It was a good speech. In my opinion, the parts that were personalized about her biography were better than the more generic attacks on Democrats. I thought the subtle allusion to her daughter's pregnancy was gracefully and tastefully done too.
However, it's disappointing that the McCain campaign is having her lie so blatantly about her record in Alaska.
What Palin said:
I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.
The Truth:
As mayor of Wasila, she hired a lobbying firm to secure a
huge amount of federal funding in the form of earmarks for Wasilla: $27 million over the course of 4 years for a town of less than 7,000 people.
(Source) and
(Source)
What Palin said:
I told the Congress “thanks, but no thanks,” for that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, we’d build it ourselves.
The Truth:
Palin ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform in the 2006 gubernatorial race and was an advocate of the earmark that secured the federal funding. Even
after the bridge became a national joke and a symbol of wasteful spending, she still defended it. And after the project was canceled? Alaska kept all of the federal money. Doesn't sound like "No Thanks!" at all.
(Source)
Yes, she has executive experience as mayor of Wasilla. But what's her record there? Even after securing all of that earmark money, she still managed to leave the town with millions of dollars in debt (partially due to a bungled land deal that cost the taxpayers an extra $1.7 million).
I thought you guys at least
pretended to be fiscal conservatives. What gives?
Below: a comparison on Wasilla's earmark funding under Palin versus the nation average. Also, a picture of Palin campaigning for the "Bridge to Nowhere" which she claimed in her RNC speech to oppose
