Free Republic

One of the delights about the Internet is watching new people use a new technology to make the same old mistakes. Consider the admissions by Politico and Greg Sargent that they regularly run items on Sarah Palin simply to drive traffic. From Politico: “More traffic comes from an item on Sarah Palin’s ‘refudiation’ faux pas than from our hundreds of stories on the complexities of health care reform or Wall Street regulation.” Perhaps if Politico were as vigilant in its coverage of health care reform and Wall Street regulation as it is every slip by Sarah Palin readers would be...

The last presidential campaign, its election and each and every day since have crystallized the magic and malice of the national media. By working its magic, the media were able to keep Obama hidden in clear sight. His past was selectively chosen, his present was a manufactured eloquence of hope and change, his future was his transcendent ability to lead us to the land of milk and honey, and his gaffes were editorially retrofitted. The media took a virtual unknown and kept him unknown. This Camelot euphoria was interrupted by another unknown that stoked the malice of the media. Unexpectedly,...

SnipThen, Scott Brown won election to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. No one is laughing anymore. In fact, Democrats are facing political annihilation this November. Not only do Democrats face the possibility of losing their congressional majorities, massive losses in state house races could jeopardize redistricting next year and set back the progressive agenda for at least a decade. So, the Clinton Empire is planning to strike back. Big Government has learned that Clintonistas are plotting a “push/pull” strategy. They plan to identify 7-8 national figures active in the tea party movement and engage in deep opposition research on them....

Say what you will about Carville, but he is the master of slime. This is going to be a classic, Clinton era, smear campaign. PI’s will swarm over people’s histories, searching for the slightest indiscretions. What they cannot find might be invented, all in an effort to smear and discredit anyone they can get. If they can get someone to turn, or simply silence them…mission accomplished! Also, the attack is designed to have a demoralizing effect on the movement, as well as putting it on the defensive, rather than the offense. We need to be aware of this, and plow...

Washington » The snows that obliterated Washington last week interfered with many scheduled meetings, but they did not prevent the delivery of one important political message: Take Sarah Palin seriously. Her lengthy Saturday night keynote address to the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville and her debut on the Sunday morning talk show circuit with Fox News' Chris Wallace showed off a public figure at the top of her game -- a politician who knows who she is and how to sell herself. This was not the first time that Palin has impressed me. I gave her high marks for...

As the lone journalist on Sunday's Meet the Press roundtable (with Newt Gingrich, Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick), NBC's Andrea Mitchell insisted the “Obama Doctrine” has “borne fruit,” but “it is not perceived yet” -- though the President has already “united the world behind the United States.” Citing all those who “camped out” for the Sarah Palin book signings, Mitchell denigrated her appeal as evidence of how “they are so hungry for a symbol for anyone who can give them answers” it shows “there's an anger out there” she hasn't seen since George Wallace in 1968. And that, she maintained,...

Martha Stewart Says Sarah Palin Is 'A Dangerous Person' By Noel Sheppard Created 2009-11-21 18:50 Martha Stewart on Friday said former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is "a dangerous person," and "anyone like that in government is a real problem." Speaking with HLN's "Showbiz Tonight" producer Jenny D'Attoma, Stewart also said Palin is "very boring" and "confused." Ironically, when asked if she has seen any of Palin's recent interviews, Stewart replied without recognizing the hypocrisy, "I wouldn't watch her if you paid me" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Mediaite [1]): HLN 'SHOWBIZ TONIGHT' PRODUCER JENNY D'ATTOMA: Now, on...