Posted on 01/28/2015 2:18:59 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Matt Lewis has a column today over at the Daily Beast headlined, "You Betcha I Was Wrong About Sarah Palin: It’s time to admit that, whatever their motivation was at the time, the Alaska governor’s critics always had a point." I don't really disagree with much of what Matt says when it comes to noting that Palin's speaker-circuit pandering and Hee-Haw witticisms have become cringe-worthy—speaking as a Christian, I was pretty dissappointed last year when Palin referred to waterboarding as baptism for terrorists. As usual, Matt makes some very good points so I encourage you to read his column.
However, I am interested in why Matt felt he needed to offer up a personal mea culpa here. Despite her recent and much criticized speech in Iowa and feint at presidential ambitions, it's not really news the epitaph to her political career has been written. And yet, the gratuitous media persecution of her and her family has, and continues to be, entirely shameful and unjustified. See the CNN anchor mocking her daughter's assault, as recently as this October.
Perhaps Sarah Palin has proven she's not a major intellectual. But let me assure you that there are lots and lots of dumber politicians that were never attacked in such a vicious and unforgivable manner. They are allowed to hide behind handlers, and in many instances, grow into the job. Frankly, I think Palin had raw political talent and intelligence that, had it been properly guided and allowed to develop free from the trauma of having her family being persecuted every five seconds, we'd all be talking about a very different woman. Instead, Andrew Sullivan spun conspiracies that would have made Alex Jones blanche and people such as Bill Maher mocked her developmentally disabled child. Compare how Palin's family has been attacked by the media with the way the media lost all sense of proportion and propriety going after a lone GOP staffer who made some comparatively mild criticisms of Obama's daughters.
Obviously, Lewis isn't wrong to acknowledge she is not the reincarnated Pericles. And he's right that the adulation for her from parts of the conservative base was truly excessive for a time. However, Palin has often been far more wily than her critics and vindicating the media even slightly when there's been no real apology for the inexcusably vicious way they went about making their criticisms seems unneeded. Please do recall that the other option for VP in 2008 was Joe Biden, who after 36 years in the Senate was a well-documented liar of few real accomplishments, not to mention total buffoon. It's kind of amazing we're still debating Palin's merits for public office when Joe Biden's been VP for 6 years and has done things such as completely blow getting a status of forces agreement in Iraq, thus paving the way for ISIS, and the media shrugs and says, "Crazy Unca' Joe's at it again!" And as for all of the attention paid to Palin's supposed white trash brood, remember that Joe Biden's son Hunter was given a special waiver to join the Navy at age 43 only to be kicked out for doing cocaine at age 44. This is the same son who had rather questionable ties to a Ukrainian gas company. Despite being far more consequential problems than whether or not Palin's kids got in a scrape at a snowmobile kegger, these scandals barely registered and media sure as hell hasn't pointed many fingers at the Vice President for the decisions of his kids. With all the tabloid coverage of Palin and her family since 2008 her critics certainly act like they're vindicated, but it's telling they don't even try to make the argument that Joe Biden was a superior man for the job.
Anyway, like Matt, I wish Sarah Palin had been able to show more poise and grow as a politician amidst being hysterically accused of not giving birth to her own child and shooting a congresswoman. I wish she had fulfilled her term as governor instead of cashing checks on the lecture circuit making cornpone jokes and shallow observations.
But I still don't feel I was wrong about Sarah Palin in that I felt comfortable voting for her in 2008. The real problem lies not with Palin so much as our slanderous media pursued someone they found threatening to their myopic liberal consensus so doggedly and cruelly that they undoubtedly had a hand in creating the problematic, tabloid figure she's become all these years later. Maybe Palin isn't entirely a victim, but because she seems to be an unsteady figure in 2015 it is by no means vindication for what her critics said and did to her in 2008.
If Governor Palin had refused McCain, she would not have been noticed by the media. Therefore she would not have been bankrupted.
I am not saying she made a mistake. I am making an observation after the fact. I happen to admire the Governor quite a lot. I would enjoy casting a vote for her, for any office.
Apologies if I implied she made a mistake. I see how what I posted could read that way.
These guys think they are smarter than us unwashed peasants. That’s their problem. If Reagan was in her place he’d probably get the same treatment.
I’m not a fan of Palin. However, the viciousness of the attacks upon her person and family were without decency.
I never said that. I just think reality shows are stupid, unwatchable garbage. The Governor made a bunch of money doing those shows. She needed the money to fight baseless lawsuits. As a capitalist, I applaud her for earning money. Perhaps she reached some young skulls full of mush.
I just couldn't make it through five minutes of those shows, or any other reality show. From my point of view, it made your arguments that she is just another self serving politician in it for money and career advancement make more sense.
I’m sick of these idiot “bloggers.”
I love “Storage Wars,” “Baggage Battles,” and “Container Wars” but they’re like a tasty snack, not a meal. OTOH, hate the “Idol” type shows, the “Housewives” of wherever, the little girls in beauty pageants and all that trash.
How would we know? It’s not like they are going to come out and say, “Here is my third choice!”
Ha ha.
We know all that. The important thing is where do you stand on Sasquatch Hunters in Hunting Bigfoot?
You obviously had no idea of the media coverage Palin received when she got elected as the youngest and first female Governor of Alaska. Her favorable ratings were the highest in the nation.
She was already on a lot of people's radar long before McCain called her at the state fair.
As for being bankrupted, yes, she was over $500,000 in debt because the law she championed was used against her by her enemies, and her job essentially became her prison.
Sometimes, you just have to walk away and regroup, rather than "fight" on your enemy's terms and battlefield.
I have always said here that Palin NEVER had the discipline to be a candidate (note: I didn't say she didn't have the right views, the right positions, or potential talent). But as anyone in sports knows, it's about a lot more than talent: it's about hard work, in this case, political work. Discipline means you do watch what you say, and when you say it. Reagan got away with a few of these, but only after he was entrenched as president, and then usually when he thought he was off-mike ("The bombing will begin in five minutes.")
If Palin had been serious about being president, she would have run for Kyl's seat (and possibly won it) and have added some national experience to her resume. But she instead tried an end-run with her bus tour and movie. And I told people here---and was constantly berated for it---that she was polling that entire time and that her numbers were not good. I learned from her own film director that such was the case. She reminds me in some ways of Alan Keyes, the incredibly bright, smooth-tonged black conservative who always ran for president in the 1990s, but would never run for a seat he could actually possibly win---like congressman. She has fatally shot herself in the foot in IA.
Again, if you were a fan of Palin, you wouldn't resort to mindless narratives and talking points.
She was being sued into oblivion. Her very own law was being used against her.
Do you really believe she just said "F it" and decided to up and quit?
All of this is mentioned in her first book and has been covered here and throughout the internet exhaustively.
have always said here that Palin NEVER had the discipline to be a candidate
So when she first ran for city councilwoman and Mayor, dragging her kids in a red wagon and pregnant going door to door, that's not discipline?
She has fatally shot herself in the foot in IA.
This gathering in Iowa was nothing more than the speed-dating version of CPAC. Nobody has declared, and nobody cares except die-hard politicos like us. This speech means NOTHING. Why don't you listen to her landmark Indianola speech about crony capitalism or her pro-life speech?
This article notwithstanding, her Iowa speech was cringeworthy. She needs a speechwriter. It’s a must.
Well, if the libtards at the WaPo say it’s so, it must be correct:
Your initial post was quite clear.
It was a good post.
...love your books, but think you’re pretty far off here.
She already had more of a record as GOV than any of the other gov’s in contention today. Not at all like
Alan, but the point is none of the GOPe would defend her even when being stalked next door... soulless, nadless cowards all. She SHOWED more discipline in the corruption campaign than any candidate in Repub circles in the last two decades. Senate would have been a bad place for her as she would have been continually ripped by the GOPe. She took the smartest route possible to help her family and she has done more than any other candidate to help other conservatives win.
just my 0.02 but she deserves praise (got a standing O in Iowa) not brickbats...
ymmv
Closely followed by a voice coach.
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