McCain Wants Independent: Todd Palin, Not Sarah, Heartbeat from Presidency

Hat tip to "JohnSD," who offers the best comment of the day!

Senator John McCain's selection of his vice-presidential running mate continues to raise questions that I find downright fascinating: questions about McCain's motives, questions about his judgment, and questions about how all of us voters will ultimately sort out the myriad contradictions in having Todd Palin as a candidate for Vice-President.

Todd Palin? Todd Palin?!?

We turn to Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary:

"Wives be subject to your husbands, as unto the Lord." So says the Christian scriptures in Ephesians, 5:22. What I would like to know, first of all, is who is going to have the final authority as Vice-President if Sarah Palin is elected, Palin or her husband? In fact, I think the first order of business with Palin is to ask her to give the same kind of speech that was demanded of John F. Kennedy re his Catholicism. Kennedy said he would obey the Constitution over the Pope. Will Palin obey the Constitution over her husband? [Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, "Palin: Is She Subject to Her Husband?" WashingtonPost.com: On Faith, 2008.09.03]

Got time to slip that into tonight's acceptance speech, Sarah?

Rev. Thistelthwaite lays down the gauntlet for the Palins and their fellow evangelicals:

Palin, the presumptive Republican vice-presidential candidate, belongs to an Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. Members of the Assemblies of God believe that the Bible in its entirety is verbally inspired by God, is the revelation of God to humanity and is "the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct." That means, in a literal reading of scripture, that the authority in the Palin family rests with her husband.

The "evangelical base" who are reported to be so "energized" by Palin's nomination as vice-president need to ante up here. Do they believe in the literal word of scripture or not? And if they believe in the literal word of scripture, then they need to demand that the we vet not only Sarah Palin, but more importantly, her husband, Todd Palin. Todd, by the way, works for British Petroleum [Thistlethwaite, 2008].

The good Reverend commits no sexist double standard here: she questions whether the Palins and the evangelical community are about to commit a theological double standard.

That passage of Ephesians goes on to say, "But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything." Everything. A literal reading of that line, the type of reading called for by Palin's church and other evangelicals, says Todd Palin would be the de facto Vice-President and immediate successor to the Oval Office.

John McCain is such a rebel, such a maverick, that this could be exactly his plan:

• McCain wanted an Independent as his running mate: Todd Palin's party affiliation is "undeclared."
• McCain is sick of pandering to the Christian Right, so he's tricking them, picking a woman from their ranks to throw all their contradictions wide open.

Seriously, the American people need to know who really will be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, Sarah or Todd. How the Palins run things in their house is their business, but how they read Ephesians affects who might run things in the White House. The Palins need to lay out where they stand on male headship.

And whichever they answer, they will raise even more fascinating questions.

Burden of Proof: Schools Funding Lawsuit Unlikely to Succeed

I read with uneasiness the coverage of the South Dakota school funding lawsuit, which began yesterday in Pierre. I want schools to have more funding. I believe schools need more revenue to pay the competitive wages they'll need to recruit and retain the best teachers. I have made and will continue to make that case vigorously here on the blog, and will gladly take that argument to the school board and the halls of the Legislature, where our elected officials can fight it out and vote.

But I'd have a hard time making that case beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. How do we quantify for Judge Lori Wilbur whether we are providing an adequate education? No child is being denied a free public education. We aren't turning out hordes of illiterate, unemployable nincompoops (although Judge Wilbur may see a disproportionate number of such characters marching past her bench in criminal trials). We employ thousands of professionals to teach kids the three Rs and more. We even have Internet access in every building, making it possible for our kids to access pretty much any subject matter they might want or need.

Smart educators will rightly complain that the above is a pretty minimalist conception of an adequate school system. But a judge necessarily has to take a minimalist view, strictly within the bounds of the law. Everything else—how many AP classes to offer, what constitutes a competitive wage for teachers, how old is too old for textbooks—is a policy question better resolved through legislative action and the local ballot box, not judicial review.

Expect Judge Wilbur to rule against the schools. Her ruling will not and should not put an end to the fight for better funding for the schools. It will simply say that the state is meeting the minimal requirements written in the Constitution and that the judicial branch lacks the authority to set levels of taxation or spending for any particular state function.

SF Businesswoman Knocks Double Standard Against Successful Women

Prof. Blanchard smells sexism in Sally Quinn's critique of the Palin pick. I'm inclined to agree: anyone who says Governor Palin can't be Vice-President just because she's a mom (and soon a grandmom) is applying that sexist double standard that we never hear applied to men.

Debi Juhl
Photo courtesy Sioux Falls Business Journal

Debi Juhl, president of the Sioux Falls Business and Professional Women, also agrees:

With five children, and one of those with special needs, Palin will have to do a lot of juggling in Washington D.C. But Debi Juhl, the President of the Business and Professional Women's chapter in Sioux Falls, says it's unfair to ask questions about Palin's ability to juggle motherhood and the Vice Presidential position.

Juhl says, "These questions aren't being asked of the men candidates and they need to spend just as much time with their families as the women do" [Ben Dunsmoor, "Palin as a Parent Versus a V.P.," KELOLand.com, 2008.09.02].

And even as I type this, I hear a woman on NPR's Morning Edition say, "I just think that if you're going to have children, you ought to stay home and raise them." Ugh! When are the Anessa Klumbs of this world going to realize the sexism in applying that statement to women who run for office but not men?

IWQC Petition Update; Meeting Tomorrow Night

Update on the Interlakes Water Quality Committee's effort to create a new Water Project District around Lakes Madison and Brant: they have in their hands petitions with 195 signatures, 27 more than the 168 required. The IWQC will discuss what happens next at its monthly meeting tomorrow (Thursday) night, September 4, 7 p.m. at the Madison Public Library.

Agree 2 Disagree SD: Think South Dakota Crossfire, But More Civil

Via StandUpSD, I learn about Agree2DisagreeSD, a new two-man blog by Mark and Matt, one a South Dakota native, one a 21st-century transplant from Ohio. Mark leans Dem, Matt leans GOP, and they share a blog. Fun concept!

But the big concept here, says Matt: "Since college, I have simply been an observer. But, that is about to change with this blog."

Exactly: blogging and the Internet are all about making it possible for every citizen to quit being a spectator or a consumer of media and become a producer of media, an active participant in civic discourse.

Just 9 posts in, Mark and Matt's discourse remains civic and civil. And in another good sign, their comments are on. Good luck, neighbors -- keep the conversation going!

Why DSU Dumped Gateway/MPC for Fujitsu

As reported last week, Thanks to ineptitude at Gateway/MPC, new and transfer students at DSU will not receive their Tablet PCs until (probably) next week. For details on what happened, here's this morning's e-mail from DSU's Director of Technology David Zolnowsky:

We placed our order for tablets for students and faculty upgrades with MPC in mid-July. We ordered E-295Cs for students and the bulk of faculty upgrades and a small number of E-155Cs for faculty upgrades. At the time we placed the order, we were told the 295s would ship in about 10 days and the 155s would ship in about 5 weeks. On August 8^th, we were advised that shipment of the 155s would be delayed until mid-September (because of supply problems with batteries and processors) but the 295s should arrive the third week of August. If we were willing to accept a lesser processor and a smaller battery in the 155s, they would be shipped at the same time as the 295’s. Although we could adjust plans to accommodate the arrival of the 295s in late August, we did not believe faculty would be happy with the less-powerful machine. And, we did not believe that faculty would be happy with a ship date in mid/late-September. Accordingly, we canceled the order for the MPC E-155C tablets and placed an order for an equal number of Fujitsu T1010 tablets.

On August 20^th, we were advised that production issues at the new MPC assembly plant would also delay shipment of the 295s – moving that ship date to the second or third week of September. Weighing the hassle of a new vendor against the furor of late distribution, we elected to switch vendors. Consequently, we canceled the order for E-295C tablets and ordered an equal number of T1010 tablets with expedited shipping. In essence, 10 days before the beginning of the 2008FA term we canceled our tablet order and submitted our order to a new vendor.

I was thus mistaken when I said Gateway/MPC knew about the order for a year. Still, the company managed to blow a sizable contract with a long-standing client... and several hundred students and some professors are left in the lurch. Ugh.

Pregnancy Nobody's Business But Mom's... Vote No on IM11

Pregnancy: if you're not carrying, it's none of your business:

Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates. [Governor and Mr. Palin]

Let me be a clear as possible: I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people's families are off limits, and people's children are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president. [Senator Barack Obama]

I think it's a very private matter.... It's a matter that should stay in the family and they have to work through it together. My prayers go out to them. [Roberta Combs, president, Christian Coalition of America]

It's nobody's business but the Palins. [anonymous GOP Senate leadership staffer]

People in Wasilla are Alaskan tough, so not only does a thing like teen pregnancy not seem like anyone's damn business, but it's also not seen as the calamity so many people in the lower 48 might think it is. [Nathan Thornburgh, "In Wasilla, Pregnancy Was No Secret," Time, 2008.09.01]

I am very sorry that Bristol Palin’s private life is about to undergo an investigation by people who we once considered to be caring, tolerant people. It’s none of our business. She’s very young and her responsibilities have increased enormously.... Let us send her and her family our best wishes for a healthy baby and a prosperous life going forward. And drop the subject. [riverdaughter, "Bristol Palin Is Pregnant: Life Happens," The Confluence, 2008.09.01]

Bristol Palin is a private person with a public mother. We have no right invading this young woman's life. [Carol Marin, "Bristol Palin's Pregnancy None of Our Business, But Sarah Palin's Views Are," Chicago Sun-Times, 2008.09.02]

And the kicker, a blast from the past:

The Arizona senator appeared caught off guard when a reporter asked whether, if his 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, became pregnant, he would tell her that she could not have an abortion.

''No,'' Mr. McCain said. ''I would discuss this issue with Cindy and Meghan, and this would be a private decision that we would share within our family. Obviously I would encourage her to know that that baby would be brought up in a warm loving family. The final decision would be made by Meghan with our advice and counsel, and I think that's such a private matter.'' [Alison Mitchell, "The 2000 Campaign: The Issues: Once More, the Question of Abortion Dogs McCain," New York Times, 2000.01.27]

Works for me. Let's hold government to the same standard as politicians and the media and keep it out of women's reproductive choices. Remember this when you go to vote on Initiated Measure 11, South Dakota's abortion ban.

Shelter Music Festival in Madison Saturday

If you live in a house, or used to, or hope to, check out RealMadison.org to see why you should come to the Shelter Music Festival in Madison this Saturday!

Short form: ten hours of live music, Saturday September 6, noon to 10 p.m., outside at Hope Studios, 211 SE 4th Street. $5 (proceeds to the local Habitat for Humanity chapter), five bands:

• The Coltcockers
  
• John Goraj
  
• Welcome to the Cinema
  
• they the down low
  
• The Michael Hope Band

Live music! Outside! Good cause! Be there!

Palin's Reverend Wright Moments

So Dr. Blanchard wants to play the Reverend Wright card again. O.K.

I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions.
—Joe Vogler, founder, Alaskan Independence Party

I am delighted to welcome you to the 2008 Alaskan Independence Party convention in the Golden Heart City, Fairbanks.
—Governor Sarah Palin, video address, 2008.03.24

The difference, my dear Dr. Blanchard, between Governor Palin's wacky friends and Senator Obama's erstwhile pastor Jeremiah Wright is that we have Senator Obama on record disavowing Rev. Wright's "damning" of America (although, as you'll recall from April, I'm not convinced Wright said anything that needed disavowing). Governor Palin, meanwhile, explicitly welcomes a party that disavows America and slaps America's institutions with the d-word. Governor Palin giggles at the b-word and worse insults on live radio, issues a half-hearted apology (after catching public heck) that misses the point, then essentially endorses the purveyors of that language by giving them a scoop interview the day Senator McCain picks her as his running mate. (Haven't seen Obama giving Wright any public interviews lately, have you?)

So, to review, by picking Palin, McCain has taken age, inexperience, foreign policy knowledge, fine oratory, and now Reverend Wright off the table as issues he can use against Obama. Bush and the Iraqi government have knocked the legs out from under McCain's argument that a timetable for troop withdrawal is a bad idea. History is killing McCain's argument that his Republican policies will be better for the economy than Obama's (a new analysis finds the economy consistently grows faster and more fairly under Democratic Presidents). Pretty soon all McCain-Palin will have left to run on is moose burgers and creationism. And at this point, nothing could be more ironic than a McCain campaign touting "intelligent design."

New campaign slogan: McCain-Palin: The Campaign to Nowhere.

----------
Update 08:22: ABC's Jake Tapper reports that Palin and her husband were members of the Alaskan Independence Party in 1994.

Update 12:00: Alaskan Independence Party Vice Chairman Dexter Clark confirms Palin's membership in the AIP and says she remains sympathetic to the party. Clark goes on to discuss the AIP's strategy of infiltrating major parties to achieve its secessionist goals. Hmm... calling for secession from the Union... how much does Palin love America?

[Sorry, long video download: comments on Palin at 6:00 -- at peril of losing context, I'll try to find a shorter version.]



Update 2008.09.04 14:37: Speaking of reverends, check out what Palin's former pastor Ed Kalnins preaches at Wasilla Assembly of God, where Palin got her theology for much of her adult life. Not that I'm criticizing the pastor... I wouldn't want to go to heck.

McCain, Council for National Policy... and Banging the Bully Pulpit Against Unwed Mothers

Dots from the campaign trail—connect as you see fit:

Max Blumenthal reports at Talk to Action that the Council for National Policy met in Minneapolis last week. The CNP, an arch-conservative group founded by Tim LaHaye and whose membership has included folks like James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Grover Norquist, Phyllis Schafly, and Oliver North, is quite pleased with Palin's nomination. Blumenthal goes so far as to assert that the CNP actually got to vet Palin.

Blue Texan at FireDogLake says the media are getting the Palin pick all wrong. The nomination is not a sign of that good old maverick John McCain doing things his way; instead, Palin is "a total cave to his extremist fundie base."

We shouldn't be surprised: McCain appeared before the CNP's spring meeting after he clinched the nomination and gave an address and Q&A in which he said all the necessary things. Given today's announcement that Gov. Palin will become a proud grandma before the Inauguration, the following exchange from that CNP meeting seems relevant:

ATTENDEE: ...One of the things that I am quite concerned about is that we do not have national leaders who have said anything about the fact that almost 40 percent of the nation's children are born out of wedlock.

The ramifications of that fact affect our schools. It affects our communities. It affects so many aspects of our culture that I would like to see the bully pulpit used to change the attitude toward marriage and to change the attitude toward having children out of wedlock.

SENATOR McCAIN: Yes, ma'am. And I think the same comment that you made applies to the rights of the unborn as well. We have to work to change the culture in America to respect the rights of the unborn. That is the way we will ultimately succeed. I agree with you [transcript, remarks and Q&A, John McCain addressing the Council for National Policy, 2008.03.07].

The Republican National Convention podium is a pretty good bully pulpit. Will McCain take up that call to change the attitude toward unwed moms Thursday night?

Neocon David Frum Says Palin Weakens McCain

David Frum: neoconservative, former GW Bush Speechwriter, National Review commentator, speaker for the American Enterprise Institute... he should be all over the choice of a "true conservative" like Sarah Palin for Vice-President... shouldn't he?

Maybe not. Frum responded with caution in the National Post to McCain's announcement Friday. As the day wore on, Frum found the selection sitting less and less well with him:

...It's a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.

Here's I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign's slogan is "country first." It's a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency.

But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency? [David Frum, "Palin," David Frum's Diary on National Review Online, 2008.08.29]

Taking risks is often an admirable quality. But if you run a business or organization, think about how you go about hiring people. Sure, every hire is a risk, and any good résumé or interview can turn out to be a sham. But when you hire someone, especially someone for the most important position in your organization, how often do you risk drawing from the bottom of the deck? And what would you think of other executives who did so?

Bang for the Buck: Madville Times Outperforms Marketers with Budgets

While working on a RealMadison.org story on the city budget and tax dollars used for advertising, I thought I'd check Alexa.com rankings for various local sites promoting Madison and Lake County. I ran these numbers in December and found that the big-budget operations (o.k., "big budget" here just means "having a budget") didn't do much better at establishing Web presence than my own free Blogger site. How do those numbers look now?

• Lake County government: 20,259,990
  
• RealMadison.org: 14,876,503 (this after two months of existence!)
  
• City of Madison: 9,708,673
  
• Madison Chamber of Commerce (set up by the professionals at Credit Soup): 8,467,845
  
• Madison Daily Leader: 4,160,592
  
• MadisonSD.com (Credit Soup): 3,946,241
  
• KJAM Radio: 2,150,725
  
• Madison Public Library: 1,008,025
  
• Madville Times: 981,232

As the city reviews the proposed 2009 budget and asks for hard numbers on the return its getting for the money it spends on advertising, it should keep in mind that sometimes all it takes to get your community's name out there is a free website and some interesting, authentic content.