Palin's track record marked by bitter clashes
Tim Harper, Washington Bureau The Star
Sept 13, 2008
WASILLA, ALASKA –Twelve years before she became America's right-wing sweetheart, Sarah Palin rode another wave of "change" to power.
Immediately after her election as mayor, the self-described pit bull ran into trouble in this tiny community tucked into Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley, sparking a colourful internecine political battle. It was remarkable even by the intense, incestuous standards of America's Last Frontier.
John McCain's Republican presidential running mate arrived as mayor already facing allegations she had introduced conservative social issues – including her anti-abortion position – into the mayoral campaign. She even questioned why the incumbent mayor's wife still used her maiden name.
As mayor, she fired administrators, gagged others and tried to move a museum out of the downtown.
She mused about banning books, was accused of being in the pocket of the National Rifle Association, dissolved a commission seeking ways to improve the city's problem with drinking and driving, and faced charges she had tried to break laws to put her supporters on council. On Day 120 of her administration, the first day such a move was allowed by law, she faced an incipient recall movement.
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Palin's track record marked by bitter clashes
Showing posts with label book banning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book banning. Show all posts
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Palin's Book-banning Efforts, Redux
Palin's Book-banning Efforts, Redux
By Steve Benen CBS News Online
Sep 11, 2008
(Political Animal) PALIN'S BOOK-BANNING EFFORTS, REDUX.... Here's what we know about Sarah Palin's interest in banning books. Time reported last week that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning library books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.
Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical."
Yesterday, ABC News' Brian Ross moved the ball forward a bit, with an interesting report.
Ross emphasized an angle I previously hadn't heard much about. Palin was elected mayor thanks in large part to the strong backing of her church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, which, right around the time Palin took office, "began to focus on certain books available in local stores and in the town library, including one called 'Go Ask Alice,' and another one written by a local pastor, Howard Bess, called 'Pastor, I am Gay.'"
Palin became mayor, her church was interested in censorship, and soon after, Palin asked a "rhetorical" question about how books might be excluded from the public library. When the librarian resisted, she was, at least initially, fired.
The line from the McCain campaign has been that Palin never had any interest whatsoever in banning library books. That seems increasingly difficult to believe.
Check out the video at:
Palin's Book-banning Efforts, Redux
By Steve Benen CBS News Online
Sep 11, 2008
(Political Animal) PALIN'S BOOK-BANNING EFFORTS, REDUX.... Here's what we know about Sarah Palin's interest in banning books. Time reported last week that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning library books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.
Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical."
Yesterday, ABC News' Brian Ross moved the ball forward a bit, with an interesting report.
Ross emphasized an angle I previously hadn't heard much about. Palin was elected mayor thanks in large part to the strong backing of her church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, which, right around the time Palin took office, "began to focus on certain books available in local stores and in the town library, including one called 'Go Ask Alice,' and another one written by a local pastor, Howard Bess, called 'Pastor, I am Gay.'"
Palin became mayor, her church was interested in censorship, and soon after, Palin asked a "rhetorical" question about how books might be excluded from the public library. When the librarian resisted, she was, at least initially, fired.
The line from the McCain campaign has been that Palin never had any interest whatsoever in banning library books. That seems increasingly difficult to believe.
Check out the video at:
Palin's Book-banning Efforts, Redux
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Palin's Book-banning Efforts
Palin's Book-banning Efforts
By Steve Benen CBS News
Sep 9, 2008
PALIN'S BOOK-BANNING EFFORTS.... There's been a list making the rounds lately, showing books that Sarah Palin allegedly tried to ban from Wasilla's public library during her mayoral tenure. The list isn't true, and in some instances, doesn't even make sense (some the books hadn't even been published in 1996, when the incident is alleged to have occurred).
The McCain campaign is apparently aware of the rumor, and is pushing back.
The McCain-Palin team is continuing its pushback campaign against stories about VP nominee Sarah Palin that have taken on a life of their own on the Internet.On Monday, they sent reporters a memo in response to reports that the Wasilla, Alaska resident had tried to ban a lengthy list of books when she was mayor of that town.
"This is categorically false. The fact is that as Mayor, Palin never asked anyone to ban a book and not one book was ever banned, period," McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said, directing reporters to campaign research "debunking this smear."
While the purported list is bogus, we do know that something happened with regards to Palin and at least a question about book banning.
Time reported last week, for example, that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.
Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical."
I can understand why the McCain campaign is pushing back against a bogus list that's making the rounds. Deceptive claims are deceptive claims, no matter who the target is. But as long as McCain aides are talking about this issue, maybe they can answer a couple of additional questions, such as, "Why did Palin try to fire the librarian in the first place?" Or how about, "Why did Palin broach the subject of book-banning if she had no intention of trying to ban books?"
Read the story at:
Palin's Book-banning Efforts
By Steve Benen CBS News
Sep 9, 2008
PALIN'S BOOK-BANNING EFFORTS.... There's been a list making the rounds lately, showing books that Sarah Palin allegedly tried to ban from Wasilla's public library during her mayoral tenure. The list isn't true, and in some instances, doesn't even make sense (some the books hadn't even been published in 1996, when the incident is alleged to have occurred).
The McCain campaign is apparently aware of the rumor, and is pushing back.
The McCain-Palin team is continuing its pushback campaign against stories about VP nominee Sarah Palin that have taken on a life of their own on the Internet.On Monday, they sent reporters a memo in response to reports that the Wasilla, Alaska resident had tried to ban a lengthy list of books when she was mayor of that town.
"This is categorically false. The fact is that as Mayor, Palin never asked anyone to ban a book and not one book was ever banned, period," McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said, directing reporters to campaign research "debunking this smear."
While the purported list is bogus, we do know that something happened with regards to Palin and at least a question about book banning.
Time reported last week, for example, that Palin asked the Wasilla librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, about the process for banning books. Baker was reportedly "aghast" at the question. Soon after taking office, Palin, according to a New York Times report, fired Baker, and news reports from the time indicate that Palin thought Baker hadn't done enough to give her "full support" to the mayor.
Palin reversed course on Baker's dismissal after a local outcry, and later said the discussions about banning books were "rhetorical."
I can understand why the McCain campaign is pushing back against a bogus list that's making the rounds. Deceptive claims are deceptive claims, no matter who the target is. But as long as McCain aides are talking about this issue, maybe they can answer a couple of additional questions, such as, "Why did Palin try to fire the librarian in the first place?" Or how about, "Why did Palin broach the subject of book-banning if she had no intention of trying to ban books?"
Read the story at:
Palin's Book-banning Efforts
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Sarah Palin: Separating fact from fiction
Sarah Palin: Separating fact from fiction
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN
The Star’s Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON | Since rocketing into political stardom as John McCain’s running mate two weeks ago, Sarah Palin has been dogged by questions.
She will sit down today with ABC for her first interview. While all politicians are attacked on, and boast about, their records, the fact that the governor of Alaska burst so suddenly onto the national stage in the lower 48 states makes it more difficult for voters to separate truth from fiction. So here’s a quick review of the issues
Read the rest of the story:
Sarah Palin: Separating fact from fiction
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN
The Star’s Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON | Since rocketing into political stardom as John McCain’s running mate two weeks ago, Sarah Palin has been dogged by questions.
She will sit down today with ABC for her first interview. While all politicians are attacked on, and boast about, their records, the fact that the governor of Alaska burst so suddenly onto the national stage in the lower 48 states makes it more difficult for voters to separate truth from fiction. So here’s a quick review of the issues
Read the rest of the story:
Sarah Palin: Separating fact from fiction
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