Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Sarah Palin Chronicles Mask Deeper GOP Troubles
Washington Post ^ | Thursday, July 2, 2009 | Dan Balz and Perry Bacon Jr.

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 ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: balzbacon; enemedia; gopimplosion; palin; pds; purdum; rino; rinopurge; rinoromney; romney; romneyantipalin; sarah; sarahpalin; vanityfair; wapo; waronsarah
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last
Nothing better than the Compost telling the GOP "You're doing it all wrong. Do exactly as we say, and you'll be sucessful. Balz & Bacon were the ame couple telling us for a year and a half "You people will win the election of you nominate John McCain."
1 posted on 07/01/2009 9:11:52 PM PDT by presidio9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: presidio9

The Compost... pure idiots.
Takes two of them to write one column....


2 posted on 07/01/2009 9:14:20 PM PDT by TV Dinners (Hope is not a Strategy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
I'm always wary of anything coming from the left about the right.

Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.

Oh, dear...


3 posted on 07/01/2009 9:27:34 PM PDT by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
THE SARAH PALIN CHRONICLES

click on image......

4 posted on 07/01/2009 9:32:48 PM PDT by Donald Rumsfeld Fan (Sarah Palin: Iron Lady of the North)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Mitt Romney/Perez Hilton 2012


5 posted on 07/01/2009 9:44:05 PM PDT by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
Libs are terrified of Sarah. Of that, there is no doubt.

The more they and their RINO accomplices attack her, the more they raise her stock value among honest, patriotic Americans.

You go, Sarah!


6 posted on 07/01/2009 9:44:31 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

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..


7 posted on 07/01/2009 9:46:24 PM PDT by BerniesFriend (no no..arrrrwwwhhh..as in surprise..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

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?


8 posted on 07/01/2009 9:46:25 PM PDT by jch10
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Donald Rumsfeld Fan
Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers, some of whom are currently working for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the White House,
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide, now working for McCain-Palin.
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
He's in charge on November 5th.'"
The Prowler added: "Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."
The Romney supporters in the McCain campaign had access to internal polling which indicated well in advance of the November 4 election that McCain had no chance to win.
So they began working to position their man Mitt for a run in 2012. Just two days after the election,The Palmetto Scoop reported:
"One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
These aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.
Erick Erickson, who organized Operation Leper, said:
"Here’s what I think: I think there are some staffers on the McCain campaign who seriously screwed up the roll out of Sarah Palin, to which Governor Palin herself objected.
These staffers are now out trying to finish her off thinking, as typical D.C. types do, that if they don’t do it to her, she’ll do it to them. They just never understood who Palin is or what she is about."
"Likewise, I do think there are some staffers and others who expect Mitt Romney to run again in 2012,
they decided McCain could not win, and decided to undermine Sarah Palin and her chances hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."


"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign? (Mark Wallace, Romney pimp)
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."


Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt Romney

9 posted on 07/01/2009 9:47:19 PM PDT by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
Yep, and these same stories were being written after GWB beat McCain in the primaries.

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.

10 posted on 07/01/2009 9:48:58 PM PDT by roses of sharon (We must get a grip on what we can, and hold on. Hold on with energy, imagination, and ferocity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jch10
Let's hear it for Mitt Brutus Romney.

"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"

Said Novak: "The rumors were traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign,
trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson
."

"Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries,
(Mitt Romney, Carpetbagger UT,CA,MA,NH,Mexico) lost Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and California.
The only primaries he won were in Michigan, where Dad was governor; LDS states;
and a few states on Super Tuesday in which his California-obsessed rivals
couldn't spare the cash to advertise.
Only John Connolly in 1968 had a worse cash-to-delegates ratio.
And John McCain rightly did not like Romney's tactics during the primaries.
(W)hen (Romney's early leads) started slipping away, he resorted to unfair,
distorted, scorched-earth negative ads, betting that his opponents couldn't
afford to spend enough for the truth to catch up to his charges."

[Romney: A Mistake for McCain, 7/23/2008, Dick Morris]

11 posted on 07/01/2009 9:49:01 PM PDT by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

I wish they would stop being so nice to us.


12 posted on 07/01/2009 9:53:39 PM PDT by Exton1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

YES!


13 posted on 07/01/2009 9:55:11 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (Pray for, and support our troops(heroes) !! And vote out the RINO's!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jch10
WHY ISN’T THE REPUBLICAN PARTY JUMPING FOR JOY?

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.

14 posted on 07/01/2009 10:43:09 PM PDT by Prokopton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Surrendered my ass.

It was f_cking stolen.


15 posted on 07/01/2009 10:43:45 PM PDT by Yankee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
Last night I watched Krauthammer on Fox and was pleased that he echoed this post and others like it going back to December of last year and even before the election. I am not pleased that my admonition to Sarah Palen to clean up her forensic act has not been heeded. She had much homework to do throughout the long dark winter in Alaska and she has not done it. Therefore, although she has captured my heart, I must sadly recognize that Sarah Palen is simply not doing what is necessary to make the transition from Alaska to the world stage. Here is one of those posts:

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.


16 posted on 07/01/2009 11:13:41 PM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

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


17 posted on 07/01/2009 11:15:57 PM PDT by wardaddy (Proudly Anti-Abortion, not and will never be Pro-Life...........Sarah Palin, there is no substitute)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nathanbedford
I‘m surprised at you, you're usually spot on.

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

18 posted on 07/01/2009 11:28:58 PM PDT by wardaddy (Proudly Anti-Abortion, not and will never be Pro-Life...........Sarah Palin, there is no substitute)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: nathanbedford

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...


19 posted on 07/01/2009 11:39:39 PM PDT by se_ohio_young_conservative (Palin 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: wardaddy
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

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


20 posted on 07/01/2009 11:55:49 PM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson