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Monday, September 15, 2008

Eli Just Linked This Story…

posted by on September 15 at 7:40 AM

… but it’s worth its own post.

The New York Times explores Sarah Palin’s history of vindictiveness and favoritism as an elected official. Of particular interest to Slog readers: More on the censorship saga.

The new mayor also tended carefully to her evangelical base. She appointed a pastor to the town planning board. And she began to eye the library. For years, social conservatives had pressed the library director to remove books they considered immoral.

“People would bring books back censored,” recalled former Mayor John Stein, Ms. Palin’s predecessor. “Pages would get marked up or torn out.”

Witnesses and contemporary news accounts say Ms. Palin asked the librarian about removing books from the shelves. The McCain-Palin presidential campaign says Ms. Palin never advocated censorship.

But in 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book “Daddy’s Roommate” on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms. [Laura] Chase[, Palin’s campaign manager during her first mayoral campaign,] and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.

“Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff,” Ms. Chase said. “It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it.”

“I’m still proud of Sarah,” she added, “but she scares the bejeebers out of me.”

When she became mayor, of course, Palin asked “rhetorical” questions about censoring books, and proceeded to fire and then rehire the town librarian, who didn’t much like censorship. A little flexing of power over perfectly capable city employees who happened to disagree with the mayor—nothing to concern voters, of course.

RSS icon Comments

1

Well, they didn't have Barack Obama's K-2 sex education plan in force, those 5 year olds wouldn't have been checking out "Daddy's Roomate".

Posted by John Bailo | September 15, 2008 8:02 AM
2

I still think about that letter that Paul posted last month from the librarian about why he wouldn't ban books like "Uncle Bobby's Wedding".

It was very thoughtful and well-written, and a great thing to send to anybody who doesn't get why the whole Palin wanting to remove books thing is a big deal.

Posted by Julie in Chicago | September 15, 2008 8:07 AM
3

Yes, she's that dangerous, and no, it's not a hoax (though the internet-circulated list was).

But ask yourself--what is the ratio of voters this going to shock to those who are nodding their heads in agreement, countrywide? Does emphasizing this story (instead of her woeful inexperience in financial and foreign affairs) really get more votes for Obama?

Posted by Andy Niable | September 15, 2008 8:17 AM
4

I for one applaud President opps I mean Gov. Palin's stand on protecting our children. I mean everyone know's that "Daddy's Roommate" is nothing more than a "how to" manual of gay slave and master play. And that is totally inappropriate for children until they are at least in the third grade.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger | September 15, 2008 8:24 AM
5

There was a lot of talk about Sarah Palin at Harkin's Steak Fry in Iowa yesterday. The mood was fairly jubilant despite the cold weather with the latest Iowa polls appearing to show Obama with an insurmountable lead over Palin/MCcain and the growing possibility that there is a chance of Dems taking one or two more congressional seats, including that of anti-gay homophobe Steve King. These were two of my favorite comments on Palin, as lifted from Iowapolitics.com.

"Sarah knows how to field-dress a moose. I know how to castrate a calf. Neither of those things has anything at all to do with this election. But since we know so much about Sarah's special skills, I wanted to make sure you knew about mine too."

-- Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge (D), quoted by Iowa Politics, on Sen. John McCain's running mate.


And from Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Senate Appopriations Committee.

“When I saw her get up and talk about all these earmarks, I said ‘Wait a minute, what’s going on here? Did I wake up in a parallel universe?’ When she was mayor she got more earmarks for her town per capita than any city in the United States of America,” he said. “This February, as the governor, she requested $270 million in earmarks from our committee.”
“She keeps saying she stopped that ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ -- not true,” he said. “In November of 2006 Congress stopped the ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’ Here’s the kicker -- she kept the money.”
Harkin concluded by saying Palin has “more earmarks than John McCain has houses.”

Posted by Mike in Iowa | September 15, 2008 8:27 AM
6

Reading that article convinced me that if McCain won, she would sloppily arrange his murder within the first year.

Posted by Gitai | September 15, 2008 8:43 AM
7

Seriously, Andy, I doubt very much that anything I write on Slog will get any more votes for Obama. (Any influence I've personally had over this election was strictly limited to the Seattle area during the caucuses.) But I'm perfectly happy to scare people into action--"energizing the base," so to speak. Donate to Obama, volunteer, whatever. Palin's governance style is, indeed, scary, and she shouldn't be given the power of the vice presidency.

But in any case, your complaint is misdirected. I wrote about Palin's foreign policy inexperience on Friday.

Posted by annie | September 15, 2008 8:50 AM
8

@6,

And it'll end up just like "Fargo," right? With Ted Stevens in the woodchipper and Sarah Palin in the back of the cop car?Well, maybe then the first serious woman US president will end up being ... Frances McDormand?

We can dream, can't we?

Posted by Jeff Stevens | September 15, 2008 8:55 AM
9

@5, thanks for sharing the quotes. Lt. Gov. Patty Judge of Iowa is now my outgoing email signature.

Posted by Leslie N. | September 15, 2008 9:06 AM
10

@3
It is called abuse of power.

Of course the republicans have it down to a science.

Posted by Sad Comment | September 15, 2008 9:19 AM
11

Please we need a positive message -

Obama - "Are you better off today than last week, last month, last year if you are, stick with the policies of George Bush and the Republicans. If you think you were better off with Bill Clinton and the Democrats and want to restore America to health and prosperity, it is past time to put the Democrats and people's interest back in power."

Knocking Palin is like attacking Eyman - it just increases the nutty supporters.

Posted by McG | September 15, 2008 9:36 AM
12

@11:

I understand your point, but regrettably, history has shown that undecideds don't necessarily respond well to "positive" messages, as much as they do to negative ones.


Cutting down your opponent seems to be a more productive strategy in terms of getting those undecideds to your side, than does building up your own credentials.

And those "nutty supporters" are first and foremost supporters; they would never vote for Obama no matter what, so they're not really in-play when it comes to this type of political messaging.

Posted by COMTE | September 15, 2008 9:55 AM
13

@11

Asshole McGee, all through the primary you whined that Obama wasn't tough enough and that we needed Hillary Fuckin' Clinton to go kick some ass. Now you want Obama to be a kitten. Face it, we're going to have a black president and your sleazy shit isn't going to prevent it. Go back to phone banking for McCain.

What I really came here to say was that I still love Sarah Palin. Even after all this time, she doesn't disappoint. New gifts every day. How perfect is she? She didn't even have responsibility for schools or fire protection as mayor of Mayberry. Oh, and no tough decisions on taxation either. I want to send her flowers.

Posted by elenchos | September 15, 2008 10:01 AM
14

Comte but this the negative positive message that Reagan used against Carter.
Today - Bush fucked you over and McCain is more of the same. O will not beat Palin/McCain by attacking her in the way he has been.

The "nutty" ones will work harder and give more money.

Posted by McG | September 15, 2008 10:01 AM
15

When her very first campaign manager says Palin "scares the bejeebers out of me," THAT MAKES HER SCARE ME A MILLION BILLION TIMES MORE.

Posted by wawaweewa | September 15, 2008 12:18 PM
16

I saw that article and it is a must read. Send it to everyone you know, especially if they think highly of her.

The article demonstrates that Sarah Palin has no concept of the meaning of good government. Her worldview divides people into an in-group and an out-group with no shades of gray in between, and she thinks it's okay to use her power to help her in-group and hurt her out-group.

If she becomes president she will do to the federal government what she did to Wasilla and Alaska- pack it with her old buddies from school and church, people who think exactly like she does. For the past eight years Dubya has packed the government with incompetent loyalists and cut himself off from alternate viewpoints, and that has led to disaster. Sarah Palin is just like that- only possibly even worse.

Posted by east coaster | September 15, 2008 1:42 PM

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