Alaska Politics Blog : "I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she's change..."

Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics -- state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has probably never been more interesting than right now -- the governor as candidate for vice president, the broad and still-evolving corruption investigation, a big election, powerful members of Congress under scrutiny, and the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. Keep your comments civil and on point. Avoid personal attacks. Do not use profanity. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned.

Contributors

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He spent three years based in Juneau for the ADN before joining the Tacoma News-Tribune to write about Washington state politics. He went to Iraq twice for the News Tribune, and previously wrote about Alaska government and politics for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers politics and other stories for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously was a reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com

Features

SECTION

Alaska political corruption

The FBI raided state legislatures offices in Aug. 2006, and the fallout since has been epic in Alaska's political world.

"I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she's change..."

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: September 6, 2008 - 6:55 pm

Update: In Albuquerque, N.M., this evening, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hit back at Sen. Barack Obama’s comments earlier today assailing her record on earmarks compared to her anti-pork crusader posturing. (ABC News politics blog)

Obama rebukes Palin on earmarks

By CHARLES BABINGTON
The Associated Press
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Barack Obama made his first direct criticism of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Saturday, saying she pretends to oppose spending earmarks when she actually has embraced them.

Speaking to 800 people at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Ind., the Democratic presidential nominee ridiculed John McCain and his running mate, the Alaska governor, for describing themselves as agents of change at this week's GOP convention.

"Don't be fooled," Obama told the crowd surrounding him in a large barn. "John McCain's party, with the help of John McCain, has been in charge" for nearly eight years.

"I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she's change, and that's great," Obama said. "She's a skillful politician. But, you know, when you've been taking all these earmarks when it's convenient, and then suddenly you're the champion anti-earmark person, that's not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up."

McCain has vowed to wipe out earmarks, which are targeted funding for specific projects that lawmakers put into spending bills. As governor, Palin originally supported earmarks for a controversial $398 million Alaska project dubbed the "bridge to nowhere." But she dropped her support after the state's likely share of the cost rose. She hung onto $27 million to build the approach road to the bridge.

Under Palin's leadership, Alaska this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. Palin actually reduced the state government's requests for special projects this year in the wake of President Bush's demand for a cutback in earmarks.

Alaska also has become so accustomed to largess flowing from Congress through Stevens that most of Palin's earmark requests this year — such as studies of Alaskan fisheries, grants to combat drug trafficking, and rural airport upgrades — simply keep ongoing programs going. Among her requests was $150,000 to pay the travel bills of state and fisheries industry representatives on the boards that implement North Pacific fisheries agreements.

Until Saturday, Obama had refrained from criticizing Palin directly, saying only that she, like McCain, would continue the Bush administration's policies.

Democrats have debated how to deal with Palin. They want to avoid charges of sexism but find ways to highlight what they see as her political weaknesses.

Obama delivered some of his most withering criticisms yet of McCain, although he did so with chuckles and an air of mock disbelief. McCain has acknowledged voting with President Bush 90 percent of the time in Congress, Obama said.

"And suddenly he's the change agent? Ha. He says, 'I'm going to tell those lobbyists that their days of running Washington are over.' Who is he going to tell? Is he going to tell his campaign chairman, who's one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell his campaign manager, who was one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington?"

"I mean, come on, they must think you're stupid," Obama said as the crowd laughed and cheered.

The McCain campaign noted that Obama has steered numerous earmarks to his state of Illinois. However, Obama has not been the critic of earmarks that McCain and, more recently Palin, have been.

Obama said Republicans are targeting his character, and he criticized McCain for saying he would reduce the partisan rancor in Washington. Pretending to address McCain, he said, "Did you pay attention to the last two days of your convention? Were you not watching?"

"When you start just focusing exclusively on trying to tear the other person down instead of what you are going to do on behalf of the American people to deal with this economy," Obama said, "then that's not serving Democrats, that's not serving Republicans, that's not serving anybody."

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10 September 8, 2008 - 1:29am | johnsboss

Email reply to Hickel's office.....

Palin divided Alaska with her words and lack of action!

9 September 8, 2008 - 12:01am | yujump

Lesser of Evils

In politics, I have learned that it is better to trust the ones with warts - as thoughs that appear to have none are actually silver tongued devils that are doing things the normal person would cringe to know - ala King Bill and his cigar escapades.

Any wonder that al lwe hear from Obama land is autobiography after autobiography and not one thing the american public can pint to that he actually did for us, the little people? That scares me - what has he been doing all these years - oh yea, voting "present".

8 September 7, 2008 - 10:42pm | eldon

READ IT AND WEEP

Today, Hickel's office e-mailed this:

Statement by the Honorable Walter J. Hickel, twice governor of Alaska and former Secretary of the Interior and Co-Chair of the 2006 Palin for Governor campaign

ENDORSEMENT OF GOVERNOR PALIN

For the record, I am not a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. I’m an Alaskan. All my life I have put Alaska first. Let’s not divide Alaska. That’s why I am endorsing Governor Sarah Palin today in her bid to become Vice President.

Senator John McCain’s decision to nominate her as his running mate put Alaska on center stage nationally, and our governor is using this opportunity to present the reality of Alaska with all its benefits to the nation. And any time she needs help, I’ll be there.

With leadership from the White House, new sources of energy combined with resources from Alaska and the Arctic, can transform America into an energy exporter.

As Governor Palin knows well, Alaska also has other roles to play in world affairs. Alaska is a model for commonly-owned regions, including our Arctic neighbors, Africa and elsewhere. In sharing our experience, Gov. Palin can help parts of the world still locked in poverty.

7 September 7, 2008 - 2:48pm | msimonian

Palin says she's against

Palin says she's against earmarks. Obama points out that she truly is not against earmarks. Palin shoots back saying Obama likes earmarks too. This isn't a rebuttal, it's playground "I know you are but, what am I" tactic. I'm sorry Sarah, but I didn't hear Obama ever giving speeches claiming to be against earmarks. I didn't see him during his last campaign pledging his support for the most infamous earmark of all, only to change his tune when it wasn't going to win him votes. And, earmarks are a blip on the screen of our tanking economy that is the result of Bush policies. How is McCain's economic policy different than Bush? Right, he'll give big corporations and the super rich an even bigger tax cut. Yup. That will solve all of our problems.

6 September 7, 2008 - 1:06pm | zedthwizard

i don't hear

funny thing is i don't hear anyone saying anything bad about obama's or biden's personality. no ethics charges either. biden won't even meet with lobbyists. and all of the charges against them are out of context or flat out wrong.

September 7, 2008 - 7:15pm | airborne

i don't hear

Joseph Biden is not concerned about facing a legal challenge over ethics violations. Biden has never violated ethics.
He could not possibly have served on the Judicary Committee if he had violated ethics.

September 7, 2008 - 8:47pm | rfn

Perhaps not concerning personality....

perhaps a matter of personal ethics?

Could this egregious violation of ethics somehow have escaped the attention of that Senate Committee?

Or was he just given a free pass?

September 7, 2008 - 8:51pm | akallegro

dont mention

the sweet interest rate Barry got on the house Rezko bought him.

I'm also pretty sure that Joes lobbyist son Hunter Biden (the one that works for the credit card companies that donate to Joe that greatly appreciate his work on the bankruptcy bill) is allowed in his office.

Even if he has to use the back door when he brings the wheelbarrow.

5 September 7, 2008 - 7:11am | TheSdog

Shannyn Moore

was on Geraldo's show yesterday and introduced the nation to the terms "Palinista" and "Palinbot."

Not sure hitman but I think she called you a "Palinbot" and that kind of goes against your claims to the contrary here. Could it be your silence is tacit endorsement of the rude and crude gesticulations of your partner?

Someone on Geraldo's staff dropped the ball because it seemed like he thought Moore was a pro-Palin person. One thing though Shannyn, you looked bitter and twisted and really unhappy to be there. Someone should have "fluffed" you better as nOse would say.

4 September 7, 2008 - 6:27am | Stags_Leap

Palin lies constantly

conservative, but raises taxes on industry and grows state government by 23%. Opposes ear marks, but has a history of taking them and asking for more. Opposes the Bridge to Nowhere, but supported it just 1 1/2 years ago. Claims she is open and transparent, but stonewalls the Branchflower investigation.

That's why you cannot believe her...or trust...and why she is not fit for public office at any level.

We need people who say what they mean and mean what they say. Palin is not that person. She is just the opposite.

September 7, 2008 - 11:58am | rfn

And speaking of lies.....

What do you call a Senatorial candidate who claims to be as "independent as Alaska" but who is a slave to Democrat policies of jacking up taxes simply to test the threshold of pain? Who tries to convince us he can get ANWR opened when it's plain that anyone of that party who makes too much noise about it will be assigned a broom-closet in a remote garage as an office?

What do you call a Congressional candidate whose fealty belongs to the San Francisco Liberal Democrat establishment?

The uncharitable might call them "liars".

Some might say "naive".

I prefer just "Begich" and "Berkowitz-Pelosi".

Guess it's a matter of tastes?

We need people who say what they mean and mean what they say. That pair are not that sort of persons. They are just the opposite!

September 7, 2008 - 7:08pm | airborne

and speaking of lies

What do you call Mr McCain? Don't Alaskans understand that Mr McCain voted against your very own governor against drilling in ANWR?
That's correct. Nonetheless; look up Mr McCains life history and you'll discover the real face behind the man. You'll discover that Mr McCain has never voted for renewable fuels. You'll discover that the Democrats tried to get the Republicans to vote on an energy bill 8 different times only for the Republicans to refuse. You'll discover that the Republican party saw the energy crisis approaching us here in the lower 48. You'll discover that they are now using it as a political football. You'll discover that Mr. McCain is in the pockets of the oil industry.
I'm not in love with Obama. Obama has taken the advice of one of the most successful oil men in American history. T. Boone Pickens, the big oil man worth 4 billion dollars has attempted to install within our leaders the wisdom that is so badly missing, only to be rebuked by Mr McCain. Yep, the war hero knows it all. He's a reformer. A reformer with 160 lobbists surrounding him. He's the reformer that would make it worse in America and all Alaskans will feel the pinch.
If there were any other nominee on the republican presidential ticket with Gov Sarah Palin, I'd be hard pressed to throw my full support behind that ticket. As it presently stands, I as a lifetime republican can't possibly support John McCain. I feel sorry for Governor Palin. The GOP has set her up for failure. Failure on the national stage is hard to fight back from. Gov Palin is being used like an inter-changeable part. She was selected to be Mr McCains bottle of Viagra.
With all that aside, "We here in the lower 48 will not purchase the plilosophy of Mr McCain". We have been educated over the past 8 years. We have seen, heard, read, and more than anytime in history, we're aware of the deceit that has been spoon fed us by the republican party over the last 8 years.
The political arena in the lower 48 is vastly different than in the great state of Alaska which we honor. We honor Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. We do not honor both so much that we will send them to Washinghton. No way, no how, no John McCain.

September 7, 2008 - 12:26pm | BlueHillLobsterman

Slow

Sounds like you simply don't like these Democrats' positions. So because you don't agree, they are lies? Weird logic--or no logic at all.

Poor thing, this whole contest must be very confusing for you.

September 7, 2008 - 6:46pm | rfn

Bereft of ideas,

Democrat tradition demands a personal attack.

Was the possibility of naivety completely beyond belief?

Recall, I did propose a range of possibilities, of which lying was but one. The choice was anyone's to make and it appears at least one individual found but one choice obvious.

3 September 6, 2008 - 9:42pm | black33

Palin loves pork

She loved it as mayor of Wasilla.

She loves it as governor. In her first year she asked for about $170 million in earmarks from Ted Stevens. This year she asked for about $190 million in earmarks from Ted.

Ted Stevens is now lisiting all earmark requests on his website. Go take a look at what anti-earmark Sarah has requested.

I wonder if she thinks her earmark requests are better than earmark requests from her constituents.

ps Does John McCain support her earmark requests.

ps does she now support the winner of the republican primary, Don Young? And Ted Stevens? or do we have to wait for the "cone of silence" to be lifted by McSame so we learn her views on those (or any) issues?

September 6, 2008 - 11:18pm | Northernboy

Accusations....

If you are going to say something like that then I suggest you leave a link on your comment. I looked and found nothing on the Senators website. I found a list of Grants but that was it and I read through them all.

September 6, 2008 - 11:43pm | Skeptical

Didn't seem very hard to find

http://stevens.senate.gov/earmarks/Approps-StateofAlaska.pdf

I think this is the one you're referring to.

September 7, 2008 - 7:06am | TheSdog

Skeps

Ever notice the Palin Posse always asks for links that have already been posted or for things that have been reported a million times.

I guess they think it somehow excuses Palin's fabrications if they just keep askng for links.

September 7, 2008 - 10:32am | Skeptical

I haven't seen Lily'sdaddy

on here in a while. He's usually the one screaming for them. I wonder if he's assumed a new screen name...

September 7, 2008 - 1:49pm | blue_in_AK

No kidding.

I've been a victim of his hyperlink mania.

2 September 6, 2008 - 9:20pm | katie_doe

Classic

Palin did not go into the hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks she has sought as governor and as mayor of Wasilla, nor the fact in 2001 and 2002, McCain -- a legit pork-buster -- cited three of the pork projects Palin sought as "objectionable."

September 6, 2008 - 9:38pm | aktraveller

Wow, you can cut and paste

Ever have an original thought?

1 September 6, 2008 - 7:00pm | TheSdog

Never thought it would happen

but Barak Obama said something I can agree with:

Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up.

What he does not understand is this she is from a state that has been letting her make things up for a while now.

September 6, 2008 - 7:13pm | erak

You mean unlike Obamassiah?

He is the one who didn't get sufficiently vetted.

September 6, 2008 - 7:31pm | rfn

It's so unfair

to criticize Obama for having no executive experience.

After all, he's soooooooo young and, after two, maybe three years, he'll catch up with Sarah Palin in the experience department. Provided he can put behind him all the negatives he has heaped upon himself in the next few days. Even if he doesn't win this time, isn't there a Mayoral election coming up in Chicago?

September 6, 2008 - 9:54pm | black33

And maybe we'll hear about sex, lies , and audiotape

from them as much as we have (and we are going to) from the the Palin regime.

September 6, 2008 - 7:17pm | TheSdog

erak

You are another one who should vote for Barr.

There is no difference between the two major tickets.

September 7, 2008 - 8:40am | erak

I might write in TheSdog for President

Separating substance from PR, the SP pick was pretty brilliant. It is not possible for a white male to attack the Obamassiah, as evidenced by the fact he made it to the top and no one one had pointed out that he doesn't have a lot of appropriate clothing. HC, a woman, came closest. SP is able to be the attack dog and the Ds corked themselves off by picking an old white male who will have a hard time hitting a girl. If Obamassiah's fawning press can't find anything is the next week that forces McCain to throw SP under the bus the Ds could be in for trouble.

September 6, 2008 - 10:17pm | chugachya

The Republicrats

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