Reformer? Really?

Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show

During the 20 months Sarah Palin has been the governor of Alaska she has accepted over $25k in gifts, mostly from "industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state".

Every time you see Sarah Palin talk she basically repeats buzz words like "reformer" and "maverick" over and over again while parroting the few lines she's been using since her acceptance speech. It's very easy to say you are a "reformer" and a "maverick", but it's a bit harder when your record doesn't exactly prove it. Yes, she took on her Republican counterparts in the state of Alaska, but that is looking like a power move to make her way to the top more than something she did because she's just that good of a person. The more we find out about Gov. Palin the more you hear stories of her throwing her close associates under the bus in order to move up the ladder. Then, it appears she acts just like they did by taking gifts and firing people who didn't support her run for Governor or who happened to not fire their ex-brother in law when pressured.

I love the little narrative that the McCain campaign has created for McCain andPalin, the "two mavericks". But the reality is... their record doesn't support it. Palin pretty much toes the far right party line, and McCain has sold his soul to get the nomination of his party, going back on many of the things he once stood for (especially in 2000 when a good portion of moderates in the nation, including me, would have rathered see him get the Republican nomination over Bush). Mavericks? Reformers? I don't buy it.