Today in Troopergate
I remember watching MSNBC on what I think was the morning before Sarah Palin was announced. Someone or other floated the idea of Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP choice. Then Andrea Mitchell dismissed that idea out of hand on the grounds that there was an open investigation into some alleged misconduct and nobody would pick a VP choice who was already the target of something like that. Well, that made sense to me, and I thought no more of Palin until . . . John McCain picked her.
But it’s still a crazy idea. Now she’s into some major league stonewalling. And she doesn’t even really have the fig leaf of holding that the whole investigation is somehow root-and-branch illegitimate, either, because she initially welcomed the investigation and swore she would cooperate with it. But now AP’s reporting that “Palin won’t comply with subpoenas issued by state lawmakers investigating the firing of Alaska’s former public safety commissioner because Palin ‘has declined to participate’ in the probe, her attorney general says.”
As far as these things go, “I’m not complying because I’m declining to participate” has a remarkably tautological air about it. Meanwhile, the political merits of the “it wasn’t a personal vendetta, I just don’t like vigorous enforcement of rape laws” defense continue to escape me. I think undertaking a personal vendetta on behalf of a sibling is something most people could relate to on some level.
49 Responses to “Today in Troopergate”
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September 17th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
And like Bush’s AG Gonzales (and the new bastard too), no one will pick up on the idea that the friggin’ AG, while appointed, serves the people, not the governor.
Who ordered an independent counsel for Whitewater? That’s right, Reno.
An AG is not executive counsel…he or she is the chief LAW ENFORCEMENT officer of his or her jurisdiction.
These are public positions, the idea that the AG would advocate for anyone other than the people of Alaska (which would mean staying silent) is absurd.
How far the idea of “normal” corruption in politics has moved…
September 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Of course, the Alaska AG was also one of the people personally involved in putting pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten. So he is covering up for himself as much as Palin (probably also not a desirable characteristic in an AG).
September 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
“Now she’s into some major league stonewalling.”
Which seems as if it will succeed, given that the AG is on board, which if I understand correctly means that the subpoenas don’t stand…
—–
“Then Andrea Mitchell dismissed that idea out of hand on the grounds that there was an open investigation into some alleged misconduct and nobody would pick a VP choice who was already the target of something like that. Well, that made sense to me”
Their calculation was that the details of the investigation aren’t bad for Palin, which seems the correct calculation to me.
Ayn Rand’s saxophone player and his wife are both always wrong. That much is evergreen.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
She’s a corrupt governor of a welfare state; she went to Washington for over $450 million in grants over two years, she paid herself a per diem to live in her house, she installed a tanning bed in the governor’s mansion, she hired high-school friends to cushy and well-paid government posts, and she used her office to pursue personal vendettas.
And she thinks she’s better than you because she comes from Alaska.
She lied repeatedly to America, brazenly in the way only Republicans can, in all her campaign appearances starting with her very first introduction. And she just doesn’t have a problem with that.
John McCain’s defining hour came when he finally capitulated to the divide-and-conquer merchants running his campaign and installed their right-wing fetish object to within inch of grasping the most powerful job in the world.
Do not want.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
It’s not working. From CBS:
September 17th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
When Daily Kos reported on Troopergate in July, one of the first things that became apparent from Alaska is that this removed her as a possible choice to replace Ted Stevens should he decide to drop off the ballot. That was the consensus among Alaska REPUBLICANS.
This side of the story never permeated the national press.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
petey wrote “Their calculation was that the details of the investigation aren’t bad for Palin, which seems the correct calculation to me.”
If they weren’t bad for Palin, they wouldn’t be sending a brigade of white-shoe lawyers up to snowshoe country to try and kill the investigation.
Looks like McCain didn’t know really know anything about her other than what she told him. He made the mistake of believing her (bad call, John!) and didn’t send a couple people up to vet her pre-nomination, so now they’re wasting a cadre of high-powered muscle up there after the fact to twist some arms. Let’s hope the campaign has to pay through the nose for sending DC lawyers to battle stations in the frozen north. Nice way to waste campaign funds.
What a way to run a country–the John McCain way!
September 17th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
tis news tells how palins yahoo account was hacked. I give it less than 1 week before all emails (subpoenaed) on her private accounts are considered “unreliable” by her and the campaign because of tampering.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Will there be no end —gate formula for naming scandals? Will no one rid us of this loathsome phrase?
September 17th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
The McCain campaigns calculations were they could just delay this until after the election and they’re doing a good job of it. The media wont’ even get off their asses to get an interview out of Palin (something I cannot fathom at all). They seem to accept one interview and one off the cuff question today and possibly another interview with Couric will suffice until the debate on Oct. 10th (?) which they apparently think is all the vetting a VP candidate needs. And when they ask her about the investigation, Palin will most certainly say she can’t comment on an ongoing investigation. The media is getting played.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
It sure makes it clear why she didn’t pause to blink before accepting the nomination, eh? (I assume they say “eh” up there.)
“Meanwhile, the political merits of the “it wasn’t a personal vendetta, I just don’t like vigorous enforcement of rape laws” defense continue to escape me.”
It’s easy: One is illegal and the other is not.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Look, chickens come home to roost. Remember when everybody said his pick won a news cycle, and nothing else? Well, cycles spin, it’s the nature of the game. The official report comes out in 2-3 weeks (I ain’t gonna look the exact date up, honestly) so they’ll lie their asses off when it comes up but how long can that last? PalinCorps can only push things so far. Even if it takes a month to hit the kitchen table after that, y’all will be on it for plenty long enough.
BOTTOM LINE: Feiler Faster Theorem rules. Accept it.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Bush in a skirt. In these things, you should always take the path of least resistance. Now, she just looks like she was doing something wrong and it looks a whole lot worse. Even if they had decided that firing of Monegan was personal, what could they have done about it? And would that have really mattered to her fellow nutbars? Many of them still don’t have a problem with all the lying and stomping on the Constitution Bush has been doing. Way to make things even more complicated for yourselves, McCain-Palin.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Conspiracy to obstruct justice. Conspiracy to obstruct justice. Conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Is there an argument against that interpretation aside from “They’re too
maverickyimportantChrist, think of something!anything to be engaged in such flagrantly illegal activity!”September 17th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
The McCain campaign is actively obstructing an investigation into official misconduct. Palin and other witnesses were going to cooperate with the probe, until McCain stepped in and shut everything down.
It is fucking unbelievable that they are doing this in broad daylight. And there’s no comment on it in the MSM!
Jesus, dare I ask, what if the Clintons were accused of something like this?
September 17th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
PS. Some people think a blink will last a month. Those in the now know it lasts until Friday afternoon.
Snipe when the time is right.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
It looks guilty as hell, doesn’t it? I mean isn’t it clear that they are very, very afraid of that investigation.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I mean, aren’t we having a similar problem with Bush? Multiple times??? McCain and Bush are practically Siamese twins.
They both have a total disregard for the truth, and total disregard for the rule of law.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I figure she’s just trying to show everyone how presidential she is.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
As my mother put it: how can any woman be soft on rape?
September 17th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
What’s next? I vote for rape kits/emergency contraception.
http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/17/175430/636/888/601186
Palin’s response to the rape kits story seems specifically designed to leave a space for denying paying for rape kits that contain emergency contraception:
Now that liar has set in, I think it’s time for wacko.
Palin’s views on abortion are bizarre in the United States.
I’m not sure Team McCain is ever going to win a news cycle again in this election.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Well, a little quick research suggests Alaskan law allows the Houses of the legislature to send their Sargeants-at-Arms to arrest witnesses who refuse to comply with subpoenas:
Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
September 18th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Arnold Evans: “I’m not sure Team McCain is ever going to win a news cycle again in this election.”
Sure they will. For one thing, the media will give them cycles just to keep the race looking tight.
For another, Bush can invade Iran or Venezuela or France or somewhere, and then the media can talk about how that’s great for McSame. Gotta have an October Surprise to keep Morgan Stanley and WaMu out of the news when they go down.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:17 am
I’m not sure Team McCain is ever going to win a news cycle again in this election.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on McCain
September 18th, 2008 at 12:31 am
One would think Rachel Q’s inclusion of France was a joke, but I gather Spain is now considered part of the Axis-of-Evil, albeit operating from an unknown location. So France may well be next.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:37 am
“If they weren’t bad for Palin, they wouldn’t be sending a brigade of white-shoe lawyers up to snowshoe country to try and kill the investigation.”
They obviously don’t want a rehashing under oath before the elections. And given that they seem to be able to avoid that, we’re just left with the underlying story, which isn’t that bad for them.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:50 am
“I’m not sure Team McCain is ever going to win a news cycle again in this election.”
As long as the economy is collapsing, you’ll be right.
They’ve lost this week pretty badly, and we’ll just have to see if the economic news provides enough ill winds for them to lose next week too heading into DebateWorld.
But we’re still a long way from home. Winning one week doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to win every week, let alone win every day. Don’t count out Team McCain’s ability to set the agenda when they need to.
And DebateWorld could be weird. It’s going to be a real stress test on both candidates and both teams.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Tautology? It’s something of an ipsedixitism.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:59 am
I’ll tangentially note that the non-political news has made me much more optimistic about Obama’s chances than I was 72 hours ago.
I didn’t think Obama had laid the scaffolding to support a successful pivot to economics, but the financial meltdown has basically accomplished the pivot for him. If the bad news continues for another couple of weeks, I think Obama will be the shoo-in that many folks were expecting in June.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:17 am
“Kindergarten sex ed” and “bridge to nowhere” were not luck, they were bad moves by Team McCain that Team Obama exploited.
Obama may bring “out of touch” back because of the economy, but he hasn’t so far. No memorable economic narrative has been advanced by Obama since house-gate before the conventions, another bad move by Team McCain deftly exploited by Team Obama.
Obama won the week because Team Obama, supported by the left-wing internet echo chamber outcompeted Team McCain and the right-wing talk radio echo chamber.
I wish the left-wing echo chamber would either continue to press liar, or move on to something equally easy to explain. (I vote for wacko, “out of touch” would work too, but its been done and I’m not sure there are still votes there.) But either way, it is vastly outperforming the right-wing echo chamber right now.
I think this is structural. The left-wing echo chamber has made tremendous growth in effectiveness since we last saw it go up against its right wing counterpart.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:30 am
If the bad news continues for another couple of weeks, I think Obama will be the shoo-in that many folks were expecting in June.
If you manage to go 0 for 3 and Obama loses because of this, I’m going to hunt you down, buddy. Talk about the kiss of death.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I know it’s irrelevant to the larger issue of the stonewalling, but isn’t this guy a class-a number one scumbag who tasered his kid and did other skeevy things? Why don’t the republicans push that angle. I’d fire him.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:37 am
“Obama may bring “out of touch” back because of the economy, but he hasn’t so far.”
He basically did exactly that this week.
That was what the repetition of the damaging McCain ‘economy is fine’ soundbite was all about.
“I think this is structural.”
Again, it’s structural as long as the economy is giving off disaster vibes. Obama really can win almost every newscycle while that’s happening.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:56 am
nolaboyd:
The Petey jinx is more complex than that. I don’t think he’s triggered it on Obama yet. I have a feeling he won’t.
The Petey jinx is real, and from here it looks like if he thinks Obama will win, Obama is sure to lose, but it isn’t just thinking Obama will win.
I won’t say anything more than, don’t worry about it.
Petey:
Nope, this week was liar liar, all liar, all day. This is before the market crash during the market crash and after the market crash. The left wing echo chamber hasn’t gone back to out of touch because it’s already been mined clean. Obama went there, but the echo chamber didn’t follow. We may see out of touch closer to the election unless something better comes along.
With the left wing echo chamber in the form it’s in now, McCain has to win all the debates decisively, like he won Saddlebrook. If he and Palin put together four Saddlebrooks, they can win, otherwise things are looking very grim for team Sedona. Four draws and the election is over, because the left is able to make a draw look like an Obama win now, the way the right made draws look like Bush wins against Gore and Kerry.
And Saddlebrook was a uniquely good environment for McCain. He’ll never have the advantages he had going into that again.
And last thing, seeing Obama behind the in the polls in September probably killed most of the tendency toward complacency in Team Obama and its supporters. I’m the only one I know who thinks this is basically in the bag.
I can be wrong. I’ve been wrong before, but Obama is looking very good right now, economy or no.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:04 am
“If you manage to go 0 for 3 and Obama loses because of this, I’m going to hunt you down, buddy.”
I was actually pretty accurate during the primaries, which no one seems to remember since I was advocating for candidates who didn’t win. But I had Clinton as a plurality favorite prior to Iowa, and Obama as a majority favorite after Tsunami Tuesday, both of which are accurate takes in retrospect.
And I’m not calling November 4th for Obama quite yet. I’d bet him at 50/50 today, but he’s not a shoo-in unless the non-political news continues to provide him a strong tailwind. Team Chicago still seems vulnerable to air attacks in neutral weather, and that’s worrisome.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:35 am
“because the left is able to make a draw look like an Obama win now”
Again, what you are describing has been happening for a week. The previous six weeks were different. And it’s been happening while external events are providing a tailwind.
If the external events recede, the environment will likely not continue to be as easy as it’s been this week.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:53 am
But now AP’s reporting that “Palin won’t comply with subpoenas issued by state lawmakers investigating the firing of Alaska’s former public safety commissioner because Palin ‘has declined to participate’ in the probe, her attorney general says.”
As far as these things go, “I’m not complying because I’m declining to participate” has a remarkably tautological air about it.
Oh come on. The tautology’s AP’s, not hers.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Nobody asked me but I think the worst strike against her is the bit about running for mayor against a guy named Stein as Wasilla’s first Christian mayor. There’s all these conservative Jewish groups cuddling up with her, but I’d think that the Jewish Love is not really that deep. It’s another IOKIYAR moment, too. If Obama had run against someone named Greenburg as a Christian representative? You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because of the noise.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Meanwhile, the political merits of the “it wasn’t a personal vendetta, I just don’t like vigorous enforcement of rape laws” defense continue to escape me.
Hey, the top of the McCain-Palin ticket put out an ad smearing Obama for supporting a law that protected kids from sexual predators.
“I just don’t like vigorous enforcement of rape laws” isn’t a defense, it’s Republican message discipline.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I *need* to see an Obama ad, or maybe just a good spokesperson on a show tie this refusal to cooperate with the Bush Administration. Obama has, by necessity, moved away from the “more of the same” argument into the “out of touch” argument, but this seems like a great opportunity to, at least briefly, bring that meme back.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:08 am
The privilege log of emails she is withholding show some pretty suspicious emails the night before and morning of the infamous phone call placed by aide Frank Bailey regarding Wooten. Their privileged designation is being challenged because Todd, a private citizen, was copied on them.
http://theenlighteneddespot.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/the-last-word-on-the-troopergate-emails/
September 18th, 2008 at 11:21 am
The narrative about “liar” had fully caught hold before the any market news on Monday.
Housegate/”out of touch” was August.
This is not about the economy, it is about the left having a capacity to pin a negative narrative on a Republican presidential candidate and have it stick during a campaign, and stick more effectively than the right is able to stick a negative narrative on a Democratic presidential candidate.
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