I just got finished listening to a POTUS 08 interview with the mayor of the borough of Ketchikan-Gateway in Alaska, Joe Williams.This mayor said that Palin DID kill the bridge to nowhere project. However, McCain-Palin is not riding the straight talk express on this subject. According to this mayor, Palin supported the bridge to nowhere project. At that point in time, according to this mayor, the project was about a $238 million dollar deal and Alaskans have been trying to get earmark dollars for it for over 30 years. Finnally, their local congress people got the money committed by Congress. But apparently the cost of the bridge in the interim ballooned to over $400 million and Palin as governor decided that that was too much, so she killed it. BUT, she kept the money!
In fact, this mayor was angry because she killed the project which had major local support, and announced that decision to the rest of the country before she did to Alaskans. She announced the change at 5:30 am Alaskan standard time when Alaskans are in bed. This mayor's son lived in NY and called him to ask him why it was being killed, to which he replied it was not, and his son told him, oh yes it is because its being reported on CNN right now. Further, this mayor had no idea as to exactly how the money was going to be used since they were not spending it on the bridge.
McCain-Palin are stumping and telling people that 1. she didn't support the bridge to nowhere when she did, and 2. that she told Congress, no we don't want the money, you keep it, when actually, she got the money and she decided to keep it and use it for something else.
That is a direct contradiction to what they are saying on the stump. Point Blank. They should be called on it.
If Obama calls her on it, the backlash will be worse. The bridge isn't there (which is all 60% of the electorate will ever understand about it) and Obama and Biden both voted for it and haven't flipped on those votes.
ReplyDeleteAnd the hammer drops...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/09/palin_goes_after_obama_on_earm.asp
Maybe, maybe not. Depends on whether the electorate is as gullible and easy to manipulate as McCain/Palin think. Obama is not the campaign running on a reform, maverick, no earmark platform. Obama is not the one decrying earmarks at every turn.
ReplyDeleteBut to me the big deal is that you are breezing past the core issue which is that they are telling a very bold lie about her record.
The facts are that she was for the bridge and she TOOK the money.
McCain/Palin is telling people she was not and that she gave it back. The mayor on Potus 08 this morning by the way when asked if he was supporting her replied "100%".