42 Comments

1. Mike_K:

The LA Times has a piece today quoting the usual suspects, including Murphy. They also quote two Congressmen saying they don’t want her help. Fair enough. There are a few more the Times didn’t quote and, based on what I’ve seen of her personal appearances, she is a huge draw.

They don’t mention the speculation that she might be willing to campaign for Democrats who adopt conservative spending positions. Maybe none are interested. After all, they can always get Joe Biden. It will be interesting to see how libertarian she gets as time goes by.

Jul 13, 2009 - 9:58 am 2. Huan:

this was my thoughts as well. Over the past week, go to any blogs, right or left, and the blog post with the most comments will inevitably be about Palin.

the NYT and LAT must have realized that Palin sells! much more so than their obsequious stories of ZerObama do.

Jul 13, 2009 - 10:46 am 3. Lightnin' Hopkins:

Palin’s about the only one who could even draw a crowd at Murtha’s desolate airport.

Jul 13, 2009 - 10:48 am 4. Ron J:

go Sarah go!

Jul 13, 2009 - 10:51 am 5. Rob Crawford:

Bush is out of office and Cheney’s too much of a bulldog (IOW, he fights back), so who else gets to be their Emmanuel Goldstein?

Jul 13, 2009 - 10:51 am 6. kynna:

I’m not surprised there are a few Republicans in congress that don’t want her. But they’ll want her supporting their primary competition even less. A more craven congress (both sides) we haven’t had in my lifetime.

If Palin can draw crowds for fiscal conservatives who believe in the free market and energy independence, both the entrenched GOP and the Dems will be shaking in their fancy shoes.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:10 am 7. straightman:

both the entrenched GOP and the Dems will be shaking in their fancy shoes.

Yeah, I’m sure the Dems are frightened of a quitter who couldn’t hack as a gov of AK.

Please. Palin’s the only reason McCain is president right now.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:23 am 8. Nancy Lopez:

“Please. Palin’s the only reason McCain is president right now.”

straightman, is that wishful thinking or a slip?

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:27 am 9. kynna:

“Yeah, I’m sure the Dems are frightened of a quitter who couldn’t hack as a gov of AK.

Please. Palin’s the only reason McCain is president right now.”

If they aren’t frightened of her, I see no reason for them to be so obsessed with ruining her. Shouldn’t they be building her up like they do the unelectable Huckabee?

And “please”, Palin’s the only reason McCain didn’t lose all “57 states”. Seriously. You can decipher that from the timing of the polling data, but don’t let that suggestion keep you from your talking points.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:33 am 10. chrisa:

straightman was plotting necrophilia-related high-jinks and got struck in the head, repeatedly.

(this was going to be a long post about mccain’s lead on sept. 15th and the boost he got from palin, but why bother).

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:35 am 11. Mike_K:

The people who disdain Palin elected a president with the thinnest resume in American history. We’ll see how that turns out. He needed Joe Biden for gravitas.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:37 am 12. Victor Erimita:

It doesn’t matter who Palin is or who Obama is. It only matters what the media and opinion/trend-making complex say they are. Last year’s election proved that. The “dying” media that nobody watches and that are irrelevant, etc., defined Obama, defined McCain and Plain, defined the GOP, defined the battleground issues and how they must be seen and discussed, and defined the issues, from global warming, to health care, to the “failed” Iraq war.

So long as far too many American voters are still in the thrall of the supposedly dead media, they will choose, define and control the battlefield, while the rest of us sit back and whine about the latest outrage from the New York Times. For a dead entity, the Times seems to be doing pretty well in molding American opinion.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:46 am 13. David:

McCain is a good man. However, he alienated the right-wing base. To shore it up, he tapped Palin to the national stage, an attractive, but largely unknown and inexperienced pol.

McCain thought that Palin would get the same break that Obama (attractive, unknown, inexperienced) got, but he was wrong.

She had potential, but was not ready to be Commander-in-Chief.

So, after taking the most personal, unfair, public beating by the leftist elites in our country and media, she has thankfully resigned. She doesn’t need to be a pinata for the left, nor a trojan horse for the right.

And, she’s young (45). If she campaigns vigorously for candidates, and they prevail in 2010, she can re-launch in 2012 (unlikely), or perhaps in 2016.

It’s good move to resign, for herself and the GOP.

Jul 13, 2009 - 11:53 am 14. Ben:

I would like Chris Dodd to resign as well.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:04 pm 15. John Ettorre:

God, you knuckle dragger right wing apologists are pathetic. Anyone with an IQ in triple digits can see through this kind of propaganda fairly easily. So really, why even waste your time with it?

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:06 pm 16. Mike_K:

David, you have a theory which contains some truth. However, the economic collapse doomed McCain and after the Palin nomination he was briefly ahead. She helped him enormously and will be a power but she has to educate herself on issues other than energy, at which she is an expert.

Since Obama was not ready to be commander-in-chief, your comment is there not dispositive. We see every day, how unready Obama is in foreign policy. He talks a good game as long as he has his teleprompter.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:06 pm 17. Moderato:

McCain’s strength as a candidate was his experience, his stance on national defense and his military record. (The independent maverick was long gone, unfortunately.) Then he picked Palin as his running mate and gave up his whole advantage. He lost my possible vote right there. If the Repubs want to start winning again, they can’t allow Palin to become the standard bearer of the party. There are millions out there like me.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:10 pm 18. MrJimm:

Palin keeps getting attacked because liberals are scared shi**ss of her. And they should be. She’s got the potential to be the next Ronald Reagan.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:17 pm 19. Marci:

I hope Sarah Palin runs in 2012. Because I really like Obama. And Tina Fey.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:29 pm 20. LogicalUS:

“He lost my possible vote right there.”

Says a pretender who voted for a man without ANY qualifications whatsoever!

Frankly, Mr. Moderato you voted for the least capable and experienced candidate in our history so YOU should STFU about who is selected to clean up the mess which Obama, your boy, has already created.

It basically boiled down to the fact that idiots like this person lack the mental ability not to listen to the swill which he is fed daily by the MSM.

The extreme hatred for Palin basically boiled down to the fact that all these people had already selected Obama because of his skin color and Palin was a severe threat to that choice because she challenged their boy, Obama. SHE was everything which Obama claimed to be but was and will never be.

Sarah was actually a self-made Governor whom had fought and defeated cronyism and corruption in both the Democratic and Republican governments of Alaska. She had a long resume of success in both the private and public arena and she knows how to control spending. She would have really been a breath of fresh air in Washington.

Instead these fools voted for the man who made those claims but Obama was nothing but a sham. Obama played political gamemanship to snake his way through the disgustingly corrupt sewer of Chicago politics without ever outing any corruption or even complaining about it. Obama has always been someone who looks our for HIS interest by playing up to the power brokers, yet fools like Moderato believed the juvenile slogans of Obama. He was backed by George Soros and other huge insiders like SEIU. His entire life has been one of taking other people’s money to enrich himself, his friends and promoting his agenda.

NOW THESE SAME FOOLS ARE SHOCKED TO FIND THAT HE SPENDS OUR MONEY LIKE A SAILOR IN A MEXICAN BORDELLO.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:31 pm 21. Lightnin' Hopkins:

“There are millions out there like me.”

Then you are free to vote for Democrats. The time for waffling is over. The Rolling Stones:

“I’m just sittin’ on a fence
You can say I got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I’m sittin on a fence”

Palin, Perry, Romney, John Bolton’s moustache, whatever. I’ll take any of them to stop the insanity.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:33 pm 22. furious_a:

The pattern is clear — challenge the One (or his nominees, even before they’ve been nominated) and reap the whirlwind, even unto one’s children in certain cases.

Joe Wurzelbacher — invasion of privacy so egregious even the ruling-party Welfare Director was forced to resign in disgrece.

Sarah Palin — mockery of her disabled baby and rape/prostitute humor on nat’l TV about her 14-year-old daughter.

Frank Ricci — name plaintiff in nominee Sotomayor’s jurisprudence Achilles Heel now set to receive the Wurzelbacher treatment.

Dick Cheney — Justice Dept. now considering criminal charges against Bush-era officials over policy differences.

At least Mr. Cheney is a mean ol’ S.O.B with grown children who has the stomach for a fight and the money for lawyers. Some other current, active Republican grandee (without an Argentinian Mistress or some other such indiscretion lurking) needs a “Have you no decency, Sir?” moment with the Unicorn Rider and his Chicago Machine thug pals.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:38 pm 23. kynna:

Moderato: “McCain’s strength as a candidate was his experience, his stance on national defense and his military record. (The independent maverick was long gone, unfortunately.) Then he picked Palin as his running mate and gave up his whole advantage. He lost my possible vote right there. If the Repubs want to start winning again, they can’t allow Palin to become the standard bearer of the party. There are millions out there like me.”

Millions like you who were never going to vote Republican anyway. You can’t say McCain lost your vote with Palin and pretend that, whether you voted for Obama or not, you didn’t put a much less experienced person in the Oval Office. Less experienced than the VP candidate of the Republican party and EXTREMELY less experienced than the actual presidential candidate.

Let’s talk about Joe Biden, shall we? No, let’s pretend he doesn’t exist as the media is doing. When you voted against McCain — excuse me, apparently you voted against Palin — you took ownership of the Obama/Biden victory over substance. Enjoy.

Those who voted against McCain because of Palin never went beyond the media spin. I see more msm nonsense coming from the smug ‘he lost me and millions more …’ segment of the voting populace.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:39 pm 24. JeanE:

I think people, especially women, have one of two reactions to Palin. Some eagerly accept the news stories that describe her as a dim-witted extremist, then they can laugh at how stupid she is, mock the problems that her family has dealt with, and make it clear to everyone they know that they are nothing at all like Sarah Palin. Others, like me wonder how stupid the news media could make me look, and cringe at the thought of media figures mocking and humiliating my children in order to score points against me. That induces sympathy and a desire to learn more about this person who has been so villified.

The real question is do the media attacks cause more women to feel sympathy for Palin or cause more women to pile on in order to impress people in their social circle? In the answer lies the key to Palin’s future in politics.

Jul 13, 2009 - 12:46 pm 25. Tom33:

As the late Sam Goldwyn said “there is no such a thing as bad publicity”. He meant it for show business, but it applies to politics too.

Jul 13, 2009 - 1:23 pm 26. molonlabe28:

The NYT needs to stick with more productive cash-generating efforts, like selling its building and liquidating its other assets.

I get an unhealthy pleasure watching the NYT circle the drain.

The bankruptcy trustee will be there soon, guys.

Jul 13, 2009 - 1:26 pm 27. furious_a:

do the media attacks cause more women to feel sympathy for Palin or cause more women to pile on in order to impress people in their social circle?

You need to make up your minds, ladies. So far you’ve managed to explain away sexual harassment (Bill Clinton) and manslaughter (Ted Kennedy). Let’s see if you can dustbin vicious misogyny, as well.

The New York Times, and mainstream feminism, for that matter, can’t swirl around the bowl fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.

Jul 13, 2009 - 1:54 pm 28. EdSki:

I agree with 3, 4, 5 & 18, and pretty much all posts except the far left ones.

Palin scares the living day lights out of the left. They fear another Reagan, some one immune to their sleazy attack machine a.k.a the “MSM.” So they are determined to take her down now, no matter what the cost.

If I could have voted for Palin for VP with out voting for McCain, I would have in a heat beat. McCain lost my support with his campaign finance reform crap. What part of:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Don’t politicians understand?

Jul 13, 2009 - 2:00 pm 29. Terrye:

The Times is just doing what is expected of her. So tacky.

I am not surprised there might be some people who will not want her help, but I bet there will be some who do. I will say one thing: I have been surprised at how many Republicans have said no to Obama. I did not think they would stand together as well as they have.

Neocon linked to a story a couple of days ago written by a nonconservative journalist about the appalling treatment Palin received in her campaign. I think that there is a back lash against these sort of attacks myself.

Jul 13, 2009 - 2:29 pm 30. Terrye:

EdSki:

Not everyone thinks of spending money on political ads as free speech. Look at Obama, he virtually bought the White House.

I think that there is real debate about campaign finance reform, but I do think that McCain’s intentions were not about curtailing freedom of speech..he wanted to curtail corruption. You could argue with the means, but the idea that it made him unfit for the office of the Presidency strikes me as bizarre. In fact a lot of people were more than willing to forgive Fred Thompson for being a strong supporter of the same legislation.

Today the deficit hit $1 trillion for the first time in our history. That is what is most important. Not some arcane discussion on how much money can be spent on ads most people hate anyway.

And btw, I saw a video of McCain on Meet the Press yesterday and he did a good job of defending Palin. It should be remembered that whatever some socalled anonymous staffers might say, it was John McCain who gave Sarah Palin the opportunity to be on a national ticket.

Jul 13, 2009 - 2:35 pm 31. chrisa:

Etorre, when you cut and paste your non-sequitir baloney, it might be worth adding a word or two so that it at least seems within shouting distance of the topic at hand. Can your triple-digit IQ handle that level of sophistication?

Jul 13, 2009 - 3:31 pm 32. Victor Erimita:

I don’t think the Left fears Palin. I think leftism today consists almost entirely of c0ontempt, rage and a kind of narcissistic display of PC trhetoric. Leftists wear their politics like jewlry. It defines who they are. But much more importantly, it defines who they are not. The Left of today are the Cool Kid bullies of seventh grade, who areonly cool by virtue of distinguishing themselves from those who are not cool. That IS their coolness, in total.

Just so, today’s Left are only smart, knowledgeable, virtuous and, most importantly, cool, by virtue of who they are not. Sarah Palin is the perfect avatar for who they are not. They affirm themselves by, and only by, ridciculing and dissing those who they are not. Palin represent everything they detest about those whom they are not. By continuing to pile their ridicule and contempt on her, they think they define themselves, and perversely, they do. Because it’s all they’ve got. Just think seventh grade, and all is explained.

Jul 13, 2009 - 4:31 pm 33. Barry Dauphin:

I had a strong, negative, visceral reaction against campaign finance reform. I see it as a threat to the First Amendment and leaving room for far too much mischief making and as risking the suppression of political speech (wait until they try to regulate blogs). I think McCain had good intentions and was concerned about corruption. Campaign Finance Reform has not curtailed corruption. It has increased regulation and the power of the state in an area we want the state to have the minimum amount of power tolerable.

Having said all that, I voted McCain for numerous reasons, especially considering the competition. I was afraid what is happening now (profligate spending, increasing the scope of government, etc.) is what would happen. Even with his flaws, McCain has many virtues and was the better candidate IMO. The operative word being “better”.

One of the things that bothers me about the Palin phenomenon isn’t Sarah per se, but that too many of her supporters are picking up where Ron Paul supporters left off. The U.S. (or any place else) will not produce perfect candidates. These are all flawed people, who have big egos. The near worship of a political candidate is a sign of something negative in the culture IMHO. Hero worship got us into the current mess with this administration, as far, far too many Obama voters drank Kool-aid. Too many Obama voters didn’t simply go to the polls picking the lesser of two evils or deciding on balance Obama was better. Rather they went into the voting booth like Stepford wives. Palin has strengths and weaknesses. Better that her supporters and detractors see both. Her supporters do her and her potential candidacy no favors by pretending that a bad performance in an interview was really a wonderful and subversive performance.

Jul 13, 2009 - 5:29 pm 34. kynna:

#33. Barry Dauphin: Don’t you think the ‘near worship’ is a reaction to the over-the-top vilification of Palin?

I’m ready and willing to throw her and any other candidate or personality under the bus if they are shown to be weak, socialistic, fascistic, sleazy, etc… So far that hasn’t happened with Palin. If it ever does, I’ll cut her loose. Most on the right are like me in that sense. Much more likely to demand more from our candidates than Democrats are.

So far, except for among the ill informed, Palin passes the test of a pretty fair candidate for many of the voting public. Would I like more from her as far as eloquence and ability to squash a bug like Couric is concerned? Yes. But as far as honesty and goals beneficial to the US — she fits the bill at this time. And that’s better than most politicians out there. Why that pisses the left off so much is a question they definitely don’t want answered.

Jul 13, 2009 - 6:24 pm 35. skipkent:

Anyone slightly right of center who ‘dropped Mcain’ for this good reason or that one, and then failed to carry through and vote AGAINST Obama is directly responsible for putting that man in office.

The ONLY way to vote against someone effectively is to vote FOR the opposing candidate most likely to win.

In other words, if you didn’t vote for Mcain, you voted for Obama. If you’re at all bothered with his ‘performance’ and didn’t vote FOR Mcain, you have yourself to blame.

Jul 13, 2009 - 6:45 pm 36. Barry Dauphin:

Kynna,

Many on the left hate her because they can’t stand her choices, and so she holds up a mirror to the notion of feminism being about choice. She has chosen differently from the northeast liberal intelligentsia. That makes them indignant, since she didn’t make the choices they have decreed are the only worthy choices. Camille Paglia explains quite clearly why Palin is vilified.

I do think the hero worship is partly a reaction to the attacks. Some of that is understandable. But to date she is no Reagan, a candidate who spent 2 terms as governor and had written and lectured on all of the policy matters of the day. Yes, Reagan was belittled by the same liberal pseudo-intellectuals. But that does not make them equivalent in all other important respects, and it sounds as if many of her supporters want to lump them together..

It is not basic support of Palin that I’m pointing to. Rather it is the over-the-top stuff about how brilliant her resignation was as strategy, and how she’s out-thinking everyone, and she plays by different rules, etc. and the bad-mouthing of McCain. It is the “untouchable” quality that too many of her supporters espouse. Criticize her, and you can be called a turncoat or whatnot. It has a similar feel as Ron Paul supporters. I appreciate her positions on taxes, defense policy, free speech, etc. I have significant reservations about what it would be like for her to govern.

Jul 13, 2009 - 7:19 pm 37. Nan in Can:

Really unrelated but has anyone ever noticed how many conservative/libertarian books make the NYT best seller list on a regular basis? I guess liberals just don’t read much?

Jul 13, 2009 - 7:30 pm 38. Joe:

I have significant reservations about what it would be like for her to govern.

Damn, Barry….how’s that obama chump working for out for you? Did you have any reservations about someone LESS qualified than Sarah Palin prior to Nov.08??

And, your condemning Palin supporters for being, uh…supportive?

Jul 13, 2009 - 9:21 pm 39. Deborah:

I’m glad Marci (comment #19) brought up Tim Fey. It’s too bad about Fey. For the rest of her career and life, Fey will never be able to escape Sarah Palin, and how she contributed to the journalistic wilding of Palin.

Jul 13, 2009 - 9:26 pm 40. Mike_K:

Nan in Can, I’ve noticed how many are never reviewed in the NYT book reviews. Is that what you meant ?

Jul 13, 2009 - 9:29 pm 41. California Dreamer:

I get an unhealthy pleasure watching the NYT circle the drain.

What’s “unhealthy about it”?

Jul 14, 2009 - 12:22 am 42. ate mely:

Next thing you read, NYT will publish a Sarah Palin op-ed!

Jul 14, 2009 - 4:54 pm

Write a Comment

Name:	(required, displayed)
Email:	(required, not publicized)
URL:	(optional, displayed)
Comments: