Why? The Left and its media allies fear the prospect of Sarah Palin in the White House. So they pile on, and on . . .
Governor Sarah Palin's now 18-year-old daughter Bristol, the new mom, gets lots of attention from the mainstream media (MSM) simply for being a daughter of the one-time veep candidate. No other reason, to be sure, for the intense focus on the kid.
Like dogs shaking new bones, news media couldn't let go. They covered the Palins' daughter's pregnancy and birth and now, incredibly, the "breakup" of the star-crossed teenage couple. Such breathless reporting has all the earmarks of juvenile, high-school journalism.
When Governor Palin was tapped as McCain's running mate, news media rushed headlong north to Alaska to "get the goods." Led by the disgustingly partisan New York Times, print and electronic media sent shock troops from the lower 48 to dig dirt on the veep candidate. It was like an overt mission behind Enemy lines, carried out shamelessly, by saboteurs.
Why all the attention to Palin and her family, and practically none for Joe Biden, the one-time plagiarist, and his family? Easy. First, she is a Republican. Worse, she's a conservative Republican touting traditional values. Moreover, she's pro-life. Egads! What could be worse than THAT to the orthodox Left?
Previously the Times launched scurrilous personal attacks on Senator McCain, alleging all sorts of sordid things. Scathing, unsupported innuendos about presumed affairs, his penchant for "gaming" at Indian casinos and in Vegas., etc., arose out of whole cloth on the Times' partisan "news" pages. All that was fit to bring down the Republican presidential nominee.
After McCain, it was Governor Palin's turn to be the target.
Who can forget ABC-TV's Charles Gibson peering down condescendingly through granny glasses at Governor Palin, tossing out spit-ball questions, playing the Katie Couric-like "gotcha" game? Gibson even made up his own zany definition of a "Bush Doctrine" to fling at his target. Meanwhile, mainstream media ga-ga over Obama tossed him only big puffy softballs to hit out of the park. (Double standards? Why weren't we surprised?)
The object was — and astonishingly, remains today — "Get Palin!"
When it was revealed young Bristol Palin, a minor, was with child, and unwed, news media fell over themselves to report it, to "milk" the non-story in far-off Alaska for all they thought it was worth. Stop the presses! Breaking news!
And teenage pregnancy suddenly became the issue du jour.
Came to be, in fact, the public at large knew far more about a teen pregnancy in Alaska, than the name of the current vice president. All true, I swear.
Meanwhile the MSM did not lay a glove on the Democrats, or their families. It was as if a media safety net descended around the can-do-no-wrong Democratic candidates.
Unctuous MSM even tried to corral the pregnant 17-year-old Palin girl for interviews. No deal. They did reach the boyfriend-dad in this Jack-and-Diane tale of teenage Rapture. (Life, it does go on, except for the kid-like media types, to whom the past is Everything?)
Media sanctimoniously followed the pregnancy like hawks. Did it connote "sin?" Failure of abstinence? Moral ruin?
Suddenly media, news and otherwise, sprouted a faux morality, "tut-tutting" all the way covering, of all people, a single pregnant teenager in far-off Alaska, right up to the birth of her child. Supermarket tabs had a field day among those of lower intelligence levels and bad, bad taste.
Meanwhile, after a blip on media radar screens, Obama's illegal alien aunt from Kenya disappeared. Poof! Nor were any other candidates' kin "investigated" or, in today's lingo, "vetted." Only Palin's kid was singled out. Why?
Reports continued feverishly about the breakup of young Palin with her boyfriend, Levi Johnston. Astonishingly, amid all the hard news "out there," this distinctively non-newsy item claimed space in mainstream media and on air. One could hear the "tsk tsk" emanating from pseudo moralists.
It was to "Get Sarah Palin!" all over again.
Reporters thrust microphones at the youthful dad in a plaid shirt, sitting innocently in his Ford pickup truck, being ambushed. They asked him eternal questions about Life. Not that they cared for his answers. It was the effort that counted with media. Now young Levi the new dad makes the liberal talk shows discussing the breakup, and dissing his once-to-be in-laws, the Palins.
It is a media Circus of the Absurd. All out to "Get Palin!"
Why, is the underlying question. "Getting Palin" is the answer.
Put simply, the poor lad, a new dad, has entered the bizarre-o zone of the Palin family, being targeting and baited by hungry media. Probably a lifetime sentence for the kid.
Question: Would these "Get Palin!" reporters do the same to their THEIR own teenage daughters and THEIR ex-boyfriends? (Golden Rule, anyone?)
Why all the attention to the Palins in far-off Alaska? Glad you asked.
Elements of an elitist, leftist, mostly Eastern-based MSM fear and loathe Governor Sarah Palin — all 5' 7," 125 pounds of her traditional values, anathema to them. She threatens their collectivist goals, shared by most serious liberal Dems, of more and more dependency on Big Government, dreams of controlling folks, of stopping drilling for oil somewhere (read, ANWR) of snaring still more taxes from "the wealthy" to "spread the wealth" possibly to the undeserving and/or the unworthy.
Their primary fear, I think, lies in Sarah Palin's possible ascension someday to be the POTUS. Scariest of all to her legion of irreligious media enemies, she is actually liked by most ordinary people, carrying a 60%-plus approval rating in Alaska. It's a percentage many a politician would die for.
Palin's all-American outlook (and her envied good looks?), her Reaganesque exuberance, natural optimism, her humble Idaho beginnings, her love for the USA and true family values, only stoke the raving fires of madness of the heavy-breathing, Amerika-blaming hard Left.
So their media efforts to put down this extraordinary woman continue today, and perhaps ad infinitum, based on an irrational fear that someday Sarah Palin might just be President of the United States. Therefore expect the attacks, the attention on her and even her family, to continue, at least through 2012. Beyond?
First let me say that this is a great site. Truly intellectual, stimulating and informative. I am glad I found it.
It is incredibile to watch the writhing leftists the moment Palin's name is mentioned. Like throwing holy water on a bunch of vampires.
Good article. I also think she will still be a viable candidate for 2012. By then so many things can happen. We may be begging for the rugged indiviualism reminiscent of a past America.
She has shown incredible strength and grace while all of this has been going on.
I believe it is her strong faith and understanding about a loving God. Again, reminiscent of our forefathers.
This is a wonderful article Mr. Larson. You describe clearly the left wing attack philosophy which is mounted out of fear that this authentic woman will crush their feeble candidate in 2012. Keep up the great work!!
[...] When Governor Palin was tapped as McCain's running mate, news media rushed headlong north to Alaska to "get the goods." Led by the disgustingly partisan New York Times, print and electronic media sent shock troops from the lower 48 to dig dirt on the veep candidate. It was like an overt mission behind Enemy lines, carried out shamelessly, by saboteurs. Read the Full Story: [...]
Great article, Mr. Larson. Always enjoy your stuff. The embarrassing character assassination of all things Palin, innocently disguised as "journalism," is going to be the left-wing MSM m.o. until 2012. It's going to be "Get Palin! Get Palin" until the Democrats' media accomplices have a mountain of goods to throw down upon the women should she decide to run again. And whether those "goods" are true or even newsworthy won't make a lick of difference. This woman must be destroyed, like all formidable threats to the left's agenda. As methodically explained by Bernie Goldberg and others, our current MSM have demonstrated that truth, fact, and every last drop of journalistic professionalism and integrity are all subordinate to the goal of protecting the Obamacracy.
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[...] Job One for The Left and its media allies, says Gary Larson at Intellectual Conservative. And to accomplish their mission, they have gone far beyond the pale. The governor's children [...]
Great analysis.
[...] WP Greet BoxGet Palin! That's Job One for The Left and its media allies, says Gary Larson at Intellectual Conservative. And to accomplish the mission, they have gone far beyond the pale. The governor's children [...]
Concerning your last paragraph:
"So the media efforts to put down this extraordinary woman continue today…based an an irrational fear that she might someday be POTUS."
If, as you maintain, she is extremely popular among ordinary people, she threatens the collectivist goals of the left, their dreams of more big government, controlling people, and she has sizeable family-values/religious voter appeal, and, to top it off, she is extraordinary (this is a fact?) then the fear that she may someday be president is, instead, a rational fear, isn't it?
In my case it is.
Technology, media, lack of time given to young people by parents and family – it's all just leading to disturbing behaviors and outcomes. I picked up a resource called, The Undergound Guide to Teenage Sexuality, that has helped me navigate all of this with my daughter and younger son, but most importantly, it's helped us to have daily discussions on ANYTHING. So while I still worry about what they may be lured into, at least I have some confidence that they feel they can tell me what/when something happens.
From what I hear the NYT is readying a major hit piece on Palin, probably to coincide with her appearances at the Right to Life and Down Syndrome events in Indiana this week. From what I hear both events are going to have double or more the usual number of people attending, a testimony to the continuing popularity of Gov. Palin. I've also heard that Palin's Facebook page has added close to 20,000 new members in just the last few days. All these positive things must be counteracted and the NYT will lead the charge. But who really reads the NYT any more other than democratic loyalists, and they already won't vote for her. I'm sure the NYT is counting on other news outlets picking up their story. I suspect and can even see the beginning of a backlash against the continual Palin bashing being done at the behest of James Carville, David Axelrod and others. People are already starting to wonder why they are devoting so much time, energy, and money into attacking someone who isn't even running for anything at this time, and is doing the job she was elected to do, governing Alaska.