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WaPo Shocker: Palin Helped McCain Avoid Far Worse Loss ("would have been far worse" without base)
NewsBusters.com ^ | Noel Sheppard

Posted on 11/15/2008 8:44:17 PM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

As media outlets across the fruited plain float the notion that Sarah Palin hurt John McCain's chances of winning the White House, the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza will break with the herd on Sunday to dispel this nonsense.

Imagine that.

As the last of his "5 Myths About an Election of Mythic Proportions" slated for Sunday's print edition but already available at the paper's website, Cillizza parted with his fellow journalists who believe "McCain made a huge mistake in picking Sarah Palin":

Love her or loathe her, the data appear somewhere close to conclusive that Palin did little to help -- and, in fact, did some to hurt -- McCain's attempts to reach out to independents and Democrats. But just because Palin doesn't appear to have helped McCain move to the middle doesn't mean that picking her was the wrong move.

Remember where McCain found himself this past summer. He had won the Republican nomination, but the GOP base clearly felt little buy-in into his campaign. A slew of national polls reflected that energy gap, with Democrats revved up about the election and their candidate and Republicans somewhere between tepid and glum.

Enter Palin, who was embraced with a bear hug by the party's conservative base. All of a sudden, cultural conservatives were thrilled at the chance to put "one of their own" in the White House. In fact, of the 60 percent of voters who told exit pollsters that McCain's choice of Palin was a "factor" in their final decision, the Arizona senator won 56 percent to 43 percent.

For skittish conservatives looking for more evidence that McCain understood their needs and concerns, Palin did the trick. It's hard to imagine conservatives rallying to McCain -- even to the relatively limited extent that they did -- without Palin on the ticket. And without the base, McCain's loss could have been far worse.

For those interested, Cillizza dispelled some other myths being floated by media including "The Republican Party suffered a death blow" during these elections, and "A wave of black voters and young people was the key to Obama's victory."


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: newsbusters; paalin; palin2012; palinnation; sarahpalin; wapo
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To: an amused spectator

See you tomorrow. Now run along. Your mother is calling.


81 posted on 11/20/2008 5:32:49 PM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: joesbucks
Here's a handy list of links to your "conservative" hotties:

http://www.peggynoonan.com/

http://www.postwritersgroup.com/parker.htm

Kathleen Parker's latest foaming spittle: Heresies and Other Truths November 19, 2008

Sorry that Noonan hasn't done any Palin-bashing lately (she's occupied with giving Obama's posterior a wash and Simonize...), but there's always next week...

God Bless you, joesbucks. May He heal your heart of your Palin-hatred. I don't know if He can do anything for your pin-up girls, though - they only respond to the main chance, and filthy lucre. :-)

82 posted on 11/21/2008 5:45:53 AM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: an amused spectator
I am very blessed by God. He gave me a wonderful gift. It is called discernment.

I did see Tony Blankley last night make the comment that Obama ran his campaign mistake free. Sort of sounds like seamless.

Now granted, there were errors in that campaign. But they overall did a pretty good job.

You guys really need to get over the name calling and innuendo. It's just unseemly.

As for Sarah Palin, I have no hatred toward her. But I guess in your political universe if you're not 100% or more behind someone, then you must hate them. That's a little weird. And besides, she agrees with me that John McCain is the best leader in the nation right now. Unless she can't tell the truth. You know, that could be it. SoCons sometimes have trouble with that.

And thank you for the links. Although I generally see most of their columns here on good ol FR, so they aren't really unnecessary. Seems many people seem fixated on what these "pin up girls" have to say because they seem to get a lot of threads on the forum. Funny, none were initiated by me.

Hey, thanks for the early start. See you tomorrow.

83 posted on 11/21/2008 7:02:28 AM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: joesbucks
I did see Tony Blankley last night make the comment that Obama ran his campaign mistake free. Sort of sounds like seamless.

I'm sure Tony was just being kind: "a lot of moderates voted for Obama because of the housing market crash, financial crisis, drop in 401(k) account values, and two wars..."

As for Sarah Palin, I have no hatred toward her. But I guess in your political universe if you're not 100% or more behind someone, then you must hate them. That's a little weird.

You were being a little weird in your anti-Palin posts. That's what caught my attention. Are you retracting those posts? Or are you just waiting for them to flow far enough away from Current Posts so you can pretend that you never wrote them, as you seem to be doing now?

I'm really glad you've become more circumspect towards Palin. If you get really out of hand in the future when it comes to that subject, we're keeping a few links handy to inform people on FR as to the nature of your Parker/Noonan/joesbucks nexus. :-)

84 posted on 11/21/2008 6:44:42 PM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: an amused spectator
Hey, two responses again. Remember, I'm limited to one.

And please spare me the drama. Saving my links? For what? to be a tattletale? My comments are permanently saved in the FR archives. I've not toned down my thoughts and the written expressions thereof about Governor Palin. However, you may tattle anytime about my "nexus" with the lady scribes.

What caught your attention IMHO is someone had a thought outside the forum orthodoxy box about Governor Palin.

The you chose to use the old Sean Hannity trick. You know, the one where someone has a criticism about President Bush and Sean's first words in response are "Why do you hate the President?"

All they had was a difference of opinion and he extrapolates it into hatred. That's simply weird. And yes there are Bush haters, but everyone who differs from the President is not a hater. I have a difference of opinion with me wife and I still love her. I may not believe my wife may be the best person for the job she's applying for, but I still love her. I may not like what she's chosen to wear that day, but I still love her. Simply not being 100% ga ga over someone doesn't mean you hate them.

If Governor Palin is a great contender for 2012 she will find a way to appeal beyond the base and that appeal will get her votes. If she doesn't she'll simply be politically the next Dan Quayle or Alan Keyes.

85 posted on 11/22/2008 3:20:12 AM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: joesbucks
Hey, two responses again. Remember, I'm limited to one.

??? OK, I'm confused. I remember writing that "[a]fter this, you only get one post a day, but post I will". My reading of this says that I'll post to you daily in response to your inevitable reply, since you seem to need to have the last word. I was promising MYSELF a rationing the wasting of my time replying to you. If I want to waste some of my own time posting additional missives to you, then it's my time to waste, and my decision.

I don't see you being limited to one post anywhere except in your own mind, and certainly nowhere on the FR board. Of course, I have to remember that there's a lot of things in your mind, like "Obasma's seamless campaign" and "Sarah Palin, Idiot Savant" and Joe Biden, SuperGenius.

What caught your attention IMHO is someone had a thought outside the forum orthodoxy box about Governor Palin.

Humble, indeed. Your Palin thoughts were spoon-fed to you by Obama's media machine. Mmmmmmmmmmmm-good! BTW - they're not outside a "forum orthodoxy box", they're just like listening to ABCCBSNBCCNN.

Also BTW, I'll be gone for a while next week, but you won't be forgotten.

Enjoy your romp in the schoolyard, bullying everyone with your Obamedia views about Palin. :-)

86 posted on 11/22/2008 4:25:39 PM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: an amused spectator
So you're saying if you respond and I don't you then have the last word? Does that then make you Tuvok?

On 11/11 you wrote After this, you only get one post a day, but post I will. So one post a day doesn't mean one post a day when you fancy to waste your time. Seems to me not only will you be wasting some time but that you wouldn't be keeping your word. How else can one post per day mean anything other than one post per day? I mean I have no problem with you wasting your time, but geez, have the decency to live up to your word. I mean c'mon, put your adult on and act like one.

And drop the "it's the medias fault. You'd think that after 40 years conservatives would figure out a way around the media bias. I really believe it's a much a crutch as it is a reality. I'm mean President Reagan figured it out. What's wrong with this batch? I mean if Governor Palin is to be the next Reagan, she's gotta figure out the media like President Reagan did. I mean everything can't be the fault of the media. Hope your time off is fruitful. Be careful and be well. Don't forget me when you get back.

87 posted on 11/22/2008 7:45:51 PM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: celtic gal
This is not news to us here on FR!

It is to some here who choose to believe the absolute worst about her rather than cast a critical eye on their chosen candidates.

Governor Palin is the ONLY reason I voted for "the maverick". Without her I wouldn't, couldn't have.
88 posted on 11/22/2008 7:52:02 PM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (There are 1519 days until marxist occupation ends. What are you doing to shorten the war?)
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To: joesbucks
And drop the "it's the medias fault. You'd think that after 40 years conservatives would figure out a way around the media bias. I really believe it's a much a crutch as it is a reality. I'm mean President Reagan figured it out. What's wrong with this batch? I mean if Governor Palin is to be the next Reagan, she's gotta figure out the media like President Reagan did. I mean everything can't be the fault of the media.

I happen to be one of the media trackers from the beginning of Free Republic. I'm qualified to say that the media went over the top in this election. They didn't even bother to hide that they were WORKING for Obama.

They used to try to hide it, even during the impeachment wars. You had to parse what they were saying over a period of time to catch a pattern.

They WORK for the new government. Do you understand what that means?

I could explain many of the implications, but I'll let you reflect on them yourself.

89 posted on 11/22/2008 7:58:55 PM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: Dr.Zoidberg
exactly my point.those of us here on FR knew this and that is why we ( or most of us anyway) did vote for McC beause of her presence on the ticket.
90 posted on 11/22/2008 8:02:52 PM PST by celtic gal
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To: an amused spectator

Ah, but I thought the old media (television and newspapers) were dead. Yes, they were in bed for Obama, but again, smart ones like Reagan are able to get around it. The rest simply complain.


91 posted on 11/22/2008 8:17:34 PM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: joesbucks
Ah, but I thought the old media (television and newspapers) were dead.

You may have thought that, but I never did. I know my adversary from long experience. I enjoy the posts of abb and Milhous, but I understand only too well that the snake won't be dead for a long while. Why do think Mapes was gloating some weeks ago?

Yes, they were in bed for Obama, but again, smart ones like Reagan are able to get around it.

It was different then.

92 posted on 11/22/2008 8:49:14 PM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: an amused spectator
With segmentation because of the explosion of cable/dish channels, networks such as Fox have emerged. At one time Weyrich had a network, but I believe it left the air.

You must be able to win in the areana of ideas to maintain a position either over the air or on cable/dish. If it makes money, it will air. As evidenced by Hannity and Limbaugh. But there would be tons of conservative shows if it meant viewers/listeners.

93 posted on 11/22/2008 9:04:52 PM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: an amused spectator
I just find it kind of difficult to believe that the President bought into the economy being in real trouble. He noted today that things should return from the current financial crisis sometime before mid 2010.

We've discussed why he hasn't spoken out, yet here was a prime opportunity and he says it truly is a financial crisis.

94 posted on 11/23/2008 2:41:17 PM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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To: joesbucks
I see you've found a couple of Sarah Palin threads you can type one-handed replies to, you old fraud.

Just keep typing. You expose yourself more and more each day, and it ain't pretty.

Interesting that you were bashing Ann Coulter when you didn't have Palin to kick around. Now, Coulter isn't a hated "SoCon", but she's an intelligent woman, which is a major no-no in joesbucksworld. Palin is both an intelligent woman and a religious type, which really pops your cork (in more ways than one), it seems.

95 posted on 12/01/2008 6:59:53 PM PST by an amused spectator (I am Joe, too - I'm talkin' to you, VBM: The Volkischer Beobachter Media)
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To: an amused spectator
Hey, welcome back. I'm glad your travels were safe. And it's good to have you back.

Actually Palin is probably more intellectually honest about who she is vs Annie.

Old fraud? My, my. Now that's a new label to hang on me. But please, you must be more contemporary in your attempts to marginalize.

96 posted on 12/02/2008 3:45:56 AM PST by joesbucks (Sarah Palin: "I believe John McCain is the best leader that we have in the nation right now,)
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