Palin Goes After Media at GOP Dinner

AP via AOLNews ^ | March 26, 2009

[rightwingintelligentsia]

(March 26) - Sarah Palin is teeing off on the media once again.

In a little-noticed speech to a GOP dinner in Alaska last week, Palin riffed for nearly an hour on a variety of topics — including her relationship with former McCain staffers, the Bush administration's anti-terror efforts, and actress Ashley Judd.

But the Alaska governor returned multiple times to the "unprecedented level of media slant" that she witnessed during her two-months on the Republican ticket with John McCain.

Her speech, delivered last Friday to the Anchorage Lincoln Day Dinner, was recorded by the Alaska Republican Party and posted online Tuesday.

Reflecting on the campaign, Palin said there were "a variety of reasons" Republicans lost in November, namely the faltering economy, but she seemed to place most of the blame on the press.

[Huck]

His liberal-lite agenda doomed him especially with the economy, Bush fatigue, the novelty of Obama and a fawning press. The fact that Obama was able to position himself as more Conservative than McCain towards the end speaks volumes of how weak McCain was on the issues that really count.

That's it in a nutshell. Well said.

[ansel12]

One thing is clear you have an agenda, those down ticket losses would have been much worse if McCain had not chosen the one politician in America as his veep that kept this election from being a total catastrophe.

Weren’t you a Huckabee die hard?

[MBB1984]

I agree that Palin was not much of a factor. Vice Presidential candidates never are. Palin did invigorate conservatives in directly participating in McInsane’s lackluster campaign, but the vast majority of those voters were going to vote against Obama anyway.

The polls did show that most independents were not positive on Palin. That was not surprising due to Fey's characterization of Palin which had a significant negative impact. However, most of those independents were going to vote against McInsane anyway.

It would have been theoretically interesting if McInsane had selected Lieberman on the ticket, but I suspect the results would have been the same except for losing some conservatives and gaining some independents.

The main reasons the GOP lost were 1. McInsane and 2. Bush.

[Huck]

One thing is clear you have an agenda, those down ticket losses would have been much worse if McCain had not chosen the one politician in America as his veep that kept this election from being a total catastrophe.

That's possible, but again, there's no way to put hard numbers on it. Would conservatives have stayed home and allowed Obama to get elected unchallenged? I guess it's possible, but there is no way of knowing for sure.

Any conservative who would have failed to vote in Congressional elections merely because they didn't like the Presidential candidate are pathetic creatures, in my view. I was voting for Scott Garrett no matter what.

Weren’t you a Huckabee die hard?

Nope. I started out as none of the above, hoping someone would emerge other than the pathetic field we had. When Fred popped up, I checked him out, quickly sized him up for what he was--a waste of time--and kept watching. My vote didn't come til Super Tuesday, so I had the luxury of time.

By Super Tuesday, the conservative pundits were advising a vote for Romney as the only way to stop McCain. So, I voted for Romney. It turned out to be a waste of time, but oh well.

The one thing I did say about Huckabee at the time was that out of all the candidates, he was the craftiest and the cagiest. He didn't have the establishment support of McCain, or Romney's money, but he made what he had go a long way. He was tagged as a nannystater early on, and rejected by the base as a whole. But he had the most skill when it came to communication, generating news, etc.

[EternalVigilance]

Well, I guess what they say is true in your case: De Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.

[Huck]

I agree with your assessment completely.

[ansel12]

"Well, there’s no empirical way to measure it, so we’ll just have to disagree

No we can't prove it, it is opinion, but we can show that before the talking heads got to work reflecting your biases, the consensus immediately after the debate did not fit your extremely negative view, in fact many thought she won.

Even democrat strategist Kirsten Powers and liberal pundit Mort Kondracki gave the debate to Sarah Palin. Kondracki said… “She connected with the average American while Joe Biden talked in Senate-speak”. Powers said… “Biden didn’t commit any major gaffe’s, but she (Palin) got the better of it.”

The Frank Luntz focus group comprised of independents half of whom voted for John Kerry in 2004, overwhelmingly said Palin won the debate. While a dozen or more said Palin changed their minds and they now support McCain, only one person in the group said he changed his mind in support of Obama.

[ichabod1]

You’re probably right. But her ability to draw Obama-sized crowds and get people excited showed me something. I still think if she declares she’s running she’s going to have a nice sized war-chest to work with.

[ansel12]

Sarah Palin saved GOP from landslide defeat
By Dick Morris

“a) Sarah Palin made a vast difference in McCain’s favor. Compared to 2004, McCain lost 11 points among white men, according to the Fox News exit poll, but only four points among white women. Obama’s underperformance among white women, evident throughout the fall, may be chalked up, in large part, to the influence of Sarah Palin. She provided a rallying point for women who saw their political agenda in terms larger than abortion. She addressed the question of what it is like to be a working mother in today’s economy and society and resonated with tens of millions of white women who have not responded to the more traditional, and liberal, advocates for their gender.”

[jla]

And by the way, nothing's changed. The GOP is devoid of leadership, and devoid of credibility.

Well it took several posts but you finally got around to yet again maligning Sarah Palin.
It is nothing less than ludicrous, as well as a lie, to state she is not a leader and that she lacks credibility. And please don't deny that it is Sarah Palin you refer to.

In the future why don't you just state in your initial post on all threads related to Gov. Palin:

Hi, I loathe Sarah Palin. She can never reach the presidency, she is not qualified, she is too polarizing. Whether any of this is true or not doesn't matter. Thank you, Huck

Donate to SarahPAC

[Oztrich Boy]

What would be the point of that? In the end, the VP debate was a meaningless sideshow, so it’s beside the point. It’s the top of the ticket that matters. As the results of the election proved.

After the economy went pearshaped in the last month, their was no way the Republicans had any chance of winning, whoever the candidates.

[Huck]

I don’t loathe Sarah Palin. She seems quite likable. But you are right, I don’t think she is presidential material. I think she’s perfect right where she is. Perhaps she’d make a good energy secretary. That’d be an appropriate place for her. But I guess we’ll all get a chance to find out in a few years, won’t we? I look forward to seeing her debate other GOP candidates.

[Vaduz]

She seemed to place most of the blame on the press.Case proved no questions needed.

[1010RD]

They're not buying ink by the barrel anymore. Electrons are cheaper and there are more reporters without portfolio on the web than ever.

I don't think it is a good idea to make them the “enemy”, but she is under fire 24/7. I don't see how she'll overcome the negatives and be electable.

The Femmes hate her. She is their perfect woman - and a conservative. Can't let em off the plantation can we ladies?

[GOPJ]

Still, the fact that McCain (let alone the detritus that is Obama), was able to win the candidacy, indicates a major problem with the electorate.

Oh, come on. The electorate is just fine. How they stand up to the barrage of propaganda as is, is amazing.

For example, I'm not stunned that most sheep - oops I mean people - believe in the global warming hoax - I'm amazed so many are willing to stand up to the machine and say NO. NO IT'S NOT TRUE. EVERY NEWSPAPER, EVERY HOOLLYWOOD MOVIE, EVERY "NEWS" MAGAZINE PUSHES THE SAME LIES - and yet some stand up to the bullshit. The electorate stands up to one liberal hoax after another.

They stood up to Club of Rome. They stood up to "The Population Bomb", they stood up to Global Warming. Against all odds.

And they'll stand up to the next one - the freaky "we're all going to die of thirst" crap that's next. So Pleeeeze - don't put the American electorate down - they're amazing in the face of overwhelming propaganda.

[longtermmemmory]

no, the local elections benefitted with a conservative on the ticket in preventing greater losses.

Yes mccain lost by 6, but it is 6 rather than 16.

This is no different than the year Dole ran an incompetent camapaign KNEW he was going to lose and spent time in California in order to help local candidates.

[carcraft]

Sarah should have put Gibson in the tough spot. The interview should have been done during one of Todd's races out in the freezing cold with Gibson in light weather wear. It would have made him look uncomfortable etc. Instead we had Palin sitting in a short chair with Charlie looking down at her. Same for Couric. Why the McCain campaign felt Palin had to kiss the feet of these idiots is beyond me. Obama ducked interviews and lied when he did give interviews and the press never called him on one lie!

As to the debate, plugs didn't know the order of constitutional provisions for what office, eats at a diner closed for ten years and had about 22 errors during the debate. Palin was correct on most issues and replies.

[Two Kids' Dad]

I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at photos of Governor Palin.

And I just emailed the RNC to encourage them to get behind Governors Palin and Jindal and to fight back when the media tries to villify them. (there was an implied “or else” in there, too)

[Two Kids' Dad]

Huck, it seems like you’re trying a bit too hard to push your point. We all know the results of the last election. It seems like you’re trying to pick a fight with the people who are big supporters of Governor Palin. Perhaps it would be a good time to just let it go, yes? Save your energy for fighting against those on the left that we all truly oppose. Thanx.

[ohioman]

You must know plenty of idiot liberals. (I know that’s a redundant statement). But I know a some moderates who like Sarah. To say she hurt the McCain ticket is an overstatement.