Last Minute Nagging

I have listened to a lot of radio broadcasts and I am optimistic that the vote will be accurate tomorrow, but I want to encourage you to do a couple of things that you may not otherwise consider.

To make sure that your vote and those of the people around you are counted accurately:

• Take a camera with you and record your ballot.
• Take a cellphone and if you observe something odd or you or people around you are prevented from voting, call 1-866-MY-VOTE1 or 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report the situation and hopefully get assistance.

Also, there is a possibility of long lines, so some additional ideas:

• Take water and snacks for yourself and to share for a long wait.
• Again, take your cell phone to call your employer to let them know if you are delayed at the polls.  If necessary, help others negotiate/adjust hours with their employers.

Good luck tomorrow!  Let’s remain optimistic and proactive.

Another Hidden Speech

I mentioned in my previous post that John McCain’s official website does not recognize any speeches by Governor Palin other than her appearance at the RNC.  Why does McCain’s campaign shadow Palin’s seemingly successful speech, which you can see below.

Below is a very poor quality video (part 1 of 3) of a speech Palin gave in Carson, CA on October 4th. I encourage you to ignore the video but if you can tolerate the sound, you can hear what Palin had to say in a veritable speech.

McCain downplays Palin’s speeches

Despite having given several interviews and public statements since the Republican National Convention, John McCain’s official website makes no reference to other speeches that Palin has given in the last 5 weeks.

In fact, just yesterday, Palin spoke at a fund raising event in Colorado but the event goes unremarked on the website.

Earlier today, there was a video on youtube of Palin’s October 4th speech in Englewood, CO, for some reason it has been removed. Time Magazine received the governor’s “full statement“. It seems to me, however, that some of Palin’s comment is missing, so here is link to a New York Times article that quotes Palin’s speech at length.

Now that I have read and seen the full statement, maybe the McCain website is correct that Palin has not given any “speeches” since the RNC. Do you know of any Palin appearances that should be noted by McCain’s page?

I would say that this situation represents my biggest difficulty in writing palinverbatim. The Governor of Alaska website never contained Palin’s 2008 speeches and recently her 2007 speeches have become inaccessible. Finding verbatim material is also difficult because excerpts are easily available through various media outlets but the primary source is not. I am going to try to work past this issue this week and hopefully provide some less-discussed material.

The VP Debate

I did indeed watch last night’s debate, and for now I am just posting a link to the transcript of the debate. I think that the text form allows me to focus on the pure content.

I will have a break down of the questions and answers for you later.

To energize my own life, on the Wednesday evening before the debate, I did reprise my Palin role in Providence. I did, of course, cause many uneasy individuals to cross the street and find another path. However, many people stopped, listened, laughed and provided lively encouragement. After coming out of character, a lively, middle-aged woman spotted me on a restaurant terrace and said that she had taken a cell phone picture of “Palin” and sent it to her daughter who “loves” the VP candidate.

This was the scene just before I ended:

The shoes aren't great

Responding to Demand

You may be interested to know that the topic that draws most people to my blog is Sarah Palin’s polar bear brooch. However, I do not know where Palin got her brooch, its materials, value or how you can get one of your very own. To appease the masses, though, I would like to tell you about my Sarah Palin polar bear brooch.

• I used a solid piece of a very old chocolate box for the body
• I drew the outline of the bear freehand based upon an image of Palin’s brooch.
• Using a cheap pair of scissors, I cut the cardboard along the lines I had drawn.
• I then colored the bear with a metallic silver marker (several coats were needed).
• I attached the card board bear to an old button, using double sided sewing tape.

Et voilà

My Palin pin

The solid if not sophisticated mounting

One necessary tool

Voters also guilty of “gotcha journalism”

The clip below is from another section of the Katie Couric interviews. In the piece, Couric points out an inconsistency between McCain’s and Palin’s views on cross boarder attacks into Pakistan.

Why must these two totally agree? Might they have an interesting discussion about their differences of opinion and the strengths that dynamic could provide? Do you think this should be labeled by McCain’s olde-tymey term “gotcha journalism”?

The Republicans, however, do seem to agree on covert operations and secrecy.

Palin is allowed to explain her widely criticized performance in the interview here.

(In)conspicuously Absent

I have been inconspicuously absent the past week or so but Sarah Palin was conspicuously absent yesterday evening.

Last night, after the first debate between McCain and Obama, Joseph Biden was on hand to give his opinion on his running mate’s performance. NBC extended the same invitation to Palin to comment; however, it was Rudy Giuliani who was on hand to dismiss Obama and praise McCain.

Thankfully, Palin will not be able to politely decline to participate in October 2nd’s Vice Presidential debate.

In the meantime, I would like to share an interview conducted by Katie Couric on September 24th (that everyone has probably already seen).

Palin said during the interview that Kissinger would not encourage diplomacy with “rogue” states including Iran, but that apparently isn’t true. In fact, in this transcript Kissinger states,

Well, I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually have preferred doing it at the secretary of state level so that we — we know we’re dealing with authentic…

Regarding the comments Palin made regarding Israel and Iran, I would simply like to offer what Ahmadinejad actually said about Israel:

The Guardian on the poor translation. And the Information Clearing House’s take. If you think that these sites are grossly biased, please ad your own links.

Weigh in!

You can participate in a PBS poll that asks if you think that Sarah Palin is qualified to be vice president (president) here.

Feel free to share your opinion of the poll and links to other Palin content.

I am going to dive back into researching, blogging and impersonating later this week.  My absence was due to other, personal obligations and a recent lack of verbatim material.  I will have new links and photos up soon.

First Day in the Field

This afternoon I had my first experience as a street performer.

People avoided me, giggled as they skittered by, announced their opinion of Palin and even paused to listen.

It was a good experience and I now feel more confident to take on different areas of town and expand my display. I read the speech Palin gave in her church, a handful of gubernatorial proclamations and the polar bear lawsuit.

look at that awesome pin!!

small but attentive

For me, the most fun was reading Palin’s proclomation of the 2008 Alaska BBQ Association Competition:

WHEREAS, the history of any society includes the foods, recipes, and customs that the people enjoyed, either on a day-to-day basis, or for special celebrations and events. We all have memories of good times that involve a favorite family recipe or a special fare prepared by someone we knew.

WHEREAS, in America, the barbecue has come to represent a friendly and informal setting where people share each other’s company and build friendships or strengthen old ones through conversation, visiting, and laughter. From the Eastern Seaboard to Alaska, barbecues are a wonderful way to enjoy a warm day outdoors. In Alaska, with longer summer days that beckon outdoor activity, the barbecue is something of a tradition for families from Barrow to Ketchikan.

WHEREAS, the tradition of the barbecue is found in the deep South, it is fitting that the trend is alive in Alaska, where Alaskan hospitality and friendliness is one of our greatest strengths.

WHEREAS, in the spirit of promoting culinary education and camaraderie among the participants and viewers, I encourage friendly participation in this year’s event in Fairbanks and wish the sponsors success for many years to come.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the state of Alaska, do hereby proclaim July 20, 2008, as:

2008 Alaska BBQ Association Competition

in Alaska, during the festival of Golden Days as the Championship Barbecue Competition for the state of Alaska. Bon appétit!

Dated: June 30, 2008

All Palin’s gubernatorial proclamations can be found here.

Palin on her Kuwait trip

The following is an audio link of an interview with Palin while she was in Kuwait on July 24, 2007. The only remarkable thing is that Palin remains true to form and withholds all policy judgments. Palin is asked very direct, political questions at the interview’s midpoint.

Edit: In the last minute or two of the interview Palin speaks of the need to increase National Guard enlistment. She hoped to encourage enlistment by reducing fishing/hunting licenses upon the completion of service.

Gov_Kuwait_2007.mp3