Everybody’s Nailin Palin: LA Times Exposes Cronyism
h/t Larry Flynt/Hustler
Ouch. If it weren’t for bad news, Sarah Palin might not have any news at all. In the first Troopergate investigation, conducted by the Alaska Legislature, Palin was found culpable of abuse of power as Governor. On the morning of her deposition in the second major investigation, this one by the Alaska State Personnel Board, Sarahdipity woke up to a skewering by the LA Times for rampant hiring of incompetent cronies for critical state offices. Looks like there may be a lot Palin has to answer for in her deposition.
* More than 100 appointments to state posts — nearly 1 in 4 — went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.
* Palin filled 16 state offices with appointees from families that donated $2,000 to $5,600 and were among her top political patrons.
* Several of Palin’s leading campaign donors received state-subsidized industrial development loans of up to $3.6 million for business ventures of questionable public value.
* Palin picked a donor to replace the public safety commissioner she fired. But the new top cop had to resign days later under an ethics cloud. And Palin drew a formal ethics complaint still pending against her and several aides for allegedly helping another donor and fundraiser land a state job.
Some of her appointments make "Heckuva Job Brownie" look like Einstein. Tavis Colberg, Palin’s childhood buddy, was installed as the Alaska Attorney General in spite of the fact that he was barely qualified to appear in local Wasilla courts on worker’s comp claims. Franci Havemeister, another of Palin’s childhood friends, was made director of the Alaska State Agriculture Division. Havemeister was previously a part time real estate agent who stated a childhood love of cows as a qualification for the job. In multiple cases, Palin installed both husband and wife of family friends to cushy, well paid state positions for which they were unqualified.
As the New York Times has previously stated, Palin’s Wasilla High School yearbook now doubles as a veritable directory of state government.
Turns out Palin is to nepotism what McCain is to narcissism.
And, when it came to her friends and donors, Palin was as loose and generous with Alaska’s public coffers as she was executive jobs.
In one case, Jae G. Lee, a former Los Angeles businessman who is the proprietor of Party Time, a rundown grocery store and bottle shop in Anchorage, sought a $2.7-million state loan to buy an aging strip mall in midtown Anchorage. It was on the market because of a glut of similar malls in the area, all of them losing customers to big-box stores.
Lee and his wife, who had contributed $3,000 worth of office space to Palin’s 2006 campaign, won the low-interest, state-backed mortgage although it was unclear how the old mall would add jobs. Lee said he did nothing to improve his acquisition, but with the cheap loan his profits have been robust.
…
Two other state-backed loans with favorable terms and questionable development benefits went to Palin contributor and local dentist Scott Laudon and his partners. The investors got $1.2 million to refinance debt on Northern Lights Village — a gritty collection of shops including massage and tattoo parlors, a secondhand-clothing store and a video arcade. Its neighbors along a 1 1/2 -mile stretch of Northern Lights Boulevard in midtown Anchorage include a dozen strip malls.Laudon and other partners also received $3.6 million to buy two automated car washes in Anchorage. The benefit to Alaska, according to the approval documents, was the retention of five jobs — which would have remained without the subsidy.
John McCain habitually claims that Palin is the most qualified VP candidate in recent memory, and that she is a maverick reformer specializing in clean and efficient government. In spite of Sarah’s overwrought complaints that scrutiny of her acts and record are sexist, it sure looks like the nailin of Palin is imminently justified.
Who knew The Peter’s Principle would be sequelled:
The Peter Nepos’ Principle
An Inside Look at the Life Choices of Sarah Palin
My, my. Looks like there was a pretty good ROI for those who contributed to Sarah’s campaign. I just hope the “balloon payment” for a lot of these folks takes them back to negative territory.
And let’s not forget Toddy… her husband… who seems to pop up everywhere at meetings and copied emails. (of course she met him her senior year of high school, so maybe that really doesn’t count)
Just imagine a Palin administration in the White House. And that’s exactly why we need to make sure this lady never gets her hands on any high office, or low one for that matter.
God forbid she would surround herself by knowledgeable people!
Between now and Nov 4, I’m predicting that mcShame’s vote comes to mirror the Dame’s favorables. And the floor on her numbers may depend on the fundies, who are already so willing to hand over their ability to think, that maybe they won’t be swayed by all the facts that are (finally) coming out right and left in the MSM.
The October Surprise apparently is an outbreak of sanity!
My favorite crony is Debbie (Richter) Bitney, Palin’s campaign treasurer. For her efforts on the campaign, Debbie was made the Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend Office – the office that cuts oil royalty (welfare) checks for every Alaskan.
You may recall Debbie more recently as being involved in an affair that resulted in some firings.
You see, Debbie was married to Scott Richter – who has been described as a “business associate” of Todd Palin’s. The Richters also owned property jointly with the Palins.
Then apparently Debbie and (Palin longtime aide and close friend) John Bitney had an affair. Bitney was fired 2007.
Well, today Debbie and John Bitney are married. And Debbie is still the director of the Permanent Fund. She even changed her last name on the state’s website from Richter to Bitney.
And then there’s the part about Scott Richter – Sarah Palin connection that the National Enquirer ran with.
I “betcha” there’s more to that story.
But all the personal stuff aside (there’s just so much) – Debbie proved a failure in 2006 when her agency failed to do the one thing it was supposed to do – issue checks.
http://www.juneauempire.com/st…..8015.shtml
Aren’t Alaskans seeing more of Palin now than they did when they voted for her? Surely all this stuff that’s coming out about her aren’t going to help her re-election, assuming she’s not the VP.
I have to share this thought about Palin.
I was quizzing my daughter last night for a test on plant and animal classification. As she named the order of cold blooded species, I said, “Interesting list. Your teacher put it in an evolutionary order. I imagine you did not talk about evolution in class am I correct?”
“No we did not.”
“Well, it can be controversial with some parents and probably best to study when you are a little older, in middle school.”
Then she asked why evolution is so controversial. I explained and gave her both scientific and theological views. I explained about many different views and mentioned Young Earth Creationism. She looked at me and said, “Some believe the Earth is only 6000 years old? I’m confused. That would mean humans and dinosaurs lived together at the same time? How does one get that from the fossil record? Who thinks like that? It confuses me.”
(Note: my daughter is an avid fossil collector and pretty informed about the fossil record and our family does have a personal faith but our beliefs and knowledge have never created conflict for us.)
Back to the story. I tried to make sure she understood to remain respectful any time someone shares their personal beliefs, especially regarding topics such as we are discussing but that her questions and beliefs are equally valid.
Then I responded to her questions and mentioned, “Well actually, Sarah Palin is a Young Earth Creationist believer.”
“Mom, I am still confused,” she replied. With serious concern on her face she continued and asked in earnest, “Then does that mean she does not believe in knowing very much? Because from a science perspective, that wipes out a great deal of science which is important to everyday life now. How can somebody claim to be an energy expert and carry Young Earth Creationism as a belief?”
“You know sweetheart, I do not think even a journalist has asked her those questions, that is if she ever does an unscripted press conference before the election,” I replied.
Oh, did I mention, my daughter is 10 years old?
Chris Matthews challenged Pat Buchanan who was sticking up for Palin’s description of what the V.P.’s job is. Palin “They’re(V.P.) in charge of the United States Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the Senators and make a lot of good policy changes that make life better”.
Buchanan argued that “she was talking to second and third graders” Chris Matthews answered “she is talking like a second grader”
If Palin has her way she will make some “good policy changes” to have “creationism” taught(?) in the school systems.
I really appreciate that Matthews keeps hammering away at what she believes the V.P’s job is. (he holds back on nailing Cheney as a twisted role model) Not sure what is up with that he normally rips into Cheney and his successful effort to abuse his position the last eight years.
bmaz,
Thanks for this post and your posts in the last 24 hours. All great work. (You too EW.)
Leen,
I saw bits of that on YouTube. Buchanan was whining. Like I shared yesterday, “When you are explaining, you are losing.”
Now, I have to admit, my daughter is a fifth grader. I think I should send the McC camp a note to not have Sarah visit my daughter’s class in Columbus, Ohio because it will end up Palin’s first unscripted press conference as far as my daughter is concerned. Then again…encouragement might be…better…(klynn lifts Doctor Evil pinky finger to corner of mouth, eyes looking up and off to the side with intent.)
My daughter floored me with her clarity when she said:
And the look on her face was so earnest and serious when she said it. Honestly, not an once of sarcasm or snark. A total state of serious concern.
Insert obligatory joke – Is Sarah Palin as smart as (klynn’s) 5th grader?
Sarah is frightening. What was McCain thinking? Or did Kristol, Rove and the pack who picked Palin want McCain to lose
Judging from your past comments on this and other blogs, klynn, I’m not in the least surprised by your ten year old daughter’s precocity.
I really hesitate to share my “kid” stories about our conversations or just their simply stated insights. I worry that the tone does not belong in the netroots. But sometimes, kids just… GET. IT. So I risk sharing…
I hope it’s okay. I never tote my kids to work (like Palin). However, much of what I do during my day takes into account “who they are” and “what world I want them to grow up in” into consideration, as I make decisions that impact others.
Thanks for allowing me the occasional “outta the mouth of babes,” moments here and at the Lake. I tend to save most of my comments for Christy’s posts since she often springboards posts from experiences as a parent. But I began my netroots experience at TNH following Marcy’s amazing cognitive abilities which are constantly complimented by bmaz as well as a depth of comment contributors, so sharing here is natural for me.
This is a great community.
Oh, klynn, give yourself a treat — watch the interviews at MSNBC.com of Brian Williams that showed yesterday on Morning Joe and on …? Hardball?
He deadpans about ‘waiting 55 days to interview Sarah Palin’, and then he talks about the strict conditions and control of the interview. You might want to explain to your daughter how DIFFICULT it has been for credentialed, recognizable members of the press — aka, the anchor of NBC Nightly News — to even speak to Palin, let alone ask her about creationism (!).
“* More than 100 appointments to state posts — nearly 1 in 4 — went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.”
IIRC, Don Siegelman went to jail for appointing Richard Scrushy to a board for contributing, not to Siegelman’s campaign, but a state charity that Siegelman supported. I guess it’s lucky that Sarah appointed an idiot AG who was confused as to whether Sarah or the State of Alaska was his client.
LOL. Talk about boiling the argument down…Thanks for that insight Ishmael.
I have been really (and pleasantly!) surprised at the independence shown by the Alaska Legislature and other civil servants in Alaska in the face of the enormous pressure and national interest in the investigations. When the Troopergate stories emerged, I’m sure that the McCain campaign thought it would be no problem to stall the investigation or somehow bury it until after the elections, it was only a couple of months after all – but then they couldn’t bully their way out of it. The story Bmaz linked to about the Alaska AG and his obvious unsuitability for the job (sounds familiar!) and the concern this raised in the Alaska legal community showed that there was a lot of buyer’s remorse about Governor Sarah, but Bill Kristol and the National Review guys thought she was great so that was good enough for them.
Boy howdy. For the almost total corruption of Alaska’s federal elected officials, and the sad shape of the executive branch up there; my hat is off big time to the Alaska legislature. Both sides of the aisle seem to have some pragmatic and decent people that stuck to their guns on what was right on Troopergate. Now, in fairness, they may be buggered up and all over the road on everything else, we really don’t have a great read on that, but on the other issues we have had a peek at from this deal, they look to have done okay on other things too. Operating on limited input facts, but very pleasantly, and refreshingly surprised.
Wow!!
Man, I wish that Robert Greenwood had time to make a video spot about that — you make a REALLY good point!
Wow, that’s a powerful statement you made there…
About November 15, Sarah will begin appearing in the first of her multimillion-dollar commercials, advertising Lenscrafters, American Express (remember Bill Miller, the veep candidate from ‘64?) and that headache medicine you apply directly to your forehead. And if that doesn’t pan out, there is always the very large Christian products business to welcome her.
The real reason for those winks is how much cash will be flowing into her bank accounts. Sarah Palin is a penny-ante grifter who lucked into a big score. It’s the real American Dream.
it’s the American political way. Regrettably.
She really has hit the jackpot. You must have read how she conned Kristol and company, who must have had a pretty big cleaner’s bill to get the stains out of their pants.
Wow, no wonder the Repugs like her, she like George Bush squared.
Let’s hope the little lady has had quite enought of being scrutinized and criticized to give up on politics forever. After all she will have television opportunities and Todd is already being offered endorsements which will make them far wealthier than any political gig. And they both have been loving being in the national spotlight.
After this is over and McCain has (hopefully) lost, I predict Sarah will resign as governor under ethics issues and the last Alaska will see of the Palin family will be the brake lights on their car as they race back to the lower 48 to grab up some coin.
Good “snapshot in time” post, same w/all the comments. To me, Palin is a moniker… hologram even, substantially representing all the emptiness and blather that the GOP has become.
I checked in
last night for 1st time in a while. He has 2 posts up:
TThe Best of the ’08 Campaign I: Best Speech in a Comic Mode
The Best of the ’08 Campaign II: Best Speech in a Comic Mode
He applauds coverage of entire Palin affair in Anchorage by the Anchorage Daily News, and lists a few exemplary links at end of 2nd link above.
I haven’t read any ALASKA news/blogs etc. in a while, but took about an hour to scour that paper’s articles, and a number of comment threads as well. Always hard to no how accurately representative of population as a whole the commenters may be, but from what I read Palin’s not going to be the most popular governor in the US when she returns. In fact, from what I read, seems a plurality of commenters would rather have her head.
W/out being snarky, if I had to lay odds I’d bet she’ll move near one of Murdoch’s lower 48 studios to become FOX’s “resident energy expert”… or some such nonsense.
Even Joe Sixpack knows that what Sarah and Todd are alleged to have done – used State Resources to pursue a Personal Interest – is Wrong.
Her defense that, “Oh, Todd’s a good guy!” – and his defense that, “Oh, we’re each other’s best friend!” – must seem to the Palin’s like some kind of a Legitimate Mash-Up Executive/Spousal Privilege…
…which is not different than Bush “looking the other way” for Plausible Deniability – while Cheney “does the dirty work” – and together they claim an Extraordinary Executive Privilege.
In many ways, Sarah is the Dumb-show in Hamlet – her story-line mimmicks that of the play to come – so that the audience, including the new King, are shown an example of the Very M.O. that the new King used – “All Pretense to Ethical Character/No Actual Ethical Character of Any Kind” – to Grab All the Power.
At this point in Our modern-version of the Tragedy, the new King, Bush, is in the audience looking-on in thinly-veiled shock at the twists-and-turns of Sarah being Called to Account for her Abuse of Power…and Hamlet (US) is in the audience, beers in hand…watching him…watch the show.
klynn # 8 – thanks for sharing the story on your daughter..
for anyone who hasn’t seen this, it’s very funny.
http://www.palinaspresident.us/
this is BRUTAL
if obama wasn’t ahead this story would get him there, I sure hope this gets to be known even though obama is ahead
palin must be embarrassed out of office and her pending impeachment must be given legs, this story should accomplish both
Thanks bmaz.
digg
Here’s a timely example of cronyism,from the same source of the robo calls and Palinista fashions-FLS-DCI….COLEMAN LITERALLY SLEEPS IN FLS-CONNECT´S WASHINGTON OFFICE IN A SWEETHEART RENT DEAL IN LARSON´S MILLION-DOLLAR TOWN HOUSE
FLS-Connect Employee Uses Apartment To Work And Take Calls. In June 2008, National Journal reported, “Coleman has a bedroom and a bathroom in Larson´s town house and shares the remaining living space, which includes his old couch, table, and chairs, with FLS Connect. A company employee uses a portion of the apartment to work and take calls on some days, according to Larson.” [National Journal, 6/28/08]
Coleman Is Paying Just $600 Per Month To Live The Basement Of Jeff Larson´s “Simply Divine” Million-Dollar House. In June 2008, National Journal reported, “In July 2007, Coleman began paying Larson $600 a month in rent for a portion of a one-bedroom basement apartment in a Capitol Hill town house that Larson owns.” In February 2007, 140 North Carolina Ave SE (Larson´s house) was placed on the market and listed on the website of Phyllis Jane Young Realty. Included in the listing is “a huge English basement with a media center, office space, gorgeous custom marble and oak bar plus an airy guest bedroom and bath…Simply Divine!” According to District of Columbia records, Larson paid $989,900 for the house. [National Journal, 6/28/08; Phyllis Jane Young Realty Listing; District of Columbia Public Records]
Coleman Missed Two Months´ Rent; Retroactive Rent Paid Only After Press Inquired. According to National Journal, “Earlier this month, after National Journal questioned Coleman and Larson about the living arrangement, the senator said he discovered that his rent for last November and January had not been paid. In mid-June, Coleman covered the back rent with a personal check for $1,200 made out to Larson and signed by the senator´s wife.” [National Journal, 6/28/08]—————–Ii is strangely concidental that McCainery and chicanery ryhme.
Having worked a while in applicant attorney fora, I enjoyed the link to the AK Dispatch review of AG Colberg’s genesis. There are some interesting dynamics in AK. According to city-data, AK historically has had the most numerous physical population of military among the 50 states; from the same reference source, similarly AK has a preponderant proportion of federal employees percentilewise. Adding to these complexities for counsel to injured workers would be, in my estimation, the known ferocity of risk to people who pursue fishing as a way of earning a living, a common employment category in the state of AK. Further, mining, of various stripes, is a known high-risk occupation, and first glance at AK workplace injury statistics bears out that depiction. AK is a land of twilight for a hefty chunk of the chronological year, additionally complicating the mundane exercise of commerce and practice of law. Aggregate to this the substratum that AK contains much territory which is near frontier in character, populated by a dispersed settlement of people which cumulatively total about the same number of per capitas as, for example, an agriculture hub in the central valley of one of the lower 48’s coastal states. The net effect, in my curious first look, appears to be a spectrum of the usual niches of polity in applicant attorneydom, places for businesscentric workcomp attorneys, but also ample fun grounds upon which to stand for the rights of people affected by workplace injuries. Voter registration in AK is mostly Republican. Predictably for a sparsely populated zone, in AK it is possible to become an applicant’s advocate without taking the certification test, “on motion” and after the usual background investigations.
re: a separately mentioned topic in the post, as someone who belonged to the state farm bureau for a decade, as the most reliable insurer for people in an outdoor occupation, I am looking forward to reading about the “appointee” whose appreciation of the bovine spp is a resume highlight.
Fishing can be extremely dangerous, particularly crab fishing out along the Aleutians. But there are lots of canneries.
The mines that I knew about are said to be played out and abandoned now, but there are plenty of federal employees in AK.
As for legal work: can you say ‘ExxonValdez’?
Many fortunes have been made defending what I regard as deplorable biocide. I guess that makes me some kind of ‘ecologist’ or something. But it knocked out herring spawns in Prince William Sound, whose many estuaries still had unbelievably rich salmon runs when that spill occurred.
Exxon came in, rented all the planes and helicopters so that the media couldn’t fly over the spill, and then paid off a whole lot of Alaskans on bogus, mostly useless oil scrubbing work.
That spill occurred right around the spring equinox, just prior to the herring runs.
Guess that was one way of making fishing less dangerous; knock out the herring and salmon runs.
should have said… “But there are lots of canneries, although Ward Cove went bankrupt IIRC, and many of the cannery workers were Filipino, or so I’ve been told. So I don’t know what kind of workman’s comp would apply to them.”
You just cannot make this kind of news up. Boy, is SNL going to have fun with this bit.
Palin sylist Draws Higher Pay Than Policy Advisor
This latest news speaks for itself.
Here’s the link to the whole story:
http://apnews1.iwon.com//artic…..1AVG0.html
what a tidbit.
great post but I must admit that I find the graphic offensive
After the graphic on the last post, you find this one offensive? Really, Watertiger’s graphic is far worse than mine! This is a bum rap man!
But watertiger’s a crack addict, she can’t help herself.
But Watertigers are fierce creatures and I am going to hide behind this fine specimen.
I’m with you bmaz. I do not think I can ever have a plumber come to my house ever again after getting blasted with THAT image. Now I am going to have nightmares about America’s crack problem WATERTIGER!
Meanwhile, Todd Palin, guarding stacks of personnel files, meets with Walt Monnegan in the governor’s office.
Sarah is just taking Republican principles to the outer limit of their implications. The Bush administration is replete with nepotism. It shocked me in 2001, but then I got used to it. It is just amazing when you see how many high officials are related to each other in one way or another. It’s like a club, and we don’t belong. Sarah comes from a smaller place, so heer club is smaller. What a klutz!
I have always wanted to be a member of the elite.
****
Certainly the definition of “elitist” may be used as Sarah does. But a more correct word would be SNOB. If you receive $150,000 worth of expensive clothes for free, you probably think you are superior.
This morning Palin gave her first policy speech the aim of which was to show support for special needs children. She began by talking about earmarks including a bridge to nowhere and fruit fly research
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/…..al-speech/
she went one to talk about support for IDEA except
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/…..uit-flies/
who needs to study the fookin fruit flies
agriculture only accounts for about half of the total revenuse in my county
we only import fruits and vegetables to FUCKING EVERYWHERE
well we ship fruit everywhere when it don’t got fruit flies in it
/repuglitardedness
RoTL, I appreciate the update, fishing is an international enterprise. I believe the newsgathering smother ploy described, as well. Working with regulatory guidelines is an interesting challenge in other occupations too. Consider, from the planning department perspective, the policy developed in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough coastal plan published last year, eg volume one. Harvesting timber is another rugged sport for which people are paid. I have had involvement of various sorts in cattle, timber, and hay production based far from AK. The laws which protect resources and even the personnel who extract the resources, continue to be a fascinating study, from my vantage, after discarding actual engagement as a producer, though often much of what I learned relates to a past economic matrix which is drastically altered in current times.
To be fair to Mr. Havemeister, that was before Alaska outlawed that particular form of loving.
I think Mr. Havemeister is really a Ms. (Franci)
Ah yea, once again we turn to the paper of record, The New York Times for our information. When its convenient for your talking points of course…..
Drosophila melanogaster is a helpful genetic subject, common name fruit fly; check out the work Rutgers does with D.melanogaster. There is a lot in the post worth study. Because of a variety of pursuits each requiring seemingly many years additional postgrad studies, much of the agrarian content of the Alaska articles seems understandable to me. So far, given personal time constraints at the moment, it seems one reason for regarding Alaskan cows with wistful reaction might be their rarity in that climate. Our mixed beef dairy bovines certainly disliked the rare snows in our zone. In one Alaska town, the rodeo features goat roping, but there are indeed horses; and kids learn to raise cold climate livestock like the alpaca. I may have a moment to follow some of the investigative threads later.