It;s long -- but feel free to cut and paste as you will...some of it is taken liberally from a great blog
http://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/here-it-is-sarah-palin-a-job-description-for-vice-president/RE: Palin for VP
Hi sweetie,
I've written you a rather long response-- when I said I've been researching this stuff, I wasn't kidding! Here are my thoughts so far, though I don't promise they are in perfect order or will not change over time.
These things are basically what she is known for or has said in interviews that you can watch on Youtube. I actually researched papers in Alaska from the past several years as well as watching tv interviews with her and reading things in NY Times, CNN print version on their web, local Alaskan TV which I found on google, blogs, etc. I haven't cited everything, as these were really notes for myself which I decided to share with you. You can verify these things easily, however, using google.
I know she's currently being investigated for Troopergate, which at its core is about her use of her public office to pursue a private vendetta by firing a public safety commissioner. I've listened to two of the tapes from that investigation where you can hear people who work for her trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired. She is currently being investigated for having another trooper fired for not firing her brother-in-law in this same scandal. Apparently during the investigation, she lied about pressuring the guy to do so, and then replaced the guy she fired with someone who had to resign in two weeks because of sexual harassment problems, thus calling into question her judgment on this matter. The investigating committee asked her for emails (which she had cc'd to her husband for some inexplicable reason) and she refused, citing executive privilege (sound familiar?). It hasn't been explained why she cc'd her husband if they were privileged documents, though there are interviews with people from Alaska who say he attends most high level meetings of hers. This is an alarm bell to me, but I'm not sure what to make of it.
A second scandal ensued when she was mayor of Wasilla (population just under 5,000 at that time and now being reported as 9,600 because that is its current population), there was an official action to try to get her recalled from office. Sarah Palin fired the city's police chief and the library director without warning, accusing them of not fully supporting her efforts to govern. Irl Stambaugh and Mary Ellen Emmons said letters signed by Palin were dropped on their desks telling them their jobs were over as of Feb. 13 and that they no longer needed to report to work. (
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AS&p_theme=as&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F79408854D0C20B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM). The recall action was not successful-- They needed 100 signatures and only got 60. To put that in perspective, remember we're talking Wasilla Alaska here, not Los Angeles. This is in a town where only 1100 people voted in 1999, so I imagine getting petition signatures ain't easy. In any event, 60 voters represents about 5 percent of the voting population, in just the first couple of days the effort was launched. Compare this to the Gray Davis recall, which took monthsto get only 6 percent of the voting population, before really gaining traction. So they were only 40 people from getting a recall on the ballot after a couple of days, and given the nature of the offense, the citizens may have voted to remove her.
If you read the court documents, it seems the previous mayor had agreed not to fire without cause, but Palin chose to fire these individuals because they supported her competition, even though they both expressed that they had discussed this with her and felt it was resolved. This smacks of cronyism, the very sort of brazen power moves and inept government we are trying to get away from -- not the change we so desperately need.
At any rate, the question looming right now is "Did John McCain vet her properly?" He only met her once prior to the announcement and one has to wonder if it was wise to pick someone with these two scandals in such a short career. Her plus, obviously, is she reaches the base of the Christian right who have not been too fond of McCain's lukewarm support of their beliefs and she will probably do well on the campaign trail (the girl did win Miss Congeniality in Wassila) and she seems to have a natural charm like a Dr Phil type.
However, was his job to choose a person who bring him votes, or a person who could govern our country?
Her husband works for BP (foreign oil co) but is not now working for them since she was asked to be VP. she has sat on many oil committees. Some in Alaska say he was a lobbyist, however, it is my understanding that many people work as unofficial "advocates" which is probably more what he did -- in other words, they have access to the government official who has authority over the issue the company wants to sway, so they advocate for the company. The campaign rhetoric has suggested her husband was a fisherman, and indeed I believe in the off season of the oil company he does fish (but he also makes a good living from the oil company). Obviously, McCain wants to present her as one of the people, to counter the 7 houses multi millionaire debacle, and so wants to emphasize her husband's fisherman status as opposed to lobbying status. Either way, though, I'm afraid for me she is too much one of the people, and not enough of qualified candidate.
Indeed, Presidential scholars say she appears to be the least experienced, least credentialed person to join a major-party ticket in the modern era.
So unconventional was McCain’s choice that it left students of the presidency literally “stunned,” in the words of Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law professor and scholar of the vice presidency. “Being governor of a small state for less than two years is not consistent with the normal criteria for determining who’s of presidential caliber,” said Goldstein. (
http://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/here-it-is-sarah-palin-a-job-description-for-vice-president/)
Yes, she wants to teach creationism in schools, at least in Alaska.
In terms of her national political and or international experience, I watched an interview where she said she didn't focus on Iraq or international politics and thus wouldn't answer a question on Iraq, as she was focused on local politics. Fair enough, for her job as governor, but traditionally, VPs have experience in the senate and with constitutional law, as that is their job. They need to interpret the constitutional law on many issues.
It's important to note the difference in governing a state the size of Alaska as compared to a national position which at least exposes one to national level issues, let alone international issues. And Alaska is a much smaller state than Illinois, the political base of Barack Obama, whom Republicans have repeatedly criticized for being inexperienced, having served nearly four years in the U.S. Senate after eight in the Illinois state Senate. She was the mayor prior of Wasilla, Alaska, which had a population of around 5,000 during her time in office.
If elected vice president, Palin would appear to have the least amount of experience in federal office or as a governor since John W. Kern, Democrat William Jennings Bryan’s 1908 running mate, who had served for four years in the Indiana state Senate and then four more as city solicitor of Indianapolis. The Democratic ticket lost to Republican standard bearer William Howard Taft and running mate James S. Sherman by an Electoral College spread of 321-162. “The first thing that hits me,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution," is that it suggests that John McCain is a gambler. This is a high roller decision.” While I admire the spirit of a gambler, I don't think I want that temperament in the highest office of the land, during these war-prone days. (
http://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/here-it-is-sarah-palin-a-job-description-for-vice-president/)
"Regarding constitutional law, there are many in this country — myself included — who felt a certain thrill this past May, when Sen. Obama announced that, during his first 100 days in office, “I would call my attorney general in and review every single executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution.” Being a Harvard law school graduate, and serving as the president of the Harvard Law Review, and teaching constitutional law for 12 years affords him the credentials to not only aspire to such a task, but to undertake it with some competency. Indeed, some would rightfully claim that the six years (is it 6 or 8? I need to check) Obama served in the Illinois State Senate, followed by nearly 4 years in the U.S. Senate, only add these credentials.
I like the idea of a President being well-versed in the U.S. Constitution and constitutional law. After all the oath of office for President of the United States includes the following words: ”I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." (
http://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/here-it-is-sarah-palin-a-job-description-for-vice-president/)
The U.S. Constitution comes up often during the course of this business: appointing cabinet members, ambassadors and Supreme Court judges; meeting with leaders of foreign countries; making treaties; proposing new laws, and so on.
The resumes of most, if not all, former Vice-Presidents over the past 50 years included a law degree and/or military service and/or enough experience in the U.S. Senate or Congress to capably perform these duties. Even Dan Quayle, with whom she has been unfairly compared, had a law degree and was twice-elected to both the U.S. Congress and Senate before being chosen for the VP slot.
Job description of VP
One is to become U.S. President in the event of the President’s death or resignation. The second VP duty is to act as President of the U.S. Senate — casting a tie-breaking vote in the event of a deadlock, and certifying the official vote count of the U.S. electoral college (which is why previous work in the senate is usually seen as an asset for the VP).My initial reaction to the other rumors is that Alaska as a whole is a pretty small place, and having lived in a small town, I imagine things get done in a bit more causal way there. I'm not saying she should have taken that money, but that given the small amount of info on this matter, I am not allowing it to play into my thoughts regarding her candidacy right now. If more comes out, fine. But for now, I think it can be explained as small town politics.
For me, the issues are her experience, her abuse of power investigation, her lack of knowledge re the constitution and national/international issues, and lastly her policies on some issues (she sued the Bush admin to get the polar bear taken off endangered species list, the shooting animals from planes for sport, the creationism in schools, etc). I know McCain has promised to get Supreme court justices in who will overturn roe v wade, and while I thought vetting people on a particular vote was not smiled upon, I understand that what their party wants of them. My issue with this is that the BEST justice get the job, no matter how they vote on any one issue. I think when we start cherry picking based on one issue, we overlook the larger impact and importance of the jobs we're basically hiring someone to do.
For me, it comes down to wanting someone who can think clearly, reasonably, rationally and calmly under pressure.
That is what I've seen in Obama and it is why I have chosen to work to get him elected. I know that no candidate is going to fix all of the problems they'll inherit from the Bush admin, and indeed, the problems are vast and many. So I've broken it down for myself into: restoring the 3 arms of government and restoring the constitution, reestablishing checks and balances, the economy, and someone who will be able to negotiate and create diplomatic discussions with nations who are developing nuclear power.
I appreciate your sending me that email....These are tough times, and we all need to be as informed as we can be so we can vote our conscience.
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