Palin Projects Hit Mac's Pork List

Just a coincidence that pork benefits own real estate, they say

(NEWSER) - Members of Congress are not only steering earmarks to their own districts, but also their own backyards, funding projects that boost the value of properties they own, a Washington Post investigation finds. Comparing disclosure forms against public records revealed that over the last few years, some 33 members of Congress have directed more than $300 million to projects within two miles of, and sometimes right next to, their own property. Another 16 sent earmarks to companies or projects where their family members are employed. More»

Senate race shows clear split on DC-dependence

(NEWSER) - It must be the air up there, but Alaska has a seeming case of schizophrenia, writes Gail Collins in the New York Times. The state, and especially its politicians, champion its independent, frontier spirit even as it simultaneously and relentlessly shakes Washington down for cash—to the tune of the feds footing about a third of its vaunted budget. Sarah Palin seamlessly embraced both positions, adding a somewhat-ironic anti-earmark stance when she signed on to John McCain's campaign, but the race for Lisa Murkowski's seat shows a clear divergence. More»

Alaska guv fails the earmarks-per-day test she applies to Obama

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin called them "un-American" and John McCain denied again Friday that she requested them as governor of Alaska. But the Wall Street Journal, doing the math on earmarks, finds that Palin sought $453 million of them for her state since taking office, including $197 million in the current fiscal year. And using the same calculation she applies to Barack Obama—earmark dollars sought per day in office—her record is worse than his. More»

Fish, crabs, and seals studied with millions Alaska gov. requested

(NEWSER) - Despite what he calls her “recasting as an anti-earmark champion,” Ben Smith writes in Politico that Sarah Palin has consistently sought millions in such funds for her home state of Alaska. But while "every self-respecting mayor and governor in America seeks federal dollars for local projects," many of Palin's are "exactly the sort that McCain has made a career of mocking—like animal research." More»

Commentators weigh in on how Sarah Palin did

(NEWSER) - How’d Sarah Palin do in her convention debut? Commentators agree that she showed impressive speaking skills, but part ways on whether she was convincing as a potential VP.

• The speech was “great” but “vicious,” Dahlia Lithwick writes at Slate. Palin, uses what Lithwick calls a risky tactic: “If your opponent is larger than life, strive to be smaller than life.”