Thursday, September 4, 2008

Sarah article...

(I come in peace!)
I know the whole country is a bit starry eyed over Sarah Palin, and I can see why (even thought I agree with about, ohhh, 0% of her politics). Here are some facts that show she is, indeed, still a politician like the rest of 'em.
And yes, I know that Obama is as well.

Article from Yahoo News:

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET




ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.


Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

___

Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.


Okay, I'm adding this because, well....I think it's good. And I love Jon.
I'll shut up now, I promise!

19 comments:

Deirdre said...

Great article. I wish more people—on both sides—would take the time to look past the hype and the talking points and actually explore the facts and issues. This whole us-versus-them, sensationalist mentality really stands in the way of progress in this country.

Kerry said...

You go girl.

thanks for telling it like it is!!

Oh and before i forget

happy 1 year with Charlie

miss you guys

Anonymous said...

There is just as much out there Obama as there is anyone else who is running. At lest Sarah and Mc Cain are not a muslum sleeper cell spys. Mc Cain has more background than Obama does. No matter who is voted in we are going to have the best money can buy. They are all twisted and that is just the way of polticis.

Ms. Fricknfrack said...

Pumping my fist and yelling, "YEAH!!"

Oh and a very belated mazel tov on that sweet little bundle you call Mallory. Seriously, omg is she cute. And don't even get me started on the photos of she and Charlie together. Beauty to the nth degreet I say.

stephanie
http://mubarek.wordpress.com/

Kerry said...

That video is priceless.

Carrie Beauchamp said...

I agree some what with anonymous minus the name calling. Over the years I have discovered that a politician is a politician no matter their race, gender, religion, or political party. It all boils down to who has the most money backing them up and who the media wants to win. It is all propaganda.

Catherine said...

I love how "anonymous" will say those things and still remain anonymous and not own up to their words.
Also Moxie, if it is all propoganda then what is the point? Why vote? We vote because we need to put the best person in the office. Someone is running this country it is not doing all by itself. I know they all have their own agendas and they all lie to some degree but we still need to put forth our own effort to make sure the country prospers.

BoShanks said...

I also love that anonymous can't spell.

Or should I say "ananamus".

You moron.

Carrie Beauchamp said...

I am planning to vote. However, I believe that by voting Republican or Democrat I would be voting for the same status quo that got us to where we are today.

On another note, the president does not run our country. Congressmen, Senators, and local goverment officals are running the country/states. They are the ones that make the laws that affect our lives. More time and energy should be spent on these guys rather than one person. If the constitution was actually followed the way it should be we would not know the federal goverment exsisted. All laws that directly affect our lives would come directly from our state and local goverments. It would be the federal goverment's job to regulate interstate commerce and protect the constitutional rights of each and every U.S. Citizen.

Catherine said...

I didn't mean that the president runs the country by himself...I just mean that we put people into office to make decisions on behalf of us. I know that we are not a true democracy, if we were our votes would "really" count. I am however saying that you can't just throw your hands up and say they are all liars....we have to do something and for most of us that means voting for the person we believe is best for our country.

I can give you one way the President has directly effected many families lives, including my own....the war.

Oh and let's not forget no child left behind....:(

pbgaboy said...

If you check the facts on any politician you can always find some piece of information to shadow them and build your own case.
I feel like the whole country is on the brink of a massive change. I think that either way the election goes we will not be the same country when it is all over.

On a side note...anyone that says that war is not a necessity needs to look back at American history or for that matter world history.
Our country was founded on the fact that the men and women here no longer wanted to be watched over by a goverment on the otherside of the world and wanted to be able to govern their own nation....they believed in this so much that they fought for it.
Wars have to take place in order for our culture to evolve and grow.

You dont have to agree with War..but you do have to respect that it has its purupose and you would not be enjoying the freedoms that you have now...if we had not fought for them.

Catherine said...

Who said war wasn't necessary?

Catherine said...

All I am saying is that who the President is effects our lives be that good or bad...you just can't say that they do not effect us in any way.

pbgaboy said...

I agree with you on the fact that who our president is does affect the decisions made by all branches of goverment. My comment was not aimed at yours...I was mainly just commenting on the main subject of the blog and my view on the war and people who are against war without understanding why we have to fight came out. It was not aimed at you or you commment.

Anonymous said...

Oh Holy Cats - if you don't like the posts just don't read the blog - no need to go all postal on us Anonymous! Heather, you rock!!!! Happy anniversary - we miss you!
love,
Leslie, Adam and B

Catherine said...

cool....Patrick :)

Anonymous said...

Why clutter up your blog with political rantings? I guess you are okay with the murdering of innocent children because Obama is okay with late term abortion, letting criminals go free, or how about trying to unemploy thousands of people with his fairytale socialized medicine. I have looked at both sides and sadly you do not hear much about how Obama wants to partition Israel to create a Palestinian state. I guess you are ok with that idea as well. I do not understand why you democrat crazy liberals have to waste time spreading your propaganda.

whatever_heather said...

Oh, goodness. My anonymous friends...(I assume there are two of you, since one of you can spell)....I rarely get into politics here, so it should be fairly easy to scroll on through any particular post you find offensive. This blog is my personal piece of the internet, and you are welcome to visit, or you are welcome to keep on clicking.
Happy surfing!

Heather

filoli said...

I love that clip as well...did you catch the McCain nomination speech bit they did as well?