The NY Times Timothy Egan takes his “fellow beleaguered journalists” to task for failing to ask hard questions about Sarah Palin’s Alaska:
Between big servings of moose chili and self-servings of blather, Governor Sarah Palin has yet to explain the disturbing message that our 49th state sent to the Outside with last week’s election.
Nearly half the voters want to send a felon back to the United States Senate – you go, crook! And a clear majority is backing one of the most ethically tainted congressmen in the land – power to the porkster!
Oh, and all that stuff about wealth-redistribution: Only one state relies on a truly socialistic model for its welfare, and with falling oil prices, Palin’s People’s Republic of Alaska is facing an enormous fiscal crisis.
This tax-free state, where every man, woman and baby gets an annual check as part of their share of redistributed oil wealth, may have to actually start paying for itself.
But none of this has crossed the glossy lips of the governor. As Palin was spreading a cartoon narrative of herself as a caribou-huntin’ gal on the lookout for creeping Marxism while slaying the bad boys of the Far North, the state that she governs was stepping all over her message.
Is it at all ironic that Seattle’s best journalist doesn’t write for a Seattle publication?
Where is Rossi when Alaska needs his budget-balancing act?
Well, of course, Mr. Egan used to write for the P.I., and I might mention that he is also married to Goldy’s favorite editorialist at the Seattle Times, Joni Balter.
Is it at all ironic that Seattle’s best journalist is married to Joni Balter?
Here is the republican recipe for candidates:
1. Come out and immediately lie about your record (Bridge to nowhere)
2.Stir in limited campaign appearances (no press conferences)
3. Flub the mild interview questions you are asked in the few sooftball interviews you do give.
4. Blame the media
5. Repeat 1-4, blame the media again after you lose the election
6. Prepare to run again, blame the media, repeat 1-4
@3: No
Joni does not share journalistic genes by marriage, just a common household.
Egan can write much better and say the important things without being trite or overbearing.
OT –
Join the protest against Prop h8:
Assemble 10:30 on at Volunteer Park; march to start at noon, to arrive at Westlake Center at 1 pm.
When do we get to vote on YOUR marriage?
Yes it is ironic. But then, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, the most famous man from Seattle killed himself in 1994. Bill Gates is sloppy seconds, and doesn’t live in Seattle anyway.
@7
You really think more people in THE WORLD associate Seattle with Cobain vs those associating it with Gates? I don’t think that is even so in the US.
delete as duplicate
Ha ha, shows how out of touch I am. I thought Adrian was talking about Jimi Hendrix!
re 10: Same here.
Hendricks died in London Sept of 1970
Jimi Hendrix died in the fall of 1970. I was a freshman in college.
hmmmm. Too bad Timothy Egan doesn’t write for the Columbia Basin Herald or the Wenatchee World, since he is from that neck of the sage brush.
Sarah Palin is every bit as crooked as o Young and Ted Stevens. As soon as she got a chance, she started stuffing her pockets full of RNC cash (figuratively) with both hands. In the only investigation not conducted by her own appointees (who also report directly to her), she was found to have completely and absolutely abused the power of her office.
If she makes it to the Unted States Senate someday (and God help us all), she’ll start all over again: new sources of cash to loot, and new powers to abuse. If her career does not end right here and now (and it should), it will soon after any new, higher post especially once we have competent, non-party-hack US Attorneys in place.
Talk about pop stupid journalism – who – who – who – gives a real shit about Alaska?
Good for couple of minutes, a joke, a comment three times a decade – but get fucking real.
WHO GIVES A SHIT at the end of the day. The state has money, no real problems like in Detriot, puny political impact, just like Wyoming, or less cause it is far away. You have to drive via Wyoming as I remember the Interstate. Even at 100 miles an hour you have to observe and think about it. NOT Alasaka.
Really, who gives a shit.
Pop journalism bandwagon.
Fuck you Tim, and Goldy too. You all stay with the big time — NEWS. War, economic collapse, Russian nukes, Chines food and poison, French men and Spanish women, melting and more melting, lots of NEWS.
@13 Same for me. The Hendrix family were neighbors although I never even got close to meeting Jimi. I did go to all of his Seattle concerts except the last one at Sick’s Stadium. I was lucky enough to play in a band in the 60’s which had a guitar player who was talented enough to cover him. Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell died the other day in Portland, of all places. Bass player Noel Redding passed away a few years ago. That’s one band reunion that just ain’t gonna happen.
The updated election results in Alaska were just posted. Begich gained another 300 votes. He now leads by 1,061.
Full results at http://www.elect.alaska.net/data/results.pdf
@16 Alaska provides a good laboratory for experimenting with resource-based and military-base socialism to use as a model for the rest of the U.S. after capitalism finishes collapsing. One of the things we’ve learned from Alaska is that the more socialist a state’s economy is, the more wingnut its politicians are. This has yet to be explained by researchers.
@18 Yep, we’ve got that one, and we’re probably gonna get Minnesota too, which gives us 59. That leaves Georgia’s Dec. 2 runoff — uphill but not impossible. Looks like God wants the Democrats to have a 60-seat Senate. And the stupid goatfuckers assumed She was on their side …
HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
Wasilla received 25 million in federal earmarks while Palin was mayor. I saw that Daily Show, you could buy the whole town for 10. She raised taxes to build the famous sports center and they’re still paying for it. I know Uncles Ted and Don plus the Murkowski family got their shares; but that’s a really fancy kitchen she’s been cooking in on TV this week.
Seattle’s best journalist? Okay, Egan is that. But the Pacific Northwest’s best journalist is Sallie Tisdale.
the good ol full of integrity NYT!!!
What about their sell-out Senators, Hillary and Chuckie
(I know o-kind-of-fellow-Dems, hill & chuck ain’t Strom or Jesse or Trent, THEREFORE they’re good…
bullshit!)
How many crap votes have chuck and hill said YES to, nevermind how many crap votes have they NOT fillibustered?
Sure our little-village crooks to the north are stunningly inept and staggeringly clueless, but …
maybe the NYT outta worry about their own sell outs first.
rmm.