Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Wins 2008 Rubber Dodo Award

Originally posted by sos37
Question for all of you Sarah Palin haters:

Are you aware that this story is yet another example of media bashing against her? Are you aware that your own U.S. Government was worthy of this award before she was?

Check out the National Wildlife Federation's official page:

The US Department of Interior announced that the polar bear will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on May 14, 2008, but the listing was filled with contradictions. For example, the administration signaled that it would take no steps under the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear from the massive oil and gas development currently planned in the very heart of its habitat.

www.nwf.org...

Why blame Palin when our very own national government is just as guilty of not adequately protecting the Polar Bear?

I'll bet if I tried a little harder I could poke holes in the other two things also. This article quoted in post 1 is a FAIL.

did she not brag how she got all that money back for it's rtesidents

how she stopped all corruption
'
how she built a pipeline and also shutdown big oil in some instances????

she's in the state,,,,,and brags ,,,why can't she???

i bet i care more about weeds in MY lawn more than my neighbor would or the guy across town??? no???
same thing

The less we rely on oil and fossil fuels the better.

reply to post by blupblup


I agree generally. However, there are few ways of producing power more efficient in terms of carbon footprint than burning coal or oil. (other than nuclear)

I plan on having my "Ranch" intirely off grid and heating with geothermal (it already is). Just need to complete the solar electric. It will happen.

However, if I ever calculate my "carbon footprint". I'm going to estimate that I won't be out of the red for a decade or 2. That's because all of these technologies require a huge amount of energy to develope and produce/ manufacture.

Your vegetable fuels for car are a great idea but when you calculate the total CO2 produced or consumed in the raising of your rape seed oil for instance there is no overall advantage. There are no farmers that produce more carbon than they consume. You have to consider all the consequences of production and when you figure in natural degradation of the rape stalks by soil bacteria you are suddenly well back in the red. Dittos for palm oil, corn, soybeans and everything except perhaps algae and I know of noone that has that process perfected to date.

Originally posted by shortywarn

Originally posted by sos37
Question for all of you Sarah Palin haters:

Are you aware that this story is yet another example of media bashing against her? Are you aware that your own U.S. Government was worthy of this award before she was?

Check out the National Wildlife Federation's official page:

The US Department of Interior announced that the polar bear will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on May 14, 2008, but the listing was filled with contradictions. For example, the administration signaled that it would take no steps under the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear from the massive oil and gas development currently planned in the very heart of its habitat.

www.nwf.org...

Why blame Palin when our very own national government is just as guilty of not adequately protecting the Polar Bear?

I'll bet if I tried a little harder I could poke holes in the other two things also. This article quoted in post 1 is a FAIL.

did she not brag how she got all that money back for it's rtesidents

how she stopped all corruption
'
how she built a pipeline and also shutdown big oil in some instances????

she's in the state,,,,,and brags ,,,why can't she???

i bet i care more about weeds in MY lawn more than my neighbor would or the guy across town??? no???
same thing

And this has WHAT to do with the subject matter??? Yeah. Didn't think so. Typical Palin bashing on your part without knowing what we're talking about.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Fair enough... but there is also no real evidence that global warming is a man made problem.

Originally posted by blupblup
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Fair enough... but there is also no real evidence that global warming is a man made problem.

But, that is part of my point, that their really is not any information the prove that humans are not part of the problem either. So, we don't know for sure what is causing the climate change, does that mean we pretend that nothing is taking place? No, it means we continue with research. It means we move forward towards living healthier. It only makes good sense to me.

I do agree that people on both sides of the issue seem to be jumping to conclusion too quickly either way.

Peace

reply to post by plumranch

Up here in Alaska we have lower 48 environmentalists and their lawyers on every street corner especially in the summer. They're pests like mosquitoes! Palin's position on polar bears and global warming is mainstream in Alaska. The polar bears are doing great, even multiplying with plenty to eat. And don't tell us we have global warming! This is the coldest summer and winter we can remember.

Perhaps one big reason Alaskans are so cavalier with wildlife and the environment is that they know Alaska is not theirs to do with as they please.

Alaska belongs to the United States of America and all its 304 million citizens. Well, about 85% of it. You can destroy your part but leave our part alone!

I have never said Sarah Paliln was stupid although many people have. But I have said she is not as well informed as a 5th grader. I don't know why John the Maverick McCain did that to America. He must hate America?

Perhaps one big reason Alaskans are so cavalier with wildlife and the environment is that they know Alaska is not theirs to do with as they please.

reply to post by donwhite


Sorry, I really didn't get your point but I'll bet you haven't spent much time in Alaska!

I spend a lot of time flying over much of Alaska and I have always been amazed at how large, wild and untouched by mankind this place is. Pretty incredible.

A couple of examples: The Wrangle St. Elias area is a huge area that was used by hunters, hikers and prospectors for many years as a great place to recreate. Jimmy Carter declared much of it a national monument and almost noone goes there now. He did the same thing with similar results to the Lake Clark area. A huge park where noone bothers to go now. A big "up yours" by Carter to Alaskans and everyone else.

ANWAR is the same way. They portray the petroleum drilling area as this beautiful, scenic mountain meadow area with bountiful wildlife when in actuality is a boring, ugly mosquito ridden swamp ripe for oil development. Congress says you can't drill there because it is too much of a precious environmental resource and they don't know what they are talking about and won't bother to learn.

All you angry anti Palin people probably got your info on Sarah from the liberal media and Tammy Fey. Most of us regard her as a fairly smart cookie. She will be a factor in American politics for a long time, IMHO.

reply to post by plumranch

I'll bet you haven't spent much time in Alaska! I spend a lot of time flying over much of Alaska and I have always been amazed at how large, wild and untouched by mankind this place is. Pretty incredible.

No, I’ve never been to Alaska. But I have read the Treaty which affirmed the purchase of Alaska by the United States of America. I do know who owns the place.

Due to political machinations by Congressman Don Young and convicted felon and former Senator Ted Stevens, the state of Alaska was given a “slice” of the revenues from the Prudhoe Bay oil field. To “cement” the public with the oil industry, the powers that be in Alaska decided to give it to the citizens. Sort of like the old days in Rome! Or a modern shell game.

A couple of examples: The Wrangle St. Elias area is a huge area that was used by hunters, hikers and prospectors for many years as a great place to recreate. Jimmy Carter declared much of it a national monument and almost no one goes there now.

There is a large gap here. Before JC, much travel, after JC, little travel. The two don’t jive! This sounds too much like a Rush Limbaugh story calculated to jerk around the faithful!

He did the same thing with similar results to the Lake Clark area. A huge park where no one bothers to go now. ANWAR is the same way. They portray the petroleum drilling area as this beautiful, scenic mountain meadow area with bountiful wildlife when in actuality is a boring, ugly mosquito ridden swamp ripe for oil development. Congress says you can't drill there because it is too much of a precious environmental resource and they don't know what they are talking about and won't bother to learn.

Yes, the Democrats in Congress have slowed but not stopped the rapacious Republicans in their sinister disregard for either the current environment or tomorrow’s heritage preserved for the next generation. It’s all ME and NOW.

All you angry anti Palin people probably got your info on Sarah from the liberal media and Tammy Fey. Most of us regard her as a fairly smart cookie. She will be a factor in American politics for a long time, IMHO.

“Fairly” smart may be true. But it was and remains an insult to the American people to have even offered to put her in the driver’s seat of the world’s preeminent country. I learned for sure I don't want any Pentecostal person high up in my government.

I can think of no recent act of a politician as inept and self-serving as McCain selecting an incompetent Sarah Palin who cannot recall reading anything. You only learn by reading. In that intellectual shortfall she shares the limelight with Bush43. Neither read.

The picture of the Wasilla City Hall showed it to be located in a Laundromat. Being governor of the least populated state would be equivalent to being Mayor of Baltimore. Well, maybe the mayor of Baltimore has more problems in a day than Sarah would have in a month?

Somebody is blowing smoke you know where to even talk about Sarah Paliln having a place in the 2012 GOP politics. That is, unless the GOP develops a kamikaze impulse. Sorry about that, but that’s the way I see Alaska and Sarah.

Originally posted by RRconservative
When a species is multipying at an alarming rate, isn't that the time to remove them from the list. The Act worked...now it is time to move on...or should they stay on the list indefinately, no matter what their population?

Any site that still promotes Global Warming....well that speaks for itself. I think even Algore has given up on Global Warming....BTW anyone here from Algore lately?

R U kidding,,he was just testifying b4 congress or the house today

he will suck it dry for ev ery penny it's worth,,,he's a dirty politician for crying out loud

Being governor of the least populated state would be equivalent to being Mayor of Baltimore.

reply to post by donwhite


For your edification concerning Alaska, I see I have picqued your interest, Alaska is not the smallest state, there are 3 smaller including Vermont.

Alaska has a population of just under 700,000 people spread over several thousand miles and roughly 15% indigenous (eskimos and indians)

Alaska has over 8% of the total US military and has 8 national guard units which of course have Pallin as commander in chief. As such, Pallin receives regular classified military briefings especially in regards to Alaska's border with Russia.

I would imagine that Alaska is the state with the largest amount of natural resources but that is hard to quantify. Oil, natural gas, coal, minerals, fishing, tourist, etc.

I found this regarding Palins position on mineral development which I consider to be accurate:

"Governor Palin has supported mining across Alaska and resisted efforts to list species such as the polar bear or beluga whales as endangered as such listings may hamper mineral development. In Alaskan politics, contentious issues can arise around resource development far more acutely than at the national scene. This is evidenced by the struggle between various Native groups and environmentalists over the Pebble Mine project adjoining Bristol Bay, near the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. Despite her fishing credentials, the governor is a supporter of this project as well." Source

Originally posted by sos37

Originally posted by shortywarn

Originally posted by sos37
Question for all of you Sarah Palin haters:

Are you aware that this story is yet another example of media bashing against her? Are you aware that your own U.S. Government was worthy of this award before she was?

Check out the National Wildlife Federation's official page:

The US Department of Interior announced that the polar bear will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on May 14, 2008, but the listing was filled with contradictions. For example, the administration signaled that it would take no steps under the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear from the massive oil and gas development currently planned in the very heart of its habitat.

www.nwf.org...

Why blame Palin when our very own national government is just as guilty of not adequately protecting the Polar Bear?

I'll bet if I tried a little harder I could poke holes in the other two things also. This article quoted in post 1 is a FAIL.

did she not brag how she got all that money back for it's rtesidents

how she stopped all corruption
'
how she built a pipeline and also shutdown big oil in some instances????

she's in the state,,,,,and brags ,,,why can't she???

i bet i care more about weeds in MY lawn more than my neighbor would or the guy across town??? no???
same thing

And this has WHAT to do with the subject matter??? Yeah. Didn't think so. Typical Palin bashing on your part without knowing what we're talking about.

gee that's funny,,, miss anti-washington,,,anti-obama is going to washington to have dinner with obama and meet repub fundraiser big wigs

wow,, miss all american,, evveryday joe???

and she called obama a man with terrorist friends,,, so now she's having dinner with the friend of a friendf of terrorists????

People who drill preserved land and put animals in danger (by ignoring global warming OR polluting OR digging up their homes OR overfishing and throwing off ecosystems) deserve to be devoured by polar bears.
In my honest and humble opinion.

deserve to be devoured by polar bears.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


It'll never happen. The only polar bear I've ever seen up here is Binky at the Alaska Zoo.

They're all (hopefully) safe and sound out on the sea ice chowing down on baby seals. Now that's a picture! Who is the advocate for the seals (main food for polar bears)?

reply to post by plumranch

. . has 8 national guard units [equal to a 500-800 man battalion?] which of course have Palin as commander in chief. As such, Palin receives regular classified military briefings especially in regards to Alaska's border with Russia. I would imagine that Alaska is the state with the largest amount of natural resources but that is hard to quantify. Oil, natural gas, coal, minerals, fishing, tourist, etc.

I found this regarding Palin position on mineral development which I consider to be accurate: "Governor Palin has supported mining across Alaska and resisted efforts to list species such as the polar bear or beluga whales as endangered as such listings may hamper mineral development.”

OK. I was wrong on Alaska being the least populated state. But not by much. AK, 686,293. ND, 641,481. VT, 621,270. Alaska is the largest of the three, but not by much. No. 20 Baltimore’s population is given as 637,455. No. 17 Ft. Worth is listed at 681,818.

I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I have heard there is no paved road running from Anchorage (the largest city) to Juneau (the capital city).

I have never heard how it happened but you can see by looking at a map the narrow coastal strip running south from Icy Bay should be part of Yukon Territory or British Columbia. The boundary with Yukon Territory - the 141st meridian - should have been extended south to the Gulf of Alaska around the Icy Bay area. Or the 60 deg. N. latitude line extended west to the same Gulf adding the strip to BC. There might be a book in waiting explaining how that geographical anomaly came to happen.

I do get short with Alaskans sounding like they are taking the place of Texans who never stopped boasting they did everything bigger and better when in fact they invariably did it smaller and worse. I was grateful to see Alaska admitted to the Union to shut up those Tex-icans. Now I have to listen to Alaskans telling the United States how to run the world.

I have 2 years service in the Army National Guard. I’d hope Sarah would be UNLIKE Bush43 who thought GOD gave him special powers as Commander in Chief for Life of the World. For reference here is the Constitutional provision:
Article II. Section 2. "The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States . . “ That’s all there is. Dumbya - as he is called by his friends - thought he was the direct successor to Oliver Cromwell and the Lord Protector of the United States.

The C-in-C provision is very logical. You can have only one person at a time giving orders. Because the young Republic was fearful of a professional army, the top job was given to the president. No one thought any president would have so much hubris and so little knowledge as to micro-manage the battlefield from the Fuhrer Bunker in the WH basement. Her function in the C-in-C role would be to designate the CG. Commanding General. Then back to the Executive Mansion and to fixing dinner for the family.

I do know she can see Russia from her front porch but that does not make her a diplomat. And as for her W-DC briefings, I expect that would be on a need-to-know basis. Like the official weather forecast for the Bering Straits and the Deadliest Catch tv movie makers. It’s my best guess that Todd runs the state and gets his instructions straight from BP Oil Co.

As for natural resources I would think Sarah would be like all the Alaska politicians at the Federal level, she works for who pays them the most.

Now these are just my impressions.


Aside: 1989. Is this over or is it sill in court? ExxonMobil hired its own scientists to study the impacts of the spill, and they come to different conclusions than many of the results published by government agencies and peer-reviewed academic journals. Exxon's scientists acknowledge the lingering pockets of oil in the sediments, but they argue that they do not pose a serious risk.

It is their position that there are now no species in Prince William Sound in trouble due to the impact of the 1989 oil spill, and that the data strongly support the position of a fully recovered Prince William Sound ecosystem. www.eoearth.org...

[edit on 1/30/2009 by donwhite]

reply to post by donwhite



You obviously know very little about Alaska, i live in Alaska, a city of Soldotna. While entire US economy is in the deep crisis(lower 48), Alaskan economy is untouched, we are the richest state of US pretty much, people's average income here is $60,124! The infrastructure is great. You would be surprised how much gas/oil Alaska supplies to the lower 48, I work in the oil industry as a process technology operator, and the amount of oil/gas being shipped to lower 48 is tremendous, also don't forget about a fish industry here, my small town of Soldotna with only 2500 residents in the summer get filled up with thousands of RV home such as this ones (images.businessweek.com...)

I may agree that PAlin may be not much of a leader for the USA, but for ALAska she is perfect.

I do know she can see Russia from her front porch

reply to post by donwhite


Tammy Fey said that line on Sat Night Live. It sure was funny, ha ha!

don’t mean this in a bad way, but I have heard there is no paved road running from Anchorage (the largest city) to Juneau

The reason that there is not a road to Juneau is that it is physically nearly impossible. It is impractical to try to build roads over rough mountains and glaciers. Tunneling is the only way possible but is impractical.

You may have hit upon something though. Why is the capitol located in Juneau since it has no road so you have to fly or boat there? The rest of Alaska has been trying to figure that out for 50 years now! I suspect that decision was made by someone from the lower 48 but I'm not sure!

The C-in-C provision is very logical. You can have only one person at a time giving orders.

I will defer to your superior military knowledge on this. I went to the Peace Corps instead of Nam. But I do remember Bill Clinton bragging back in '90 that he had called out the Arkansas National guard twice and that qualified him for president. So I suppose it works for Palin also,

I do get short with Alaskans sounding like they are taking the place of Texans

Sometimes we get a little tired of Texans too. That's because they are very common up here due to the oil industry. But we get by with saying we are by far the biggest because we are, no comparison.

We have been on the short end of the stick a lot due to our overseers down at the US legislature. The US government owns most of the land up here therefore has a huge presence. The good news is that we also have been able to garnish a lot of the pork dollars for roads, airports, indian schools and everything under the sun. We do thank you all for that! (as well as good old X Senator Stevens)

reply to post by plumranch

We have been on the short end of the stick a lot due to our overseers down at the US legislature. The US government owns most of the land up here therefore has a huge presence.

The good news is that we also have been able to garnish a lot of the pork dollars for roads, airports, Indian schools and everything under the sun. We do thank you all for that! (as well as good old X Senator Stevens)

Actually I do not think of US taxpayers improving Alaska as pork. I just finished the Doris Goodwin book on Lincoln, Team of Rivals, and it is notable (I think) that the Whig Party - major predecessor to the Republican Party - supported public works in rivers and ports around the country. Good roads and more landing strips in Alaska are to everyone’s advantage. As a Democrat I do not require everything pay its own way. The public good also counts.

Would that it were so that only Don Young, Ted Stevens and Rod Blagojevitch were corrupt. In my home state of KY it was always accepted that in an election closer than 5,000 votes you really could not be sure who had won.

And on the topic of pork I hold an uncommon point of view. First, every elected officeholder has his or her own consistency. In W-DC that means 435 House members, (plus 6 delegates) and 100 members in the Senate, and the president and vice president but those 2 are as one. 536 (or 542) entities each vying both for national attention and in 535 cases (541), for local coverage.

I don’t know when the first PORK item went through Congress. I have always said the Houston Space Flight Center was the largest single piece of pork. By all rights the SFC belonged at Florida's Cape Canaveral. Instead it ended up 800 miles west. Can you imagine how much money was spent laying communications lines, from the launch pad to the SFC in Houston? Land lines. Under the Gulf lines. Microwave towers. Secondary lines. Later, coaxial lines. Then followed fiber optic lines. And satellite links.

And mostly that all happened because Sam Rayburn was the Democrat Speaker of the House and Lyndon Johnson was the single most powerful Democrat in the Senate despite being elected to the VP slot. Throw in that JFK regarded Texas as both needed and pivotal to his reelection and you have the biggest boondoggle in American history. Up until then. So I know about pork.

Each of those elected people must be able to bring home some bacon (or pork) to their constituents. As long as we have elections we will have pork. I like Obama’s idea of making it utterly transparent and not allowing any additions outside of the appropriate committee or subcommittee. No midnight additions to the bills. Maybe we could limit pork to $25 per voter per year in each district?

[edit on 1/30/2009 by donwhite]

post by plumranch


Check out the National Wildlife Federation's official page:

The US Department of Interior announced that the polar bear will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on May 14, 2008, but the listing was filled with contradictions. For example, the administration signaled that it would take no steps under the Endangered Species Act to protect the polar bear from the massive oil and gas development currently planned in the very heart of its habitat. www.nwf.org...

The Bush43 Administration tardy and with great reluctance accepted the overwhelming evidence that the polar bear is indeed an endangered species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. HOWEVER Bush43 specifically provided that declaration cannot be offered as proof of global warming. In other words, the cause of the endangerment of the polar bear is, as Bush43 says, “Cause unknown!” Hey, ignorance is bliss! Even if self-imposed.

Mr. P, here’s some data on National Guards. You had mentioned that among other momentous duties of Sarah Palin, she was ex officio the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard. To which I somewhat unkindly estimated that would be about a battalion?

Here follows from Kentucky, my state of birth.

MURRAY, Ky. – Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has called up all of his Army National Guard troop and some Air National Guard units to get the state back on its feet following a crippling ice storm. The addition of 3,000 soldiers and airmen makes 4,600 Guardsmen pressed into service. It's the largest call-up in state history.

More than 400,000 people remain without power in Kentucky five days after the storm hit. Many others still lack electricity in other states from the Midwest into Appalachia.

The storm is suspected in at least 42 deaths across several states. Authorities say it could be weeks before some areas get power back. (KY population, 2008 est. 4,269,245)
news.yahoo.com...

The 4,600 KY Air and Army National Guardsmen equals 0.1% of the population. If that same proportion holds for Alaska, then the size of the Alaska Air and Army National Guards would be 740 men and women, about a battalion! Not a bad guess-timate! Instead of a general, the commanding officer would be a colonel (O6), although another law makes the Adjutant General of a state hold the temporary rank of Major General (O8).

But See this Story

Army cuts off pay for WWII Alaska militia veterans
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Native militia formed to guard the territory of Alaska from the threat of Japanese attack during World War II.

The change means 26 surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard, most in their 80s and long retired will lose as much as $557 in monthly retirement pay. The payments end Feb. 1.

The state is pursuing a remedy for "these brave Alaskans, who did so much for the cause of freedom during a time of great national peril," Gov. Sarah Palin said.

The Army doesn't intend to seek to recoup past pay, he said. About 300 members are still living from the original 6,600-member unit called up from 1942 to 1947 to scout patrols, build military airstrips and perform other duties. 88-year-old Paul Kiunya in the western Alaska village of Kipnuk was 16 when he joined the territorial guard and worked in communications, reporting by radio any unusual noises or the direction of aircraft, including some Japanese planes he spotted.

"We did not get one cent being in the territorial guard," he said. "And we worked hard." With gasoline in his village at almost $10 a gallon, that's a huge amount to lose. "I don't know why they trying to cut the pay. It's not good for us right now," he said in a phone interview. "It's not right." www.google.com...

[edit on 1/31/2009 by donwhite]

Originally posted by blupblup
reply to post by eldard

 

Global warming certainly is real.... but the causes for it are not clear IMO.
the whole solar system is heating up.... can't all be our fault??

This is where you're wrong. It is all our fault. If hadn't sent space craft all over the solar system burning up all that(Whatever they use that combines carbon with oxygen). Also, the oil companies have been artificially heating up the sun since the creation of the solar system.

Don't believe me?

Fine, I'll make a movie and then you'll have no choice.


On topic though:

Sarah Palin is this nations single most idiotic politician. Even more so than Dan Quayle. Hell, Dan Quayle shivers in utter disgust to hear such idiocy come from someone other than him.

Some people in politics should never be allowed to speak, ever. Dan and Sarah should get married. They make a powerfully entertaining couple.

reply to post by plumranch

Alaska has a population of just under 700,000 people spread over several thousand miles and roughly 15% indigenous (Eskimos and Indians)

I would imagine that Alaska is the state with the largest amount of natural resources but that is hard to quantify. Oil, natural gas, coal, minerals, fishing, tourist, etc. I found this regarding Palins position on mineral development which I consider to be accurate:

"Governor Palin has supported mining across Alaska and resisted efforts to list species such as the polar bear or beluga whales as endangered as such listings may hamper mineral development. In Alaskan politics, contentious issues can arise around resource development far more acutely than at the national scene. This is evidenced by the struggle between various Native groups and environmentalists over the Pebble Mine project adjoining Bristol Bay, near the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. Despite her fishing credentials, the governor is a supporter of this project as well."

REMARK: I appreciate your politeness, Mr P. You are nicer to me than I have been to you. Good for you! [But see my question below.]

On Sarah Palin. Perhaps she should look to Richard Nixon and his 1960 defeat and then his 1968 comeback for both inspiration and offering a plan. Recall that Nixon lost a very close race to the upstart Catholic playboy, Jack Kennedy! Nixon: “How could a good Protestant boy loose to a Catholic?” Say hello Al Smith. It was a very close race. In fact it was so close the saying, “lost by less than one vote” became popular for a while. That phrase referred to the fact that Kennedy’s wining popular vote margin was slightly fewer than the total number of precincts in America.

Nixon always claimed the election was stolen from him in Chicago where the Democrats were notorious in stuffing the ballot boxes. See Note 1. That was true - and may still be - but that begs the question. It was equally true in Illinois that the Republicans were notorious for stuffing the ballot boxes in DOWNSTATE Illinois. Maybe in some perverse way, democracy was well served by the BEST ballot stuffer WINING?

Anyway, you may recall that Nixon ran for governor of California in 1962 and was defeated by Democrat Pat Brown, father of Jerry Brown who was later (the hippie) governor of California. After that loss, Nixon held a press conference in which he grew angry, said that was his last press conference and that “they [the press] would not have Nixon to kick around anymore!”

Apparently, once the presidential bug bites you, there is no cure. The Western Wing of the GOP gained the 1964 nomination for Barry Goldwater - AuH2O - who became the FIRST of the line of Republicans we now call the Neo Cons. More recently we are calling them economic buccaneers! Nixon and Ford were not in that line but Reagan, Bush Sr and Bush Jr are or were.

Playing in part on the country’s remorse over the assassination of JFK, Texas Democrat Johnson easily defeated Goldwater. See Note 2. To say the least, the Republicans were deeply disappointed following the Democrat’s 1964 sweep of the presidency, the House and Senate along with a number of governorships.

Nixon saw a vacuum. None of the prominent Republicans were available to help in the 1966 off year races. He began to give speeches anywhere he was asked. Like early C&W singers, he was on the fried chicken, peas and mashed potatoes circuit! At Rotary Clubs. At the Kiwanis club. At the American Legion halls. At 4-H clubs. And of course, speaking on the stump on behalf of any and all Republican candidate for county clerk on up.

Despite losing his last 2 races (1960-1962) Nixon had after all been Ike’s vice president for 8 years and for a few days when Ike suffered a heart attack, he had been for all practical purposes (if not legal) America’s acting president! That is getting close to the prize! By the time of the 1968 Republican convention, it was Nixon who had all of those hard earned favors to call in! Nixon won the nomination on the first ballot and named Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland (to geographically balance the ticket) as his vice presidential candidate. Who would have thought the ground work had just been laid that would end with America’s first UNELECTED president? Gerald Ford. Bush43 being the second.

There are several lessons here. Some are superficial. Others are more subtle. I offer this however merely to point out that even the most unlikely persons (Nixon in 1962) could succeed if you follow the advice of the Little Engine That Could. Aside: The Little Engine that Could is a moralistic children's story that first appeared in the United States. The book is used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work. Some critics contend that the book is a metaphor for the American dream. In the public domain, the best known incarnation of the story “The Little Engine That Could” is attributed to "Watty Piper," a pseudonym used by publishing house Platt & Munk, with illustrations by the esteemed Lois Lenski.
en.wikipedia.org...


Q. I noted that Todd Palin claims some Inuit accessory. He does not look much like the Inuits I have seen on tv. I wonder if his claim is really a calculated subterfuge to get him into a special or privileged position to allow him or his “partners” to catch sockeye salmon? Can you up-date me on this? It sounds much like half the people of Rhode Island claiming to be part Narraganset indians so to share the casino and tobacco profits?


Note 1. It seems everyone who was even close to Chicago in 1936 and old enough to walk, tells essentially the same story. (Which may go far towards authentication). It seems the Democrats had chartered Greyhound buses for election day. Early on election day, the buses went to every college in Cook County, and loaded up with student volunteers.

The buses toured the city, stopping at numerous precincts, where all the happy passengers would disembark, cast a ballot for Roosevelt then it was back to the bus and on to the next precinct. For this good day's work, they got $5 and a fried chicken box lunch! That’s the story.

Note 2. Texas politics are as “rough and tumble” as any in Illinois or anywhere in America including Alaska. Smoke filled rooms chose all the national party presidential candidates from 1796 until 1972. The Dems reformed the system in 1972 and were followed in 1976 by the GOP.

Anyway, Johnson won his senate seat in 1936 by 38 votes, hence the nom de plume or appellation (I never know which) “Landslide Lyndon.”


[edit on 2/2/2009 by donwhite]