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Anchorage Daily News provides helpful Palin context

July 07, 2009 3:06 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

The conservative talking point is that Palin had to quit being governor because of all the baseless ethics complaints being filed against her by her political opponents. They were crippling her ability to govern--paralyzing her--and  costing the state millions of dollars in fees.

Here's how the ADN explains the situation [emphasis added]:

The governor repeatedly returned to the subject of ethics complaints filed against her during her 10-minute interview with the Daily News, saying she spent "most of my day, and my staff, most of their day and the department of law, a lot of their day on the frivolity."

There have been 18 known ethics complaints filed against her. The governor's office said they've been dismissed so far with no finding of wrongdoing, although she did settle a complaint over state-paid travel for her children.

The state personnel board put its cost of dealing with the complaints at about $300,000 -- around two-thirds of which was in addressing the "Troopergate" issue last fall. Palin herself initiated the personnel board investigation on "Troopergate," saying that the state Legislature's investigation of the matter was politicized and she was seeking the appropriate venue to deal with it.

A) Palin quit over $300,000?

B) Is the rest of the press going to report this?

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    • Author by newzhound (July 07, 2009 3:25 pm ET)
      3 1
      So, due to Gov. Palin's actions there were two investigations into "Troopergate" rather than one.

      Did this result in an increased cost to the state of Alaska? But it was worth it? You betcha!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (July 07, 2009 3:42 pm ET)
      1  
      Wow. More lies from Gov. Palin. Why am I not surprised?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by kfraz43 (July 07, 2009 4:04 pm ET)
      2  
      I'm still trying to figure out when she had time to spend most of her day on this "frivolity" when she spent less time in her home state than Bush did in the White House.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by jtragos (July 07, 2009 4:49 pm ET)
      3  
      So let's change A) and B) to:

      A) Palin quit over $300,000 -- $200,000 of which was the cost of her own ethics complaint against herself?

      B) Is the rest of the press going to report this, and if they do will they acknowledge the six figure cost incurred through Palin's own initiation?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by shaggles (July 07, 2009 5:32 pm ET)
        3  
        She can probably only be blamed for $100K since she only initiated 1 of the 2 Troopergate probes but that's still a sizable chunk of the whole.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by jtragos (July 07, 2009 10:42 pm ET)
          2  
          The initial Troopergate investigation was done by the state Legislature and isn't included in the $300,000, if that's the other investigation you're referring to. But there was another Troopergate complaint that the state personnel board did handle, initiated by the trooper's union. So you're right that the entire amount (which the ADN puts at $187,797) can't be blamed on her. Hopefully the board will release more detailed information on the cost of each of the ethics probes.
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    • Author by nerzog (July 07, 2009 5:29 pm ET)
      3  
      And how much did the Clinton Witch Hunts cost us? Forty million? Fifty million?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by jtragos (July 07, 2009 10:59 pm ET)
           
        Good point. And every breathing second Clinton spent as President during the Monica sex scandal cum impeachment was done so under exponentialey more duress and media ridicule than Palin -- with her self-indulgent and exaggerrated Sarah-noid persecution complex -- can ever pretend to have suffered. And he never quit.
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    • Author by LIBERTY OR DEATH (July 07, 2009 6:39 pm ET)
        2
      If Governor Palin felt it was better for the state of Alaska and her
      family to let someone else finish her term, she made the right move.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by bilbo_dies (July 07, 2009 8:40 pm ET)
        1  
        by LIBERTY OR DEATH
        If Governor Palin felt it was better for the state of Alaska and her
        family to let someone else finish her term, she made the right move.

        I second the "she made the right move".
        Please put your own appropriate spin here:
        Report Abuse
        • Author by jtragos (July 07, 2009 11:48 pm ET)
          2  
          Bilbo, let me point out an interesting insight into wingnut commentary. Wingnuts will often give themselves handles evoking patriotic bravado or memories of the American Revolution and our Founding Fathers, such as Libertyain'tfree, or Don't Tread On Me.
          Then, completely unaware that the Revolution was fought against the dominant forces of that time and that our Founding Fathers were men of reason and free-thinking indepedence, and completely oblivious to their self-inflicted irony, they go on to offer the most subserviant and docile regurgitations of the classic Right Wing Authoritarian Follower. Case in point above:
          LIBERTY OR DEATH writes; "Umm, If my leader says it was for the best, then it was for the best."
          Stirring, isn't it? Nathan Hale must be proud.
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