What Palin Knows and the GOP Hopes You Forget
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Categories: Media Accountability, Reproductive Rights, News, Opinion, Front Page
Categories: Media Accountability, Reproductive Rights, News, Opinion, Front Page
and will the media have the guts to ask?
After a week of jingoistic ranting by the Republican Party, the balloons have popped and the show lights are dim. Speaker after speaker roused the delegates in St. Paul against a backdrop of patriotic imagery burning brightly on a giant screen. One such image stuck in my mind as a metaphor for all that has gone wrong over the last 8 years.
Congressman Lindsay Graham (R-SC) made a staunch declaration that America was winning the war on Iraq. Taken by itself, Graham's assertion is not surprising given the GOP's history of weaving dung into Egyptian cotton - then selling it as silk. While Graham was declaring mission accomplished, a photograph showed headstones at Arlington National Cemetery - a truly tragic juxtaposition.
Other images from the GOP Convention are less tragic, but no less disturbing.
The most disturbing image of all was that of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claiming her Party's nomination as vice president. In a speech devoid of substance and long on folksy and dubious claims of her reform expertise, Gov. Palin did prove she could read from a teleprompter. This is no small feat given how she was thrust upon the national stage as a last minute replacement. Reports have surfaced that John McCain had his heart set on Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) but chose Palin after a single meeting.
Will Palin's speech, riddled as it was with half truths and some outright lies, be the basis of honest media scrutiny and assessment? Or will legitimate questions be lost in the haze of cotton candy fluff spun by the GOP? Beyond Gov. Palin's camera presence and GOP stagecraft lays the minefield of questions about her ideology and her knowledge of the world.
For the foreseeable future, Gov. Palin is safe in the cocoon that is Camp McCain, safely sequestered in a cone of indoctrination. Gov. Palin will hear a constant drone of policy facts and figures, accompanied by a heaping helping of quaint phrasing and plenty of the same revisionist history that punctuated the convention. Not until her handlers have deemed her ready, will Gov. Palin be allowed to face the news media - alone.
In the aftermath of all the bellicose rhetoric and national chauvinism, the corporate news media has been left in state of disorder and confusion. Torn between their responsibilities as journalists and fawning over the newest Republican shooting star, few substantive questions are being asked - or answered.
Ironically, the same McCain-friendly media on which the Maverick Mythology was built has now been declared the enemy by Camp McCain. Uber lobbyist and Camp McCain commandant Rick Davis has declared that the campaign will tightly control media access to Palin.
So just what does Gov. Palin know - and not know - about history and the current state of world affairs? There is no end to the list of issues, claims and inconsistencies to cover when it comes to vetting this vice presidential nominee. Will the titans of American journalism have the chance - or the guts - to ask the right questions and insist on getting the answers?
By her own admission, Gov. Palin knows little about Iraq. During an interview in March 2007, Gov. Palin was asked about the troop surge in Iraq. Her answer was stunning given that the war on Iraq has been dragging on for almost 6 years. Treating this tragic chapter in U.S. history like the World Series, Palin admitted that she had "been focused on state government" and "haven't focused on the war in Iraq".
Suddenly, in St. Paul, she knows about Iraq. With all of the "me first, country second fervor they could muster, Palin and the GOP have shamelessly exploited her son's upcoming deployment to Iraq. While I respect her son's decision to serve, I find it abhorrent that Gov. Palin chose to use the occasion as a political stage prop. Worse yet, having a son in the Iraq Theater of operations does not demonstrate a knowledge of the lies that were told in order to wage the war.
Nor does that fact alone prove that she understands the tragic consequences the war has wrought on the brave Americans who lay dead and wounded. Surely Gov. Palin has an opinion on the millions of Iraqis who been displaced or left homeless, not to mention the many thousands killed, injured and maimed.
In a complete refutation of the GOP's platform plank on climate change, Palin has played fast and lose with the facts. Like the Prince of the Dark Ages, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Palin is oblivious to the crushing weight of scientific evidence and consensus. Like Inhofe, Palin denies human activity as a cause of global warming saying "a changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."
Religious extremists have welcomed Palin into the fold for her position on creationism. Again denying science, Gov. Palin advocates the teaching of creationism as an alternative to evolution, couching her position in the fog of educational balance. On reproductive rights, Palin again panders to the Religious Right by asserting that women have the right to give birth, even if the father is the rapist who got them pregnant.
While Palin and the GOP have touted reform and fiscal responsibility as a central theme, her record as a self-described reformer and conservative is murky.
As a gubernatorial candidate, Palin actively supported the now-infamous Ketchikan "Bridge to Nowhere". As governor, Palin took credit for killing the project. In fact, the project died for lack of funding since Palin had redirected 80% of the allotted $398 million to other projects. Will the news media ask her why she opposed the bridge but kept the money anyway?
I hope that Gov. Palin will have to answer for why she reportedly left her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska nearly $20 million in debt. Surely the question of how she left 7,000 people with a per capita debt of $2,600 is relevant to her qualifications as a self-described fiscal conservative. Why did she feel it necessary to hire a lobbying firm in order to squeeze more earmarks out of Washington?
The list of questions is long and time is short. The future of legitimate journalism - and the country - hangs on the answers.
Copyright Michael O'Brien All Rights Reserved
After a week of jingoistic ranting by the Republican Party, the balloons have popped and the show lights are dim. Speaker after speaker roused the delegates in St. Paul against a backdrop of patriotic imagery burning brightly on a giant screen. One such image stuck in my mind as a metaphor for all that has gone wrong over the last 8 years.
Congressman Lindsay Graham (R-SC) made a staunch declaration that America was winning the war on Iraq. Taken by itself, Graham's assertion is not surprising given the GOP's history of weaving dung into Egyptian cotton - then selling it as silk. While Graham was declaring mission accomplished, a photograph showed headstones at Arlington National Cemetery - a truly tragic juxtaposition.
Other images from the GOP Convention are less tragic, but no less disturbing.
The most disturbing image of all was that of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claiming her Party's nomination as vice president. In a speech devoid of substance and long on folksy and dubious claims of her reform expertise, Gov. Palin did prove she could read from a teleprompter. This is no small feat given how she was thrust upon the national stage as a last minute replacement. Reports have surfaced that John McCain had his heart set on Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) but chose Palin after a single meeting.
Will Palin's speech, riddled as it was with half truths and some outright lies, be the basis of honest media scrutiny and assessment? Or will legitimate questions be lost in the haze of cotton candy fluff spun by the GOP? Beyond Gov. Palin's camera presence and GOP stagecraft lays the minefield of questions about her ideology and her knowledge of the world.
For the foreseeable future, Gov. Palin is safe in the cocoon that is Camp McCain, safely sequestered in a cone of indoctrination. Gov. Palin will hear a constant drone of policy facts and figures, accompanied by a heaping helping of quaint phrasing and plenty of the same revisionist history that punctuated the convention. Not until her handlers have deemed her ready, will Gov. Palin be allowed to face the news media - alone.
In the aftermath of all the bellicose rhetoric and national chauvinism, the corporate news media has been left in state of disorder and confusion. Torn between their responsibilities as journalists and fawning over the newest Republican shooting star, few substantive questions are being asked - or answered.
Ironically, the same McCain-friendly media on which the Maverick Mythology was built has now been declared the enemy by Camp McCain. Uber lobbyist and Camp McCain commandant Rick Davis has declared that the campaign will tightly control media access to Palin.
So just what does Gov. Palin know - and not know - about history and the current state of world affairs? There is no end to the list of issues, claims and inconsistencies to cover when it comes to vetting this vice presidential nominee. Will the titans of American journalism have the chance - or the guts - to ask the right questions and insist on getting the answers?
By her own admission, Gov. Palin knows little about Iraq. During an interview in March 2007, Gov. Palin was asked about the troop surge in Iraq. Her answer was stunning given that the war on Iraq has been dragging on for almost 6 years. Treating this tragic chapter in U.S. history like the World Series, Palin admitted that she had "been focused on state government" and "haven't focused on the war in Iraq".
Suddenly, in St. Paul, she knows about Iraq. With all of the "me first, country second fervor they could muster, Palin and the GOP have shamelessly exploited her son's upcoming deployment to Iraq. While I respect her son's decision to serve, I find it abhorrent that Gov. Palin chose to use the occasion as a political stage prop. Worse yet, having a son in the Iraq Theater of operations does not demonstrate a knowledge of the lies that were told in order to wage the war.
Nor does that fact alone prove that she understands the tragic consequences the war has wrought on the brave Americans who lay dead and wounded. Surely Gov. Palin has an opinion on the millions of Iraqis who been displaced or left homeless, not to mention the many thousands killed, injured and maimed.
In a complete refutation of the GOP's platform plank on climate change, Palin has played fast and lose with the facts. Like the Prince of the Dark Ages, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Palin is oblivious to the crushing weight of scientific evidence and consensus. Like Inhofe, Palin denies human activity as a cause of global warming saying "a changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."
Religious extremists have welcomed Palin into the fold for her position on creationism. Again denying science, Gov. Palin advocates the teaching of creationism as an alternative to evolution, couching her position in the fog of educational balance. On reproductive rights, Palin again panders to the Religious Right by asserting that women have the right to give birth, even if the father is the rapist who got them pregnant.
While Palin and the GOP have touted reform and fiscal responsibility as a central theme, her record as a self-described reformer and conservative is murky.
As a gubernatorial candidate, Palin actively supported the now-infamous Ketchikan "Bridge to Nowhere". As governor, Palin took credit for killing the project. In fact, the project died for lack of funding since Palin had redirected 80% of the allotted $398 million to other projects. Will the news media ask her why she opposed the bridge but kept the money anyway?
I hope that Gov. Palin will have to answer for why she reportedly left her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska nearly $20 million in debt. Surely the question of how she left 7,000 people with a per capita debt of $2,600 is relevant to her qualifications as a self-described fiscal conservative. Why did she feel it necessary to hire a lobbying firm in order to squeeze more earmarks out of Washington?
The list of questions is long and time is short. The future of legitimate journalism - and the country - hangs on the answers.
Copyright Michael O'Brien All Rights Reserved
one article, second article that both point to the cost and the fact that the voters approved it.
2007: The city will soon own the land its $14.7 million sports complex was built on three years ago. City leaders agreed Monday to pay developer Gary Lundgren $661,028 for roughly 80 acres in east Wasilla, on which the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex and South Mack Drive were built.(search archives at ADN).
In July it was reported:
The city owes about $7.6 million on the sports complex construction debt and plans to make an extra payment on it this year. So it doesn't sound as if they are struggling financially.
Mr. O'Brien is discussing Palin's tenure as Mayor, not now 5 years after her last approved budget.
These are the facts from Wasilla's own financial reports and they are irrefutable:
Debt Service Increased 69 Percent Under Palin.
In fiscal 2003 — the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget — the total government debt service was $658,662. In fiscal 1996 — the year before Palin took control of the budget—the debt service was $390,385. The increase was 69 percent. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 1]
Palin Left Behind Almost $19 Million In Long-Term Debt, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the bonded long-term debt was $18,635,000. In fiscal 1996—the year before Palin took control of the budget—there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]
Long-Term Debt Was $3000 Per Capita When Palin Left, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the bonded long-term debt per capita was $2,938. In fiscal 1996—the year before Palin took control of the budget—there was no general obligation debt. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 10]
When Palin Left Office, 6.24% of Government Spending Was On Debt Service, Compared to None Before She Was Mayor.
In fiscal 2003—the last fiscal year Palin approved the budget—the ratio of debt service to general government expenditures was 6.24 percent. There was no long-term debt before she took office. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, Table 11]
The fact remains that Gov. Palin, like all candidates, has a responsibility to account for all of her decisions while in public office.
Gov. Palin claims credit for a number of things that may be attributable to others and these claims are a legitmate topic of media inquiry.
Gov. Palin also has the responsibility to explain and defend her policy positions.
Only time will tell if we have the chance to properly examine her qualifications. It is not enough to accept the McCain campaign's vetting process at face value.