The Bridge To Nowhere Lie Returns: McCain Claims Palin ‘Stood Up Against’ The Project
The Bridge To Nowhere Lie Returns: McCain Claims Palin ‘Stood Up Against’ The Project
After the talking point was thoroughly debunked, the McCain campaign slowly backed away from the claim that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said “thank but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. But in Wisconsin today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) brought the line back, claiming that Palin “stood up against” the project:
MCCAIN: Let me mention to you one more time, the earmarks and pork-barrel spending very quickly because, because, it is so important because it is not only gotten out of control, but it’s end up with members of Congress residing in federal prison cause it’s corrupting and it’s your money and they think it’s their’s. They think it’s their money, not yours. And we’ve had a Bridge to Nowhere, $233 million bridge in Alaska, which I’m glad, happy to say, this governor stood up against.
Watch it:
As ThinkProgress has noted, when Palin ran for governor, she supported the project and defended it against “the spinmeisters” who wanted to turn it “into something that’s so negative.” When she finally redirected funds away from the bridge, she lamented the fact that Congress had “little interest in spending any more money” on the project.
McCain’s claim today is at least the 37th time his campaign has lied about Palin and the bridge:
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Uh-oh! Hey, Keith – better get out your checkbook!!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pmI am more interested in the absolute incoherency of his statement. My mother was and English teacher, and I think she MAY have a few problems with this. I tired to read the statements before watching, and I got lost a time or two.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pmIt’s a terrific sign when you spew the same debunked lie , McDepends , and bloviate about earmarks and pork-barrel spending , after voting FOR the Bail-Out bill that included almost $150 BILLION in earmarks and pork barrel projects ………….
What a putz……………
October 9th, 2008 at 2:14 pmWhen all you have is a narrative, it helps to read different chapters. They finished the children’s book on Wasilly Sarah.
Open the cover and start again…
October 9th, 2008 at 2:14 pmSir, it is my duty to inform you…your pants are on fire.
*Apologies to the great Jon Stewart.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pmMcSame is relying on the short attention span of the American voter, or else assuming their memories are as bad as his.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pmMeanwhile , out on the campaign trail , McDepends is prattling on endlessly about Obama’s lack of “honesty” with the American people in not being forthcoming in regards to his “true relationship” with William Ayers …………
October 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pmMCCAIN: Let me mention to you one more time, the earmarks and pork-barrel spending very quickly because, because, it is so important because it is not only gotten out of control, but it’s end up with members of Congress residing in federal prison cause it’s corrupting and it’s your money and they think it’s there’s. They think it’s there money, not yours. And we’ve had a Bridge to Nowhere, $233 million bridge in Alaska, which I’m glad, happy to say, this governor stood up against.
Seriously, who transcribed this? That’s pretty bad.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:18 pmHe must be backing off “his” new mortgage scandal and needed the filler.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pmI really, REALLY, believe this man is suffering rapid onset dementia. His whole “fellow prisoners” thing yesterday, his constant gaffes and mental wanderings. I really think his handlers are working overtime trying to re-spin the crap that comes out when he opens his mouth. Perhaps we’ll see books when it’s all over about the challenges they faced trying to keep the old codger’s diapers clean.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm…but it’s end up with members of Congress residing in federal prison cause it’s corrupting and it’s your money and they think it’s there’s.
There is not one member of Congress who is in prison because of earmarks. They are in prison because they took bribes. One does not equal the other.
I think that Obama really missed an opportunity at the last debate. He should have said firmly that the amount spent on earmarks is XXXXX dollars which is XXX% of our budget. Then he should have gone on to say that not all earmarks are bad. That some fund very worthy projects. He could also say that some are frivolous and should never be funded. He could then go on to say that as President, he will sponsor two “earmark” bills a year where states ask for projects to be funded. They will be totally transparent and only be in specific bills for earmarks. No earmarks can be included in any other bill. I think that would work great. There are many very worthy projects that have been funded through earmarks. The way McCain says it, they are all worthless and frivolous.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pmMcCain claims Palin ’stood up against’ this project. Well if by standing against it you mean that she helped to support it then yeah, I guess you’re right!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:23 pmBeat me to it ADDdaddy.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:25 pmI’ve noticed a very potent strategy employed by the Right in cases like this; they don’t make a simple false statement that can be debunked on one straightforward point.
No, they’ve discovered that it’s much more effective if they craft a convoluted statement of such disparate threads of falsity that opponents (i. e., those that care about the Truth) much choose which angle of attack will yield the best outcome. This disperses the damage and dilutes the attacks, thus allowing confusion to come to their aid. Since their adherents are intolerant of overlapping arguments, they will instinctively seek the position that makes them feel better and makes their head stop hurting.
For instance, one could attack the Bridge to Nowhere claim on the basis of a lie about Palin’s “maverickiness” — she supported it until it became politically untenable.
Or one could attack it based on its false conclusion — since the money was appropriated anyway and went to different projects, Gov. Palin’s timely opposition didn’t save the American taxpayer a dime.
But those two narratives collide slightly, and that slight collision is all a wingnut needs to retreat back into his secure location and mumble about how Palin is a Maverick™ and so’s her old man.
It’s a very clever strategy, if you’ve got no actual facts on your side.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:25 pmCan we put McSame and Pallid on that bridge and send them on their way?
October 9th, 2008 at 2:25 pmIs someone ever going to explain to McDepends that eliminating earmarks altogether would simply give federal agencies authority over how taxpayer dollars are spent ?
Is that “better” ?
October 9th, 2008 at 2:27 pmSeriously, McNumbNuts is down to the stems and seeds. It is really sad to see him savage and squander what little was left of his self-styled and phony profile. There should be no one left to wonder about his motivation and lack of honesty. The man is a complete and total whore who should be removed from the Senate and never permitted to set foot in the Oval Office even as a visitor.
I am beginning to think that the desperation is so thick and his anger is under such pressure that we could truly see a blow-up and/or total melt-down at the next presidential debate. He is trapped in a room without doors. There is no exit for him. He has nothing more to lose.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:35 pmI would suspect that the new attack speeches aren’t working so they’ve simply brushed off the last version of the stump speech, lies and all.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pmAnd we should be surprised by this? In the last poll, Teddy Boy Stevens, the Godfather of the bridge and having his house lifted by VECO is now a point ahead in his race for retaining his seat in the Senate.
I guess it takes a special kind of LIV in Alaska to keep bringing these scumbags back in office.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pmAs a Maverick, John McCain isn’t ever going to let the facts tell him what to say!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:41 pmI think Bridge to Nowhere pretty much describes the McCain Campaign now.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:42 pmThis absurd claim has been put to rest by inumerable fact-based investigations. Only the woefully uninformed or doggedly loyal lock-steppers could possibly think this phoney
October 9th, 2008 at 2:43 pmtalking point will translate into a winning strategy.
Newsflash for the McSameiacs:
We have had a lying SOB in the White House for the past eight years and we will not tolerate another lying SOB even if he is old, senile, and was a POW FORTY FREAKING YEARS AGO!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:46 pmI guess the conservative audience is just too freaking stupid to remember that this is a lie….or maybe just willfully ignorant to any lie a Repuke throws their way.
Probably the latter, they do watch Faux Made Up News, Far from Balanced.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:57 pmGramps McSame campaign should called “Running on Empty.”
McSame + Rehashed Bridge to Nowhere spin = a very much hosed election for the Maverick.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pmAnyone ever wonder why Mccan’t doesn’t go for earmarks for
October 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pmArizona?
Arizona gets over 4.5 billion a year in “military” funds. (many big bases)
Arizona has over 230,000 native americans and they get a
check every month from uncle sam.
i hate to even bring up clinton, but wasn’t the right’s main problem with the entire affair the LYING. i can’t even remember how many times that my fundie-in-laws told me they just couldn’t trust bill because he was a liar.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm.
Q U E S T I O N:
With the influence of “CONSERVATIVES” over the last 30 years, especially these last 8 years, why isn’t the term “Conservative” a dirty word by now?
.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pmThe Big Lie! Tell it BIG! Tell it OFTEN!
October 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pmPee runs down my leg
October 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pmShoes all squishy now and warm
Prisoners please vote
It is in my book.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:05 pmGeez, they even pulled that lie out of his campaign ads.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:11 pmThe right wingers are really running on empty at this point.
One good thing is the more Mcsame opens his mouth the more you can see he really has no sense of decency, never has.
take caretony and lido
Is mcchimpy quoted correctly? I had a hard time understanding the beginning.
mcchimpy has absolutely no campaign.
He is more like an elementary school student running for class president, promising free lunch, longer recess time and shorter class time.
I read yesterday she is again pushing for the bridge (something like that.) I’ll try to find the article.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pmNEW Palin Lies: “Bridge to Nowhere”’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated!!
October 9th, 2008 at 3:24 pmWhy do repugs pronounce “government” as govment? Hillbillies.
Listening to limpydic, mcchimpy, chimpy and other repugs pronounce this word makes me wonder if this a repug kinda flag-pin-ish, coded, bs thing.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:36 pmI agree with your thinking but…If the earmarks in your suggestion are “totally transparent” and “only in specific bills,” then are they really earmarks anymore? That sounds more like “legislation.”
October 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pmIt’s a crying shame that an intelligent, presidential candidate, Sen. Obama… Michael Seitzman (hufpo) says it better than me
Obama\Biden
October 9th, 2008 at 4:01 pmmcchimpy wants to turn the page on the economy when in fact he should turn the page on his mess of a campaign.
October 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm..but, as I understand it, she kept the bridge money anyway, and put it in Alaska’s state coffers. So, it’s not like she actually saved the federal taxpayers anything. Where do she and JohnnyMac get off with this nonsense?
October 9th, 2008 at 4:41 pmIt is so funny that the bridge to nowhere keeps getting brought up and disputed on CNN no less. The obamamanic keep spouting the same old thing. It has been shown that Obama and Biden voted for the Bridge twice and then when the bill was killed a senator wanted to take some of the money and give it to New Orleans to help rebuild a bridge Twin Span Bridge after Katrina but guess what Obama and Biden voted NO. So they wanted to give Alaska the Bridge to nowhere but did not want to help Katrinia victims. REALLY NICE YEAH KEEP BEING SPOON FEED BY THIS IDIOT AND THE IDIOT MEDIA THAT WILL NOT TELL THE TRUTH OR FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF WHAT THE TRUTH IS AND ALL I CAN SAY IS IF OBAMA GETS ELECTED YOU THINK IT IS BAD NOW JUST WAIT. YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ANYTHING YET. HOW ABOUT LOOKING UP A FEW THINGS IF YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM MSNBC.
THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT
October 9th, 2008 at 8:36 pmGLOBAL POVERTY ACT
OBAMA AND HIS CONNENCTION TO KENYA AND ODINGA
OBAMA AND ACORN
OBAMA AND HIS FORMER DISTRICT IN CHICAGO
Barack Obama and Raila Odinga — Did the Illinois senator
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1P_P8lBCsE
Barack Obama, Islam, Terrorists & Terrorism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_N1rqVo2W0
The Obama and Odinga Connection
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bpvLV3d1Eq4
Where did Obama get his campaign slogan from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nteBRe74xG8
Barack Obama & Raila Odinga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QcpdUtxNQ
October 9th, 2008 at 8:38 pmOH MY GOD Sharon you are a complete idiot. We have already debunked the halfway SANE ravings you just puked out on this site. Its not worth going over again except to say you REALLY are a brainwashed moron if you are still taking them seriously as for Obama and Islam. I urge you to leave the cramped confines of Planet WINGNUT where brainwashing and idiocy have replace ACTUAL reality and at least VISIT Planet Earth, we have a nice climate and some good restaurants or remain in the darkness of your complete ignorance if that is what makes you comfortable but posting such abject stupidity only makes you look like a fool and no one is ever going to take you seriously.
Lets introduce your ignorant ass to snopes before you humiliate yourself further
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/kenya.asp
October 10th, 2008 at 9:34 am