John Ziegler
Posted on 05/23/2011 9:42:50 PM PDT by onyx
John Ziegler
In only the past couple days, just as the Republican presidential field seems to be forming the type of void that almost begs her to fill it, Sarah Palin has once again been called “stupid” in two high-profile media outlets.
The first came from one of the usual suspects, Chris Matthews and MSNBC, where the host dismissed Palin as having allegedly proven herself to be “profoundly stupid.”
The second occurred when the Huffington Post repeated a secondhand quote from an anonymous “Republican” who allegedly told a New York magazine reporter that Fox News head Roger Ailes “thinks” that Palin is “stupid” (just a day after Ailes himself, on the record, had mocked Matthews for the idiocy of his Palin statement).
As a veteran of the Palin media wars, part of me thinks that such allegations ought to be treated with all the credibility of a sixth-grade boy calling the girl he has a crush on “stupid.” After all, I thought we had put this Palin myth to bed when even Matt Lauer was forced to admit live on the Today Show that it was indeed a “lie” that the Palin whom he visited in Wasilla is unintelligent.
At the time, Lauer laughably told me that it was not necessary for him to correct his friends in the media because he didn’t think “everybody in the media ran out saying ‘Sarah Palin is an idiot.’” I thought then that Lauer actually somehow mistakenly bought into such an absurdity. Unless being forced to get up so early has finally eroded his ability to think for himself, I can’t believe that he still has that kind of blind faith in the media two years later.
So even though this is an argument that should have been easily won long ago, I still feel compelled, if only for the record, to once again separate fact from fiction.
With regard to Matthews’s specific allegation, it is just the latest in a long line of baseless attacks that the liberal host has made against Palin. At times it actually seems as if Matthews is obsessed with Palin (or at least the ratings which inevitably come with bashing her).
One of my biggest issues with Matthews here is that he never provides any real evidence to support the defamatory allegation that Palin isn’t intelligent. It is just accepted on MSNBC that it has already been proven beyond any doubt, much like the “fact” that President Obama is brilliant, that this is simply not worthy of any actual debate.
The other disgraceful element of Matthews’s anti-Palin crusade is that, just like this circumstance where his two guests were also decidedly anti-Palin, he rarely if ever even pretends to have on anyone who could possibly provide an alternative view (otherwise known as the truth).
Matthews grew up in Philadelphia in the same neighborhood as many members of my extended family and I have exchanged emails with him many times over the years. Despite this, he has never had the courage or fairness to have me on, and his program remains one of the very few cable news shows where I have never appeared to discuss/defend Palin.
Has cable news television really fallen so far that a host can constantly make gratuitous attacks against someone without even being compelled to have a guest on to provide the other side? Apparently, at least at MSNBC, it has.
As for the New York magazine quote alleging Palin’s boss at Fox News thinks she is “stupid,” this is emblematic of yet another dubious and seldom-used media tactic utilized by the media to go after Palin: anonymous/secondhand “sources.”
Since when is it acceptable “journalism” to quote one (not multiple) anonymous “source” claiming what someone else (who just went on the record defending her) “thinks” about the metal capacity of someone who is currently not an officeholder or candidate? That has simply never been the standard, but as Palin herself has said, when it comes to news coverage of her, “all bets are off.”
marron, you must also be *Sarah Palin stupid*, because what you wrote, is absolutely BRILLIANT!!!
BTTT
You’ve made this whole thread worth reading!
You know her!
Beautifully and concisely put. You are right.
Having a beer with the neighbor and Sarah's name comes up as a joke?. Speak up!. I have and I think I might have changed a few people's perceptions of her.
they try to bait her into responding, then call her thin-skinned for responding or narcissistic for not responding.
It's going to be a rough, nasty election season - but hopefully it will be the last one we'll ever have to deal with Chicago politicians and tactics - ever!
“Cheech Marin Smokes Anderson Cooper (ON JEOPARDY)!”
LOL, I saw that one, very cool!
In fact the libtards do quite badly on Jeopardy, this is why celeb Jeopardy is quite good.
I’m also starting to think that the Politico is manufacturing their famous “un-named Republicans.”
This is the Palin campaign strategy. Changing people's minds about Sarah is easy. Stare them in the eye and tell them that everything they believe about Sarah is a proven lie. Ask them to list their problems with her. Everything they say will be an oft repeated liberal lie. Refute their lies one at a time. Demonstrate in what ever way you are able that she is the most brilliant politician in the US today.
I usually end my conversation with the observation that abortion is the greatest threat to our nation in its history. We have aborted 3 generations of Americans. Grandchildren are not allowed to be born because their grandparents were slaughtered. Most of them are black.
Sarah gets it and is morally outraged at this fascist genocide. That is why the left hates her. She stares members of the culture of death in the eye and calls them out.
We do not simply want Sarah as our president. We need her courage, her moral outrage and her fearless opposition to corruption. She will inspire a great army of patriots to take our country back from the infidels of liberalism.
Every Republican since the Nixon era is either stupid, evil, or both.
Nixon: evil. Ford: stupid. Reagan: stupid and evil. Bush (the elder): stupid. Gingrich: evil. Dole: stupid. Bush (the younger): stupid and evil. Karl Rove: evil. McCain: stupid. Palin: stupid (and likely evil, too).
It's how the left deals with the cognitive dissonance caused by people with different views. They can't handle an honest assessment of facts and opinions, therefore anyone who disagrees with them is stupid, evil, or both. (Sometimes "crazy" is added to the mix, but they don't use that one as often.)
I would like to see Palin be elected just so I could watch Mathews go blithering off into the sunset. Just think, Chris you could be dead and gone by the time her 2 terms are up. Still you could have a lot of blithering ahead of you.
I’m even smarter than Chrissy baby.
If it was not for lots of hot air, he would not exist.
The perception has been formed that she is a “dumb blond” (to quote a co worker).
That could be a huge barrier to her getting to office.
You’re right. Change one mind at a time.
Oh yeah. I agree with you. That’s the fun part of having *anonymous sources*. Those sources need not exist!!!
Sarah Palin has more than enough intelligence to be President.
The recurring, ignorant charge is utterly baseless, and in most cases sexist.
“Intelligence” is largely misunderstood, misinterpreted and highly overrrated.
Trust me on this: We don’t want Mensa members running the country.
I guess everyone has noticed that whenever the media (including Fox) talks about the potential candidates, they never mention Sarah. This just tells me that they are all deathly afraid of her candidacy.
I’ll happily trust you on that!
She poses a real threat to both the GOP-E that can’t control or buy her and the socialists intent on destroying our Republic.
Sarah Palin is my choice. She’s plenty smart for many of us TEA Party folks.
Oh yes, I always take note of that!
It’s a rare occasion whenever some brave soul mentions her and it’s usually met with *I don’t think she’s not running.*
Oh really, O’Reilly?
The leftards do this with all the regularity of Old Faithful. You can expect them to call anyone they don’t like “stupid.”
Reagan was an “amiable dunce.”
Know it, expect it, ridicule them for it.
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.