Originally Posted by
mkriii
"Bridge to Nowhere" and Knik Arm Bridge
In 2005–06 before Palin became governor, two proposed bridges gained national attention as symbols of pork barrel spending:[99] the Gravina Island Bridge, proposed to connect the 8000 resident Ketchikan to the Ketchikan International Airport on Gravina Island, and the Knik Arm Bridge, proposed to cross Cook Inlet, north of Anchorage, Alaska. The Gravina Island Bridge proposal became nicknamed the "Bridge to Nowhere" because of the island's population of fifty. Rarely, the term "bridges to nowhere" has been used to refer to both proposals. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, the project's goal was to "provide better service to the airport and allow for development of large tracts of land on the island".
As a candidate in 2006, Palin said in Ketchikan that the Gravina Island Bridge was essential for prosperity, but later cancelled the bridge. The goal of the Gravina project, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, was to "provide better service to the airport" than the current ferry that serves 350,000 passengers per year, and "allow for development of large tracts of land on the island." The second bridge is a $600 million project to open up development and provide an alternate link from Anchorage to Wasilla; the bridge is being evaluated by officials as a possible threat to nearby beluga whales.
In 2005, a $442 million earmark for bridge construction was included in an early version of a 2006 omnibus spending bill, but generated strong criticism in Congress and was stripped from the bill before final passage in November 2005. Congress instead gave unrestricted transportation money to Alaska. In 2006, Palin ran for governor with a "build-the-bridge" plank in her platform, saying she would "not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project ... into something that's so negative." She criticized the use of the word "nowhere" as insulting to local residents and urged speedy work on building the bridges "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
In September 2007, Palin said that Congress had "little interest in spending any more money" on the Gravina Bridge due to what she called "inaccurate portrayals of the projects". She directed Alaskan officials to look for an alternative way to connect Gravina Island with the mainland. Palin opted not to return the $442 million in federal transportation funds, and spent $25 million in federal funds on a Gravina Island access road to where the bridge would have gone; Palin's spokesperson said that the island road would open territory for development. According to Alaskan state officials, the state went ahead with building the road because the $25 million would otherwise have had to be returned to the Federal government. Palin continued to support the Knik Arm Bridge until she ordered a funding and feasibility review in June 2008.
Gas pipeline
In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope. This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract to a coalition including BP. The bill was approved with only a single dissenting vote, and in June, Palin signed it into law. On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corporation, was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant. In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority to award TransCanada Pipelines $500 million in seed money and a license to build and operate the $26-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Continental United States through Canada. According to Newsweek, which describes the project as Palin's main achievement as governor, the pipeline will be built only if Canadian authorities can strike a deal with indigenous tribes of the First Nation, who are accusing Palin and other pipeline proponents of treating them with disrespect by not consulting with them.
2008 Vice-presidential campaign
Palin addresses the 2008 Republican National ConventionOn August 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio, Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate. McCain met Palin in a February National Governors Association, and it is reported that she made a favorable impression on McCain. He called Palin on August 24 to discuss the possibility of having her join him on the ticket. On August 27, Palin visited McCain's vacation home near Sedona, Arizona, where she was offered the position of vice-presidential candidate. Palin was the only prospective running mate who had a face-to-face interview with McCain to discuss joining the ticket that week. Nonetheless, Palin's selection was a surprise to many as speculation had centered on other candidates, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.
Palin is the second woman to run on a major U.S. party ticket. The first was Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1984, who ran with former vice-president Walter Mondale. On September 3, 2008, Palin delivered a 40-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that was watched by more than 40 million viewers and was well-received by the crowd.
The Palins and McCains in Fairfax, Virginia, September 2008.In her nomination acceptance speech and on the campaign trail, Palin has often said: "I told the Congress 'thanks, but no thanks,' on that Bridge to Nowhere." Although Palin was originally a main proponent of the Gravina Island Bridge, McCain-Palin television advertisements claim Palin "stopped the Bridge to Nowhere." These claims have been widely questioned or described as misleading or exaggerations by "virtually every media group in the US." Newsweek remarked: "Now she talks as if she always opposed the funding."
In September 2008, a hacker accessed a Yahoo! email account Palin uses, hoping to "derail her campaign," and precipitating an investigation by the FBI and Secret Service.
Palin is scheduled to participate in a vice-presidential debate with Joe Biden on October 2, 2008. The election is set for November 4, 2008.
Reception
A series of polls suggested that Palin gave a major boost to John McCain's campaign and excited the Republican base. The McCain campaign reversed its poll deficit, and Palin may have boosted support among white mothers. A WSJ/NBC News poll taken on September 9 indicated that 34% of respondents were more likely to vote for McCain as a result of the Palin pick, while 25% were less likely. McCain chose Palin in part due to her potential to rally Christian conservatives behind his campaign.
Sarah Palin signing an autograph at a campaign rally in O'Fallon, MissouriSince Palin was largely unknown outside of Alaska prior to her selection by McCain, her personal life, positions, and political record became the focus of intense media attention and scrutiny. Some Republicans felt that Palin was being subjected to unreasonable media coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech. A poll taken immediately after the Republican convention found that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the media was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage.
Also, the thing with her daugher. As with Mayor Rudy, if a candidate can't control their personal affairs then they sure can't run the country.
