Posted on 07/23/2010 2:30:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Sarah Palin can't expect anyone to take her seriously as a presidential candidate--not after what she said this week.
In recent days, the former Alaska governor and Tea Party fave has been on a tear against Journolist, a listserv for nearly 500 journalists, policy wonks, and academics, most of whom are self-identified liberals working for self-identified liberal outfits. The participants on this off-the-record email chain promoted their work, debated politics and policy (occasionally quite sharply), and traded and tested ideas for articles and columns. Last month, The Daily Caller, a conservative website, began running articles based on Journolist archives it somehow had obtained. Some conservatives immediately denounced Journolist as a secret cabal that established a party line for the dreaded liberal media.
Palin was one such rightwinger. On Tuesday, citing a Daily Caller article that focused on how several liberal opinion journalists in 2008 were pondering how to respond to stories about Jeremiah Wright (Barack Obama's controversial reverend), she contended that Journolist was proof that the mainsteam media--or, as she calls it, the "lamestream" media--is biased, characterizing Journolist members as "'prominent' mainstream media personalities." That was a misrepresentation: writers and bloggers for The Nation, The American Prospect, Mother Jones (my home base), the Center for American Progress, the New American Foundation, and other liberal media organizations and think tanks are not usually considered mainstream media leaders. (The founder of Journolist, Ezra Klein, did move from The American Prospect to The Washington Post, but he was knowingly hired by the newspaper as a liberal blogger.) It's hardly surprising that out-of-the-closet progressives would share progressive ideas with colleagues. Journolist was no conspiracy; it was a community--a virtual bar, without booze. I explain all that here. (Membership declared: I was a mostly nonactive member of Journolist; I haven't used it in years.)
Palin's blast revealed deep ignorance. Journolistas were generally not prominent MSMers. And the few prominent journalists who were part of Journolist were mostly already known as commentators of a liberal bent. Yet Palin was pretending that Journolist was evidence of an MSM cabal. Worst, she tweeted, "forget freedom of speech and freedom of the press if these yahoos ever get their way in America."
During an interview with The Daily Caller, she went further, calling Journolisters "sick puppies"--as she reacted to another article on the now-defunct listserv revealing email messages sent the day John McCain surprisingly picked Palin to be his running mate. In these emails, several participants--including two Mother Jones reporters who worked for me at the time--pondered why McCain had picked Palin and what would be an effective critique of her. That liberal reporters would privately discuss how best to criticize a conservative politician whose policies they oppose does not strike me as shocking. In fact, I am certain that during the 2008 campaign journalists at conservative media outfits talked among themselves about how best to puncture Obama.
But Palin was offended. In responding to The Daily Caller piece, though, she conceded a major point about herself: she does not posses a hardy enough constitution to be president. In that interview, The Daily Caller reports, Palin said the media became a key reason she decided not to finish out her term as governor.
Consider that for a moment. Eight months after the grueling 2008 campaign was over, Palin, by her own admission, was not tough enough to handle the media and had to quit her job as Alaska governor. After confessing that, how can she possibly present herself as presidential timber? If she allowed herself to be hounded out of office in Juneau by the big bad press, could she withstand the slings and arrows of the media while under pressure in the White House?
This part of her reaction to The Daily Caller article is a tell. Looking to scapegoat the media for her decision to quit--a decision widely described at the time on the left and right as bizarre--she displays her own weakness. Does a true commander in chief turn tail when "sick puppies" bark?
I wonder if Palin meant to reveal this much. Possibly, she was lazily exploiting the latest Journolist revelation. Bashing the liberal media is good for Sarah Inc. It sells books and six-figure speeches. And it's good politics, for this theme is an oldie-but-goodie relished by the GOP base and tea partiers--the sort of voters who will dominate the Republican Party's 2012 presidential primaries. Still, saying that she could not do her job in Alaska because of pesky reporters is a true admission of weakness. If you can't stand the heat from reporters (including the ferocious liberals of Journolist), how can you be strong enough to deal with the Russians, the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Iranians, the Taliban, and, oh yes, the terrorists? They're a bit more fierce than Katie Couric.
****** One of my Twitter followers, Greytdog, sent me this tweet on Thursday: "perhaps the question should be why is the media obsessed w/Sarah Palin who hasn't done anything except quit & twit." Good point. But given that there is a chance she will run for president in 2012--and be a credible candidate with a base of supporters and fundraising potential--that means there is a chance she will become president. (I'm not handicapping the odds of either possibility.) Consequently, she deserves to remain under close scrutiny from journalists. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Ronald Reagan was regarded by some as a joke: a Grade B movie actor pitching for GE and then Barry Goldwater. He certainly warranted watching.
Palin, by her own admission, was not tough enough to handle the media and had to quit her job as Alaska governor. After confessing that, how can she possibly present herself as presidential timber?
What was Palin's actual quote?
If it is as described here, it's a flat-out dumb thing to say. I'm sure not believing it from this guy, though.
That’s some word-twisting, that is. She couldn’t afford the media, and neither could the state of Alaska. Presidents aren’t as limited as are mere governors. Even if it were true then, she’s probably learning a lot now. We’ll see; she seems to be doing all right so far.
No thanks. No David Corn, ever.
I know this is petty of me, but I saw Corn on TV once and found him revolting, not just personality-wise. I see his name and cringe. Can't even recall the subject, but he came off as unusually hate-filled, even for a socialist journalist.
The opposite side of the coin is that the “journalists” who looked for every angle of attack on Palin ( who else in politics ever had to defend a pregnancy as her own ?) looked for every angle to spare Obama attacks. If they were so convinced that he was of “presidential timber,” why were they so afraid of having him have to face tough questioning?
All the author provides is his own words. Not exactly forthcoming.
I just realized, David Corn. Why did I bother?
Of course Governor Palin is not qualified to be President. Why she is not even qualified to be a woman because:
1. She does not hold racist feelings against people not of her 'kind' like Shirley Sherrod.
2. Unlike Shirley, Sara has never sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Millions of $$$.
3. Unlike Shirley, Sara does not hate the FOX News Network.
4. Unlike Shirley, Sara does not consider herself a victim when she is attacked.
Therefore Sara Palin is not qualified to be a woman let alone a serious candidate for Public Office. This even though she has held various elective offices for more years than Shirley Sherrod and of course, Barak Obama.
Yeah, kind of interesting—if these words are so damning, why not quote them?
His audacious lies about how the Jounolistas aren’t mainstream are just reminders of why Corn is and always has been no more than a lefty hack who looks like the aliens in the original V mini-series.
And, who does David Corn like that’s a conservative and not a RINO/leftist? Leftists who pretend to be objective, while, really, being politically biased, is the norm for how many decades and counting?
Yes! I have found David Corn to be beyond revolting.
That is because I have seen him on TV more than once.
#1: Interesting to note that he calls his companions "Journolistas". That was a term discussed/invented(?) here on FR couple of days ago IIRC.
#2: "That liberal reporters would privately discuss how best to criticize a conservative politician..." And then suddenly the opinion makers were just "reporters". Reporters are supposed to report the news (I think that is why they are called "reporters"), not run propaganda stunts....
#3: "Sick puppies" - puppies are sweet creatures. I think only the mothers of the Journolistas can think the same of them. Palin is such a nice person.
#4: It wasn't the "sick puppies" that made Palin reisgn. This is what she said:
"The media incentivized political opponents to file false ethics charges and expensive, wasteful, frivolous lawsuits against me, my family and my staff, in an obvious attempt to destroy us”
#5 Corn has not been able to shed the B-actor meme yet. Man he is such an eighties type.
Yes, here is the link to the JournoLista thread.
“presidential timber”
Well, Al Gore was said to be wooden.
She said the media became a key reason she decided not to finish out her term as governor and faults, in part, the McCain campaign for failing to vigorously defend her.Palin chose to be a public figure at the highest level, as a candidate in a presidential campaign, arguably inviting the most intense scrutiny imaginable.
Yet TheDC revealed posts from Jounolist that show liberal journalists coordinating attack lines against Palin from the moment McCain picked her, suggesting she may have had the deck stacked against her.
Palin said she sensed the vitriol coming from campaign reporters at the time.
“It was too obvious to me, my family, my administration and anyone else who knew me (and my record) that we were in a defenseless position the minute I gave my acceptance speech and the hordes of Obama’s opposition researchers-slash ‘reporters’ had descended upon Alaska,” Palin told The DC.
Palin, whose conflicts with key McCain campaign staffers are infamous, said the campaign could have stood by her more firmly.
“To not have had the McCain campaign staff defend my record was an insurmountable challenge, because once a bell is rung, it’s impossible to un-ring,” Palin said.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/22/sarah-palin-strikes-back-at-journolists-sick-puppies/#ixzz0uUynPIil
Palin knew what we all knew... and the journolist now proves that what we suspected was indeed true.
Again, she did the right thing in resigning. Now, she's out of the corner and on a national stage where she can fight back- and has done so with gusto, alacrity and grace.
i just threw up....
The same old mean girls still at it! How pathetic.
Perhaps they can take some Midol and feel better in the morning.
He is one of the JournOlists. He has no credibility on the issue of politics.
And we can’t afford this self proclaimed messiah as president either but he doesn’t have the honor and integrity to step down.
Perhaps impeachment will be the answer to solving a dilemma like Obama.
Why doesn’t this post have a projectile vomit warning?
David Corn? Learning to look at the author first saves me from wasting time on the content of the article...
What I find interesting is that there are people here at FR that fell for the Journolista lines hook line and sinker and spout off the anti-Palin talking points (and believe they are being proportional and smart)! Weak minded children if they keep doing it if you ask me.
Another hit piece ‘disguised’ as fair minded analysis. They must be absolutely terrified of Gov. Palin, especially with Obama’s disappearing poll numbers. No doubt Hillary will be their white knight. (Oops, is that a racist remark? Sorry.) But the Clintons haven’t bought that multimillion dollar property in upstate? New York without a run for the White House in mind. (A little country cottage with plenty of room for the Secret Service and elitist pals.)
I kind of agree in the sense, that I think she went a little too much with the poor me thing. Reagan..would have let this roll down his back. She should let others do the complaining for her. When she does, she sounds petty and weak...
So in summary, I agree essentially with the article. Let’s hope she learns from this experience,and know when to keep quiet....and appear presidential.
Think Margaret Thatcher...I doubt she too, would be whining...
Palin stepped down because she was literally going bankrupt defending herself against the lawsuits they kept bringing against her. She won every one of them, but she simply could no longer afford it; there was no end in sight. She also believed that they were too much of a distraction and were having a negative effect on Alaska. It had nothing to do her not being able to handle the stress. That doesn’t even make sense...she thrives on that negative crap they throw at her in the press.
That’s all well and good, but is all of that going to stop if she becomes president?
Any Thatcher -Palin comparison died the day Palin quit. There has been zero risk and zero personal cost in anything she has done since.
So, Korn-hole here was just a lurker and nothing else? Yeah right. And whatever his posting history there, he admits that he knew about the list serv and approved of it as well as the planning and coordination of lib MSM attacks there. And of course he said nothing about it. Nada. Nothing.
The President does not have to pay out of his own pocket to deal with baseless, spammed ethics charges. Also, legal attacks on the President are not essentially free to the plaintiff (paid for by the Alaskan taxpayer).
So, now you know.
Mrs. Palin, you will have my vote in the next election, even if I have to pencil it in on the ballot. Keep up the good work and protect us from these commies in power right now.
At least Cornhole is telling what they are going to use should Palin run. No surprise here.
However, now is the time for Palin to change the dynamics of her resignation from a weak position to a positive position. It can be done you know.
Yo do that will require an end to the non stop meme that the media was harrassing and breaking her.
“Palin’s blast revealed deep ignorance.”
This from someone who actually admits he writes for Mother Jones????
If you feel the need to compare her to a historical figure, try Churchill. He changed parties - twice!
You don't think there was any political or personal risk in abdicating the Governorship of Alaska?. Was that like a speed-bump to you?
History will record Palin's abdication like Napoleon's deliberate abandonment of a strong central position at the Battle of Austerlitz - one of the most sublime battle-winning manoeuvres in history.
And what is your name on the journolist?
Not shocking. She has never been presidential material. She is good for getting normal people all fired up and motivated to go out and vote. President, no.
Corn. Corn. I have been told that that was the last word spoken by Elvis Presley.
Enough said.
There is no bigger, more repulsive, more morally bankrupt, Lib-retarded anal douche alive than David Corn(hole). He's a walking, breathing assh*le who goes around wasting otherwise perfectly good oxygen.
I am not, by nature, a violent individual. David Corn(hole) can thank Almighty God for that fact, for if I were a violent person, little, tiny, miserable microcephalic "Davey The Hole" would be in really, extremely, terribly bad trouble.
He is such a pathetic caricature of a vapid Liberal sphincter, however, that he's actually good for a laugh. He makes Liberals look so bad, that he almost comes close to serving a useful purpose.
David Corn(hole) is a poster-child for why no one should ever even consider being a Liberal.
He's one of those wretchedly tortured souls who is so perpetually overwrought with angst that his face is screwed up in an extremely concerned grimace with dark patches under his too-close eyes... a kind-of crosseyed ratboy look. His eyes are way too close together, making him look semi retarded. He displays at least seven of the physical characteristics of Mongloidism, and obviously walks around in what he righly perceives to be a living hell.
Little of his writings are disingenuous; he sincerely believes the world is as brutal and disfigured as he is himself; a common trait within many of the truly most-tortured among us.
IMHO.
;-/
Thank you, David Corn.
She's basically right on every major issue. The only problem which many will have with her will be the abortion question.
The president doesn't just sail above such attacks. Palin resigned due to these attacks, not entirely due to out-of-pocket expenses.
Palin resigned from a previous position, as well, and that had nothing to do with expenses.
You don't know, and neither does anyone else, how she'd react to attacks while president.
By that standard, you are unfit to opine on Palin. You're good only for firing up Liberals by puking back up their own anti-Palin Kool-aid. You poor iggerint sap, you don't even see it, do you? Don't worry, Gargy is here to help you open your eyes an free your few, trapped brain cells.
There, there now.
:-)
According to her post, now one of the major reasons why Palin quit was the attacks by the media. That isn't going to go away as president.
Talk about an idiot. He says she said she wasn’t tough enough to be president. He THEN says she’s not tough enough to be president. The article should have been titled “Author and Palin Agree on One Point”.
And this guy says he’s CERTAIN conservative writers figured out ways to critique Obama. What they did was figure out a way to tell the truth and left the results to the people. Unfortunately not enough people believed it.
We can’t afford any more presidents from the banking/oilcompany wing of the republican party. I’d be happy to deal with whatever problems Palin might bring into the picture.
But will she be willing to deal with the problems she brings to the picture, that's the question.
So is this what FR is now--people can't even disagree over a politician without being called lib tools?
I thought we were the adults who didn't blindly follow leaders. I thought we were the ones who were independent-minded and didn't just cheerlead for politicians.
I guess we're just supposed to follow the S*T*A*R and not think, just proclaim out unworthiness.
My issue isn't with Palin; I don't see her as presidential material but think she is doing not a good but an incredible job as what she is now--a TRUE maverick, outside the party but part of it, getting the people focused on Tea party candidates, making that a viable movement (not another party, but something scarier to the Dems).
My issue is with those who claim to be her biggest fans, who can't argue points and realities, but just heap praise on every action Palin takes, defend every single thing she does, and view any independent reaction to her as treason. They seem to think Palin is or would be their personal friend, when in fact she is a politician, and we're no more getting the "real" story than we would if we listened to the lib pukes who try to destroy her and her family.
Personality worship--the unthinking zombielike following of ANY politician--is for the weak. Conservatives want politicians to have the minimum amount of control over our lives because politics is a necessary evil, not something we look to to provide "Hope" to our lives...right?
I don't believe ANY politician who's considered a possible leader of MY country can't be criticized on their pros and cons (which was all the poster you responded to was doing)--I'll think for myself, thanks.
In his own words admitting that media weenies did and do conspire to destroy candidates and bend public opinion to their will. It's not reporting, it's conspiring. Forget “credible chance”. The leftwing scumbags can't be forced to print the mountain of damning evidence against the communist puppet Obama, yet they send thousands to sift through Palin’s garbage cans.
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