The first half hour of Countdown tonight was the most fun I have had with my clothes on in years. Watching Shuster, Alter, and O’Donnell chronicle McCain’s attempted walkback of the mob, knowing full well that he once again undercut his campaign, as they just upped the ante on the crowd’s behavior by defending them, and while knowing the RNC has an ad out pushing the Ayers nonsense, was just glorious. These incompetent boobs have themselves twisted up into a knot and backed into a corner, with nowhere to go and the election two weeks out and Independents and moderates looking at the McCain campaign like they are junior brownshirts.
Then, when it was flashed across the screen that the Troopergate report has been released and it was determined Palin abused her authority, it was like David Shuster winked at me and it sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around my living room.
I need a shower and a cigarette.
*** Update ***
“Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: To get Trooper Michael Wooten fired,” said the report, which was issued in Anchorage.
A break from the same old politics:
Finding Number One
For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides
The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.
Maverick!
And might I add, BUSH IN A SKIRT.
greynoldsct00
Kinda helps make up for all the money we lost over the last few days… hee!!!
ploeg
Awesome.
They’re gonna have to keep walking it back too. Those brownshirts like Palin a whole lot more than McCain, and McCain doesn’t want them anywhere near him when they discover that McCain isn’t going to go full force batshit racist in Obama’s face at the next debate.
Mudflats has more up on the Palin report.
Laura W
Lawrence O’Donnell, 2016.
I love me some that dude.
Comrade Jake
Anyone say what the "abuse of power" means in practical terms? CNN’s headline is that she abused her power, but didn’t break the law. Fuckers.
demkat620
John Cole, you are my hero.
CMcC
A prima facie case, obvious from a Google search on the day she was picked.
She violated a law.
She should be impeached.
comrade wingnuts to iraq
cole ftw!!!
The Dangerman
@Comrade Jake:
As I read the pdf explanation (starts around page 48), Palin could fire for any ol’ reason. That’s the law. As for abusing her power in the lawful firing, well…
I agree. It’s fucked because McPalin will say they didn’t break the law in the firing (true), so all is well.
Comrade Peter J
I’m guessing that the link to the 30 Rock season 2 DVDs isn’t really the right link?
Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)
Karma, bitchez.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Apparently she had the right to fire Monegan for budgetary reasons — he’s an at will employee, not a union member — and she followed correct procedure, so legally, she’s in the clear on actually firing him. Abusing the public trust by getting involved in a matter where she definitely had a personal interest earns her the commission’s rebuke, at most. But this could still be a civil issue if Monegan chooses to bring a lawsuit. And as the HuffPo guy said, no matter how much the McCain campaign tries to spin that one sentence in the report, politically, she loses among anyone with a brain and a shred of decency because she looks like the coward and hypocrite that she is.
But yeah, expect loud and repeated spin that she fired him for good reason and did nothing wrong. We can’t stop the spin, so have some tea. Meditate a little. Pet a kitty.
SamFromUtah
Prepare for a bunch of Branchflower = BIG FAT LIEBERAL from the flying monkeys.
demkat620
Well, I guess this Steven Branchflower just doesn’t see America the way you and I see America.
frogspawn
I kinda wonder if McPain has heard some things in private from his fellow Republicans about whipping up all this hatred against Obama (not to mention maybe the Secret Service- "Pardon us, Senator, but this shit ain’t kosher").
In any case, it looks like he’s being made to spike the only gun he has left.
stickler
Kinda helps make up for all the money we lost over the last few days… hee
No, dammit. It doesn’t. What WOULD help make up for all the lost money (… my precious IRA! …) would be some God-damned Marching Nazis!
And I left my Criterion DVD of Triumph of the Will in my office.
So come on, John Cole: do us all a favor and cue up some Riefenstahl clips, replete with black-hearted snark. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you…
donovong
Why does Sarah Palin hate America?
Tee-hee-hee…
John D
@Comrade Jake: She did break the law, according to the report.
Finding 1 indicates she violated Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a), which says "The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."
She did not violate the law in firing Monegan, as that is her prerogative. She did, however, abuse her power and violate that statute.
r€nato
We don’t know the real Steven Branchflower, do we?
Has anybody checked out his kitchen countertops? What sort of 60s radicals does he pal around with?
Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)
@The Dangerman:
Doesn’t matter. Schuster and the bobbleheads have their new meme (memes? memez?) for the next week or so: Troopergate, and McCain getting booed while facing down the Goebbels wing of his base. He’s very fucked right now.
DonnaInMichigan
Hey SARAH!!
You’re the weakest link.
Goodbye.
dewberry
I hate Comcast!
4 weeks after that hurricane, and I still don’t have my cable service back (or Internet–I am using an expensive work-provided wireless card). I can’t watch Countdown or Rachel or even the Daily Show.
Please, folks, feel my pain.
Downpuppy
How do they get from
To "violated no laws"?
kommrade jakevich
Abuse of authority makes her declaration yesterday that she did nothing wrong interesting. Especially when you add her comments about wanting to be a Veep just like Dick Cheney when she grows up.
"Sure I overreached my authority, but there’s nothing wrong with that!"
If they win McPOW better have an army of food tasters.
Anne Laurie
I would assume — hope — that some Alaskan citizens have already started a recall notice, to get the necessary signatures for when their legislature reconvenes in January? (Of course, by then, Palin will no doubt have become She Who Must Not Be Named to the remnants of the GOP and their courtiers among the Media Village Idiots, because Johnny Drama’s campaign troubles will be all her fault!!eleventyone!)
demkat620
What’s hilarious is the report basically said she didn’t control her husband. And she was supposed to.
Can’t wait to hear the wingnut argument about that one.
greynoldsct00
Did anyone just hear Savannah Guthrie refer to the "Palin Campaign"? it’s like they just forget about McCain sometimes…
Dan
Loved Wonkette’s description – The Poor Man’s Fitzmas!
boonagain
I think if you have sex with an actual woman you’ll be able to differentiate.
p.a.
Doesn’t really make up for the last 8 years politically and the last few months financially, but (puff…puff) you gotta (rub-a-dub-dub) walk before you (puff…puff) can run. (Splash!) I don’t have champagne, but I might break open a lambic.
fuddmain
As fucked up as McCain’s campaign is, he’ll still get around 45% of the vote. Mind boggling.
I never should have stopped smoking pot. I could go for a fat spliff right about now.
Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)
Hannity’s on in a few minutes; think I’ll drop in for a moment.
Good times.
Zuzu's Petals
Well, I found his recommendations to the legislature (p. 78) pretty informative.
The first was somewhat damning to Palin: amend the current law that gives virtually unlimited discretion to a governmental entity to access an employee’s personnel records, to require the entity to show necessity.
The second was somewhat exculpatory: amend the law to allow some sort of feedback so someone who complains about a cop at least knows if it’s been taken seriously.
Comrade Jake
I gather that violating a statute does not equate to violating a law. That’s probably why the legislature voted unanimously to release the report.
DonnaInMichigan
Wait 3 days for the polls..
My prediction, Obama up by 20 pts.
greynoldsct00
"…Hannity’s on…"
Aren’t you the brave one… please report back so the rest of us can watch Maddow
Zuzu's Petals
@Comrade Jake:
A statute is a law, but it can be nonbinding, and a violation wouldn’t have penalties. I looks like that’s the case here (via Mudflats):
Conservatively Liberal
Great post John! I was listening to the show and missed the message on the crawler but as soon as they broke with it I went in and watched Schuster report on it. I saw the same rainbow brite sparkles flying around my living room and then the MUP appeared just to fire a few rainbows out of its ass in celebration as it flew around the room, hopping from one sparkle to another. I couldn’t sit up straighter though as I was already standing. ;)
The key word is "unlawfully", she broke the law. End of story, end of her part in the campaign. Oh, right. McCain would have to find some sense and honor to make that move, and that has been MIA for some time now.
I did see the clip of the guy whose wife and he were expecting a child in April expressing his fear of Obama winning, and the old bag who called Obama an "Arab". You could see that McCain was sweating bullets in his attempt to deal with it. You could hear that there were a few decent Republicans in the crowd that agreed with him but there was an awful lot of booing and hissing going on.
John and Sarah are reaping what they have sown, a whirlwind of hate. I hope they choke on it.
JGabriel
DownPuppy:
Wishful thinking?
Because we say so. Shut up.
.
Dreggas
She did nothing wrong in the actual firing but broke the law when she abused her power and violated the public trust.
Basically the firing was legal but the motive was illegal.
Comrade Jake
I’m not sure anything substantive is going to happen to Palin over this, but the McCain/Palin team is going to have to listen to lots of quotes of "violating the public trust" from Dems. They’re not going to enjoy that, no matter what they say.
Fern
There is some mention in the report of her misuse of confidential personnel files, so there could be other legal charges/penalties involved in that.
Slide
excellent day in the campaign I say…. you see, I don’t want the Dems to just win… I want them to crush the GOP, to put their boot on the throat of the bush wing of what the Republican party has come to be and stomp the very life out of their political viability. Only then perhaps can the Republican party renew itself and we can actually have a two party system once again.
ed
The ratfuckers handing out multi-million dollar golden parachutes for CEO’s who run companies into the ground aren’t breaking the law either, but their ethics suck. In this time of crisis, we need people who don’t skirt the edge of "legality" to do whatever they want to serve their own needs. Unethical abuse of power has been the hallmark of conservatives and this is the wrong time and wrong place for Governor Palin.
By golly and you betcha (wink, wink . . . . wait for it . . . hip roll!), she quits the campaign, giving Sen, McHopeless one more shot at a last minute Hail Mary. Again.
kommrade jakevich
McMaverick will show his maverickness by casting the wicked, no good, politics as usual Palin off his ticket…
Right after Rich Lowry spends quality time with a female who doesn’t require 10 minutes with a bicycle pump to get her "in the mood."
Chris Johnson
She’s not going to quit the campaign. I say the last hail mary is flipping the ticket and running Palin for President, because McCain wouldn’t say strong enough things about ‘that one’.
gbear
I bet he’s been in the same room with members of the AIP.
That has literally oodles of win.
Krista
I just hope she doesn’t get forced out of the campaign and replaced with Lieberman. That would spoil our fun.
Comrade Peter J
RNC abandoning McCain to save GOP senators?
Comrade Jake
That would be a smart move, albeit made a bit too late.
Zuzu's Petals
Here’s a link to the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act if anyone wants to peruse it:
Ethics Act
It looks like a complaint has to be filed with…guess what, the personnel board. And didn’t they already sign off on Sarah’s behalf?
I can’t wait ’till all this gets explained.
The Grand Panjandrum
This thread just sent a tingling sensation up my leg. (Rats! I was SO hoping it would be the MUP, but I guess y’all will just have to be my first. Anyone got a cigarette?)
kommrade jakevich
The thought of laughing that hard scares me.
Pooh
@Anne Laurie:
I don’t think we have a recall process. I think it’s impeachment or nothing.
Comrade Trotsky
I’m astonished, although certainly pleased, to see such mind-numbing incompetence from a Republican campaign. But I thought they were supposed to be good at winning elections (although not governing). What the fuck happened? I’m 43, so I’m old enough to remember watching Mondale (no serious loss) and Dukakis (again, no tears), as well as Gore (tears) and Kerry (tears and anger), go down in flames. I don’t know what to make of a Democrat who knows how to beat the GOP at its own game. The foundations of my world view are collapsing. Very confused.
grammy
Another crooked politician from AK. you betcha. In the end this will not matter because she’s a republican. What will end up happening is that everyone involved except a few repubs and the Palins will end up with their reputations in tatters. Bush in a skirt. The filth from this party is unbearable. I need to throw up.
The Moar You Know
OT but relevant: Colin Powell shows his true colors, places party over country once again.
Jvstin
Actually, its worse that than, as messed up as it is, he still has a decent shot at winning. That’s what is mind boggling. Between dirty tricks and the Bradley Effect, I still wouldn’t take more than even odds on Obama winning.
TheFountainHead
Princess Bride is on, and I have to say, it’s far more interesting to me than Sarah Palin and what an ignorant waste of flesh she is.
TFH +4
Joe Beese
She’ll have some tough questions at her next press conference.
JGabriel
Ed:
Not to be nitpicky, but those aren’t ratfuckers, they’re motherfuckers.
Ratfuckers are Republicans who pretend – for dirty tricks campaigns – to be Democrats.
.
Dulcie
@The Moar You Know: I heard that on NPR on my way home tonight. I knew Powell was a hack, but this just puts the nail in the coffin. I have no respect for that man.
Comrade Stuck
It’s true. All the wingnut mobs have now is the socialists have stormed the Bastille and laws no longer matter. To the frothy crowds, the liberal devils have usurped the Republic and have taken their Empresses Clothes. No matter it was a bipartisan
report as clearly the Rino’s are collaborators and must be cast from the pure party of Cheney’s Iron Fist of Limitless Wingnuttery.
This is how the knuckledragger wing of the GOP accepts defeat. Not only defeat, but also the casting of it’s fetid ideas into the valley of the obscure and irrelevant. It will get worse before it gets better.
It’s Mickey Spillane Night at the Funhouse. Write with grand overtures of overstatement comrades.
Gumbi
@Jvstin: I don’t know if you’re trying to reverse psych the election gods or something, but this analysis is quite wrong. Barring some sort of massive event that shifts the race towards McCain (e.g. terrorist attack, Obama eats puppies in debate 3), Obama is going to win the election, full stop. Check out election sites like fivethirtyeight.com for detailed coverage. But fuddmain really is right, despite the insanely incompetent and insulting campaign McCain has run, his floor is pretty much 45 percent. I’d bet he ends up around 47 or so. US has some mad tribalism going on.
TheFountainHead
Holy shit. History of the World: Part I!! What a good night to be drinking in front of the TV!
Punchy
Palin in no way quits this campaign. She was a victim of a partisan witchhunt, a partisan report, and abused by a sexist and misogynistic legislature.
I hope all you f’in liberals are happy with your public hanging. This will only add more power, prestige, and mcmavericiness for her. Thanks for only helping Palin’s cause, knuckleheads.
comrade scott
Or to quote the sign somebody snuck into a rally last week:
"Hey Sarah! I can see the end of your political career from my house."
gbear
OK, I’m going to get yelled at for imbedding, but I don’t care.
<img src="observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/cover_5.jpg">
edit: CRAP! you’ll have to trust me and click the link. great image.
necros
Y’know that Crazy Cat Lady who told McCain she was afraid of Obama because he’s Arab? I hope SNL makes her a recurring character. She can represent all the ignorant crazy bigots who support the Palin-McCain ticket.
El Cid
Yes, but, John, did you notice that the Republicans protesting the "kangaroo court" atmosphere of those Palin / Troopergate hearings were actually in clown costume?
Zuzu's Petals
It’s your lucky day .
Assuming you’re Alaskan, of course.
comrade scott
Well, this report wins the Claude Rains Memorial Gambling Awareness Award for the week:
I’m shocked, shocked I say to find about that Governor Gidget abused her power and violated the public trust.
Round up the usual suspects!
The Thinking Man's Mel Torme
So, do the Kool Kidz go back to loving McCain? Wankette was saying how it was good to see the "old McCain back." I don’t trust these dipsticks not to.
PaulB
How about that … you actually got one thing correct. Of course, this was offset by the fact that everything else you wrote was mindless partisan drivel. Oh, and yes, we’re quite happy, thanks.
dslak
Yes, but remember that Goldwater got 38.5% of the vote, and his presidential run was still considered to be a massive failure because that only got him 52 electoral votes.
Since presidents aren’t directly elected, it’s not enough for a candidate to have merely popular support. Support must be both broad and deep. McCain’s 45% support is either dominant only in regions that deliver few electoral votes (Montana and the like) and the south.
I’m sure he’s quite popular in parts of California, but those votes are essentially meaningless in the electoral college calculation. This election will be close to a landslide for Obama.
Zuzu's Petals
It’s your lucky day.
Assuming you’re Alaskan, of course.
Stevenovitch
Obviously, this was nothing more than a partisan witch hunt. Red State Alaska is being mind controlled by Obama and his voodoo witch doctor supporters.
El Cid
74: Mil gracias.
Comrade Stuck
From Allahpundit on the Branchflower report. One of the few wingnuts I regularly read.
Well stated sir!
Jess
@gbear:
Yep–great image alright! Thanks for sharing.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
Nate Silver FTW:
Does McCain Have Cooties?
Best campaign EVAH.
Conservatively Liberal
PaulB, you do know who Punchy is don’t you? Punchy, you sure are reeling them in today. Keep it up and DougJ is going to get jealous. ;)
FSM, I luv this place. :)
demkat620
Oh for the love of god. What asshat came up with that idea?
Comrade Jake
I can haz clown shoes?
Rosali
I haven’t read the report but does it address how inappropriate it is to have someone who is not an elected official or a state employee (Todd Palin) calling meetings and asking public employees to answer to him?
dslak
@Conservatively Liberal: I don’t get it. Are you saying that Punchy is pretending to be liberal in order to troll people like PaulB? Or is this not the PaulB who responds to every argument with the regurgitation of talking points and a link to some hack?
Svensker
@Comrade Stuck:
Re the Allahpundit thing. Yeah, old Allahp seems to get it. His commenters? Yeeehaw, not so much. Apparently the whole thing was an amazing Obama mind control deal funded by George Soros. If the MUP is that good, my Christmas list is going to be getting a lot longer. A lot.
It’s nice to be happy.
Soylent Green
About Colin Powell shilling for Ted Stevens…
So did Daniel Inouye.
Go figure.
Zuzu's Petals
Today’s your lucky day.
Assuming you’re Alaskan, of course.
phil
Palin didn’t violate the get-to-fire-people statute, but she did violate the don’t-abuse-your-powers statute. Sounds about right.
Jay C
@Comrade Trotsky:
Like Comrade T., I must confess to having undergone a holy boatload of shock this year at the totally awful clusterfuck the Republicans have made of their Presidential campaign. I also used to think that the GOP, useless gang of criminals though it may be, could at least manage a national campaign – a "better" (or at least more efficient) grasp of electioneering supposedly having been the Party’s main strength on the national scale. But something seems to gone hugely awry since their convention: Obama and the Dems seem to have rarely/never made a wrong step, while the Republicans’ national campaign has degenerated into a bizarre mix of clownshow and lynch mob: and their Presidential candidate (the "seasoned" and "experienced" John McCain) seems to have become virtually a bystander at "his own" rallies. Very weird. Makes Dukakis ’88 look like a clockwork operation. Very. Weird.
El Cid
Well, there have been horror movies about evil clowns.
Mike G
The Repig cargo cultists have excused, if not cheered on, massive abuses of power by Oily Dick and Chimp for the past eight years.
They seem to revel in the icons of their lickspittle obedience being belligerent, willfully ignorant, abusive assholes.
Palin’s abuse just reaffirms to the mouth-breathers that she’s a bully, and they long to be bullied by the powerful so long as they are provided with ready-made scapegoats lower in the heirarchy as targets for their hate and frustration.
TenguPhule
Hey, he’s fucking untouchable.
No matter how fucking stupid he gets on energy and bipartisaning, nobody with a mind to their political future is going to run against a MOH veteran who got his arm blown off and THEN shot the shit out of a bunker of Germans and walked away.
He is the veteran McCain WISHES to be.
Zuzu's Petals
I don’t get it. My comment kept not showing up and not showing up, so I kept repeating it … now I’ve got triplicates (sorry).
First time I’ve had this problem in the new format.
Conservatively Liberal
Nope, I got my Pauls crossed. Not enough weed today, too many pain meds and I am taking care of that problem right now.
Though Punchy did reel a real liberal in a bit earlier in another thread…lol
Anne Laurie
.
If you Alaskans need a little financial help getting this initiated, I’m sure the BJ Blowhards commentariat would pitch in. Give me a PayPal link, and I’ll kick in $50 right now. (Assuming such out-of-state assistance would be legal, of course.)
loquacious mute
Christmas came early for all us Who down in Who-Ville, so we all started singing the tall and the small.
Fah who for-aze
Dah who dor-aze
Welcome Christmas
Bring your light
Welcome Christmas
Fah who rah-moose!
Welcome Christmas
Dah who dah-moose
Merry Christmas!
zuzu's petals
Thermometer time !
liberal
@fuddmain wrote:
It’s much more depressing if you ask yourself what the number is for non-Hispanic whites.
Tim Fuller
My God, It’s full of starbursts.
Enjoy.