# Link Round-Up: How Many Ways Can Sarah Palin Get It Wrong?

*Published:* 2009-07-17
*Author:* Sharyn Stein

You have to give Sarah Palin credit for getting attention — [her op-ed in the *Washington Post* ](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302852_pf.html)on climate change legislation triggered an avalanche of blog posts and opinion columns. Here’s a round-up:

**The facts, please!**

- Sen. John Kerry is among the many to point out that Palin [completely ignored the looming specter of climate change](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-kerry/what-gov-palin-forgot_b_231892.html). Others included [Treehugger](http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/sarah-palin-cap-and-trade.php), [Politics Daily](http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/07/15/did-sarah-palin-flip-flop-on-cap-and-trade/) and [*The Atlantic*‘s Derek Thompson](http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/07/sarah_palins_cap-and-trade_takedown.php).
- Bill Chameides, formerly EDF’s chief scientist and now the head of Duke University’s school of the environment, adds that [Alaska has a lot of hurt coming its way](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/the-nations-energy-expert_b_234120.html) if we don’t act.
- On Daily Kos, wah’s take-down starts with a good summary of [how we got here](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/16/754202/-Paging-Palin,-Petroleum-Pundit-(Capn-Trade-Dissection)).
- PolitiFact focuses on [her claims about job losses](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jul/16/sarah-palin/palin-claims-cap-and-trade-bill-includes-42-billio/).
- In other comprehensive fact checks, [Media Matters gives a rundown of her false statements](http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200907140002), and [Russ Walker debunks Palin’s points](http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-sarah-palin-cap-and-trade-washington-post-op-ed/) using nothing but recycled Grist posts.
- If you want your fact-checking laced with outrage, check out Andrew Sullivan at *The Atlantic*, who writes that her ignorance is “[so profound it’s almost gutsy](http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/sarah-palin-does-not-understand-cap-and-trade.html).” And Think Progress unearths a video clip in which she seems to [take the opposite view](http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/14/palin-carbon-i-do/).

**Why is she doing this?**

- Josh at Talking Points Memo thinks it’s all about [rebranding Palin as a policy wonk](http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/07/sarah_20.php). So does the Political Animal at *Washington Monthly* (who also notes that [her running mate long supported cap and trade](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019065.php)).
- Jean Williams of the *Seattle Examiner* thinks Palin wants to pave the way to [drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge](http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-5266-Seattle-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2009m7d15-What-is-behind-Sarah-Palins-attack-on-climate-bill-Drill-baby-drill).
- Treehugger thinks that either she doesn’t understand the bill or she wanted to talk up [her natural gas pipeline](http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/sarah-palin-cap-and-trade.php).

**Really, *everyone* is piling on!**

It wasn’t just the usual environmental crowd who were taken aback by Palin’s claims. People taking issue with her stance popped up in unexpected places:

- [*Alaska Dispatch*‘s Palin Watch](http://www.alaskadispatch.com/palin-watch/1290-palin-is-wrong-on-cap-and-trade) says “Palin is wrong on cap and trade.”
- A [*Kansas City Star* columnist](http://voices.kansascity.com/node/5115) lists a few things she scored on, but a lot more misses.
- [*The Christian Science Monitor*](http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/07/14/palin-misses-mark-on-cap-and-trade-critique/) also says Palin missed the mark with her cap-and-trade critique