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Vetting?

Started by washingtonindependent · 10 months ago

ANCHORAGE — I just got off the phone with the very helpful city clerk at the Wasilla City Clerk’s office, Kristie Smithers, who is pulling some documents for me from when Gov. Sarah Palin was mayor. I told her I appreciated her help, since I’m sure she&% ... Continue reading »

38 comments

  • Rusty

    10 months ago

    I'm loving following you on twitter! That is awesome!
    reply
  • gaspare

    10 months ago

    Wow, just wow. It's 1:49pm EST. You posted this at 1:16pm. Maybe I'll shortly link and post this on dailykos or elsewhere, etc. So, the big question is why the pick? Palin was meant to be red meat for the GOP base, see if she can survive the week and knock it out of the park tomorrow? If things go bad, blame the liberal media and the Democrats. Simply shore up the GOP base which was changing the electorate from 38D,36R, 26I to 38D, 26R, 36I? McCain could shove Lieberman down thier throats so he went with Palin? Or more simply, 0 vetting? Too many angles, my guess is that it was a purely political calculation, full speed ahead, shore up the base, hype the hurricane, dump the 'news' on Monday. We'll know more in the coming hours and days.
    reply
  • riffle

    10 months ago

    Wow that is amazing. I guess the 10 Republican operattive/lawyers who are supposedly vetting her are just trying to check up on the soap-opera aspects of her life, and really aren't looking at her governance at all. Not all that surprising I guess, but revealing.

    gaspare wrote "my guess is that it was a purely political calculation"... My guess is that it was totally from McCain's impulsive, erratic gut after his supervisors told him he couldn't nominate a pro-choice candidate.
    reply
  • Toni

    10 months ago

    Thank you for doing something the major news outlets won't do - get to the facts that matter. This is very informative and I look forward to following your results.

    Keep up the great work!
    reply
  • Karl

    10 months ago

    The last agenda for a city council meeting in rural Iowa had more to do with the mayor making sure the dogs and street pot-holes were not a nuisance. That’s the sure way to stay re-elected and keep that 90% approval rating. Consistent with the republican rhetoric, does a mayor of 30,000 population have 6 times the “executive” experience of the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. My town has a good and hard-working mayor, and many could accept him as IA governor, but as VP? Get serious McCain supporters, I don’t see the 14 years experience you speak of.
    reply
  • Jaycal

    10 months ago

    Thank you Laura for turning to our fine civil servants and letting them perform their jobs. I look forward to what you find out, especially how a town of under 7,000 can end up in such extreme debt with only half a dozen employees... each loyal to Madame Mayor no less!
    reply
  • Wayne

    10 months ago

    Where are all the "ace" investigative reporters?? Where is Jeffy Gannon and Talon News, when you need them??
    reply
  • Lindsey Graham

    10 months ago

    Maybe Kristie Smithers should have been the VP nominee :)
    reply
  • Mike in Boston

    10 months ago

    Thanks Laura - if the McCain camp can't do it at least we have you. I have been following you on Twitter, hope the Mac problems have been fixed. I couldn't believe your previous message: "
    Another fun fact: Palin beat her opponent in the 1996 mayor's race 616-413." A landslide! Did it help after she fired thee Chief of Police and Librarian?
    reply
  • DrBB

    10 months ago

    You're talking about a guy who ranked at the bottom of his graduating class. Doing his goddamn homework has clearly never been a big priority.
    reply
  • Doug Fellers

    10 months ago

    How about stopping the lying. I work at the Wasilla City Hall. Produce the records request you prepared to get the records, or recant. Nobody at the City Clerk's office has ever heard of you.

    You have 1 hour to produce or recant.
    reply
  • furysmom

    10 months ago

    I just did a search for a Doug Fellers in Wasilla and didn't come up with anything. I did see a Donna Fellers. Are you Donna and support Palin, or are you Donna's son and a friend of Bristol's?
    reply
  • tLeonard

    10 months ago

    Hi Doug. This is strange. I guess this is proof that someone can claim anything on the Internet. No one here in the records and web division (both of us) has ever heard of Laura McGann.
    reply
  • mumu

    10 months ago

    Funny, since neither a "Doug Fellers" or "... Leonard ..." are listed as either of the two employees in the Wasilla City Clerk's office.

    From their website:
    http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=57
    Kristie Smithers, MMC, City Clerk
    Jamie Newman, CMC, Deputy Clerk

    That's odd - since the article specifically mentions Kristie Smithers as the contacted person.

    Thank you for proving your hypocrisy by showing us "someone can claim anything on the Internet" by lying about working in Wasilla City Clerk's office. Don't worry - you'll get the hang of using these Internet tubes soon enough.
    reply
  • furysmom

    10 months ago

    I am so happy to read your posts. Journalism isn't dead! I'll check back later tonight. Unbelievable. Thank you for giving me hope that they can't steal this election.
    reply
  • Warren Terra

    10 months ago

    Where are all the heavy hitters? It's fantastic that you're doing this - but doesn't anyone at the New York Times and their competitors believe in shoe leather anymore?
    reply
  • Richard H. Davis

    10 months ago

    This story just continues to amaze. Just when you think you have heard the most amazing thing, along comes another. Good work, and thanks.
    reply
  • roli

    10 months ago

    Get the documents fast. Republican operatives will try to destroy all evidence. We need everything on sites so it can not be cleaned up.
    reply
  • tLeonard

    10 months ago

    Who are you Laura McGann. No one here as ever heard of you or from you. We would like more information about who you are and who you talked to. What you've posted here, that no one until today requested this information, is completely false.
    reply
  • furysmom

    10 months ago

    Kristi Smithers is very easy to find as the clerk of wasilla. The fact that Laura McGann posted her name shows she is legit and getting to the bottom of this story. The rest of us would like you and "Doug" to slither back to KKKarl. We respect real journalism not the Jeff Gannon school of journalism.
    reply
  • WillMunny

    10 months ago

    You seem to be a responsible journalist....I am a little surprised that an official from city hall would call you out...surely this has to be a mistake....thank you for getting to the bottom of this...
    reply
  • furysmom

    10 months ago

    I sincerely doubt Wasilla has that many employees at City Hall. The person Laura McGann cited is real, the others I suspect are fake and trying to make us doubt Laura's abilities, honesty, etc.
    reply
  • Lynn

    10 months ago

    Unfreaking believable. Thanks for your efforts!!!!
    reply
  • Lawdawg

    10 months ago

    Ignore the imposters here claiming that the author has not called the clerk of Wasilla. Here is the official Wasilla government website, with contact information for Kristie Smithers:
    http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=57
    "Doug Fellers" and "tLeonard" are fakes and should be ignored.
    reply
  • crosspit

    10 months ago

    Democrats are being incredibly stupid here. McCain is not going to dump her unless something really dangerous turns up. The average voter is not in a political blog bubble and is only hearing teen baby teen baby. Dumping on Sarah Palin for that is NOT effective. So far I have seen very little on MSM except baby coverage and experience. Neither will work against Palin. The Republicans always run a better campaign. It's so frustrating. Palin is an extremist, lying about her record, and clearly is a politician who changes tune to match the current political climate. Instead of highlighting her obvious parallel to McCain's anything to win changes, you are all crowing over things that only the blogs are paying attention to at all. As usual the Republicans are in control of the media.
    reply
  • redjade

    10 months ago

    'Democrats are being incredibly stupid here. McCain is not going to dump her'

    Dude. you're missing the point totally.

    As a Dem, I DO NOT WANT McCAIN TO DUMP Palin. I want McCain to keep her - because it will help Obama/Biden win in November.
    reply
  • Karin Byars

    10 months ago

    I hope he does not dump her, she is a gift that keeps on giving and I can't wait to hear the debates. I only wish her voice were a bit less shrill. It is also fun to watch the press peel away all the layers of that onion named Sarah. Her entertainment value is priceless. I only hope the voters do the right thing in November, if they elect McCain we are truly screwed. Good work Laura!
    reply
  • Laura McGann

    10 months ago

    Hi All -- I have a stack of CDs here from the Clerk's office. It's everything on record from 1996 -- 2002. It'll take me some time to get through it all. Cheers.
    reply
  • MJB

    10 months ago

    Thank you for being a true journalist.
    reply
  • Wib Smith

    10 months ago

    Good on you, Laura McGann for asking for the information. You obviously are a journalist!
    reply
  • Pastor Agnostic

    10 months ago

    the FIRST?
    Thanks for going there, but this is insane.
    vetting by that cabal from DC is one thing. not doing their homework is something entirely differently.
    reply
  • Haley

    10 months ago

    my guess is that it was not a "purely political calculation, but rather a political ejaculation.
    reply
  • ExurbanMom

    10 months ago

    Wow. Just, wow.
    reply
  • Joyce Ellis

    10 months ago

    Haven't you heard - the vetters did not go into her hometown because they were afraid that the media might catch on to the "vettuing" process. Who needs to check into her past after she was Mayor and is now Govenor - who cul.d ask for more ex[pperience than that? University of Idaho ranks right up there with the Ivies - right? "any mother of five kids" is ready to be president? Any mother with five kids and a brain would opt out of the job.
    And Sarah, if you think "the Founding Fathers" put under God in the pledge of alligence you need to go back home and coach hockey. John McCain shows only disdain for the American people with this choice for VP and it puts women's equality back to square one. There are millions of women out here who want a qualified woman to run - so it wasn't Hillary this time - if Sarah gets in the north pole will be ice covered before we see a woman as president in her own right. McCain may not live to be 96 like his mama and even she said people would hold there nose to vote for him.
    reply
  • Norma

    10 months ago

    The media need to investiage the "Mat Maid" issue and why did Gov Palin destroy the organization, used up the money by replacing it with her croonies then discontinued the organization when it failed and misappropriated the Federal grants. Why is the media not investigating that information.
    reply
  • Janet

    10 months ago

    I certainly hope all the available information comes out about Palin. She came across as a really nasty person in her acceptance speech. Just what we need in the White House (if something happened to Mac), another vindictive vengeful person who doesn't know up from down.

    I just found out that she went to 6 colleges in 6 years. This is questionable behavior. Wonder what the story is there?
    reply
  • Anti-McCain/Palin

    9 months ago

    KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

    It just goes to show you how corrupt the government is... And how they rely on laziness and stupidity.
    reply
  • Gregory Marriage Tips

    7 months ago

    Heh, what a story. My mum is a office clerk and she always had very much work on her schedule.
    reply

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