The hard left thru their minions in the media viewed Sarah Palin as a MAJOR threat and attacked with extreme prejudice.
Wassermann is just a useful idiot—easily discarded.
It is not just Palin. The media never figured that Ronald Reagan would become president. They dismissed the possibility out of hand. After he did, the media no longer would risk a bona fide conservative becoming president. Every rising-star conservative is carpet bombed by the media as early, and as thoroughly as possible.