By GottaLaff
You can hear my sorry excuse for a Palin impression if you catch My Tweet Spot on
Jim Alger's radio show, "Common Sense", Friday (assuming there are no glitches). I'm all a-Twitter (pun intended) and really nervous, even though it's pre-recorded.
Anyway,
here's a little something about the real Sarah (if, indeed, there is such a thing):
Since entering the national spotlight, Palin has been inundated by ethics complaints, most of them filed against her after she agreed to become Sen. John McCain’s running mate.
The complaints run the gamut, ranging from the governor’s use of state funds and staff to the workings of her political action committee and even to a jacket she wore to a snow machine race involving her husband.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many complaints have been filed because the state doesn’t keep count and the complaints are kept confidential by the attorney general’s office unless the state moves forward with a public accusation of wrongdoing. But in total there have been more than a dozen, and most of those have surfaced in the last seven months.
Now does that sound like someone America would want in public office? Heck no, also too moreover.
“As we've been saying, the number of ethics complaints filed against the governor and her staff — as well as the tortured logic they contain — continue to constitute the most disturbing trend in Alaska politics,” said Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow in a recent statement after one ostensibly confidential complaint was sent to the Anchorage Daily News and other news outlets.
That is so funny, because, see, I've was just thinking how Sarah Palin is the disturbing trend in politics.
“In the past several months, we have seen an orchestrated effort by the governor’s opponents to make differences of opinion and ideology almost criminal,” said Mike Nizich, the governor’s chief of staff, in a statement. “Governor Palin has spent a considerable amount of time and money fighting ethics complaints – and no charge has been substantiated. I hope that the publicity-seekers will face a backlash from Alaskans who have a sense of fair play and proportion. I served six previous governors, and I’ve never seen anything like the attacks against Gov. Palin.”
Isn't that precious how they're wishing bad things on fellow Americans? Is that what Palin means by "mavericky"?
Many of Palin's opponents have taken advantage of the low bar for filing and used it as a license to highlight their grievances with the governor.
“The number of complaints is a function of the misconduct of Governor Palin, Todd Palin and certain state workers,” said self-described government watchdog Andrée McLeod, who has filed four complaints alone. “Governor Palin constantly blurs the lines between her personal and political interests and the interests of Alaska and Alaskans. Alaskans are fed up and are finally doing something about it.”
There ya go. Those are the real mavericks. Ooo! Ooo! Idea! Let's elect all of them to office.
Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a California-based think tank that studies government reform and campaign finance issues, noted that Palin’s high-profile may be generating the extra scrutiny since Alaska’s ethics laws aren’t all that different than many other states.
That must be it. It's her high profile-itude that's the culprit. Breaching ethics has nothing to do with it.
The business of defending against the claims has been expensive. In late April, Palin was forced to form a legal defense fund in an effort to pay for more than $500,000 in legal debts accrued by the governor — though much of it stems from the “Troopergate” episode surrounding her attempts to fire a state trooper who was once married to her sister.
"Over the past months it became increasingly clear that supporters of Gov. Palin needed to help defend against the onslaught of frivolous attacks against her,” said Trustee Kristan Cole, a Wasilla native and Palin friend, in a statement. “These baseless accusations are designed to inhibit her ability to focus on the issues Alaskans truly care about and force massive personal debt on her and her family.”
Blame the accusers. Blame her high profile. Blame the motive. But whatever you do, don't blame Pitiful Palin for her abuse of power.
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