Reidblog [The Reid Report blog]

Arnold Schwarzenegger thought bubble: "I wonder if anyone notices
me looking at her butt..." Sarah Palin thought bubble: "I wonder if that
foreign actor guy Arnold wants my autograph..."

“I appreciated that President-elect Obama recognizes, first that he recognizes how valuable it is to have governors in his cabinet and we assume that all will go well and some of these governors will be in his cabinet,” she continued, adding that governors “know best” about the economic issues raised Tuesday.

“In fact, remember on the campaign trail I tried to convince the majority of voters that governors knew best. Obviously that didn't work, I'm here and VP-elect Biden is there,” she said, calling the meeting “overall great.”

PHILADELPHIA – It's been only a few weeks since the last time Gov. Sarah Palin called President-elect Barack Obama a socialist.

All seemed forgiven at a meeting with the nation's governors, where Mr. Obama made a beeline for the GOP vice presidential nominee, shaking her hand before those of 47 others, sharing a friendly chat and, apparently, saying nothing further about her claim that proximity to Russia yielded foreign policy insight.

"The campaign is over," Ms. Palin told reporters afterward, passing up a chance to accuse him of using a huge new stimulus plan to "spread the wealth." After all, most of the governors support the plan, too.

Governor Palin Neglects Alaska Duties for Partisan Stumping on Campaign Trail in Georgia

While Gov. Sarah Palin is out of state again, this time in Georgia campaigning for incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss on the eve of the runoff election, Alaska faces challenges including a lack of leadership from the Governor.

Palin will stump for Chambliss, the draft-evading incumbent Republican who waged a notoriously misleading campaign against a decorated war hero, at rallies Monday in Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah and Perry, Georgia. Palin has been back in Alaska at work for only a few days since running for vice president.

"Alaskans need our Governor here earning her salary and working on key problems facing Alaska families," said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Patti Higgins.

Alaska is facing significant challenges, Higgins said, including:

Oil prices have dropped dramatically to about $45/bbl from the peak of $144/bbl in July, which threatens the state budget.

Alaskans are paying some of the highest prices for gas in the nation, averaging $2.87 per gallon, while the national average is $1.91.

The state’s oil production continues to decline, due to falling prices and mature fields.

The global credit crunch and falling natural gas prices threaten the Alaska gas line.

The State is failing to meet its constitutional obligation to take care of public education as shown by the high drop out rates and the low graduation rates.

Many Medicare patients cannot find doctors.

There is continued flight from rural villages.

Alaska faces the prospect of reduced federal dollars from Washington, D.C.

"Alaska's challenges are significant, and there is much that needs to be done right now. Our Governor should remember that her primary job is to work on behalf of the citizens of Alaska, not engage in partisan politics in other states," Higgins said. "Governing is more than creating photo ops. We'd like a commitment that the Governor is working, not just scheduling media appearances."

From an Alaska Democratic Party press release

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has some Republican-to-Republican advice for Gov. Sarah Palin: If you want to make a run at the White House, keep your hands off my Senate seat.

Murkowski, up for reelection in 2010, is nervously awaiting word on whether John McCain’s former running mate will run against her in the GOP primary. But she says Palin is the one who should be nervous.

“I can guarantee it would be a very tough election,” Murkowski said in an interview.

Palin is also up for reelection in 2010. She could run for a second term as governor, but the Senate holds some obvious attractions: a national platform, and with it the chance to beef up a thin résumé and rebuild damaged credibility on foreign policy and other issues.

But Murkowski says a run against her would be fraught with risk. If Palin lost, her stock would drop just ahead of a potential 2012 presidential run. And if she won, she’d be a backbencher in a chamber that is dominated by seniority — and would have to begin her presidential campaign as soon as she took office.

“If she wants to be president, I don’t think the way to the presidency is a short stop in the United States Senate,” Murkowski said.

Labels: governors, President Barack Obama, Sarah Palin