Patterico's Pontifications

10/5/2010

Todd Palin vs. Joe Miller: The E-Mail War

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:37 pm



Enjoy this e-mail from Todd Palin to Joe Miller, which The Huffington Post obtained sometime after it was forwarded by Joe Miller to some of his confidants:

Allahpundit explains the background. Apparently Chris Wallace asked Miller whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be President and he didn’t answer.

Well, she’s not. But neither is Obama.

Still, it still seems to me like Palin flew off the handle. Here’s the video. Key part is at 8:45:

P.S. She’s running, isn’t she?

P.P.S. I have completely rewritten this post, after an embarrassing false start that bollixed everything up because I didn’t read Hot Air first. I first tried to salvage everything with updates, but it was going to be far too confusing to most readers. So I completely rewrote it and saved the original goofed-up version for posterity here.

93 Responses to “Todd Palin vs. Joe Miller: The E-Mail War”

  1. Can’t watch the vid from work (bummer) but from what I’m able to gather reading a few blogs; the question that Todd took exception to wasn’t one of endorsing, but when Joe was asked if Sarah was qualified to be president and he waffled.

    Lord Nazh (0d312a)

  2. Todd needs to get a job.

    happyfeet (19c1da)

  3. Lord Nazh: Indeed. You are right. I made the mistake of assuming HuffPo partisan blogger had embedded the correct video. Had to go to Hot Air to get the truth.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  4. This is what you get for working all day and then reacting to ANYTHING before reading Hot Air.

    Lesson learned.

    Patterico (c218bd)

  5. As explained in the P.P.S. above, I have completely rewritten the post, as it was FUBAR after I learned how I had been misled by HuffPo.

    I saved and linked the original version for posterity, so nobody could accuse me of trying to scrub a flawed post out of existence.

    This is too interesting a development to waste the discussion on my original flawed presentation.

    ALWAYS READ HOT AIR!

    Patterico (c218bd)

  6. Pat,

    I’m intrigued that Neil Cavuto even asked the quid pro quo question

    This is a tight race – I wonder if this is picked up on will it end Miller’s chances

    Also, the TP Xpress’s media campaign could backfire, in the same vein that they accuse Murkowski they themselves are assuming the seat is theirs as well.

    Not going to play as well as they think – in my opinion

    EricPWJohnson (5895a8)

  7. I guess the TPX and Miller are short on specifics and running against the appointment of Murkowski instead of her record.

    Why?

    EricPWJohnson (5895a8)

  8. So Joe Miller isn’t Palin’s pet. Good to know. (I wish this was some clever attempt to prove that to the world, but the way Todd seems to expect him to be Palin’s pet ruins such an effort).

    He didn’t handle this question badly. It’s routine to try to make mountains out of this kind of thing, but all he did was move on to a better topic. Whether Palin is qualified or not is such a loaded issue. For one thing, almost no one could truly be prepared for such a job. Another, Obama is far less qualified (and he’s making a great case for finding someone with tons more experience).

    Sarah Palin could have (I even think should have) run for Senator. But she didn’t and this isn’t about her.

    I thought Todd and Joe went way back, so if this is really how Todd handles his friends at the drop of a hat, I just lost respect for someone I was impressed with. Maybe happyfeet is right and he needs to find something else to do. I know when I get too involved with my wife’s professional business, it’s easy to take things personally. I learned a long time ago that I’m not helping her by puffing my chest out about it. Sarah’s a big girl.

    I like Palin, but too much Palin talk is simply reaction to slights against her. Did Chris Wallace roll his eyes at her? Did Obama call her a pig? Did Joe Miller fail to promote her? Did Andrew Sullivan say something crazy?

    Yes, Patterico, Sarah Palin is running. I’m sure you’re not surprised.

    And she is going to win the primary. Far, far too many people are 100% sure of her sincerity, and unwilling to gamble on anyone else (even people whose sincerity and experience are awesome). Palin has too many votes locked up early, IMO. She would win in places like Delaware, as O’Donnell’s nomination proves (IMO).

    I read that Chris Christie was in Iowa today and got excited, but if he’s running, it’s just to get his name out there (like Obama did in 2008, lol). Mitch Daniels, Paul Ryan, and a host of other awesome candidates are simply unable to beat Palin.

    There are a lot of pluses to Palin being the nominee. She’s more conservative than many of the other contenders. She has such a glaring weakness (resignation), that I worry she won’t win, but she’s also far more vetted than just about anybody else. I think Obama is unable to win reelection. He has lost the blue collars.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  9. Lisa is toast!
    A new pole shows she’s draining support from the Dem.

    AD-RtR/OS! (adf61c)

  10. I wonder if this is picked up on will it end Miller’s chances

    If they play it right (If the Palins are selfless), then this could help Miller.

    Another point:

    This entire interview is really quite good. I think people who supported Hayworth and O’Donnell and don’t understand what I mean when I talk about picking exceptional candidates should watch the entire dang interview.

    He’s willing to go out on a limb on difficult, even third rail type issues, and he does it with confidence and intelligence. He’s sharp, honest, and unafraid of tackling hard problems. I think he’s a lot like Paul Ryan in this regard. I’m not trying to bash other candidates when I say we should make these qualities our goal for any GOP candidate.

    It’s so lame to think that the Palin topic at the end will be what most people watch. Hopefully a lot of undecided voters are baited into watching this by that issue, and realize how freaking awesome Joe Miller is by watching the whole thing.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  11. Sorry….POLL

    AD-RtR/OS! (adf61c)

  12. Patterico – Where is your Christine O’Donnell post of the day?

    daleyrocks (940075)

  13. Sorry, but the dig that Sarah Palin is not qualified to be President is a bit off the mark.

    Please give me a link to a document that states the qualifications, and then let me know which qualification she does not meet.

    Now, in Obama’s case, there are legitimate questions if he indeed meets the legal qualifications, but whether he does or not matters not because it will never become an issue to be adjudicated.

    Charlie (03643a)

  14. Charlie, I haven’t seen Sarah’s birth certificate.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  15. Apparently Sarah Palin’s FaceBook page is getting so many hits that it won’t load.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  16. Dustin: There are planes leaving for Boise every day (from somewhere).

    AD-RtR/OS! (adf61c)

  17. Actually they have all been praising Miller, with Todd having done so yesterday, and she hasn’t given up on O’Donnell either, which would be the easy thing to do. The astroturfing hacks at the AD News are cutting him no slack, regardless of his qualifications. Now Todd actually took the initiative in mentioning Miller first, so there may have been a degree of personal dissapointment

    Yes Sullivan is a misogynist psycho who tarnished Greeley’s old publication. Yes Obama did call her
    a pig, and his associates were responsible for 2/3 of the tripe spread about her, just as he couldn’t win without forcing his competitors on the first race, andclearing the decks of the Senate primary. I tend to doubt the Huff Po, specially Linda DEvon, which was wrought much
    pain against the Palins over the years, through
    deliberate slander

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  18. Please, ian, there is absolutely no connection between the Anchorage Daily News (AD News) and yours truly.

    AD-RtR/OS! (adf61c)

  19. BTW, Charlie, I think Palin is competent to be President, or at least as competent as can be expected for such a tremendous job.

    But you know that Patterico was talking about serious experience. Many people believe that someone should have served multiple terms as Governor, or been a major leader otherwise, to be qualified.

    Your defense doesn’t help Palin’s cause, because the guy who just emptied my trash can (and screwed up while doing it) is just as qualified.

    Don’t you see that Obama’s inexperience has been a disaster? Many of his problems aren’t ideological, but just straight up inexperience. Palin just doesn’t have the ideal amount of experience, at 2 years as Governor of Alaska. In my opinion, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Jim Demint, and a few others also lack this experience level.

    Mitch Daniels, Rick Petty, Tim Pawlenty and (gack) Mike Huckabee have it. Jindal will in 2012, too. But I don’t see how anybody can compete with Palin in the primaries.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  20. ian, all those attacks did occur, I agree, and by all means be pissed off about it, but Palin can be defended on positive terms.

    You gotta build a coalition, and you can’t do that playing defense.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  21. No, the fundamental problem with Obama are his views that inform his policies. He is wrong on so much, yet because the media is equally misinformed
    they give him a pass. His instinct are naturally almost always wrong, as he has learned no insight from the lesson of the last 25 years.

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  22. Ian, you’re saying Obama’s inexperience is irrelevant?

    You say he’s wrong on so much, as though that means his inexperience no longer is a problem. Of course, there’s a reason he’s wrong on so much. He has badly miscalculated on several fronts, and I believe a liberal who had experience as an executive would have been a much better president. I also think a lot of votes are going to be thirsty for a very serious, effective, and experienced president (like Mitch Daniels).

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  23. Actually CArter and Clinton, prove that is not so,you notice how every generation, they put up one of these lemons, as something new and fresh. Who else Jerry Brown, Gray Davis, Elliot Spitzer, Corzine tell me when I’m getting warm. You probably have to go back to FDR, to see someone who fit the role, and he made his share of mistakes

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  24. Clinton was a much better president than Obama is.

    Carter bolsters my point, since he was only Governor for a single term.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  25. Oh, and look who they elected after Carter, some guy who was a successful Governor of a massive state. Almost as though they were really concerned about inexperienced executives after an inexperienced Carter was a screw up.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  26. Reminds me of when Fiorina was asked if Palin could do her job: running HP. Way to make people own their flackhood.

    imdw (a544ba)

  27. But I don’t see how anybody can compete with Palin in the primaries.

    Comment by Dustin — 10/5/2010 @ 9:50 pm

    Huckabee and her will compete for the same voters leaving room for the others to capitalize. Romney and Huckabee probably have better networks in place since they ran as the principal in 2008.
    The debates may be her waterloo imo.

    There is also the question of whether Palin can get significant financial backing for a campaign. Obama’s team spun the false narrative that they were fueling their contributions primarily from small donors. Palin may get a lot of small donations but will it be enough to mount a serious effort?

    As far as Todd goes I agree with you. But I don’t see her winning the primary. By the time the primaries commence there will be a fair amount of Palin fatigue and the other candidates will seem newer and fresher.

    And I still think that Hillary may challenge Obama if the economy hasn’t changed much in the next year. Lots of buyer’s remorse with the independents and conservative democrats is the impression I have.

    VOR2 (8e6b90)

  28. And yet she ended up endorsing her, there was probably a subsequent string of emails, where the matter was cleared up, it’s nice to know the Huck’s people are as worthless as I thought they were

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  29. As for the idea that this means she is running for office, let me make the contrary case… the case for it showing she is running is obviously that why would she want him to say she was qualified to be president unless she wanted to be president?

    Well, there are actually several other reasons. First, if someone says she is not qualified to be president, then it meant she shouldn’t have been veep either. That is then also a swipe at her past actions and McCain’s choosing her. That could cause a reasonable person to be offended.

    Second, there is ego. As in, she doesn’t plan to run, but gosh, she would at least want people to think she could have been president, and maybe a good one.

    Third, there is something building on, barf, what kathleen parker said in the first episode of her show with the whoremonger (spitzer, obviously). she accused palin of teasing on the subject in part to keep the excitement around her and keep her speaking fees up.

    Now i am not saying i buy any one of those, but the contrarian in me wanted to point out there are other explanations.

    finally, is she qualified? I had a long discussion with Dustin in another thread about how in my mind if you say “qualified” to me, my standards are pretty low. i mean i am not going to quite go down to the constitution, which requires a person to be 35 years old, a natural born citizen, etc. But given the very minimal way i define “qualified” yeah, she is. So maybe the difference between me and patterico on that point is just on where we set the bar on the term “qualified.”

    But ideal? not really. now mind you, between her, Obama, McCain and Biden, I actually felt she was the most qualified, not because of the number of years she had been in office, but because of what she did at the time. A few years as governor beats the crap out of decades of being a senator in my book. As someone the corner once observed, if you go through the lists of presidents who were considered the best in American history, all but one of the top five had significant administrative experience. And of the five worst, all but one had none or very little administrative experience. The complete f— up we saw with the oil spill is the price we paid for electing a president who wasn’t used to running things larger than a senate office.

    [of course among the best is a great counter-example: Abraham Lincoln. He had a little militia experience, but otherwise was not even a senator but a mere representative. And yet imho he was our best president. So how to explain the contradiction? Easy. With Lincoln, we were lucky, not smart. The man was a undiscovered savant in administration. And i consider the fact that Lincoln was chosen to be concrete evidence that God loves America. 🙂 And ironically among the worst is his successor, who did have administrative experience but still sucked out loud.]

    but back to palin saying she was the best of the four is more of a reflection on how cruddy the choices were last time. (mccain did have some administrative experience in the military, but imho palin still had him beat.)

    I have probably said this before, but this is my process when i pick presidents. First i eliminate anyone who cannot claim significant executive experience. Then i look at policy. So who did i want? Rudy Guiliani. Now it is true that normally i want the administrative experience to be governor, or maybe CEO of a large company. normally mayor alone doesn’t count. But NYC is larger in population than many states, and well, Guiliani was a special case. See, I think the terrorists look at things this way. They thought Bush was an aberration, that the american people didn’t actually want to fight terror, that any other president would have been more appeasing. So they expected things to return to “normal” when Bush left office. I’m not saying they are right, this is just how they saw things. And the only candidate that had a reasonable chance of sending a different message, was guiliani. with him, there was a good chance that the terrorists would say, “oh sh–, we are in for it now.”

    And that is not a knock on any of the other guys. like i believe that mccain would have been as tough on the terrorists as bush, or nearly so. i used to joke that of all the people who sought the presidency or even the nomination, mccain was the most likely to capture bin laden. i don’t mean he would tell the special forces to search this area or that one. i mean he was most likely to put on the war paint, parachute in, kill bin laden and carry his head back on a pike. 🙂

    So how does palin stack up? honestly “significant executive experience” means more than 3 years in my book (oh and there is a quality standard in my book, too–so being a crappy executive doesn’t count. Sorry, Barrack). ideally i would like the person to have 2 terms as governor, although in some states that is not even constitutionally possible. so no, i am not big on palin, although if i had to choose between obama and her, that would be an easy one. i am equally annoyed that christie from NJ has been speaking in iowa. i like the guy. i cheered with those viral videos of him dressing down people. not only is he articulate and all that, but damn, he knows his sh–. but like i said, i want at least two terms under a person’s belt, and certainly i would rather have him finish a full term in NJ, before contemplating a run.

    But let me focus on some positives. And i think i can say this about both christie and palin. First i think both of them would have handled the oil spill better. And two, both people strike me as the kinds of people who just might get everyone to be serious about our federal budget possibly for the first time in my life. Severe cuts in spending have to occur, and soon, or else this country will go right off a financial cliff. But i have very little confidence either the dems or the republicans who might replace them, will address these serious issues. So the idea that either one of them might, well, that is a really attractive thought.

    maybe either one of them could be like Polk. Polk came in with one goal. and when he accomplished it, he choose not to run for president again. Maybe you put one of these two in to smack our budget back into shape, to establish a new “normal” where we live within our means. and then they go away.

    i also think christie would be the better candidate. look a reelection of a president is generally a referendum on the last four years. but with palin, it threatens to distract from obama’s craptitude. yes, palin has not been treated fairly. the fact that liberals consider it a scandal that palin might have tried to fire a man who she said threatened to murder her father shows how unhinged it gets, without even bothering with easy jokes about Sullivan’s nuttiness. but it is what it is, and the best the liberals have done with christie is to say he is fat.

    so that is my novel of the morning…

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  30. The Huff Po is political disinformation, they are an open sewer of what Soros has chosen to drop into the mix. remember that, the indication that she is running is the coalition of candidates, she has sponsored, the critique of the stimulus and the health care bill, the defense of US interests, that she did even in the Dragon’s backyard, last Fall when the President was abandoning Israel, dithering
    on Afghanistan, and trying to suck up to Iran.

    Christie has had a good first run on the budget, but IMHO his behavior toward Schundler, whose service we have twice been deprived of, his unwillingness to really engage on the issue of the GZM, and his support of cap n trade, makes him
    a little suspect.

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  31. Patterico missed the most important part of the story. Yes, it was published at HuffPo, but it was posted by Jeanne Devon, aka Mudflats. Devon is one of the Alaskan anklebiters who covered Palin up with bogus ethics charges. Devon is one of the bloggers who perpetuated the Trig-truther crap. Devon is the one who said the FBI was investigating Palin.

    Doesn’t anyone wonder why this email was leaked to Devon rather than someone at Politico or Rachel D’Oro who has a history of Palin-bashing disguised as news?

    BTW, maybe Patterico can bless us with his list of “qualifications” to be President.

    RefudiateObama2012 (60356e)

  32. Actually that was Shannyn Moore, Refudiate, who sentAndrea Mitchell on that wild goose chase, but she has spread other rumors in the past, like the most recent one about Beck and Palin announcing for President on September 11th.

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  33. Rove was seen at a Dallas Public library whistling softly, tunelessly, logging off …

    EricPWJohnson (5895a8)

  34. eric

    hey, i heard rove was at the book depository when kennedy was shot. 🙂

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  35. Ian, you are correct. Devon, Moore, Griffin, et al are all part of the same multi-headed monster.

    RefudiateObama2012 (60356e)

  36. The last guy qualified going in for POTUS was George Washington.
    Presidents are for weird stuff happening, like world wars and civil wars. Crashes.
    Ike would have been a good president for a world war, that being his qualification. Due to circumstances, he was a good one, managing things so quietly that nobody noticed. But unless you can point to his pre-POTUS experience arming him for that–see Little Rock, for example, where nobody got killed–his experience in the narrow sense was lacking.
    Obama’s issue is both lack of experience and trying to push, deliberately, horrible programs with a catastrophic end in mind. His lack of experience makes it tougher for him to prevail–lucky us. But our problem is his goals, not his experience or lack of it.

    Richard Aubrey (6d56c4)

  37. JMO, I think Palin is qualified to be President. Not the most experienced we’ve ever had, but quite a lot more executive experience than many if not most of the senators who have run for the job.

    In spite of how the media portrays her (which of course is why they’re portraying her as Caribou Barbie, because they’re scared of her) she has a very quick, intelligent mind and her learning curve is steeper than I’ve seen in many a public figure for a long time (which IMO makes up for her current lack in areas like, most noticeably, foreign policy). She’s decisive, efficient at big things (look how fast she got good things done in Alaska), conservative to the core, can be a coalition builder when she wants to, and is good at picking competent people (when she’s in charge to do so, unlike in the McCain campaign) to increase her expertise where she needs it.

    Her biggest mistakes so far IMO have been reacting defensively waaayyy too much to little things — I think she thinks she’s revving up the base by correctly pointing out media bias and double standards when it happens, but it’s actually making her look petty. Is she a petty person? Looking at her record, I don’t think so. But then the media is making much more of her gaffes than Obamas (cf: Obamateurisms of the Day over at Hot Air).

    no one you know (325a59)

  38. This is what you get for working all day and then reacting to ANYTHING before reading Hot Air.

    Lesson learned.
    Comment by Patterico — 10/5/2010 @ 8:55 pm

    ALWAYS READ HOT AIR!
    Comment by Patterico — 10/5/2010 @ 9:06 pm

    LOL
    They are pretty darn good at getting the story right. Unlike HuffPo.

    no one you know (325a59)

  39. Who leaked this e-mail string? Miller’s camp? Palin’s? Did some teenager hack into a Palin account again?

    Unless it’s a PR stunt designed to show that Miller is independent of Palin, it helps nobody. It makes Todd Palin look thin-skinned. It makes it look like maybe he has some control over his wife’s political decisions (or, if he’s sending it to express Sarah’s own anger, it makes HER look thin-skinned).

    Worse, it makes Palin look like part of the deal-making crowd, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, rather than a “I’m going to endorse the person I think is the best candidate in the race” sort of thing. Every time Palin endorses a new person from now on, somebody will wonder out loud what support promises that person has given for the Palin-for-President campaign.

    And the release of the e-mail is bad, all by itself. Did Miller blab to show his “independence”? That, unlike his answer on the video, really would be a spiteful act of disloyalty. Did Palin’s camp release it? That’s also just plain spiteful and manipulative, and again makes Palin look like an ordinary old scheming politician.

    PatHMV (140f2a)

  40. Did Palin’s camp release it? That’s also just plain spiteful and manipulative, and again makes Palin look like an ordinary old scheming politician.

    Comment by PatHMV — 10/6/2010 @ 7:30 am

    Heh – she very likely IS an ordinary old scheming politician, albeit one who could IMO do a lot of good for this country in an executive position. But I agree w/ you that it doesn’t make sense that Team Palin did the leak. My money’s on Team Miller. And yeah if that’s so, it does make him look pretty ungrateful for the support.

    no one you know (325a59)

  41. Could have just been invented out of whole cloth, as much of what the Huff Po trawls, it doesn’t match
    any behavior since from either party; that’s why I doubt it’s authenticity

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  42. I don’t know where these Palin-birthers come from. Of course she’s qualified to be President. Here are the qualifications:

    “No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

    tehag (ec3e15)

  43. Thank you tehag for posting the qualifications.

    I think Dustin was kidding when he said we hadn’t seen Sarah’s birth certificate. However, if he wasn’t, I’m sure when and if she decides to run, her campaign would be happy to produce it.

    I really like Patterico and all work he does and this forum for exchange of thoughts he provides.

    My point was just that as a DA he should be more precise in what he says. The statement was Palin “was not qualified” to be President. This was false.

    I of course know what he meant to express (or believe that I do) — mainly that she was not experienced as he wished a candidate to be, or not as highly qualified as he wanted for a candidate, i.e. one needs to get an adjective to go with the word “qualification”. Without an adjective, it’s binary: you are either qualified or not qualified. And thanks to tehag, she passes this qualification test.

    Charlie (8546d8)

  44. BTW, Christie was in Iowa this week, talking up the rank and file. The big guy’s going to run, I’m almost sure of it (despite the repeated denials). If he runs, he’s got my full support, unless Daniels runs as well, which would make it quite a problematic primary for yours truly – in any event, if Palin runs then feets will be going bonkers over both candidates, that much we know.

    Dmac (84da91)

  45. Well that’s a given, but as with many things, this story doesn’t pass the smell test, it is designed to poison the waters, maybe more subtly than the VF
    article which was so over the top

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  46. Charlie,

    When I look up “qualified” in the online dictionary I see this as the first definition: “fitted (as by training or experience) for a given purpose.”

    Was there really anyone who didn’t understand what I meant in context?

    Really?

    Patterico (9d959c)

  47. Charlie, I can tell you’re a birther, but even you should know the difference between “eligible” and “qualified”

    Some chump (4c6c0c)

  48. Patterico, that definition of “qualified” is too simplistic.

    To me a qualification for President should be more on leadership qualities rather than wonkiness.

    A real leader doesn’t need to know all the answers. A real leader knows how to get answers. A real leader surrounds himself/herself with people who have answers. When necessary, a real leader goes outside his/her circle of counsel to mine for ideas. A real leader listens to advice given to him/her, carefully weighs the options, and acts once he/she makes a decision.

    From what level should leadership experience come? Should any leadership experience below the level of Governor be excluded? Should non-governmental leadership experience count?

    The principles of good leadership don’t change regardless of the level of the organization. A CEO of a Fortune 500 company won’t necessarily have better leadership skills than a guy who runs a company of fifty employees. The same goes for large city mayor versus small town mayor, or even large state Governor versus small state Governor.

    The bottom line is that leadership at any level requires the same leadership skills. In those terms is Palin qualified to be President? Absolutely!

    To me, the question should be answered by her ability to build a qualified team, her value system, and her policy positions. She’s already proven she’s a leader. The question is, are her proven leadership abilities relevant to the office of the President? Everyone will need to make their own decision. Fifty-three percent of voters thought Obama could lead the country and he had zero experience in leadership. That worked well.

    RefudiateObama2012 (60356e)

  49. Charlie, I answered you more seriously in comment #19.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  50. Now we know there are actually three tards in Palin’s home. Now it’s hardly news to anyone but what passes today for conservatives.

    Triumph (0692b1)

  51. “she very likely IS an ordinary old scheming politician”

    That is just what makes this sanctimonius crusade by Rico against the TEA Party so prima facie sick:

    The body of politicians is derived entirely from the human race. Make foibles and shortcomings and character flaws into ‘disqualifications’ tanatamount to predilections to criminal behavior and no one is ‘fit’.

    Danforth, the Senator from MO served and got out. An Episcopal priest, liberal, he stood up for Thomas virtually alone on the left.

    One good man, what good did it do?

    Term limits for the weak and be done with the whole argument.

    gary gulrud (790d43)

  52. triumph

    i always love it when people speak so hatefully about the handicapped. and then tell us to trust our handicapped to their tender mercies under obamacare.

    you know, maybe i would be more willing to trust the government to run such an important piece of my life, if the democrats were not so openly hateful toward the handicapped, and people they disagree with. but every time limbaugh gets short of breath, there are liberals praying his heart gives out.

    so its a–holes like you that tell me we can’t trust government with that much power. thank you for making that point for me. 🙂

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  53. Triumph shows us the malignant bile that animates the left.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  54. SPQR

    yeah, remember that we should oppose the right, because they are haters. /sarcasm

    And it is amazing in the last few years how many leftists revealed themselves to be racists. i mean maher is not a surprise, but i figured matthews and olbermann would be better at hiding it.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  55. Comment by Aaron Worthing — 10/6/2010 @ 10:03 am

    Comment by SPQR — 10/6/2010 @ 10:06 am

    Well said. Racists, anti-Semites, haters of the handicapped and blowers-up of the climate-change doubters (http://hotair.com/archives/2010/10/01/video-the-dumbest-most-self-defeating-ad-campaign-ever/ ) etc. — that’s the h8er far left for you. Gov. Palin sure hit the target with that “death panels” phrase.

    no one you know (325a59)

  56. noyk

    btw, hot air has another child killing environmentalist ad today.

    i think iowahawk had the best commentary, counting all the people who had to participate in making that “blow up the children” ad, and apparently no one thought, “hey, isn’t this a really stupid way to send the message?”

    Although i will confess, that i have seen enough fake blood for shock value, that watching the 10:10 ad, my reaction wasn’t horror so much as incredulous laughter, at the sheer stupidity on display. i think it is web soup that has a regular feature “this week in fail!” and that’s what it was like watching: hilarious failure.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  57. Comment by Triumph — 10/6/2010 @ 9:49 am

    We most certainly have one here!

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  58. Indeed, Aaron, many on the left lose every ounce of compassion and tolerance if they realize you are not obeying them.

    Handicapped people, gays, blacks, women, non-Christians: they receive the classic democrat biggotry the second many democrats realize they are supporting something conservative. While the right has learned (and many always knew) the point of classic liberalism, of tolerance, of equal treatment, the democrat party has repeatedly shown they thought the entire point was to cynical game playing for politics,

    It’s the difference between a Barry Goldwater and an Al Sharpton.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  59. Patterico, et. al. I stand corrected. I went back and looked at the text of the constitution. It does indeed use the word “eligible”.

    However, in my defense, many sites including Wikipedia do refer to the clause on eligibility as the “Presidential qualifications clause”. This incorrect use is what caused me to jump on the binary nature of “qualification”.

    You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

    And for the record, I am not a full fledged “birther”, I only do think if Obama would simply produce the birth certificate it would shut this distraction up. But there are so many problems with the governmental system and the society we have created though years of educational brainwashing of the masses, that whether Obama was eligible to be President or not is the least of our issues.

    I am definitely a “Who is John Galt” type person, and if I could check out to somewhere else, I would strongly consider it.

    Charlie (8546d8)

  60. It’s the difference between a Barry Goldwater and an Al Sharpton.
    Comment by Dustin — 10/6/2010 @ 10:36 am

    Well said!

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  61. Charlie

    the fact is qualified is kind of a vague term, and means different things to different people. that was why i started off by talking about how i think of the term, because two people could feel the exact same way about palin, but one would say she is not qualified and the other is not, because the set the bar at different heights.

    i mean there is no formula. 1+1=she’s qualified. I would say wew could do worse, and in fact we have done worse.

    > And for the record, I am not a full fledged “birther”, I only do think if Obama would simply produce the birth certificate it would shut this distraction up.

    well, i admit i was a little shocked that no one asked for proof of birth in america upon being president. and while i am satisfied that obama is naturally born here, i feel as a matter of process, he should have been required to produce some kind of proof. not necessarily his BC, but something.

    But why isn’t he? well more than a few people have suggested that it is percisely because he wants this drumbeat to keep going, because he thinks that it harms the republican party.

    Or maybe he just said f— it, nothing will satisfy them. which is definitely true.

    But i have to go. I just saw some black helicopters. (joke)

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  62. btw, as far as the truthers are concerned, i was once in a chatroom with a gaggle of them. so i said to them something like this. “You can’t really mean this. if i believed that my government murdered around 3,000 innocent civilians as part of a larger nefarious scheme, i wouldn’t be whining about it in a chat room. i would be locking and loading. it would be time for a new american revolution.”

    They decided I was a government plant trying to get them to confess to planning violent acts. at which point i said something like this. “You are right. I am with sector 7. we have your house surrounded. your only hope is to hide in your bathtub with tin foil wrapped around your head. we are coming in now.” lol

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  63. 9/11 denialists, there’s no truth to them, are confused and/or vile people; the mindset required
    for that kind of leap is disturbing to say the least

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  64. i think iowahawk had the best commentary, counting all the people who had to participate in making that “blow up the children” ad, and apparently no one thought, “hey, isn’t this a really stupid way to send the message?”
    Comment by Aaron Worthing — 10/6/2010 @ 10:32 am

    Hadn’t know Iowahawk commented on this – thanks for the heads up. Love his stuff and am surprised he didn’t do a first-person satire of this whole little *cough* blowup. Really glad though to see them taking off their own totalitarian masks; saves us a lot of time and trouble, no?

    no one you know (325a59)

  65. noyk

    i have coined a new term for this administration’s style of government: democratic totalitarianism. i mean the fact is they were elected, so you can’t call them dictators. but the intrusion into our lives is stunning.

    yeah, and iowahawk’s commentary actually isn’t really funny. or even his usual satire. but he makes a good point.

    worst green ad since the superbowl ad with the “green police.” only even then its a car company, what do they care if they hurt the cause of environmentalism? so creeping us out about environmentalists doesn’t hurt THEM.

    The president of czech said a while back that he felt that environmentalism was just socialism in disguise. but i am sure it is just a coincidence that earth day happens to be lenin’s birthday. and i am not talking about john lenin.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  66. Here’s Mr. Palin’s response, in a statement released to THE WEEKLY STANDARD:

    My family has worked hard in supporting Joe Miller, so when I heard he’d said something less than supportive of my wife’s efforts, I responded. But it turns out we’d gotten our wires crossed and Joe hadn’t said anything like what I’d been told. So there’s no story here except the fact that the press put our personal emails online again, and again couldn’t even be bothered to conceal our email addresses or take any steps to protect our privacy.

    So he’s admitting the reaction, which I think is still pretty embarassing. the fact that Joe Miller didn’t do anything to warrant the attack is a good point for Todd to make. Indeed, that’s probably priority 1. No reason for a Palin fan to hold a grudge. However, many other aspects of the email were more problematic.

    1) the expectation of a loyal endorsement. This undermines Palin’s endorsements. Did she go to bat for Ms Haley and Sen Mccain to benefit herself? Is her expectation so serious that if someone sways they lose Palin’s honest support? This facebook post mentioned… why would Palin hold that back, if that’s her actual view on this race, just because Miller didn’t do something for Sarah? Joe Miller isn’t specifically doing anything for me, but I just speak my mind honestly about him.

    2) He wrote incoherently, and noted Palin spent all morning on some facebook post. He was way too thin skinned. In short, he gave a very negative impression.

    3) He complains about a lack of privacy when sending an email? His name is Palin… he should know damn well by now never to send an email he would be embarrassed by. I learned that years ago without anything like the Palin experience.

    Do I want this kind of stunt pulled in my White House? Hell no. I would have been irritated if Michelle Obama sent an email like this. I won’t even pretend Laura Bush has it in her.

    Ultimately, this guy is an attack dog, and Sarah Palin does not get blamed directly for his behavior. I hope VOR2’s reasoning on the primary is sound, because I firmly believe there are better nominees available. But Palin is trusted by so many people as a reliable and beloved agent of reform that I think they will overwhelm the early primaries. A full third of the GOP, by my guess.

    Sarah Palin needs to do what it takes to get her people prepared for a very long and emotional campaign.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  67. democratic totalitarianism

    Heh. Not bad.

    …environmentalism was just socialism in disguise.

    I happen to agree w/ this, except I’d add “radical” environmentalism, not as in let’s be responsible and recycle and take reasonable measures as we can, but as in the earth’s going to melt down and humanity will starve if we don’t do “X” emergency measure (usually, spend some billions of dollars on some ultimately useless thing – money to line the pockets of the radicals, usually). Both systems are based on lies, after all. The whole climate change expose that happened (the “hide the decline” brouhaha) was an invaluable thing for the difference between responsible stewardship o the environment and “panic/spend city.”

    No wonder they’re so threatened by free speech and the free info exchange of the Internet, without the latter of which the info about the frauds would never have been exposed.

    no one you know (325a59)

  68. Todd probably has developed on overly sensitive sense of threat due to the barrage of attacks against his wife following the selection my McCain of her as his running mate.
    Some people develop thick skins, some do not.
    Toll probably feels he has to be protective of his mate.
    What a strange concept.

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  69. That’s fair, AD. This family has been through hell, and Todd’s shown amazing restraint. This was a private message, and he has every right to speak freely and defend his woman. On the other hand, I learned to let my wife handle her professional affairs a long time ago. He’s “protective of his mate” because someone didn’t say something nice enough about her? I understand it, but it’s not how I’d handle it.

    We get a lot of insight into these folks from this email. I think it undercuts Palin’s endorsement of … yes … Christine O’Donnell.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  70. it’s not how I’d handle it.

    But then, you (and I – though I was stationed there) don’t live in Alaska.

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  71. Sarah Palin is qualified to be President.

    kansas (7b4374)

  72. No, coldest place I was ever stations was ROK. I’m not cut out for cold weather.

    Todd was a freaking saint with Levi. He probably was frothing with anger, and I’d love to see his emails about that. But the man does deserve his privacy and he has a point that this is yet another example of his family being treated like crap.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  73. Dustin

    Gosh I am all contrarian today. First I dispute Hot Air’s interepretation of a democrat’s stupid comment: http://allergic2bull.blogspot.com/2010/10/to-be-fair-to-phil-hare.html

    And now this with you. But okay, here’s a few points against.

    > the expectation of a loyal endorsement. This undermines Palin’s endorsements. Did she go to bat for Ms Haley and Sen Mccain to benefit herself? Is her expectation so serious that if someone sways they lose Palin’s honest support?

    Okay, let me present a limited defense to that. let’s first put ourselves in Todd’s shoes. Do you think Todd has an unbiased view of his wife? Would any of us? So is it possible that in Todd’s mind it is so self-evident to him that his wife is “qualified” that anyone saying otherwise is being a jerk? Its not a good mentality, but its human, right? And let’s not forget that when people talk about who is qualified, they often set very different bars.

    So to Todd, he might feel that basic gratitude should not so much get the guy to endorse sarah, but say this minimal thing: yes, she is qualified. He could reasonably say, “the least he can do is say she is qualified. He doesn’t have to endorse her, just say she is qualified.”

    As for Sarah, well it’s the same thing only its not about loving your spouse but her ego. So maybe she has an ego. Truthfully maybe you have to, to run for president. It would certainly explain why Donald Trump is considering tossing his combover into the ring. That’s not the best defense, but fwiw.

    And really if someone insulted me, I admit I would have a hard time saying something nice about them. so I am not overly offended by her holding back on her facebook page.

    And yeah, the palins should know by now to follow this adage: never write in an email what you wouldn’t write on a postcard.\

    And I would add that if Todd feels that the problem was in erroneous reporting… let me address this to Todd Palin himself.

    Todd, if you of all people have not figured out you can’t trust the media by now… then I am going to have to conclude you have Alzheimer’s.

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  74. dustin

    > On the other hand, I learned to let my wife handle her professional affairs a long time ago.

    That reminds me of a joke i made once during the campaign. some liberal made a joke about raping sarah palin (gee, isn’t misogyny funny?). My joke was if anyone dared to even try, she would have him released in the wild, and then track him, take him down with shot to the head and field dress him on the spot. 🙂

    Aaron Worthing (e7d72e)

  75. Do you think Todd has an unbiased view of his wife? Would any of us? So is it possible that in Todd’s mind it is so self-evident to him that his wife is “qualified” that anyone saying otherwise is being a jerk? Its not a good mentality, but its human, right?

    Good point. Todd’s seen this woman rise up from practically nothing to reforming this and that at higher and higher levels. No doubt, whatsoever, that his wife is brilliant and very skilled at leadership, and he has seen it first hand. He probably finds it unacceptable for a friend not to see the same thing (Joe knows these people pretty well).

    Totally understandable human flaw. However, I think it undercuts the value of a Palin endorsement as having some quid pro quo element. It’s not 100% about presenting the exact opinion on the race. That’s why they were going to withhold some facebook post, after all. Does that mean Palin’s wrong on some endorsement? Yes.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  76. Dustin, I wasn’t implying the weather, but that the culture, might be a bit different.

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  77. Yes, of course, AD. A lot of rugged individualists up there, hopefully putting that attitude to good use in electing Joe Miller.

    It’s just that I thought Joe and Todd were friends.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  78. Well Todd did take the initiative, although I’m sure his wife approved, I imagine their is something
    of an understanding, that one does not leak a confidential email, but I guess there are no rules
    at all when it comes to them.

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  79. I dunno, after less than 2 years of the Obama presidency I’m really tightening up what I consider the qualifications to be president are. While I have no reason to doubt that Palin meets the constitutional qualifications (she is over 35 and a US citizen isn’t she?) which is how I’d have answered the question, I doubt she meets my new tougher qualifications for the job. I cannot think off-hand of anyone else who’s name is being bandied about that I would consider qualified either though, replacing one amateur with another doesn’t strike me as a good idea.

    max (2f2a28)

  80. @ Aaron Worthing:

    “riumph

    i always love it when people speak so hatefully about the handicapped. “

    Please bother to tell me where and when I spoke “hatefully” about the handicapped. The Palin home actually has three tards under its roof, that is, the Great Sarah herself, her worthy daughter Bristol and now her hubbie. Are they handicapped? If stupidity is a handicap, sure. If so a lot of the Ice Queen’s followers are handicapped too – and looks like they are quite a lot.

    Triumph (0692b1)

  81. Triumph’s asshattery continues apace, and its string of 1848301 consecutive mendoucheous comments remains intact.

    JD (a61253)

  82. Triumph not only has nothing interesting to say, but he’s a coward.

    His joke was that Todd and Sarah are retarded like their mentally handicapped son. It’s a tired joke meant to be edgy, repeated thousands of times. The way he presented his little pithy nastyness doesn’t make any sense with his new cowardly excuse, having no reference made to Bristol who no one is referring to, and leaving open such an obvious meaning as calling Trig and parents ‘tards’.

    This is wonderful news for Palin fans. My fear of Palin isn’t that she’d be a bad president, but that she would lose to Obama. People like Triumph are so deeply unlikable, and would really get the point across that the democrat party is hateful towards a free woman or any other person who won’t toe the leftist line.

    No doubt about it, the sexist slurs against Sarah, such as she should stay home and raise kids instead of be a leader, would ramp up considerably.

    Triumph thinks he’s super cool to say offensive stuff, but the fact that he can’t even stand up for his own words says everything you need to know about him.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  83. triumph

    if you don’t think you are being hateful, try this experiment. Find a retarded person who has a strong, athletic father. Call this retarded person a “tard” in front of his father. See what happens to you.

    Seriously, I wonder if you would ever talk like that in real life.

    Or try this more minor experiment. Call your spouse, mother, long term girlfriend, or whatever. someone who you give a crap about, assuming there is such a person.

    Show them that comment.

    Tell them you wrote it.

    See what they say.

    Aaron Worthing (f97997)

  84. Comment by max — 10/6/2010 @ 2:07 pm

    Regardless of how you feel about RomneyCare, Mitt has the most amount of executive experience, both in and out of government, of all the names being bandied about, with some notable successes attached to it.

    AD-RtR/OS! (fe9f09)

  85. Hilarious that the Troll actually believes that calling someone a “tard” isn’t hateful against the handicapped. The far left never fails to amaze with their hypocricy.

    Dmac (84da91)

  86. Here’s Mr. Palin’s response, in a statement released to THE WEEKLY STANDARD:

    My family has worked hard in supporting Joe Miller, so when I heard he’d said something less than supportive of my wife’s efforts, I responded. But it turns out we’d gotten our wires crossed and Joe hadn’t said anything like what I’d been told. So there’s no story here except the fact that the press put our personal emails online again, and again couldn’t even be bothered to conceal our email addresses or take any steps to protect our privacy.

    If Palin is considering a run, she and her team have got to get their act together. This leak should never have happened. Their default assumption should be that anything sent will, not might become public, and then re-think pushing that send button. It’s so elementary.

    I can’t believe Todd Palin made the statement that “There is no story here”.

    I don’t think he could be any more wrong.

    Anything and everything to do with the Palin family is by default, a story and eager journalists and Dem players are just waiting to be handed something to exploit, exaggerate, color, and lie about.

    And if it’s not forthcoming, they can always take a small non-story (like this really essentially is) and make it be a story.

    There seems to be some sort of disconnect between the Palin’s and the brutal reality of the media and it surprises me that considering what they went through during the campaign that they would still have this naivete.

    Dana (8ba2fb)

  87. This Miller guy is a lawyer?

    Is he quick enough on his feet to be a Senator?

    Geez, she brought your campaign and finances to the front row… so say something like: “well gosh, she’d be a better President right now than some who have held the office…. I don’t see her spending us into the black hole we are looking at under the current leadership…… so that’s why I’m asking Alaskans to send me to Washington”

    SteveG (cc5dc9)

  88. Oh yeah

    Find some new confidantes… one of them just torpedoed your biggest fundraiser

    SteveG (cc5dc9)

  89. In his view, there was no story, there was a misunderstanding that was resolved weeks ago, she
    has been talking his praises, vs the real enemy which is Murkowski, of the Kenai. Now what you’re
    counseling is to lie, which is not in their makeup

    ian cormac (6709ab)

  90. I’m no coward. I’m NOT far-left. If you think what I wrote is offensive, then I’m sorry for you and I even apologize.

    Now I still think Sarah, Todd and Bristol (how else d’ya call a girl who fall twice for the same creep, gets pregnant and ends on Dancing With the Stars?) are stupid people – and I want the Ice Queen to be kept away from the White House as long as possible. I give her other children the benefit of doubt.

    Triumph (0692b1)

  91. Well, that’s classy enough, Triumph. I’m sorry I misunderstood you. I’m not so worried about your politics. You have to admit, some of your comments ain’t the ideal.

    I won’t defend Bristol. I can’t. I was stupid when I was her age, though I avoided her specific problems.

    I think Todd acted badly, he’s a human being and he’s been impressive many times. Sarah’s intelligence I see in some of her results. She really was a great governor before most of this circus really got started.

    You say you want to oppose Palin. Whether it’s fair or not, you are effectively bolstering her when you mention her kids, retards, anything conceivably sexist, etc. You’re a smart guy and don’t need me to explain.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  92. Doesn’t take much to be qualified for President so my answer would be YES — I mean if Joe Biden is POTUS material then a ham sandwich is qualified.

    Javert_is_alive! (artist formerly known as Heavensent, Sycophanthateme, DaShiznit, Robert?? allegedly, and a bunch others forgotten by all except Daley and PF who randomly correlated them.) (4f78d0)

  93. “Lord Nazh: Indeed. You are right. I made the mistake of assuming HuffPo partisan blogger had embedded the correct video. Had to go to Hot Air to get the truth.

    Comment by Patterico — 10/5/2010 @ 8:54 pm”

    Sorry I didn’t respond earlier 🙂 you’re welcome heh

    Lord Nazh (ad60d6)


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