MoveOn.org Uses Palin Op-Ed as Fundraising Tool

Reader Comments

Back to blog

Palin Washes Hands of Cap-and -Trade;

Clears Conscience of Reason

by Kurtis Cates, July 22nd, 2008

In her July 14th Op-Ed published in the Washington Post Alaska Governor Sarah Palin offered her position on the Cap and Trade legislation which is currently moving through Congress. It belies either an ignorance or dishonesty which I must attempt to answer. The piece has been widely analyzed for quality of argument and perused for relevance to cap-and-trade. John Kerry wrote what I believe was the perfect response, though I didn't expect that the perfect response would not utterly bring her down. He was pretty gentle, but his points were basically flawless. I cannot be so gentle. I am going to call Palin out for what she is, which this most recent tirade has confirms.

Governor Palin spends much of the piece complaining about what 30 years of the Obama Administration has left us with. She notes that, in the meantime, she has been putting together a little care package of ideas derived from a long career ruling Alaska, converting water into wine while Jesus gets ready to return for everyone that was smart enough to keep drilling. It is a typical political-slam type intro, stretched into the space of an article. It misses where facts are concerned but is packed with effective language and imagery and solid punches. But when she gets to the part where a person would normally present a -solution, alternative, plan- she returns to the empty words, which talk about issues but do not touch them, that she campaigned and lost with.

"We must move in a new direction. We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil. Just as important, we have more desire and ability to protect the environment than any foreign nation from which we purchase energy today."

It is literally oil or nothing with this person. Her campaign chants' echoes have not ceased. People say that she has an eye on the 2012 election. I think she may still be re-running for 08'. Alaskans have weird rules about mulligans. And she did suggest in this piece that God created oil. But God did not create oil any more than he created the human brain. Why isn't she willing to use both? (Or) Why didn't God let the dinosaurs live a few million years longer? Why did God make this most incredible resource out of Dinosaurs instead of Buddhists?

More at www.fromthebiblebelt.com

Kurtis Cates of OK 12:58PM July 23, 2009

No one has really defined the term "Green Job".

From what I gather it has something to do with work that decreases our dependance on foriegn oil and little with jobs or the enviornment. Folks throw around wind, solar, and wave energy as "green".

We've already seen a backlash against wind power. Enviornmental organizations aren't happy with the fact 300 ft. wind turbines kill birds and muck-up views of the countries shorelines and forests. Giant solar farms aren't much more popular due to their vast size and effect on desert landscapes; let alone plants and animals. Wave power is too far from practical application to really matter. NIMBY has a way of darkening even the greenest heart.

Can these technologies support "millions of new jobs"? I'm sure building and developing "green" technology will put people to work; but for how long? As someone else posted the components of these windmills and such will be machined and fabricated overseas for the most part (what about that carbon footprint?). Once installed the need for manpower to maintain these power plants would be minimal; considerably smaller than the time and effort to build them.

Our country needs SUSTAINABLE energy from many sources; be they wind, coal, petroleum, nuclear, geothermal, etc. "Green" has become a hollow term used by politicians to create hype and collect green ($).

P. D. Pasternak of NY 8:33PM July 20, 2009

The biggest lie or un-truth is the creation of millions of jobs building solar panels and solar sites and the building and installation of wind generators. Robert Schlesinger must have graduated from the same school as the president did and had the same math teacher. Neither one has the ability to count. Common sense tells us that if just one million jobs were created to build these things they wouldn't be built here in america. Company's like General Electric would sub most of the componet manufacturing out overseas. We will be only be out more money without the promised results. Putting the blame on Sarah Palin is wrong. From what I have read and listened to when she spoke, she is for the creation of new forms of producing power and fuels for our countries needs. She has a lot of common sense and knows that until the time we are able to become truly independent of the third worlds fuels we need to produce our own and that we need to drill in places that have been put off limits by the librals in power in DC. Washington should be listing to people like T.Boone Pickins who knows what it take to make thing like the new wind power along with natural gas usage to help our country. If we had Sarah as our president, I don't think she would be trying to change America to be another Europe like this president is doing. The liberals should be scared. They konw that she is smarter than them. I thank Sarah Palin for the fresh energy she brings to our political system.

Carl Cowart of TX 6:01PM July 20, 2009

If Sarah Palin is such a "nothing" as liberals tag her...why is she so threatening. Raise money for the important issues our nation faces. Why would you spend time on a "nothing".

Jean of NE 7:46PM July 18, 2009

Well I have heard both sizes of the Obama story.Is he, or is he not a US citizen ? I have not seen true evidence either way, and the liberal news groups will not touch it with a 100 ft. POLE. Makes you wonder why the president him self prove it once and for all ???

jerr of LA 3:14PM July 17, 2009

Fear of Being Nuked.

By: Jordan C. Fan, Prophet of Environment.

Given the North Korean nuclear missiles are within range of Alaska who can really blame Sarah Palin for resigning in fear of her relatives being nuked. This is additions to other factors. As far as Myself as Prophet is concern, Palin is an extremely likable and competent government official and politician.

This come to the Americans especially Democrats are extremely chauvinistic racists who must be frown upon by the entire. All those merican liberty, freedom and justice will soon be gone if Obama and his supporters especially Blacks continue to insists on using illegal conspiracy such as Blackmails, harassments, threats of body harm, and corruption against qualified candidates.

Jordan C. Fan, Prophet of Environment. 7:31AM July 17, 2009

Palin is a Creationist. She's a Ban-Abortionist. Imagine Palin is a fan dancer. She's working two fans with signs on them. Here comes the fan saying "Churches Need More Tithers--Ban Abortion." (Religion is dying out as the computer generation finds free-thought sites.) Here comes the other fan that says "Polluters Need More Consumers--Ban Abortion."

The Green movement has begun and some big corporations have not yet bought out enough solar, tidal, and wind power companies.

Palin is everything the Far Right wants to put in power--a female who can be persuaded to make laws that force poor minority women to give birth to unending generations of babies born to be Cheap Labor.

auradawnveirs of CA 9:43PM July 16, 2009

Well I certainly don't want to wait to see who sinks. As we may all go down on the boat if the earth turns into one big ball of flame with the likes of those naysayers who choose not to evolve and to go about their business as usual at the expense of everyone else. Very self-indulgent if you ask me! I don't claim to know the answers either way, but I certainly don't see it being an issue unless the naysayers are in jeopardy of loosing their $$$ in support of big OIL/COAL. Why not give green energy a chance, it certainly wouldn't hurt!

JahLove63 of CA 6:37PM July 16, 2009

All this group does is engage in character assination and character assination.

Does George Soros own this hateful group?

Norden of MT 5:17PM July 16, 2009

Sorry. You totally got me on that one. I just get so frustrated with the suggestions that Obama isn't a citizen that I sometimes get ahead of myself.

Barack Obama was born in the US to a US citizen. Now, can I tell Bubba to grow up? Ha ha!

Meryl of CA 9:52PM July 15, 2009

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to blog

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. E-mail him at rschlesinger@usnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

advertisement

Robert Schlesinger

Obama's Mixed-Bag Week

The Obama camp can celebrate Dick Lugar defeat, but should worry about the Scott Walker recall.

Mary Kate Cary

Obama Attacks as Economic Cliff Looms

The president can't afford to talk about the economy, but with a 2013 fiscal time bomb approaching, the rest of us can't afford not to.

Latest Video

advertisement