From the mouths of babes

I got a list of Sarah Palin "quotes" in e-mail today and spent a lot of time looking for some source, because it would make for some great laughs at the expense of Johnnie's Little Angel. At this point however, I'm positive that it's another hoax and while it would be gratifying to see the Republicans suffer from the same tactics they've been using on the Democrats, I do have a conscience. I have to admit I fell for some falsified palin images and pulled them when I found out.

The quotes were supposed to come from the Alaska Daily News. They didn't, but others, namely Editor & Publisher turned up some interesting insights in Alaskan newspaper archives. The trade publication for -- you guessed it -- editors and publishers has a list of items from Alaska about the that Palin girl, some of which seem to show a trend of personal embellishment. Apparently she exaggerated her work experience when she ran for mayor of Wasilla and the local papers weren't amused. There was talk of recalling her when it was found that the lodge she claimed to have acquired her "management experience" in had no license and had payed no taxes and may never have had any customers or employees. [Frontiersman, 1/22/97, 2/5/97]

Wasilla hasn't always been so proud of her as she lets on that they were. A Frontiersman editorial wrote,

"Wasilla residents have been subjected to attempts to unlawfully appoint council members, statements that have been shown to be patently untrue, unrepentant backpedaling, and incessant whining that her only enemies are the press and a few disgruntled supporters of former Mayor John Stein."

[Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]

"Mayor Palin fails to have a firm grasp of something very simple: the truth."

[Frontiersman editorial, 2/7/97]

There is more at Editor & Publisher, of course Perhaps you'll enjoy the part about using state property to conduct her campaign. The GOP gets very irate about Democrats doing that.

Of course none of this seems very large when compared to the tuned up, repainted 2008 model Palinmobile, complete with plastic wing and funny tires. Presenting herself as having opposed federal pork when she campaigned on support for it and solicited it in Washington, and when Alaska is the largest per capita recipient of Federal largesse is a bigger evasion. Neglecting to mention that her inauguration party was sponsored by BP is sleazier.

None of it is quite as funny however, as her furniture salesman brother describing himself as an "office environment consultant" when trying to get a date.

But as we all know, facts don't matter and the contest isn't about reality. As long as we have the Republican Machine and the Corporate media to PUMP UP THE BULLSHIT - PUMP UP THE BULLSHIT, we'll keep dancing to their tune.