Fox News Smear Machine Sets Its Sights On Palin
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, McCain, Palin, Veep, VideoYou all know I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin, but the following is beyond the pale and I actually feel the need to defend the woman.
Watch and squirm…
Listen, I don’t buy for a second that she didn’t know which countries are in NAFTA or that Africa is a continent, not a country.
Why?
Because people who becomes Governors of states are not that stupid. I’m sorry, they just aren’t. Sure, she was certainly nervous and unprepared during those Gibson and Couric interviews and she obviously didn’t get the nuances of foreign policy and economics (which automatically disqualifies her for the VP job), but to suggest that she’s a moron is ridiculous.
But the following revelations, coupled with the rumor that she spent more on clothing than previously revealed, point to the idea that not only is the right wing trying to destroy this woman, but that Fox News is perfectly fine to push memes that are completely unprovable.
And, by the way, why is it okay for Carl Cameron to report rumor and innuendo now instead of during the campaign?
There is one bit of news in this mess that we all know is true…she really wasn’t vetted at all. And for that McCain should be ashamed of himself. He had enough time to fully vet the entire town of Wasilla while Hillary and Barack fought it out through that extended, torturous primary process and yet he waited until the very last minute?
No wonder he lost.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, McCain, Palin, Veep, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I really have to wonder about this interview, too
O’reilly is like that guy – what’s his name? – on the 1970s mary tyler moore show; he’s just not smart enough to draw a guy like cameron out. And cameron……this sounds like a spurned reporter or someone trying to protect a bunch of people trying to cover their own asses. considering how unprofessional most of the media in this country are, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a personal vendetta here. I mean, there is no effort on his part to offer any sort of critical analysis of what “mccain insiders” have magically passed on to him; he simply offers a rote summary of their complaints – which we have no way of knowing are true or not.
There is something despicable about all of this
November 5th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I’m certainly no friend of Palin. I disagree with pretty much all of her stances on the issues and I’m relieved that she is nowhere near the White House.
That being said, however, I do agree that Fox, and the conservative right in general, are being unfair to her. They are making her out to be an idiot, and while I do think she’s ignorant and closed-minded on some things (science comes to mind…), I don’t think she’s so stupid that she doesn’t know the difference between continents and countries.
I have a feeling her being picked for VP will end up being more of a curse than a blessing for her and her family.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
sorry gang; I jumped the gun and was thinking of the o’reilly interview I saw a few minutes ago
my bad – but my position is still the same: the McCain camp is trying to destroy this woman to cover up for their own incoherent incompetence – and the shortcomings of their leader
November 5th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
“Because people who becomes Governors of states are not that stupid.”
And you’re basing this statement on…?
Oh, right. You’re just pulling it out of your ass.
Stage 1: denial
November 5th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
“I’m sorry, they just aren’t?”
That’s it?
Incisive reporting there.
Some people can rise to power on the force of personality. Witness W. He also, is dumber than a box of rocks.
I see no reason to believe Palin is being maligned here.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Folks, this is a blog and this is my opinion. Can I prove it? No. But I’m sure you wouldn’t be setting the bar as high for other bloggers who had the reaction of, “I knew she was a moron!”
But, by the way, how is my opinion any less credible than Fox News reporting rumors from insiders who could very well be lying?
November 5th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Regardless of whether this report is right or wrong, who cares? The election is over, give it a rest.
Sarah Palin will likely be a US Senator from Alaska. She may run for president someday, but she will never make it past the primaries. End of story.
November 5th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Because we all know that faux only reports the absolute truth, from first person sources only as well!
November 6th, 2008 at 12:17 am
When any woman ALLOWS and encourages overly affectionate comments from heads of state (believe it was India) then you have to realize that the woman is clearly not qualified by any means to be taken seriously. This type of behavior is NOT presidential but more “strip club dancer”. She should have given him the vibes that while she may be considered pretty, anything more would be inappropriate and unwelcomed. But she didn’t because she played the sex card. And by doing that, it became reason that women did NOT like her (and men did) because we could see the path to progress for women being ripped up by Sarah Palin with each step she took on it and replaced with a more base theme of move up on your back. Please, if you don’t have brains, I guess you play to basic instincts. Sorry, Sarah, you can’t act like a whore and still expect to be considered presidential material but you sure do qualify with the men as a MILF – not exactly a title you want as a vice president. Looks only take you so far. I also cannot stand her “mean girl” bully status and she is just a mean spirited lying windbag.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Maybe someone should tell Sully, since he buys it and is trying to retail it.
What’s even more annoying about this is that BHO supports a Bush trade scheme (spp.gov) known as “NAFTA+” that might be a precursor to joining the three countries in North America. See #18 here for the details.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:38 am
I believe that fox news is not the most credible news network around, but i also believe that Palin could be that ignorant. I base this on what i have seen of her spreading lies about Obama and saying things that are totally ridiculous, like she does not believe the worlds climate is being changed by human activity.
I have also read that she wanted to stop fruit fly research because it is ‘a waste of time and money’, yet it is the forefront of discoveries for human defects, diseases and other genetic problems (and her child has downer syndrome – wouldnt she want a cure or to know more about it?).
Sorry, but that is my opinion – she is dumber than a box of rocks
November 6th, 2008 at 2:14 am
You are all acting like Bush wasn’t stupid…and he’s the current Presidnet. Palin is also an idiot. I believe she didn’t know anything. She’s proved it in her unscripted interviews. She’s proved it by showing she doesn’t value education. Her teenage daughter is a dropout and so is her fiance. Her kids have been our of school for God knows how long. Govenor or not she’s not that bright!
November 6th, 2008 at 3:30 am
I think Sarah Palin was an abysmal choice for VP, but I have to wonder: How are the people who told all these interesting stories to FOX related to the people who spread that petty lie about the departing Clinton administration stealing all the ‘W’s off the White House keyboards? ‘Cause I have to say, this looks like very similar crap to me.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:30 am
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November 6th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I’m trying to figure out how after the past eight years you have only now come to the conclusion that Fox News is unreliable, biased, and prone to reporting things that are unprovable. It’s not that I’m unsympathetic to Palin; it’s that shockingly overt misogyny is what I’ve come to expect from Fox. I’m only surprised to see them turn their “fair and balanced” attack dogs against someone in the Republican party.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Sarah Palin is a fine and decent SELF MADE WOMAN unlike Hillary who road into elected office on her husbands name and reputation. I know Palin blew the interviews but anyone who actually thinks a Successful Governor does not read newspapers or online news is stupid themselves. Biden made far more GAFFES than Palin. In fact Biden totally misquoted the US Constitution during the debate when he claimed Article 1 places the VP in the Exec branch. Go read it. It DOES NOT ..
November 6th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Fox News is proven to be the most fair and honest. In fact recent college study said O’Reilly had the most balance of any show. Olbermann was the most biased . All the leftist media outlets scored the worst on Polling as well. Newsweek, NY Times and CBS were the least accurate polls of the major 20 polls. Anyone recall the NY Times smear of McCain when they tried to claim he had an affair with a Lobbyist? Not a shred of evidence and it made FRONT PAGE in the meantime they ignored the Edwards affair. Wake up America..
November 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
It’s very possible that this is a smear job, started as revenge by mad staffers who blame Palin for McCain’s loss.
OTOH, for myself, I didn’t see anything in her interviews or debates that says this isn’t possible. She was abysmal. If there had been some basic command of facts I would be a whole lot more likely to discount the story…but as it is, it’s believable to me.
I also have to throw out the ‘no one this dumb could get elected!’ argument – as we’ve seen several times, dumb people who can push the right buttons can get elected, on both sides. I will say that Palin is probably like Bush – not dumb per se but completely, willfully, almost proudly incurious about anything outside their little bubble.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Only a Fool would value a speech and an interview over an actual record of accomplishment. Not everyone interviews well. Some people are better public orators as is the case with Obama. But when you compare the actual legislative records of Palin vs Obama she KICKS his ASS accross the field. Put the KOOLAID DOWN. Obama has CHANGED Nothing. Palin has.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Dennis,
Don’t call others fools just because they don’t agree with you. It’s not difficult to be civil and this is a blog where it’s required.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:53 am
How ironic it will be if Ted Stevens is replaced by Palin, replacing corruption and ignorance with more of the same.
I can believe that Palin thought that Africa is a country, given what we know about the breadth of her knowledge on other issues. She is, after all, the same person who is rumored to believe that dinosaurs and man coexisted and she has indicated during gubernatorial debates that creationism should be taught as science in schools.
Her educational background does nothing to persuade me that she might have just misspoke as attending five schools in six years for a four year degree in journalism does not a genius make. Sure it’s judgmental, but sometimes you have to judge people based on their actions.
In any event, we’ll be hearing many more of these stories as Romney and Huckabee’s supporters in the McCain campaign start laying the groundwork for their chosen candidate’s 2012 run for President. Palin is apparently their most likely competition so it’s best for them to deal with her now.
Given the reelection of Ted Stevens, despite his conviction for seven felonies, I believe that Alaska has replaced Lousiana as “most corrupt state in the union.” I look forward to hearing all of the dirty details that reveal just how wrong it is for Palin to hold any elected office outside of Alaska.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Hi Justin,
This may be a little bit “unfair”. But, I don’t feel a bit sorry for Sarah Palin … she’s an ambitious woman, who wanted this job.
And, I don’t blame the right for trying to knock her down now. John McCain ran a pretty bad campaign. But at this point, there can be little doubt that Sarah Palin cost McCain many more votes than she helped him get.
If she is the future of the Republican party, they are in for long stay in the “wilderness” … and I think may of the more sensible “conservatives” know it.
Just my opinion of course,
Todd
November 6th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Palin has no legislative record. Well, except her two terms on the Wasilla city council, where she ran as “a progressive” (note irony)
She has limited executive experience in which she accomplished…..what? Signed a pipline bill allowing someone to build a pipline and give a share of the profits to Alaska. Allowed hunting from planes. Moderately reduced earmark requests but still kept them higher on a per capita basis than any other country.
I’m not even saying she was a bad governor. Just an undistinguished one.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
My schadenfreude is overwhelmed by my distrust of Fox News. I saw the Bill O’Reilly segment before I saw the Shep segment. Did anyone else who saw the O’Reilly segment feel it was a bit toned down compared to the usual O’Reilly? Was there a network exec’s hand up Billy’s bum puppeting that interview with Cameron?
But then, Newsweek is running some stuffs about Caribou Barbie.
So what does Chris Crocker say about SP?
November 6th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I’m not a Palin supporter either but yes, this did sound far-fetched. If nothing else, Palin has a college education. She also seems to have some upbringing beyond “hillbilly” as her flute recital from 1984 indicates.
Her interviews were really terrible, but one could imagine that a smalltown Governor of a sparsely populated, isolated state who never meant to be chosen as running mate to McCain, and never had the incentive to prepare for the national stage, would be nervous. We don’t know for sure. We do know that McCain didn’t pick the right person for the job.
But the question that remains to be answered is: why would a defeated Republican campaign try to malign her this way? It does not sound right. When they smear her, they are in effect smearing their own Presidential pick- that they did not do their homework when they picked her for veep. They are also showing us their true colors- it tells us much more about them than it does about Palin.
They may be trying to protect McCain as well from fingerpointing. It is very, very tough to believe this nonsense.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Wow. So many Palin memes I ran out of fingers and toes. Not that she doesn’t deserve it, imo, but the talking points on her really stuck. Still not sure why anyone feels sorry for her. All she had to do was say no.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Sorry, but I truly believe the reports. At least most of them. She could not mention the name of a newspaper or news magazine that she read. She said she wasn’t up to date on Iraq. The only things you did hear from her were memorized lines. When she went off those lines, she often took Obama’s position rather than McCain. Really. She just doesn’t know much.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Frankly, I find this as plausible, although difficult to believe.
This stuff is making the rounds because we all have doubts about Sarah Palin. No one would believe this if it was Obama, McCain or Biden. It wouldn’t even be on this blog or even Fox. This just shows how little regard we all have of her.
The reason I think this is plausible is because she was just pranked by those guys in Quebec. They talked to her for 6 minutes about “bread under the armpit”, a wife “hot in bed” and that great documentary “Nailin Palin.” She only figured it out when the guy told her she was pranked.
So some of you suggest its not possible for her to thnk that Africa is a country? Remember, this is the woman who did not know what the Bush Doctrine is.
Yes, it is plausible that she thinks Africa is country.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
So far as the Palin stories are going, I’m willing to believe that she charged and kept tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothes. It’s not such a stretch from having Alaska pay for her children’s travel to events that she brought them to (after pressing for an invitation for them).
But, FOX News taking what are essentially rumors and compiling them into a TMZ like smear story is low. I don’t even like Palin and I think that they’re going too far in trying to make her the scapegoat, rather than accept the fact that McCain’s campaign was poorly managed from the start.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Watching them eat their babies is a gruesome delight.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:01 am
[...] then, if you haven’t heard the smears against Palin yet, you can check them out here. I think it’s truly unbelievable stuff, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping some high [...]