Posted on 07/07/2009 10:17:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In the aftermath of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s announcement last weekend that she plans to resign from office, pundits have been scrambling for an explanation. Personally, the whole matter has left me feeling a little like I did at the end of seventh grade, after a year spent passively watching bullies ostracize and pick on one of the only black girls in the school: sick, and embarrassed for all of us.
Whatever your passionate opinions, whatever your disagreements with her views, this woman and her family were savaged in a manner that went beyond any reasonable standard. She is a public figure, but her husband and children are not. That did not stop certain members of the media and blogosphere from ridiculing them in vicious fashion, even long after the election was decided. President Obama, to his credit, spoke out against it. Would that more of his supporters had shown the same level of decency.
Instead, we got ridiculing of Mrs. Palin’s appearance, of her decades-old participation in a beauty pageant, and even of her children, which was especially cruel. Self-proclaimed “feminists” made a blood sport of hating and dehumanizing her. Personally, I do not agree with all of Governor Palin’s views, such as her absolutist pro-life position. But such vicious hatred, on the part of self-described feminists, was an embarrassment.
The Governor’s announcement, in which she offered her reasons for leaving her office, has, not surprisingly, been greeted with near-universal skepticism. But I am inclined to believe what she says. Essentially, she has been slapped with a slew of ethics complaints that have been dismissed as baseless. But, due to the nature of Alaska’s laws, her family has been required to pay legal bills to the tune of $500,000 to defend her good name.
The Palins are not wealthy, and they want to be able to afford college tuition for their children. It would appear the Governor cannot afford to hold a modestly paid position while facing such ongoing harassment from her political enemies without potentially facing personal bankruptcy. Not to mention that, although these complaints have thus far been found baseless, the time and energy required to respond to them is apparently reducing her effectiveness as Governor.
Then there is the matter of how the media treated Mrs. Palin’s family, especially her children. How sad that normal people may no longer wish to run for or hold public office due to this horrific sort of exposure, including abuse of their children.
It’s true that American politics have often been spirited, at times even vicious. During the Civil War, for instance, President Lincoln was burned in effigy in the South, and during the campaign of 1828, newspapers favorable to the National Republican Party falsely accused Democrat Andrew Jackson of having beaten up another man to steal his wife, to cite just a couple examples from history. But am I alone in feeling that ridicule of a disabled infant, and rape threats, represent a new low? How intensely cruel and hypocritical this behavior was, often coming from “feminists” and “progressives” who probably don’t realize how many conservatives they are helping to create, as anyone with a moral compass is likely to figure that, if that’s how liberals argue, maybe they’ll consider conservative ideas, thanks.
To a lesser extent, established media have embarrassed themselves and lost credibility. Since when do established feminists, for instance, dispatch with one of our nation’s only female Governors by disparaging her looks (”Caribou Barbie”).
Last month, the Governor’s husband Todd erupted angrily over David Letterman’s lewd sexual joke about one of the Palin’s teenage daughters. Clearly, Mr. Palin was angry. Placing one’s marriage ahead of one’s career ambitions may be an unthinkable in the realm of “progressive” media, but perhaps that is what Mrs. Palin is doing.
For the record, the media did not cease its savage dehumanization after the election. In the August issue of Vanity Fair magazine, a lengthy article by Todd S. Purdum entitled (italics added) “It Came from Wasilla” cites the opinions of several unnamed Alaskans that Governor Palin suffers from “narcissistic personality disorder.” Perhaps Mr. Purdum, who in a stunning feat of journalistic objectivity also asserts of Governor Palin that “no political principle or personal relationship is more sacred than her own ambition,” should be reminded of a psychological mechanism known as projection.
Is it possible her critics are projecting onto Governor Palin some of their own grasping motives?
Now that their scapegoat has simply wandered off, they are left to analyze her departure through the prism of themselves. And they don’t know what to think.
Hence, perhaps, they’re theorizing that this hyper-ambitious, moronic-yet-calculating, misogynist Lady Macbeth must be hiding something evil.
I don’t agree they have destroyed Sarah - She appears to be playing her own game, and has the enemy confused.
I agree.
I agree, and it’s rather interesting to see some of the names they throw in the direction of Bush and others, realizing this.
Good call.
She has most of her friends confused too, but I hope you’re right.
Time will tell. I’m in a wait-and-see mode, myself.
Marxists, to me, merely are “Red Fascists”.
“This would be a very effective tool in improving public discourse”
Especially in the .45-70 version.
This writer is right. The savaging Sarah and her family took hasexposed the left’s vile hate filled ways and turned the moderates away that they need to win elections.
Ping to a jaw-dropping thread.
Strong women, who still disagree with her politically, know that Palin has been treated unfairly. And as I predicted not too long ago, they will start looking at her as a seriously icon for women, and quite possibly as a candidate for President.
It sounds ridiculous, but the person to thank for this is Hillary Clinton. The way she was treated by her own party opened the eyes of many women and revealed the dirty secret of Democrats- women are only good for EOE and diversity statistics, but certainly not for President. The borderline misogyny from Democrats left many liberal feminist's jaws on the floor. The part 'for women' had become the party that used women, just like it uses blacks, gays and everyone else it needs to appeal tolerant and inclusive.
From a strategic standpoint, these continued attacks are also proving to have the reverse effect and are making Sarah a sympathetic figure. When Bob Becktal (sp) not only admits on Fox the treatment of Sarah has been over the top, but that having been a part of it, he now realizes it was wrong, you know liberals are scared because their plan of marginalizing Palin has backfired badly.
So, no, it doesn't surprise me that a woman HuffPo writer said this. She gets it. Like so many of us conservative chicks do too.
Hey, how'd Maureen Dowd find her way into this article?
Then we learned all about the State Police and we no longer wish to risk it.
We don't visit Massachusetts either.
Place has to be cleaned out first.
Yeah...
Drive-bys are all the rage now!
Too bad for them that she is telling them the truth. I hope Sarah’s atttorney is keeping copies of the responses. Would be very fitting if they all had to find jobs to pay for what they have done!
Further to my post #42
~~~~~
“That the eponymous creation of the Greek-born motivational book author and former political wife has been one of the biggest success stories of web journalism is indisputable.
Founded just over four years ago as a sort of liberal Drudge Report, the site now includes over 60 full-time staffers and offers at least a dozen verticals (from business to entertainment to “green” issues).
In December, Huffington Post was infused with $25 million from venture capitalists, and a new CEO took the reins last month promising increased growth and profitability; in May, it had 6.7 million unique visitors. Rivals in the media business have taken note.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24681.html#ixzz0Ku4PMYWd&C
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