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The Morning After: Rebuttals Fly to Palin's Big Speech

Thu, 09/04/2008 - 8:56am by CitizenSugar
2,926 Views - 339 comments

No sooner had Sarah Palin's speech ended last night and the cheers faded were people clamoring to hear the response and analysis to it. I was the star of my shuttle bus for having the first-shot email from the Obama camp on my phone — I did a dramatic reading of it for my bus-mates.

The first shot included, "The speech that Governor Palin gave was well delivered, but it was written by George Bush's speech writer and sounds exactly like the divisive, partisan attacks we've heard from George Bush for the last eight years." The kids on the bus noticed the double-helping of Bush immediately. Now, the morning after, the fact-checkers are doing their duty on the speech, including these nuggets:

Palin said: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

The rebuttal: Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62 percent.

To find out what else they zeroed in on, read more.

Palin said: “But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate.”

The rebuttal: Obama helped pass the 2007 Ethics Reform Law, which curbed the influence of lobbyists and was described as the “most sweeping since Watergate.” In the first week of the 110th Congress, Obama joined with Senator Feingold to introduce a “Gold Standard” ethics package. Many of the Obama/Feingold bill’s most important provisions were included in the final ethics reform package passed by the Senate in late January.

Her speech was wildly and widely well received, with headlines like "Palin delivers star-turning performance at RNC." What do you make of the rebuttals? Was her speech factual?

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339 Comments Add a Comment

  • yesteryear's picture
    yesteryear
    2

    honestly, i think people who are pro-palin are just being contrarians... i mean, come on - a month ago everyone was whining about obama's lack of experience??! i wish people would stop towing the party line and fess up to how they really feel.

    13 weeks 8 hours ago Report Comment
  • LibertySugar's picture
    LibertySugar
    4

    I really appreciate fact-checks that come out after speeches. Another line in the speech that stood out to me was this:

    Palin: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

    Fact: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation.

    Do you guys think voters can cut through distortions (coming from either side)?

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • dreamsugar's picture
    dreamsugar
    6

    Muddling with no facts -- had a Bush speech writer -- they parts when she talked about herself is where I think she connected the most -- the mudslinging was appalling. Oh -- and no policy -- and nothing about health care or the middle class.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • dreamsugar's picture
    dreamsugar
    8

    Liberty -- I don't know -- the hate filled rhetoric is pretty convincing to some. But I think that speech last night was mainly to rally the base. My Indie friends weren't really impressed. They wanted to see the Maverick in her -- and they felt that they didn't see that.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • CaterpillarGirl's picture
    CaterpillarGirl
    9

    everyone muddles the facts. both sides. You just have to wade through them and figure it all out.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • UnDave35's picture
    UnDave35
    10

    I love that we are comparing Palin's record (the VP) choice with Obama's record (for president.) With all do respect, Palin isn't going to be running the country, and can have a learning curve. Obama, who hasn't run anything or governed anything, will need to do something that he has never done beginnning on day 1.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • piper23's picture
    piper23
    11

    I thought what she said about the styrofoam greek columns was totally misleading. I've taken my niece to a Britney concert and I can tell you for a fact that Briney's columns are not styrofoam. I hope Britney's set designer sets her straight.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • raciccarone's picture
    raciccarone
    12

    After the past 8 years I really do feel like we could put someone whose only experience is emptying the fry-o-later at a fast food restaurant and we'd be fine.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • serial's picture
    serial
    18

    "Vetoing wasteful spending..."

    There's word going around the blogosphere that one of the budget items she cut as governor was special needs education by 62%. I find this ironic considering (1) her sister is the mother of a special needs child, (2) she just gave birth to a son with Down's Syndrome, and (3) she's now making appeals to middle America as a mother with a special needs child.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • piper23's picture
    piper23
    19

    I thought Liberty was at the RNC with Citizen but she didn't mention Liberty being on the bus with her. But they both went to Denver... Seems like we'd get more 'balanced' coverage on this site if they were both there.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • laceykk23's picture
    laceykk23
    20

    this was her introduction to the american people right? first impressions are everything and while the speech went over VERY well in the hall i dont know if it was totally necessary to be so sarcastic and have so much mockery i mean it was a little over the top in some spots. i thought all the speeches last night were all over the top negativity especially rudy's it looked like he was going to explode up there, lol. the speech last night was def. well deliverd however i dont think its gonna go over too well with the independents that they so badly need.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • hausfrau's picture
    hausfrau
    21

    Is passing leglation and writing legislation the same thing?

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • raciccarone's picture
    raciccarone
    24

    When she said that Joe Biden murdered his first wife, I thought "wait, that can't be true". Can it?

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • stephley's picture
    stephley
    25

    Serial, she's probably changed her mind on the need for funding special needs education after learning more about political expedience - y'know, part of her 'on the job training'.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • UnDave35's picture
    UnDave35
    26

    Cab - no it isn't the same. Also let's make sure we get the entire quote. Palin alleged that Obama hasn't written an MAJOR legislation, and should be judged on that.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Great Sommelier's picture
    Great Sommelier
    27

    A: Floating around the blogosphere means nothing. I've seen the paul is dead crap floating around the blogosphere right next to Elvis is alive. i.e. that means nothing. But I think it is interesting how you eat it up and pass it on.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • raciccarone's picture
    raciccarone
    29

    I've also heard, and I'm being serious here, that Ms. Palin is a creationist. Is this true?

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Great Sommelier's picture
    Great Sommelier
    30

    Rac, Intelligent design. She doesn't want evolution not taught, but she wants Intelligent design information available if people want it. I didn't explain that well sorry!

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • fuzzles's picture
    fuzzles
    31

    That McPain avatar reminds me eerily of the box design that my bottle of Tylenol PM capules came in...

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • hausfrau's picture
    hausfrau
    34

    Rac - I beleive she thinks that creationism should be taught as an alternative theory to evolution in schools. I beleive that she thinks both theories should be presented.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • hausfrau's picture
    hausfrau
    35

    BTW Citizen, thanks for using a nice picture! Sometimes I just can't stand to look at those terrible pictures of people!

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • fuzzles's picture
    fuzzles
    36

    GS, it works for me. Kinda like BamBi for Obama and Biden.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Great Sommelier's picture
    Great Sommelier
    37

    Not entirely co-taught. What I heard was that she just want the teachers to have literature available to give people who ask.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Great Sommelier's picture
    Great Sommelier
    38

    I've never heard bambi. Name calling seems a little juvenile when we are talking about Potus and VPs.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • hausfrau's picture
    hausfrau
    41

    Well I think you can teach intelligent design without preaching. But I can see where just having the literature available is probably a more moderate approach.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Marni7's picture
    Marni7
    43

    How can she teach both theories in public schools, where children can be of many religions, without offending someone? I was raised a catholic but I am open to theory of evolution, so presenting both sides so people can make up their mind? ok ..i get it cus i was presented both sides, but in my home.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • hausfrau's picture
    hausfrau
    46

    how can you teach ANYTHING without offending someone? how can one do ANYTHING nowadays without offending someone?

    The majority in this country has become the minority. Sometimes you just have to put information out there and if someone has a problem with it, tough cookies.

    13 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • Great Sommelier's picture
    Great Sommelier
    47

    cheer Cab! cheer

    "The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year's termwas Political Correctness. The winner wrote, 'Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.'"