The announced pregnancy of Bristol Palin, the 17-year-old daughter of John McCain’s running mate, has seized headlines this week.
Yet a less trumpeted story, about Sarah Palin’s aggressive lobbying activities during her tenure as a mayor, may do more to highlight her differences with McCain’s platform.
As mayor of Wasilla, AK, a town of about 7,000 people, Palin hired the lobby firm Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh. The firm, now known as Hoffman Silver Gilman & Blasco, represents a number of Alaska communities.
Sarah Palin
The account was handled by lobbyist Steven Silver, former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Stevens. Over a 4-year period, he helped Wasilla obtain nearly $27 million in federal earmarks - almost $4,000 per resident.
According to an analysis by the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, lobbyists helped the town secure $15 million for a rail project, $1.9 million for a transportation hub and $900,000 for a sewer project. Other six-figure projects included a federal land purchase, a mental health center and renovation of an agricultural processing facility.
Maria Comella, Palin’s campaign spokeswoman, told the Washington Post that Palin went after the earmarks because she was “working in the best interests of Alaska, working within the confines of the current system.”
Palin isn’t the only vice presidential candidate who has sought earmarks. The Post cites a study showing that Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Obama’s running mate, co-sponsored $85.6 million in earmarks for 2008.
McCain has spoken out against lobbyists and earmarks - federal money granted to members of Congress for pet projects, usually in their districts. He has pledged to eliminate $100 billion in “wasteful and earmark spending.”
Obama, who has in the past sought earmarks for nonprofit organizations in Illinois, said last year that he would no longer seek them.
Click here to sign up for the Muckety Newsletter
0 Comments
There are no comments yet, be the first by filling in the form below.
Leave a Comment