew that WEEKS ago’ !!!) they did eventually catch up but it was a nailbitingly long time.
when sarah palin was introduced to the scene of presidential politics, i had never read a blog, never worked on a political campaign, never donated…. but she changed all that — and so did obama. palin scared the crap out of me so much i dived into the vastness of presidential politics and obama inspired me to stick with it and become engaged in the process.
thanks to this sweet little blog and all of the wonderful people from all over the globe that wandered here and stayed……and all of the other alaskan blogs that have filled in the cracks and crevices of our understanding of palin and alaska…….and graciously expanded this blog to a huge site that welcomes all manner of intelligent and thoughtful discourse.
and now a year later, i have brother of brian the moose standing proudly on my computer desk keeping vigil with me. ha – who woulda thunk it? not me. all in all – this past year has been the best dang ride EVER. (especially since it turned out okay).
My brother-in-law and I discovered the other night that our mothers had never seen Sarah Palin’s interview with Katie Couric, or Tina Fey playing Sarah, so we dragged them to the computer and forced them to watch till their eyes were crossed and they couldn’t string together a coherent sentence.
Good times!
AKM: Will you be at our party tonight? Bring Shannyn! 🙂
ChicagoMom…same here, after watching Palin’s nomination speech, I just knew there was something wrong with her. The phony accent, the faux image of a genuine Alaskana, and her crazy eyes told me something was not right with her. The American public was being sold a made up image by a desperate John McCain. I still blame him for unleashing this monster on th rest of us. I found the Alaskan blogs within a week of the Palin pick. Her political views and imagining her one 72 year old heartbeat away from the presidency scared the crap out of me.
Virginia was a key battleground state last year, and I knew I could make a difference here. I volunteered to knock on doors, make phone calls, and even ran paperwork back and forth to a local Obama campaign office. Whatever I could do, I did. I gave money and time…and really should thank Sarah Palin for getting me politically motivated. So hey, shout out to Sarah…because of you, Obama gained at least one volunteer!
I had been raised by parents who thought the only moral political choice was to vote Republican. So, I held my nose through some years and voted R. Then came Sarah Palin and I had to re-think my position on government completely.
Thank you so much AKM (and other Alaskan bloggers) for being active and blogging as the horror of Palin swept over me. You were truly a lifeline in dark days. Particularly during the various Troopergate investigations, when the depth of her petty, vindictive use of her political position became evident.
A toast to you, AKM for helping to save our country!
A synonym for “pivot” is spin. Me thinks all of $arah’s fancy footwork is just spinning her deeper into that hole she can’t seem to quit digging for herself.
Sunnyjane Says:
August 29th, 2009 at 1:21 AM
“She’s got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today,” McCain said.
Personally, I wonder how he can sleep at night.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A commonly expressed belief here in Arizona is that McCain sleeps hanging upside down in a nearby cave!
Happy P-day to you! Without you and all the other tireless Alaskan bloggers we might not be celebrating this day. I am eternally grateful.
This is actually the anniversary of two disasters- four years since Katrina, one year since Sarah.
Typo/Grammar Alert: McCain COULDN’T care less…
BuffGal: You aren’t holding your breath or anything are you? If so, let it out. Now. McCain could care less about his reckless decision making abilities.
It was a year ago when SP got me actively involved in Obama’s campaign, not just sending in money, but making phone calls. And now SP and those of her ilk have me actively involved again, making phone calls for healthcare reform and attending town hall meetings, congressional offices, and rallies. It’s been a year, but the fight is not over unfortunately.
In celebration of P Day , I just sent off a message to Sen. McCain asking him to step up to the plate and take responsibility for unleashing the burden that is Palin on to America. I suggested he can help mitigate the damage by setting the record straight when she spouts off and making sure the town hall meetings do not get co-opted by religious zealotry and racism disguised as patriotic Americans.
I’m sure he’ll see the light and get right on that, eh ? Good thing I wrote !
Thank you AKM and fellow pups for a wild ride over the past year!!! Who knew?
PS: Sorry, AKM… it was ALL strangelet’s fault! 😉
gardenslug: I’ve never seen that one actually in writing. It was funny to see Tina Fey doing it verbatim and even funnier when the news channels played Tina and SP side by side.
But good grief! When you see it in written word, you have to wonder exactly how dangerous a decision maker McCain really is!
Don’t forget they are both quitters
President Obama ‘quit’ being a Senator to become POTUS
and
sarah palin ‘quit’ being Gov. to do what? Lie on Face Book and disappear for weeks at a time.
But both can ‘write’ books right?
That’s just a bad day in the universe. It’s the day Hurricane Katrina hit land in Louisiana. Last year on that same day I was in Memphis due to evacuating for Gustav. I watched her debut our hotel room. Funny how those disasters I will forever linking to the first time I heard Palin open her mouth.
I hope Sarah Palin becomes a televangelist, so she can wear expensive clothes, garish make-up, spout platitudes and talk nonsense, all whilst fleecing the gullible.
You’re right…it’s too much like her last job!
Great post, AKM. JZ’s delusional, especially about the “dignified fashion” in which Palin handled the media scrutiny accompanying her VP nomination.
Aussie @ 38 –
I remember that question from Couric. Fareed Zakaria called Palin’s answer “nonsense”, “gibberish”, “an emptying of catchphrases”. And, yeah, apparently, she was pro-healthcare reform during that Couric interview. Here’s the exchange:
Katie Couric: Why isn’t it better, Gov. Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?
Gov. Sarah Palin: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the — it’s got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we’ve got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.
One year ago I was disappointed that Hillary had not received the nomination and was starting to pay more attention to this “fella Barack” who had delivered that wonderful speech at the 2004 convention. And then Walnuts said who he had picked and I listened to her and thought, really?!?!…this is the person a 73 year old cancer survivor thinks could be the president if he dies?!?! and then I discovered Mudflats and I read the wonderfully informative and intelligent postings and comments from AKM and others and I KNEW… I had to do whatever I could do to make sure that she never got close to making decisions that would affect me or the people I love. So I went to my local campaign office and volunteered and I donated and I listened to every speech each candidate made and then I volunteered to do more and donated some more, I cried tears of joy and relief on election night and even though I have not agreed with all the decisions made by my president since then, I still have hope.
Yesterday AM started with the same drive as a year ago Friday (only it was 100 degrees at 10:30 AM when I left the town, 73 when I got back home at 11 AM yesterday), and instead of freaking out in the car when her name was announced on NPR, less horrifying news was on. My initial reaction while driving was: This is like “Men in Trees” in reverse; what a jerk John McCain is–Country First, my as.
When I got to the computer, I googled her name and read a comment on a blog from Syrin that had been posted by maybe a month prior and thought WHOA! I’m going to look around and see what THAT meant! And then I found this great site and have stayed since. Thank you, AKM and thank goodness America saw through her shtick.
It is officially p-day ! Thank you AKM for all that you’ve done and kudos to all of us for trying to figure this all out. It’s been hit n’ miss , trial and error, ebb n’ flow and a great learning experience. I’ve become a more informed and passionate citizen because of Palin. Hat’s off to ya!
“I’m the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can’t.'” –Sarah Palin, as quoted by former City Council Member Nick Carney, after he raised objections about the $50,000 she spent renovating the mayor’s office without approval of the city council
A couple posts removed as off-topic and TMI (too much information!) 😉
The personal message system on the forum or the chat room are always available for personal back & forth conversation.
Thanks!
OUT OF SIGHT…OUT OF MIND…SARAH PALIN!
DO YOU SUPPOSE SHE IS ON VACATION AT THE
BETTY FORD CLINIC IN CALIFORNIA??
Katie Couric interviews Palin & McCain, Sept 29, 2008
“Over the weekend, Governor Palin, you said the U.S. should absolutely launch cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan to [quote] stop the terrorists from coming any further in. Now, that’s almost the exact position Barack Obama has taken and that you – Senator McCain – have criticized as something you do not say out loud.
So, Governor Palin – are you two on the same page on this?”
@58 Aussie: Reading that quote is enlightening. All she ever had to do was throw her trigger words out there for approval.
America!
PRO America!
REAL America!
Small Towns! (double “yay” for the small towns!)
Great Nation!
Patriotic!
Woo hoo! Clap Clap Clap!!!
Yeah, isn’t it GREAT that our TROOPS are building SCHOOLS in Afghanistan? God Bless ‘Em! Our “neighbors” will get educated!
So which is it? We had to invade their country because they are so “bad” or they are our neighbors and we’ll help them out with a little infrastructure?
Aussie: To be honest, I preferred it back when it was “one nation, indivisible”, but there’s no doubt Joe won that one.
I wish I had know about you (and the other Alaskan bloggers) during the campaign. You “light up my life” here in Virginia.
To further celebrate the P-Day, may I offer the proposition that John McCain sorely needs to be reminded of the pain he inflicted on the USA.
For reference, I am including what he said when he introduced the this poor excuse for a human to the world:
August 29, 2008: “She’s exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second,” the presumptive Republican nominee said at a Dayton, Ohio, rally of about 15,000 supporters, who welcomed the surprise pick of the relatively unknown politician with cheers and flags.
“She’s got the grit, integrity, good sense and fierce devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today,” McCain said.
Personally, I wonder how he can sleep at night.
Palin: “We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. … We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.” – Greensboro NC, Oct 16, 2008
Biden: “We are one nation, under God, indivisible. We are all patriotic. We all love our country in every part of this nation! And I’m tired. I am tired, tired, tired, tired of the implications about patriotism.” – Mesilla NM, Oct 17, 2008
Aussie: You’re relentless. I like that too.
“They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan.” Oct 5, 2008
Gibson: What is your understanding of the Bush Doctrine?
SP: His “world view”???????
Aussie: You’re shooting fish off a log, now.
Gibson: Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?
Palin: [impatient sigh] In what respect, Charlie?
Wow. One Year.
One year that I have witnessed the lying, hypocrisy, violence, hatred, inability to keep commitments, quitting, disappearing, spending, mis-managing AK Medicare (pulling the plug on 200+ grannies), death panels, whining, complaining, using “family” as an excuse, media whoring, blaming, accusing, threatening, being stupid, being unethical, being frenetic, the mini skirts at somber events, the family scandals, etc.
Yes, I say we DRINK to the fact that we’ve survived.
AND to the fact that it appears ADN has FINALLY taken the shrine to this train wreck we call Quitty Pants off the front page (it’s probably still there somewhere, though).
There will be a party in the tree house (chat) tonight during Shannyn’s show and after.
Agenda:
Live Blog Shannyn’s show and try to call in!
Celebrate Buffalo Gal’s 29th Birthday (even she doesn’t know how old she really is or the actual day of her birthday, but it’s very soon!)
Celebrate P-Day
Collect all your favorite stories and bring them to the tree house tonight!
@Aussie: Any of us who have ever conducted a job interview (or been the interviewee) can recognize the circumlocution of someone who has no clue.
And, as an aside, I had never realized how silly the word “interviewee” looks.
Just watched a clip of Letterman. I paraphrase: “John McCain is back in Arizona, blowing on his soup at Applebee’s. But, actually, he ‘s had these town halls, and you know, some of them have gotten pretty rowdy. In fact, McCain had to have a crazy woman removed by security….. I thought he should have done that a year ago. (bada boom)”
Couric: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?
Palin: [crickets …] Hmmm. Well, let’s see. There’s — of course in the great history of America there have been rulings that there’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but — — .
How new and fresh was the Exxon Valdez decision at the time, again?
Less than 4 months. AKM
For someone who unleashed the level of violence she did against Barack Obama and his family, one wonders how Palin can whine about the media treatment she gets. She was let off easy, especially considering her role as the vitriolic, lying attack dog.
“Palin’ around with terrorists” said the AIP member with a wink and a nod, followed by a whine and a threat to sue.
bucsfan…you are so right! My brain does not compute typing EM under any circumstance. Lol. Did she ever bring “em” to us? NOPE!
And on a night when I ticked my neighbors off by singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” at the top of my lungs along with the Kennedy Memorial Service (My dad’s parents were from the old sod, and I went to an Irish Catholic church which had a St Patrick’s Day Dinner every year). I listened to the great rememberances, and wiped a tear or two. Really got into the choir doing “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”. Then I came on hear and I hadn’t realized that today was P-day. I had just watched a tribute to a great leader, great statesman, great humanitarian, someone who was always there when people needed someone. I hadn’t thought about her all day. Darn you AKM.
Seattle fan, you still are giving her too much credit. I believe it was “I’ll bring EM to ya”
I see at another website that Papa Chuck Heath says Queen Quitter has been out of town for nearly a month….working on her book. But he does not know the location! He says she emails frequently asking for information on past sporting events….basketball. Dates, facts, etc. What?…….she can’t even trust her family to tell them where she is? Close family, eh?
Oh, this book is gonna be a dooooozie!
one of my favorites, from the VP debate:
“I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I’m going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also.”
Don’cha hate those trick questions?
I love the quotes and lies to celebrate P Day! Here is one:
Couric: You’ve said, quote, “John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business.” Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
(other comments here…hemming and hawing…..too long to include….)
Couric: I’m just going to ask you one more time – not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.
Palin: I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring them to you. (Although I think she said “bring them to ya”)
If Palin had been given a chance she would have embroiled the US in outrageous wars, forced a religious agenda on US civil legal code, and unleashed underqualified people with often racist, corrupt and greedy tendencies into positions of real power. Palin was prepared to use any means possible, including her church’s concept of spiritual warfare, to get what she wanted. If given the chance, she would have been the great American disaster of the 21st Century, making even Bush look statesman like and reserved in comparison.
There is definitely a place for those who feel sympathy for her obviously now tortured soul. But liberal tolerance all too often bleeds into complacent acceptance of those who would turn around and crush everything that liberal tolerance stands for, if given any opportunity whatsoever to do so.
I am sure somebody has said somewhere that constant vigilance is the price of our freedoms. One year ago today a real threat to American civil liberties made her appearance in the public arena. Today she is in hiding – a real lesson to those of the hardcore, violent, imposing and intolerant religious and evangelical bent. The democratic body politic is now ever vigilant, aware and informed, and we will never let you overtake America.
AKM, I have to say that I think Ziegler meant “non-white male” in the sense of “a person who is not a white male”. Other than that — O.M.G.
It’s sobering (well, actually not; it makes me drink) to realize that he may actually believe a fraction of what he writes. And that significant numbers of my fellow citizens take him seriously. Like being asked to describe the duties of the Vice President — when you are running for Vice President — is harassment.
But then I remember that a majority of my fellow citizens can recognize baloney when they see it, and I feel a little better. I just wish the majority was a bit larger.
Ha! Thanks for translating. I didn’t know you were conversant in gobbledy-gook! 😉 LOL. ~AKM
Happy P Day….to ALL of our wonderful country!
and HUGE thanks to AKM and all the other AK bloggers who did so much to help us dodge that bullet!
@ Aussie #30
Great idea! What better way to anti-celebrate P-Day than for Mudpups to haul out their favorite Palin quotes and lies! Go for it, pups.
Palin to Andrew Halcro after one of their gubernatorial debates:
“Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I’m amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, Does any of this really matter?”
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908?currentPage=3
What a long strange trip it’s been.
“Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up the economy … ”
Ziegler blames Couric, Palin blames McCain, and nobody is taking responsibility for the rot that came out of Sarah Palin’s mouth …
Except Tina Fey. 😀
Ebbtide….I felt that way in addition to feeling appalled at his ignorance. How this guy ever got a job in ANY media is a mystery to me.
One of the things I remember reading this past year about SP was her amazing ability to multitask and to remember everything. How she could talk on the phone, tweet, sign papers, talk to a colleague, check her emails, listen to a discussion between others in the room, and bounce baby Trig on her knee at the same time. Not only could she do all this at the same time, but she could also repeat all the conversations, know what was in the emails….verbatum. I found this more than a little hard to believe.
Well, it seems like some academic types have been doing some research on multitasking and here are their findings:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/multitasking/
JZ is a class A, number 1 creep. Glad to hear he lost he job. In a just world, he would never get another one, but I’m waiting for him to show up on FOX News anyday now.
Good riddance to the pivoting shark and her sucking remora……
McCain needs to pay for his folly. He tried to come clean on Leno one night by leaving her off a list of GOP hopefuls but that wasn’t enough. I will never be able to look at him the same. I have been reading this blog, as well as many others, for over a year and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your courage and commitment . I truly love reading the comments from all the Mudpups. Thank you
After reading Ziegler’s diatribe, does anyone else feel the need to take a shower…and/or get out an editing pencil or grammar book…and/or smack the fool with a strong dose of reality…and/or laugh hysterically…and/or scream “GET A ROOM!”
He’s just probably interested in getting into her pants
We all have been living this nightmare for one year? Boy, time does fly. Happy P day, Alaska. Next year, you will have 2 annual celebrations!!
bucsfan,
I would add to that not only did Palin, “put the ball down and walk off into the locker room,” but she stormed out of the arena, got in her Camaro, peeled out of the parking lot, sped out of town, crossed the state line (while giving the finger to all its inhabitants), reneged on at least four promises to play in other games, and is still driving who knows where.
Can’t you just imagine her on the floor of the Senate, down there makin’ policy, gettin’ all mavericky in a senatorial kinda’ way?
We dodged a HUGE bullet last November.
Ridiculing JZ is like shooting fish in a barrel, or dead fish floating downstream, or whatever. With SP out of the picture for now, he will have to do. But while thanking you, AKM, and your colleagues for helping her sink herself, I will miss SP, truly the mother of oxymorons, known for the magnitude of her pettiness, the profundity of her ignorance, her veneer of hypocrisy that went to the core, her written-out ad-libs …. She will be missed.
…and a thank you to AKM, even more so!!!
I enjoy the fact that Mrs. Palin instigated the flood of Republican moderates streaming from the GOP (I then discovered Pro-Life Democrats, a comfortable fit for me); from the looks of it I doubt too many escapees will be realigning themselves with the despicable characters left in the party. (Such as “Reverend” Huckabee who claimed Senator Kennedy would have been urged to die sooner under Obamas plan.)
Thanks for waking me up, Palin!
Happy P Day!
Thank God you guys were here. It is truly nightmarish to contemplate Sarah or McCain for that matter close to the football, more and more as the days goes by.
Thanks to you all again.
John Ziegler has never done any job well. You can bet he will not do any job well in the future. It is his cosmic, karmic destiny to work with Sarah Failin’ again; at least, that is my firm hope.
🙂
One look at this video, and the arrest of Ziegler tells you all you need to know. He makes a total fool of himself. And he seem to be the only one that does not see it.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/16/video-john-zieglers-arrest/
AKM,
Ziegler is a dirt-bag. I had not heard that he lost his radio gig. Thanks for the good news. If you look up his bio on Wikipedia, he has a habit of not being able to keep gigs for more than a couple of years. Funny, it’s never been his fault. Remind you of anyone?
Ziegler is a tool. I loved Nate Silver’s interview with him. He doesn’t do well with opposition or even opposing ideas. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn he hadn’t mastered the whole opposable thumb thing yet either.
Actually, Ziegler’s intellect may be fairly representative of Palinites. Only a mental pygmy could listen to her imbecilic drivel and think, “Yeah, she needs to be president.”
To the extent that you and your fellow “loser bloggers” helped to bring down the menace that was Gov. Sarah Palin, thank you, thank you, thank you. May God bless you and anybody that looks like you. What mighty power you wield. Who knew?
well, Ziegler had one HUGE success! That massive boycott of Letterman that got Dave FIRED! Oh, wait……..
“I lost the biggest job I ever had as talk show host on KFI in Los Angeles largely because I called out another host on the station for flip flopping on the Iraq war in a move that I was sure was designed to pander to the audience who at the time had been duped by the media into thinking the effort was a failure.” ~by John Ziegler (on recent job loss)
info on previous job loss: http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2009/06/11/the-ladies-man-2/
Other than Beck, I cannot think of anyone who is a bigger creep/Palinista.
I thank you and all the other Alaskan bloggers for doing an outstanding job of exposing the real SP to the rest of the world. It was obvious from the start that she was unqualified and “also too” there was something “fishy” about her. All that expensive wardrobe and professional make-up and hair stylist couldn’t hide the fact…she was a brainless tart.
Our first anniversary, and I didn’t even get you a card !! 🙁
Oh gag! I clicked on your link and read his article. What a bunch of hooey! Katie Curic was the cause of her downfall? Liberal women were intimidated by her? She was targeted by the press? Give me a break! Any of her shortcomings were brought on by herself. Does he not understand that all politicos undergo constant scrutiny by the press? If they have the “right stuff” they survive it. She obviously did not.
Anyway, great post AKM and Happy P Day!
@#5 Coug In Portland: Amen to your comment. Knowing what Senator Kennedy has been through, survived and accomplished makes poor Sarah’s petty complaints and lack of accomplishments pale in comparison.
AKM, you forgot about how those crazy left wingers question whether Sarah was really an American citizen or not. Wait. That was Obama also, and those were crazy right wingers. And I love how he worked the basketball term in there, she pivoted? Um, in basketball, a player pivots to get a better shot, or a better lane in which to pass. What she did was put the ball down and walk off into the locker room.
sooooooooo- he knowes what is on the ground in alaska and we don’t ……… yea right zippy .
1st of all – great post AKM!
I went to read the Ziegler blog post – couldn’t make it past paragraph 2. Then onto the comments……it must have been promoted on the Crazy Lady fan site, because all of the comments (well as far as I ventured – 4 or 5) were praising Ziegler.
THEN I realized that the site is run by Andrew Breitbart – the crazy loon who was twittering the hate about Ted Kennedy yesterday.
A 6 degrees of separation for xenophobes.
Is this guy having a fling with Sarah? He seems much too into her.
happy p day to you to, also akm. by the way, as tired as i am, i had to read the part about the hunting tags 3 times before i got the joke. off to bed!
Happy P-Day to mudpups everywhere! I’ll be adding “pivoting” to my compilation of useful words, you betcha. *wink*
Thank goodness the stars were aligned and the Alaska Bloggers were there that fateful day one year ago. They provided the background and then SP just confirmed what they said by giving interviews. That’s when she stopped giving interviews. What a long, strange trip it’s been. Thanks AKM for being here, you helped save our country. And you were the only thread of sanity many of us had during those horrid times. Cheers!
John Ziegler is a story in himself. There is much to say about this man. But one look at this video, and the arrest of Ziegler tells you all you need to know. He makes a total fool of himself. And he seem to be the only one that does not see it.
Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: John Ziegler’s arrest
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/16/video-john-zieglers-arrest/
Stress, pressure, scrutiny? Palin got off easy. She might feel that way after the FEC, gets through with her.
“Loser bloggers”?
Hey I resemble that remark!
AK bloggers did her in. Feels good.
“I strongly believe that no public figure in modern America has ever endured more stress, pressure and unfair scrutiny in a more dignified fashion than she has over the past year.”
———————————
I just finished watched the memorial to Senator Kennedy. The above statement is buffoonery.
Invoking JZ’s name is like cussing… so go wash your hands!
Great piece. It has been interesting time around here and apparently the show is not over yet. Thanks for sharing all the info and experience(s) you gathered back east.
Amen!
God Bless Sarah Palin! (Did I just say that?)
She brought Us to YOU, AKM. And you brought us, this merry band of mudpups, to each other. I wouldn’t change any of it for the world! ((((((((GROUP HUG)))))))))
Absolutely. It taught us that when a candidate acts recklessly and nominates an unvetted, unqualified running mate, it won’t work out well
Gah! Gore-Lieberman flashbacks.