In one of the best posts (or articles for that matter) on Sarah Palin’s decision to step down as Governor of Alaska, Josh Painter writes on RedState:
News about Gov. Palin that comes out of the 49th state tends to be the bad, as the media is not very interested in disseminating the good. Her accomplishments tend to go unnoticed or quickly get pushed off of the screen in favor of the sensational. Recall her trip to Texas to conclude the deal which brought ExxonMobil into a cooperative agreement with TransCanada to get Gov. Palin’s pet pipeline project off the ground. She granted interviews to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and NBC’s Matt Lauer, but both were more interested in getting her to talk about David Letterman’s hot air than Alaska’s natural gas.
Emphasis added. (Oh, and read the whole thing.)
If this is true that Palin granted these interviews to talk about the pipeline deal, something she actually accomplished when doing her job as chief executive of the Last Frontier, and those two journalists chose to focus instead on that media sideshow, then this anecdote becomes truly emblematic of the way the media has treated Sarah Palin. They’re not interested in her record.* They’re interested rather in the sensational aspects of her story.
No wonder so many intelligent and otherwise well-informed people treat Sarah Palin they would a celebrity regularly featured in the tabloids. They know almost nothing about her actual record as Governor of Alaska because the media hasn’t reported her accomplishments, treating Palin instead as they would a pop culture phenomenon.
Those on the left might be better informed if they didn’t limit themselves to the MSM. At least FoxNews and the conservative media reported her accomplishments.
*Recall the celebrated Katie Couric question which stumped the outgoing Alaska Governor, “Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on [reforming financial sector]?” Note this was not a question about her record, but about what she knew about John McCain’s. As a point of comparison, check the transcript of Couric’s interview with Joe Biden, Palin’s campaign counterpart, to see if she asked him to provide examples of legislation his running mate supported which might have prevented the financial crisis?
(And since we’re on this subject again, note how Couric just assumes it was absence of regulation which caused the financial crisis. It’s clear she was trying to blame McCain for the financial crisis since he supposedly opposed increased regulation.)
I’m ready to send money and my vote for Palin. She is the one who will take Obama down…and he needs to be taken down long before he gets 8 years in office.
Obama has done more harm to the U.S. in six months than all of the other presidents and congresses before him..
I have no clue why people have not woken up to that but I’m betting that Palin has a clue how to wake people up.
Those of us who have been awake for the past year and a hal are thrilled that Sarah Palin is fighting back.
The leftist rants against Sarah are completely justified from their point.
They know the right sees a future leader of the our nation in her and mark my words, her resignation was good for all on the right in that it frees her from the political scene and she can give them a dose of their own. I think it is a great political move on her part and she is far from finished.
I like Charles Krauthammer’s analysis, “…she’ll be back.”
Its not just people on the left who think she is a “wack job”
But the right too:
Kathleen Parker – Called her “Out Of Her League”
McCain’s Aides “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus”
Your Athena – “She doesn’t think aloud. She just . . . says things.”
and I could go on and on
so agian, please stop blaming and maybe do some self reflection…
gill, I’ll be nice and just suggest to you to read what the “Elite” Republicans said about Ronald Reagan.
Sara is pointing out several things in her resigning. One of those things is Saving Alaskans money.
via Gateway:
** This past year Governor Palin won 15 different bogus ethics complaints filed against her.
** The state of Alaska spent $2 million defending the governor.
** It cost those Sarah Palin-haters nothing to file the bogus complaints.
** Fighting the complaints left Sarah and Todd Palin $500,000 in debt.
With what is left to be done as Gov, and what the left is doing, she is saving scads of money by removing herself from the target zone, and transferring a bit of the costs of the filings against her to the filers (though still not much, why we need to charge the filers and their lawyers twice the costs incurred).
Or she could have stayed in office, spent likely twice what she has so far defending herself, spent twice the tax money the state is required to spend defending and investigating things and got exactly the same amount of work done.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/07/governor-sarah-palin-easiest-way-to-win.html
A link to Josh Painter’s article.
#4 my point is now folks on the right are trying to say that she is a victim of the vast left wing conspiracy. When in fact folks on the right have been extraordinary vicious.
But instead of dealing with that, the right ignores their own and simply plays the victim card.
Gillie,
Your post #7 makes no sense. The “folks on the right” who have been vicious in their opposition to Sarah Palin have been called out and discredited numerous times on this and other blogs. I don’t see how Sarah Palin is playing the victim card here. To me it looks like she has decided to play offense to false accusations and slander without the hindrance that comes with being a public office holder.
Palin is such an anomaly that folks weren’t/aren’t sure what to make of her. In their confusion, they revert to viciousness and that’s probably the worst aspect of all of this. Those on the left should be ashamed. Those on the right should be doubly ashamed.
Jeff
Even Jonah goldberg agrees with me:
“Politics is ultimately about persuasion, and you seem entirely uninterested in that, preferring instead to play the victim.”
Right. And, as usual, the liberals did absolutely nothing wrong and are just spectators on the sidelines.
Brilliant.
I am so glad to hear someone point out that the MSM isn’t interested in her accomplishments. It is very true. I think Palin was in a no win situation in such that she will never accomplish enough for some people.
I would like to make an observation and challenge to everyone. Actually look, read and study her accomplishments. I believe many will that she accomplished more in her 2.5 years as governor than most governors accomplish in 4 or 8 yrs.
When she entered office as Governor she had an agenda. She had goals. She assumed it would take at least four years to accomplish all. It took 2.5 yrs. With the signing of the pipeline deal she accomplished each and everyone of her goals for Alaska.
That is my kind of leader. Efficient, effective and focused. Godspeed her way to Washington.
“Politics is ultimately about persuasion, and you seem entirely uninterested in that, preferring instead to play the victim.”
I thought that quote was about the Prop 8 protesters.
Sarah Palin granted domestic partnership benefits to state workers, even against her own opinion, which is more than Obama has done.
gillie – the conservative commentariat holds a variety of opinions. I agree with most and disagree with others.
Just because Peggy Noonan writes something doesn’t make it so. And McCain’s staff hits me as a bunch of back-stabbing mercenaries. If there’s any justice in the world, their disloyalty to the candidates will ensure that won’t ever work in this town again.
There are liberal pundits who disagree with Obama and wanted Hillary as the nominee. I’ve read some liberal commentary that is pretty hard on the Messiah (as either too Bush-like or too wacky).
I like Palin (and I think I would even if we didn’t get to see Todd!) – I think her core principles are good. She can learn the minutiae. Time will tell.
Liberals must be terrified of Palin – fearing mostly that she connects with the under-represented majority of voters in this country. If she was truly the dunce the media presents, liberals should be overjoyed at the prospect of an easy “kill” on election day (just as the GOP would have liked nothing better than to have Biden as the nominee in ’08).
Well, perhaps if she didn’t pick fights with late night talk show hosts who are celebrities…
When was the last time we saw something like that…
Oh yeah. Dan Quayle and “Murphy Brown.”
And therein lies the problem. Like the former Vice-President, Governor Palin doesn’t have good political instincts.
Better luck next time.
Right on! The minute Sarah Palin made a joke of David Letterman’s bastard son, I knew she was toast.
What forum does Letterman have to defend himself against cheap shots? And it ceratinly goes against his nature to strike back.
And when Palin said she was one pig who would like Obama to put lipstick on, I was shocked that she would assume that Obama would ever touch a pig. How anti-Muslim can you get?
Brilliant, JAFO.
palin’s biggest “accomplishment” was negotiating with big oil to get more money for alaskans…just furthering socialism and spreading the wealth. what a hypocrite. no wonder should couldn’t take the heat, what with that pea-sized brain she has.
#19 – “palin’s biggest “accomplishment” was negotiating with big oil to get more money for alaskans”
Which meant fewer taxes for Alaskans but improved services and a full treasury. Something that Dear Teleprompter just can’t do.
“just furthering socialism and spreading the wealth.”
Gee, I would think that you of all people would LIKE that. But then again, “furthering socialism” and “spreading the wealth” is an oxymoron, like the term “intelligent liberal.”
“no wonder should couldn’t take the heat, what with that pea-sized brain she has.”
You mean like how Dear Teleprompter doesn’t like his own press corps to diss him? Or maybe how he misjudged the support of the Tea Parties? And tell me again – who uses a teleprompter, and who doesn’t?
It’s going to be a long, LONG decade for you when Congress goes GOP next year and Palin becomes president in 2012.
Checkmate.
Regards,
Peter H.
Speaking of pea sized brains…..
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/07/biden-we-misread-the-economy-.html
Jumpin Joe Biden, Democrat, admits today that he and Obama “misread the economy”. God I hate it when liberals think all they have to do is say, “hey we were wrong”. All better now.
So now this same crowd wants to re do the most amazing health care system in the history of mankind.
While the socialized medical care in the UK is trying to find out why they have a maggot infestation in their hospitals and one woman gets out of her sick bed to clean a rank and disgusting NHS hospital.
One interesting thing that strinks me about what Obama has done to the political dynamic here at home. From now on, no polititian need speak without a teleprompter. No polititian need have an old fashioned town hall with regular people. Just screen the folks, let in only your friends. And no polititian need ever have to take an unscreened question in public. No polititian need ever be surprised by a question at a press conference. Just pre screen and tell every reporter if they will or won’t get the privilege of asking a screened question. Ah liberalism.
Palin has this amazing way of exposing trash on both the left and the right at the same time. She’s helped me understand problems within the GOP in addition to her delicious ability to rattle dems….it’s fascinating to watch people react to her. I love how she throws people
off course by stating the obvious again and again, and focusing on being a servant and not self-serving.
Sorry Krauthammer and Rove fans, but I thought these two’s comments on her lastest speech were pathetic. They see someone acting selflessly and don’t have a clue what to make of it. We will only get somewhere when points of view like theirs become those of political dinosaurs, along with William Ayer’s. Go Sarah@@@@@!!!
patrick, it is funny, because they don’t realize we want someone
UNSCRIPTED, real and not a crook tied to special interests. If that means they come across as a bit flakey, so be it. Obama must use a teleprompter so he doesn’t appear nutty. Biden, well Biden appears nutty no matter what. The entrenched political class, is not going to like regular people coming forward to hold office.
Prior to this, how many people (regardless of party) would vote for someone to another office (US Congress, President, Vice-President) who suddenly and without notice or apparent reason, resigned from that office? Not to mention a governor who hadn’t even completed his/her first term of office. Some leeway might be given if a first term governor had announced he/she was going to run for senator/vp/pres or *maybe* even if he/she had resigned specifically to make a run at those offices.
RIGHT ON! Gee, lets not talk about what Gov. Palin has accomplished in her two-plus years as governor of Alaska. She has done more in that time than a certain senator from Illinois. Oh yes, PRESIDENT OBAMA! Can anyone, I mean anyone, cite one, just one thing, that President Obama did as a senator? In just two years before announcing he was running for president? Yeah, I don’t think any one could. And, two questionable books do not make one a president. So, I kind of like someone who does not play by the rules. That is Gov. Palin. Oh, and remember that ALL of the same was written about Ronald Reagan.
Prior to this, who would have voted for some jackass Senate backbencher nobody knows anything about and threatened anybody who tried to find out?
Kevin doesn’t remember Jesse Jackson running for President, getting millions of votes and he had never been elected dog catcher. But he was a liberal Democrat so that was ok. And yes, many people have noted the community organizer was elected President. But then again he was a liberal Democrat.
Yes We Can. No he didn’t. Is it true our young President is really traveling over to Russia and Ghana this next week? Just 5 days after it was announced another 467,000 Americans have lost their jobs during the Democrat Obama recession/depression. Takes some big onions to start traveling like everything is terrific back in the homeland. Is Obama out of touch or what?
for the good of the country, please nominate Palin in 2012
It will ensure a dem majority for the next 8 years
“Just 5 days after it was announced another 467,000 Americans have lost their jobs during the Democrat Obama recession/depression.”
Gene
Do you REALLY think that after only 6 months Obama’s policies are responsible for the current recession/job losses?
Before you answer consider it started in 2007
really?
Only problem is that people are starting to remember why they tossed liberals out the last time. They’re seeing the “culture of corruption” lie that it is. People aren’t as stupid as you hope like hell they are.
Again, for the slow JAFOs like ghillie, Who was in charge of the purse strings? Who fought tooth & nail to prevent reform of their Fred/Fan slush funds? Who’s pushing to do it all over again?
Extra credit: Who’s media has been trying desperately for years to convince us we were in a depression and now that Chairman Obama has delivered, they’re desperately trying to prove the opposite? Which president has been running around trashing America, freedom, Capitalism etc.?
Really, ghillie? Really?
Not to mention people are starting to see Chumpy Obamalini and Joe Bigot for the brainless f*cktards they are. Not to mention the WTF factor when they realize an angry SOB like Franken was able to steal an election.
They’ll be relieved to vote for anybody else than the colossal buffoons the left put forth.
Gillie,
If Sarah Palin were to win the presidency, would you renounce your citizenship and leave forever? and if so, may I have it in writing?
Gene,
Oh, but that’s not quite what they are doing. They are trying to say, “Oh gee, Bush made the economy much worse than we thought he did” instead of owning up to the fact that it is their policies that have made things worse. (not to mention having caused the crisis in the first place).
We mustn’t let them get away with it.
27: Yeah, I do remember Jackson running for office. Difference is there, he wanted to run for president without having held any kind of office prior to that. A lot of people have done that. As several conservatives have pointed out since her announcement, Palin’s turned into a quitter.
32: There’s a post that raises the level of debate.
34: Policies that caused the crisis in the first place? And where is your backup to that statement?
I find it pretty funny that as I’ve read this website over the years, supporters here were more than happy to blame ex-President Clinton for all the ills of the country that came upon Bush. Now, with Obama less than 6 months in office, you’d think the economy hadn’t started tanking/jobs hadn’t been lost until January 20, 2009. Plenty of blame to go around here.
*yawn* source please Kevin?
And by ghillie’s estimation we can pin the recession on the major change in 2007 i.e. democrats gaining control of the house/senate. including Present Obama.
The funny part is that Palin knows misogynist bigots like you, Kevin, who said she should have aborted her disabled child and made rape jokes about her daughter, are going to namecall her regardless of what she does, because that’s just the kind of leftist scum that you are.
She saw the game and she refused to play it, instead choosing to shift to one in which she dictates the rules and can control the outcome. Being governor of Alaska was exposing her to endless potshots by leftist scum like yourself who were abusing the ethics laws that you won’t even follow when it comes to your own REAL criminals like Rangel, Jefferson, Pelosi, and Reid.
Kevin says there’s plenty of blame to go around. First leftist to say Obama deserves some blame. Thank you for that.
However, geez all the whinning. WAAHHH the recession started in
2007 with 4.7% unemployment, WAAAHH we didn’t know this was going to be so hard WAAHHHH. Man up Mr President man up. Biden says you guys misread things. Well what else exactly have you genuises MISREAD?
And lordy lordy did you see the pics of Michelle getting off the plane in Russia? Geez, not like she wants to blend into the back ground eh? hehe
The Obamas are doing their Evita Tour while they can. Time is running out. The numbers are telling.
Try this: People aren’t keen on remaining unemployed and without money. Folks with businesses want to be able to do well, hire more people and (GASP!) make profits. More than that, they aren’t very keen on massive debt, massive taxes and death rationing disguised as “health care”. They won’t keep grabbing their ankles so some Chicago thug keeps control over their lives.
to peter h: you haven’t prognosticated any political race correctly. you blew your blow-hole stating the senate and house would stay right in 2006. WRONG. you blew your blow-hole stating the gop would recapture in 2008. WRONG.
sorry, but your track record is horrible. keep your blow-hole shut if you want to ever regain any credibility.
CHECKMATE, moron.
YOU VILL BE SILENT! DISSENT IST VERBOTEN! HEIL OBAMA!
Libs always trying to shut down opposing ideas. One of the foremost characteristics of fascism.
There is something to be said for BNL’s stance. The great state of MN just elected a clown with 38% of the vote. (Now we can quibble about how many Dems voted twice, but he is being seated.) I’m just pleased that we now have a Democrat Party open and honest about what they stand for. Biden, boob. Franken, clown. Pelosi, stumbling fool. Reid, well old bumbling fool. Kennedy, dive champion. Byrd, pointy headed racist. Obama, inexperienced loan officer. hehe
The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investors Business Daily, The Economist, ad nauseum
Republicans left office in January 2007 when Democrats took over control of both houses, and the economy continued to grow for 12 months, after Democrat budgets and policies had taken effect.
They, and every other reliable source, all blame liberal policies that forced lending institutions to give out loans they weren’t otherwise willing to make to millions of people who couldn’t pay them back, in addition to liberals such as Barack Obama and ACORN, suing lending institutions to force them to make more such loans, plus the Democrat cronies like Obama adviser Jim Johnston, Frank Raines, and Clinton hack Jamie Gorelick (who is the author of the “Wall” between the CIA and FBI which led to 9/11 and was implemented to keep law enforcement from discovering the Clinton’s illegal foreign campaign contributions) running Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the ground pushing lending institutions to make more risky loans and giving commercial banks misleading assurances that they, as government agencies, would guarantee these “Toxic Assets”.
(notice how Democrats argue that the dot.com recession that began under Bill Clinton is George Bush’s fault, despite the fact it was already underway when Bush took office, yet the recession and crisis caused by the housing bubble burst is NOT Democrats fault, despite the fact that they had been in office for a year before the recession even began).
Also note that Democrats, NOT Republicans, had been controlling the congress for TWO years when the financial crisis, caused by these “Toxic Assets” that Democrat policies forced and encouraged, hit — in the fall of 2008.
And yet liberals keep blaming Bush, despite the fact that he tried over 25 times to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but was blocked at every turn by lockstep Democrats.
Yet they can never point to the Bush policies, or supposed deregulation that caused the crisis….because it doesn’t exist. The best thing they can do is point to deregulation that CLINTON passed.
Crooks, idiots and liars every damned one of them.
I should mention that the Democrat cronies running Fannie and Freddie were awarding THEMSELVES multi-billion dollar bonuses the more bad loans they could make, and the more they could get commercial banks to purchase these bad loans bundled with other assets in what have come to be known as “toxic assets”. These Democrat criminals profited from destroying the American economy.
oops, that should read “multi-million dollar bonuses”