WSJ Magazine has a story on Sarah Palin's exercise of choice, running. It's interesting that the story must have had a four month lead time -- well before John McCain chose her as his VP candidate. The piece paints her as someone who ran five to seven miles a day before she became pregnant, at which point she did aerobics. Sounds healthy to me.
But it's McCain's health we have to worry about. Now it's come to light that although Palin could be a heartbeat away from the presidency, she doesn't know what Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) are. CBS News reports Palin said that they "have become too big for the taxpayers." But the taxpayers never owned them or paid taxes to support them. Thanks to Hank Paulson, we may spend as much as $800 billion of taxpayer money bailing them out. So if Palin is going to be president -- assuming 72-year-old John McCain needs to step down -- someone better get her up to speed on what's going on outside of Wasilla.
And aside from the glowing fitness report, there's some bad news about Palin. She has tried to "cover up investigations of her firing of a public safety commissioner in order to prevent a so-called 'October surprise' that would produce embarrassing information about her on the eve of the election," according to Capitol Hill Blue.
She used Alaska money for personal expenses. CBS News reports that she "has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a 'per diem' allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife."
Palin took over 6,000-citizen Wasilla, Alaska, which had no debt at all, and left it with $22 million for a money-losing sports complex. And she and her daughter both got pregnant before getting married (although, to be fair, her 17-year-old daughter is still not married). So much for abstinence.
Maybe WSJ Magazine can balance the ledger by doing a puff piece on Democratic VP candidate, Joe Biden. But I wouldn't run to my newsstand to look for it.
Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-09-2008 @ 3:44PM
Judy Ferguson said...
Freddie, Fannie, and dumb azz Sarah Palin. All she knows about is unprotected sex and booze for teens. Alaska is #no. with STD's, High School Dropouts, Teen Pregnancy, Alcoholism, suicide, and drugs and they think God wants Americans to use Alaska as a shelter?
9-09-2008 @ 4:09PM
Robert said...
Expenses: Every government employee should be given 6 monhs to repay every expense that was not in the public interest for the last 5 years. Then we should begin an audit and fire everyone who misused public funds and the person who approved it. That should include all loss of pay,allowances and retirements just like in the military. That would repay the national debt and flush the toilet.
9-09-2008 @ 4:59PM
Jeff said...
Hey, Pete....you are just another abnoxious elitist who is unwittingly helping to hand over the election to John McCain. You and Keith Oberman, Chris Matthews, and that butch woman with the snide crooked smile on MSNBC are all making the same mistake.....the same one that Obama makes when he makes fun of her being a "moose shooter". You're being cruel and making personal attacks against a woman who has more in common with MILLIONS of people (especially women) than you liberal elitists do. Go ahead and make fun of her being a hunter....there are millions of hunters who are going to get pissed off and vote for McCAin/Pailin......in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan & Colorad. Go ahead, make fun of her talking about God influencing decisions.....it's the same thing that happens in churches all acrosss the US every Sunday....and people relate to it whether you and your ilk do or not. Go Ahead, make snide remarks about pregnancy.....you helping to dig Obama's election grave because the Average American HATES people like you. Whatever insults you pass towards Palin are only going to serve to strengthen the surge towards McCain/Palin, so keep up the good work. The average American will have the attitude that "The friend of my enemy is my enemy too." You and your ilk, with all your hateful, filthy rhetoric, will make Obama seem like the ENEMY of the average, working-class American.....the exact voters Obama needs to win this election. Niiiice work!
9-09-2008 @ 5:18PM
Elizabeth said...
Jeff: What do women "especially" have in common with Sarah Palin -- aside from similar reproductive organs? I have more in common with Barack Obama, who actually addressed the gender wage gap in his convention speech... a social issue Palin and McCain are simply ignoring. Does it strike anyone else as disturbing that the second-ever female nominated for VP doesn't seem bothered by institutionalized sexism? (But hey, I guess she's got all those taxpayer funds to fill out the gaps in her wages.) Anyway, I'll take a liberal elitist over a sexist any day.
9-09-2008 @ 5:17PM
Rex said...
More LEFT-WING PROPAGANDA from the king of all stupid whiners, Peter Cohan
9-09-2008 @ 5:33PM
Jim said...
I canceled my subscription to the WSJ when Murdock bought it. I got tired of seeing page after page of Hillary hate articles back when she was the favorite. The rag sheet is nothing but a RepubliKKKan shill.
9-09-2008 @ 5:52PM
Dan Barnett said...
Pete,
Did you see where Sarah "Per-Diem" apparently billed the taxpayers the official "Per-Diem" 312 times while she stayed in her own house?
Nice work if you can get it.
9-09-2008 @ 7:25PM
chappie said...
Hey Pete:
Stupid schoolyard taunts won't protect your lame candidates from the truth. If Palin is so cool, why doesn't she answer questions from the media like every other candidate for high office on the planet? She deserves deference, why? Because she is a woman? A mom? A Maverick? A Moose Killer? Or is it because she is a liar with no real knowledge of what's going on in the world? Oh yeah... that's it.
9-09-2008 @ 7:30PM
chappie said...
sorry, I meant, "Hey Jeff"!
9-10-2008 @ 8:39PM
Mark said...
A few comments:
The Fannie Mae comments were NOT gaffs. There has been talk about subsidizing them for quite some time, and even legislation drafted to do so. Not that this isn't moot, anyway, as the gov't has already stepped in.
The per-diem allowance is much cheaper than flying back and forth from her home in Wasilla to Juneau. Check your map: it's over 1,000 miles. Lots cheaper.
Gov. Palin IS talking about issues - or have you totally ignored every sound bite from the last several days? She's also scheduled for no less than three sit down interviews tomorrow with the media.
Check out this web page for more: http://explorations.chasrmartin.com/2008/09/06/palin-rumors/
4. It's great to have opinions, but it's much better to have informed ones.
9-11-2008 @ 12:13AM
chappie said...
Mark:
rumors of Palin's s "scheduled" softball interviews are greatly exaggerated. Why doesn't she act like a normal candidate and answer questions from the media at large. This was part of the vetting process that every other candidate had to submit to including all the right wing hacks who fell off the edge of the earth because their lies didn't add up. "Informed" opinions are formed by an open forum, not controlled access. Your candidate is a shill. I can smell your fear.
9-09-2008 @ 9:59PM
ajree said...
This is a strong ticket. Stronger than most expect. Wait until Palin sinks Biden in head-to-head competition. She has great appeal, and let's face it, she will lead McCain into the White House. Can she handle it? Is she ready? Please...stop the nonsense, she will far exceed any expectations. McCain is a no nonsense guy, and this ticket will shake things up in D.C. Just what we need these days.
http://www.jokingright.blogspot.com/
9-11-2008 @ 12:16AM
charlie said...
Here is McCain/Palin dishonesty personified:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=kS6KLSyNWes
9-11-2008 @ 12:15AM
charlie said...
Here is McCain/Palin dishonesty personified:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=kS6KLSyNWes
9-11-2008 @ 1:02PM
Jeff said...
Chappie -- taunts? Look up the meaning of the word. I'm not taunting anyone. This Cohan guy is the one (along with his left-wing cronies) who are taunting Sarah Palin.....and it will BACKFIRE on the Domacratic nominee BIG TIME. That is not a taunt, that is the truth. Gov. Palin HAS been called a "moose hunter", she has been called a "man" by N.O.W., she has been said to have no other qualifications for VP other than "not having an Abortion" (by the S. Carolina party chairperson) THOSE ARE TAUNTS, Chappie. The Democrats are in full panic mode and they are SELF-DESTRUCTING. Obama is going after Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity for goodness sake!! This is the kind of judgement you want in a Presidential candidate? Joe Biden says that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice for VP! He might as well just say, "Obama shows poor judgement." "The time device of self-destruction, light the fuse and start eruption" -- The Kinks.
Obama and crew are off balance, flailing about and going down for the count because of Peter like the idiot who writes this blog. Tic-tic-tic. Now THAT was a tuant! :^)