McCain Bringing Big-time Rove Politics to Alaska

[kurt_cagle]

Interesting take from a conservative Alaskan Blogger:

http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/09/one-alaskans-take-on-palin-business.html

One Alaskan's take on the Palin business
Here’s Rep. Gara’s take on McCain’s spin and interference with the bi-partisan “Troopergate” Investigation.

Politicians are good at spin. The McCain camp has brought a whole new level of it to our small state - in what looks like an effort to show they can play the same Karl Rove-like political games that have haunted this country for the last 8 years. I like Governor Palin on a personal level. But I don’t like what the McCain campaign is doing to our state. I don’t like deception. And I don’t like politics as usual.

Alaskans are starting to see evidence of a Karl Rove-like effort to stonewall what started as a non-controversial, bi-partisan ”Troopergate” investigation. A little deception here. A few personal attacks there. And the kind of spin you see at an amusement park tilt-a-whirl station.

This investigation was started by a Republican-dominated Alaska Legislature to look into Governor Palin’s conduct in seeking the termination of a State Trooper, once married to the Governor’s sister, Trooper Michael Wooten. The McCain camp wants to stop it by saying it’s a “democratic” investigation. Apart from facts, and the reputations the McCain folks don’t mind destroying, there’s not a lot standing in the way of this strategy.

Until August 29 “Troopergate” was a small state investigation Governor Palin, and every Republican and Democrat in a Republican-led Legislature had agreed was appropriate. But things changed the day Governor Palin joined the McCain ticket. His handlers went ballistic that the Governor agreed to an investigation they now needed to stop.

I know Senator McCain is now running on a political platform of ”change.” Leave aside how he’ll fight to change what he’s voted to do to this country for the last 8 years. If you ask me, the only thing he’s changed so far is Governor Palin’s position - her decision to cooperate with this once-small investigation.

This is one of those cases where there’s a clear truth. It’s a clear truth - about a bi-partisan investigation - that I hope McCain’s operatives will ultimately fail at spinning into a “partisan” plot against his running mate.

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Interesting that even those for whom Troopergate is not that big a deal are getting angry with the McCain campaign's tactics.

[snowbear]

1. I was at an event tonight with Les Gara who is mentioned in that article...

.
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Pretty full house to see Ed Schultz at the auditorium at the University of Alaska!

Representative Les Gara got up to the mike and went into lengthy detail of how McCain and company are saying this is a "Democratic Witchhunt"

In fact, he stated -- the investigation was started by a Republican lawmaker..

And the vote to initiate the formal investigation was voted on by a 12-0 majority which included 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats.

Gara kind of pissed people off a little in the auditorium tonight when he refused to answer Big Eddie's question of "what could happen to her if she's found guilty?"

When he said that he didn't really want to delve into that area, the crowd boo'ed him.

But Gara did do an excellent job of explaining how the investigation was initially started.. and I'm not sure anyone out of a packed auditorium was aware before tonight that a Republican had initiated it.

So if you hear that it's "partisan Democrats on the attack" ... you know they're lying through their teeth again..

[Duer 157099]

2. But

"So if you hear that it's "partisan Democrats on the attack" ... you know they're lying through their teeth again.."

All I need to do is see their lips moving and I know they are lying. Cliche, yeah, but true.

[Skwmom]

3. So the Republicans will investigate their own, they are the

reformers, and Palin and the Republicans are bipartisan. You shouldn't be mad at the liar Palin and McCain, but mean old Rove.

What a bunch of manipulative malarkey.