What Hillary Should Say Now

She's smart.
Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren???t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn???t even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.
These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn???t like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.
When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys??? club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man???s ethics violations (for which he was fined).
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects -- which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance -- but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.
Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State???s lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior???s decision to list polar bears as threatened species.
McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.
There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.

CLAIM vs. FACT:
*Hockey mom: true for a few years
*PTA mom: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
*NRA supporter: absolutely true
*Social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
*Pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it.
*Pro-life: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down???s syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation
*Experienced: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on *Supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
*Political maverick: not at all
*Gutsy: absolutely!
*Open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.
has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
*A "Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
*Fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
*Pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.
*Pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
*Pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla???s history.
*Pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn???t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that???s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.
CAVEATS

Hillary isn't going to sit back and allow the security of America destroyed, nor it's progress toward equal rights dismantled. You can bet that both the Democratic Party and the Obama Campaign are hand in hand in their assessment, plan and response.

Before Hillary was dumped by the Democratic Party, I heard many women say they supported her because she was a woman. So why shouldn't these same women support Sarah Palin for the same reason? We would all do ourselves and our country a service if we would educate ourselves about the candidates who are running for PRESIDENT and make a decision based on what's good for the country and not what's good for a political party. We do ourselves a disservice by jumping on a single (or only a few issues) and dismissing the entire candidate.

What Hillary should do is get to work for the citizens of New York and do her job as a Senator. Why are we paying her to do nothing?

Thank you, Patti Davis. This is a necessary and extraordinarily well-stated plea for reason on the part of voters as well as a call to Hillary Clinton to exercise leadership in responding to this manipulation of female sentiment by the Rove-Republicans. I do hope it is widely read, especially by Clinton herself.
You've done a great service to bring this essay to thoughtful readers.

Hillary should tell Obama to kiss her ass. McCain went against the establishment and picked a qualifed women, but Obama could not do that. Why should Hillary spend her time and effort plumping his pillow. Obama is an eletist, self centered fool and its pathetic that someone with no experience or ability has made it to being a candidate for the President of the USA. Its the begining of the end of the empire when we make such a mockery of that office.

For the most part, this is a good article and makes a lot of sense. The only problem is that there's nobody ruder, snarkier or more sarcastic than Hillary, I don't hold out any hope tha tsshe'll be able to take the high road when she campaigns.

All of us who embrace the common good and are concerned about the most vulnerable of those who live within and without the USA, not just Senator Hillary Clinton need to engage ourselves in electoral processes. GO to www.votethecommongood.com for ways to get involved.

Obama certainly had the option to put Hillary on the ticket - but lacked the fortitude to do so. That alone tells me more about his character than any of the speeches or rhetoric.

This is a good article and makes a lot of sense. The only problem is that Hillary is every bit as rude and snarky and sarcastic as Palin, and my fear is that while she campaigns her negative style will get in the way of people actually listening t her sentiments.

If we embrace the Common Good, than all of us not just Senator Clinton need to do all we can to work to elect the president and vice president needed for our time. Go to www.votethecommongood.org for some ways to be involved.

It is being reported that American Flags were thrown into the trash at BO's denver thing. What is wrong with this guy. He has dissed Small-Town America, his wife was not proud of America until two months ago, and now American Flags are thrown into the trash. We must learn his reasons for this occurring, before the election is held. He must be held accountable for once.

The winning strategy for women:

Sarah 2008 Hillary 2012!!!

It was such arrogance on the part of Obama to keep her off this ticket. She should have definitely been the nominee, now we have people screeching for her to save Obama. I will never, and I say never, vote republican but I will certainly not go to the polls to support the arrogance of the Democratic nominee.
LMAO2