This is a very long article, but certainly worth reading.

Anybody who has been particularly staunch in their criticisms of Sarah Palin, YET fancy themselves to be fair-minded and truth-seeking (are you listening, AU?) would do well for yourself to read this.

PS - I had to alter the headline a bit to make it fit into RCade's 50-character cap.

Well, the depravity of the attacks is no surprise.

Look at what they've had to eat from the republicans for 7 years. Being called traitors for close to a decade kinda does something to most people.

McCain and Palin brought some of this on themselves as well, because she is clearly not ready for the job.

However, I am rather disappointed in some of my lefty friends for taking the corky path.

jj,

After all said and done, palin is a traitor.

israeli pin on the collar says it all.

Oh boy.

Lapel pins in Obama context seem to be a no-no for the left and a yes-yes for the right.
Lapel pin showing support for Israel?
Polar opposite.

Can this shit get any more vacuous?

Just one comment. I find it funny that You are trying Your level best to make a silk purse out of a sows ear with Sarah Palin. While YOU did Your level best to disparage anything Barack Obama stood for or what He did or didn't do. Funny dat Be.

Larry

From the bullshi...err, I mean article: The Left is, at its heart, a movement of fear and intolerance --

Let's compare convention speeches thus far.

Obama took a defensive stance and parried McCain attacks. Called him a patriot that just doesn't get it. Has asked people to stop attacking palin's family.

RNC mocked him for community organizing(which is gonna piss off a lot of voters) and used tired old shit to smear him. Poo poo the media is even tired of using.

Obama was about bringing us all together to be one nation.

RNC is all about snarky sarcastic bitchiness(and that was just rudy) and drill drill drill!

jj hypocrisy can go only so far, now he needs to put some real thought as to where he actually stands.

Whether republican or democrat they still represent and support OUR country no matter the differing ideas but now we shall see if the support of like kind will go to palin who clearly doesn't support OUR COUNTRY or the actual troops she so put forth.

I just hope they show this display of israel flag pin to our troops, but they will cheer for her.

Out of any issue now, palin fails the grade just in the fact of the pin.

The pin even shit on the actual guy she is supposed to be helping.

John McCain's presidential campaign is threatening a lawsuit against the National Enquirer over a print edition story the tabloid ran today alleging that Gov. Sarah Palin has had an extramarital affair with her husband's business partner.

The allegation would normally be dismissed by political observers as the random musings of a supermarket tabloid -- indeed, the McCain campaign said as much in its statements on Wednesday -- except that the paper has built up a reservoir of legitimacy following its earlier reporting on the John Edwards affair.

Wow!

Now the real christian moose girl show her ugly head, the question now is is the last child really her husbands?

Larry,

I have been critical of some of the attacks on Obama - the ones that I felt were either baseless or of very little merit. Regardless, this site is so infested with Obama-supporters and Obama-cultists that ANY criticism of him is met with an immediate flurry of responses. Obama doesn't need my help on this blog.

Alex,

Let's compare convention speeches thus far.

Fair enough. That said, given the media's kid-glove treatment of Obama, for 19 months, somebody had to point some of this shit out.

To All,

I didn't post this thread as a 'woe is me' for Sarah Palin. I posted it as a means of debunking false claims made about her. She's in the big-leagues now and this type of shit is common; although I can't ever remember this much intense fury so quickly, but I digress.

The original title of the piece is: "Rebutting the Democrats' Fearful and Intolerant Attacks on Sarah Palin."

I can symphatize with the Republicans. After all, for the past eight years they've raised the level of political discourse in this country to dizzying heights, thereby contributing to an inclusive government in which bipartisanship became the watchword.

At every opportunity, they have stressed that dissent is not disloyalty, that questioning government decisions is not akin to traitorous behavior, that we are all---regardless of ethnicity or religion (or lack of religion)---all Americans.

In addition, I'd note that the behavior of Obama's Republican critics has been exemplary, akin to a beacon of light shining in the night. Never did they seek to make fun of his name. Never have they implied he's a Muslim (because, of course, that makes no difference in an inclusive society). Not a smear to be seen.

So, to my Democratic friends let me me say this: Do as the Republicans ask. Cease and desist. Follow their mantra, inspired by Saint Rodney of King: "Can't we all just get along?"

Starvis,

The attacks are to be expected among the partisans and the 2 parties.

What sets Palin apart is that the attacks came from the mainstream media.

given the media's kid-glove treatment of Obama, for 19 months

Everything she said I've heard from the media before. So give me a break. If anything, until palin came alone, McCain has been getting the easy MSM ride. Like a dummy, he started attacking them, and let palin do it too.

If he loses their chumminess completely, he's sunk.

Jeff- the MSM attacked Obama plenty. In fact, they've been pretty harsh with everyone in this race with the exception of McCain. Expect that to change.

Unfortunately, most of what the MSM considers "vetting" is substance-challenged.

3/4's of the article is rhetorical bull shit jj but I guess those blinders just don't allow you to open your eyes wide.

Alex,

Agreed that McCain has gotten an easy ride; although I'd characterize it differently - he's gotten no ride. The amount of coverage Obama has gotten vs. McCain is stark.

WHY THE MEDIA SHOULD APOLOGIZE
By Roger Simon
(9/4/08 - Politico)

ST. PAUL, Minn. On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldnt be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: Im not a member of the permanent political establishment. And Ive learned quickly, these past few days, that if youre not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.--

But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.--

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

MW,

Posting an article doesn't mean that I agree 100% with its content.

Regardless, the guy really did his homework and provided a shitload of links to back up his assertions.

Starvis,

The guy who wrote the article you re-produced is conflating issues. Questioning Palin's stance on issues, her performance in public life, etc are to be expected and welcomed.

That said, you are living in a dream world if you haven't observed the Soap-opera, Jerry Springer-esque coverage of her thus far.

"What sets Palin apart is that the attacks came from the mainstream media.
#13 | Posted by JeffJ at 2008-09-04 06:55 AM"

If you think Obama's been given a free ride, like McCain, you need to work at removing those blinkers.

The press goes for stories. They're concerned with what's hot and what's not, and they'd prefer not to get caught too far out on a limb looking like bozos. Palin's the new girl in town. McCain either did a lousy job vetting her or a lousy job getting out the background information that could have defused charges that were defusable. But he did neither.

Either he's incompetent or contemptuous of the American people. Or both.

The guy did his homework???

Come on, you are smarter than that, the guy is a republican hack defending the party choice with shit loads of rhetoric.

I do find it interesting that you have chosen to ignore the FACT that palin showed her unpatriotic nature and border traitorous standing by wearing an israeli pin not a U.S. pin.

If there is anything that should get both parties and the American people up in arms the pin for another country is it.

Sarah Palin's enthusiasm for "abstinence-only" sex education,

And the sole basis for this assessment is her answer on an either/or questionaire.

Her choices were:

"Explicit sex ed" - which included distributing contraceptives in school and in-school clinics.

"Abstinence ed" - Notice the lack of the word 'only'.

The question itself contains so many vagaries that answering either way is likely to yield a misleading answer.

She may very well be in favor of 'abstinence-only' sex ed, in which case I'd agree with your consternation.

Regardless, the author's point is a non-sequitur, unless he can prove that teenage girls exposed to 'explicit sex ed' and who are given free contraceptives on the tax-payers' dime, don't ever get pregnant.

It's nothing more than a shitty rationalization to drag Bristol Palin through the mud as a means of attacking her mother.

I really hope she clarifies her stance on this. Until she does, I won't falsely assign a position to her, one way or another.

That said, you are living in a dream world if you haven't observed the Soap-opera, Jerry Springer-esque coverage of her thus far.

How correct you are jj.

Looks lik palin doesn't support U.S. but israel.
Looks like palin has had affairs on her marriage.
Looks like unlawful firing for spiteful reasons.

And the list goes on and on, and none of them are a creation of the media, palin is meshed in this with her own doing.

It is like she signed up to go on to the springer show and now you are trying to say foul. What a joke.

the guy is a republican hack defending the party choice with shit loads of rhetoric.

So, you are claiming that he didn't source his claims then?

I do find it interesting that you have chosen to ignore the FACT that palin showed her unpatriotic nature and border traitorous standing by wearing an israeli pin not a U.S. pin.

Give me a minute on this one - I DVR'd her speech. Let me check out the pin and get back with you.

jj,

MW,

I have a 37" LCD TV, but haven't upgraded our service to HD as of yet.

As such, I couldn't get a close enough read on it to determine what the pin represented.

Nevertheless, I suspect you are probably correct - I am sure the incontrovertible truth will come out by day's end.

Anyhow, for the sake of argument, let's assume you are correct. This is a BAD decision on her part. She's likely wearing it as a way of blunting assertions that she's a Nazi sympathizer. Regardless, VERY stupid move on her part.

"Questioning Palin's stance on issues, her performance in public life, etc are to be expected and welcomed."

Oh, they should be, certainly. But I think you'll find the GOP disinformation team will be laying down a ridiculously thick smokescreen around Sarah Palin.

But don't kid yourself: Sarah Palin is a hypocrite and a loon.

Of course she is - she has an (R) after her name.

Just being a Republican makes her a hypocrite and ANY religious belief makes her a loon.

Of course, the religious thing doesn't apply to Mr. Black theology Obama.

MW,

Your link didn't help.

I got a better shot of it on my TV and then, couldn't make out what the pin was.

Here's a picture of an Israeli flag pin:

Imagine if Obama or biden wore another country's flag pin instead of the US's.

Obama took character bashing for not wearing any and now we have the repubs wearing another country's pin with not a problem.

Who do the people support, the party or the country???????? That becomes the real question for the people supporting republicans.

Let me go back to my TV and see if I can get a better view of her pin.

Whatever it is, she's worn the pin before.

MW,

When I look at the pin on my TV, I see a white square with what looks like a blue dot in the middle - the Star of David?

However, I don't see the 2 horizontal lines above and below the star, as depicted in the link I provided above.

You may want to cool your jets on this until you get incontrovertible proof.

"Just being a Republican makes her a hypocrite and ANY religious belief makes her a loon."

You should know better than that.

But I'd say making a statement that we're doing God's work by waging war Iraq and building a gas line qualifies someone for membership in the loon category.

JJ,

Are you actually trying to say you can't make out what pin it is??

We certainly see it is NOT USA's and it can clearly be seen by any prudent measure that it is israeli but you go ahead and show that strong desire of patriotism and pride in supporting OUR COUNTRY.

No wonder our country's pride is falling farther and farther, the republicans are so entrenched in their party that they have forgot about what it means to be an AMERICAN.

MW,

Looking at the pic of the pin I linked, I think you are wrong.

The dot on her pin looked solid, whereas the Star on the pin I linked is not solid. Not to mention the missing horizontal lines.

Seriously, you may have jumped to a premature conclusion on this one.

Sorry MW.

I know you REALLY want to hate this woman with every fiber of your being, but based upon my observations, you probably will need to find a different reason for hating her.

As for her being a hypocrite, yammering on about "Thanks, but no thanks" on big bucks for the so-called Bridge to Nowhere and then keeping the money gets her a membership card in that category as well.

You're becoming a blind sided loon jj.

All rationale has left for what???? Party hopeful!

It is clear that the right has gotton so spiteful and hateful toward the democrats that they can't see the anti-patriot ways even when it blatantly defaces our country on national TV, during a process for leading and being a leader of our country.

Sad.

You're becoming a blind sided loon jj.

How so?

You claimed her pin was that of an Israeli flag. I did a little digging and based upon my observations, I think you are mistaken. If I could get a clear, close-up of her pin, I would be appreciative.

they can't see the anti-patriot ways even when it blatantly defaces our country on national TV

When I scrutinize the pin she's wearing, it doesn't resemble the Israeli flag pin I linked.

It is clear that the right has gotton so spiteful and hateful toward the democrats

Turn that back around - You seem to carry so much hatred for Republicans that you see things that aren't there. I am not ruling out the possiblity that what she's wearing is an Israeli flag pin. Nevertheless, it doesn't look like it to me, based upon my observations. If only I had a closeup of her pin.

then keeping the money

Serious question: How many governors turn down a free check from the US government?

"Serious question: How many governors turn down a free check from the US government?"

Serious question: How many governors claim to have said "Thanks, but no thanks" to the dough for a project and then kept the dough anyway?

What surprises me is just how much abject hatred so many lefties and Democrats have for Palin.

She's been on the national scene for all of 5 days now.

Give her some time to be really offensive, before y'all go into your collective hate-fest.

How many governors claim to have said "Thanks, but no thanks" to the dough for a project and then kept the dough anyway?

Since she didn't actually build the bridge, her claim is valid, in a Clintonian sort of way.

Joking aside, you raise a valid point.

When Alaska was awash in taxpayers' money bucketed from the federal trough, Sarah Palin praised the pols who made that possible.

Nothing wrong with that.

But to then turn around and pretend that you're different from the other piggies at the trough? Sorry, that's hypocrisy. It's also politically stupid because you're bound to get caught.

However, I don't think we're going to be witnessing many opportunities for the press--they're the enemy, remember--to quiz Sarah about much of anything.

She's been on the national scene for all of 5 days now.

Give her some time to be really offensive, before y'all go into your collective hate-fest.

#47 | Posted by JeffJ

NO

We need to stop her before she gets started. Beat her back into her hole and bury her. She is pure evil that this country does not need.

I don't think we're going to be witnessing many opportunities for the press--they're the enemy, remember--to quiz Sarah about much of anything.

If she takes such a tack, she dooms her ticket.

McCain has basically staked his campaign on her. He pretty much had to make a risky move - it was the only way he could give himself a fighting chance in this election.

She's going to have to make herself very available to the press and when interviewed, she is going to have to perform well.

"However, I don't think we're going to be witnessing many opportunities for the press--they're the enemy, remember--to quiz Sarah about much of anything."

She'll be more muzzled than The Mummy. The toughest interview she'll do will be with Sean Hannity.

MW,

From your provided pics, the 2 thick horizontal lines aren't visible on Palin's pin.

From your provided pics, the 2 thick horizontal lines aren't visible on Palin's pin.

#54 | Posted by JeffJ at 2008-09-04 08:57 AM | Reply

Courtesy of Larry Mohr.