Troopergate Finale
| Sat Oct. 11, 2008 5:58 PM PDT
TROOPERGATE FINALE....I read most of the Branchflower report on Troopergate last night, but the MSM seemed to be doing a fine job of reporting the results all its own so I never got around to posting about it. The basic story, of course, revolves around Todd and Sarah Palin's crusade to get their ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, fired from his job as a state trooper, and their efforts to get Alaska's Commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan, to do the firing. Most of this story is pretty well known already. However, Time's Nathan Thornburgh points out the aspect of the report that struck me as the most remarkable:
The result is not a mortal wound to Palin....But the Branchflower report still makes for good reading, if only because it convincingly answers a question nobody had even thought to ask: Is the Palin administration shockingly amateurish? Yes, it is. Disturbingly so.
The 263 pages of the report show a co-ordinated application of pressure on Monegan so transparent and ham-handed that it was almost certain to end in public embarrassment for the governor.
....Monegan and his peers constantly warned these Palin disciples that the contact was inappropriate and probably unlawful. Still, the emails and calls continued — in at least one instance on recorded state trooper phone lines.
The state's head of personnel, Annette Kreitzer, called Monegan and had to be warned that personnel issues were confidential. The state's attorney general, Talis Colberg, called Monegan and had to be reminded that the call was putting both men in legal jeopardy, should Wooten decide to sue. The governor's chief of staff met with Monegan and had to be reminded by Monegan that, "This conversation is discoverable ... You don't want Wooten to own your house, do you?"
Monegan pointed out to a steady stream of people that (a) Wooten was protected by civil service and there was nothing more that could be done since he'd already gone through a formal disciplinary procedure, and (b) any conversation about Wooten was discoverable in court if Wooten ever got tired of being hounded and decided to file a civil suit. And yet the contacts kept coming and coming and coming — and coming and coming. And Branchflower documents them in painful detail. It's all quite remarkable.
In fact, here's the part that really puzzles me: what exactly did Todd and Sarah Palin hope to accomplish? Surely they knew perfectly well that Monegan was right: he couldn't have fired Wooten even if he wanted to. And they must also have known that even if Monegan were replaced, any replacement would quickly check into the situation and report back the same thing. Wooten had already been disciplined, and unless something new cropped up there was simply nothing that anyone could do to force him out of his job. In fact, the Palins' efforts probably made it nearly impossible even to reassign Wooten since it would so obviously have been politically motivated. It was a completely futile crusade they were on.
So what were they thinking? Or were they?
Continues Below
Continued From Above
Comments
? former Wasilla City Council member Nick Carney, ? Palin's estranged former mentor, and others in city hall were astounded when they found out about a lavish expenditure of Palin's own after her 1996 election. According to Carney, the newly elected mayor spent more than $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office, without the council's authorization.
[snip]
Carney confronted Mayor Palin at a City Council hearing, and was shocked by her response.
"I braced her about it," he said. "I told her it was against the law to make such a large expenditure without the council taking a vote. She said, 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'
[snip]
When Palin ran for mayor, she dismissed concerns about her lack of managerial expertise by saying the job was "not rocket science." But after a tumultuous start, marked by controversial firings and lawsuits against the city, Palin felt compelled to hire a city manager named John Cramer to steady the ship.
[snip]
Other officials in the borough government ? the equivalent of county government in other states ? point out that Palin actually had very little executive responsibility, since the borough oversees many of Wasilla's vital functions.
"After all her boasting about her executive experience, what did she do?" asks a longtime borough official, who, like many in local circles, requested anonymity because of Palin's reputation for vengeance. "The borough takes care of most of the planning, the fire, the ambulance, collecting the property taxes. And on top of that she brought in a city manager to actually run the city day to day. So what executive experience did she have as mayor?"
[snip]
Local officials are also highly critical of Palin's decision to build an emergency dispatch center ? even though Wasilla and nearby Palmer already shared the costs of an emergency operation for the Mat-Su Valley. As a result of the duplication, there are now two expensive operations for an area with 85,000 people, while the city of Anchorage, with a population of over 300,000, makes do with one emergency station.
"Don't tell me about earmarks," snorts a borough official. "Because of Palin's ego, she couldn't stand the idea of sharing an emergency dispatch operation with Palmer, which has been Wasilla's town rival ever since her high school basketball days. So she ran to [Senator] Ted Stevens to get an earmark for her own system. Now we have two expensive emergency systems and both are losing money. She's no budget cutter ? give me a break. She's just the opposite."
? former Wasilla City Council member Nick Carney, ? Palin's estranged former mentor, and others in city hall were astounded when they found out about a lavish expenditure of Palin's own after her 1996 election. According to Carney, the newly elected mayor spent more than $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office, without the council's authorization.
[snip]
Carney confronted Mayor Palin at a City Council hearing, and was shocked by her response.
"I braced her about it," he said. "I told her it was against the law to make such a large expenditure without the council taking a vote. She said, 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'
[snip]
When Palin ran for mayor, she dismissed concerns about her lack of managerial expertise by saying the job was "not rocket science." But after a tumultuous start, marked by controversial firings and lawsuits against the city, Palin felt compelled to hire a city manager named John Cramer to steady the ship.
[snip]
Other officials in the borough government ? the equivalent of county government in other states ? point out that Palin actually had very little executive responsibility, since the borough oversees many of Wasilla's vital functions.
"After all her boasting about her executive experience, what did she do?" asks a longtime borough official, who, like many in local circles, requested anonymity because of Palin's reputation for vengeance. "The borough takes care of most of the planning, the fire, the ambulance, collecting the property taxes. And on top of that she brought in a city manager to actually run the city day to day. So what executive experience did she have as mayor?"
[snip]
Local officials are also highly critical of Palin's decision to build an emergency dispatch center ? even though Wasilla and nearby Palmer already shared the costs of an emergency operation for the Mat-Su Valley. As a result of the duplication, there are now two expensive operations for an area with 85,000 people, while the city of Anchorage, with a population of over 300,000, makes do with one emergency station.
"Don't tell me about earmarks," snorts a borough official. "Because of Palin's ego, she couldn't stand the idea of sharing an emergency dispatch operation with Palmer, which has been Wasilla's town rival ever since her high school basketball days. So she ran to [Senator] Ted Stevens to get an earmark for her own system. Now we have two expensive emergency systems and both are losing money. She's no budget cutter ? give me a break. She's just the opposite."
El is right. They weren't thinking. They were believing.
And arguably, they were right to do so, at least from a behavioral standpoint, because it got them very far indeed.
We have lived through one of those strange times when zealots temporarily rule. Palin -- and many of the Neocons, and to a lesser extent, Bush, Gingrich, and DeLay -- are zealots.
Ultimately, of course, zealots bring ruin. Talleyrand was right -- surtout, pas de zele.
Thinking? Not. Can't.
I've been to Alaska. I've lived there. Not everyone is as ignorant and parochial as these two. How they elected her (and got him as a package deal) I have a hard time understanding.
It will be interesting to follow the arc of her career from this point. Will she be, as someone has suggested, another Katie Harris?
Submitted by Steve J. (not verified) on Sat Oct. 11, 2008 6:53 PM PDT.
The basic story, of course, revolves around Todd and Sarah Palin's crusade to get their ex-brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, fired from his job as a state trooper, and their efforts to get Alaska's Commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan, to do the firing.
I think the basic story should be that Palin LIED when she said neither she nor anyone in her family tried to have Wooten fired.
Palin denies accusation over firing of Monegan (7/18/08)
HALCRO: Former state representative says family dispute fueled dismissal.
By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com
Published: July 18th, 2008 01:51 AM
Last Modified: July 18th, 2008 08:02 PM
"To allege that I, or any member of my family, requested, received or released confidential personnel information on an Alaska State Trooper, or directed disciplinary action be taken against any employee of the Department of Public Safety, is, quite simply, outrageous," Palin said in a statement also released Thursday.
Submitted by Jassalasca Jape (not verified) on Sat Oct. 11, 2008 7:04 PM PDT.
DCReader @ 9:11 has it right. This is small-town grudgemanship at work. But to dismiss it as "amateurish" as Kevin does here is badly off the mark; it's a damned serious problem that someone with this character is being seriously considered, by anyone, for high office in the national executive. With the power of office behind it, this kind of self-centered single-mindedness can be very destructive to government. Without wishing to appear alarmist, it can lead to abuses that would ordinarily be unthinkable -- comprehensive surveillance of the general population, even pointless wars of choice. Oh, wait ...
Submitted by Jassalasca Jape (not verified) on Sat Oct. 11, 2008 7:08 PM PDT.
Sorry, that should have read, "as Kevin implicitly does here, citing Nathan Thornburgh".
Kevin Drum >"...So what were they thinking?..."
Six year olds don`t "think", they act.
Jassalasca Jape >"...this kind of self-centered single-mindedness can be very destructive to government...."
You think this is all by "accident" ?
Does the name Grover Norquist mean anything to you ? Looks like he has filled that bathtub well.
"...It is in the religion of ignorance that tyranny begins..." - Benjamin Franklin
They were thinking that this is Alaska and nobody gives a shit what happens up here. Posted by: tomeck
You know what? As long as it stays up there, I don't give a shit. Except for the wildlife and spectacular scenery, Alaska is Alabama with snow.
The problem, of course, is that McCain made Palin and her petty politics part of national politics.
Have you talked to anyone from abroad about our election this year? Palin and McCain scare the shit out of them. They just know that if elected they'd fuck things up worse than Shrub and Cheney.
I am curious, why isn't it a mortal wound for Palin? The report shows that Palin acted unethically and abused her authority, and that she is a liar. More than that, it explodes the whole "just a small town hockey mom" image that has been most responsible for her popularity amongst with people who do not really know anything about her.
So why doesn't it end her?
Is it the old "because she is a Republican" thing? Is it because no one wants to take down a VP candidate this late in the race?
Or what?
My guess is that they were hoping that Monegan and company would go along and trump up some other ridiculous charge (the cow moose thing, the alleged worker's comp misrepresentations, or whatever) into grounds to fire Wooten. They wanted him gone, whatever the pretext.
The point in the Branchflower report that I found most interesting was the observation that the Palins' pressure was inconsistent with the notion that they were worried about Wooten coming after somebody. Get him fired, obviously, and it becomes more likely, not less, that Wooten will attack the Palins.
One other point: the report states that Sarah Palin's sister (Wooten's ex-wife) is named "Molly Palin." How does that work? How is the sister of Sarah (Heath) Palin named "Palin"?
Is she actually Todd's sister? Has she gotten remarried... to Todd's brother? Or is the Palin-Heath connection more, er, interesting than I've heard?
What were they thinking? Oh shame on you Kevin.
Divorce and custody battles are evil things. People turn against each other, people do anything they can to get even.
No fault divorce is a good thing overall, but it has turned custody battles into long, expensive, revenge fests heralded with false accusations, ex-parte (one side only) hearings, and parental alienation.
What Palin did here was bad, and it happens everyday across the land, and we ignore it.
Research shows that kids need two parents even after divorce and do much better when their parents can see them and be with them.
Still, NOW lobbies for sole custody laws while Fathers Groups beg for a law of Rebuttable Presumption of Joint Shared Custody.
If you want to eliminate these battles and help the kids AND parents out, get rid of the presumption of sole physical custody.
Stop divorce battles with a Rebuttable Presumption of Joint Shared Physical Custody.
O AN SHE SEXY.
Did you see her flashing some stems on the Sean Hannity interview w/ Walnuts! & Sarahcuda? Rich Lowry did. HE CUMMED.
Why can't you liberals get over your "rule of law" & "ethics" & acknowledge that it's time for an hot executive? Not since Teddy Roosevelt 'stache have we had the opportunity for sex much sexiness in DC.
Submitted by Alan in Elk Grove (not verified) on Sat Oct. 11, 2008 8:15 PM PDT.
"Is it the old "because she is a Republican" thing? Is it because no one wants to take down a VP candidate this late in the race?"
I'm glad she did well in the debate and calls for her dismissal largely faded from the scene. Would you rather have Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty as Mc Cain's new running mate? Didn't think so. Palin will not be on any Sunday morning Poli-talk shows or any other public venue where she will need to give lucid answers to impromptu questions. She will likely be seen only at Repulse-lican rallies where she will be preaching to the choir and not to many of the "undecideds". Keep her on the ticket!!
I wonder what Jesus would think of the lies and hatred of which we are bearing witness. As Christians, don't we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves as living examples of what Jesus taught mankind? I am guilty of sin, but it is sin of which I am ashamed, and did not knowingly perform. Ms Palin, for the love of God, please send forth a message of love and acceptance, not of hate and division.
What exactly did Todd and Sarah Palin hope to accomplish? [...] It was a completely futile crusade they were on.
They were attempting to use the power of the state to inflict vengeance for a personal vendetta. A vendetta has no congnizance of futility. And what they were doing was irrational. By definition then, the act had no cognizance of futility.
Many others above have made some really good points:
indulging long-running grudges is one of those "small town values."
Salon has done some really good reporting about how Gov. Palin has used others for critical help in her climb to power, and then destroyed them when she was finished. The number of people who still won't say anything bad about her despite having been savaged is starkly reminiscent of Karl Rove.
theocrats believe in dictatorship
Well yes. By definition there is one almighty ruler whose diktat is unquestionable. And is always right. (See George W. Bush.)
The basic story should be that Palin LIED when she said neither she nor anyone in her family tried to have Wooten fired.
Was she under oath? And why did the commission focus on Mr. Palin and not Mrs. Palin? And actually what she did was order a high civil servant to do something illegal, and when he refused she fired him. Those are two separate counts she should answer for.
I am curious, why isn't it a mortal wound for Palin?
When I heard this reported on NPR the emphasis was on Todd Palin's behavior and Trooper Wooten's misbehavior. The NPR reporter did not mention Sarah Palin's illegal behavior and (possible?) perjury.
it's a damned serious problem that someone with this character is being seriously considered, by anyone, for high office in the national executive. With the power of office behind it, this kind of self-centered single-mindedness can be very destructive to government.
Actually, chief executives frequently "accept" the resignations of their appointees, and the appointees then find out about their resignation from the press. But in this case she fired him for not carring out an illegal order. He probably has grounds to sue her, and the state legislature probably has grounds to impeach her.
Get him fired, obviously, and it becomes more likely, not less, that Wooten will attack the Palins.
Monegan too.
She wasn't "thinking" anything. She was too unsophisticated to understand the serious warnings she was receiving. It just didn't sink in, because there was no understanding of her office, and the legal constraints that might attend to that office, on which to hang those warnings. The simplest explanation for her stupid behavior here, as well as for here incomprehensible interviews, is that she's (charitably) not very bright.
We have a culture of impunity for those in power. Libby probably knew he'd never see the inside of a prison before he was indicted. Gonzalez' punishment is that he can't get the sort of job that lickspittles of his sort have come to expect (looks like that Supreme Court appointment is out too). Bush will do the same for all of the warm criminals and other lawbreakers in his Administration as a parting gift. So why should a small state governor expect any different?
I think their problem is that they are so invested in the idea of their own chosen-by-God-ness that they just can't see how any "crusade" of theirs could be--or be seen as--anything other than "from God."
There was a story reported recently about how, when she was Wasilla mayor, the city council was considering increasing its contribution to the purse for some sledding competition that Todd Palin had previously won, and would be competing in in the future.
Other city council members requested that Sarah recuse herself from the vote, and she refused to. She just didn't understand the idea of conflict of interest. It could be sheer stupidity, or it could also be this same inability to take in the idea that any action of hers could be, or be seen to be, less than perfectly virtuous and "from God."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12imf.html?hp
What This American Life reported on last Saturday, hits the New York Times today.
Funny how such a bizarre little show has done such stellar work on the financial crisis.
It certainly makes me hate NPR less (although TAL comes out of Chicago Public Radio.)
Submitted by Jassalasca Jape (not verified) on Sat Oct. 11, 2008 11:21 PM PDT.
daCascadian @ 10:33,
You think this is all by "accident" ?
No. Re the Grover Norquist reference, that isn't actually about destroying government (he said he wanted to, I know, but that's just sex appeal aimed at impressionable youngsters and bitter old men). It's about crippling the governing process in a way that permits large, powerful, wealthy private interests to capture government police power and wield it to serve their own interests. It's a much more cowardly objective than actual anarchy.
Our Sarah, of course, would fit right in, because she is a power junkie that abhors all restraint.
So, like, we're agreed and, like, I don't read all of the newspapers, but I look at some of 'em once in awhile, and try to think about 'em when I do.
Maybe this is why Bush is so certain of his "legacy", he knows that what might come after him (McCain wins and soon dies of cancer) will be so incompetent that people will have fond memories of his administration.
Given her nepotism, is it possible that Palin might decide to appoint Todd as her vice president if McCain dies?
If stating without embarrassment, in public, that you've seen pictures of fossilized human footprints inside those of dinosaurs, and that this underlies your belief that the two had lived contemporaneously is not a politically 'mortal wound,' there really isn't much that could be, in my estimation.
"How about some telling just what this trooper did ?
HE TASERED a 11 yr old boy
Plain and simple he should be fired for his lack of judgment".
For which he was disciplined via the official, legal process in place to discipline Alaska State Troopers. Palin, as governor, is not judge, jury and executioner and cannot force her subordinates to commit crimes (such as punishing someone, then punishing them again for the same crime... where might I have read something about that...)
Had Monegan fired Wooten at Palin's request he would have been committing a crime.
I found the pique that Sara showed about not having Alaska's other plane on notice for her 24/7 to be interesting. She gets rid of the offical plane (not on EBay as she claimed, and for a loss) and then gets mad that she can't hop onto the other one any time that she wants.
We find out that she has been charging the taxpayers to go visit her home church, where she rants about bringing god to the governorship or something like that.
The most hilarious thing is the gamble that the McCain camp took when they advised Palin to file an ethics violation against herself to the Personnel Board. It turns out that the board hired a very aggressive lawyer to investigate. And it turns out that he is a Democrat! Troopergate may not be over yet...
The thought of these incompetent morons being in charge is frigthening
