Today’s New York Times carries a front-page article on the Alaska Governor’s leadership style, accusing her of secrecy, bullying, favoritism, and the like. It’s well worth ten minutes of your Sunday.
To me, the description of Palin could be interchangeable with any other politician worth their salt. I’m reminded of the comedian on Larry King, for example, who said this election is just “a choice between the guy who’s half black, and the guy who’s half dead.” All politicians are politicians…still. Despite digging and interviewing 60 people, the NYT journos have only been able to come up with the usual: She fired people who disagreed with her, she fired people she didn’t like, she tried to get books on gays taken out of the library. I mean, come on, people. What about that doesn’t qualify her to be the next VP? Next to Cheney, she’s a saint!
The most interesting part of the article to me, as someone who is currently engaged in a struggle to to get emails and records out of the city of Portland relating to a secret list of downtown offenders, was this:
Ms.Palin and aides use their private e-mail addresses for state business. A campaign spokesman said the governor copied e-mail messages to her state account “when there was significant state business.”
On Feb.7, Frank Bailey, a high-level aide, wrote to Ms.Palin’s state e-mail address to discuss appointments. Another aide fired back: “Frank, this is not the governor’s personal account.”
Mr.Bailey responded: “Whoops-!”
It made me wonder: How many Portland city officials use their private email addresses for city business, as a way to avoid subpoena of the records? And how does one go about challenging such a practice? I wonder whether pro-transparency candidate Amanda Fritz would sponsor an ordinance forbidding it…
“All politicians are the same!”
Terribly edgy, Matt. I’m sure we’re all impressed with such bravado.
Mr. Davis your bitterness is undermining my belief that you are a positive agent working for change, instead reminding me of somebody attacking modern art sculptures with a hammer trying to change the art world; it is easy to destroy trash. As for the article, it is interesting that in a small isolated town Palin chose to pursue authoritarian and divisive tactics. If she couldn’t collaborate with/unite 6000 people, what will she try to do as vice president?
I think you give Matt a bit too much credit. If we’re going to follow your metaphor, Matt would be the art student talking about taking a hammer to the gallery and then expecting everyone to be awed by such novel impertinence.
So she was using personal time and resources to get work for the state done?
The horror.