rssTruth-Stretching a New Tactic for Palin
Monday, October 20, 2008 at 6:05 am
- 23 Comments
Gov. Sarah Palin at the vice presidential debate in St. Louis. (Getty Images)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – During Gov. Sarah Palin’s relatively brief time in the national political spotlight as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, she’s developed a reputation for making misleading or inaccurate statements about her own record and that of Sen. Barack Obama’s.
Palin has claimed she’s been a champion of earmark reform, for example, though her record while Alaska governor shows she requested millions in earmarks. Even as mayor of Wasilla, she hired a lobbyist who succeeded in shuttling federal dollars back to her hometown for local projects.
When talking about Obama on the stump, Palin has repeatedly mischaracterized the Democratic nominee’s positions on taxes and abortion. She’s also falsely accused the Illinois senator of “palling around with terrorists.”
Illustration by: Matt Mahurin
Most recently, Palin has claimed being vindicated by a the Troopergate investigation, though the report says she broke a state ethics law. Palin claims the scathing report actually clears her of all accusations of wrongdoing, despite a finding that, in conflict with state law, she had state employees and her husband pressure her public safety commissioner to fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper over a family feud.
This campaign tactic of misleading listeners is new for Palin. Making false statements was not a key weapon in her Alaska campaign arsenal. Though she didn’t hesitate to throw an elbow during her bid for governor, or when pressing an issue once in office, Palin’s signature tactic was to dodge. When asked a tough question by the media or when dealing with complicated policy matters in office she invariably gave non-answers or evaded the issue.
Palin’s record of skirting and silence does not always paint her in a positive light. Sometimes, her efforts were deliberate acts of concealing records of state business, including email messages, from the public. Other times, Palin’s maneuvering was an effort simply to avoid publicly taking on topics in which she was not well versed.
A look at some of the defining moments in Palin’s political career, including stumping for governor, fighting the state’s biggest policy battles and addressing the Troopergate scandal, reveals a candidate more likely to duck and weave than to tell a lie to get ahead.
When Palin ran for governor, in 2006, she was criticized by her opponents for not getting into the meat of policy issues. When pressed, she often skirted specifics. For example, when asked during debates about complex issues like health care, Palin tended to evade the question.
“My attitude and my approaches towards dealing with the complexities of health-care issues,” Palin said during an AARP debate, “is a respectful and responsible approach, and it’s a positive approach. I don’t believe that the sky is falling here in Alaska.”
During other campaign events Palin, would sometimes decline to answer questions completely.
Palin’s goal in the gubernatorial race wasn’t to win over voters with her policy expertise. She aimed to satisfy voters’ hunger for an outsider to clean up the corruption plaguing Juneau at the time.
“The election of 2006 was a little bit unusual,” said Steve Haycox, a history professor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, explaining Palin’s appeal. In the middle of that campaign, a dozen lawmakers’ offices were raided by the FBI in Juneau and Anchorage as part of a broad federal probe into corruption in the state.
Haycox noted the mood of the state made Palin, who branded herself an outsider and a whistleblower, an unusually attractive candidate.
On the trail now, Palin still avoids details, choosing to talk about reform and often referring to herself, and her running-mate Sen. John McCain, as “mavericks.” She avoids tough questions when she can.
But her most famous moments in the 2008 presidential campaign have been her questionable mud-slinging and her deceptive self-promotion.
“This is not a man who sees America as you see it and how I see America,” said Palin, referring to Obama at a campaign stop in Colorado in early October. “Our opponent though, is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country?”
Palin has been widely criticized for her remarks linking Obama to terrorism. The McCain-Palin campaign has defended her statements, saying Obama served on an education board with William Ayers, who was a member of the 1960’s radical group the Weather Underground.
Palin has also made repeated misstatements about Obama’s tax policies, saying he would raise taxes on most Americans, though his tax plan would lower taxes for most American families.
When a pool of campaign reporters asked if she thinks Obama is dishonest in disputing her claims about his tax policy she said, “I’m not saying he’s dishonest. But in terms of judgment, in terms of being able to answer a question forthrightly, it has two different parts to this — that judgment and that truthfulness.”
During several public events, Palin has chided Obama for saying McCain’s health-care proposal includes new taxes. Though McCain’s health-care initiative would include a $5,000 tax credit, the plan would fund the credit by taxing employer-provided plans.
Palin has said she identifies with families that face out-of-pocket payment for coverage — though her husband and their children would qualify for free, federally funded care as the descendants of Native Alaskans.
Observers in Alaska say that these statements reflect a change in Palin’s public persona since becoming the GOP vice-presidential nominee.
Even her critics say they’re seeing a new Palin in this tactic. Many political observers have said they assume the McCain campaign has been shaping her new public persona.
“I don’t think this is Sarah Palin,” said state Rep. Les Gara, an Anchorage Democrat who has been critical of Palin. “Had Sarah Palin run this campaign, she wouldn’t have designed it the way it’s happened.”
Gara has criticized Palin on a number of issues, including not following-through or not being interested in specifics of government. “Most governors would have this political vision that is amazingly important to them,” Gara said. “I don’t think she has this broad political vision. She’s not really the most hands-on governor or the most interested in policy.”
Others in the state legislature have criticized Palin for her absence and silence on important issues. Legislators in Juneau were seen wearing buttons that read “Where’s Sarah?” during an important debate over Alaskans yearly oil and gas royalty checks.
Palin’s policy of keeping quiet on certain topics has extended to the public’s request for information as well. In an attempt to do government business without facing scrutiny, Palin used personal email accounts after she was advised they are not subject to subpoena.
She has also made it more difficult to obtain public documents through freedom-of-information requests.
Similar secrecy marked her response to probing questions about Troopergate when the scandal broke in June.
Palin initially said she would cooperate in the probe. When the state legislature appointed an independent investigator, Steve Branchflower, to handle the matter she told a local radio show host, Dan Fagan, on the air she would sit for an interview with Branchflower.
“Oh absolutely,” Palin said. “In fact, I’m ready to be interviewed today.”
When Fagan pressed on details about emails her administration had declined to release to Branchflower she replied with a dodge: “Which emails?” Palin asked. Before Fagan could respond, Palin provided a long, winding answer that did not address the question.
The combination of willingness to cooperate, mixed with evading certain questions was a classic Palin move.
Things changed at the end of August, though, when Palin was tapped by McCain as his running-mate. Stall tactics kicked in and Palin declined to be interviewed as she had previously agreed.
Palin’s transformation from dodging to lying was complete when Branchflower’s report went public. Branchflower found that Palin broke a state ethics law in directing employees, and her husband, to pressure her public-safety commissioner to fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper over a family feud.
Palin claimed she was vindicated by the findings. “Well, I’m very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there,” the governor told the Anchorage Daily News.
The Daily News editorial board was surprised by Palin’s comments on such a serious finding against her. “Her response is either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian,” the Anchorage Daily News editorial board wrote.
Others view her statements as a shock, particularly her Troopergate statement.
However, one long-time GOP Alaska political consultant, Art Hackney, who has worked for Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, said he hasn’t been surprised by Palin’s shift. He says it is not much of a change.
Hackney said that Palin has always seen campaigning as being about winning, rather than a particular vision or set of political values. “She’s just saying what will sound good on television,” Hackney said. “It’s that simple.”
23 Comments
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 6:03 am
Why is this website named “Independent? It is anything but. One of the most uninteresting reads I have had in a long time. I think I'm now dumber for reading this. Does that make me a liberal now?
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 6:46 am
Obama, does have links to terrorism and terrorists. He is THE LAST person we need in the whithous, do your due dilligence, this is an unfair attack piece on a true patriot who has more executive experience that Biden or Obama combined. Some of the 150, 000,000.00 million that BO has raised will be traced back to terrorists.
By the way, you are on the wrong side of this, McCain Palin will win. Obama alson lied about how he was supposed to accept the funding.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 7:42 am
Get a life. Seriously.. Is it down to this? Gov. Palin is just not ready to be vice president and god forbid the president of the Greatest Nation on Earth..
I think that this article is stating what has been obvious with most ppl with a eyes. Sarah Palin was not properly vetted. She was chosen on a whim in hopes of gathering more woman voters inparticular Hillary supporters. Well.. this is one Hillary supporter who would not vote for Palin if I were paid to at this point in time.
Obama/Biden 08-12!!!!!!
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 8:04 am
Do you find it SO difficult to see Palin as the political opportunist that she is? I mean the troopergate thing is the most obvious example. The report CLEARLY points out that she broke a state law but she totally ignores it and instead claims the report vindicates her. I mean really, how can anyone admire this person? IF she argued strongly that the report is biased, or untrue, that would be an acceptable political arguement. The report says I'm guilty but I say they're wrong. Great, wonderful. BUT she doesn't do that, she simply REPLACES what the report says with something that's more politically convienient. Why can't you see through this? She's terrible! Case closed. Please try to think critically in the future.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 8:28 am
McBush is the guy
that said Medicare is too expensive
and it unfair to support Social Security
and do not pass a vet. GI bill
and do not give woman equal pay
and do not give health care for children.
and want to continue the war
and caused the stock market failure
and he's election team is nothing but Bush people and lobbyist!
McCain is not good for the country!
vote for Obama-Biden and all democrats!
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 8:32 am
Try reading this Mr.
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1973
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 8:36 am
Change 4 the Better ?- Don’t make me laugh. When Obama talks about giving back the civil liberties that G.W. Bush has taken away, THEN AND ONLY THEN I might think of him as a change agent. As of now, he is nothing more than second rate, slide of hand magician. Keep you focused on the hand that has what you don’t like, so you’ll like the hand that has the alternative all the more, regardless if it has any substance to it. That’s not change I can believe in. Just more of the same. Let me give you a prep for 1 to 2 years out – Obama will not only not give back any of the authority that was never the presidents to begin with, he’ll enlarge those unconstitutional controls – OVER YOU. Think about that. I like neither candidate. I think they both fit the mold I just described. Change you can believe in – whatever….. There where some guys back in WWII that had the same message for folks. You might want to check into where that got them.
Cach – Let me tell you what I find difficult to believe. I set here as an independent, hearing people tear this woman apart. Before the election and her nomination, she evidently was doing a fine job. A state with a large surplus, dividends provided to the populace and an approval rating of 80%. None of us knew her from Adam. Kind of like a good worker, the less noise you hear about their work, the better worker they usually are.
Now we hear all this noise about Trooper Gate. Why are we not hearing about Biden’s brother who has been convicted of Fraud? Why are we not hearing about Biden’s son who is/ was a lobbyist? Why are we not hearing about Biden being the ORIGINAL author of the bill in the mid 90’s that allowed the original wire tapping of YOUR phone and email? That’s right Cach, everyone is in such an uproar about the Patriot Act. Well, hate to bust your bubble, but this wasn’t some new found authority given. Biden authored a bill that gave 90% of this authority over a decade ago. He no more fights for you and I than Mickey Mouse or Oprah Winfrey.
Quite honestly the day that my civil liberties being taken away is a smaller story than a governor who fires her brother-in-law state trooper who threatened his wife, abused his position and tasered a child – well, we all deserve to go down the tubes. It tells me what kind of nit wits I live amongst.
Cach – How would you look at it if it was YOUR CHILD that got tasered? Brings a different perspective to this doesn't it…..we are so cuaght up in political correctness, we can't even purge those who abuse their power. SAD. You are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Cach, you are one of the people I refer to as Sheeple. You’re not half as smart or studied as you would like to believe you are. If you want to exchange critical thinking you better come prepared.
GHM – You show such a lack of understanding of how things work and what causality is, may GOD have pity on your soul.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 11:32 am
This is a scary politician. The road she would lead this country down is very frightening; I believe she has more in common with Adolf Hitler than most Americans realize. The first time Hitler gave a speech he was hooked; his socialist party wasn't about anything more than the promotion of Adolf Hitler. He also used outright lies and hatred to promote himself.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 11:43 am
I miss the old days when pols became corrupt AFTER they got to DC!
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 11:48 am
Congress approves President Bush's spy bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Democratic-led Congress yielded to President Bush on Saturday and approved legislation to temporarily expand government's power to conduct electronic surveillance without a court order in tracking foreign suspects.
Civil liberties groups charged the measure would create a broad net that would sweep up law-abiding U.S. citizens.
But the House of Representatives gave its concurrence to the bill, 227-183, a day after it won Senate approval, 60-28.
The action came amid warnings of possible attacks on the United States.
“After months of prodding by House Republicans, Congress has finally closed the terrorist loophole in our surveillance law — and America will be the safer for it,” declared House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.
“We think it is not the bill that ought to pass,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. But he conceded he and fellow Democrats were unable to stop the measure in this national security showdown with the White House.
“Protecting America is our most solemn obligation,” Bush said earlier in the day in urging Congress to send him the bill so he could sign it into law. Watch Kelli Arena's report on what some call an intelligence gap »
The measure would authorize the National Security Agency to intercept without a court order communications between people in the United States and foreign targets overseas.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/04/congress…
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 11:55 am
Try reading this Mr.
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1973
Just got done reading your link GHM – I have to say, I had you pegged dead on the first time. You just verified it.
Your link here is leaving out some important information. The reason he voted against these bills is they were smothered with pork barrel spending. Do your homework yet again. I don't like McCain anymore than you do, but your not brining educated arguments to the table, and I'll keep telling you that until you do.
Oh – and for the record, I am a veteran, so this is near and dear to my heart. The worst years I EVER saw as a soldier was under Bill Clinton. We played war games with bananas as pistols and practiced jumping out of planes that were on the ground. Good stuff, let me tell ya.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
Tom and Srethng – Without looking at who you were referring to, it could have been applied to either one of the presidential candidates. NICE. Obama Change – for what? Srethng – you need to read my reference to WWII. You might get educated on the subject your trying to speak about. I hate it when people make reference to thinks they are obviously not educated on. There is no doubt, if you heard the similarities between Obama's blanket change statements and speeches during that time, it would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. G.W. Bush included.
Comment posted October 20, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
The portrait of Governor Pail emerging since the GOP convention have actually eased my fears of her becoming a formidable Vice President. I feared she was a a right-wing, religious fanatic with Machiavellian designs to grab power and impose her values on mainstream American. I gave her far too much credit.
While she is intensely ambitious, with the chutzpah to jump into deep water unprepared, I think her skills as a politician are fairly limited to the basic maneuvering it takes to win office. Her easy shift from evasion and dodging, a time-honored political tactic, to outright lying and counter-factual assertions certainly raises questions about her ethics and lack of integrity. But her bungling of the TV interviews, lack of nuance in addressing her well-known weaknesses and the inept handling of her Governorship reveal to me someone who wants power but doesn't really know what to do with it. In this sense, she reminds me of George Bush, although she is much more ferocious and fierce. But she lacks the genius and the world-changing political designs of Dick Cheney. If she becomes the VP, I am confident that she will continue the shroud of secrecy that Cheney created in the VP office, but largely to avoid looking like she is out of her depth. At the end of the day, she won't have much affect on the White House at all.
And even if she were to become President, by McCain's untimely death or after her own shot for the Presidency, she will likely let others call the shots so she can stay in power – just as she now does to make sure she wins the VP office. The quote Ms. McGann got from Art Hackney says it all, to me. So, her agenda, capacity to abuse power and political craft no longer scare me. What scares me is who will stand behind her, in the curtains, what their agenda will be and how far will they be willing to undermine our democratic institutions.
Keep up the great reporting, Laura!
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 5:40 am
Smalltownboy – Are you serious? You guys really are the black helicopter conspiracy theorists aren't you?
This woman was a small town mayor for Gods sake. I am NOT saying I think she is the strongest speaker, but I certainly did not see ONE thing in this article that showed, proved or identified she lied about. AGAIN to all you left wing nits, if it was your child that got tasered, how would you feel about it? This is the most overblown item in the news in the last decade. She not only should have canned this guy but probably should have done even more.
I live in a “Right to work state”. Do you even know what that means? That means they can fire you at any time for any reason. I don't see your self righteous butts down here making any noise about hundreds of people getting laid off for NO reason. You guys just don't get it. The average person can't identify with you when your basis for a stance is SOOOOOO woobly. Just like abortion. It's not just your stance on abortion that we look at, it's the fact you all are for abortion and against capital punishment. So we punish those who can't defend themselves, but we don't punish thsoe who have preyed on the innocent. IT MAKES NO SENSE. So take your conspiracy theories and Machiavellian designs and go write your manifesto somewhere up in the hills.
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 11:18 am
I know about 30 vets and they are ALL voting the McCain Palin ticket.
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 11:20 am
You' re ignorant. Obama could nt even be his own security officer, that is how poorly BoBo was vetted, aas far as his “Broken Toy” Biden, they weill go down in “flames” when Nov 4 comes around.
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 11:21 am
I agree. There is a very high level of low IQs here. I' wont be back unless it is to get a few laughs.
http://www.GoMcCainPalin.com
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 11:34 am
Palin is AWESOME!! and she WILL be the FIRST WOMAN president of the unitede states. ANd that being said hopefully we can get some moral judges and lock the lickes of Dodd and Frank up along with the Rezkos of this world!
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 11:37 am
BTW if you had done your due dilligence on this you would have found out that it was Todd who kept trying to get that moron fired, idiot.
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
Truth stretching? If she doesn't just make up an answer (like Biden) she is accused of avoiding the question, if she does answer with something the Lib's don't like, it is truth stretching.
Here is some more “truth stretching”:
This quote is from an article written in…..are you ready? 1999.
“In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of [sub-prime] lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.” –New York Times, 1999
http://sbvor.blogspot.com/search/label/Housing%…
-Markus
Comment posted October 21, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
Trying the link again:
“http://sbvor.blogspot.com/search/label/Housing Mess – Obama”
Comment posted October 22, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
Alaskan voters and press will have to take some responsiblity here. Were they looking at Palin with eyes wide shut? She caught on to the Alaskan publics sentiments and took them for a ride. I'm wondering know with Alice outside the looking glass, if Alaska will have a change of heart towards Sarah and Todd's governorship?
Comment posted October 22, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
Alaskan voters and press will have to take some responsiblity here. Were they looking at Palin with eyes wide shut? She caught on to the Alaskan publics sentiments and took them for a ride. I'm wondering know with Alice outside the looking glass, if Alaska will have a change of heart towards Sarah and Todd's governorship?
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