Palin, not Pawlenty, snubs CPAC over Birch ties
Friday, January 08, 2010 at 3:55 pm
- 5 Comments
Photo: WDCpix
Sarah Palin will not attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) next month – in part, according to The Fix, because the John Birch Society is a co-sponsor. That isn’t stopping Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is set to speak at CPAC.
In a Star Tribune “Letter of the Day”, Pawlenty was taken to task for palling around with an organization that’s “off the deep end of the conspiratorial conservative spectrum of Republicanism.”
Such guilt by organizational association is “stupid and demeaning,” writes Eric Black at MinnPost. But he gives a history of the group anyway (it’s one of 90 CPAC co-sponsors) and tries, without success, to get a comment from Pawlenty.
As for Palin, David Weigel at the Washington Independent judges her anti-Bircher excuse “less convincing” than others, in view of her coziness with the even further-right WorldNetDaily via the Tea Party Convention at which she will speak (for pay).
A 1995 photo of Palin at her Wasilla City Council desk, with a big smile and a copy of the John Birch Society magazine, surfaced just before the 2008 presidential election. (Presumably that magazine was included in her response to CBS’ Katie Couric asked Palin question about which newspapers and magazines she reads: “All of them. Any of them that have been in front of me all these years.”)
In case Pawlenty wants to bone up the Birchers, here’s a quick review, courtesy of another Minnesotan:
5 Comments
Comment posted January 8, 2010 @ 5:06 pm
Palin cites ethics questions of one of the CPAC organizers as her reason for not attending. It’s amazing that someone who was found guilty of ethics violations has the gall to question the ethics of anyone else. Although she lied, the Branchflower Report did find Palin guilty.
Comment posted January 8, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
Actually, Palin’s going to a Tea Party conference instead because they’re paying her $100k, and CPAC doesn’t pay anything.
Who knew that the office of the ex-vice-presidential candidate was such a lucrative gig?
Comment posted January 9, 2010 @ 4:26 pm
After all the “fun” Republicans had playing guilt by association of President Obama with Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers, one might expect Democrats to return the favor, if Mr. Pawlenty consorts with John Birch extremists. Having them as one of 90 sponsors though, hard to make stick.
I’d bet there are even more “out there” groups in sponsor’s list for CPAC, if some investigative journalism was undertaken.
I wondered if $ was involved in Palin’s decision. Mark G’s assertion is not surprising, if accurate. She’s about the money just now, isn’t she? But one HAS to wonder who would put up $100,000 to hear anything she has to say, seriously. Are teabaggers that short on thoughtful speakers?
Comment posted February 12, 2011 @ 6:16 pm
Wow I didn’t know Palin was guilty of ethics violation. So I looked up this “Branchflower Report” to find out more. What a joke. It’s a review of Palin’s firing of the Commisioner of Public Safety.
Finding #1 – She abused her power….however..
Findings #2 and #3. – Nothing improper was done!
Finding #4 – The author couldn’t get copies of emails from the Attorney General.
Ha-ha – What a load of crap.
Comment posted March 7, 2011 @ 3:38 pm
Well, the Tea Party IS the JBS!
Koch bros father was a charter member, and they’ve been looking for a way into the mainstream since the 1950′s, along with the David Dukes of the world, and they have found a home in the Tea Party. Their new name is Americans for Prosperity, funded by …the Kochs!
Like Rupert Murdoch, they use theri money to make up their own facts and get unsophisticated right wingers to buy into it….just like the JBS!
They used to say the president was a communist ( Ike, no less) but now they say Obama is a Socialist (People from socialist countries are puzzled by that one).
It’s the same thing. as McCarthy era poitics all over again, complete with our own Michelle Batshit caling out members of congress as “anti-American”.
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