native alaskans are discriminated against too, you know

We know today has been video-heavy, but this one, THIS ONE is the ticket, right here. A black fellow tells Sarah Palin that he is the only minority at her rally and asks how this can be improved upon. Palin replies that she knows what racism is like, because Todd is native Alaskan and, get this, “We live it.” Oh gosh golly, do we really only have a matter of hours left with this nut? [CNN iReport via Ben Smith]

CNN: Palin Talks 2012, McCain Aide "Speechless"

Update: Here is Michael Tomasky from the Guardian on this point. It has been suggested after this video aired that the quote was taken out of context.

McCain v. Palin

Tension between Palin's handlers in the McCain campaign and advisers loyal to her is so heated it's boiling over into the public sphere. Read about it on the Politico.

Word Art

Ran into this bit of public art yesterday which appears in the windows of the CUNY Graduate Center at 35th and 5th in Manhattan. I assume it's meant to be topical?

Say It Ain't So, 'Doh

Ian Bogost made this nifty Plah-Doh Palin.

Uh, that's all, really.

Palin Shopping Spree Illegal under McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Law!

SEC. 313. USE OF CONTRIBUTED AMOUNTS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES.
(a) PERMITTED USES...
(b) PROHIBITED USE-
(1) IN GENERAL- A contribution or donation described in subsection (a) shall not be converted by any person to personal use.

(2) CONVERSION- For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign or individual's duties as a holder of Federal office, including--

(A) a home mortgage, rent, or utility payment;
(B) a clothing purchase;
(C) a noncampaign-related automobile expense;
(D) a country club membership;
(E) a vacation or other noncampaign-related trip;
(F) a household food item;
(G) a tuition payment;
(H) admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment not associated with an election campaign; and
(I) dues, fees, and other payments to a health club or recreational facility.'

Makeup > Policy

From the NYT, seems that Palin's Emmy-nominated makeup stylist has the highest salary in the entire McCain camp.

are abortion clinic bombers terrorists?

what $150,000 in clothing expenditures will get you

To put it another way: Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years. A Democrat put it in even blunter terms: her clothes were the cost of health care for 15 or so people.

palin vs. polar bears

sarah palin, dictator of the u.s. senate

Another gotcha from the media elite:

How Palin was Picked

Great thorough report on how the McCain campaign learned about, and ultimately chose, Palin.

He was running out of options, he recalled, when he said to himself, “What about that lady who just got elected in Alaska?” Online research revealed that she had a strong grassroots following; as Brickley put it, “I hate to use the words ‘cult of personality,’ but she reminded me of Obama.”

• Definitely worth reading: The Insiders: How John McCain Came to Pick Sarah Palin (New Yorker)

sometimes news can be depressing and god the republican

From the Washington Post:
...At those times on the campaign trail when sometimes it's easy to get a little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the news when your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news," she said, prompting laughter from the group. "Usually they're like 'Oh my gosh, don't watch. You're going to, you know, you're going to get depressed.'" She added that while she doesn't always appreciate the way reporters portray the GOP ticket, she's been bolstered by the prayers of many of the campaign's backers...

Giving credit to a higher power for the day's poll ratings, the Alaska governor told the roughly 500-person audience that things might be changing. "We even saw today, thank the Lord," she said, looking upwards and raising her fist, "We saw some movement."

...Palin also made a point of mentioning that she loved to visit the "pro-America" areas of the country, of which North Carolina is one. No word on which states she views as unpatriotic.

wow

From Women Against McCain-Palin:

new hampshire like alaska is a "microcosm", only whiter and richer

Thanks to Think Progress for this find. Notice how she has to appeal to people's baser instincts—those tzx-dodging massachusetts liberals are the reason republicans might not win:

alaskan taxpayers pay $639 for sarah to go to church

From the A.P.:
The camera closes in on Sarah Palin speaking to young missionaries, vowing from the pulpit to do her part to implement God's will from the governor's office.

What she didn't tell worshippers gathered at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown was that her appearance that day came courtesy of Alaskan taxpayers, who picked up the $639.50 tab for her airplane tickets and per diem fees...

rape kit charge story won't go away

I posted the following in a comment but I think I need to put it as part of the post now:
The facts are there. She fired the police chief. The new police chief tried did not want the city to pay for rape kits. So they tried to charge the insurance companies, who of course will not pay for all of it. Assuming you have insurance. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. The questionable issue is whether she personally promoted this. Only the most extreme troglodyte would push for this—after these crazy fascist rallies and her using a fascist quote in her convention speech, I would not put it past her. But regardless, this did happen on her watch and the only reason it stopped was because the state legistature passed a law. Imagine if someone had to pass a law so the police would not charge you for a murder investigation. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. I am so tired of hearing how the story is debunked or we are just not sure.

Puck You

From E&P:

The biggest problem: when Palin came out to onto the Wachovia Center ice Saturday night -- greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos from the Flyers crowd -- the the two hockey players who had no choice but to appear with her in that photo op were turned into props in a political campaign.

Note the guy in the middle of the screen who gives her two double thumbs-down about halfway through!

For comparison (and who remembers her any more?):

Palin's Vendettas and Friend-Hires

Here's some more troubling news about Palin's past. A report from the New York Times uncovers a history of hiring and firing decisions based on her personal friendships and vendettas.

This is just a little bit reminiscent of a certain former Texas Governor who brought a similar personnel strategy to the White House.

Not good.

Throughout her career, Ms. Palin has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and blurred the line between government and personal grievance.

• Read: Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes

amateur hour

From Time:
...the Branchflower report still makes for good reading, if only because it convincingly answers a question nobody had even thought to ask: Is the Palin administration shockingly amateurish? Yes, it is. Disturbingly so.

The 263 pages of the report show a co-ordinated application of pressure on Monegan so transparent and ham-handed that it was almost certain to end in public embarrassment for the governor... A harsh verdict? Consider the report's findings. Not only did people at almost every level of the Palin administration engage in repeated inappropriate contact with Walt Monegan and other high-ranking officials at the Department of Public Safety, but Monegan and his peers constantly warned these Palin disciples that the contact was inappropriate and probably unlawful. Still, the emails and calls continued — in at least one instance on recorded state trooper phone lines.

The state's head of personnel, Annette Kreitzer, called Monegan and had to be warned that personnel issues were confidential. The state's attorney general, Talis Colberg, called Monegan and had to be reminded that the call was putting both men in legal jeopardy, should Wooten decide to sue. The governor's chief of staff met with Monegan and had to be reminded by Monegan that, "This conversation is discoverable ... You don't want Wooten to own your house, do you?"

Monegan consistently emerges as the adult in these conversations, while the Palin camp displays a childish impetuousness and sense of entitlement...