This is a very funny take on Ms. Palin and earmarks from TPM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xbn_AXlaeY&eurl=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

Does she know how many houses she charged Alaska for?

Here's a funny "3 a.m." ad on the subject.

http://snipurl.com/3p2tj

Why'd we let McCain off the hook for that so soon?

How about Crab Productivity

Earmarks are a small percentage of the total US federal budget anyway.

A bit OT but relevant to Palin/McCain v. Obama: a poll on whether Obama went too far with the LOAP remarks. Pls. vote appropriately to help BO-Joe beat McBushlin.

Thanks for pointing out what's been bugging me about this "champion of earmark reform" BS all along, which is the obvious: as a governor, what position was Palin in to "reform" any practice of the US Congress? No position at all, as it happens.

McCain didn't fight the bear research funding earmark. ANd he voted for the bill including it.

So he voted for the very earmark he's decrying.

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This figures, of course:

Politico

Palin team stocked with Bush veterans
By JONATHAN MARTIN | 9/10/08 12:32 PM EST

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13323.html

Perhaps we've all misheard the comment. Palin isn't "a champion earmark reformer"---she's a champion earmark PERFORMER. And her costume probably includes lots and lots of lipstick---so can we maybe talk about putting lipstick on a harbor seal?

Oh, calm down, Mary.

(You have no idea how long I've waited to say that to someone actually named "Mary".)

"Lipstick on a pig" is not a sexist phrase, as anyone with an IQ over 90 knows. Furthermore, if we are going to start quibbling over the "ownership" of words, as you seem to be arguing, then the McCain campaign can have "lipstick" as soon as they stop using "change". To wit: just because Sarah Palin once used the word "lipstick" in a speech, it ain't off limits for anyone else to ever use it again. That's an O'Reilly argument, and if you'll recall, it got laughed out of court.

Well gosh, Mary---if you're so worried about Obama being mean to Palin, them by all means, let me toss in my few coppers' worth!

My audio collection of Sarah Palin's political speeches. Enjoy!!!

http://www.junglewalk.com/sound/Seal-sounds.htm

When Sen. Obama starts respecting women and apologize for his sexist remarks (vs. Sen. Hillary Clinton or Gov. Sarah Palin), maybe he can win the Independent and Democrat women.

Thanks for your concern, troll. As we can tell from Mary's use of the phrase "Democrat (sic) women", Obama lost Republicans like her a long time ago. Run along, now, troll.

Nonetheless, for reasons best known to herself and Sen. McCain's speechwriters

I'm pretty sure those reasons include "We know the media won't call us on it."

Anybody remember when elephants were charismatic megafauna? I dunno, maybe they lost the charisma when they started using lipstick.

The gorilla and Chelsea Clinton jokes weren't funny, and neither was addressing his wife as a cunt, but at least John McCain never called anyone sweetie. Mr. Smooth Talk/Sexist Walk is misogynistic all the way down to his name. "Barack" is obviously a reference to a woman's "rack," and "Obama" is probably supposed to be a takeoff on David Bowie's famously offensive "Suffragette City" lyrics.

Women are not fooled by Democrat policy positions that appear to be more favorable to female interests. We know who the real sexists are in this election and we will vote accordingly. Then Senator Hustle and Flow can just dance by himself.

Unfortunately, all the cable new networks are paying any attention to is lipstick politics. Larry King tonight had a jarring intro visual screaming lipstick over a big lipstick. Lee Attwater, Karl Rove, and Steve Schmidt look to be riding to another triumph of electing their boy. Willie Horton, Swiftboats, and now...drum roll, please,..lipstick. Kevin Drum had some useful speculation on how NMcCain/Palin can govern after this type of gutter, irrelevant campaign with an seething, vengeful, heavily Democratic Congress. Probably, just another four years of us sliding deeper into the ash heap of history. Mort Zuckerman had a devastating analysis of where we're heading on MSNBC Monday. It's available on youtube. We're going to wind up looking like Britain in 1954 after Suez.

damn. mary, mother of odd has discovered political aminal. one more concern troll we don't need here.

orange

Those two are just so mavericky that they're against each other.

Re: lipstick on a pig

I say run with it. Go hyper-pig. Pigs in space. Change the standard image of the GOP to a pig in lipstick

GOP = Gaudy Old Pig

Hire R. Crumb to work up a suitably raunchy (though not obscene) pig and get it out EVERYWHERE. GOP at the trough! (There's a new Teapot Dome scandal breaking in Department of the Interior.

Hey, Democrats, Obama, don't go all queasy and polite on us. If they hit, do what the Big Dog would do: hit back harder.

I posted it on the Mini Report thread but, Mary, Mother of Odd (I'm *ever so happy* to see you back with us), please go and see:
http://www.womenforjohnmccain.com/?p=855
their thinking is as deliciously twisted as yours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earmarks are a small percentage of the total US federal budget anyway. -- Neil B, @20:16

What on earth are you talking about, Neil B? I know for certain-sure (because John Sidney said so and POWs never lie), that eliminating earmarks would dig us out from under the burden of the current deficit.

BTW... While my Polish half enjoys them (like Senator Macaca Allen I like me a pork chop, not to mention Virginia Ham), my Jewish half is getting sick and tired of all those references to the unclean animal. "Earmarks". "Bring home the bacon". "Pork barrel"."Lipstick on the pig".

How about some beef references ("sometimes, a maverick is just a cow" "where's the beef?")? Or -- even better, since it would exclude fewer religions -- some *chicken* references? There's "chicken feed". And "chicken sh*t", also scarcely used. If the campaigns are going to the barnyard for their inspiration, why not use the full imagery?

Well, she is no pig with or without lipstick. I would definitely sleep with her.

I just wouldn't vote for her. I have some standards.

Excellent catch!! She's a mockery of a sham of a ruse!!

We can sit here and comment on facts and issues till the cows come home. The Rpubs know this and all the while make hay. When their man Schmidt made the comments about "perceptions of the candidates and not the issues", truer words were never spoken. (Hard to believe , isn't it?) There is a poll now on the CNN.com site that asks the question.-Issues or personality? Guess what has garnered 60% of the response. You guessed it! The American Public has now chosen to pick it's best qualified candidates by what they SEE amd not what they ARE. Arnold in CA is a good example. He may be soon facing a recall election like Grey Davis because he can't deliver. We have become a People's Magazine clearing house on the Country's future. The sooner the Demos grow up and react to this perversion the better.

Everyday in every way they prove they lie.
They have always lied. That's what they do.
We would still like someone to explain the last 8 years and not sound insane.
Can anyone take us from 2000 to 2008 with any logic?
All that the media reports is based on lies.The conclusions most come to have no basis except lies.
Earmark is a nice word for payback which is a nice word for bribe.
What if this was reported as it is: "one of my biggest contributors demanded their payback in the form of a road/bribge/sewer line/power station/building/service/etc contract to their construction/service company.We got our contributor their money/contract even though we do not need this project and do not care if they start or finish this."
The point is they keep the language printable and make the stealing sound like business as usual.
They have their backs against the wall. Now they are all looking at jail time unless the old pardon man get's in.
They have all lied and cheated.
Don't forget pappy bush was head of cia, kenron lay their financial guru and rovaroolala in charge of sewage leaks/spills.
Ethics is not even on thier list of concerns.
The biggest problem right now is they have been at the lie thing 40+ years.They live a lie.
Almost too much to sort through.
Don't get distracted. While they have everyone dicussing cosmetics they continue to loot.

Nickname Gov Palin! Is she the Whore of Wasilla (explained there), the MILF, the Barra-chola (also explained) or something else.

It's all on my blog with illustrations and text lyrics.

You'd be surprised how well the last stanza of "Barracuda" actually fits her;

exlibra -- I was just thinking along similar lines. Is there something more to all this pig and pork rhetoric really mean? Perhaps a hidden message aimed at Jews or Muslims?

Is this really lipstick on a pig or a dog whistle in disguise? A chicken come home to roost? A sheep in wolf's clothing? A dog that won't hunt? Just more mickey-moose?

She had no power to reform Congressional earmark spending.

No, but she used her bully pulpit to tell Alaska's Congressional delegation to tone it down. She said she didn't want the state budget to rely on federal spending so much, and on earmarks in particular.

Palin may not be pure as Alaskan snow on the topic of earmarks, but there is some basis to her claim as a "reformer" -- although even the word "reformer" is too strong.

Want to re-emphasize that the terrible, awful, very bad things RepubliCo are doing to the nice, respectful Dems are WORKING, and will continue to work until the Dems as a whole stand up to their shit. I, for one, see at the least a highly charged Republican minority, nowhere near the Congressional gains expected by the Dems, and a publicly emasculated President Obama hobbling through his first and only term. That's if McCain doesn't pull this one out, which I think he will. I'm a Democrat, a blockwalking, phonebanking, grassroots level donating lifelong Democrat and I gotta say: the national Dems are pussies, and if they can't stand up and fight like they mean it against a B-team like Palin/McCain then we deserve to lose. I am sick to f***ing death of this 'high road' bullshit, these limp wristed apologies, this so-called strategizing which amounts to nothing less than LOSER. I've had it. If Team Obama and the national Dems can't handle this pathetic crap, if our representatives in Washington are so without substance as to snatch loss, once again, from the jaws of victory, then so be it. I've hung in there from Carter to Mondale to Dukakis to the anomaly that was Clinton to Gore, Kerry, and now Obama. This is it. Either Obama and the Dems stand up for themselves, clean McPalin's clock, or I'm done. So what, you say. Well, I guarantee you there are millions more like me. Anyways, that's it. Y'all go back to playing nice.

So this ticket is going to go to D.C. and reform departments like Interior?

How?

And can someone please investigate Justice -- their refusal to bring charges in the Minerals case coupled with their refusal to bring charges against Gonzalez show a political hand is operating Justice.

What a shock! How the hell McCain can claim a reform platform is an insane joke. What Republicans with ethics can he appoint???

Not as funny as all the earmarks that Obama and Biden asked for and recieved. Also, they dwarf the amount that Obama and Biden recieved when compared to McCain. Maybe that's why?
Besides, as you said, those in Congress are responsible for the earmarks.

OT, but is anyone watching Obama on Letterman?

berlin - problem is, neither Obama nor Biden have been running around championing themselves as earmark slayers. Palin has, and it's quite simply a big freakin' lie.

I'm sure McCain and Palin, despite her vulnerability on the issue, would like to make the election all about earmarks, since in terms of the big picture it's a niggling small detail that helps distract from much more important things that affect all of us a lot more, and about which they intend to do nothing more than uphold the status quo. And obviously, for people like you who are easily distracted, it works. Hopefully your propensity for gagging on gnats while swallowing camels will not end up screwing the rest of us.

McCain/Palin '08: Because you can ruin a country in 8 years, but it takes 12 to kill it.

OT, again, but did anyone see Craig Ferguson's monologue?

(Yeah, it's me again. This comment system really needs a redesign -- talking to you, bosses of Benen and Hilzoy)

Still though, I feel it slipping away. Selecting Palin, garbage that she is, was in fact the most astute political move of the decade.

Still though, I feel it slipping away. Selecting Palin, garbage that she is, was in fact the most astute political move of the decade. -- T3

I hear you, but the decade isn't over yet. November isn't even here yet. Palin may well turn out to be the one who strips the emperor of his clothes.

These past few days we've witnessed a media pushback the likes of which I haven't seen in years, maybe decades. Whether it continues remains to be seen, but right now, McCain/Palin is so exposed that I can't help but believe a few Americans aren't going to be repulsed. Given how polarized we are as a country, it doesn't take many.

OT, again, but did anyone see Craig Ferguson's monologue?

It just came on in my market. Holy shit!

Sarah Palin is outspoken, opportunistic. She lies and whacks her opponents. She comes from a modest background, appears to working moms. Former beauty queen.

It's as if John McCain appointed Tonya Harding to be his running mate.

If Washington Monthly didn't have Sarah Palin on the radar until she was named Veep candidate, then shame on you. She's been in rising GOP circles for quite awhile now, and was named as a possible VP choice early on. Try to pay attention.

Palin is an irresponsible welfare queen, living off the teat of working class America and she and her offspring are living the 60's lifestyle of free love and unprotected sex. Her and her ilk are responsible for the spread of AIDS and STDs. And they claim liberals don't want to take accountability for their actions. Sheesh....

Arizona is one of the big gainers when it comes to Federal dollars. How many holds on earmarks did McCain put?

You are missing the bigger issue on her earmarks.

Who got the money????????? Who are the contractors, etc. Who benefitted????

That will be the real story.

What we need is a cartoon of a pig with earmarks on it. And a whole bunch of lipstick!

Evidently Palin was not so unknown to the Republican hard-core - Limbaugh had been pushing her for VP for months (or so I hear - do not watch/listen myself). This highlights two things: a) how much the Republican party is dominated by wackos; and b) how little attention the MSM pays to Limbaugh, despite his palship with Bushies.

Lee Attwater, Karl Rove, and Steve Schmidt look to be riding to another triumph of electing their boy.

Yes, when Obama and McCain are tied in the polls, that clearly means that McCain will waltz to victory and Obama is doomed. DOOOOMMMED!!!

Seriously, where did all of these Democratic Schleprocks come from?

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