Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 04:59 pm
Shortly after it was announced that former US Sen. Ted Stevens had passed away in a plane crash in Alaska, Sarah Palin took to her Facebook page to offer words of condolence for her political mentor. In fact she used few words of condolence, and instead used Stevens to defend her $500 million theft of taxpayer money a.k.a. the natural gas pipeline.
Palin’s Facebook tribute started off well, “It’s with great sadness that Todd and I hear the reports coming in of Senator Ted Stevens’ passing in the plane crash near Dillingham. In our land of towering mountains and larger than life characters, none were larger than the man who in 2000 was voted “Alaskan of the Century.” This decorated World War II pilot was a warrior and a true champion of Alaska.”
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In the midst of honoring Stevens’ legacy, in typical Palin fashion, she felt the need to promote and defend herself, “In 40 years of service in the U.S. Senate, he fought tenaciously for Alaska’s future. Alaskans know how much we owe to Senator Stevens, but all Americans owe him a debt of gratitude for his leadership on many issues, including the crucial energy issues that fuel American prosperity. Two years ago, he sat at my kitchen table over a salmon lunch, and we talked about our long anticipated Alaska natural gas pipeline and our mutual commitment to have the Last Frontier’s rich resources contribute to America’s quest for energy independence.”
Palin closed by correctly mentioning Stevens’ co-sponsorship of Title IX, “Our Senator was also known for spearheading efforts to ensure equality in education, and his Title IX legislation allowed girls to be on a level playing field in the athletic arena. Our hearts and prayers are with the Stevens family and the families of the other victims of the crash.” For Palin Title IX is about sports, but it is really a much more significant piece of legislation, because it banned discrimination based on sex in all federally funded educational institutions. The legislation covers all areas of academic life including healthcare and housing. It is much more than a piece of sports legislation.
It is interesting to me that Palin failed to mention that Stevens was her political mentor, but she did manage to tell, or maybe concoct, a lunchtime tale that just so happens to defend her recently collapsed natural gas pipeline project. I can’t help but wonder if this charming memory was included as a response to our own Sarah Jones’ recent post about how Palin fleeced the taxpayers out of $500 million in a very shady pipeline deal with TransCanada.
It is not accidental that Palin just happened to pay tribute to Stevens in a way that showcased her issues. Palin has now proven that she does not possess even the most basic social grace; she can’t even honor the dead without lapsing into self promotion. I guess she was showing restraint. She managed not to plug her reality show or her new book, but only she could turn a tribute to Ted Stevens into Facebook infomercial for Sarah Palin Inc.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
