At this point, Palin’s fear of being exposed as a fraud is so overwhelming that she resigns herself to trotting out the increasingly hackneyed Republican talking point, utilized initially to great affect by George W. Bush, that the “mainstream media” is the enemy, seeking to filter as it does all her great thoughts. So she changes the subject. Drill baby drill.
What’s humorous and sad is how many folks seem to nod in agreement to this cynical brand of populism without even appreciating the alternative. Until each and every person who wants to ask a question is actually granted an audience with the candidate, the mainstream media will have to be serve as our proxy. It exists precisely to protect our freedoms. They aren’t a filter, far from it. They are a means to an end that protects us from those who seek power on the backs of others’ ignorance. Palin claimed that the extremists hate us because of our freedoms without even having the decency to appreciate the irony of her little range war with the most fundamental way in which that freedom is protected, an open press.
To this point Palin, thankfully, isn’t getting much of a bounce from the debate. She may have shored up a few of the leaks in her base that have started to spring up here and there, but it’s likely only temporary. Slowly, methodically and thankfully the book on Palin is getting written, with or without her cooperation. Tina Fey is enjoying unprecedented popularity for her dead-on in her portrayal of the ditzy Palin, but, ironically it’s Palin and not Fey that really is the Not Ready for Primetime Player in this ongoing tragicomedy.
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Article comments
1 - jamminsue
I agree with the comment indicating Palin is a really cold, calcualted person, and her response to Joe Biden's comments on bing a single Dad.
That one moment justified everying I had been thinking - she is cold, vindictive, and insensitive. What a VP should never be, and a miserable excuse for a woman. No wonder her kids are so screwed up.
2 - Cannonshop
On the other hand, Jamminsue, she's cold, vindictive, calculating, and has put members of her own party in jail for taking bribes from oil companies. She's also thrown people out for not doing their jobs, and for abusing their positions and (again) taking bribes.
Two out of three branches of our government have just sold us ALL out to the people that have been bribing government officials in both parties for decades. Hmmm.
I'd be absolutely fascinated to see who, in your opinion, would be going to jail for corruption under an Obama administration. I don't expect it would include anyone named Rangel,Frank, or Dodd, or indeed anyone with a "D" affiliation, no matter what they were caught doing.
3 - Joanne Huspek
"Two out of three branches of our government have just sold us ALL out to the people that have been bribing government officials in both parties for decades. Hmmm."
No sh**, Sherlock.
This makes members of BOTH parties responsible, which irritates me to no end. And yet, for the couple of cries of putting a stop to this, the beat goes on.
I'm currently looking into desert islands I can move to.
4 - jamminsue
From WaPo Dana Millibankd column today:
Worse, Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."
Is this the kind of person, that tolerates such behavior that we want? Like I said, she is NOT a Soccer Mom, or in any way the person she was touted as being....Joe Sixpack after the 12th or so is more like it.
5 - zingzing
it's "hockey mom."
she's from energy-producing alaska, maverick.
6 - DaveNalle
Ah, you can taste the hate. It comes with the partisan package.
Dave
7 - Dr Dreadful
It's not hate, Dave. It's a reaction to the ever-mounting forkfuls of compost being flung onto the field by the right as their position gets muckier and murkier.
If you're going to say that something stinks, you're not going to say it in a cheerful flowery voice.
Personally, I can't say I'm close enough to know whether Sarah Palin is cold, vindictive or calculating. I think that all politicians have to be those things to some degree. But neither has she shown anything to persuade me that she has much in the way of competence on a national stage. Take her away from the cheering, comforting crowds of rent-a-heffalumps and she flounders instantly.
8 - Pablo
I frankly do not care who is selected to be the next President. As I know they are both bought and paid for by the very same people that are now about to fleece the people for everything. I also do not believe that it is an accident, or coincidence that the same people who got us into this financial debacle, are the ones being paid to get us out of it, cough.
However if the new world order stooge Obama gets in as opposed to the new world order stooge McCain, I will think of Nalle, and get a smirk on my face, that his guy lost. He might say he is for cia-libertarian Barr, but if he is not busy protecting the chastity of Palin, he is apologizing for McCain and all of his CFR pals. You know the CFR Davey, uhhh remember, they were created by JP Morgan, the sase robber barrons that are now cleaning us all out! Coincidence? Sure bucko, I may be a coinspiracist, but your as naive as the fresh fallen snow bucko.
9 - zingzing
dave's just the boob watching out for the communist conspiracy, you 9/11 conspiracy boob.
can't you appreciate a fellow "coinspiracist?"
i also love it how dave proclaims that he is not a republican, in fact he is a libertarian, but they aren't really libertarians anymore, so he's a liberal (who happens to sell "republicans: unite or die" t-shirts on his website). (the shirts even have a faux-roman snake being chopped up by a knife--just go to his url, click on his merchandise link... all press is... bye now...)
10 - marny
Thank you, Gary,--so well written--wish there was more from you on current affairs. Sarah Palin is only cute in a Barbie kinda way.Sigourney Weaver summed up my own thoughts.--The only thing Sarah Palin and I have in common as women is that she wears a skirt.--I am profoundly disappointed that the first woman on an American presidential ticket is a Barbie doll. Her every-man's-friend boss, Howdy Doody, is a profound disappointment too. The racist character assassination they spew is ugly,[ I am atleast trying to control myself].And it is ugly to prey on people's fear of the unknown and misunderstood. Hillary Clinton will be remembered light years beyond Sarah Palin.--Unless Palin does something really maverick--like joins her son in Iraq--ya think? G.I. Jane wardrobe included with purchase of two or more rifles. If only her mind could be as well organized and put-together, spitfire that she is. Unfortunately, her narrow-minded bigotry masked as Christian values, can't hide her hypocracy. Even perfectly formed plastic prototypes are breakable once the lipstick starts to peel. Buy now and you get the complete family tree.