Some lawmakers were so perplexed by her absence from a recent debate over sending oil rebate checks to Alaskans, for example, that they sported buttons at the state Capitol reading "Where's Sarah?"
Another legislator, Rep. Les Gara, told the Times:
"When it comes to the real work of crafting policy, she's often not there," Gara said. He acknowledged her broad accomplishments, but added: "I don't know if she's disinterested in details or not comfortable with them, but the bottom line is: She is not truly a hands-on governor."
A Republican state legislator added:
Republican state Sen. Fred Dyson, a friend and fellow reformer who praises Palin for taking up the issue, acknowledged that she was not fully engaged in the details of the ethics bill and that some legislators had been rankled by her lack of engagement in other issues as well.
Another criticism include a lack of transparency in her administration:
Her administration has not been marked by the transparency she promised: She invoked executive privilege in refusing to disclose information about one ethics case, and last week she moved to hobble a legislative inquiry into her role in the firing of a state public safety official.
See Mother Jones for more on the hidden e-mails.
The LA Times also reports on Palin's lack of tolerance for dissent:
Several legislators also say the governor's office is not a place for open debate: Palin does not tolerate much dissent, they say, sometimes cutting off relations with those deemed unhelpful or critical.
There's been a lot of reporting on her numerous firings of employees. While they have not been found to be improper, the true motivation behind them has been called into question.
Her priorities and budget decisions have also been the target of criticism:
Other legislators say that the governor has been so focused on her own priorities that she has been unwilling to consider other significant matters -- including the state's poor ranking in providing health insurance to children. Alaska ranks near the bottom of the states in making children from lower-middle-income families eligible for a government insurance program.
She used the line-item veto this year to cut funding for $268 million in capital projects from spending bills, including money for a senior citizens center and batting cages for the Ketchikan Little League. At the same time, the Anchorage Daily News reported, she preserved $2 million for an academic conference highlighting arguments that global warming isn't threatening the survival of polar bears.
By way of explanation, Larry Persily, a former associate director of the governor's Washington office, says:
some of the governor's problems resulted from the fact that she "underestimated exponentially how much more complex state government is than the city of Wasilla."
Palin is smart but was "never deeply engaged," he said. While she had good instincts with the public, her approach to legislators and fellow elected officials was often counterproductive, he said.
Persily also criticized her communications with others.
For example, he said, when she made a four-day visit to Washington in February, she did not meet with any members of the congressional delegation.
Similarly, when she reversed her campaign decision and finally killed the "bridge to nowhere," the much-ridiculed project to connect Ketchikan with the island airport that serves it, neither the mayor of the town nor the congressional delegation was notified in advance.
The President of the Alaskan Senate had a big fallout with Palin:
Republican Lyda Green, president of the Alaska Senate, who has clashed frequently with the governor, said: "It has been very difficult for her to accept 'no,' and after a 'no' was spoken, going forward after that amicably was very difficult. After that, you didn't get in. No conversations. She would very much slam you in her next press conference."
Green, who represents the Wasilla area, is retiring from the Legislature at the end of this year, citing the conflict she has had with Palin as one reason she's stepping down.
Another legislator says Palin is learning from her mistakes:
State Rep. Andrea Doll of Juneau, a Democrat, says she thinks the governor is learning from her mistakes. "One thing she learned is that you are not a lone ranger -- you can't go marching off, ignoring the people at the legislative front lines," she said. "To get something done, you need more than just the public applauding wildly."
Is it too much to ask that she complete her learning curve before being nominated for the second highest office in the land? John McCain apparently thinks so.
The Times also interviewed Bill McAllister, Palin's press secretary, for the article. He says:
"She has always been sufficiently informed and engaged. . . . In just two years in office, she accomplished more than most governors in their entire careers."
He should have declined comment rather than give that insulting response.
John McCain promised he'd nominate the most experienced person for the job. He didn't. He touted her exceptional executive experience. The only thing he seems not to have mischaracterized is her high approval rating in her home state. And that appears to be the result of one thing she is good at: enhancing her own image.
In interviews, more than a dozen Alaska politicians described Palin as a master at burnishing her image and building a popular base.
Unfortunately for us, that often wins elections.
