[Vision2020] Will Palin Go the Way of Agnew? More Quickly I hope

[Donovan Arnold]

Nick,
 
I was thinking the same thing. She totally reminds me of Spiro T. Agnew. 
 
Best Regards,
 
Donovan

--- On Mon, 9/22/08, nickgier at roadrunner.com <nickgier at roadrunner.com> wrote:

From: nickgier at roadrunner.com <nickgier at roadrunner.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Will Palin Go the Way of Agnew? More Quickly I hope
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 1:00 PM

Good Morning Visionaries:

I got my commentary/column done early this week, so that I can concentrate on
the talk I will be giving on Gandhi birthday at San Diego State University.

Why drag the Troopergate any longer?  It will be much more embarrassing for
McCain later.

WILL SARAH PALIN GO THE WAY OF SPIRO AGNEW?
MORE QUICKLY SOME HOPE

It kind of cracks me up.  It is so far out of the realm of possibility and
reality.
--Sarah Palin, on being a VP candidate, August 14, 2008

Jesus was community organizer, and Pontius Pilate was a governor
--Marilyn Trail, Moscow, Idaho

When Richard Nixon chose Spiro Agnew as his vice presidential candidate in
1968, people across the nation said "Spiro Who?" just as they said
"Sarah Who?" when John McCain announced Palin as his running mate. 
Palin is easily the most unvetted VP candidate since Agnew, and Jonathan Singer
contends that both of them had "the two thinnest resumes of any major party
vice presidential nominee since 1936." 

Agnew was into his second term before a scandal forced him to resign in
October, 1973.  Palin already faces charges of abuse of power, and stonewalling
on her part will most likely prevent a resolution before the election is held. 

If Palin is actually guilty—the evidence is overwhelming—isn't it
better for her to step down now rather than later?  The embarrassment for McCain
would be far less now.

Both Palin and Agnew were little known less-than-two-year governors who were
chosen to perform the political hatchet jobs handed out in all morally deficient
political campaigns. Just as McCain saw Palin as the answer to his lukewarm
support from the Religious Right, Nixon thought that Agnew would be perfect for
his "Southern Strategy," a successful attempt to convince many
conservative Democrats to defect to the GOP.

Jeff Stein of Spy Talk says that, just like Palin, Agnew "was dropped onto
the electorate like a torpedo with the single duty of blowing the Democrats out
of the water, which he did with obvious relish."

Agnew, however, had better speech writers in his attack on America's
liberal elites. William Safire and Pat Buchanan, whom Palin supported for
president in 2000, gave Agnew these infamous alliterations: "nattering
nabobs of negativism,"  "pusillanimous pussyfooters," and
"hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

Earlier in the summer before she was brought from the bottom of the VP list to
the top, Governor Palin agreed to cooperate fully with Alaska state
investigators about the firing of Walt Monegan, Alaska's Public Safety
Commissioner.  At that time she said that she was "happy to comply, to
cooperate" and that she should be held accountable.

Palin claimed that there was no connection between her decision, which she said
was based on Monegan's job performance, and pressure on him to fire Mike
Wooten, a state trooper once married to Palin's sister.

Alaska's Legislative Council with 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats voted 12-0
to investigate "Troopergate," yet another tie to the Nixon presidency.
 So much for the McCain campaign charge about a "Democratic attack" on
Palin. The Alaskan House and Senate Judiciary Committees voted (3-2 and 7-0) to
issue subpoenas and 13 witnesses are on the list.

On August 30, the Washington Post reported that Palin's husband Todd
"met with Monegan in January 2007 to say that [Wooten] was unfit for the
force." Monegan tried to explain to Mr. Palin that he had investigated
Wooten and that the case was closed. He also warned Palin that this could be
construed as political interference in his duties as a state official.

The Washington Post also reported that Palin, even though she initially denied
any contact, did finally "acknowledge that a half dozen members of her
administration had made more than two dozen calls on the matter to various state
officials."  

On ABC News (9-15) Monegan said Palin brought up the Wooten issue in one
meeting, two calls, and many e-mails, and he declared that she is "not
telling the truth to the media about her reasons for firing me."

Todd Palin has refused to testify, even though he may face penalties of $500
and six months in jail. The Alaska Legislature will not reconvene until January,
so the witnesses can refuse to talk until the subpoenas are backed up with
sanctions.

McCain campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan has declared that the witnesses
can ignore legally issued subpoenas for another reason: namely, that the
investigation is no longer legitimate.  Since when do the opinions of political
supporters overrule legislative mandates?  

Alaska Republican Senate President Lyda Green has insisted that the
investigation will continue. "The original purpose of the investigation was
to bring out the truth.  Nothing has changed."

Taking a page out of Bush administration legal dealings, Palin and her
attorneys are now stonewalling on all fronts. In an attempt to avoid the
legislative investigation, Palin earlier filed ethics charges against herself
(Agnew tried the same tactic), so that the case would move to a ethics board
that she has filled with her own appointees.  Now her attorneys are attempting
to reverse that decision as well.

Palin is being touted as an ethical reformer who will clean up the nation's
politics. Troopergate, however, has called all of this into question.  As
Monegan told ABC News: "I admire her intelligence and initiative.  I wish I
could respect her more for her integrity."

Nick Gier taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years

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