Alan Grayson Remains on My List of People that you Do Not Want to Piss Off

Once Again, Alan Grayson shows why he is on this list, with his response via press release to Sarah Palin.

It's a PR, so I can quote it in full, and it's brilliant so I will quote it in full:

On Friday night, Sarah Palin came to Orlando, and attacked Rep. Alan Grayson. This is what she said:

"I got to meet quite a few candidates who are lining up in a contested primary who want to take out Alan Grayson. And I think Alan Grayson -- what can you say about Alan Grayson? Piper is with me tonight, so I won't say anything about Alan Grayson that can't be said around children. [Good one, Sarah!] But thank you, Florida, for allowing candidates in a contested primary to duke it out over ideas and principles and values, all with the same goal, and that is unseating those who have such a disconnect from the people of America. That's what the goal is here in this race against Alan Grayson. Please fight hard, and do this for the rest of the country. Fight hard, and send a conservative to Washington, DC."

Palin, the former half-term Governor, current-nothing and future-even-less, charmed the all-Republican audience with her folksy folksiness and her homespun homespunnery. Atypically, Palin was wearing clothes that she had paid for herself. At the end of the event, she shared her recipe for mooseface pie.

In response to Palin's attack on Rep Grayson, Grayson actually complimented Palin. Grayson praised Palin for having a hand large enough to fit Grayson's entire name on it. He thanked Palin for alleviating the growing shortage of platitudes in Central Florida. Grayson added that Palin deserved credit for getting through the entire hour-long program without quitting. Grayson also said that Palin really had mastered Palin's imitation of Tina Fey imitating Palin. Grayson observed that Palin is the most-intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced since George W. Bush.

When asked to comment about what effect Palin's criticism might have, Grayson pointed out, "As the Knave's horse says in Alice in Wonderland, 'dogs will believe anything.'" Earlier, as the Orlando Sentinel reported, Grayson said, "I'm sure Palin knows all about politics in Central Florida, since from her porch she can see Winter Park," which is part of Grayson's district.

Grayson said that the Alaskan chillbilly was welcome to return to Central Florida anytime, as long as she brings lots of money with her, and spends it. "I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them," Grayson added, alluding to Politifact's "liar, liar, pants on fire" evaluation of much of what Palin has said .
Scientists are studying Sarah Palin's travel between Alaska and Florida carefully. They hope to learn more about the flight patterns of that elusive migratory species, the wild Alaskan dingbat.

Let's be clear here: I don't think that every Democratic office holder or candidate talk this way, but I think that it is essential for some Democratic office holders or candidates to talk this way.

VP Debate Live Blogging

She is doing better than I expected, but then again, how could she do worse.

OTOH, she's just ignoring the questions.

Biden is doing a good job of going after McCain.

.......

She keeps referring to herself to talking straight to the American people....Must have been something that polled well.

.......

The war:

Palin said the troops were down to pre-surge level .... Lie.

We just had her crack about "surrendering" in Iraq ... Sounded fracking loopy.

Biden brings up McCain's vote against MRAP armmored trucks, and the fact that McCain has been wrong everything.

......

Biden asked about Iran and Pakistan and nukes, and he brings up the fact that McCain keeps calling Iraq the central front on the war on terror.

Palin brings up Iran, DPRK, Cuba, and how they are really scary people.

She is awfully screechy.

Biden just pointed out that Achmedinajad doesn't control the Iranian security apparatus, and has said that McCain doesn't have a clue on this.

Biden's talking point on foreign policy is "abject failure," which is a good way to tie McCain to "Mr. 27%."

Palin admits that there have been blunders...Will Biden ask her to name some.

......

Palin is pissed when Bide said that commanding General in Afghanistan said that a "surge" won't work there.

......

Joe Biden talks about Genocide in Darfur, and Sarah Palin talks about how much she is a "Washington Outsider," and a, "Straight Talker".

Maybe it's me, but she is unbelievably lame.

......
Biden, "John McCain was in lockstep with Dick Cheney," and Palin is saying that, Biden was a big supporter of McCain's positions.

.....

When asked about what they would do if the unthinkable happened and they became president, Sarah Palin sounds a bit too gleeful about McCain dying.

Her smile is starting to grate.

.....

Is it just me. or is Palin realy angry? I just get the sense that she wants to shoot someone.

....

Nice question from Ifill about what exactly is the role of the Vice Presidency.

Palin goes back to talking points, Biden says that he would function as a fixer of things in the Congress, as that is his background.

....

Palin just dropped brought up her Downs Syndrome kid in the debate...Classy...Then Biden brings up his wife and daughter dying in a car accident...also classy.

Biden actually choked up when talking about wondering whether his sons would live or die following the car accident....Don't know how that will pla.

....

How many times can this woman say "Maverick"???? Jeebus.


Biden appears to be sick of that word too, he's going after her on that.

....

Closing statements:

Palin sounded a bit rote.

Biden a bit, but only a bit less so.


Analysis:

Palin did well, much better than was expected.

Biden did well too.

My gut, I really dislike Palin.

How Utterly Proper

This really shouldn't be a surprise.

Palin has been feeling persecuted by the Republican establishment since 2009 or so, and unlike Ted Cruz, Trump does know how to be charming when he wants to close a deal, so there is a twisted internal logic to her endorsement of Donald Trump:

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee who became a Tea Party sensation and a favorite of grass-roots conservatives, endorsed Donald J. Trump in Iowa on Tuesday, providing him with a potentially significant boost just 13 days before the state’s caucuses.

“Are you ready for the leader to make America great again?” Mrs. Palin said with Mr. Trump by her side at a rally at Iowa State University. “Are you ready to stump for Trump? I’m here to support the next president of the United States — Donald Trump.”

Her support is the highest-profile backing for a Republican so far. It came the same day that Iowa’s Republican governor, Terry Branstad, said he hoped that Senator Ted Cruz would be defeated in Iowa. The Feb. 1 caucuses are a must-win for the Texas senator, who is running neck-and-neck with Mr. Trump in state polls.

The endorsement came as Mr. Trump was bearing down in the state, holding multiple campaign events and raising expectations about his performance in the nation’s first nominating contest.

As Mrs. Palin announced her backing, Mr. Trump stood wearing a satisfied smile as she scolded mainstream Republicans as sellouts and praised how Mr. Trump had shaken up the party. “He’s been going rogue left and right,” Mrs. Palin said of Mr. Trump, using one of her signature phrases. “That’s why he’s doing so well. He’s been able to tear the veil off this idea of the system.”

In literally related news, the son of Alaska's mom of the year, "Track Palin, Got Drunk And Beated Up A Lady With His Gun, Allegedly."

What a busy day for the Palin family! Sarah’s in Iowa making drunk faces about Makin’ America Great Again for Donald Trump, Bristol’s sitting at home COVERED in out-of-wedlock baby poo and “writing” internet letters about what a dick Ted Cruz is and OH LOL GUESS WHAT, Track Palin had to go to court, because he was arrested Monday night for beating up a lady, interfering with a domestic violence report, and also too brandishing a weapon while intoxicated.

Put in more Regular American talk, Track Palin was arrested for being a common drunk-brawlin’ Palin.

Allegedly.

Whoa if true, though, and we hope she’s OK. Here’s your press release from the Wasilla po-po’s office:

On 01/18/2016 at approximately 2204 hours, Wasilla Police responded to a residence for a disturbance. An investigation revealed Track Palin had committed a domestic violence assault on a female, interfered with her ability to report a crime of domestic violence, and possessed a firearm while intoxicated. Palin was arrested and charges of assault in the fourth degree (domestic violence), interfering with a domestic violence report, and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree were forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. Palin was held without bail until arraignment.

UH-OH! We are so shocked by this behavior, young man.

As the saying says, "First as tragedy, then as farce".

I believe that this farce is called "The Wasilla Hillbillies."

F%$# Me. Now I Have to Defend Sarah Palin

I understand that Track Palin, Sarah's kid, is alleged to have beaten and brandished a firearm at his (hopefully former) girlfriend.

I also heard Sarah Palin blaming Barack Obama, because Track was in Iraq, and has PTSD.

I'm inclined call bullsh%$ on former ½ Governor Palin, because the best evidence is that Track Palin has always been a been prone to violent outbursts.

That being said, articles like this one that claims that Track could not have PTSD because he never saw combat, are crap:

………

The head of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Rick Rieckhoff responded to Palin's statement, saying she shouldn't "politicize" the issue of PTSD and hoped it "doesn’t become a portable chew toy in a political campaign."

In addition, Track Palin's public records indicate that not only did he only serve one year in Iraq, which was under the George W. Bush administration, he also didn't even see one moment of combat. An anonymous fellow solider also spoke about the issue, debunking Palin's earlier claims. “Speaking as a combat vet who literally slept in the same barracks as Track Palin, his mother is wrong and her son is not a victim.”

Let's be clear here: This is NOT how PTSD works.

There are doctors, and nurses, and MPs, and supply officers who never saw a shot fired in anger who have PTSD.

Not being shot at, or shooting someone, does NOT rule out PTSD.

Honestly, I think that the PTSD explanation is likely Palin alibiing (again), but painting with that broad a brush maligns a lot of people who have a very real condition, and need treatment. 

Time for a Painful Palinectomy, Dude

I'm not sure what the hell McCain was thinking, but my most likely reasons are that he:

• Did it in a fit of pique because his reported first choice, Joe Lieberman, who was shot down by the religious right.
• That he had no number two after his reported first choice, Joe Lieberman, who was shot down by the religious right, and he panicked.
  
• That he figures that after picking her to be the VP, enough will come out so that he can dump her after the convention, and select his his reported first choice, Joe Lieberman, who was shot down by the religious right.

My money is on the first possibility, but in any case, you have McCain staffers saying that she was not interviewed until the day before the announcement.

In any case, you have to love the irony of Dr. Laura saying that Palin is morally unfit to be VP.^*, though the fact that Jamie Lynn Spears^† sending a a gift of designer baby burp cloths to Bristol^‡ Palin to show moral support comes close.

The strange thing is that as Josh Marshall notes, the McCain campaign appears to be doing it's level best to pimp Levi Johnston, the alleged father of the alleged child:

Let's be clear about what's happening here. Overwhelmingly, reporters are pressing eminently reasonable questions -- her role in troopergate, her lack of experience, her connections to the AIP, her history of earmarking and lobbyists, etc. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign is going absolutely non-stop about Palin's daughter. It is unmistakable.

Look at the video. It's clear that McCain is attempting to make sure that this self described "Red Neck" is front and center:



Of course, it would not be fair to mention the National Enquirer article which said that Palin was pressuring Bristol^‡ to get a quickie marriage, but that, "Bristol, 17, refused to go along with the plan and that sparked a mother-daughter showdown over the failed coverup."

Honestly, I expect that there was some shouting and screaming in such situations, but those are private matters, and the National Enquirer should be ashamed of itself.

That being said, Palin's opposition to reality based sex education, along with her veto to slash funding from the Alaska program that helps teenage mothers get their lives together and keep their kids are legitimate policy issues that should be on the table.

Meanwhile, it appears that the state house investigation of "Troopergate" will be released a few weeks before the election, at least it will be if Palin's private lawyer, hired at state expense, doesn't manage to quash the investigation.

Thus far, we have already been treated to the spectacle of Sarah Palin filing an ethics complaint against ... Sarah Palin in order to move the investigation to the state Personnel Board, whose members are appointed by ... you guessed it ... Sarah Palin!

Still, we have other ethical problems, such as her violation of state ethics laws by failing to disclose business interests.

Additionally, Time took a loor at her time as mayor of Wasilla, and found her systematically going after professional staff who were not sufficiently "loyal to the mayor".

I believe that the translation for this is, "Heck of a job, Brownie."

^*Actually, you have to love the irony of Dr. Laura saying that anyone is morally unfit for anything.
^†Yes, I know, she is, indirectly at least, one of Those Who Must Not Be Named, but there is a political context here.
^‡Is it that I affect British English too much, or do other people find it odd that someone named their kid a slang term for breasts?

The Sarah Palin Clown Show

Well, first we have updates on troopergate, we have documentation from the fired state police head Walter Monegan that Palins husband and senior staffers pressured him to fire Michael Wooten, who had been involved in a messy divorce with Palin's sister.

He also claims to have emails from Sarah Palin on the matter, additionally, the Anchorage Daily News quotes him as saying that Palin talked to him personally on the matter twice.

Also, we have the Juneau Empire^* is no reporting that a political appointee of the Alaska State Troopers reversed an internal investigation by professional staff in order to take disciplinary measures against him.

What's more, this is not the first example of blatant cronyism and retribution by Palin. In 1996, while mayor of Wasilla, she fired the chief of police and directory of libraries because they suppored her opponent, which leed to an abortive recall campaign.

It also appears that the McCain campaign had not vetted Palin at all before her selection. It appears that her local paper, The Valley Frontiersman, does not have its archives online, and a Democratic Party Opposition researcher was informed by staff that their inquiry was the first such request.

It appears that Obama gave a good speech, and the sick old man, John Sidney McCain, panicked.

Even better, her mother-in-law says that she might not vote for her.

I have to agree 90% with Barack Obama when he says that a family should be off limits, so the story of Bristol Palin, her 17 year old daughter being pregnant out of wedlock should be generally off the table.

However, I will argue that the situation does point to a problem with Sarah Palin's policies: She is strongly opposed to comprehensive sex education, and her daughter's situation indicates that her position is wrongheaded and stupid.

In any case, this appears to be a Thomas Eagleton moment.

^*I spent 4 Years in Juneau growing up, and I always thought of the paper as the Vampire...It was, at least in the 1960s, kind of right wing.

Like a Bad Penny

Un-Dirty-Word Believable

She keeps coming back.

Sarah Palin has endorsed Newt Gingrich, and Newt Gingrich has said that Sarah Palin would have a "major roll" in his administration:

Newt Gingrich said Wednesday he would consider former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for a "major role" in his administration if he is elected president.

"Certainly, she’s one of the people I’d call on for advice. I would ask her to consider taking a major role in the next administration if I’m president," Gingrich said on CNN. He added that he has not discussed the idea with Palin, who he called "a very good reform governor."

Palin told Fox News on Tuesday that she would vote for Gingrich in South Carolina "in order to keep this thing going."

Palin has not endorsed a candidate in the Republican race, and her comments Tuesday weren't exactly an endorsement either, although Gingrich characterized them that way on CNN.

You see, Sarah Palin is saying that the problem is that in 2008, there was a candidate who was not properly vetted (@ about 1:10 in the vid), and she's referring to Barack Hussein Obama, not Sarah Louise Heath Palin.

Who says that Irony is dead?

Wut?

In a sign of the impending apocalypse, Democrat Mary Peltola won the Congressional special election for Alaska's single representative.

She beat Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III in a 3-way runoff using instant runoff voting.

The last time that a Democrat won a state wide race in Alaska, it was Mark Begich, Nick's uncle., and that was only after his opponent, Ted Stevens,w as convicted of corruption. (Family dinners in the Begich family must be interesting.)

The current electoral system, a jungle primary followed by a ranked choice voting general among the top 3 (or 4) primary candidates was created in an attempt to marginalize the right wing whack jobs influence in Republican Party primaries.

It appears that it worked:

Democrat Mary Peltola has won a special election for the U.S. House in Alaska, defeating Republican Sarah Palin and becoming the first-ever Alaska Native to win a seat in Congress as well as the first woman to clinch the state’s at-large district.

Peltola’s win flips a seat that had long been in Republican hands. She will serve the remainder of a term left open by the sudden death of Rep. Don Young (R) in March. Young represented Alaska in Congress for 49 years.

Peltola, who’s Yup’ik, [Eskimo, not Indian, FYI] is a tribal fisheries manager and former state representative who led in initial counts after the Aug. 16 election. But her win wasn’t assured until Wednesday, when Alaska election officials made decisive second-choice counts using the state’s new ranked-choice voting system. Republican Nick Begich III, who finished third, was eliminated, and his supporters’ second-choice votes were redistributed to the remaining candidates.

………

Peltola had nearly 40 percent of first-choice votes after preliminary counts, which put her about 16,000 votes ahead of Palin. Half of the Alaskans who made Begich their first choice ranked Palin second, and 21 percent did not make a second choice. The remaining 29 percent — a surprisingly large fraction, even to some of Peltola’s supporters — ranked Peltola second, flipping from a Republican to a Democrat. The second-choice support for Peltola was enough for her to hold off Palin, leaving the Democrat about 5,200 votes ahead.

………

Palin’s defeat comes in her first campaign since she stepped down as Alaska’s governor in 2009; former president Donald Trump endorsed her and held a rally on her behalf in Anchorage.

Mercy, Palin lost despite a Trump endorsement.  That's some strong schadenfreude/

Peltola’s campaign focused on local issues, such as what to do about declining salmon returns. She is expected to be sworn in to office in mid-September.

All to often, the Democratic Party establishment (There is no Democratic Party establishment) will choose a carpet-bagger who has money, or a gift for raising money who knows nothing of local issues.

This is a losing proposition.

………

Until she ran for Congress, Peltola was the executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, which co-manages federal salmon fisheries in a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Peltola’s Yukon-Kuskokwim region — named for two major salmon rivers that flow through the area — has seen unprecedented collapses of key subsistence salmon runs in recent years. Peltola pledged to tackle the issue if elected.

………

Forty-eight candidates ran in a special primary election in June. That race narrowed the field to four — independent Al Gross later dropped out — before the Aug. 16 general election.

Meanwhile, a regularly scheduled election is playing out to decide who will hold the same U.S. House seat for the next two years, once the rest of Young’s term concludes. The primary for that race also was held Aug. 16, and Peltola, Palin and Begich are projected to advance, according to the Associated Press. There will also be a fourth spot on the ranked-choice ballot in November.

The November election is going to be very odd, no thanks in large part to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

I am still not optimistic, but I am less pessimistic.

Human Sacrifice, Dogs and Cats Living Together... Mass Hysteria!

In the realm of "Real end of the world stuff, Sarah Palin just showed some introspection, and assigned herself some blame.

It only took 7 years:

Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said in an interview that aired Sunday that the question CBS anchor Katie Couric asked her about what publications she read to form her views on foreign policy was "fair," but that she gave a "crappy" answer.

Couric's infamous interview with the former Alaska governor grabbed headlines because of Palin's lackluster responses.

Couric asked Palin about the newspapers and magazines she read to form her views on foreign policy.

Palin responded that she had a "great appreciation" for the media, but when Couric pressed her to name some of the publications she read, Palin said "all of 'em, any of 'em that have been in front of me over all these years."

Palin later said she was "taken aback" by the question.

In the interview that aired Sunday, Palin said the question was "fair."

"I had a crappy answer," she said. "But it was a fair question."

It's rare to see any politician to have this level of self awareness and humility.

To see it from "Caribou Barbie" is mind boggling.

Oh I Give Up! Let's Just Call it the Sarah Palin Clown Show

I'm sick and tired of coming up with new medical sounding names, OK? It takes more time than it does to write the articles, because this sh%$ really writes itself.

First, it appears that Palin is taking a week or so, the nominal explation is that she is spending time with her son before he ships out to Iraq, but the real reason is that she is taking time off to "get ready", and you have to love the snark from Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo

Isn't Palin supposed to move to Cheney's undisclosed location after she gets elected, not before?

The good Mr. Marshall owes me a screen cleaner...big time.

Howard Finemannotes that senior McCain officials have said that they are using the time to bring her up to speed, and Todd Harris, who is working with the McCain campaign admits that she is not ready, and probably needs two weeks to get her act together, explaining that, "If she goes out and makes a mistake, that is something that [voters will] care about, and that's something that will haunt [McCain] for awhile, so I think this is a smart move."

Jed, or the Jed Report has even created a "where's Sarah" widget for inclusion in your web site.

On earmarks, even the Moonie Times is calling out Palin on her double-talk on earmarks....And when you've lost the Washington Times on this issue.......Well, you've lost the Moonie Times.

And we still have the gift that keeps on given, Troopergate, we have

CREW saying that Palin is attempting to subvert the investigation of her through back door channels, the Anchorage Daily News says that she is stonewalling the investigation, and Newsweek is reporting that John McCain allies are throwing up roadblocks into the investigation too.

Meanwhile, it appears that the bipartisan committee investigating the matter will push up the date of its report from October 31 to around October 10, which is not an unreasonable response to stonewalling.

Additionally, Alaska lawmakers will plan to issue subpoenas to seven witnesses, though not to Palin, because the seven canceled interviews with the investigator, reportedly after, "Ms. Palin’s lawyer, Thomas V. Van Flein, had forbidden members of her administration to have any contact with the investigator."

We also have the State Police Union filing a formal complaint that Palin and Her Evil Minions^&trade improperly released information from Wooten's (the guy she wanted fired) private personnel records.

Finally, Mikew Wooten has finally gone public in this matter, talking to CNN and giving a brief interview.

Shoot Me, I Agree With David Frum

Who is a Canadian turned right wing former George W. Bush speech writer.

Frum takes Commentary magazine,^* and staff writer Jennifer Rubin, over her article "Why Jews Hate Palin", in which she suggests that Jews, or at least Jewish liberals, hate rural people, hunters, people who work with their hands (note here, Palin never really worked with her hands except for summer jobs when she was in school), people who have large families, the military and military families, and people who denigrate education.

Also she thinks that Jews find her too pretty, and hate her for that.

You know, her article could come from the mouth of Patrick Buchanan, it's so full of stereotypes, and Frum is remarkably kind to her in his response, but he nails her to the last wall.

The last paragraph says it all"

But even this is not the worst of it. Just guessing, but I think the real and most fundamental problem Jews have with Palin is not her gleeful ignorance, but her willful divisiveness. More than any politician in memory, Palin seems to divide her fellow-Americans into first class and second class citizens, real Americans and not-so-real Americans. To do her justice, she has never said anything to suggest that Jews as Jews fall into the second, less-real, class. But Jews do tend to have an intuition that when this sort of line-drawing is done, we are likely to find ourselves on the wrong side.

Also, add the fact that she literally shared a stage with a professional witch hunter, one who had driven "witches" out of his community, at her church, and the juxtaposition of Christian witch-hunters and the Jewish community is………How to put this?………Most unfortunate.

That being said, Frum does miss a point: that Jews don't view her more negatively than the general population:

The entirety of the Commentary article rests on the notion that Jews actually disproportionately dislike Palin. As her one piece of evidence, Rubin cites a 9/08 poll showing that only 37 percent of Jews approve of Palin. Is this really disproportionately low?

………………

So going by their partisan voting patterns alone, we would expect 36.5 percent of Jews to approve of Palin -- almost exactly what that poll found.

Though to be fair to Mr. Frum, I found that blog post in his tweets, and the negative tags for this post apply to Ms. Rubin, and not him.

^*No links to the magazine, ever. It got hijacked by the John Podhoretz Neocon insanity in the late 1960s, and no more link to them than I would link to Michelle Malkin.

And the Much Needed Descent into Obscurity Continues

And the Judge has dismissed the defamation lawsuit against the New York Times filed by Sarah Palin.

This is no surprise no one.  Since Sullivan v. NY Times, it has been very difficult for a public figure to win a defamation lawsuit against someone.  You have to show malice, which it this case would mean a reckless disregard for the truth, in addition to proving damage, whwere a public figure is involved.

In this case, Palin's testimony was a complete sh%$ show, and could not (out side of the masturbatory fantasies of Clarence "Worst Coca Cola Spokesman Ever" Thomas) meet the burden of proof in such cases.

If you are as dumb as a post, engaging in a legal action that requires you to be on the stand is probably a suboptimal strategy.

That is not to say that the article in question, an OP/ED, was not a total sh%$ show, though not through the fault of the original writer.

James Bennet, the (now thankfully former) opinion page editor for the Times, read an editorial condemning the sniper attack on Republican Congressman at a baseball practice, and decided that in order to create "balance" it needed to have some completely unrelated condemnation of the other side, so he added the text condemning Palin's PAC to the text.

So it was bad journalism, and a hack move by the editor, but it did not rise to the level required by Sullivan, and the judge called bullsh%$:

A federal judge said Monday that he planned to dismiss Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit against The New York Times, ruling that her legal team had failed to meet the extremely high legal standard required to prove that the newspaper defamed her when it published a 2017 editorial erroneously linking her political rhetoric to a mass shooting.

The jury was still deliberating behind closed doors in a Lower Manhattan courthouse, adding an unexpected and unusual twist in a case that is a major test of the First Amendment protections that journalists work under. Judge Jed S. Rakoff said he would allow the jurors to continue weighing the arguments by both sides. If they rule in favor of Ms. Palin, he will set aside their verdict and dismiss the case, he said.

The jury is expected back in the courtroom on Tuesday.

The judge indicated that he understood that his word would not be the last one in the case. Ms. Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, is very likely to appeal. And his decision to allow the jurors to continue weighing the evidence and come to a decision was intended to avoid any complications if the case is heard by an appeals court.

In lengthy comments from the bench, Judge Rakoff said he did not believe that Ms. Palin’s lawyers had produced enough evidence to prove their defamation claims.

Basically, Rakoff is saying that the case does not pass the laugh test, and I would agree.

The real goal here, of course, is to get this to the Supreme Court, where at least some of the justices want to reverse Sullivan., (Gorsuch and Thomas have publicly said that they want to do this.)

We will see what happens on appeal.

Dearie, Have You Considered Ritalin?

Yes, the half term governor of Alaska, and Miss it-took-six-colleges-to-get-a-degree-in-journalism, Sarah Palin, has quit her nationwide bus tour about halfway through her schedule:

Amid diminishing media interest, Sarah Palin has quit her high-profile bus tour halfway through and returned to Alaska with her family, according to RealClearPolitics.

The move puts a damper on widespread speculations that Palin's "One Nation" bus tour, which launched on Memorial Day, was a precursor to a potential White House bid for 2012. Palin never made it to her scheduled stops in the key primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

RealClearPolitics, which originally broke the story about the bus tour, reported Wednesday on Palin's "extended hiatus." The remaining legs of her trip, according to Scott Conroy, are "in limbo" as "Palin and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime Alaska."

Seriously, can this woman finish anything?

Either Sarah Palin is the most pathetic person on the face of the earth, or she is the most inspired performance artist ever.

Good Lord

Sarah Palin has made statements indicating that she is considering a run for US Senator for Alaska.

No offense intended, but when the f%$# is this loser's sell by date?

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said she is praying on whether to challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) next year.

Speaking last month at a leadership conference co-sponsored by Harvest International Ministry and the Latino Coalition for Israel, Palin expressed some reservations about a potential Senate run, saying that “it would be a sacrifice.”

“I do need prayer about whether I should or not,” she said, later adding: “If God wants me to do it, I will.”

Palin’s remarks at the conference were posted on Instagram on July 22 by Harvest International Ministry.

It’s not the first time a potential Senate run by Palin has been brought up. The former Alaska governor teased the prospect of a primary challenge to Murkowski in 2018 after the Alaska senator became the only Republican to vote against moving the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh forward.

There is also a long history of personal animus between Palin and Lisa Murkowski's dad, former Senator and Governor Frank Murkowski.

Seriously though, I just want it to stop. 

Also, Sarah, stop telling God what he wants.

Now Palin is Now Plagiarizing Her Lies

Remember when political operatives maintained that Sarah Palin's teleprompter broke and that she had to "wing it"?

Remember, that reports watching the speech, who were in a position to see the teleprompter, and saw that she was reading from a fully working teleprompter, and they could actually read it as she was talking, and that she followed the directions, such as adding emphasis at underlined texts, and pausing when the instruction "pause" was there.

It appears that someone was feeding Neanderbloggers and Drudge a load of crap

Well, now, apparently having run out of her own lies, Palin now feels compelled to use someone else's lies:

At a fundraiser in Canton, Ohio, this evening, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had an interesting description of her speech to the Republican convention.

“There Ohio was right out in front, right in front of me," Palin said. "The teleprompter got messed up, I couldn’t follow it, and I just decided I’d just talk to the people in front of me. It was Ohio.”

It really is pathetic when a Republican runs out of lies to tell.

On the bright side for Ms. Palin, I do believe that it is a sign of the coming "Rapture", which she has been waiting for with baited breath.

Vos? Sarah Palin iz a Yid*

When juxtaposed with the phrase, "Don't retreat, reload," this is an unfortunate turn of phrase

So Sarah Palin is now claiming that criticism of her "target map" and her shooting inspired rhetoric is blood libel:

"Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions," Palin wrote in an early morning post on her Facebook account on Wednesday. "But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible."

(emphasis mine)

<Facepalm>

For those of you unfamiliar with Jewish history, the blood libel is the accusation that Jews use Christian baby's blood to bake their matzohs for Passover.

This fraud was the cause of the deaths of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Jews over the past 200 years.

Needless to say, the idea that anyone who isn't Jewish would use the term for something as meaningless as  criticism over their rhetoric is offensive, ahistorical, narcissistic, and just plain wrong, particularly for someone who is not Jewish.

The level of venality for a non-Jew to use this to condemn people for saying mean things about her simply boggles the mind.  I cannot imagine anyone being so self-centered and inconsiderate to do this, so Sarah Palin must be Jewish.^†

The response to this has been actually been fairly universal.

Months ago, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, The View's resident right winger, called the map despicable months ago.

Additionally, former Bush speech writer turned conservative apostate David Frum, has called her out for unleashing her attack dogs, while National Review nepotism hire Jonah Goldberg, calls the use of the phrase stupid in so many words., and trust me, Jonah Goldberg knows stupid like few others.

Additionally, Jewish Groups, including the ADL, which normally spends it time sucking up to ignorant bigots have condemned the use of the phrase.

Pat Buchanan, though, was true to form, saying that he, "thought it was an excellent statement".

For what it's worth, Joan Walsh's assessment of the statement, that Palin has fatally wounded her Presidential chances, is, I think, completely wrong.

Her analysis misses a basic Republican imperative, to piss off liberals and Democrats any chance they get. Really, when you look at GOP frat boy behavior, it's clear that much of what they do is driven by this petty need.

By pissing off liberals with the "blood libel" comment, she cements her relationship with the movement conservatives and teabaggers, and pissing off Jews, who constitute a minuscule part of the party, is just gravy, because it shows the Talibaptist wing of the Republican party that she is one of them.

That being said, I would still argue that the simplest hypothesis is the one most likely the correct one, and that would be that she is a person suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

^*My best effort at translating "What? Sarah Palin is a Jew?" into transliterated English.
^†I'm not asking for evidence of Todd's circumcision, thankyouverymuch!

OK, This is a Story of a Celebrity Connected Drug Bush

Which generally means that I don't write about it.

As I have said about She Who Must Not Be Named, and They Who Must Not Be Named:

Absent some sort of political activity, such as endorsements, running for office (PLEASE GOD NO!!), or their attempting to assassinate someone, she will not be mentioned here.

So why am I writing about the arrest of Sherry L. Johnston on drug charges that appear to be associated with possession or distribution of Oxycontin.

Why am I writing about a small time drug bust in the small town of Wasilla, Alaska....Hold it....Wasilla, where Sarah Palin comes from, and Johnston, like the guy, Levi, who knocked up her teenage daughter?

Yes, Sherry L. Johnston is Levi's mom....And Levi Johnston and and Bristol Palin are still engaged to be married, and her baby is due today, though a quick scan of the ADN web site shows that the birth has not yet been anounced.

So, why am I mentioning it?

Let's see:

• Palin thought that it was significant that Obama worked on a community board with William Ayers, and now her future in-law is charged with being a drug dealer.
• So by Sarah Palin's own standards, she's involved.
• Palin was just the vice-presidential nominee, and shows every indication of wanting to run for president in 2012.
• Wasilla was a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere when Palin became mayor, and by the time she left, it was known as the "Meth Capital of Alaska," probably because she fired the competent police chief and replaced him with her own goon.

So, yes, this is noteworthy, particularly if your name is Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, or Jon Stewart.

Sarah Palin's Clothing Bill, and the Big Picture

While the comment of a Talking Points Memo commenter about Palin and the GOP dropping over $150,000.00 of campaign funds on her cloths and bling is amusing, "If Sarah Palin's $150,000 wardrobe had a life of its own, it would get a tax cut from a President Obama," it misses the big picture.

We have to remember that she also accepted per deim payments intended for away from home expenses for times when she was at home, which should have the IRS coming after her, and her bilking the state out of over $21,000.00 for travel expenses for her children.

This is not about Sarah Palin. It is rather about movement conservatism, of which Sarah Palin is, at least until after election day, a sterling example.

Movement conservatism is by its nature corrupt.

Basically, these people read too much Ayn Rand, or more accurately they took it too seriously, because any amount or Ayn being read is too much.

Because of this these people believe that the government, and government service to be inherently evil, and so they enter into service to do what they believe to be evil.

The only reason for them to enter government service is money and power, and they believe that they are owed these little bits of corruption, whether it be Palin's per deim or Stevens' house renovations, because they are doing something so awful.

Palin In-Law Drug Bust Delayed for Election

Well, this story is interesting.

It appears that the dope-dealing case of Sherry L. Johnston, whose son, Levi is due to marry Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, has taken a few twists:

• Ms. Johnston Believed that she was already under surveillance, being caught on wiretap texting to a customer, ""Hey, my phones are tapped and reporters and god knows who else is always following me and the family so no privacy. I will let u no when I can go for cof. [Oxycontin]"
  
• That the search warrant was purposely delayed until after the election so that Johnston was, "no longer under the protection or surveillance of the Secret Service."
• This last bit is particularly interesting, as the only time that she should be under surveillance or protection of the Secret Service would be when she was with Sarah Palin.

This raises the question as to whether Palin was using her position to delay the execution of a search warrant.

Well, I Guess That It's Better than Being Hit By a Bus (Or Not)

Charlie Pierce listened to Sarah Palin's closing speech at CPAC:

By now, and by god, it should have settled permanently in the consciousness of the nation what a huge and untoward gamble with the country John McCain and his campaign took in 2008 when they elevated Sarah Palin from her rightful place on the tundra to the political celebrity she currently enjoys. McCain should pay a heavy price for unleashing this ignorant, two-wheeled bilewagon on the country's politics. If you think she's a legitimate political leader, you're an idiot and a sucker and I feel sorry for you.

Yesterday she gave a wildly received speech to ring down the curtain at CPAC. The applause, as far as I know, may still be going on. It was as singularly embarrassing a public address as any allegedly sentient primate ever has delivered. It was a disgrace to politics, to rhetoric, to the English language, and to seventh-grade slam books everywhere.

………

A friend bailed on the speech, making the very plausible case that Palin is simply another political celebrity freakshow, like Donald Trump. I can see the point there but, with Palin, and watching the hysterical reception her puerile screed received, there is something more serious going on. She is the living representation of the infantilization of American politics, a poisonous Grimm Sister telling toxic fairy tales to audiences drunk on fear, and hate and nonsense. She respects no standards but her own. She is in perpetual tantrum, railing against her betters, which is practically everyone, and volunteering for the job of avatar to the country's reckless vandal of a political Id. It was the address of a malignant child delivered to an audience of malignant children. If you applauded, you're an idiot and I feel sorry for you.

Actually, no.

Last year, my car got totaled by a tour bus while CPAC was going on, and it's clear that Mr. Pierce had a WAY worse time this year at CPAC than I did last year getting hit by a bus.

Sarah Palin riffed on Green Eggs and Ham.

Read the whole thing, and shudder.