CNN Places Sarah Palin With 2008's Criminals, Sex Addicts, and the Corrupt

Newsbusters ^ | January 4, 2009 | Warner Todd Huston

[SolidWood]

Showing they have no sense of morality, no grasp of corruption and no understanding of what defines a criminal, CNN gives us another one of those ubiquitous year in review stories, this one titled "Politicians who fell from grace in 2008." In this one, CNN has decided to reveal for us their top eight politicians that found 2008 to be a "career-buster" because of their "crimes and misdemeanors" or their outrageous controversies.

CNN features corruption mired Rod Blagojevich, the sex crazed Elliot Spitzer and John Edwards, and the criminal bribe taker Ted Stevens among four others. Each of these men in the CNN list have either been convicted of criminal actions, are indicted for corruption, lost their positions, been drummed out of their party, or are soon to face jail time. Among these eight criminals, however, is a name that doesn't belong among this class of serial abuser of the public trust. It won't be shocking to note that among the worst sex criminals, bribe takers, liars and thieves in politics for 2008, CNN ridiculously included the name of Governor Sarah Palin.

Palin, however, has done nothing remotely like what these other political ner-do-wells have done. She did not take bribes, she did not indulge in sexual dalliances with co-workers or call girls, she did not get booted from her party or lose her job as Governor. She is not under indictment nor does she face jail time, yet CNN includes her in a list with Rob Blagojevich, John Edwards, Kwame Kilpatrick, Larry Langford, Tim Maloney, Elliot Spitzer and Ted Stevens.

[sionnsar]

CNN:

How can anyone take them seriously?

[Polybius]

Palin's a nice lady with a compelling back story. She also appears to be a successful state CEO and I'm glad she's a conservative but she just doesn't have the intellectual horsepower to compete on the national stage. If you can't beat Katie freakin Couric in the interview game, you just don't have what it takes. Sorry! .............. But, I think the larger point I was trying to make in my earlier posts is still correct. Palin's inability to deal with tough, uncomfortable questions was her downfall -

Tough questions?

You mean like ..... "Please name some of the news sources you read"?

What Newspapers Does Sarah Palin Read?

How many regular FReepers can't automatically rattle off six or seven or eight news sources that we regularly read articles from every day?

The Washington Post, the Washington Times, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the San Fransisco Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian (U.K.), Times, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, etc., etc.

Sarah Palin is a nice lady and is a conservative but she was an Affirmative Action candididate chosen by John McCain because she met three and only three criteria:

1.) Conservative
2.) Executive experience, no matter how little (she was inaugurated Governor of Alaska in December of 2006)
3.) She was a FEMALE.

There were many experienced and strong candidates that met the first two criteria.

But, Affirmative Action being Affirmative Action, only Sarah Palin met all three criteria and she was nominated for the Vice Presidency of the United States of America in spite of the fact that, if a MALE Governor of Alaska with similar experience had been nominated by John McCain, we would all be asking what John McCain was smoking.

If the Democrats had made such an Affirmative Action choice (they did with Obama) we would be justifiably pointing out the lack of experience for the office.

Often, Free Republic becomes a choir preaching to itself.

Right now, the choir is preaching that Sarah Palin is the darling of of the Conservative GOP base and the choir is correct.

The choir, however, needs to realize that, although Conservatives make of 60% of the GOP, the GOP only makes up 28% of all American voters.

To the other 72% of American voters, Sarah Palin has become as much of a punchline to a joke as Dan Quayle.

You can win the Presidential nomination of a Party that represents 28% of the entire American electorate by a 60 to 40 margin with such a candidate but you can't win an American Presidential Election with such a candidate.

[EGPWS]

How can anyone take them seriously?

Droning lack of option perhaps?

[Chieftain]

Considering the source, it isn’t that unbelieveable.

[pepperhead]

Palin didn’t fall from grace. Without her McCain would have lost by more votes and the GOP would have lost more seats in the house and senate. Also ask people like Saxby Chambliss if they think she fell from grace.

[apocalypto]

I agree 100%. J.S. McCain's campaign was close to dead until Sarah Palin came along. She energized it. Doesn't mean she is perfect but then McCain, B. Obama, Hillary, and others were more flawed.

[SolidWood]

Being staunchly opposed to islamists isn’t enough to make you conservative. Lieberman, Koch and Giuliani aren’t conservatives either.

[Polybius]

That being said, I still like her, and if she has any notion of returning to the National stage in 2012, she needs to find a good mentor and start now to develop her knowledge of international and domestic issues, ....

You only get one chance to make a first impression and, as far as the the majority of American voters are concerned, Sarah Palin has left the impression of being unqualified for the White House.

Somebody that is truly qualified to be Vice President or President of the United States should not have to start "developing her knowledge of international and domestic issues" AFTER she has been nominated to a national ticket.

This is exactly why I earlier referred to the Sarah Palin pick was an Affirmative Action pick.

John McCain needed a conservative running mate but his running mate should have been picked BECAUSE of expertise and "knowledge of international and domestic issues" and not simply because the pick was a FEMALE in order to pander to women voters.

If you pick a conservative candidate for the Vice Presidency that has an evident deficiency in her "knowledge of international and domestic issues" simply because she happens to be a female, is that not Affirmative Action?

Are we conservatives not opposed to Affirmative Action?

Sarah Palin is cute and personable and conservative but that, by itself alone, in no way, shape or form, qualifies you to be President of the United States.

If all we are looking for is "cute and personable and conservative" and "knowledge of international and domestic issues" is a secondary consideration, then let's have an American Female Conservative Idol contest on national TV, pick the conservative female with the most knock out looks, the best speech delivery and the best performance in interviews with Katie Couric and then hire a mentor to "start now to develop her knowledge of international and domestic issues".

Winner of the American Female Conservative Idol contest

[curth]

You can let CNN know how you feel here:

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?103

[Sarah Barracuda]

WOW The libs are really scared of her aren’t they. Today I was at my cousin’s birthday party talking to my liberal cousin(Who happens to be a lawyer) now he is very very liberal and even he said(now he does not support many of Sarah’s political views) but he said after hearing the media bash her constantly that if she chooses to run in 2012, he would vote for her, he said enough is enough already, the bashing is getting old. So today we called Time Warner Cable and canceled CNN from our line-up, we don’t watch it anyway but just wanted it gone, who needs that garbage, I suggest everyone here do the same. I have never seen such fear, is this what they are gonna do to her for the next 4 years, WOW just WOW, just when you think our country can’t sink any lower I wake up to this

[OlympicLeprechaun]

Thanks for the link curth. I just e-mailed them and unequivocally stated my feelings.

[Vermont Lt]

Watch out...the Saraphiles are going to come out of the woodwork after you. You cannot speak ill of the ‘Sarah.” You might get banished.

All hail Sarah! Next Queen of the Americas.

[needtowakeup]

I’m sure they didn’t point out the disproportionate democrat/republican ratio. Doubt they even saw it. Blinders you see!

[pandemoniumreigns]

Oh Please...

Do you think anyone really cares that

your not really from vermont?

[curth]

I don’ think we can just have stations removed ala carte on our cable system. CNN is part of a tier package.You take everything in the package or nothing, It’s how we get stuck with the likes of CNN, MSNBC and BET, if you want Fox News. I have the three above deleted from my regular channels, but if I punch in the channel number they are still there.

[dalight]

If we don't start picking candidates that can comport themselves in an articulate manner with the mainstream media, but especially television interviewers, then the GOP will be wondering the desert for years to come.

You recommend that we pick candidates for their star power rather than their substance. That sounds good. Lets see, we have a few actors, perhaps Arnold is your ideal.

[curth]

Governor Palin has been great on TV since the election. She’s being herself and she’s been fine.

[timestax]

[Lilpug15]

So everyone is a Saraphile now who likes this lady and may want to stand up for her or defend her? If people post things that they do not agree w/ should they just let it go and not say anything? I believe that if you have a candidate of your liking and somebody says something bad or disparaging about them that you would most likely debate them. Would that make you a “phile” of that candidate as well? Nobody is perfect and depending on how things wind up in the next few years I let things fall where they may - as of now I still like the woman but 4 yrs. is a long time from now - I am also a big believer in giving people a chance and the benefit of the doubt. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and as such if someone disagrees w/ you they are allowed to argue... I believe that’s what freedom is about - it just so happens that she is more popular than anyone else out here right now so it probably appears that people are fanatical about her on the republican side... Just my .02 for what it’s worth.

[Big_Monkey]

"You recommend that we pick candidates for their star power rather than their substance. That sounds good. Lets see, we have a few actors, perhaps Arnold is your ideal."

I've got no idea how you glean that from my posts. I would like for the GOP to start picking candidates that don't come across as inarticulate, uninformed, inexperienced rubes that have never been out of the country.

As for Sarah Palin's substance, can you point to one book or article that she's published? Can you point to a speech, or conference where's she's presented well-reasoned and informed ideas about pressing domestic US policy? Can you cite a single instance where's she been even quoted about international affairs, let alone publish anything on the topic? She has demonstrated ZERO substance, only style that is appreciated by a minority of Americans.

When Ronald W. Reagan ran for President the first time, he had volumes of material, oral and written that addressed the most pressing, relevant topics of the day. Sarah Palin had none of the this before John McCain chose her as his running mate.

Somehow, we've reached a point in our party where the only people that can get the nomination and keep the support of the "base" are people that believe in a literal bible (despite volumes of empirical science), attend an "acceptable" church and are folksy to the point of irritation. This is not a recipe for success on a national ticket.

When those of us expect our candidates to be experts in the subject matters that are critical to running the world's only superpower, we get labeled RINO's, star-chasers and eletist. Again, that plays well to the base of 29%, but it will never win another national election.