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Though many of us suffer from Palin Factor Fatigue, it is irrefutable that there is a nagging curiosity to have the question answered, ?How in the world did Sarah Palin become so popular and why do we still need to hear about her?? My book answers these questions in detail and urges us all to be vigilant. She is one of a small pool of ?rising stars in the republican party? as John McCain stated as recently as January 25, 2009 on Fox News Sunday.
As unbelievable as her meteoric rise was we cannot delude ourselves, turning our backs once again, into thinking that she and those like her are going away. This woman is joined by millions of loyalists whose perception is that she was persecuted in the media, stifled by McCain, and mocked by liberals - and now the theocratic conservatives are regrouping with a vengeance!
"Blue Oasis" began in 2005 in its Blogger format (now an archive) and became possibly the first Alaska Blog on Progressive Politics. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis was honored to represent Alaska as the state blog.
Transition--Community Blog
In September 2008, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis moved to a Soapblox Community Blog format. Readers can become full participants by registering on the blog to comment and write "diaries." Diary titles appear on the right sidebar for folks to read and provide comments. Blog editors may choose to move some of these diaries to the front page.
While this Community was formed specifically with Alaska in mind, all "friends of Alaska" are welcome as members!
**Note about registering** Scroll down the right side until you find the link to register. Then, just follow the instructions!
**Note about comments** To comment on a story, click on the heading and then look for the "comment bar" at the bottom (it's light grey, I can't seem to change it). I believe the font color NOW permits you to see the "post comment" text.
YOUR BLOGMISTRESS
My name is Linda Kellen Biegel and I am a former 15-year Federal employee. Thirteen of those years were spent working for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am also semi-retired from the Alaska music scene (singer, sound tech, stage manager, logistics).
When the blog was chosen to represent Alaska in the DNCC State Blogger Pool at the Denver Convention, I attended with the help of Alaska Real blogmistress, Writing Raven and my daughter Morrigan. On August 29th, one day after Barack Obama's inspiring speech at Invesco Field , my life took another turn as it did for all Alaska bloggers when Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be John McCain's VP running mate. Since then, I've either assisted or have been interviewed by media from the UK, Italy, Australia and Germany as well as national media outlets such as Wall Street Journal, NY Times, ABC Good Morning America's Kate Snow, National Journal, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, and NPR.
Presently, I work as a freelance writer, PR, event coordinator, community organizer, wife to computer programmer Josh and mother to 11-year-old Morrigan. Our family especially enjoys our summers in Alaska where we get to subsistence set-net fish Sockeye salmon as well as halibut fish/whalewatch in the family's homemade aluminum boat, "The Neverdone" (when it's working). We reside in Anchorage, Alaska.
Origin of "Celtic Diva"
I've used "Celtic Diva" as a screen name since the early 1990's on Web TV.
"Folks have asked about my Celtic heritage, especially in light of my name. What they don't realize is that I'm adopted. I was born Valerie Morehead of the Clan Muirhead. I was adopted at three-months-old by the Kellens. I always "knew" I was Celt even before really knew. I was drawn to all things Scottish, especially music. That's why my parents eventually told me at age 16."
"Linda is well-known in Alaska & beyond as the prominent progressive political blogger Celtic Diva of Celtic Diva?s Blue Oasis. But back in the day, the early 1990s, I knew her as Linda Kellen, a member of the local folk/rock band Sky is Blu, which amongst other things performed in at least a couple or so of the annual women?s show Celebration of Change, in which I also performed. And if you don?t already know, let me tell you: Linda is one fine damn singer."
I went on after the break-up of "Sky is Blu" to perform with various Alaska musicians and work with national folks like Bo Diddly, Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies, Taj Mahal, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bad Company, Creedence Clearwater, Carny Wilson, etc...
USA Women's Olympic Hockey Team Star Kerry Weiland with our friend Isabella and my daughter Morrigan at St. Baldrick's Day
(Scroll down to find posts.)
(Please register to participate in diaries and comments! We'd love for you to join our Community!)
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Yes I know the national media is fascinated with Wasilla. I saw that many of them were packed into a Wasilla bar with Sarah Palin supporters to watch the debate and of course, that made the news.
Well, here is a video of the Anchorage viewing party at the Beartooth Theater. It doesn't look like you can see much evidence of a high approval rating here.
I live-blogged over at Pam's House Blend to provide a little "Alaskan flava" to their discussion. I spent the first 45 minutes getting kicked and trying to get back in (it seems that the software program was not prepared for those numbers - I hear the same thing happened to blogs all over, including Mudflats.)
Some disjointed thoughts:
--CC called from Jersey, going absolutely crazy: "It would be great if Palin actually knew what the hell she was talking about."
--Getting Joe Biden to be restrained works, Palin got away with a slew of lies about her record. However, he did nail her on many of the lies regarding John McCain.
--They successfully intimidated Gwen Eiffel into not asking follow-up questions by accusing her of bias today. If Gwen had asked Sarah any follow-up questions, she would have been doomed.
--Pat Buchanan: "She has an authenticity that Joe Biden doesn't have." You mean, that ability to lie through her teeth while she winks at ya? That kind of authenticity?
--This wasn't a debate for her, this was a beauty pageant. Once again, she just did what she wanted to do and answered the questions she wanted to answer. It's the story of her life.
--Bill Richardson: "She stopped the bleeding." That was funny because I used a simlar metaphor talking to a friend. Mine was that "she stopped the hemmoraging but there is still an infection in the wound."
--When she talked about her "bi-partisan support in Alaska" I said while live blogging, "Not anymore...Palin burned all her bi-partisan bridges in Alaska and she better be prepared to be a lame duck for the rest of her term." If you throw all your support under the bus, there's no one left to drive.
--Mainstreet my butt: We've recently learned that together, Sarah and Todd make about $250,000 a year and have about $1.2 million in property assets.
From Talking Points Memo, why I love Joe Biden:
Progressive Accountability has a great video comparing Palin's debate answers tonight to Bush's in 2000.
In mid-August, shortly after the Commission on Presidential Debates named Gwen Ifill of PBS as a moderator of the coming vice-presidential event, she wrote an essay in Time magazine that identified her as the author of a coming book, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama."
A couple of weeks later, an article in The Washington Post about her moderating duties described the book as focusing on "the Democratic nominee and such up-and-coming black politicians as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Newark Mayor Cory Booker."
In the traditional 'spin' response -- usually provided by the respective VP running mates -- Biden provided a capable re-cap on the Democratic side, but the GOP would not allow Palin to speak -- they substituted Gulliani.
Joe Biden was there to declare Obama the Winner; Rudy Guiliani was there to twist Obama's words and declare his running mate the winner of the debate.
...wait a minute! Back up the tape.
Rudy Guiliani isn't McCain's running mate! Where is Sarah?
According to the NBC anchor Ms Palin "was not available".
Ooops.
1. This debate was McCain's strong-suit: Foreign policy and national security. Some folks were thinking that John McCain needs to make this debate the "game-changer". To do so, he needed to blow Obama out of the water. Well, he didn't. Barack Obama more than held his own. A draw for McCain tonight was not good for the three game match. The next debate will be on domestic issues and McCain is on the defensive, running from 8 years of George Bush.
2. The absence of Palin will draw a lot of curiosity and speculation. By tomorrow's news cycle the McCain camp will be responding to rumors that he is dropping Palin in favor of Pawlenty or maybe Guiliani. Guiliani, after all, rehabilitated himself with the Republican base by being the red-meat delivery man at the convention.
3. Speculation over Palin's unexplained absence will dominate the chattering-and NOT the detailed post-debate clean-up Special Team that McCain wants to trot around to the MSM. This is bad for McCain. His handlers want to spin Debate 1, and they won't be able to do that if they are busy answering questions about Palin's whereabouts.
But, then again...this election season has been filled with surprises. Maybe this is all part of the game plan. A late-in-the-game substitute for the wounded warrior, Sarah Palin.
Pure Speculation: Facing a storm of criticism over her performance in the Couric interviews, including a National Review (Conservative) columnist calling for Palin's removal from the ticket, Sarah is laying low. Hunter S. Thompson used to recommend a San Francisco speedball for moments like this, but it is unlikely that Sarah's handlers would have the requisite ingrediants at hand: cocaine and heroine mixed in equal parts and injected into a main vein or artery.
Okay, I'm being deliberately provocative here, but I want to make this point: it is clear that divine intervention isn't working, nor protection from witchcraft Somehow Sarah has to get clarity and it isn't going to come from a supernatural source.
But then, again, maybe Sarah was never intended to finish the game.
Somewhere, tonight, Sarah and the McCain version of Krusty the Klown are working out an exit strategy. Sarah saves face and is guaranteed a national political future (say, support in the 2010 primary against Lisa, a guarantee of a $250,000 book deal with Regnery Press). In exchange, she gives a highly controlled video statement resigning from the campaign because of the negative harassment from the liberal media against her poor family and all those wild-eyed Obama supporters...boo-hoo-hoo.
Immediately there will be is an orchestrated outpouring of sympathy by the Republican punch-and-judy set sending appropriate feed to the Limbaugh bloviators so Sarah, with her head held high can exits stage right to make room for the Special Team.
And who is this 'Special team'? Who does John McCain turn to in this hour of need? Who is the only guy who can exhibit steely resolve in the face of burning skyscrapers? Rudy!
With the sympathy of the base secured by Sarah's dramatic exit and the heroic new quarterback running onto the field (BOOH-Yah!) the race is, once again, fluid
And fluidity is the only environment that works for McCain.
