Keith Olbermann Tallies Palin's Lies

I have honestly lost track of all the lies from this woman. At first I thought i'd be able to keep up...but they have been coming so fast. There are apparently several lies from the McCain/Palin camp (esp. Palin) every day.

It is clear that the constant lying is part of a deliberate strategy by McCain's advisors.... hoping that they can fool voters.

What drives me crazy is... their plan just might work.

NPR Helps To Knock Down Palin's Bridge To Nowhere Claim

Hear an audio report about Sarah Palin's claim that she was the reformer and watchdog who saved money for the Taxpayers by stopping the "Bridge to Nowhere" (The Gravina Island Bridge). She didn't give the money back after it was clear that the Bridge to Nowhere was a dead project. Instead, she spent the money on all sorts of other pork barrel projects.

Palin told Charlie Gibson, in her first major interview since her VP nomination, that the money went towards infrastructure projects. But many of the projects, such as a public park, were certainly not related to critical infrastructure needs.

And according to the Washington Post, Palin technically killed the project, but only after it lost political support.
Even the Mayor of Ketchikan Alaska (The city involved in the Bridge To Nowhere) has basically said that Palin is a liar.

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Additional Audio Report from NPR

The St. Louis Reporters Roundtable - Telling It Like It Is!

Hear a great discussion from the St. Louis Journalists Roundtable - a monthly radio program featuring some of the best reporters from the area.

In this show, they take the gloves off and tell it like it is... as they so often do.
They provide much better analysis than what you would hear from Faux News, or CNN. Topics of discussion include the Presidential race, The Republican Party, Sarah Palin, American Xenophobia, how American voters choose personality over issues, and the national media coverage of the past week.

They seem to support my theory regarding American voters...and their mindless support of candidates to the detriment of their own best interests.

Guests:

Alvin Reid
City Editor
The St. Louis American (one of the oldest Black newspapers in the nation).

Repps Hudson
Freelance Journalist; Columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Mike Fitzgerald
Reporter, Belleville News-Democrat

Listen Here

Source Page

The Lies Told By Sarah Palin

The lies just kept coming during the Republican Convention....

Below are some of the lies told by Sarah Palin

Sidenote: Palin didn't write the speech....it was prepared for her by Republican handlers.

Lie/Distortion #1: She claimed to be an advocate for Special needs children and presented the McCain/Palin Ticket as Shepards for Childrens health.

Fact: John McCain voted against expanding Schip to millions of American children. Remember the 12 year old boy who Republicans attacked last year? Here's a link to refresh your memory.

Republicans don't have much of a track record supporting the needs of children or the healthcare of Americans.

Lie/Distortion #2: She compared herself to Harry S. Truman (as a way of saying that he was from a small town too....and as a way to deal with the experience question).

Fact: Yes, Truman was from a small town in my home State. But before being nominated for Vice President, Truman had years of experience as an Army officer and Veteran of World War I, was a Judge, and was a U.S. Senator for a decade.

This woman can't be serious.

Lie/Distortion #3: Claimed extensive experience to be VP based on her time as Mayor of Wasilla Alaska, and her one full year as Governor. She claimed in the speech that she would explain what her daily duties were as Mayor... but she never got around to explaining.

Fact: The town of Wasilla had a population of about 6 or 7 thousand when she was Mayor. This is hardly proper preparation to run a Country of 300 million and to deal with a $3 Trillion annual budget....the biggest budget in the World. Pat Buchanan (who Palin once supported) and other respected commentators, and former officials agree....she's not ready. Even Karl Rove agrees; Palin does not meet the qualifications for Vice President.

Lie/Distortion #4: She stated that she has a track record of governing with integrity and goodwill.

Not quite, Mrs. Britney Spears of politics.

Fact: She is currently under investigation in Alaska for ethics violations...(also known as Troopergate) for the wrongful firing of her Public Safety director. Palin wanted the Public Safety director to illegally fire a State Trooper, Mike Wooten, who happened to be Palin's brother in law. Wooten was involved (and still is) in an ugly divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.

As if that's not bad enough, before becoming Governor, Palin was involved in the firings of several Wasilla City officials... who she did not agree with politically. These city officials were not fired because they were not doing their jobs...they were fired for petty political reasons. Sarah Palin was also nearly recalled as Mayor of Wasilla.

Lie/Distortion #5: She is a reformer...and she killed the Bridge to Nowhere.

The "Reformer" title is a stretch...and the Bridge to Nowhere story is a lie.

Fact: In Alaska, Palin took full advantage of wasteful earmarks (when she was on the receiving end of the money). She also initially supported the Bridge to Nowhere...and was a big supporter of her mentor Ted Stevens... who was indicted recently on corruption charges. Palin was in cahoots with the same corporate donors who sent money to Stevens. See more on the Bridge To Nowhere from the Huffpost.

Lie/Distortion #6: Claimed that her efforts to develop Alaska's oil industry would lead the nation to energy independence.

Fact: We can't get that much oil out of Alaska...not enough to free us from foreign oil dependence. And even if Alaska had half the oil that would be needed for energy independence... it would take at least a decade before we would see any benefit...and even then, it wouldn't be a significant savings for Americans. The Republicans keep framing the debate...and making voters believe that more drilling today will lead to lower prices at the pump next week. That's not going to happen.

The best way to achieve energy self sufficiency is to use a broad mix of sources (including some additional drilling)... but the main focus should be to move from oil as a mainstay of our energy policy. That's old thinking. Breaking dependence on outside oil will eventually require an energy policy built around new forms of energy....alternative energy... wind, solar, hydrogen vehicles, new battery technology, ethanol, natural gas, nuclear, and limited clean coal resources.

Palin is looking out for Alaska when she is talking about boosting the oil industry there...she's not looking out for the U.S.

Lie/Distortion #7: Obama never wrote or sponsored one piece of reform legislation.

Well....she was partly right... he didn't write or co-sponsor just one piece of legislation on reform... he helped write/ or co-sponsored at least 3. All significant.

This woman is going to be worse than Cheney.... we will have fond memories of Dick Cheney by the time Palin settles in as VP.

Fact: Obama co-sponsored ethics reform legislation as a Senator in the State of Illinois. After entering the U.S. Senate... Obama co-sponsored a Bill curbing gifts and gratuities for members of Congress... He also supported laws that require more transparancy (supported a Federal Website for the public) so that voters can see how Congress is spending their tax money. There have also been other ethics Bills supported or sponsored by Obama.

Highlights:

Honest Leadership & Open Government Act of 2006

Legislative Transparency & Accountability Act of 2007

The Coburn-Obama Bill (Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act of 2006)

Obama's Work in Illinois Senate

Obama's work with Russ Feingold

See Obama's Page on Ethics and Lobbying reform.

Obama has been applauded for his work on ethics and lobbying reform.

Lie/Distortion #8: Obama is against producing energy.

Fact: No response really needed here. But Obama has been the leading candidate (since early in the Campaign), along with John Edwards, for reforming U.S. energy policy and breaking U.S. dependence on foreign oil. McCain didn't become the Alternative Energy guy until he stole Obama's message about 3 months ago. And he only became the "change" candidate about a month ago.

Lie/Distortion #9: McCain will show compassion to the powerless.

Fact: McCain's record simply does not match the infomercial that the Britney Spears of politics was trying to promote.

From SCHIP (healthcare for poor/needy children) to his lack of support for a better GI Bill for Veterans... and his 19 votes against raising the minimum wage; (and so many other issues) McCain's record just doesn't match the rhetoric.

Lie/Distortion #10: She stated she received more votes as Mayor than Joe Biden received during his latest run for President.

Fact: She wasn't even remotely close to the truth on this. As a matter of fact, she wasn't close to the truth on hardly any of her major claims.


The plane she sold on Ebay?

ANOTHER LIE

The above list represents lies that I caught myself... Fact Check may have more. See here.

Ted Stevens And The Bridge To Federal Prison?

Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican Senator in history, has been indicted on Federal corruption charges (7 felony counts). Stevens was caught taking gifts from an Alaskan oil services company and then lying to authorities in an effort to cover it up. (It's probably no coincidence that the Republicans have been so adamant about drilling for oil in Alaska). This could not have come at a worse time for Republicans. It will surely remind voters of "The Republican Swamp" of corruption that helped fuel the mid-term election rebuke from American voters back in 2006.

What was once a safe Republican Senate seat in Alaska will now be up for grabs in November, with Democrat and Mayor of Anchorage Mark Begich looking to unseat Stevens. The Democrats will need all of the Senate seats that they can get this November to get over the Liar-berman obstructionist problem, and to gain the 60 votes they need. I don't think they will quite get to 60, but the closer the better. There are a handful of Moderate Republican Senators who may be willing to join Democrats and a Democratic President in order to get things done.

The fact that Stevens is the longest serving Republican Senator carries a certain level of symbolism...the kind of symbolism that Republicans probably don't want.

Hopefully this will cause the media to finally take a look at other Republican members of Congress and to take another look at John McCain in particular to examine his relationship with lobbyists, especially those who have been connected with his campaign.

I am hoping that the Stevens case drags on well into 2009, after Bush leaves office. That way, Bush won't be able to set his buddy free. Hopefully, if Obama can win in November by some strange miracle, Stevens will actually have to face punishment. Unless Obama sets him free. Hopefully Obama is not going to bring that kind of "Change" to the White House. Of course Stevens's lawyers will site his age as a reason to keep him out of prison (which would be club Fed anyway).

Read the Indictment (pdf)

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