Palin won't be subpoenaed because it would be "bad form"

Zach Roth of TPMM reports that Alaska Governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will not be subpoenaed to testify in the Alaska House investigation into allegations that she pressured civil servants to fire her ex-brother-in-law:

Even if she refuses to testify voluntarily, Sarah Palin will definitely not be subpoenaed as part of the Trooper-Gate investigation, Rep. Jay Ramras, a Republican on the committee overseeing the probe, just confirmed to TPMmuckraker.

Ramras said that issuing a subpoena for a vice-presidential candidate "would be disrespectful." He called it "inappropriate conduct, given the unique political circumstances," and "bad form."

Comments

[Ted Powell]

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/516641.html (Anchorage Daily News)

Palin's stall

Governor is stonewalling the Troopergate investigation

Published: September 5th, 2008 12:11 AM
Last Modified: September 5th, 2008 03:03 AM

Gov. Sarah Palin is taking the wrong approach to Troopergate. She should be practicing the open and transparent, ethical and accountable government she promised when running for governor and boasts about now that she's on the national stage.

Instead, Gov. Palin has begun stonewalling the Legislature's attempt to get the bottom of allegations that she, her family or staff violated ethical or state personnel rules.

...

In July, when legislators started talking about conducting an investigation, Palin denied any wrongdoing and said she welcomed an investigation.

"Hold me accountable," she said.

The Legislature took her up on that offer. But this week, she basically told the Legislature, "Never mind."

Palin's lawyer has asked the Legislature to drop its investigation. He had the governor file an ethics complaint against herself, in a bid to turn the entire matter over to the state Personnel Board, which would hire an independent investigator.

This is not an open and transparent attempt to establish Gov. Palin's accountability. It is an attempt to drag out the investigation until after voters decide the fate of her vice-presidential bid.
...

[Cass]

"Bad form"- I can't quite place that. Is he quoting Louis XVI, or Charles I?

[Aaron Baker]

For more on Palin, please see this:

http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/05/alaskans-speak-in-a-frightened-whisper-palin-is-“racist-sexist-vindictive-and-mean”/

[Matt McIrvin]

Oh, that's how it works. I hadn't known.

[shrimplate]

When moving to obtain more power, they typically present themselves as victims.

[Norman Costa]

Say what?

[Eric Jaffa]

Sarah Palin also won't talk to reporters "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference," says Rick Davis, campaign manager for McCain.

If you're uncomfortable with Sarah Palin as VP and possible president, please donate to Obama.

[BetterThanNoSN]

Now this woman is starting to scare me. After viewing a vid in which she states, 'Our troops are on a mission from God, They are doing Gods work'. If this woman truley believes this, then there is no limit to what they may do militarily in he name of doing Gods work. McCain will certainly need no encouragement from her to use might. The irony of it, fighting Gods war. These phony Christians need to re-read the New Testament. Christ does not equal war under any circumstances, none.

[BetterThanNoSN]

By the way Lindsay, first time visitor today, have so far enjoyed your site and plan to visit in the future. But i had problems scrolling for the first few minutes, lol, keep on.

[Ted Powell]

From today's edition of http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Palin Avoids Free Media

Most candidates love getting free television time, especially long interviews where they can make their points at length and have the voters get to know them better. The Sunday talk shows are a favorite. Today John McCain will get a full half hour on CBS' Face the Nation, Barack Obama goes on ABC's This Week, and Joe Biden takes the hot seat at NBC's Meet the Press. Sarah Palin is avoiding free media when every network would love to have her. All it would take is one phone call to CNN, for example, and she'd be on there for half an hour, for free. This behavior gives the impressesion that the McCain campaign is afraid to have her interviewed in depth by experienced reporters for fear of what she might say. The problem is not gaffes--Biden makes them from time to time, but will still be grilled. The real problem is she might say something intentionally that she really and truly believes (like victims of rape should be forced to bear their rapist's child) and this will shock the viewers. It will be interesting to see how long Palin can avoid giving interviews and whether the media starts to point out this behavior.

[Cass]

"A few weeks from now, after various hard questions get asked and aren't answered satisfactorily, Palin will do an interview with Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer, and will be asked how she feels about all the terrible things so many cruel people are saying about her. And her eyes will begin to well up with oh-so-authentic tears, and her voice will break a little as she tries to describe what it's like to be the mother of five beautiful children, who has recently given birth to a precious little boy who is bravely struggling with burdens that no one, least of all her heartless critics, can begin to understand.

"And then all Wingnuttia will collectively sally forth in high dudgeon to defend the honor of American Motherhood, and various liberal bloggers will issue shame-faced apologies for the horrible excesses of politics in these partisan times, and various chin-scratching opinion makers will Ask Big Questions about the State of the American Political Soul, and John McCain will get a seven-point bump in the polls."

http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2008/09/alien.html#links

[Norman Costa]

BetterThanNoSN,

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

[cfrost]

her eyes will begin to well up with oh-so-authentic tears, and her voice will break a little

Yep, and it’s scheduled for next week on ABC with Charlie Gibson pitching the softball questions. Get out your hankies folks. I’m getting choked up already.

[Xerophyte]

Um, wait, wouldn't it be even MORE important to subpoena her if she's suddenly in a position to gain more power? What a blatant admission that if you're powerful you should be allowed to get away with anything you want.

[swampcracker]

If we loose this election, the so-called "culture wars" will return with a vengeance, and it will take a generation or more to undo the damage. For my part, I intend to spend less time in the blogosphere and more time in the community engaged in a kind of "each one, reach one" effort until election day.

There is no profit commiserating with the choir. It is time to get out and DO something, i.e., try to point out the deceptions and win over some votes.

[Cass]

"If we loose this election, the so-called 'culture wars' will return with a vengeance, and it will take a generation or more to undo the damage."

The "culture wars" are probably a permanent feature of our life now; they're too well-funded, and too emotionally satifsfying for certain parts of the population to go away. If anything, I'm afraid we'll increasingly see them fought with real weapons if we inaugurate a black president in January.

Myself, I'm going to be an election observer, most likely in New Mexico or perhaps closer to home. The few weeks prior to that I'm going to be in the Four Corners region, viewing Anasazi ruins, hiking and camping alongside the River of Sorrow and generally poking the edges of some of America's last, rapidly fading wilderness areas, all while trying as hard as possible to forget the increasingly lunatic society I'm eventually going to have to return to.

[swampcracker]

The "culture wars" are probably a permanent feature of our life now; they're too well-funded, and too emotionally satifsfying for certain parts of the population to go away. If anything, I'm afraid we'll increasingly see them fought with real weapons if we inaugurate a black president in January.

Cass, I don't expect the culture wars to disappear anytime soon, but political parties don't like election failures. Sooner or later, they must change and adopt or risk falling out of favor altogether. My current fear, if the Dems loose this one, they will become more like the other party, and we will never have a rational political process ever again.

[Cass]

Well, there's no lack of disturbing, or outright frightening possibilities here, and no lack of reasons why every one of us should be looking around for something to contribute.

[swampcracker]

fought with real weapons if we inaugurate a black president in January

Cass: If the real reason for failing to elect a black president is because the candidate is black, then we should no longer call ourselves a democracy or free because the words will be empty and devoid of all meaning.

[The Phantom]

Race has been an immense factor in getting him the nomination - nearly all black voters abandoned the Clintons during the primaries, and lets face it the reason was racial solidarity or whatever

I am not sure that a nonblack candidate with as thin a resume as he has would have been taken seriously. Even Jimmy Carter and GW Bush had records as governors.

Obama essentially leaped from the Illinois State Senate to campaigning for the White House- he certainly didn't dedicate himself to the US Senate very much

This guy has lived a very charmed life, but now people are looking at his non-record as opposed to Sen. McCain's record of service.

When Obama loses-and lose he will-watch for the Democrat excuse machine to go into high gear.

The spin will be

America was not ready for a black President

Ohio, or Florida or Michigan or whatever was "stolen"

All of it will be lies, but you'll be hearing it in full voice on November 5. Everything but the candidate's flaws will be cited as reasons

[swampcracker]

I am not sure that a nonblack candidate with as thin a resume as he has would have been taken seriously.

Well, start with Abraham Lincoln, the one who only made pretty speeches according to Stephen Douglas. But I guess the concept of mythic archetypes may be too advanced for you.

[The Phantom]

You compare this guy to Abraham Lincoln with a straight face?

The only thing Obama has in common with Lincoln is that he has two feet. Oh, yeah and they both served in the Illinois legislature. And neither voted for the Iraq war I guess

[swampcracker]

neither voted for the Iraq war I guess

Damn straight !!! How easy it is for a chicken hawk to support a war that involves no family sacrifice, like my family has. Now say something else to piss me off.

[Cass]

"When Obama loses-and lose he will-watch for the Democrat excuse machine to go into high gear.
The spin will be
America was not ready for a black President
Ohio, or Florida or Michigan or whatever was 'stolen'"

Yes, and Heroic Lord and Master only looked like an callous, empty-headed buffoon after Katrina because of the failures of local democrats and- ahem- a "high crime rate" in New Orleans. And the bumbling CIA "forced" a reluctant Bush to go to war. CIA officers are outed by adminstrations all the time, and Don Seigelman no doubt volunteered to spend a year in jail just to make the Bush DOJ look bad.

Vietnam was lost in the past, and Afghanistan and Iraq will have been lost in the future by liberal backstabbers.

Swampcracker, you will note, never said that racism would (necessarily) be the primary cause if Obama loses the election; he said it could well be a factor. You should know that as well as anyone, as your current Glorious Leader lost to the old one in the 2000 NC primary in one of the most vicious, racially charged political blindsidings in modern history. (Though I have to admit: McCain, to his credit, graciously responded to this attack on his adopted daughter with eight straight years of fawning, ass-licking sycophancy. Who says the man lacks emotional control?) Just last week, we had a Georgia Republican say that Obama looked "uppity", then claim innocence of any racial overtones. And there's much, much more of this come. If you can't handle discussions of race of this campaign without flying into a rage, perhaps you'd do better just to hold your tongue. And before you can credibly accuse anyone here of making excuses for their candidates, you'll need to become quite a bit less of a boot-licking cultist yourself.

[swampcracker]

you'll need to become quite a bit less of a boot-licking cultist yourself

How is that, Cass? Can you come up with more generalizations and stereotypes about someone whom you never met and know nothing about? Go for it.