Posted on 07/01/2009 9:11:51 PM PDT by presidio9
On the same day Republicans surrendered a symbolically significant seat in the Senate, the Sarah Palin wars erupted again inside the party. Leaks followed by trash-talking followed by recriminations.
The latest Palin flare-up began in Vanity Fair with a lengthy article by Todd S. Purdum examining the Alaska governor's past and her potential future. The controversy migrated instantly to the Web and the blogs -- it was, in fact, made for the viral communication that dominates today's politics -- and became even more intense, nasty and personal.
The Palin controversy highlights personal enmities and strategic disagreements among Republicans. The victory by Democrat Al Franken over Republican Norm Coleman for a U.S. Senate seat representing Minnesota, though long anticipated, drives home the degree to which Republicans are now a true minority party. Together, the controversies are another double blow to the weakened party.
Republicans grappling with how to respond to their latest setback in the Senate were appalled by the sniping over Palin. The criticism in Vanity Fair and the angry reaction by Palin defenders echoed the breakdown that occurred at the end of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. For several days this fall, the two camps fired at each other at the expense of both Palin and McCain. The charges and countercharges aimed at Palin were, to many Republicans, shocking and inexcusable, a messy end to a dispiriting campaign. But that was not the end. Seven months later,
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Compost... pure idiots.
Takes two of them to write one column....
Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.
Oh, dear...

The more they and their RINO accomplices attack her, the more they raise her stock value among honest, patriotic Americans.
You go, Sarah!
gosh..let me get my paper and pen..wanna write down what the wapo says to do..they know best how to create a conservative party..
I just don’t understand!
To be president of the American Idol society we have today:
it takes a good looking person....Sarah
able to make a good speech........Sarah
good personality..................Sarah
draw large crowds.................Sarah
WHY ISN’T THE REPUBLICAN PARTY JUMPING FOR JOY?
Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt Romney
Obviously McCain and his goons are sore losers who run to their MSM to put blame on others and whine, they care nothing about their country or us.
"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"
"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"
"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"
"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"
"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"
Poor sport spoiler Romney doing what he does best:
Novak: "Fred Thompson drop-out rumors traced to Romney campaign"
I wish they would stop being so nice to us.
YES!
Sarah is conservative, the Republican party is not.
Sarah is a strong woman, the Republican party is controlled by effete wankers.
Sarah is genuine, the Republican party is lead by phony, pretentious power grabbers.
Surrendered my ass.
It was f_cking stolen.
I take your point about Reagan's improved performance in the second debate in which he was not expected to be force-fed a whole bunch of data. I think Palin's problem is 70 % presentation and 30 % substance.
First, I think she was unnerved by Gibson and by Couric. I know that sounds remarkable for someone who can come out of the backwater of Alaska and mount the national stage in front of the tens of millions of people and knock 'em dead at the convention. Nevertheless, I think she was terribly nervous in those two interviews and it undid her.
And talking about style, I think we should differentiate among the two kinds of exposure that a candidate endures. The first is the prepared speech. She is proven beyond doubt that she can deliver a boffo speech. However, in these efforts it is sometimes necessary, depending on the setting and the audience, to be formal and pedantic. She is not demonstrated an ability in this area yet and she must do so to acquire the precious "gravitas." At outdoor rallies she can literally let her hair down and let ' er rip and she will be wonderfully well received.
A second venue is the television interview Katie Couric or Meet the Press style. I believe that she can handle that experience better today but if you look at the last YouTube ambush by NBC news affiliate in front of the Turkey slaughter, you'll see Palin confident and unafraid because she is in her element. But you will also notice that she talked too fast and was a bit too earnest and smiled a bit too much. Her problem is not likability but weight. Those of us who love her will do so if she smiles a little less and those who hate her do so compulsively because of who she is, not what she says or how she says it. Palin must identify her target which is the mushy middle who will like her but must not be able to conclude that she is a lightweight. Therefore, her forensic coach should work on voice tone, pacing, pauses, and posture all with a view to adding portent. Additionally, she should have an inventory of handy phrases for each subject such as offshore drilling, Iraq or what have you. Procedurally, she should have an inventory of phrases ready to hand if she is put back on her heels which will kick up enough dust to get her out of a jam. These should be practiced and rehearsed so that she looks authoritative while she is shucking and jiving-all politicians shuck and jive the question is do you look good doing it. In Sarah's case, she always looks good, the question is, does she look smart?
I think a forensic coach will play back tapes with a view to alerting her to her nervous gestures and betrayals of insecurity. She has courage but I think she is also a woman of decency and politeness so she does not instinctively leapt to the counterattack when somebody like Charlie Gibson misquotes her to spring a trap that she is a religious nut. She does not look the camera in the eye as though she was staring a Katie Couric and ask her why she did not ask such a question of Barak Obama. She must learn that the audience hates Katie Couric and knows what she is up to and will tolerate a lot of spontaneous pushback provided it does not appear to be whining.
Finally, she must overcome the present negative image created by Tina Fey and Katie Couric. That is to be done by self- deprecating humor. Clinton got away with that after his disastrous convention speech by appearing on Leno and making fun of himself. It got Huckaby to the brink of the nomination. If I were Palin I would somehow raise the money to hire a stable of writers, two should do it, but one of whom at least should have some comedic skills.
Ronald Reagan used to wit and humor to skewer his adversaries who, like Mondale, were young and inexperienced.
this is not unfamiliar.....Reagan late 70s caught the same flack...he and Nixon were favorite foils of the left and moderate GOP
for different reasons
why let the media frame her, it obvious nearly all hate her guts with a passion as they will any real social conservative
instead of trying to play nice with them and dodge their traps for once someone should take them head on and put them on the defensive...ignore the worst like Couric with a vengeance
there is maybe enough media like Fox and a radio and a handful here and there to simply run against the Dems and the leftist media, they are after all one in the same nearly.
thinking they will give her a fair shake if she's “prepared” enough is mighty naive for a poster with yer namesake
and Krauthammer unlike fellow neocon Kristol never liked her anyhow...what do we expect from a gun grabber and pro-abortion “conservative” whose main claim to fame is he's not a socialist and loves Israel.
Obama ignored FOX for the most part except for sympathetic pundits like Rivera and Juan and his staged approved questions only interview with O'Blowhard
How could somebody honestly believe such a cool and smart woman like Palin is stupid ? her story is an inspiration. Why can’t people judge her for who she really is...
it is such a cruel injustice...
How did you ever get that conclusion from this part of my post?
She has courage but I think she is also a woman of decency and politeness so she does not instinctively leapt to the counterattack when somebody like Charlie Gibson misquotes her to spring a trap that she is a religious nut. She does not look the camera in the eye as though she was staring at Katie Couric and ask her why she did not ask such a question of Barak Obama. She must learn that the audience hates Katie Couric and knows what she is up to and will tolerate a lot of spontaneous pushback provided it does not appear to be whining
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