Geoffrey Dunn Award-winning journalist
In passages leaked from her forthcoming book America by Heart, Sarah Palin -- the erstwhile quitter governor of Alaska, who now, by all indications, fancies herself as President of the United States -- has taken another cheap shot at First Lady Michelle Obama.
In a passage on perceptions of racial inequality in the United States, Palin slams President Barack Obama, who, she asserts, "seems to believe" that "America -- at least America as it currently exists -- is a fundamentally unjust and unequal country."
And then she goes after Michelle Obama:
Certainly his wife expressed this view when she said during the 2008 campaign that she had never felt proud of her country until her husband started winning elections. In retrospect, I guess this shouldn't surprise us, since both of them spent almost two decades in the pews of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's church listening to his rants against America and white people.
The passage -- coming on page 26 in a chapter entitled "We, the People" -- echoes remarks made by Palin on the eve of the midterm elections, at a rally in San Jose, California, at which point she mocked remarks made by Michelle Obama during the 2008 campaign: "You know, when I hear people say, or had said during the campaign that they've never been proud of America," Palin spat out. "Haven't they met anybody in uniform yet? I get tears in my eyes when I see that young man, that young woman, walking through the airport in uniform...you too... so proud to be American."
In fact, Michelle Obama's remarks were made (in Madison, Wisconsin, during the 2008 campaign) in a context of Americans being "unified around some basic common issues":
What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something--for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction, and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I've seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it's made me proud.
Afterwards, the First Lady further clarified her remarks by noting that she was referencing the "record number" of young voters participating in the political process in the 2008 campaign:
For the first time in my lifetime, I am seeing people rolling up their sleeves in way that I haven't seen and really trying to figure this out, and that's the source of pride I was talking about.
The passages from Palin's latest book first appeared at Palingates, where several other pages from American by Heart have also been posted. Palin followed up her comments about Michelle Obama by throwing an elbow at U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, also focusing on racial overtones:
It also makes sense, then, that the man President Obama made his attorney general, Eric Holder, would call us a "nation of cowards" for failing to come to grips with what he described as the persistence of racism.
Award-winning writer and filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn's book The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power will be published by St. Martin's Press in April of 2011. Thanks to Patrick at Palingates for the screen shot.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
President Obama's accomplishments so far.
Require health insurance plans to disclose how much of the premium actually goes to patient care.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Significantly increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2010summary/html/ovw-bud-summary.htm
Lifted restrictions granting Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103030021
Eliminated subsidies to private lender middlemen of student loans and protect student borrowers.
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/college-planning/the-health-care-bill-and-your-student-loans/?print=1
Increased funding for national parks and forests by 10%
http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/park_funding_102909.html
Significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
Expanded hate crime law in the US to include sexual orientation through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
http://www.hrc.org/13699.htm
Provided stimulus funding to boost private sector spaceflight programs.
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=458
Appointed nation's first Chief Technology Officer.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp
Signed financial reform law establishing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law requiring lenders to verify applicants' credit history, income, and employment status.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law prohibiting banks from engaging in proprietary trading (trading the bank's own money to turn a profit, often in conflict with their customers' interests)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law allowing shareholders of publicly traded companies to vote on executive pay.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Cut prescription drug cost for medicare recipients by 50%.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary
Provided $12.2 Billion in new funding for Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html
Extended Benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-extension-benefits-same-sex-domestic-partners-federal-emplo
Appointed more openly gay officials than any other president in US history.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/26/obama-has-appointed-most-us-gay-officials/
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: a $789 billion economic stimulus plan.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ5/pdf/PLAW-111publ5.pdf
Created more private sector jobs in 2010 than during entire Bush years.
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/10/08/its-official-more-private-sector-jobs-created-in-2010-than-during-entire-bush-years/
Voluntary disclosure of White House visitors for the first time in US history.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records
Appointed first Latina to the US Supreme Court.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104648062
Promoted social responsibility through creation of serve.gov, a national database of volunteer opportunities.
http://www.serve.gov/
Reversed 'global gag rule', allowing US aid to go to organizations regardless of whether they provide abortions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/barack-obama-foreign-abortion-aid
Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco for the first time.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1256enr.txt.pdf
Signed New START Treaty - nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/world/europe/09prexy.html?_r=1
Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting in 2016.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040101412.html
Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_of_2009
Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/pentagon-will-help-families/
Reversed the policy of barring media coverage during the return of fallen soldiers to Dover Air Force Base.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7986203.stm
Launched recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, providing transparency and allowing the public to report fraud, waste, or abuse.
http://recovery.gov
Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America's Veterans.
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which provides health care to 11 million kids -- 4 million of whom were previously uninsured.
http://themiddleclass.org/bill/children039s-health-insurance-program-reauthorization-act-2009
Repealed Bush era restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/09/obama-administration-stem-cell-funding
Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis.
http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.ddJFKRNoFiG/b.4506337/apps/s/content.asp?ct=6866203
Developed stimulus package, which includes approx. $18 billion for nondefense scientific research and development.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/science/18sfstimulus.html
Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful spending in the defense procurement and contracting system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_Systems_Acquisition_Reform_Act_of_2009
Issued executive order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html
Ended Bush administration's CIA program of 'enhanced interrogation methods' by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terrorism interrogations.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html
Increased minority access to capital.
http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/news_release_09-58.pdf
Health Care Reform Bill, preventing insurance companies from denying insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
There are plenty more. Our President is working tirelessly to help out our country. What are you doing to help out your country?
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Significantly increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2010summary/html/ovw-bud-summary.htm
Lifted restrictions granting Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103030021
Eliminated subsidies to private lender middlemen of student loans and protect student borrowers.
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/college-planning/the-health-care-bill-and-your-student-loans/?print=1
Increased funding for national parks and forests by 10%
http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/park_funding_102909.html
Significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
Expanded hate crime law in the US to include sexual orientation through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
http://www.hrc.org/13699.htm
Provided stimulus funding to boost private sector spaceflight programs.
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=458
Appointed nation's first Chief Technology Officer.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp
Signed financial reform law establishing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law requiring lenders to verify applicants' credit history, income, and employment status.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law prohibiting banks from engaging in proprietary trading (trading the bank's own money to turn a profit, often in conflict with their customers' interests)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Signed financial reform law allowing shareholders of publicly traded companies to vote on executive pay.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html
Cut prescription drug cost for medicare recipients by 50%.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary
Provided $12.2 Billion in new funding for Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html
Extended Benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-extension-benefits-same-sex-domestic-partners-federal-emplo
Appointed more openly gay officials than any other president in US history.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/26/obama-has-appointed-most-us-gay-officials/
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: a $789 billion economic stimulus plan.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ5/pdf/PLAW-111publ5.pdf
Created more private sector jobs in 2010 than during entire Bush years.
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/10/08/its-official-more-private-sector-jobs-created-in-2010-than-during-entire-bush-years/
Voluntary disclosure of White House visitors for the first time in US history.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records
Appointed first Latina to the US Supreme Court.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104648062
Promoted social responsibility through creation of serve.gov, a national database of volunteer opportunities.
http://www.serve.gov/
Reversed 'global gag rule', allowing US aid to go to organizations regardless of whether they provide abortions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/barack-obama-foreign-abortion-aid
Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco for the first time.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1256enr.txt.pdf
Signed New START Treaty - nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/world/europe/09prexy.html?_r=1
Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting in 2016.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040101412.html
Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_of_2009
Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/pentagon-will-help-families/
Reversed the policy of barring media coverage during the return of fallen soldiers to Dover Air Force Base.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7986203.stm
Launched recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, providing transparency and allowing the public to report fraud, waste, or abuse.
http://recovery.gov
Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America's Veterans.
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which provides health care to 11 million kids -- 4 million of whom were previously uninsured.
http://themiddleclass.org/bill/children039s-health-insurance-program-reauthorization-act-2009
Repealed Bush era restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/09/obama-administration-stem-cell-funding
Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis.
http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.ddJFKRNoFiG/b.4506337/apps/s/content.asp?ct=6866203
Developed stimulus package, which includes approx. $18 billion for nondefense scientific research and development.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/science/18sfstimulus.html
Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful spending in the defense procurement and contracting system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_Systems_Acquisition_Reform_Act_of_2009
Issued executive order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html
Ended Bush administration's CIA program of 'enhanced interrogation methods' by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terrorism interrogations.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html
Increased minority access to capital.
http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/news_release_09-58.pdf
Health Care Reform Bill, preventing insurance companies from denying insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/
There are plenty more. Our President is working tirelessly to help out our country. What are you doing to help out your country?
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