Sarah Palin, Embezzler?

[Brainster]

However, it won't last. And Obama will outraise/outspend the hell out of McCain in the next couple of months.

The first $42 million each month is just staying even. And Obama has to work for that money; fundraisers take time that could be spent campaigning. Obama opted out of the federal matching funds on the basis that he could raise $100 million a month; so far he has not come close to that.

And that's before we talk about the huge advantage that the RNC has, and the bloated campaign staff that Obama will have to start gutting pretty soon before it bleeds him dry. I read somewhere that he had over 100 paid staffers in Texas; I assume that's long gone.

 

[BenBurch]

The first $42 million each month is just staying even. And Obama has to work for that money; fundraisers take time that could be spent campaigning. Obama opted out of the federal matching funds on the basis that he could raise $100 million a month; so far he has not come close to that.

And that's before we talk about the huge advantage that the RNC has, and the bloated campaign staff that Obama will have to start gutting pretty soon before it bleeds him dry. I read somewhere that he had over 100 paid staffers in Texas; I assume that's long gone.

I won't be much work. I am giving like I have never given before to a presidential candidate, and so are all of my friends.

 

[gdnp]

Precisely. If even half the things about that state trooper are true, then you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn't want to take him out behind the woodshed.

But that is beside the point. The issue at hand is whether or not Palin abused her position as governor for personal reasons.
[/I]?

Would you want a judge to preside of the trial and sentencing of his or her brother in law? There is an inherent conflict of interest here. In such cases the official should recuse him or herself to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

I'm hoping she sticks around, since she is looking more and more like an albatross.

 

[MattusMaximus]

The first $42 million each month is just staying even. And Obama has to work for that money; fundraisers take time that could be spent campaigning. Obama opted out of the federal matching funds on the basis that he could raise $100 million a month; so far he has not come close to that.

And that's before we talk about the huge advantage that the RNC has, and the bloated campaign staff that Obama will have to start gutting pretty soon before it bleeds him dry. I read somewhere that he had over 100 paid staffers in Texas; I assume that's long gone.

You seem to be forgetting a little something called the "Internet", which Obama has used like no one ever before to raise money. He has, last I checked, at least 2 million individual donors; and that was before the DNC in Denver.

As for the supposed "advantage" the RNC has, the last numbers I saw from July put the RNC and DNC as evenly matched (with about $95 million each). Doesn't seem like much of an advantage to me.

What are your sources for all these claims?

 

[Freddy]

Precisely. If even half the things about that state trooper are true, then you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn't want to take him out behind the woodshed.

But that is beside the point. The issue at hand is whether or not Palin abused her position as governor for personal reasons.

It is a legitimate question. Ever seen "Clear and Present Danger"?

I edited my previous post to address this, but it was after you posted. The reason this has the appearance of impropriety is that it looks like Palin just went after the trooper because of the custody battle with her sister. But if these things about the trooper are true, then it no longer looks like that's why she wanted him fired. And if that isn't why she wanted him fired, if she wanted him fired because he clearly and objectively deserved to be fired, then there's no abuse of power. Well, I'm not familiar with Alaska Law, so it may still be a technical violation of some rule, but it isn't going to generate outrage from the public, nor will it hurt her reformer image. If it turns out she has lied, that will hurt her. But I don't see why she would lie, given that it looks like she had every right, and very good reason, to demand that this trooped be fired.

 

[Puppycow]

This thread does have a serious purpose however. There seems to be a growing idea around here that somehow Palin's nomination is in jeopardy.

Really? I wonder who suggested that? The die has been cast, so to speak.
McCain made his bed and now he has to sleep in it. You don't get a mulligan after you go public with your pick, not without a heavy price anyway.

Personally my favorite angle of attack (so far) is on this Bridge to Nowhere business. See the thread on it. When Palin was running for governor she ran on a pro-bridge platform, now she wants to take credit for killing it.

 

[Brainster]

You seem to be forgetting a little something called the "Internet", which Obama has used like no one ever before to raise money. He has, last I checked, at least 2 million individual donors; and that was before the DNC in Denver.

As for the supposed "advantage" the RNC has, the last numbers I saw from July put the RNC and DNC as evenly matched (with about $95 million each). Doesn't seem like much of an advantage to me.

What are your sources for all these claims?

Obama raised roughly $51 million in July and $52 million in June.

McCain will get $84 million in Federal funds, that's well-established. And the RNC has well more money on hand:

In this case, the totals are nearly identical: the Republicans finished July with $96 million in the bank ($75 million for the RNC, $21 million for McCain) versus $94.3 million for the Democrats ($25.8 million for the DNC, $65.8 million for Obama). Bottom line: neither candidate is struggling financially.

And Obama's money chase takes him away from the campaign trail as noted here:

Secondly, for the final two months of the campaign, McCain will be able to stop detouring from the trail to attend private fundraisers, relying instead on $42 million a month in public funds plus an estimated $130 million from the RNC to see him through. In other words, McCain will have far more money after Sept. 4 than he's ever had before--and he won't have to work for it. Obama, meanwhile, will still have to step off the stump for glitzy fundraisers like this week's $7.8-million bashes in San Francisco if he hopes to continue raising $50 million a month--which is what he'll need to keep up.

 

[gdnp]

Well, the RNC has some senate and house seats they also need to defend.

I am also interested in seeing how many RNC fundraisers McCain attends.

I think the money is overstated in terms of advertising. I think people get saturated. Grass roots get out the vote may be the key. For this the email and cell phone info Obama has to make sure those newly registered young people actually show up on election day will be invaluable.

You think they threw out all those addresses in the "sign up and be the first to find out Obama's running mate" gimick?

 

[SezMe]

Obviously Sarah used her mad computer skillz to bilk people out of their life savings by emailing people and telling them that their rich uncle must have died in Alaska and could they please donate some processing fees to the McCain campaign and their $18.4 million would soon be on the way.

I get the green smilie but I thought I'd respond seriously anyway.

From the perspective of the Republican "base" this was an excellent choice. Palin hews to the "values voters" extremely well. In fact, far more so than McCain...which is probably a major component of why he picked her. So all those christian conservatives who have been holding back out of uncertainty about McCain will find in this pick a reason to step up. I would have been quite surprised if his fund raising had not shown a major uptick after the announcement.

 

[ProbeX]

Nothing of the new stuff concerns me, which says the vetting process was pretty good.

Whaa? It has only been a few days since Palin was introduced to the public and you're prepared to put total faith in a real or imagined vetting process?

Though I don't agree with you much, you've posted some reasonably intelligent posts here. So I'm chalking this statement up to being a statistical outlier.

 

[ProbeX]

I'm hoping she sticks around, since she is looking more and more like an albatross.

Word. Pappy offered a terrific gift to the Democratic Party in celebration of its amazing, historical convention. And now that gift just keeps giving and giving and giving.

 

[PixyMisa]

Word. Pappy offered a terrific gift to the Democratic Party in celebration of its amazing, historical convention. And now that gift just keeps giving and giving and giving.

You mean by that, the Republican voters love her and she drives the Democrats insane?

Because that's what I'm seeing.

 

[Freddy]

Whaa? It has only been a few days since Palin was introduced to the public and you're prepared to put total faith in a real or imagined vetting process?

Though I don't agree with you much, you've posted some reasonably intelligent posts here. So I'm chalking this statement up to being a statistical outlier.

More and more stuff keeps coming out, but quantity does not equal quality. So far nothing even remotely damaging. If every "scandal" that breaks is as weak as the ones we've seen, it's just going to look like she's being picked on unfairly. I see no reason not to think she was vetted just fine, and that the McCain camp knows that none of this stuff is going to be damaging. Palin gets to be the victim, but without ever having to complain, because the talking heads are so over the top it's blatantly obvious to everyone.

Did you see Larry King tonight? Ed Shultz didn't even attempt to conceal his glee at the pregnancy of an unwed 17 year old he's never met. I couldn't believe it. How stupid politically, not to mention inhuman. And he wasn't the only one with that attitude even in that one segment of a single show. I've seen the same thing from other lefty takling heads on other shows as well. How do you think that's going to play with the average voter? No male candidate would ever be subjected to the criticisms they were slinging, a fact that won't be lost on most people.

I'm not saying this will hurt Obama, because his reaction was excellent. If there is a backlash, he certainly doesn't deserve it. But it certainly isn't going to hurt Palin. And it may disgust Hillary supporters to the point that they stay home (I don't see many of them voting for McCain). The Republican base was already excited, and now they're furious, and they're rallying around Palin. Turnout wins elections, and the base was very lukewarm before the Palin pick.

Inexperience is the only political downside I've seen so far that has anything to it, which means that Palin will stand or fall based on her public appearances and the debate. Which is as it should be.

 

[chipmunk stew]

There are more firings? I hadn't heard about this... please provide references.

This was back when she was mayor, in 1997. She fired the Wasilla city librarian and police chief with a letter stating, "I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ..."

The next day, she reinstated the librarian (apparently satisfied that the librarian would toe the line) but not police chief Irl Stambaugh. When pressed to explain how the police chief had not supported her, she said only, "'You know in your heart when someone is supportive of you.''

Both the librarian and Stambaugh had publicly supported the incumbent mayor in the mayoral campaign.

[source]

 

[Dr Adequate]

You mean by that, the Republican voters love her and she drives the Democrats insane?

Because that's what I'm seeing.

Then try removing the rose-tinted spectacles.

 

[Lothian]

You mean by that, the Republican voters love her and she drives the Democrats insane?

Because that's what I'm seeing.

In the UK we find politicians trying to win the oppositions voters over to their side. They rarely focus on the ones they already have.

An interesting choice if she really only appeals to her current supporters.

 

[gdnp]

You mean by that, the Republican voters love her and she drives the Democrats insane?

Because that's what I'm seeing.

I agree with Lothian. McCain needs to appeal to Democrats and independents, so what really matters is how she appeals to those groups.

Ignoring all the scandals, the lack of experience remains a significant problem for the Republicans that will not go away, especially the lack of any national or foreign policy experience.

 

[Foolmewunz]

It's been said, but the move to nominate Pallin was to secure the traditional "Family Christian Values" voters.

McCain does not have to appeal to liberals. He has to (and does) appeal to moderates and conservatives, but he didn't have the organized fundies behind him. And Huckleberry would've been a huge limelight devouring liability.

It's not the contributions... It's the car pools and GOTV move. The Southern Strategy requires mobilization of support, and that's why it's worked. Republican, and particularly ultra-conservative Republican state level groups have just done a better job of it in most Federal elections.

As such, it looks like a depressingly (to a liberal like myself) good move if they weather the huge (Ho Hum!) scandals in her past.

My goodness, a pregnant unmarried daughter? Why that's just plain impossible. That's laughable. Why that's as silly as someone saying, for instance, that Dick Cheney would have a lesbian (gasp!!) daughter. Imagine how that would've destroyed Dubya's campaign.

The fundies just viewed Cheney's daughter as "his cross to bear". No doubt, they'll take the same tack with Pallin. (Somewhere there's a good Pallin Pun in there.... something about a (polar) bear to cross....)

 

[Puppycow]

There seems to be a growing idea around here that somehow Palin's nomination is in jeopardy. There is zero sign of that at InTrade, which still shows Palin's contract at about 98 cents to earn a buck (less commissions).

How about now?

It would be a political disaster if she withdrew, which is why, barring something earthshattering, I don't think she will. But some punters are starting to think so.

How would it be done I wonder? Would she "suddenly develop some new medical condition"? What excuse could they come up with that is not a political disaster?

 

[BenBurch]

How about now?

It would be a political disaster if she withdrew, which is why, barring something earthshattering, I don't think she will. But some punters are starting to think so.

How would it be done I wonder? Would she "suddenly develop some new medical condition"? What excuse could they come up with that is not a political disaster?

If I believed in a god, I would be PRAYING that they move ahead and place her name in nomination! Because the REAL damage to their ticket is approving her.