To summarize baseball legend Reggie Jackson: nobody boos a nobody. That is definitely true in the case of Governor Sarah Palin. I don’t think I am going out on a limb here when I speculate that individuals who repeatedly attack her anonymously view her as a threat. And that includes members of the media hell-bent tearing down young Republican up-and-comers as well as some in Governor Palin’s own party — a party desperately in need of redefining — who are motivated, for whatever reason, to try and crush their rivals.
The most recent and grossly unfair attack came from Vanity Fair magazine. The writer clearly had an unshakable point of view from the start and talked only to those who would criticize. For example, he personally asked me at event preceding the White House Correspondents Dinner if I would talk to him about Governor Palin. I agreed. He didn’t call. He didn’t email. He never once tried to get my take. I also know he never contacted campaign manager Rick Davis, or John McCain.
I have known many political leaders over four decades including all Republican presidents and VPs. I have come to know Sarah Palin over the past year and can state unequivocally that she is smart, curious, hard working, charming, and effective. She also has something her detractors clearly lack – a sense of honor and loyalty.
I know this is petty, but it reminds me of the 2004 presidential election where it was commonplace and accepted in much of the mainstream media to call President Bush stupid and Senator Kerry smart and insightful. At the end of the day, when Senator Kerry finally released his college transcripts, wouldn’t you know: he did quite a bit worse than President Bush.
I have seen Sarah up close with leading heavyweights, and have seen her hold her own and then some. At the dinner at my home referenced in the article, she engaged comfortably and deeply with people ranging from Alan Greenspan to Madeleine Albright to Mitch McConnell. She asked for a foreign policy discussion on her June 7 trip to Washington, and I saw her engage in an informed and spirited manner with Frank Carlucci.
Governor Palin has many admirers and defenders out there who will not allow her to be branded by jealous rivals with their own agenda and the elitists in the national media. I am not sure who the unnamed Vanity Fair sources are, but without question they lack chivalry and have acted in a craven manner. They also lack the facts. I am ashamed of my former campaign colleagues, whoever they are.
This is why Obama won't release transcripts
izoneguy Thursday, July 2nd at 1:54PM EDT (link)At the end of the day, when Senator Kerry finally released his college transcripts, wouldn’t you know: he did quite a bit worse than President Bush.
Obama probably dropped out of many classes. it would not be surprising if he graduated near the bottom of the pack in Harvard.
It sure is funny how many Harvard folks are in and around the Obama administration.
“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
The bottom line on Sarah Palin
Gary Thursday, July 2nd at 6:58PM EDT (link)Here’s the deal on Sarahcuda: She’s the real thing.
Palin has the ability, and the DNA to totally upset the establishment in Washington.
This goes back to her earliest days as a city councilwoman in Wasilla. One of her fellow councilmen owned a waste management company. So he decides to float an ordinance that would have given his company a monopoly in and around the city for garbage collection.
Now this is the guy who talked her into running for the city council in the first place. A friend. But she showed she knows the difference between right and wrong, and friend or not, some things can’t be overlooked.
Once she was term limited as mayor, she decided to run for Lt Governor, but lost. At this point the Governor, Frank Murkowski appointed her as Chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Big job, big salary. A big deal for a young woman from a small town.
Well, she went to work and took on big oil, but she also found there was a lot of corruption going on in her agency as well. Some big, some little. When her boss, the Governor wasn’t up for clearing out the “good old boy” network, Sarah did something that would normally be considered career suicide. She quit. Then she took on the whole bunch!
In the end, the entire leadership of the Republican party got theirs and she took down the sitting Governor in a landslide election.
The RINOs in our party are just as afraid of Palin as Obama’s communist party is! They know that she doesn’t really care about party when it comes to outing crooks.
She has the ability to bring the whole DC “good old boy network” down. Hence, she must be destroyed!
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
_____Ronald Reagan
And that's why Operation Leper must be brought back
LJ "Beaglescout" Miller Thursday, July 2nd at 7:49PM EDT (link)According to Mark Hemingway, Steve Schmidt and Mark Wallace bear most of the responsibility in the McCain camp for smearing Palin. Their names need to become poison forever.
“Each of us has a natural right, from God, to defend his person, his liberty, and his property.”
And you know that how, Gary?
Achance Thursday, July 2nd at 8:01PM EDT (link)How much time have you actually spent with Gov. Palin? What do you actually know about her rise to prominence that you didn’t learn from the McCain Campaign and her press releases? This is simply shilling from press releases.
In Vino Veritas
555555. And thank you Fred Malek for your insight.
ColdWarrior Thursday, July 2nd at 7:42PM EDT (link)nt
American first, conservative second and Republican precinct committeeman by necessity.
http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com, so you can say, “I became a precinct committeeman before it was cool.”
“Elections have consequences, my friends.” — John McCain
Holy Crap! The HuffPo Defends Palin
Swamp_Yankee Thursday, July 2nd at 8:12PM EDT (link)First Palin sticks it to Letterman. Then she cripples Vanity Fair without even trying. Their hatred was so obvious, Lefties are seeing through the derangement.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/douglas-mackinnon/palin-vanity-fair-envy-an_b_224632.html
Not Dead Yet!
Well, no, a Contributor at HuffPo defended Palin
Section9 Thursday, July 2nd at 8:29PM EDT (link)It’s not quite the same.
Arianna will say good things about Palin when Himmler converts to Judaism.
“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it”-Winston Churchill
Thank you Fred for coming here to address the issue
civil_truth Friday, July 3rd at 1:14AM EDT (link)…so far you’re the only one to come and speak to us, and for that I salute you.
And Rightly So!
What I worry about is this
kyle8 Friday, July 3rd at 7:53AM EDT (link)At some point the attacks move into the public subconscious and no amount of positive information will dislodge the stereotype. In the minds of the swing voters she might already be damaged goods.
At the same time the constant attacks reinforce Palin’s standing with conservatives perhaps beyond where it should be because of feelings of solidarity. Thus Republicans wont look at any other potential candidate, their minds already made up that she is the best.
The result, A candidate that can’t not get nominated, no matter who else is running, and cannot get elected, no matter how bad Obama screws up.
“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle
Like all politicians, Palin is a brand...
Fred Maidment Friday, July 3rd at 8:20AM EDT (link)…just as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Royal Crown are all brands.
Right now, I’d equate Palin with RC: Loyal following, but with lots of detractors about how “quaint,” “backwoods” and “unrefined” it is.
Exactly who Coca-Cola is I don’t know, but Pepsi is obviously Mr. Obama–”young,” “sexy” and “hip.”
Palin’s main problem is one of brand image: She’s seen by a good number as a backward, uneducated redneck. That is a problem for her. The fact that Tina Fey kinda’ looks like her, and people actually believe Sarah said things like, “I can see Russia from my house!” is also a problem.
What is the truth? Like most politicians, I doubt we (the general public) will know until after her retirement, unless she just embarrasses herself and proves her detractors correct.
Palin needs to re-define her brand. That’s going to take public exposure and careful marketing. Barack Obama used this to such effect that he was elected President. I’m not saying lie. The Obama brand is suffering today because of the broken promises and lies of his campaign. Just re-define. Meeting with some world leaders (say, the Prime Minister of Japan, since they buy so much Alaskan oil) and showing herself to be a refined, eloquent woman would help.
Mainstream Media bias won’t be easy. She’ll be seen as a has-been by traditional outlets. Fox News, sites like RedState, YouTube and others would help, too. International media, which seems to be losing its haloed perception of Obama due to his many cultural gaffes, could be helpful. Many her in the States read The Economist (UK-based), and an in-depth there could be helpful.
Every politician builds an aura, an outgoing perception for us to believe. How genuine is that perception usually doesn’t matter to the voting masses.
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“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
- - Thomas Jefferson, to Archibald Stuart, 1791
Fighting the idea of inevitability
katesmith Saturday, July 4th at 6:54PM EDT (link)The idea that masses of media (in this case negative) inevitably take their toll has worked for George Soros and the left. The public is hammered with certain ideas, and most lack time to research the real story on their own. Not that it will help, but I sometimes force myself to visit left wing sites and leave a comment. Usually there have already been hundreds if not thousands of comments taking the side of the left. It’s like shoveling sand against the tide with a pitchfork but better than nothing.