Obama Rebukes Palin On Earmarks Claims

Democratic Nominee Says Palin Took Earmarks When "Convenient"

(AP)  Barack Obama made his first direct criticism of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Saturday, saying she pretends to oppose spending earmarks when she actually has embraced them.

Speaking to 800 people at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Ind., the Democratic presidential nominee ridiculed John McCain and his running mate, the Alaska governor, for describing themselves as agents of change at this week's GOP convention.

"Don't be fooled," Obama told the crowd surrounding him in a large barn. "John McCain's party, with the help of John McCain, has been in charge" for nearly eight years.

"I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she's change, and that's great," Obama said. "She's a skillful politician. But, you know, when you've been taking all these earmarks when it's convenient, and then suddenly you're the champion anti-earmark person, that's not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up."

McCain has vowed to wipe out earmarks, which are targeted funding for specific projects that lawmakers put into spending bills. As governor, Palin originally supported earmarks for a controversial $398 million Alaska project dubbed the "bridge to nowhere." But she dropped her support after the state's likely share of the cost rose. She hung onto $27 million to build the approach road to the bridge.

Under Palin's leadership, Alaska this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. Palin actually reduced the state government's requests for special projects this year in the wake of President Bush's demand for a cutback in earmarks.

Alaska also has become so accustomed to largess flowing from Congress through Stevens that most of Palin's earmark requests this year - such as studies of Alaskan fisheries, grants to combat drug trafficking, and rural airport upgrades - simply keep ongoing programs going. Among her requests was $150,000 to pay the travel bills of state and fisheries industry representatives on the boards that implement North Pacific fisheries agreements.

Until Saturday, Obama had refrained from criticizing Palin directly, saying only that she, like McCain, would continue the Bush administration's policies.

Democrats have debated how to deal with Palin. They want to avoid charges of sexism but find ways to highlight what they see as her political weaknesses.

Obama delivered some of his most withering criticisms yet of McCain, although he did so with chuckles and an air of mock disbelief. McCain has acknowledged voting with President Bush 90 percent of the time in Congress, Obama said.

"And suddenly he's the change agent? Ha. He says, 'I'm going to tell those lobbyists that their days of running Washington are over.' Who is he going to tell? Is he going to tell his campaign chairman, who's one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell his campaign manager, who was one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington?"

"I mean, come on, they must think you're stupid," Obama said as the crowd laughed and cheered.

The McCain campaign noted that Obama has steered numerous earmarks to his state of Illinois. However, Obama has not been the critic of earmarks that McCain and, more recently Palin, have been.

Obama said Republicans are targeting his character, and he criticized McCain for saying he would reduce the partisan rancor in Washington. Pretending to address McCain, he said, "Did you pay attention to the last two days of your convention? Were you not watching?"

"When you start just focusing exclusively on trying to tear the other person down instead of what you are going to do on behalf of the American people to deal with this economy," Obama said, "then that's not serving Democrats, that's not serving Republicans, that's not serving anybody."

McCain keeps lying about Obama:
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/a_new_stitch_in_a_bad_pattern.html

If you want alternative energy, McCain and Palin are not your guy and gal. Their records on energy stink.

[BeyondGreen]

It is going to take not 1 but 2 kick butt Mavericks to get us out of the mess we are in. That is what we have in the McCain/Palin Ticket. No nonsense, not afraid to do the right thing, not afraid to cross any line to get the job done and done right, not afraid to go against the grain if that is what it takes! Our economy is in a sorry state of affairs I directly related to the high cost of fuel which affects everything from loss of jobs to a record loss of homes not to mention the rise in cost of all consumer goods. We have become so dependant on foreign oil that we have neglected to fully utilize such natural sources of energy such wind power & solar power. Along with modern technology such as plug in cars, hybrid cars, v2g technology ,and regenerative braking technology. We still seem to be floundering as a nation as to devising the best plan utilize all that is available to us and lift ourselves out of this mess we are in. We need to take our closest look at which candidates put our economy and energy crisis at the forefront of their agenda. The Manhattan Project of 2009 by Jeff Wilson pretty much says it all...

Palin''s racist remarks about Obama, and other inappropriate things: %u201CSo Sambo beat the ***!%u201D
http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/05/alaskans-speak-in-a-frightened-whisper-palin-is-%E2%80%9Cracist-sexist-vindictive-and-mean%E2%80%9D/

In almost all of his ads, McCain has been dishonest. In almost every part of her big speech, and continuing in her daily campaign appearances, Palin has been even more dishonest. How can anyone support them?

[concerns47]

At least Palin is not the head of the ticket and can increase her knowledge by working with McCain and Congress. People grow. McCain is not going to die in the next 4 years unless someone shoots him, his health is monitored regularly for melanoma.

How will Obama grow if he is at the top of the ticket, the leader who is supposed to have experience to give guidance. He could die in the next 4 years and then we have Biden, oh that''s why he accepted the 2nd place on ticket.

Either way if either of them die or are too ill to do their job, life goes on.

His earmarks are huge and he shouldn''t cast stones against someone else. When his real record really comes out won''t he be surprised. Right now no one is looking since Palin, everyone is looking at how he voted or voted "present". How many missed votes did he have in his career so far, McCain has had 700 in his whole career. Obama 300+ in his short career.

As Obama reported in the 3/14/08 NYT, he was responsible for getting $740 million during his time in the US Senate. He has backed off since running for the presidency.

I''''ve seen an amount that Biden got for his state this year (nearly $50 million I think), but not a lifetime total.

Sort of boggles the mind and I agree with Sarah that it''''s surprising they raised the issue.

Posted by suki33 at 12:02 AM : Sep 09, 2008

You''ve completely missed the point. The point is that Palin is misrepresenting her own record. She makes a misleading statement to make people think she opposed the Ketchikan bridge. She makes technically true but deliberately deceptive statements on everything about her record. She makes outright lies about Obama''s proposals. She must be stopped.

I don''''t trust an african muslim like Hussein Obama as Commander-In-Chief. Most of his close advisers and friends are muslim terrorists or ultra left wing liberals who are antisemitic.

Posted by Demsnever at 06:17 AM : Sep 09, 2008

I hope nobody trusts you, because your statement is one big lie.

[armydog2]

Obama is calling her out on her lies, all''s fair,she should also be called out on her very extremeist religious beliefs just like you all did to Obama, all''s fair.

[suki33]

As Obama reported in the 3/14/08 NYT, he was responsible for getting $740 million during his time in the US Senate. He has backed off since running for the presidency.

I''ve seen an amount that Biden got for his state this year (nearly $50 million I think), but not a lifetime total.

Sort of boggles the mind and I agree with Sarah that it''s surprising they raised the issue.