I just saw this story from the Washington Post and have yet to see much discussion on it. It seems that just a few days before she was chosen as McCain's running mate, Palin injected herself into a proposition vote on Alaska's ballot.
About the vote: One one side were companies that hoped to open Pebble Mine near one of the world's largest salmon runs, Bristol Bay. On the other side were environmentalists and fishermen that wanted a referendum to make it harder for the mine to open.
Throughout the prolonged (and expensive) battle between the two groups, Sarah Palin remained quiet. And for good reason...
According to the story:
Alaska law forbids state officials from using state resources to advocate on ballot initiatives.
But just six days before the vote on the referendum, Palin "took off her governor's hat" (according to her) and during a press conference said that she'd vote No on Prop. 4(meaning she sides with the mining companies). She claimed that there were already enough regulations in place and that they would make sure that the mines operated safely and properly.
The initiative ended up going down to defeat with 57% of the vote siding against it.
Just three days after the vote was when Palin was chosen by McCain, so this is an issue that seems to have been lost in the shuffle as far as the media is concerned. Although, people in Alaska have not forgotten about it. A state ethics panel is currently investigating whether or not her comments violated the law (remember, Alaska officials cannot advocate for or against ballot initiatives). This same ethics panel has already ruled that a state web site was "improperly slanted toward mining interests."
You can read about the whole sordid affair in the Washington Post story:
Palin's Stand on Mining Initiative Leaves Many Feeling Burned
Former Democratic governor Tony Knowles is also quoted in the story as saying that he never took such a decisive stance on a ballot initiative. One of my favorite bits of the story is a quote from Knowles:
"She says, 'I'm going to take off my governor's hat,' but the only reason the press was there was that they were called to a press conference by the governor," he said. "Being governor is not a costume -- you either are the governor or not."
It should also be highlighted that mining interests have "courted" Palin since she became governor. Some contributed to her inaugural fund, while others paid for some of Todd's fun fact finding trips!
As for my personal views on this subject, I'm half ready to just say "throw it on the pile." Seriously, how many more corruption stories can one hear about this woman before they become blase?
I apologize if someone wrote something on this (or is writing something as I type!) I didn't see anything on recent diaries and nothing came up in a search. I hate putting yet another Palin story out there, but they just keep coming!