We now have the most believable narrative yet explaining how Palin could end up with $150,000 in new clothes from upscale retailers like Neiman Marcus.

You’ll recall that when the story first broke the Palin camp claimed that the clothes were bought by the RNC almost against Sarah’s knowledge or wishes, that they were bought with the specific intention of returning a large number of items (a form of home-shopping, I suppose), and finally that the clothes were the property of the RNC and would be given to charity after the election.  To my ear these sounded like after-the-fact spin.

The account now given by those within the McCain campaign tasked with managing Sarah Palin sounds much more believable.  It is hard, however, to parse truth now that the Palin and McCain camps have turned to finger pointing and recrimination.

In the latest account Nicole Wallace suggested to Palin that she get 3 outfits for the Republican National Convention, and 3 more for after the convention, expecting a price tag of $20,000 – $25,000.  Instead what they got were receipts for clothes for the whole family, luggage, jewelry and a wide range of luxuries for the whole Palin clan, and the price tag was the widely reported $150,000.

This account seems believable because of things we’ve learned about Palin’s tenure as Governor, and a tendency to treat the trappings of public office as an opportunity to treat the whole family to a little splurge.  Palin billed the state her allowed travel per diem for 300 days in one year, most of which were spent in their own home.  Palin repeatedly brought her husband and children on official trips, even though they had no official role, and billed the state.  She even went so far as to go back into the official “paper trail” and adjust the receipts to try to claim some reason for those family members to be on the trip.  One private group who had asked Sarah to speak in New York was then surprised to be asked by the Governor to invite one of her daughters, and then even more surprised to see that a number of luxury hotel rooms were booked so that Sarah’s daughter could travel in style.  Furthermore, Sarah Palin then failed to claim as income State reimbursements for family members travel expenses, something that should be required if there was no State interest in their travel.

Palin now claims that the shopping spree was all the RNC’s idea.  But the story that she was asked to shop for a few new clothes and then the whole family went on one of those timed romps through Neiman’s like the winners of some crazy game show seems more consistent with the record.

Updated

I first saw President Obama at the Los Angeles Democratic primary debate with Hillary Clinton.  I went in neutral and left an Obama supporter.

The single thing that struck me then and has stayed with me ever since was his consistency in never making this election about himself, but about restoring the hopes and dreams of the people.

I attended the debate because it was being sponsored by and broadcast on CNN, and I run marketing for a company that spends a lot of money advertising on CNN and Headline News.  A colleague was with me whose brother-in-law is an ex-Republican turned Obama ward captain.  I thought that Obama held his own in the debate, and displayed a trait that in the end helped him win the Presidency more than any position or talking point – his cool but engaged temperament.   Hillary was also very impressive, and her candidacy was historic in so many ways.  But in the end the Clintons had, to my mind, simply done too much to win the nomination at all costs and they used up all of the good will they had built up with me, and then some.

My colleague’s brother-in-law waded down to the front afterward where Obama stayed for quite some time interacting with anyone who waiting around long enough.  He shouted out to Obama “I believe in you,” and Obama said something back that he has repeated time and time again to supporters – “No, I believe in you! This is about you.”

Obama has inspired the hopes of a new generation.  While Obama won the support of most of the identifiable groups used for polling, there is no denying that symbolically this contest was about race.  While Obama never made race the main thrust of the campaign, if anything his campaign was the anti-identity politics, because of our nations history the campaign was about the ability of an African-American man to become President in a country that continues to struggle with a legacy of racism.  His nearly monolithic support in the black community (over 90%) and his very strong showing with Hispanic voters (70%) were most certainly deciding factors.   While the Obama win is undoubtedly about race, it is equally about the passing of the torch to a new generation.  Obama won in the 30 and under age groups by a huge margin (in most states well over 65%).  In addition to his lopsided support, Obama energized new voters – especially among racial minorities and younger voters.  A few times every century leadership passes from one generation to the next.  We have witnessed that hand-off.

Race continues to be an entrenched and horribly difficult issue (just look at the vote tallies in the South), and racism continues to block millions of Americans from equal opportunity.  We must not fall victim to the naive belief that the election of Obama means that racism has been defeated.  But neither should we underestimate the enormity of this achievement and of this moment.

And yet all is not rosy.  Virtually every anti-gay ballot measure on State ballots across the nation passed.  Most denied gays and lesbians the right to marry, by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.  Some denied the right of single people to adopt as a way to discriminate against gay people.  While one barrier to equality has fallen, others are being reinforced by the small-mindedness of the self-righteous.  Anti-gay discrimination is now on the front lines of ensuring equality of civil rights.

One telling contrast struck me last night.  McCain’s concession speech was gracious; the reaction of his audience was as ugly and petty as the campaign had been, booing at the mention of Obama.  By contrast the crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park listening to Obama’s declaration of victory applauded the mention of McCain.  It’s always easier, I suppose, to be gracious in victory than in defeat, but I was struck again by how rhetoric and tactics reveal character and are replicated in the reaction of supporters.  One seeks to unite and break the politics of division and rancor.  The other sees only its own loss.  Let us hope that we all seize this historic moment as a time to renew our commitment to stay involved, to improve our nation and our communities, and to unlock the potential of all of our citizens by providing the basics of a society of opportunity:  education, health care, and economic mobility – especially if it means self-sacrifice.

Obama has a steep hill to climb.  Two wars going badly and a military overstretched.  An economy in decline.  Nationalized mortgage institutions.  Huge amounts of public money pumped into a failing banking system.  An equity market that has lost over 35% of its value.  A world of disappointed allies and emboldened adversaries.  And yet climb we must.  And hope is the one thing that can bring us through this tough time.

Congratulations to Obama-Biden and their steady, disciplined campaign.  The hard work is over, now comes the even harder work.

Of an entirely different nature than the Bradley Effect, the Palin effect is the polled difference in support for McCain with and without Sarah Palin on the ticket.  While the Bradley Effect is in some sense a measure of people’s honesty with pollsters, the Palin effect is an attempt to understand the impact on people’s decision of  the choice of a running mate.

There are many ways to measure that impact – Sarah Palin’s poor favorability ratings overall, especially her lack of popularity among the important moderate and independent voters (she continues to be treated like a Christian-Rock-Star by the Christian Right part of the Republican base).  Some polls had as many as 60% of the population holding negative opinions and believing that Palin was not qualified.

While it’s always difficult to poll people based on a hypothetical scenario, that doesn’t stop the pollsters from trying.  CNN attempted to conduct such a survey two weeks ago, and calculated that McCain’s support would have been 2 points higher without Palin than it was with her on the ticket.

We might think that is an unimportant difference.  But this 2-point difference would have decided a large number of recent contests, where the margin of victory has been very slim.

Palin promises to stay around, and is exploring the best ways to position herself for 2012.  I think this is a marvelous idea.  I’ve re-upped my domain registration, and can’t wait to see the Republican party engage in an all-out cultural civil war all its own.

The fissures in the party that were always there are coming to the surface and could well rip that tent apart, leaving Republicans in the cold driving rain.  Umbrella, anyone?

Editor’s Note: Earlier today, the Alaska bureau of HatePalin received a plain manila envelope containing a pink, leather-bound book engraved with the words “MY DIARY”. Handwriting and microfiber analysis lead us to believe that this is, in fact, the authentic diary of Gov. Sarah Palin. But in the spirit of unbiased analysis that is the hallmark of HatePalin, we invite you to be the judge.

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November 2, 2008 12:45a.m.

Dear Diary,

I can’t sleep, despite all the nice blue pills. First, the countdown clock is really ticking. Only two days to go! (Who would know how many hours that works out to – Kissinger?)

Second, it turns out you can see Mexico from Texas. Canada up top, Mexico on the bottom, water everywhere else. I may not be a foreign policy expert, but that means we are surrounded on all sides by foreigners.  John needs to go public with this, or I will.   Why don’t the newspapers report this kind of thing instead of whether I do or do not have the ethics to serve in public office?

Must find out if normal bullets are effective against Mexicans, or if we need silver bullets like for the Chinese.

Idea for where we put the non-American parts of America: Greenland.

Love You,

Sarah

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November 3, 2008. 10:30 a.m.

Dear Diary,

Just a quick note–the Big Night is tomorrow! I haven’t slept for 3 days! Thank God this campaign is almost over and I can finally get those McCain idiots out of my hair! If I needed 30 years of foreign policy trivia crammed into my head, I would have studied it in school! And isn’t that what ambassadors are for?!

BTW–had NO idea Henry Kissinger was a Jew.  Wondering if I offended him with that joke.  Shoot.

Oh! Remember to ask Cindy M. for different sleeping pills–but not the blue ones again! Don’t want to look like Cindy M. on election day (ha ha).  Lord knows, makeup can only do so much. Which reminds me, if that celebrity stylist comes near me again with her Autumn Kisses rouge, I’m going to unpack my Luger and go Alaska on her. The last time I checked, I wasn’t running for Whore in Chief.

Daily affirmation: *I am the Lord’s anointed champion*

Hugs and Stuff,

Sarah Barracuda

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November 3, 2008. 12:30 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Okay, the sourpuss mood around this plane is really starting to get on my nerves. Why do these people constantly talk about poll numbers? We know from scripture that miracles happen. And it’s not like we don’t know whose side God is on.

I’ve thought about it and here’s what came to me in a revelation last night. God could be doing the ol’ hockey fake out. He’s going to put that America-hating black man in the White House to give me a clear shot in 2012. Either that, or the end times are upon us.

Ooh! Staffers are coming around with mini cupcakes!

Gotta Run,

S.

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November 3, 2008. 8:30 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Did you know that women can be homosexuals, too? Uh oh, Cindy’s coming.

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November 4, 2008. 3:18 am

Dear Diary,

So worried. Worried about the future of our blessed nation. Worried for little Bristol. Where will we hide her when the race wars start? Room is spinning. I do not think these pills were good. I do not like them. I do not like them, Sam I Am. I do not like Triazolam.

Smooshes,

Princess Palin

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November 4, 2008. 10:00am

Dear Diary,

First, the bad news: the Federal Election people will not give me a do-over. Rats! Whatever Ralph Nader gets, subtract it by one.

On to the good news. Todd has a sledding buddy/released murderer pal up in Prudhomme Bay who says he can help us out with Operation Sudden Promotion. Actually, we had to change the name because Todd kept forgetting what it meant. Now we are calling it Operation There’s Only Room For One Maverick In The White House. I wonder how long I have to wait to make it really convincing and believable?

One last thing. Did you know they let *anyone* vote? I just can’t wait to start bringing some Wasilla common sense to this country.

Bye For Now,

S

In one of the best outcomes of this election, the predicted record turnout means that more Americans than ever are exercising their right and their responsibility to be involved in choosing our new leaders, and participating actively in the process.  Young people, minorities, newly naturalized citizens – all voting in record number.

In addition, the stress on the system is resulting in long lines.  Fortunately the mood is generally good, with people gladly suffering the inconvenience of long waits in order to be a part of this historic election.  Let’s hope that the snafus cause some serious consideration of changes at the national level that not only make our elections run more smoothly, but also reduce the incidence of fraud and partisan rancor, but that all citizens are able to exercise the right to vote.

Contributed by DV

First of all, if I was that Palin staff member or personal assistant transferring over that “important” call, I would be looking for another job faster than you can say, ‘Drill, Baby Drill,’ or in her simple secretarial words, ‘Search, Baby Search.’ On Craigslist that is. No ladies and gentlemen, this wasn’t a scene from the MTV hidden camera series “Punk’d,’ a show that thrives on victimizing celebrities for cheap ridiculous laughter, no. This was an actual prank call made by a gay French Canadian radio personality duo Marc-Antoine Audette & Sebastien Trudel, whom happen to also be in a relationship aside from work.

Knowing Palin, she probably thinks that Sarkozy’s name is spelled out to be, “Sir Cozy.” I mean, did you hear her flirting on the phone with him.

Why did she take the call?

1. Her staff members were probably from Tennessee or someone who doesn’t realize that France is no longer under a Monarchy Rule.

2. Because, like Sarkozy, she believes that after November 4^th (tomorrow), the McCain-Palin ticket will defeat the ‘Socialist Party,’ just like Sarkozy did with Segolene Royal, a real socialist candidate. But unlike Royal, Obama happens to be nothing near a socialist.

3. Like everyone who knows what it’s like to cram for an exam, you just have to take a call from a friend to vent from cramming all day long, which is what she did.

While McCain attempts to keep up a brave face, Karl Rove has publicly predicted a  landslide of Obama-Biden at 338 electoral votes to McCain-Palin’s 200 (270 electoral votes needed to win).   This would be the most lopsided win since Clinton’s 1996 379-159 slaughtering of Bob Dole.

And in what has to be the oddest comment ever by a Vice Presidential candidate known for her odd comments, when asked outside the polling place in Wasilla – Sarah Palin answered that she wasn’t telling, but would exercise her right to privacy.  Huh?

And instead of a release of medical records, we get a note from her doctor saying that she’s A-OK?  Remember it was Sarah herself who said that she’d release her records.  What’s up with that?  And she does it right on the eve of the election so that it gets buried in the election coverage.  What is Sarah hiding?

In addition the Personnel Board in Alaska released its own findings that contradicted the conclusion in the Branchflower Report.  If you’ll remember the independent investigator found that Palin had violated Alaska’s ethics laws by using the power of the Governor’s office to try to get her ex-brother-in-law fired as a trooper (Troopergate).  This second report says that she did not violate ethics laws.  The only problem is that the members of the Personnel Board – you bethca’ – appointed by the Governor.  So the Governor rejects the finding of the independent investigator appointed by the bipartisan legislature as biased, but says that the report from people she appointed is unbiased.  Huh?

You’ve probably heard that Sarah Palin fell prey to a Canadian comedy team’s prank call, in which she doesn’t come off too well.  Talk about “Gotcha’ Journalism!”

Here’s the audio of the actual call:

And here is a fun Belgian dance-mix take using that audio:

On Saturday Night Live on November 1st Presidential candidate McCain did a skit with Tina Fey in which they go on QVC (the only TV they can afford) as a way to counter Obama’s multi-network half-hour special, and also “sell some stuff.”

It was moderately funny, but felt a little awkward to me.  McCain was in a skit where Palin (Fey) “goes rogue” in the middle of a segment and starts hawking her new t-shirt “Palin 2012″ to a camera stage left.

Even Cindy got in on the act, showcasing the “fine gold” (as in McCain-Fine Gold) that was being sold to help raise money for the campaign.  That was bad punsterism that warmed my heart.

Palin also got in on the Fey action, saying that Tina should keep her Palin outfits because she’ll need them over the next four years.  I think she was implying that the McCain-Palin ticket would score an upset win on election day.  Whatever the implication, one certain thing is that Palin is planning on staying on the national stage, regardless of how the election turns out.  And, therefore, this site isn’t going anywhere.

If you haven’t seen the SNL skit, watch it here and decide for yourself.  Is McCain just a good sport participating in some self-deprecating humor, or was it odd to see a candidate for President poke fun at his Vice President pick?

Watch it here:

In our whirlwind affair with Sarah Palin, it’s just possible that the gal we thought we knew isn’t exactly who we’ve been told.  The image-meisters have been selling us a Palin that doesn’t exist.  The package doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.  Here I’ll attempt to debunk some of the most egregious myths:

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Myth #1: Palin is a Reformer.

Fact: Palin is no Reformer. Palin started her political career by shaking up the Wasilla government, but it was with the significant help and encouragement of the state Republican party.   As Sarah was running for Governor the Veco bribery scandal was starting to reshape state politics.   Palin had no role whatsoever in uncovering or prosecuting the corruption, but she had a keen political sense, and took advantage of the scandal to further her own desire for power.  Sensing the changing winds, she grabbed on to the mantle of reformer and has held on since.  Apparently Palin thinks a leader is someone who sees where the mob is heading and runs like heck to get in front of them.

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Myth #2:  Palin is loyal to those around her

Fact:  Palin regularly turns viciously against her former friends. Palin started her political career in the little town of Wasilla.  Sarah met the sitting mayor and police chief in her aerobics class.  With the help of these friends, she ran for the city council.  Once there, she turned against her former friends, and drove them out of office so that she could take power, calling them “good ol’ boys.”  If there is one trait that comes through loud and clear with Sarah Palin it is raw ambition and disregard for the means of obtaining power.  Perhaps it is this trait that accounts for her extremely strained relationship with many who have had to deal with her, including her husband’s mother.

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Myth #3:  Palin is a Fiscal Conservative

Fact: Palin raised taxes and left Wasilla in debt. Palin raised the sales tax while mayor of Wasilla.  When she left, the town had millions of dollars of debt that had been taken on in order to build a new sports complex.  The debt was higher than just the construction costs; enormous legal fees had been incurred because proper title to the land had not been obtained before building had started, and resulted in a protracted and expensive legal battle.  Palin raised taxes, and incurred debt.  And that state jet she sold while Governor?  It turns out selling things on eBay is a standard method of selling state property.  Only in the case of the jet they couldn’t sell it on eBay, and had to turn to a private broker, and then they lost over half a million dollars on the sale.  Nice story for her RNC speech, it just wasn’t quite true.

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Myth #4:  Palin is Against Earmarks

Fact:  In Alaska, a politician has to get money from the federal government to survive. Palin was no different.   Alaska has the highest intake from the Federal government per capita of any state in the union.  Palin excelled at getting earmarks, and was able to obtain over $27 million in federal earmarks for little Wasilla over three years.  And that “Bridge To Nowhere” that she was against?  Well, first she was for it.  When the attention and outcry meant that the project was no longer feasible, then she was against it.  Make no mistake – during her run for Governor, Sarah Palin supported the bridge to nowhere.  And after she was against it, she still kept the money and directed it to different projects.  Against earmarks?  Hardly.

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Myth #5:  Palin had great success with her Pipeline Project

Fact:  The jury is still out. Palin basically told the big 3 American oil companies to pound sand, and cut a deal with a Canadian company to build a pipeline.  The problem was that she committed over five hundred million dollars of Alaska’s money on the $40 billion deal, and the legislature still hasn’t approved the funds.  It could be a coup, it could be a fiasco.  Like so much that is left in Palin’s wake, there is a lot of disruption from the large waves of her impulsiveness and lack of foresight.

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Myth #6:  Palin is squeaky clean

Fact:  Troopergate. The independent investigator found that Palin violated ethics law and standards.  She used her position as Governor to pursue a personal vendetta against her ex-brother-in-law.  Her entire political career is littered with the complaints of her former allies as she has pursued her small town agenda with a big state apparatus.  Billings to the State:  Palin took her per diem expenses for over 300 days when she was in her own home.  She brought along her husband and children and charged expenses to the State even though they had no official State business, and then didn’t report the picked up expenses as income.

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Myth #7:  Palin’s high popularity in Alaska was because of her expertise running Alaskan government.

Fact:  Palin used oil company money to pay off Alaskan citizens. Two thousand dollars for every Alaskan.  And then an extra twelve hundred dollars thanks to Sarah and the windfall profits tax.  The same taxes that McCain and most Republicans oppose.  That’s right – she played Robin Hood for Alaskans – taxing the oil companies and cutting checks with her name on them to the people – while claiming to be a free marketeer on the national stage.  If there was an award for creating a cash-for-votes operation, Sarah would be walking that red carpet.  Her popularity comes from the high price of oil, an oil windfall profits tax, and sending that cash to Alaskans in the form of a check.  Palin and simple.

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Myth #8:  Palin is a staunch defender of capitalism.

Fact:  Alaska is a socialist state. At least when it comes to natural resources; it turns out that the people of Alaska equally share in the ownership.  Those annual checks for citizens?  They’re the result of the people’s ownership of the oil reserves.  I’m not judging the situation, just calling it.  For Palin to call Obama a socialist is beyond irony.  Socialism means the collective ownership of the means of production.  What is more basic than the natural resources?   And in Alaska, those are owned collectively by the citizens.

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Myth # 9:  Palin has always been a “Country-First” kind of lady.

Fact:  Palin is Alaska-First and an opportunist. When she was running for Governor, Palin gave an Alaska-First rallying cry.  Lest you dismiss this as something that every State Governor would do, remember that Alaska is special.  Just ask the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party, the one in which her husband Todd held membership.  She has prominently said that “Alaska needs to protect our sovereignty.”  Choose your poison:  believe that Palin can switch allegiances faster than a RNC-bought couture jacket from Barney’s; or believe that she is being disingenuous about her “country first” message now, and still holds dear her Alaska-first belief system, evidenced by her proclivity to extract ever more money from Washington.

With the Republican ticket struggling, the different camps within the party are forming their circular firing squad.  Palin seems more focused now on establishing her own power base for her own political future than in helping the ticket or fostering Republican unity.  So I have to conclude that her radical make-over had its intended effect – Palin has increased her power because the media has not had the time or the gumption to shine the bright light of truth on the package of Palin myths that have been sold to the American people.  We can only hope that the simple power of the truth will soon catch up with her, and make this scary tale have a fairy tale ending.