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Sarah Palin's Lost Speeches
Elise Amendola / AP Photo
The Daily Beast has obtained the speeches Sarah Palin planned to deliver on Election Night 2008—win or lose. Read the words the McCain camp didn’t want her to say.
One year ago Wednesday, the McCain/Palin ticket suffered a resounding electoral defeat. But for Sarah Palin, it was still only the beginning of her reign as the most talked about Republican in America—a title she can rightfully claim to this day, as her very name continues to elicit emotions ranging from abhorrence to adoration.
In Sarah from Alaska we uncover new stories and insights into Palin’s ascent from Wasilla to the governor’s mansion and bring to light how her unhappy return to Alaska led to her abrupt resignation in July. In addition, we go behind the scenes of Palin’s 2008 vice presidential run, where we illustrate how internal tensions led to an all-out civil war on election night in Phoenix. We reveal the minute by minute details of how Palin turned her back on top campaign staffers and fought behind the scenes to deliver a concession speech that had been written for her in advance. John McCain and his senior aides blocked her from doing so, leading to a dramatic showdown between the candidates and their staffs that has remained untold until now.
“Now it is time for us go our way, neither bitter nor vanquished, but instead confident in the knowledge that there will be another day… and we may gather once more… and find new strength… and rise to fight again.”
We present exclusively the concession speech that speechwriter Matthew Scully—a Palin loyalist—had written for the vice presidential nominee, as well as the victory speech that he penned for her in the event of a positive outcome. On election night, senior McCain aides had to tell Palin several times that she would not be allowed to speak before the Alaska governor finally relented.
The clash between the McCain and Palin camps became so heated, we reveal, that McCain’s aides literally turned the lights out on Palin when she retook the stage later that night to take pictures with her family, fearing that she would give the concession speech after all.
Best Lines from Palin’s Undelivered Victory Speech:
- “And I said to my husband Todd that it’s not a step down when he’s no longer Alaska’s ‘First Dude.’ He will now be the first guy ever to become the ‘Second Dude.’”
- “Had it gone the other way tonight, we would not have returned in sorrow to the great State of Alaska. We would have carried with us memories that are forever, and joyful experiences that do not depend on victory.”
- “This is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line.”
Best Lines from Palin’s Undelivered Concession Speech:
- “If [Obama] governs America with the skill and grace we have often seen in him, and the greatness of which he is capable, we’re gonna be just fine.”
- “Now it is time for us go our way, neither bitter nor vanquished, but instead confident in the knowledge that there will be another day.”
- “It would be a happier night if elections were a test of valor and merit alone, but that is not for us to question now.”
- “I told my husband Todd to look at the upside: Now, at least, he can clear his schedule, and get ready for championship title number five in the Iron Dog snow machine race!”
Read Sarah Palin’s election night victory and concession speeches, reprinted for the first time exactly as written:
VICTORY SPEECH
Thank you all so much. And thank you, America, for the great responsibility that you have given to President-elect John S. McCain.
Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. By Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe. 320 pages. PublicAffairs. $26.95.
It’s been just 68 days since that afternoon in Dayton, Ohio, when Senator McCain introduced me as his running mate. He is truly the maverick. He took a chance on me. I will always be grateful for that. It will be the honor of a lifetime to work him as vice president of the United States. And I pledge to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear conviction, and a servant’s heart.
My fellow Americans, tens of millions of you shared our convictions and gave us your votes. And I thank you for your confidence. We were facing tough odds and formidable opponents.
It’s not always easy in politics to see the best in our opponents. But we have seen the grace and skill of Barack Obama, and the grit and determination of Joe Biden. By his nomination and extraordinary campaign, Barack Obama has achieved a great thing, for himself and for our country, and for that America will always honor him. I say God bless you, Senator Obama, and your beautiful family.
# # #
As for my own family, well, it’s been quite a journey these past 69 days. We were ready, in defeat, to return to a place and a life we love. And I said to my husband Todd that it’s not a step down when he’s no longer Alaska’s “First Dude.” He will now be the first guy ever to become the “Second Dude.”
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Palin's Enforcer Bails Out
Shushannah Walshe is the co-author of Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. She was a reporter and producer at the Fox News Channel from August 2001 until the end of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Palin's Booze Hypocrisy
Shushannah Walshe is the co-author of Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. She was a reporter and producer at the Fox News Channel from August 2001 until the end of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Palin's Katie Couric Myths
Shushannah Walshe is the co-author of Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. She was a reporter and producer at the Fox News Channel from August 2001 until the end of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Mariafrania
So, Sarah, are you still neither bitter nor vanquished? Do you still write emails to Charlie? Do you still remember the Columbian construction worker? Are you still committed to providing health care to families with special needs children, even if they're too poor to afford everything that might help them? And how are your prayer warriors? Got any books you may wanna sell them?
I wonder if this woman realises what a farce she's become.
jpelhamtn
She is only a farce to those who know not a single honest thing about her...of which you qualify.
perrycindy
Well those of us who do not like what we have seen of that dull bulb think it is a joke.
sippewissett
She is a farce to a majority of Americans, maybe not to "real Amerikuns" who constitute the Fringe, i.e., less than 10% of the population, but to the MAJORITY of people who don't want her anywhere near public office.
jpelhamtn
Sippewissett: So the 59,000,000 who voted for McCain & Palin -- some 46% of the public -- are all on ther fringe of American politics?
How odd then that she has a best selling book, thousands of speaking requests coming from ALL 50 states...and over 350 candidates running for office.
I guess the 'fringe' of which you refer is really roughly 50% of your countrymen and women...so how about making a real argument based on facts not left-wing fantasy.
bobvious
jpelhamin - It's not the knowing 'about' her that makes her a farce. As with most things it pays to go to the source: Sarah Palin's own words help define her as a farce, especially in context.
If you care to share the secret knowledge you have about who she REALLY is, please do share. A whole world awaits your revelation.
missbike
jpelhamin- what rock are you under? 46% of the public didn't vote for Sarah from Religious Kook Central, 46% of people who bothered to vote did. That's 46% of 20%. Check your math.
As for best seller? That's a number so easily manipulated!! All it takes is a few press releases saying it is. Given that few people in this country can afford to run out and buy new hardcover books with the huge mess Bush left us in it may even be true for five minutes, but the number of copies sold are probably not very impressive compared to normal.
Think it through. Then think a few other things through. You may be shocked at the epiphany.
motrbotr
How true. I hope they keep thinking that.
GinaRN
I know stupid, bigoted and unqualified when I see it. Don't you?
I saw the rallies that she spoke to, where people screamed, "Traitor" and "Kill him" when Obama was mentioned. A lynch mob mentality was encouraged by her.
numonk
She likes witch doctors. She's as bat-shit crazy as many of my evangelical neighbors, who seem soooo likable in person, (and often are), but harbor such hate and insanity based on the promise of "life-eternal".
I know enough. And she is NOT farce, she is one of the most successful publicity stunts this stunted culture has ever indulged in.
Bamos99
Dear jpelhamtn:
I trust all is well. I have taken time to read your posts to the bottom of the page and have just two comments to make:
1. I have never heard anyone defend Sarah as poorly as you have. Logic and facts are permitted.
2.I feel badly for anyone who has invested as much emotionally as you have in such a poor example of the concept of Leader.
You must rethink why you follow such a person with such blind faith.
MTinMO
I know her. I remember when she was first elected mayor and stirred up a bee's nest because she wanted city workers to sign loyalty pledges and wanted to fire people that had worked for Wasilla for a long time. These people weren't supposed to be working at the "pleasure of the mayor". She wants to keep a select few around her, only people that agree with her and are capable of carrying the burden she got elected for. She's a joke.
PRoche
Your premise is that there is a single, honest thing about her. If there is, then you are the only person who is privy to it.
JohnKo
Well, according to missbike only 54% of 20% voted for Obama. If that is the mathematical concept we are operating under, then we need to throw that whole mandate thing out the window.
Kalikynos
Bamos99:
"You must rethink why you follow such a person with such blind faith."
Blind faith's got nuthin' to do with thinkin'.
beeblaqt1
bI knew more than a "single honest thing" about Ms Palin long before she was Mc Cain's running mate -- -- which frankly made me shocked to hear he had chosen her. She is the last person, male or female, who should be in charge of anything other than dressing herself.
For starters, do you know about the "other" bridge to nowhere? She has been actively trying to get the Beluga Whale off of the endangered list because she wants to build the Knik Arm bridge to an island whose property owners include people who helped put her in the Governor seat and Senator Stevens and her in-laws. If this bridge is built in the Cook inlet the Fish and Wildlife Services believe it just may wipe out the Beluga Whales. Why build the bridge at all? It will make the property value on the island skyrocket. Cha-ching! So sure was Palin that she could push this through, millions have all ready been spent in preparation.
Second. She boasted that, "Caribou are thriving in spite of Environmentalists concerns that the oil pipe line will hurt the wildlife!" What she doesn't mention is that in order to keep the Caribou's numbers up she put a $150 bounty on their only predator, the wolf -- which are being hunted, shot at from planes and helicopters. If you want to know what a bright idea getting rid of natural predators are check out what happened in all of our National Parks when back in the 20's and 30's they were hunted to near extinction. It's a real eye opener.
Third: Her desire to get the Polar Bear off of the endangered list is once again for pure profit. Apparently there are still hunters that haven't bagged a Polar Bear and getting them off the list might increase Alaska's tourism. Until they are all gone of course.
I think Palin would squat in someones living room and expect others to clean it up. I am a Christian who happens to believe that God gave us this beautiful home with all of it's creatures to care for. The best way to Thank God for this gift is to ensure other generations get to enjoy the fruits of His labor. This generation will not be living on this Earth forever so one could say we are borrowing it for a relative few short years. I don't know about you but whenever I borrow something I return it in the same or better condition in which it was put in my care. So to have someone give such little thought to the future and behave so un-Christian like is disturbing. Remember, to be a Christian is to be Christ - like. Christ loves all living things. Therefore it is the job of all Christians to honor that in every way. It is one of the best ways we can tithe.
Fourth. She says her water broke either while or just before giving a speech in Texas. For the safety of herself and especially her child, did she immediately go to the hospital? Any woman who has had a baby knows that once your water breaks there isn't a whole lot of time before that baby comes and certainly there is not an hour let alone several to spare. No. According to her she finished her speech, got on a plane back to Alaska, then was driven to a hospital in a town not even remotely near the airport. Right. Personally, I would like to know how that was possible. But be that as it may, she put herself and her baby in harms way. Gee, what good judgment. That is scary.
Fifth: She actually said and believes that man walked with Dinosaurs. Huh? I guess, enough said about that one.
So that isn't a "single honest thing" that was five and that was before she hit the big league and trust me, there are more.
What about after she was selected as McCain's running mate? I'll just name one of the many: I don't know about you but I do not want anyone running this country let alone a State who thought Africa was a Country! I don't care if the average American might not know that -- -- we try to put intelligent, educated Americans in charge for a reason and a Governor, someone running for VP should know that! Our very standing in the World Community depends on it. We all ready had 8 years of a President who had difficulty coherently speaking. Praise God and the people of the USA for NOT putting a flake like Palin that close to the presidency. I mean, the woman had to be cloistered from the press for fear of what would come out of her mouth!
So she (meaning her ghost writer) finished writing her book four months early. Big deal, she bailed on being Governor 18 months early. And I don't hold much importance to the fact that it was a #1 best seller. People will always glom on to the latest thing concerning celebrities then drop them like a hot potato. It doesn't mean it was a good book in fact from what I have read it "reads like it was finished four months early".
So yes, I think she's a farce, a fake, a flake and for all of her posturing, not much of a Christian. Since I know more than a "single honest thing" about Sarah Palin, does that qualify me?
I do not mean for this as an attack on you jpelhamtn. I only hope that you learn the things that are "honest" about her and perhaps rethink who qualifies as a leader in this great Country of ours, she should be far down the list.
RAYSJOY
AMEN. THANK YOU JPELHAMIN.
jimbolini
Sarah....the born again moose hunter!
jimbolini
jpelhamtn.......don't forget this little gem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV_IphAIGPg
judgeinmillvalley
We know plenty about her--every time she opens her mouth. We know that she talks a good game about saying no to a bridge she actually welcomed. She talks parenting but displays a child with birth defects for hours at a time in front of hot lights in a convention hall with thousands of people. She says she's all for helping her dear state of Alaska but quits way before her term is over. She's for saving money but cheats the state out of thousands of dollars by working at home and charging per diem as if she's somewhere else. She charges up a storm for extravagant clothes even though the money has been donated for a "couple of outfits." Even the kids got designer bags. We know her too well, jpelhamtn.
sippewissett
I agree completely with your points about her hypocrisy, but quarrel with your tense in the last sentence. It isn't that "she's become" a farce. Palin was a farce even then. It's just that McCain cynically presented her as a credible candidate instead of the beauty contestant she aspires to be.
The good news is that Ishe will never run again, no matter how many speechwriters she has in her retinue. Palin has learned she can make $$$ from her acolytes without having to execute on campaign promises to pesky voters. There are plenty of fools in this country from whom she's all too happy to take their money.
jpelhamtn
What else didshe do in her life aside from being a beauty contestant? Or, is that the alpha & omega of your knowledge of one of America's most popular women?
Let's see, she served in elected public office for 12 years (longer than Obama). She is the only individual, man or woman, ever to have defeated both a Republican and Democratic predecessor for Governor in the history of the United States. (She did so rooting out corruption.) She is a successful business owner, mother, wife, grandmother, marathon runner, best selling author, etc.
Whether she runs for office or not is up to her and the demand of voters....but at least she accomplished something in office that no-one else ever did....and then wrote her book. Unlike say Obama who wrote two books about himself for essentially just being....himself.
Thank you Sarah Palin for the example you set for young women of all they can achieve in life.
missbike
She was a part time mayor. Wow, that really kicks a Harvard Law education, Big Firm work ethic, community volunteer work, and Proffessor of Constitutional Law right in the teeth, doesn't it? And at least serving in the Senate involves real political experience - playing with the Big Kids.
All the big Sarah supporters always seem to be men of limited gray cell capacity; too busy looking to listen. I've noticed that brain power always has better on his arm and can pay attention to the insane to inane drivel coming out of that womans mouth.
Five years at five colleges to get a crib degree in Communications. Calling her husband "First Dude in a Presidential election speech? Where did Rove find this harebrain?
choptop13
jpelhamtn: famous %u2260 popular
crypto
In my many years I've never seen any politician put so much fear in either party. The democrats have done everything in their power, investigative teams, NBC: Saturday nite live, Jay Leno, Letterman, Obrian, everything they could to destroy Sarah Palin. But with all that power she still scares the daylights out of them. What are they gonna do if she decides to run againist them, have her killed?? Say what you will, they're afraid of Sarah Palin!!
politicalpam
Sarah Palin will be the candidate of the new Constitution Party in 2012. She will lose.
djanimaequeen
crypto you have special needs. So the Dems control SNL? Put down the crack pipe. Seriously.
TREESKE
jpelhamtn,-you consider that a successful mother, have your daughter knocked up by the local trailer trash?
Then for money she leaves the kids' care to someone else. She's your typical Fundamentalist (those who quit thinking) right to life person, as long as you don't abort, the rest doesn't matter!
MTinMO
jpelhamtn- First she may have beat a corrupt governor in Murkowski but in the general election the race was so diluted with 7 people on the ballot is the only reason she won. 115,000 unknowing Alaskans voted for her. Being mayor of Wasilla AK is not a whole bunch of experience. She couldn't even do the job that had been done by all her predecessors- she had to hire a city manager. Wasilla had never had that expenditure until she got elected and couldn't do the job alone. She single handedly turned a beautiful small town into a garish shell of it's former self. They didn't bother to even take care of the environment and now the beautiful lake that used to be a wonderful place to recreate is now polluted and green with algae and dying fish. She quit being mayor, she quit her job she was appointed to at Gas and Oil and then she quit being Alaska's governor. Alaska came out on top with that one because even though I don't agree with Sean Parnell on politics, he is a head and shoulders above Sarah Palin on ability. And as for being a "best selling author", she didn't exactly write this book and people haven't had a chance to read it. One ghost written book does not a "best selling author" make. She didn't do any business alone, Todd was the main force behind it, and lot's of people are mothers, some without underage pregnant teens that make them grandmothers. She isn't anything special, just a run of the mill idiot that John McCain mistakenly thought was more than she ended up being. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when he realized how big a mistake he had made. He won't admit it publicly, but it is so evident in what he says. If he had a do-over he would choose someone else, no question.
Jinglebob
Beeblast your're no Christian, you know nothing about being Christ like. Haveyou no shame? Read your post and see the cruel judgements you make and you really think you can can cast the first stone. I
am not much of a Christian I admit, so I can point this out to you.
MWaterman
JUST THINK!!
If McCain had won we would have had the first VP to resign from office in order to move on to more important things...........
crypto
djanimaequeen you have to follow the thread. SNL and the rest are controlled by NBC who is controlled by GE who owns NBC/ Now GE is on the virge of requiring a bailout, most likely in the first half of 2010. Luckily GE is and was a huge supporter of President Obama. So if you trace it back you can see why it was necessary to whack everyone in this administrations way, certainly the opposition party, even Hillary felt the wrath. If you follow it all the way through you will come to the conclusion that the entire election was a scam. And I'm willing to bet that the same game will be played in Jersey. Let's watch. I don't support any party BTW.
RomeoHotel
No, we would NOT have had "the first VP to resign from office in order to move on to more important things".
More than 170 years ago, John C. Calhoun resigned as Vice-President in order to run for U.S. Senator.
Btw, regarding Palin: On another, far more erudite forum, there was a lengthy discussion of her. After substantial review of every criticism of Palin, it was concluded that the MOST RATIONAL reason for opposing her is that harsh nasal twang and the way she drops the final sound of most of the words that end in "-ing".
Most of the criticisms of Palin were either not based in fact or, ironically, apply more to Obama than they do to Palin.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
simon123
Sorry, but I believe Spiro Agnew claims that honor. Resigned one step ahead of the sheriff.
MrGEAH
Does Pres. Obama remember the Guatemalan maid? Does he still write e-mails to Linda? And how is Rev. Wright? And how are his kids doing in public schools?
Owlygirl
I know, it's all so cringe-worthy.
Love the Mariafrania name though. Original and cute!
PRKL8R
Pet Peeve: Columbia is a university in New York and a city in South Carolina. There is a country in South America called Colombia, with an "o", not a "u." There is no country named "Columbia."
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
sippewissett
jpelhamtn -- 59MM people didn't vote for Palin. They voted for McCain. HE was the presidential candidate, something Palin frequently forgot, right up to the time when she wanted to deliver a concession speech (that she has failed to live up to). Palin thinks of herself as the lead "celebrity" in everything she does. The McCain campaign had to sit on her before she conceded that she could not give a speech. Contrary to that narcissist, it is NOT "all about her."
Jinglebob
Mariafrania you are a dope. This was a gracious speech from a woman who was asked to serve, some the likes of you will never know. The small people just keep yapping like the little dogs they are.
furiouskittens
She may be a farce, but we have to admit that she was hilarious to watch. No, I'm wrong now that I think about it. She was scary to watch back then, when the stakes were so high, but now in hindsight, she's hilarious! Geez, it's been a year and we are still laughing at her in my office. Comedy GOLD.
capelady
As usual, it's all about Sarah!
crypto
djanimaequeen You have to follow the thread. SNL and all the rest, is controlled by NBC who is owned and controlled by GE who backs President Obama, and the democrat party, to the bone. Now GE will be asking for a bailout by the middle of 2010. So anyone who opposed Obama had to be whacked, even Hillary Clinton. If you go all the way back and follow this thing you will have serious questions about the entire election. I'm not a party person BTW., so I have no axe to grind there. The facts are very clear though.
crymeariver
No Capelady was correct, it's always all about Sarah. This woman has issues.
sippewissett
I love your conspiracy theory of how SNL is six degrees from the White House!
Of course there's no link between Palin and Murdoch, right? Like he's the owner of the now debased WSJ in which she has had space for a ghost-written OpEd or how he's also the owner of Harper-Collins, the publisher of her upcoming "memoir"?
Nice try, crypto. Your paranoia lends itself to sci-fi.
Jinglebob
Don't you love it that Liberals spent ever waking hour thinking about this woman, thinking up cute things to say. What a bunch of stay at home, hiding under the bed misfits. sarah has started an entire world that swarms around her for the cool aid crowd.
CRich2
I think it is just that beautiful woman hold our attention. Just look what beautiful woman is back in the news. This video is hot:
http://americaspeaksink.com/2009/11/debra-lafave-gets-justice/
sippewissett
Palin creeps us out as much as this woman does.
Kevlar
YEAH - if what she did was wrong, then tell me who actually got hurt!
quadmom
who got hurt? all those legit conservatives that wanted McCain but couldnt in good conscience imagine Pallin as a real POTUS SHOULD SOMETHING OCCUR! as for best seller...yeah, for the ghost writer and if she is such a true American why would she support succession movement for Alaska. Now that I have read her speech, I have no doubt she is a phoney and a pure example of politics as usual with a 'housewives of Wasilla' twist.
sippewissett
If you are referring to Palin, ask Alaskans. She ran on a platform of transparency and honesty and then gave them the same cyronyism that she had purported to replace. Her "crimes" against her voters are too numerous for here and have been documented well. Just try Google.
And be sure to ask Alaskans if they want her back. They don't want her in the state, let alone in political office. They feel betrayed since it's very obvious she QUIT when she did to cash in on her book advance that was threatened if she stayed in office and then wrote it as a failed, one-time governor.
Now Palin is out, "for rent" to special interests and not beholden to any pesky voters. Yah, go ask Alaskans and then come back sheepened by what you read about her when her fellow residents comment about her. It ain't pretty.
DELLSWI
We need to stop right here and re examin the word beautiful. Maybe and this is a stretch that Sarah is beautiful in a hillbilly way. On any given day in LA or Aspen she does not even make the cut.
EgyptSteve
I wish I could figure out whether this is satire or a real news item. How do you parody a self-parody? Or, how do you write a news item about a self-parody that does not seem like a parody? These are tough questions.
daveinboise
Steve
Watch Colbert's interview with O'reilly. Now that's parody of self-parody!
Reefdancer
OMG, what a phony. She is bitter, clinging to her guns and religion.
lukkiecharm
isnt that what obama said about unemployed pennslvanians??
sippewissett
If the shoe fits... Sorry, that should read "if the red Monkey shoe fits..."
imsnowbear
Sarah Palin: the Paris Hilton of politics. Famous for being famous.
sippewissett
"Famous for being famous." Only Palin is more dangerous because unlike the vacuous Hilton who simply hangs around with other "celeb" nitwits, Palin --without holding office -- attempts to influence political action, political will.
Of course I am thrilled that Palin is part of why the GOP is running off the cliff, but isn't it amazing that the Repugs have ceded leadership to Gingrich, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Coulter,Palin et al. who don't hold political office? That's why our democracy is in trouble, not because Obama is spending stimulus monies to get us out of a h*llhole of an economy.
missbike
Paris is shallow, but not mean. And not an idiot - she's made a huge stack off those quarter million an appearence fees. Twenty minutes.
Palin? Vicious as a snake! And do not be arguing with a woman about that reading, we can tell them.
Scarier still is that Palin has an unknown and very strange religious agenda. Regular Christians all wanted to know about that rapture business but it's never come out. Do we want a wacko with access to the Red Phone who believes she's appointed by God to start a nuclear war?
numonk
...Bush? I would fear a witchdoctor less than Ted Haggard, the gay-prostitute banging meth-using weekly Bush-advisor, or someone who actually listens to them.
sippewissett
You mean you don't believe in overthrowing the U.S. government by force if necessary or the ecstacy of the End-TimesChurch? Her Church. And before TeamSarah arrives to protest my posting, they need to spend some time reading more about her Church and beliefs here:
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/2/115526/519 and here:http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/20/13042/410 and here:http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/25/93553/3296
Palin's duplicity is that she wants to be a national leader of the very government from which she threatened secession and against which she supported the Alaskan Independence Party. Combine that wingnut religion and we'd ALL be in toruble.
Ankhorite
Actually, I thought Paris Hilton's faux-campaign commercial after her name got dragged into the 2008 campaign was not just funny, but downright witty -- something I have NEVER thought about Palin.
jpelhamtn
Because the media has published so many lies about Sarah Palin...and done so with such relish...the credibility of this article and others is to be taken with a grain of salt. Most Americans long ago tuned-out the radical left.
The idea that Governor Palin would 'insist' upon making a speech is absurd...and still more of the nonsense from over-paid political consultants who blew the election. The reality is that growing millions of American's have seen through this media obsession to destroy a decent human being simply because she has achieved all the things they have not.
Your article, or the book, attempts to make the point that her undelivered speeches were written for her. Hmmm....so in this respect she is just like Obama or Clinton or John Kennedy.
However, Americans with common sense (unlike the elitists in NYC) know that every candidate revises remarks to their own standards.
It's also forgotten that Palin had already rooted out corrupt politicos of both parties in her state, participated in televised debates and then held her own against Joe Biden.
The ongoing campaign to demean her is simply laughable. She is quite a success anyway...has hundreds of candidates requesting her support, organizations booking her for motivational speeches nationwide and, according to Google, is one of the most researched individuals in the world.
Thank you Sarah Palin for handling all the slander with grace, grit and a smile.
perrycindy
So you are telling me that a grown adult woman is not responsible for any of her actions how nice she doesn't have to be responsible for herself nor the garbage spewing out of her mouth good of you to absolve her of that.
jpelhamtn
She is popular, perrycindy, because she does take responsibility for her actions. She always had to. She did not come from a wealthy background or married into money like, for example, Arianna Huffington did.
What she is not responsible for are the lies told about her...and there is no evidence of any spewing from her that has not been debunked by actual footage of speeches. You rightfully may not like how she delivers speeches....but at least she speaks her mind and does not clear her wording with media types and polling strategists...most find that refreshing.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
cbeenthere
Slander? Well then, wouldn't your heroine have sued it she had been slandered? Or, are you using the word loosely? You conservatives want to portray her as a victim, and she was more than happy to oblige. So you continue to come to her rescue. How quaint.
crypto
MissBike:..........................CRACKER?????
Now there's a good 'ol sreet racist term.
pennsykid2000
Palin's ridiculous performances in her interviews with Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric, et al. were plain for all to see, without any "distortions" from the phantom left-wing media. As for your suggestion that Obama or Clinton or Kennedy give only speeches written by others, you are wrong there, as well as just about everything else. Obama wrote most of his "racism" speech in Philly, one of the best ever given on the topic, as well as much of others, as did Clinton and Kennedy. If you'd read Obama's "Dreams from my father", his memoir written before he became a politician, you'd know what an incredible writer he is.
jpelhamtn
There is no evidence John Kennedy wrote any of his speeches -- though like every leader...he revised them to his own thoughts. Historians have already noted that Clinton was not his own speech writer. As for Obama -- silly to think the guy could write all his speeches...there is no time. But yes, the racism speech was quite eloquent and hopefully he will, one day, act upon that speech.
Palin gave dozens of other interviews, of course, which the left-wing media never mention...so please...open your mind to some common sense. The whole world is not made up of the censorship & hate mongering of MSNBC/CBS/CNN etc.
djanimaequeen
jpelhamtn please stop pretending to have half a brain. You are really embarrassing yourself. I know that sounds insulting but its truly in effort to try and help. You sound like a total idiot. Really.
MrGEAH
Pres. Kennedy didn't write Profiles In Courage, yet he accepted a Pulitzer for it.
quadmom
AND ANY WOMAN WITH KIDS WHO WAS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL THAT CANT THINK OF 1 MAGAZINE SHE READS?!!!As a homemaker i have newsweek, TIME and the local town magazine. wow , maybe I should run for VP at least we read in our home and I know the names,,,,dont professional mayors and gov's also have professional literature that they all get. Like doctors? heck Pallin you make american women look stupid with your answers to simple questions, thank godness the book was ghost written, and if its a best seller its just to see what more can be made fun of.
sippewissett
jp -- Neat ypu name only Democratic presidents. Did Nixon, Reagan, Ford, and both Bushes write their own own stuff? You are making a specious argument because ALL federal politicians have speech writers so that's not the issue. It's what comes out of their mouths. And when it comes to Palin,the answer ain't pretty. The McCain campaign picked Gibson and Couric as "safe" interviewers and both of them blew up in her face. As for the "dozens of other interviews" she supposedly gave during the campaign, please send us some URLs to counter-balance some of these word-salad gems:
Highlights here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E
And this seasonal hit with turkeys everywhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYxn2vlhtWo
sippewissett
Wow, TeamSarah member, talk about "not getting it".
* You don't list the "lies" the media tell about Palin. You just claim them. That's her approach too.
* It has been WIDELY written that Palin attempted to deliver a concession speech, not just on this site, including from the McCain camp who was "so over her" by the time Election Night rolled around. Only the presidential candidate gives a concession speech, not the beauty contestant runner-up.
* No one thinks that politicians don't have speeches written for them. It's her content that is galvanizing. Read her concession speech and see if she is living what she said. Not.
* "Americans with common sense". Those would be the "real Americans" whom she attracted, right? Yahoo. Bubba lives.
* Palin did not "root out corrupt politics of both parties in her state". She QUIT a prior post to make the point against a fellow Repug and the public adored her for that. Then she ran for governor promising transparency and honesty -- and acted just like her corrupt predecessors. Alaskans don't want her back,any more than she wants to be confined in the cold North.
* Despite your claim about "hundreds of candidates" wanting her, that has NOT happened so please don't look foolish saying this junk. Moreover, since her disasterous speech in Hong Kong, the D.C. Speakers Bureau can't give her away for conferences.
* As for Google, of course she is much "researched" (sic) because there is a string of books coming, just like this one, that will expose the real Palin. It has often been said of Palin that everyone loves a train wreck, hence the high # of Google searches.
Your loyalty to this empty-headed narcissist is perversely laudable since you are immune to facts.
jpelhamtn
Igonrance is bliss for you. Her speaking engagement list is already announced (23 cities so far I believe) so your idea that her Hong Kong speech was not well received is ludicrous. But go ahead...believe what is spoon-fed to you by MSNBC....and continue to attack your countrymen and women who disagree with you.
Funny isn't it that the nations advertisers look most keenly at demographics when they spend ad funds. If 'bubbas' ...as you call them were all that watched FOX....then they would not have the advertisers they do.
Not sure what TeamSarah is....but I do know wherever I travel...Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Seattle, etc...that there are groups active for Palin who take out ads in papers and have radio shows. Sort of a grassroots army similar to that of Ross Perot in 1992.
Her candidate requests are over 350 according to reports in the NY TIMES & WASH POST -- so you make they think it foolish - but those left wing organs did not.
But thanks for the proving the point that those on the left, like you, are the most intolerant Americans one will ever find. Why is it you fear a successful woman? Very peculiar indeed.
sippewissett
Hey, jp, just list your source for her 23-city speaking tour and let's see where she's word-salading. If you are rfeferring to her book tour, who the 'h' cares? We're talking about interviews with substance, not her self-serving "interviews" in which she gets to regurgitate her re-writing of history.
And while you are at, please send the URL for your NYT and Wapo #s of 350 candidates wanting her. That's pretty humorous because not one GOP candidate had her appear with him/her in this season's election. Moreover Iowa turned her down when they learned about her $100K fee. Palin is "for rent" by special interests.
You really are looking pretty feeble as other posters have already mentioned. If you'd learn to debate with facts, you'd be so much farther ahead, but facts are hard to find when it comes to defending that perennial beauty contestant/narcissist.
pennsykid2000
What a coincidence. Relevant to the end of my prior post, there's an article about the reissue of Obama's 1995 memoir today on HuffPost:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ross/the-writer-in-chief_b_342242.ht ml
co-intheknow
Jeebus, pelham - if Sarah had a phallus, you'd be servicing her more than Monica did WJC. Your slobbering, sycophantic, adoration of her is effing scary.
Get over your crush on her and move on with your life. Maybe getting rid of the life-sized Palin doll you have on a pedestal will be a start.
stephschiff
Thanks for a huge laugh to start my morning - now I'' just have to clean the coffee off of my monitor!
Oh and the candidates here in Virginia refused her offers of support - they wanted her nowhere near them - and I live in Virginia Beach - home of Pat Robertson (700 Club, Regent "University," and the misogynist McDonnell).
Jinglebob
co-intheknow, get your thumb out of your mouth and go outside and play. You need some sunshine before your mother comes home from work.
ManchaTheo
you've nailed it! we're all just jealous of her and feel threatened by her cause we can't measure up to her as human beings...
please you can't be serious...
bluedog
If there's one claim that drives me nuts, it's all versions of "Palin had already rooted out corrupt politicos of both parties in her states..." As an Alaskan I can tell you this is absolute BS.
She was a whistleblower on the head of the Republican Party for doing something at the Oil & Gas Commission that she did as a mayor: used a computer for campaign purposes. Aside from that, she's done nothing. All credit for rooting out corruption goes to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, which conducted a years-long sting operation in Juneau before she was ever in office. They videotaped legislators (all Republicans) taking bribes from a rich guy who ran an oilfield services company. They bobbled Ted Stevens' conviction but other than that, they've sent several people to jail.
Palin claims she passed ethics reform but as soon as citizens (not that BS claim about Axelrod's "operatives") tried to hold her accountable as she asked, for doing things like taking per diem for living in her own home, and flying her kids to fun places on the state dime, suddenly the ethics process was broken and she was persecuted.
If anything brings her down, it will be her totally bogus slush fund, the Alaska Fund Trust. Most people don't realize that the last ethics probe, conducted by an independent investigator, found that she had likely abused her office for personal gain by allowing this fund to rake in the bucks from gullible supporters. This fund is run by her best friend, allows numerous members of her family and friends to take money from it as long as it's approved by the best friend, and has no restrictions on whether that money goes to "defend" anyone or pay legal bills. It's a cash cow for her personal benefit.
And please do show the evidence that she is a half-million in debt for defending herself against those mean old citizens using due process to hold her accountable. All you have is her word on any of this, and as most Alaskans now recognize, her word is worth exactly zilch.
This is not slander. These are facts. Please try to recognize that your idealized version of Sarah Palin is the person you want her to be, not the person she actually is.
sippewissett
I am so glad an Alaskan showed up to counter the saccharine postings of jp. What a sap to believe her P.R. vs. facts. You put it well when you speak of the discrepancy between that fantasy babe and the real Palin.
TREESKE
jpelhamtn,- the poster person for the "loss of literacy, impressed by spectacle"
numonk
Biden was not allowed to reply. She was handicapped and the debate was a much of a fraud as any "media even" in the past twenty years.
ganeshas
jpelhamin,
this reply is to your earlier post. I don't know whether it is intentional or not, but you blind followers always seem to omit the 12 year stretch in Obama's career where he was an Illinois state senator. You knew that, right? Or do you only get your "news" from Hannity?
lukkiecharm
do not confuse illinois senate with united states senator..that lasted a whopping 3 years for bo
quadmom
oh any fool will pay to hear another fool talk. there are people still paying to get rich in the real estate business....and HOW FOOLISH IS THAT!
DELLSWI
Elitists, I take it that means people with brains, a good education, and the ability to use these talents. I thought that this is a good thing. If my history serves me right, the Roman's were a great nation and society until they started being ruled buy the likes of the Forest Gumps ( Sarah Palins) of their society.
sippewissett
jp, Gotta love your blind loyalty. You paint her so positively that it's almost impossible to recognize Palin in your descriptions. My current favorite is this excerpt from one of your wilder posts: "...at least she speaks her mind and does not clear her wording with media types and polling strategists...most find that refreshing."
I'm not at all sure who "most" are. Is that members of your family?
It is disappointing that your standards for elected officials are so LOW that you excuse the confusing spill from her lips as simply not having been cleared by media types. Please parse this famous paragraph that "media type" Dick Cavett commented on: http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/page/2/ Yes, he's MSM, but WAY more articulate than Palin will ever be. These are HER words so attacking him will have to overlook the source -- her mouth:
"My concern has been the atrocities there in Darfur and the relevance to me with that issue as we spoke about Africa and some of the countries there that were kind of the people succumbing to the dictators and the corruption of some collapsed governments on the continent, the relevance was Alaska's investment in Darfur with some of our permanent fund dollars."
Move on. Defend someone worth defending, someone who cares about the American people, not just herself.
Danbury
I suspect McCain REALLY regrets his decision.
The guy goes to war for the country and years later inflicts Sarah Palin on it...sheesh.
sippewissett
Yes, but now he can't throw her under the bus either because that would reflect on his own decision-making. McCain settles for tepid remarks about Palin, generally moving on to other GOPers and making the point that there are other "rising stars". However, many of us will not forgive him for inflicting Palin on the Lower 48.
jpelhamtn
McCain of course has said just the opposite. As he noted on CNN two weeks ago...once she was on the ticket they vaulted to the lead until the stock market collapse. You can watch his remarks at the CNN site or at www.reagantopalin.com
Danbury
You think he's going to say publicly he knows he made a terrible choice? And you should learn to read between the lines.
No, I'm sure he's cursing himself behind the scenes. Rightly so too.
koyaanisqatsi
They vaulted to the lead until people got to know Sarah Palin!
sippewissett
LOL. Your citation of this wingnut Web site tells all: there is NO lineage line from Reagan to Palin, except in the minds of those who have beatified Reagan, forgetting his mixed record (Contra scandal, taxes, unemployment) and who think that Palin is moderate. Reagan would be run out of town by today's hard line Repugs!
McCain is all over the media, being 'guarded' about his support of Palin, offering other names as new stars of the GOP and finding a 1001 ways of ducking the issue. Maybe you were referring to this CNN article with McCain? Check out his "support" of Palin: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/14/mccain.senate/index.html#cnnSTCText
McCain can't revile Palin because that would expose how poorly vetted she was and how cynical his own decision-making was about his choice so I am not claiming that he is speaking against her, just (clearly) not speaking up for her. Millions of us will never forgive him for inflicting her on the lower 48. We'd much she were frozen in the north, er, in the frozen north.
bobzaguy
They vaulted to the lead until people got to know Sarah Palin!
You say Palin, they say market crash...6 of one, half dozen of the other.
crypto
Some of you seem to have a lot of knowledge. Does anyone know why President and Ms. Obama had to give up their right to practice law, or more correctly had their ticket pulled?? I have ask Harvard U. and checked with the secretaries at the whitehouse answering pool. Harvard admits it happened but will not give any details. If anyone knows or has the ability to find out please do.
djanimaequeen
I'll get right on that after I look into your claim of Obama being born in Kenya. Troll tard.
MTinMO
If you go and look it up, the information is available. When one is not going to practice law, you can voluntarily surrender your law license to keep from having to maintain your insurance, bar dues and the like. They voluntarily turned them in. I doubt either of them will actually practice again so they have no need to maintain their license.
sippewissett
What a load of junk. What do you mean "had their ticket pulled"? What a load of crap you ask us to believe. If you mean had their records frozen, that's standard. BTW, call Yale and ask for Bush's transcript.
koyaanisqatsi
Palin was allowed out of her cage by McCain. This turned out to be a tremendous, but unintentional disservice to his country. She has become one of the louder voices of the ugly side of America. John McCain is a good man--just not a great man--who made a mistake. The only way to get Palin back in her cage is by using a tranquilizer gun from a helicopter. I strongly suspect that Palin will continue to amount to a lot of "sound and fury, signifying nothing."
cfiman
"sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Exactly like Obama.
erisraven
I'm not a Republican nor a Sarah Palin fan. However, I would have been happier with her had she gotten to make this speech. Sure, it was written for her, but she still meant it, or she wouldn't have fought to say it.
She's making a lot of political missteps, and I don't like her politics at all. But at least this speech would have been a more graceful exit to her political career.
As far as her honesty is concerned in it, I don't know if she's staying in touch with Charlie, or any of the rest of it. I just hope that at the end of the day, she can look in the mirror and really like the person she sees there.
sippewissett
If Palin meant the concession speech, why isn't she living by it? Why are folks so easy in letting this sociopathic hypocrite off the hook? If Palin were a paunchy white male with five hairs on the top of a bald head, you'd be looking for a stun gun.
You are WAY too kind to her, which in turn means you are reading far too little about her actual governance and instead are reading glitz about Palin, the perennial beauty contestant in search of her next pageant. However, with several books about her coming out in succession, you'll soon have plenty of FACTS that refute the giddy image that jp and other trolls have of this narcissist.
Frenchmanaz
@ jpelhamin... yet another rightie who completely ignores the fact that SP was just like any other politician who has used power to get what they wanted.
If she had not come into the race on the premise that she was so very different from every other politician then the media wouldn't have had so much ammunition to use against her, once they realized that she was none of the revolutionary things she ran her entire platform on.
If she had been for real, then no amount of media bullying would have stuck in the long run, but as the layers of that onion were peeled more and more of her " ah shucks country girl " persona were destroyed.
Let's also be clear that it wasn't just the left that ran for cover, so did and has most of the right too. Does this not legitimize the fact that she was simply did not deserve nor belong at this level of politics.
In addition, not only was she grossly ill prepared but she was so divisive and fervent in her religious beliefs that she had her guns blazing perpetually against anyone who didn't think the way she does. You act as though she was just sitting there, the poor soul and that everyone was just beating on her for no reason. Your trying to make a martyr out of her and it won't work.
You want to defend her, please do but please don't try and make the rest of us feel sorry for a lady who coined her own " pitbull with lipstick " term. Hardly sounds like a damsel in distress to me.
And please explain to me how her supporters have managed to turn her quiting mid term as governor. No matter how you twist this, this was a pure cop out. If Alaskans loved her so much and she did so much for them, why did we not hear a whimper of opposition to her choice ?
The mayor of Wasila, maybe, but Vice President of the US ? You righties feel it is completely justified to put the lefts candidates through the ringer but when it's one of your own, suddenly you play the pity card ? Why is that ? The difference between a winner and a loser is the one who can handle the heat and walk out looking unscathed.
SP is full of hate, not grace. Now she is running with the sympathy card and playing all meek and sweet. Don't ask the rest of us to fall for that.
jpelhamtn
I'll answer your questions when you tell me why Rahm Emanaul's third White House hire, during the transition, was a rabid Palin Hater from Alaska...a fellow who had worked for one of the corrupt politicos she exposed and defeated.
Strange for a White House to hire someone like that unless it was to orchestrate the numerous nonsense inquiries she received...was forced to legally challenged...that came close to bankrupting her family. The WH has displayed a very odd fear of Palin for someone they like to dismiss publicly.
You would not tolerate that if it came from the Bush White House...but it's okay coming from this one. I admire her for doing what was best for her family. Conservatives don't feel that 'holding public office' is the high calling liberals seem to think it is. Afterall, there are no provisions (other than age) in the Constitution about who can hold the office of Vice-President or President.
It's the idea of elitists who feel they should apply some silly standard of 'experience'. Quite often common sense serves us just fine.
But go ahead and continue to belittle Palin if you wish...but what an empty way to lead a life. And on that note, I'm off for a hike to a local waterfall...and will return to watch the election results tonight...and celebrate whoever wins...because it is always a thrill to see free people voting.
theBUSHdemocrat
"You would not tolerate that if it came from the Bush White House"
Two words for you pal: Karl Rove
Roninjoey
WHO are you talking about?! Quit flinging specious claims about like a monkey flinging its own excrement. The ethics charges brought against Sarah Palin are matters of public record and overwhelmingly brought against her by citizens of Alaska. The White House has better things to do, such as deal with your ilk when you freak out over Palin's every facebook status update.
Also, governing a state, a country, etc. is not a matter of "common sense". You are not blessed with some sort of remarkable guidance the rest of us pointy headed liberals and RINOS are not. There is no real America. Governing a country requires a certain amount of confidence and intelligence that does not necessarily come from an Ivy league school, or from growing up in a big city, but rather from having lived a life in such a way that you have earned the strength, cunning, and intelligence to be able to deal with the myriad problems of governing. Especially a country like America, the biggest superpower in the world, a country that uses more energy than any other, spends more money than any other, has a bigger military than any other, etc.
Barack Obama earned the people's trust and ran an incredible campaign. He inspired all Americans, not just the ones he considered real Americans. I may have disagreed with nearly all of his policy beliefs, but John McCain was certainly more up to the task of governing than most of the people in that field.
But Sarah Palin? Everything she's ever done and everything she's done since has shown us that she is a dilettante more interested in making money and getting her name in the paper than in governing. If she quit her governorship to be there for her family (nice to see that she suddenly cares about that, since governing Alaska is surely MUCH harder than governing the U.S.A.), why does she spend all of her time fabricating easily disproven lies about Obama's policies and fighting with a 19 year old boy over his baby?
Give me a break. And for that matter, why the hell would we want someone to be president who seriously believes that she can dismiss 60 % of Americans who disagree with her on one thing or another? THAT is fascism. THAT leads to the death panels... especially when you have someone in charge who has strange religious views she refuses to explain.
Angstone71
Sorry, but merely believing in guns, and her angry right wing version of Christ doesn't begin to compensate for a lack of education or any grip whatsoever on the complex foreign and domestic issues that could confront her if she suddenly became president.
This whole right wing anti "elitist" bit really is a head scratcher. Do you apply the same bias when you board an airliner? Do you want to peer into the cockpit and see someone less than full educated and trained for the position in there, too? Being president can impact a lot more lives than flying a 767, and I sure as hell don't want a pilot of middling intelligence who has to figure it all out in mid-air.
thefulishbastid
"Conservatives don't feel that 'holding public office' is the high calling liberals seem to think it is"
Then why do they try so hard to get the job in the first place?
sippewissett
OOOOH. Another conspiracy of Obama against Palin. OOOOH. "Strange" indeed: that would be you and your paranoia. If you think that Obama spends ANY waking hour, other than an occasional LOL moment, thinking about Palin The Has-Been, then you don't understand the complexity, stress and over-scheduling of any president.
You are obviously one of those "real Amerikuns" who were enthralled with Palin. "Experience" is dirty as is education, erudition and polished speaking. Instead, we should value "common sense" like birth out of wedlook (her own), charging per diems for staying in one's own home, parading one's family when convenient and moaning that they are exploited when not, celebrating H.S. dropouts and failed celibacy. What a load of moose poo. This is all just a disguise for supporting someone woefully inappropriate, unschooled on anything beyond an unpopulated island of Russia and inept articulater to a national post.
Why not knock it off for a while on this site and go somewhere else that appreciates the infatuation of Palin sycophants?
BTW, we had 8 years of "tolerating" the Bush White House, which is why the GOP and Palin got dumped.
bobzaguy
"Conservatives don't feel that 'holding public office' is the high calling liberals seem to think it is."
No. You are so right, cons can't just hold a public office in a custodial sense, they have to own the office because that's how they make their money.
Notice how Strom's son is now poised to "take" the office he feels he is entitled to have in S.C.?
As for a bankrupted Palin? She showed them, she quit. No more suits. She's not in office anymore.
christine
To me, the most telling indication of Palin's tin-eared self absorption is toward the end of both speeches. She reports an email exchange with a young man named Charlie. He graciously agrees to let Palin trot out their association in her pair of speeches. He has only one request, so his friends don't think he's not "tough". He says, "Please don't call me darlin'" and what does the condescending twit call him?... That's right, "darlin'".
DrillBabyDrill-
I caught that too, and was just amazed!
FarLeftFist
Her approval rating as Governor when she quit her job was at 31%, and she still had 2 more years of failed policies to go. My prediction: she would have left with a 16% approval rating, and being her family and extended family is so big, of that 16% approval about 4% were from her family. Plus she shoots animals from a helicopter and kills sacred Native American wolves. Seriously people just move on, giving her props reeks of desperation.
Proudworldcitizen
I just happen to pick up this spot to drop my thoughts.
The diversity of opinions is what our founders fought for, and they laid the foundation of what made our country the most prosperous and successful country of the world history. I have been blessed to have traveled more than 30 countries in my lifetime. Most of the world does not hate us, most of the world still dying to go and live in the US. An example is the long lines in our embassies in any country I visited; you do not see that in any other embassy, why? What I see is that most of the governments out there are the ones that fuel unfounded hate to our nation and our success.
Nobody will look for interest like you do. We have to look at our nation as one, nobody in the world will look after our interest like we should. There are many totalitarian and unjust regimes that want our total destruction.
Let's not believe our Politians when they say that we are mean and we just because we are tough we are bad. Just regimes out there that hurt their people are te ones that say that all the time. Do I care what Chavez thinks of us, Our adminstration does.
Our fathers wanted a government by the people for the people. We seem have lost focus and somehow our government has become a machine that is not for the people and not by the people. There are too many re-elected politicians that are not there for the people, we should remember that power is addictive and too long in power lends itself for corruption.
The US was seen as a country of opportunities, where if you worked hard, and with a little luck you could make it. Your success could allow you to employ people and help those around you. This level of opportunities is diminishing more and more every day. Excessive, irrational regulation and taxes are less encouraging everyday for any entrepreneur to start his own business, and not mention to keep one running. Please let me know if anyone has ever worked for a poor person? Let's not vilify the people that are successful like it is constantly done, instead let people know that they can also obtain the same success if they work hard. Black or white.
I have been in China for the last 6 months and have visited many, many cities, it amazes me how much they have been able to achieve in about 30 years, politically somehow they maybe have a long way to go, but economically they unleashed incentive and the free entrepreneurship spirit of their people and it shows all over the place.
Solution: Give incentive, like lowering taxes and eliminate unnecessary regulation to small business, they account for 60-70% of our jobs.
Our tax laws were just one simple sentence that amounted to a flat tax, now it is 36" of piled up paper that not even the IRS employees know how to interpret, yet you are held accountable for your signature on the dotted line. Not shortly after you sign it, but three years later, when the amount of penalties and interest makes it a huge burden for you to pay it back.
Solution: Let's make it simple again, a flat tax while displacing the existing apparatus that lives of us, starting by the massive size of IRS, accountants and lawyers would allow a six year old kid figure it out, instead it takes an accounting degree to figure it out and it is so complex that they can still get it wrong which is my case at the moment.
Health care: I read that we had nearly 47 millions of Americans that were un-insured, yes the system needs overhauling but is has to start by the eliminating or penalizing fraudulent lawsuits, excessive settlements, not allow bad doctors to practice and by making our new drug approval system simpler. It is takes a drug company as much as $300,000,000 and 2-5 years to get a drug approved for a terminally ill desease. Then they are exposed to huge lawsuits some with merits some with no merits, somehow they have to recuperate their investment, that is why drugs are so expensive.
All this would make health care more affordable and maybe the figures can be reduced from the 47 million Americans to a more reasonable number. For the rest help them subsidize their policies, but do not hand out our tax dollars to anyone because it will destroy the incentive of another 100 million Americans to keep paying their policies, then at the end we will have 147 million Americans living of our taxes. I have spoken to people that tell me that by themselves with a job they cannot make it, but in order to receive benefits from the government they are better off if they do not work. This is the wrong incentive.
When it comes to world politics many of the countries that are most critical to us are countries that we have helped time and time again, like for example France, we have save them twice and each time we have help them rebuild, yet they called us colonist when we went into Irak. Maybe we should have let them suffer the same fate that the Iraqui people were suffering under Sadam but instead under Hitler. I would like them to name of our colonies, we have none. But we can name one they have and that the French Polynesia, they have asked for their independence time and time again, instead their nearby ocean waters are used as nuclear testing sites for the French Government. Mexico is another one. What would Mexico be without our dollars and the 50 billion dollar bail out money we gave some years ago? I wonder if they have ever paid us back. But again is their politicians not their citizens the ones that hate us. For me is hard to believe what many politicians tell us.
Palin, I would have rather seen Palin as a VP, than Biden as a VP, at least she had a track record on what she did for her state. Our new president and VP did not have a track record but spoke very nice, he could move the masses and tell them what they wanted to hear. Very similar to Castro was able to do. Gather a million people in the Revolution Plaza that had no incentive in life.
After nearly a year in office what do I see: We helped the ones that did not need the help, like Bank of America, we did not help small business and as a result thousands and thousands have gone under and thousands are in brink of destruction, the incentive of starting a new business has diminished, we will be paying this bail out debt for many years to come, we are trying to fix our health care system the wrong way, nothing will be solve instead more people will be dependent of the government and more money will be wasted, and we are pitcher of the world series and we refuse to use a glove. Iran, North Korean, Chavez and every oppressive government in the world wants to sit with us, and buy time while they keep running and hurting their people.
Our currency is losing it value and most likely will suffer a huge devaluation next year due to the irresponsible amount of money that has pumped into the streets of American in the wrong places, I see it all the time. It used to be that when you showed up with a US dollar in any country it was desired now days it is not. I know many people that are changing their dollars for Euros, and the Chinese government is dumping their dollar as fast as they can.
I hope I am wrong and will probably not live to see it, but our destiny as a nation unless we change course can suffer the same fate as every empire that has been recorded in our history books. We should not be that stupid and elect people based on how they speak and what they promise. We must look at their track records and their believes before we allow them to govern us.
This is my personal opinion and how I see things and would defend to death your right to dissagree with me.
camfield
Puhleeze! No more "insights" about Sarah Palin . . . no more dragging our attention back to this dimwit. Already a persistent, unwanted memory is the fact that our society has descended to the point that she was close to winding up just one small step away from presiding as President.
motrbotr
Its always the Palin haters that drag attention back to her. Thank you sir.
perrycindy
yes we are laughing at such a dimwit
perrycindy
no that's laughter
gnorrigh
yup, she's got a heart big enough for the whole outdoors but you'd never find a brain in that pretty little head. if she's smart enough for you there's armies of salesmen and republicans who'd love to get your number. that twinkle in her eye is the sun shining through the back of her empty head.
osea65
Since when is being Mean a sign of superiority? You are less than zero, as are all your fellow DINOs!!!!
jones-62
jones-62
i guess this is hard for people today to remember what their mother tried to teach us as kid's if you don't have anything good to say about someone don't say anything at all ! people wake up we have enough trouble without bashing each other. put your time to work and let's do something inportant for our country. go to this web sight and read all of the that is there and if you like what is in "THE TREATY OF COPENHAGEN ." DO NOTHING . IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT SIGN THE INSTRUMENT OF REPUDIATION. THEY ARE BOTH THERE TO READ. go to webcommentary.com they are tring for World Goverment . Be kind to all people and maybe this world would be a better place. I HOPE FOR PEACE FOR ALL . NOT WITH ALL THE TALK LIKE THAT IS HERE. WE SHOULD UNITE FOR PEACE . GO TO THE WEB SIGHT NOW. PLEASE
sippewissett
Her "heart big enough for all outdoors" was missing on Turkey Pardon day last year (along with her brain) when she stood in front of turkeys being slaughtered. She turned and saw where she was standing and continued the interview instead. Clever, huh? Think she'll be asked to pardon another turkey...ever?
democracyforall
Good luck to you Sarah. Be at peace.
sippewissett
Palin is at peace now. She has shed voters who expected her to govern as she promised. She has shed Alaska, but loves it from afar, you betcha. She is the current darling of Murdoch, lord of The Far Right. It's his advance fee for her memoir. That $$$ will keep her at peace for quite a while.
A word of caution to Palin though: if you manage your personal finances the way you did the AK budget, you'll be broke soon.
Thank you.
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