This, from a new piece in the New Republic, is what I hope Sarah Palin is all about:
"A lot of liberals don't understand: Real Republicans are disgusted with the Republican Congress because it was corrupt and it was cowardly," [conservative columnist Jack] Kelly now says, as surprised as anyone by McCain's choice. "Sarah Palin took on a corrupt Republican establishment in Alaska. Ask the normal rank-and-file Republican what they think of people like Ted Stevens, and you'll get them fuming. Sarah took them on and beat them. That's why she's a conservative folk hero."
Great! But for conservatives who would like to see an end to the cronyism and secrecy of the Bush administration, this report from the New York Times is troubling:
Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process.
When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages -- through a federal records request -- he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show.
"Their secrecy is off the charts," Mr. Steiner said.
State legislators are investigating accusations that Ms. Palin and her husband pressured officials to fire a state trooper who had gone through a messy divorce with her sister, charges that she denies. But interviews make clear that the Palins draw few distinctions between the personal and the political.
And there's this, which brings Monica Goodling to mind:
But careers were turned upside down. The mayor quickly fired the town's museum director, John Cooper. Later, she sent an aide to the museum to talk to the three remaining employees. "He told us they only wanted two," recalled Esther West, one of the three, "and we had to pick who was going to be laid off." The three quit as one.Ms. Palin cited budget difficulties for the museum cuts. Mr. Cooper thought differently, saying the museum had become a microcosm of class and cultural conflicts in town. "It represented that the town was becoming more progressive, and they didn't want that," he said.
[snip]
In 1997, Ms. Palin fired the longtime city attorney, Richard Deuser, after he issued the stop-work order on a home being built by Don Showers, another of her campaign supporters.
Your attorney, Mr. Showers told Ms. Palin, is costing me lots of money.
"She told me she'd like to see him fired," Mr. Showers recalled. "But she couldn't do it herself because the City Council hires the city attorney." Ms. Palin told him to write the council members to complain.
Meanwhile, Ms. Palin pushed the issue from the inside. "She started the ball rolling," said Ms. Patrick, who also favored the firing. Mr. Deuser was soon replaced by Ken Jacobus, then the State Republican Party's general counsel.
"Professionals were either forced out or fired," Mr. Deuser said.
And this too:
The administration's e-mail correspondence reveals a siege-like atmosphere. Top aides keep score, demean enemies and gloat over successes. Even some who helped engineer her rise have felt her wrath.Dan Fagan, a prominent conservative radio host and longtime friend of Ms. Palin, urged his listeners to vote for her in 2006. But when he took her to task for raising taxes on oil companies, he said, he found himself branded a "hater."
It is part of a pattern, Mr. Fagan said, in which Ms. Palin characterizes critics as "bad people who are anti-Alaska."
I'm sure this lengthy Times piece is going to be described as a liberal media hatchet job by many on the Right. I'll want to see how the Palin campaign responds to the charges leveled here before making my mind up. But I've got to tell you, a lot of what is in this piece -- especially the material documented by the e-mails -- is precisely the kind of thing that many of us grew to hate about the Bush way of governing.
Look, I love the image of Sarah Barracuda tearing through the corrupt ol' boy establishment of Alaska. But how real is it? Are we thinking we're getting a real reformer, but are actually just getting someone whose idea of reform is to replace one good ol' boy network with one of her own?
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stephanie,
*The Sopranos* is not an obscure show and Pussy is not an obscure character on the show.
Pussy's death, which Francis referenced to introduce his analogy, is arguably the most memorable scene in the run of the show.
It in particular and Pussy's character and story-line in general are reference-points that anyone who watched *The Sopranos* attentively would recognize.
The character of Pussy embodies none of the derogatory things that -- for you -- the word "pussy" -- as opposed to the name -- seems to connote.
I agree with Rod. The information about Palin's governing style makes me very worried. Political opportunism I can understand. But cronyism isn't good and given the track record of the current administration it should give anyone serious pause. The secrecy and attempts to circumvent laws for release of public records in decisions is also a trait that fits with the current administration. Remember, we aren't just hiring a President, we're hiring the staff they choose and they're guided by the ethical examples of their leader.
To a limited degree, the end-game strategy of limiting access to the candidates and fostering doubt about all media outlets has had some success. Hopefully, people will see through it soon and demand more accounting -- It's hard to sustain for more than a few weeks and the undecideds are sure to notice.
To be honest, I was happy that McCain and either Obama or Clinton made it to national election. I didn't think the downside would be so bad in either case. However, given McCain's poor choice of VP and considering his age, I think the downside to having McCain in office is now more substantial.
Just googled "uncle pussy". The very first link was HBO: Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, played by Vincent Pastore: The .... Just sayin'.
How like a Republican being interviewed--if you don't like the answer you'll be forced to give, just change the terms of the question and pretend you've answered it. Nobody called Obama "Uncle Pussy." Try again. Just sayin' . . . .
Imagine my surprise at learning that since I'm not an African-American, I'm quite possibly a "bobo-volvo-latte-urban-metrosexual-snob." That little "revelation" might just change my life. I better quick sell both the Ford and Chevy sitting out front, get a Volvo (or two!), move into the city, start guzzling lattes like water, and sit down to re-read "Bobos in Paradise" so I know just what I'm supposed to do from here on out.
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