August 10, 2010
Sarah Palin and the teacher.
Here's your background reading. I just want to say that it's stupid as hell to say that someone working on the terrific musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is "a singer in a transvestite band." What tastes like red meat to some people mostly makes you look small-minded, nasty, and uninformed. And going after Kathleen Gustafson on the ground that she's "not a teacher" when she works in some capacity in a school is like going after "Joe the Plumber" because he wasn't a licensed plumber. What you've got, in both cases, is an ordinary citizen who encountered a politician in a way that yielded some viral video. That revealed whatever it revealed about the politician. Trashing the private citizen is mean-spirited and likely to backfire.
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152 comments:
At first I thought this was a guest post - it didn't read like normal Althouse. Not the content, the jumbledness of it. You ok?
-XC
PS - I thought SP showed about the right vibe when running into this lady. But I'm a fan, so I know I'm biased.
Palin isn't ready for prime time, people. The fact there seems to have been a vast conspiracy of leftist journalists who set out to prove this truth doesn't matter. It is the truth.
There she goes attacking people who are trying to deceive everyone they can with fake shows. Sarah merely replied with the truth in a humble way.
Similar, yet not. Joe the Plumber was hanging out in his front yard, and Obama approached Joe. Joe asked him a question. Then the left went nuts, trashing him, digging up whatever they could.
Kathleen insulted Palin, hanging a HUGE banner, reportedly as a publicity stunt for a radio station and Palin asked her what was up. Kathleen continued her ugly insults and Palin maintained her composure and was nice to her.
Kathleen was trashing a private citizen, Palin, in front of Palin's children. And considering it was a radio station stunt, it doesn't really qualify as a *private citizen* scenario, does it?
Joe was a private citizen, and all he did was ask a question. Kathleen attacked a private citizen and went out of her way to insult her. What goes around, comes around, I'd say.
So, what did Palin do? Because all the snark in the post is about the pushback from Gatewaypundit and the like.
But what did Palin do to this woman? Did she get her in a chokehold like that one Democratic Congressman?
saying she is not really a teacher is kind of lame. the question is what palin knew at the time. if i go up to a politician and say i am a trapeze artist, well, on what grounds would he not believe me?
Eh, Gatewaypundit is a bore and always has been. Picking a fight with this guy seems a little beneath you, but whatever.
I'm sorry but the identity politics of saying "I'm a teacher" is just geeting out of hand. Guess what, teachers have all of the sins of humanity at the same percentages as the rest of the population. They also have their share of saints ...
The days of getting some extra credit for being a teacher has run out. You get paid too much to do too little with our future generation to continue to claim that being a teacher is some sort of higher calling.
Your profession has be weighted and has been found to be lacking. Clean up your act for a generation or so and then you get the extra credit for being a teacher, until then don't expect to be treated any better than any other failed professional of whiners.
So if I work as a janitor in a school, I can claim to be a teacher because I work in a school?
Trashing anybody who is trying to trash you, is common sense.
Palin was wonderful in this. Where's the problem?
Her 'teacher' label sounds like a shortcut answer. No need to hyperventilate. Why chance going off on some wild tangent describing what a theater tech is?
I saw this tape yesterday and it seemed like a fairly tempered conversation from both sides.
"And going after Kathleen Gustafson on the ground that she's "not a teacher" when she works in some capacity in a school is like going after "Joe the Plumber" because he wasn't a licensed plumber."
No kidding! And I still don't understand why everyone attacked poor ol' UW professor Kevin Barrett. It's the same thing as going after Joe the Plumber, after all.
While I don't endorse the idea of trashing private citizens and I'm not endorsing Palin, I do wonder how anyone can equate what happened to a private citizen who asked an impromptu question of a politician who showed up on his property seeking his vote with what happened to a radio station emplyee who sought out, for publicity purposes, a former politician engaged in her private occupation.
In the case of the former, both the power of the state and the mass media was used to ridicule and harass a private individual. In the case of the latter, some minor websites have done something similar in response.
"And going after Kathleen Gustafson on the ground that she's "not a teacher" when she works in some capacity in a school is like going after "Joe the Plumber" because he wasn't a licensed plumber. What you've got, in both cases, is an ordinary citizen who encountered a politician in a way that yielded some viral video."
The reason why Kathleen Gustafson's teacher status became a topic of discussion was because of the meme that Palin "rolled her eyes" when KG said she was a teacher.
As per Legal Insurrection:
Palin Eye Roll Derangement Syndrome
"Think Progress runs this headline, Palin laughs and rolls her eyes when demonstrator says she’s a teacher."
"New York Magazine chimes in Did Sarah Palin Roll Her Eyes at Teaching?"
"Towleroad declares, Watch: Sarah Palin Mocks Teacher Who Confronts Her with 'Worst Governor Ever' Banner"
So, yes indeed, her status as a teacher has become very important. As will other aspects of her life (radio personality, etc. Watch the fun as this onion is peeled, ala Shirley Sherrod.
Hedwig was funny. As for Sarah, she needs to pick and choose her battles. This one was not worth it.
Don't engage with hecklers unless you're Milton Berle or Don Rickles.
And Berle's dead.
And now I'm going to have to watch the stupid video to see whether Palin really did roll her eyes.
I'm betting not.
This was ambush journalism and Miss Sarah had sense enough to know she couldn't win - at least as far as the Establishment media was concerned.
The woman's claiming to be a teacher is undoubtedly what she saw as doing her part for the teachers' union 'stimulus' coming up for a vote. The accusations she threw were hypocritical, but the point was to make Miss Sarah compromise herself, which she didn't, even in the eyes of Politico.
How I read gateways article was that they didn't think she was a teacher at all. Gateway was pointing out this "teacher" was in fact a pro-abortion activist. If she is a teacher as well that is well and good. He tracked down that she might have a job that was considered teaching at added that to his update.
This teacher was also harassing Palin with lawsuits when she was the governor. I think Palin did fine.
This "moral/situational equivalence" crap HAS to stop. As several comments here have already pointed out, contextual parallels simply don't exist between this incident and the "joe-the-plumber" one. These strained comparisons are ALWAYS made by the MSM in which the conservative is painted in the worst possible light. It's about time for push-back. Without push-back the left ALWAYS gets to "frame the narrative" THEIR way--it's like the constant erosion to which wind and water subject the soil and rocks--the left's assault goes on unabated 24/7/365 in all ways large and small unless "protective reaction" measures are induced as a counter-measure.
Teachers don't reconsider other people who work in a school to be teachers. It would be wrong for a pharmacy tech to refer to herself as a pharmacist. It would be wrong for a nurse's aid to refer to herself as a nurse. There is nothing wrong with being a theater tech, and I bet that is how this woman usually refers to herself. She was putting on airs. Palin may have sensed something was amiss in her reaction. I did not see eye rolling--she just stood there smiling at her for a moment. She may have felt a little perplexed. She grew up with an educator for a father, and that woman's behavior was way outside the norm for a school teacher.
Toy
OK, sorry, that should be "consider," not "reconsider." I think I started to type "recognize," and then switched to "consider."
To
Salamandyr's right.
Palin should have given this woman a Weigel-hug, because we've seen how the left trips over themselves rushing to defend and excuse physical assaults.
Sadly and predictably, Palin instead chose to respond in a civilized manner, which just drives the usual suspects in the Townhouse / Journolist / Cabalist / Sorosphere absolutely nucking futs.
AC245 said...
Sadly and predictably, Palin instead chose to respond in a civilized manner, which just drives the usual suspects
"Trashing the private citizen is mean-spirited and likely to backfire". -- Althouse
AC is correct.
"Trashing the private citizen is mean-spirited and likely to backfire."
Yeah. Maybe she'll get cancer and appear on camera, as Christopher Hitchens did. Then you can trash her.
Kathleen was trashing a private citizen, Palin
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Whew. Ouch, my ribs. Jeez, I need to lie down.
Something's not right here.
(Insert standard 'I'm not a Palin supporter' here, because she's not gonna be ready for years)
- Private citizen taunts private citizen for a radio stunt
- Taunted private citizen reacts graciously and in good spirit
- Media outlets pick up this non-story and run with it to the detriment of one private citizen (one could even call it trashing)
- Another outlet takes a look at the person who did the taunting
So then the Prof here goes after GP for having the gall not to assume the largely ignored party was what she said she was and makes a horrible comparison in making her point.
Every once in awhile the Professor whiffs it so bad it actually does make me wonder along the same lines as Expat did upthread.
Given the impressive credentials of your average education major, I don't see how "I'm a teacher" has any real impact left.
I'd also echo the other commenters who have pointed out that your
"What you've got, in both cases, is an ordinary citizen who encountered a politician in a way that yielded some viral video. That revealed whatever it revealed about the politician. Trashing the private citizen is mean-spirited and likely to backfire. "
is an incredibly dishonest description of the encounter, written that way only so you can make an equally disingenuous comparison to "Joe the Plumber".
I prefer the posts where you don't resort to rewriting reality to try to make your point.
This was ambush journalism and Miss Sarah had sense enough to know she couldn't win - at least as far as the Establishment media was concerned.
The banner was on private property.
I love how Palin claimed to be fighting for Americans so they can enjoy free speech, and then have one of her goons rip down the banner.
The encounter looked awkward. The teacher was trying to express her hostility in a polite way, and Sarah was trying to rise above the fray, to give the drama teacher a civics lesson..... Civility is foreign to drama, but not to Sarah. I can see why show biz types are so attracted, albeit in a negative way, to Sarah. This non-event was banality squared, but The Divine Sarah has enough drama immanent in her personality that her critics struggle to find a performance in an this polite, strained exhcange.
Haven't read everything yet, but watched the video and just want to comment: THIS is a viral video? Why? What on earth did Ms. Palin say or do that would outrage anyone there. She thanked the woman for saying that she was a celebrity, she talked about how they have things in common, said that it was nice to meet her, kept a smile on her face the whole time, praised free speech.
How on earth does Ms. Palin look bad here?
WV: nopoundn- Sarah deserves no poundin' here.
I truely enjoy the amount of time that The Althouse Woman puts into this blog. The sheer volume of posts is awesome. Very few mistakes in spelling. Every once in a while she puts out a stinker. This is another one. They seem to be coming more frequently, especially when she tries to find fault with those on the right.
OK, read everything now. I'll accept AA's criticism about the "drag queen band" (but hey, I like a good Rocky Horror Picture Show myself, so maybe I'm more open to that sort of production), but I do think it's dishonest and intentionally attempting to mislead to call one's self a teacher if one doesn't actually teach in a classroom. A person who works in a school is not a teacher in the same way that a person who performs plumbing work is a plumber (The better comparison would be if Joe The Plumber worked for RotoRooter, taking calls or scheduling or something, then it would have been dishonest to call him a plumber. But he actually did work on plumbing.)
Either way, though, the fact that anyone is outraged over the video just shows how horribly angry and hate-filled they are towards a woman they have never met and who has done them no wrong, that they would be so desparate to read so much into so little.
I applaud and admire Ms. Palin for making such an effort at being so polite to a woman who was clearly so hostile; it's not something that I could do.
Based on the comparison to Joe the Plumber, I expected that Ms. Palin had said something damning. Instead, she (may have) rolled her eyes and said something in what a Newsweek blogger interpreted as rude (interpreted as such because the writer apparently believed that it was too polite). To compare this to JTP, and what Barack Obama actually said, is absolutely pathetic.
- Lyssa
OK, sorry, that should be "consider," not "reconsider." I think I started to type "recognize," and then switched to "consider."
Keep that up, Toy, and we might start to misunderestimate you. :)
"Every once in a while she puts out a stinker. This is another one."
I call on Althouse to refudiate her characterization of Palin's interaction!
Is Palin a politician? Or is she a private citizen?
I didn't see any banner ripping in the video.
How are the trashing this woman? They are trying to find out who she is and what her motive for making a huge banner was.
Palin didn't do anything mean to her and handled the awkward situation just fine.
Let's face it. Palin is an attack machine with a smile. She is the liberal/progressives worst nightmare. Palin can actually stand up well to the Professional Strength Slander from the media vipers dressed up in Teacher Clothes and other disguises. Sarah cannot understand how angry that makes these manipulaters of truth.
What's the fuss? It's not like Palin called a citizen voicing his/her thoughts a smartass or anything.
I had to roll my eyes when I viewed the video, especially when her daughter claimed Sara now represents the united States-- didn't know she had been elected to any new position. At this point Palin is hardly a private citizen and calling attention to her half term service is hardly trashing, but the fact that her people ripped down the sign afterwords speaks volumes about her belief in defending our rights.
I didn't see any banner ripping in the video.
Me neither. Garage or Roesch, could you please explain who ripped down the banner and what your evidence is for it? I'm not saying that it didn't happen, just that I didn't see it mentioned and in the 2 videos I saw, the banner was still standing at the end.
If Ms. Palin or one of her kids ripped it down, I'd certainly condemn her. If it got ripped down by "somebody" "later", then, what does it have to do with anything?
And right after Palin ripped the banner down she killed 13 schoolchildren with her bare hands.
Once Palin and her daughter got home, they immediately started putting fish hooks in candy bars to pass out at the theatre where Kathleen Gustafson teaches children to be perfect individuals.
The way the post is written easily conflates Palin's interaction with the teacher/banner-hanger with Gateway Pundit's take.
Frankly, it's a little dishonest. She should call out Gateway Pundit by name in the post if that is who her beef is with.
"At this point Palin is hardly a private citizen and calling attention to her half term service is hardly trashing..."
If she's not a private citizen, what is she?
I'll wait on that one.
So what are your feelings about Barack Obama failing to serve anywhere near the full term of his only elected position before the national stage.
I'll wait on that one too.
E.M. Davis, I was thinking that, too. Why not even mention G.P.? I'm hoping that Althouse was just really worn out when she wrote this and rushed it.
I'd say that Ms.Palin is not a private citizen- she's a public figure, and a celebrity. Nothing wrong with that, but yes, people can certainly criticize her. Of course, people can certainly criticize private citizens, too, so I don't really see the point of the dispute.
But if someone puts up a banner with a pointed insult towards you, and you can talk to them like they're your neighbor and keep a smile on your face, I'd say, points to you, and anyone saying otherwise is an ass.
"Palin isn't ready for prime time, people."
What the fuck does that mean? That she's not ready to have her own sitcom? That she swears like a sailor so we have to have her on tv after 9PM? You do know the meaning of "prime time," don't you?
Or does it mean she can put on a bee costume and perform on Saturday Night Live as a regular? Please help me out here, I really would like to know why we are supposed to bow down when people use this cliché.
wv: "frounr" -- what lefty Sarah Palin haters do while she just goes about her day.
Unless the teacher had her privacy violated by the state, then there is no comparison.
Nothing Palin did or said was mean-spirited. The same cannot be said about Kathleen Gustafson.
Ms. Gustafson is not a teacher. She is a theater technician at the high school in Homer, Alaska. A theater technician is a go-fer who does stage prep, set-making, etc., and doesn't have a teacher's license.
Ms. Gustafson is also a local radio personality, so in some measure her stunt was a radio bit.
And as for the so-called eye-roll, it was nothing. Except that the liberal media and bloggers once again prove how bereft of actual journalism they have become.
Palin sure does make feminists cringe, doesn't she?
And the doofus you voted for, Althouse, can't order a hamburger without a lectern and teleprompter. How about putting him in a situation where non hand-picked citizens can ask him an unscripted question or two?
By the way --
I'm a daughter of a teacher, and I make fun of teachers all the time. My father, were he still alive, would be joining in on the mockery. But those were the days when the teacher's lounge was still known primarily as the place where the teachers went for a relaxing smoke. You opened the door and a fog of cigarette smoke rolled out the door. And I haven't even touched on the common practice of keeping a flask or booze in the bottom desk drawer that a lot of teachers had. I had an algebra teacher who was clearly three sheets to the wind by the time I got to my class, which was the first one in the morning, around 8 o'clock.
Anyway, mocking teachers is an old American WASP tradition. The bizarre reverence for book learning and eggheads is a transplant from foreign countries. It's gotten so bad that now we think that teachers are actually people to go to for advice on how to run the country. To think it was only back in the 80s that Pink Floyd could release "Another Brick In The Wall," which was all about how teachers were part of the problem. What's funny is I'll bet these teacher-reverencing people all love that song. It's not about them, it's about those other teachers.
How on earth does Ms. Palin look bad here?
Surely this isn't the first time someone has asked Palin why she didn't complete her term as governor--but is that the best she can do to answer that question? Wave arms around and prattle a bit about defending freedom of speech? Heck, I can do--and have done--better than that to answer the question.
Because out of office, I can do more with my li'l ol' Facebook page to elect fiscally responsible candidates than I could have done as governor. America needs someone working to do that and the Republican party doesn't seem up to the job. See? Not that difficult.
I am a Palin fan but felt let down when I watched this. I don't care why the protestor agreed to hang the banner and ask polite questions of Palin. I do care that Sarah Palin wasn't able to answer a simple question.
And if that was her daughter jumping in the conversation, someone needs to tell her that it was not helpful. (I saw someone refer to her as "Brisket" in a blog comment, which made me laugh and think of the Althouse post about odd names.)
She is just as much a teacher as a para-legal is a lawyer.
Or she just plays one on TV.
This is about as classy as when Opie and Anthony had a couple of drunken mooks have sex in St Patrick's catheral during their "Sex for Sam." promotion.
They got fired for that.
Radio stunts often backfire.
Joe the Plumber actually is a Plumber. His not being licensed is a red herring in that licenses are not required in the area where he plumbs.
Hedgwig and the Angry Inch is a great movie.
If Palin rolled her eyes, it was probably not at teachers, but at the gimmick of using "teacher" to gain credibility, as though this makes Gustafson's opinions more important or more valid.
I remember when hdhouse had that account for a radio station in Cincinatti. That stunt didn't work out either.
LLH,
We're getting down to the pedantic here but, by very definition, Palin is a private citizen. Which I believe was the context of the discussion. The professor referred to her as a politician, which is obviously false.
I know you're a lawyer, so you may be able to put some knowledge on me here, but the point being that Palin holds no official position, nor is she currently seeking one.
I said earlier that Palin should have given this woman a Weigel-hug to ensure leftists would defend her.
Alternately, should could have just assaulted the cameraperson and threatened, "I'll knock the shit out of you, boy" like Democrat Bill Skaggs (Kansas City mayor pro tem) did.
[Lyssa and Sofa King, you won't get any supporting evidence from GasRage or Roach. Their jobs as flying monkeys only entail repeating leftist calumnies, not substantiating them.]
Shannyn Moore: Just a Girl from Homer has a fairly complete account of the incident between two private citizens who met in a public place, including the torn banner-- here is the link: http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2010/08/08/sarah-palins-homer-moment/
There's a picture of the banner on the ground. But why? There isn't any people in the picture. Nobody anywhere.
"There is nothing wrong with being a theater tech, and I bet that is how this woman usually refers to herself. She was putting on airs. Palin may have sensed something was amiss in her reaction."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see how Palin knew about the "theater tech" issue. So Palin is likely reacting to her simply being a teacher, which could have two meanings. (1) She was reacting to the expected hostility due to teachers' one-sided stance on politics. Or (2) the sanctimonious way teachers think they are more equal than others. As if their paychecks are somehow holier than the rest of ours.
I'd guess 2, but that's only because that's why I'd roll my eyes. Unless the topic was the universal perfection of unions, then I'd go with 1.
RV: You mean "Shannyn Moore: the Progressive blogger, and radio/TV host who some say paid for the stunt, HAPPENS to have a fairly complete account of the ambush journalismincident...
What a surprise.
garage mahal said...
This was ambush journalism and Miss Sarah had sense enough to know she couldn't win - at least as far as the Establishment media was concerned.
The banner was on private property.
I love how Palin claimed to be fighting for Americans so they can enjoy free speech, and then have one of her goons rip down the banner.
The banner was set up where she would pass and was intended to provoke a response.
I read the gateway and Politico pieces about this and the only mention of "her goons rip(ping) down the banner" is in a comment.
Sorry, don't buy it.
WV "outeemic" Navel sound amplifier
I love how Palin claimed to be fighting for Americans so they can enjoy free speech, and then have one of her goons rip down the banner.
IF it were Al Gore, you folks would be screaming bloody murder!!!!!!
Alex said...
:If it were Al Gore, you folks would be screaming bloody murder!!!!!!"
but you aren't and she isn't and we aren't screaming. she is what she is...and trust me on this...not an ounce more.
The "complete account" includes an unsubstantiated claim that a mysterious unidentified member "of Palin's entourage tore down the sign."
And the proof of this nebulous claim is, as AllenS points out, a still photo of the banner laying gently on the ground in front of the building it was hanging from, without a person in sight.
I guess it was just their bad luck that they used up all their video on Palin being civil, so that when Palin finally got around to the dastardly deed of stomping all over someone's property and speech rights, no one caught it on tape. (Or managed to even take any still shots while it was happening - or even while people were near enough to the banner to be credibly accused of having done it.)
Or perhaps Shannyn Moore, who for years harassed Palin with fabricated ethics complaints, is still harassing Palin with fabricated complaints - but has learned to present them to a more gullible audience.
As for the eye-rolling, I saw something much nicer than other interpretations. When the woman said she was a teacher, Palin smiled and sort of pulled her head back and to the side. She looked at someone near her. Awkward description, but I saw no eye-rolling. I interpreted it as, "Awww, a teacher! We like teachers in our family." And she does.
You see that look everywhere. A baby gurgles and the waitress smiles and puts her head to the side so she can absorb the moment. Someone says they are from the same hometown as you, and you smile with that "Awww..." look because you love seeing people from home. Sometimes you give that "Awww..." look because the conversation is awkward and you want to look like what you just heard meant something to you and because it's a friendly look.
Looks as though you're going to have to do something about your gullibility, Professor.
(1) Kathleen Gustafson is not a teacher. Professor, you'd be seriously bent out of shape if someone who worked in an administrative support role in your law school introduced himself or herself as a member of the UW law school faculty -- please don't say you wouldn't! -- but the title of your post mistakenly preserves the untruth.
(2) Sarah Palin apparently didn't roll her eyes.
(3) I thought you lawyer types were all about "distinguishing." Surely you can distinguish between someone like "Joe the Plumber" who really did encounter candidate Obama, versus an agent provocateur like Gustafson, can you not?
Meade, can you take your lady love down to the nearest pub and see whether you can help her get over the latest case of Palin derangemen syndrome? Thanks.
Roesch, thanks for the link, but I'm going to echo the others who have said that it wasn't very persuasive. First, it was exactly as I said "someone" tore it down "later" (when? no clue. who? not so much as a description.) It's not even clear from the posting whether the writer actually saw it being torn down, or is repeating something that she heard.
Anyway, that's what I got after I forced myself to push through the intense hatred, rank sexism, and complete idiocy of the post. Does this woman really think that security is not acceptable in any public place? I'm guessing that if Bill Clinton were visiting, she'd have no complaints. I see no reason to believe that TLC didn't have the proper permission of the municipality to do what they were doing, but her hatred of all things Palin meant that she couldn't even consider that as a possibility. Fourth Amendment Rights? This writer needs to pick up a book sometime. And that nasty statement that Ms. Palin couldn't have been baiting hooks because how would she keep her manicure? I'll bet she thinks of herself as a feminist, too, but is so full of unfounded hatred and bigotry that she can't help but stoop to petty stereotypes when it comes to women that she doesn't like. Sickening.
Tell me, does this woman's writings pass for intellectual discourse on your side of the aisle? Does nothing about that kind of hatred, that kind of plain wrongness bother you? Are you one of the people who criticized George Bush and Sarah Palin for being "incurious"? Because, look around, hon, it's people like this writer that need to start opening their eyes and looking around.
Gmay said: We're getting down to the pedantic here but, by very definition, Palin is a private citizen. Which I believe was the context of the discussion. The professor referred to her as a politician, which is obviously false.
You're right, any non-politician is technically a private citizen. I was speaking more casually- we just don't think of people who are that much in the public eye as private citizens. Also, in defamation law, we have different standards for people who are "public figures" or "public officials" (officials hold office; figures are just very public, like celebrities). Ms. Palin is certainly a public figure.
What it comes down to, I think, is that Ms. Palin, as a result of having placed herself in the public eye, has opened herself up to those who would like to criticize her rudely. I'm sure that she knows and expects that, though, and she handled it here with far more grace than I could muster.
Oh, and please, call me Lyssa.
1. And going after Kathleen Gustafson on the ground that she's "not a teacher" when she works in some capacity in a school...
This is just weird. She's not a teacher, no matter what sort of building she works in. I'm an aide at my son's preschool. If someone overheard me saying I was a teacher there, they'd think I was a freak.
2. Palin was civil enough, but I just don't understand why she approached the woman unless she was going to try to do/say something productive. She didn't. The whole thing was weird and awkward. What was the point?
3. Agree with prairie wind. Why can't Palin coherently explain why she quit the governorship? To this day, she's never given an acceptable explanation. It's maddening. And it's another example of how...
4. Palin's *not* ready for prime-time. That means she can't answer simple questions with short, concise answers. After all this time, her responses to almost any question wander and meander until you can't even remember how the sentence started. Unacceptable.
5. Technically, Sarah's a private citizen, but is there any doubt she's running in 2012? I think she's more of a legitimate target than the average private citizen.
* I used to be a Palin fan. But I believed that she would mature and improve as a politician and leader. She hasn't. My support has waned.
Tim M: If Palin rolled her eyes, it was probably not at teachers, but at the gimmick of using "teacher" to gain credibility, as though this makes Gustafson's opinions more important or more valid.
Marshal: Or (2) the sanctimonious way teachers think they are more equal than others. As if their paychecks are somehow holier than the rest of ours.
I was rolling my eyes for the same reason just watching the video. My husband works in an office supply store, which caters to a lot of teachers, and he will tell you that they are consistently the most rude and obnoxious customers, and constantly expect to be provided special treatment just because they are teachers.
-Lyssa
Ahh yes. Shannyn Moore of HuffPo, guest of Rachel Maddow and Keith Obermann. Don't she and the "teacher" hang out on the same radio station in Homer?
And "Worst Governor Ever?"
Bit hyperbolic, that. But then, in spite of all the edcuation and elitness, the left does not do nuance very well.
And yeah, it did look to me like SP rolled her eyes sort of. But *WHAT* did that mean? ("Man, look what teachers are doing these days in Homer." ?)
She wouldn't be dissing teachers. Maybe she was thinking "Holy cow, did my dad have to work with this kind of stuff?" Who knows.
To make a federal case out of it, compared to, as someone mentioned elsewhere last night, the fact that Freddie Mac is asking for a gazillion more $$ and it's bad money after bad.... (Why don't they FIX it?), it's much ado about nothing.
But it sure works as a distraction from all the really bad Democrat news out there.
3. Agree with prairie wind. Why can't Palin coherently explain why she quit the governorship? To this day, she's never given an acceptable explanation. It's maddening. And it's another example of how...
She explained it. Several times.
If you can't get it or refuse to believe it is your problem.
Until someone proves that Palin or her people tore down the sign after the video, I'm going to assume that the Lefties did it themselves.
That's their kind of shtick.
Here's the bottom line: if this is the best Dems and the Left can do, then they're in even bigger trouble than anyone thinks.
I mean, seriously? A woman who has been harassing Palin for years gets AN EYE ROLL ZOMG! OH NOES! THE SKY IS FALLING! SHE ROLLED HER EYES! LOOK SHE'S EVIL INCARNATE! hyperventilating crazy about this?
If she, or anyone else on her side of the aisle, thinks this makes Palin look worse than they do for even TRYING to make this an issue, then the planet is calling: it wants its oxygen back.
She did sort of roll her eyes, but so what? I just took it to mean she recognized the cliche that activist teachers are generally lefty goons.
Why does anyone care about that YouTube clip enough to find out anything about the woman in it? The clip was boring. I'm disappointed in having wasted two minutes of my life finding and watching it.
And even if it had been an interesting clip, I don't know why I'd care about that woman's profession. Even less whether or not she's a teacher. I can't even tell if that's supposed to be good or bad. I'm indifferent.
Jim,
The owner of this blog thinks it's bad. She's supposed to be graced with above intelligence.
Just a further note: we see how peckish and immature Obama is when challenged.
Let's just take a few minutes and talk about how very badly he would reacted were he to be confronted similarly, and just how quickly the media would have crawled up the rectum of the "private citizen" and how many state laws Democrats would have broken to pry into their private lives.
You know...like they did with Joe the Plumber...Funny, but I don't seem to see any mention of ANY Republicans breaking state laws to break into this woman's private records. Until someone does, then ANY comparison to Joe the Plumber - no matter how tangential - are quite frankly, absolutely moronic.
So let's talk instead about the fact that Palin DIDN'T give the finger to this woman the way that Obama did to both Hillary and McCain, and how she actually attempted to address one of her critics rather than just cry RACIST! NAZI! the moment the woman started to speak.
Watching the first minute of this I was actually ready to defend Palin because she was engaging the woman. And then she revealed that terrible facial reaction when the woman said she was a teacher. It is as though Palin is saying to the others in her camp, "Oh God guys we are talking to a teacher."
Note it doesn't matter if the woman was actually a teacher or not. Palin had no way of knowing the woman was anything other than she claimed to be.
I don't think I saw Palin roll her eyes because I was busy rolling mine.
AllenS -
Out of graciousness to our hostess, I will simply note that she has always had an extremely jaundiced eye when it comes to all things Palin-related and leave it at that.
Heh. I am going to be popular in thirty years or so when I may be a teacher.
matt -
Then perhaps you can explain the fact that Palin's own father is a teacher, so your interpretation makes ZERO SENSE IN THE REAL WORLD.
Care to try again?
DBQ,
In her speech, she described herself as a "lame duck," unwilling to waste citizen's time and money. A lame duck is someone who cannot be reelected because of term limits. Palin acted as if her hands were tied, but it was her choice not to seek reelection.
And I found her explanation that her family wanted her to quit disingenuous. She had a family when she ran for office. Tons of other politicians, almost all, have families. Palin has taken a lot of unfair heat, but that's the name of the ugly game in politics.
All I can say is, I stood up for her an awful lot when she was a politician. I put myself in the shoes of people who worked for and donated to her campaign. I would have been furious at her quitting, and her very inadequate explanation.
That's just my opinion. If you think her reasons for resigning her office are good enough, well, then that's yours.
###
Someone above mentioned Palin Derangement Syndrome. It is possible to have problems with Palin without having PDS! She is admirable in many ways but far from perfect.
Jim
Obama engages people very, very well. Watch his numerous town halls. Even his opponents talk about how he is likable in person.
Good politicians engage everyone and have a way of diffusing a situation. Reagan had it. Clinton had it. Bush even had it to some degree. Obama definitely has it.
Also the "Obama flipped off McCain and Clinton" is pretty hilarious. You make it seem like Obama looked over at them during a debate and flipped them off like Ilie Nastase did in a tennis match or something. When in fact there is absolutely no evidence he was flipping anyone off. [And don't post the videos because I already investigated it thoroughly - unless scratching ones nose counts as flipping someone off].
knox,
Care to name some names of perfect people.
From Palin's resignation speech:
"Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations - such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions.
Every one - all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We've won! But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted THOUSANDS of hours of YOUR time and shelled out some two million of YOUR dollars to respond to "opposition research" - that's money NOT going to fund teachers or troopers - or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the "politics of personal destruction" ... Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime so they're not going to stop draining public resources - spending other peoples' money in their game.
It's pretty insane - my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with THIS instead of progressing our state now. I know I promised no more "politics as usual," but THIS isn't what anyone had in mind for ALASKA.
.....
And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. And then I thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it". I'm not putting Alaska through that - I promised efficiencies and effectiveness! ? That's not how I am wired. I am not wired to operate under the same old "politics as usual." I promised that four years ago - and I meant it.
It's not what is best for Alaska.
I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.
With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election... I've determined it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration - with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future - can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.
"
Perhaps English isn't your first language?
It is very clear that she decided not to run again and would therefore be a "lame duck" and decided that since her remaining term would be not only fruitless but plagued by costs and frivolous complaints that hampered herself, bankrupting her family AND more to the point made it impossible for the Government of Alaska to operate efficiently that it would be best to turn the governance over to someone who didn't have a big freaking target painted on his back.
Her explanation is plain, common sense and very adequate.
That you can't see this or refuse to see it, is not due to Palin's lack of communication.
Personally, I would NOT like to see her run for President in 2012 because it would be a freaking three ring circus and the liberal media would create chaos with their lies and distortions. I think Palin can do more good for the conservative cause by continuing what she is doing now. Supporting and encouraging conservative candidates.
Freeman, don't liberals give you the eye roll, nose twitch, lip rub, brow furrow and ear lobe tug when they find out that you area home schooler?
Obama engages people very, very well.
(( Rose-colored glasses alert! ))
Perhaps he does, one-on-one. Or on The View. But at this point in his presidency, Obama is most often characterized as distant, cold and robotic. (Even by some on the left) And bizarrely, heavily reliant on teleprompters for even the most casual speeches and appearances. Tone-deaf is another big one.
Knox said: It is possible to have problems with Palin without having PDS! She is admirable in many ways but far from perfect.
That's the major problem with all things Palin now. There are so many people with such obscene (often in the true sense of the word) hatred of Palin, that we're always on guard for it. People who seem perfectly normal suddenly turn into fonts of misogyny at the whiff of a conservative woman, and, I think, Palin supporters have become hypersensitive (and sometimes overly sensitive) to it.
DBQ said: Personally, I would NOT like to see her run for President in 2012 because it would be a freaking three ring circus and the liberal media would create chaos with their lies and distortions. I think Palin can do more good for the conservative cause by continuing what she is doing now. Supporting and encouraging conservative candidates.
I agree. I'm sad that it has become this, that the sickos have won this way, but they have. Hopefully, she'll recover someday; she's still young and talented, but 2012 is certainly too soon to hope for it.
By mid-2007, I was looking forward to the end of President Bush's term, just because I was sick of all of the mouth foaming hatred. (Sorry, Obama supporters, widespread reactions to President Obama have not been anything like the same. Although I suppose there will be intense hatred of anyone who steals Obama's throne, I'm not anxious to go through it again, particularly with the inclusion of the rank sexism and frightening sexual obsessions that Palin inspires among the "enlightened and tolerent" classes.
- Lyssa
Jim
I showed the video to a group here and they all instantly understood the look to be a bad one. They made me stop and go back a few times to confirm. Plain and simple the look on Palin's face, as well as her body language and head movement is not one of acceptance of teachers. Or at least to this particular woman being a teacher - which could be the case.
That said, I did like the way she engaged the woman early on. She could have ignored her and did not. So one point given and one point taken. She breaks even.
Care to name some names of perfect people.
Allen, all I'm saying is she is a disappointment for me. There are many other politicians who are also far from perfect, but whom I prefer; let's say, who I take far more seriously. They are more coherent and substantial in their opinions and very specific in policy suggestions. And they haven't quit elected office. Just a few:
Thaddeus McCotter
Paul Ryan
Mitch Daniels
Rudy Giuliani
Tim Pawlenty
There are so many people with such obscene (often in the true sense of the word) hatred of Palin, that we're always on guard for it. ...Palin supporters have become hypersensitive (and sometimes overly sensitive) to it.
Totally agree, and understand. And she, in fact, does deserve to be defended on some fronts.
I'll accept whom I prefer. It bothers me that every time Palin says anything, she's ripped a new one. It's getting old. I can't help but defend her. She's done nothing wrong.
An "eye roll"? Give me a fucking break.
Last I checked this innocuous, vacuous little clip was the #1 topic of discussion on HuffPo, with over 10,000 comments. A good 90% of them were boiling over with the most venomous hatred and rage. No politician in my lifetime has aroused such vituperation.
If Palin somehow gets the Presidency, I really think she will be in more physical danger than Obama could ever dream of. Some of these Palin haters would be willing to suicide-bomb her, I'm convinced.
Matt: Plain and simple the look on Palin's face, as well as her body language and head movement is not one of acceptance of teacher. Or at least to this particular woman being a teacher - which could be the case.
I'd roll my eyes at the thought of this woman being a teacher. A teacher should be less hate-filled and a heck of a lot more mature. I would not want someone around my (hypothetical) children who posted signs intended to insult people she knew would be passing by.
(I'm rolling my eyes at the fact that I even have to say this, but yes, I would say the same for Barack Obama. If you know he's coming around, you certainly have the right to post a sign that says "Worst President Ever." I think he's well on the way to acheiving that, but even so, I'd think you were kind of an immature dick for doing it. I'd think it even more so if we were talking about Jimmy Carter (someone who no longer holds office, and is therefore a better comparison to Ms. Palin.)) (Signs addressing a particular policy concern, i.e., "Repeal ObamaCare Now" would not be objectionable in the same way, IMO.)
- Lyssa
Matt -
Since you seem to make judgments based on the collective wisdom of groups watching the video, then you have to accept that Obama DID flip off Hillary and McCain since that's pretty much the consensus view of any non-Kool Aid drinker who has seen EITHER video.
That you would fall back on this "scratching his nose" bit is pretty much the juvenile response that only a 14-year old would give to a teacher when caught doing the same thing.
Tell you what, you find multiple videos of Obama "scratching his nose" with his single middle finger upraised and maybe we can say that's just the way he scratches his nose. But you and I both know no such video exists or it would have been trotted out every time someone pointed out what an absolutely juvenile and classless thing that he did was.
As far as "knowing that Obama engages well," that's an out and out lie. He "engages well" ONLY in friendly audiences. When dealing with those who disagree with him, he is nasty, short-tempered, and extremely childish. THAT's the fact, no matter how hard you wish it to be otherwise.
Knox: One of your comments above really made me laugh (and reminded me I owe you an email - sorry about that). As usual, kudos to both you and Freeman for your excellent serious points.
Compliments to Seven Machos as well, who seems to have been on a roll in various comment sections I've waded through recently, although I think I'm detecting a bit of battle fatigue.
Dust Bunny Queen
I guess you have decided to be Palin's spin doctor?
The bottom line is it is not a good thing for any politician to resign before their time is up unless there is a very significant personal reason. And even then it pretty much signals the end of a political career. Other Republicans would [and have] agreed her decision was not prudent.
And the fact that Palin then turned around to travel and play celebrity and host Conservative rallys shows everyone that she was not that serious about spending time with her family as she is about playing to the crowd. [Which is fine BTW. Just don't pretend it is anything else.]
Also note the amount of money and time it takes to replace a governor. She caused an inconvenience for everyone but herself. That is the opposite of what a politician should do. Even if you like her you have to admit her political prospects to hold a high office again are dim. Don't blame the media for that. And note Bush won the high office despite the press.
This always happens when you give in to that need to be seen as balanced. There is right or wrong - pick one and stick with it.
By the way, Knox, as a former generous contributor to SarahPAC, I'm fine with her quitting the Governorship. She had been singled out for Alinsky style lawfare by the Democrats, with the goal of driving her to personal bankruptcy.
Remember she had no income from her book or speaking gigs at that time, and was basically a middle class mom with four dependent children and a pretty modest asset base. She had set up a legal defense fund only to see it frozen by another ethics complaint, and knew that if she collected any book royalties or speaking fees the same thing would happen again. She was in a no win situation.
There's also the fact that she had already achieved the vast majority of the platform she campaigned on.
The quitter label would be hard to overcome in an election but I don't think it's fatal, especially if she does a stint in the Senate or as Energy Secretary. She's got a good 30 years left to drive the liberals insane.
DBQ,
All I can do is repeat that the lame duck thing makes no sense. She acts as if there were only 2 choices:
- "travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do"
- quit
Absurd. She is implying that any one-term politician is, by default, worthless, and may as well resign.
This argument boils down to:
"I'm quitting, and, therefore, I have to quit, because I'm quitting."
Also, she says they won all their lawsuits. I am unclear how they would have had to continue spending time on them. Maybe there's something there I'm not getting?
I also think it was hypocritical for her to set procedures into place to "clean house" in Alaska ... but then claim that such procedures, when applied to her, were being used abusively.
Hi Randy.
I needed that!
Good to see you, as always. : )
Jim
You live in a right wing tilted fantasy machine.
Here is a video.
Now, your turn. Show us videos where Obama is short tempered. [And I mean more than one.] The only time I have seen Obama 'sharp tempered' was during one of the debates on ABC when Stephenopolous kept asking questions about the Reverend. But as you will note, most people agreed that Obama was being cornered and not asked real questions about things that really mattered.
Blame the voters if you want. [Many of whom were the same ones who voted for Bush 4 years earlier] But people usually see the truth. And the truth is they like Obama. [Or they certainly did in the run up to the last election]. No matter how much you hate him that is the truth. Deal with it.
You don't win elections by being nasty. McCain who often got nasty himself - although you probably overlooked the fact - learned that. Not to say he ONLY lost because of his persona. But it plays a big part.
It bothers me that every time Palin says anything, she's ripped a new one. It's getting old.
Allen,
You're right, she is. I feel terrible for how she's been unfairly targeted.
But we are in trouble. I am unwilling to put the country in the hands of someone who quit elected office and then (seemingly) promptly sticks her toe in the water for the presidential race in 2012.
My empathy for Palin extends only to her on a personal level. And her family. Insofar as she pursues elected office, I will not support her.
*But it's not just the quitting. She can't answer a question without a long, rambling, incoherent sentence. We need better in these times.
Lyssolovey- for intellectual discourse I like to read things like Larry Arnhart's article on The History of Government in Darwinian Liberalism over at the Cato Unfound,which is a great site, but for simpler discussions on pop culture and politics ,I read blogs like this one and others, which you are right to point out have distinct viewpoints. For example you write: Does this woman really think that security is not acceptable in any public place implying this question is an attack on Palin. But I think the observation about patting down Alaskans, who have a right to bear arms, watching the filming of a private citizen, seems strange given the support by Sara Palin for the Tea Party and its actions. Concerning the bearing of arms in public places, one does not have to look far to see examples of where it is okay for Tea Party members and others,to openly carry arms-- and not be patted down. Then there is the famous incident wth the man in Portsmouth, NH who packed a gun outside of a Town Hall with Obama. That said, yes I am bothered by the kind of simple minded hate expressed towards political leaders, but compared to the the stuff Michele Bachmann utters--Shannyn Moore seems mild.
knox,
At the present time, like right now, Palin isn't running for anything. If she announces that she's running for president or dog catcher, then go ahead and tell us why she shouldn't be elected. Her problem seems to be, is that she's accessible. Fine, but try getting this close to Hillary and asking her a question, and having The Hillary stand and trade answers and questions with anyone. Who would look worse?
@AllenS, Hillary knows better than to do that. Sarah doesn't, yet. Point to Hillary.
(I thought my fingers would break when I typed that!!!)
Note that political neophyte Obama got caught in the same trap in the summer of 2008 with Joe the Plumber.
Less excuse in his case -- lawyers are supposed to know better than to ask questions they don't know the answers to.
@knox
I'm not trying to pick a fight with you and you are certainly entitled to be disappointed in Palin. I also had some high hopes but like others feel that it is much too soon ...if ever for her to run for President. We also don't know that that is her desire.
Also, she says they won all their lawsuits. I am unclear how they would have had to continue spending time on them. Maybe there's something there I'm not getting
What you are missing is that there would be an unending string of lawsuits that would continue to bollox up the Alaska Government and tie up Palin's time and money.
The leftists who had permanently ensconced themselves in Alaska were prepared to launch many more frivilous attacks. Just like the woman in this video who is a rabid Palin hater, they would lose no opportunity to cause trouble.
Alex said...
:If it were Al Gore, you folks would be screaming bloody murder!!!!!!"
These days I'm just happy if Gore keeps his pants on.
A bunch of people are asserting that this was a "radio publicity" stunt.
Where's the evidence for this? Whose radio show was it a stunt for? I've seen bloggers assert that Gustafson is a "radio personality". Where's the evidence for this?
A bunch of people are asserting that Palin is a "private citizen", but she is the former Governor of Alaska and the former Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States of America. She was also in Homer filming an episode of the upcoming TLC reality show Sarah Palin's Alaska.
Are TLC stars immune to criticism now? Former Vice Presidential candidates? Former Governors?
Like Obamabots, Palindrones like to make up new rules of etiquette to render criticism of their venerated leader invalid. What are the new rules here?
As for the eye-rolling, I saw something much nicer than other interpretations. When the woman said she was a teacher, Palin smiled and sort of pulled her head back and to the side. She looked at someone near her. Awkward description, but I saw no eye-rolling. I interpreted it as, "Awww, a teacher! We like teachers in our family." And she does.Exactly. Like if someone says they're a firefighter, you tilt your head, widen your eyes, sigh, and say, 'that's so awesome.' Both of Palin's parents were teachers, IIRC.
I would like to see Althouse experiment with making little comment when showing clips that have controversial interpretations. Then we can watch them without watching for the eye-roll, etc.
"And now I'm going to have to watch the stupid video to see whether Palin really did roll her eyes.
I'm betting not."
I'm betting not, too.
Didn't watch the video yesterday, just read the AoS post after the early correction that the lady probably was a teacher after all which pretty much counts as hard-right push back to that meme doesn't it?
The OMGawd Palin rolled her eyes! thing is just bizarre though. Apparently she didn't DO anything worth criticizing so they're imagining an eye roll... not that an eye roll is actually BAD in any way, we can roll our eyes and so can politicians, eye roll away. BUT the imagined eye roll has an imagined purpose... Palin isn't rolling her eyes at a lady with a giant anti-Palin banner, she's rolling her eyes at a teacher. The moral equivalent of rolling your eyes at god.
What if Palin actually did something that warranted a criticism? Would it cause brains to pop?
"Are TLC stars immune to criticism now?"
YES! YES THEY ARE!!!!!
If you say something bad about Stacy London or Clinton Kelly I will kick you fucking ass.
Take that to the bank buster!!!!
matt -
I notice how you posted a video which CONVENIENTLY leaves out the sound.
Here it is with the sound.
The CROWD CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD IT. They knew what he was doing, and they went crazy when he "scratched his cheek." Unless, of course, you think that this is some sort of "cheek-scratch fetishist" crowd, then there's no mistaking that THEY understood what YOU clearly don't.
So now you pretend to greater knowledge than the crowd WHICH WAS ACTUALLY THERE?
Sorry, but your partisan hack job can't erase the roar of the crowd when he "scratched his cheek."
Go back and try again. You might start by launching a defense of someone who ISN'T a compensatory narcissist with the emotional maturity of a 14-year old boy. And you might try defending it to someone who wasn't actually alive during 2008 and so can be more easily lied to about just what a bunch of juvenile cowboys were running the Obama campaign. Because the only non-partisan you're going to convince with THAT spin job is going to be under the age of 2.
Youngblood hyperventilated: "A bunch of people are asserting that Palin is a "private citizen", but she is the former Governor of Alaska and the former Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States of America. She was also in Homer filming an episode of the upcoming TLC reality show Sarah Palin's Alaska."
Ok, I'm a little confused here. You wrote "former" twice, so what part of that word do you fail to understand?
Jesus Christ you're like Ritmo arguing against language.
"Are TLC stars immune to criticism now? Former Vice Presidential candidates? Former Governors?"
No they're not. Just like we're not immune to watching you beat the shit out of strawmen.
"Like Obamabots, Palindrones like to make up new rules of etiquette to render criticism of their venerated leader invalid. What are the new rules here?"
Since you're so hopelessly confused here, allow me to help: offering a critique doesn't make you immune from criticism. We call it debate or argumentation. This is pretty basic stuff really.
Jim,
Clearly for matt, body language is an issue for Palin rolling her eyes, but he grants Obama immunity from similar analysis.
@trooper york
that is a great clip. thanks for sharing.
@Roesch- et al
Odd that such a well read commenter such as yourself must resort to a lame strawman construct:
where it is okay for Tea Party members and others,to openly carry arms-- and not be patted down.
Hmmm...I'd guess that would be in a state where it is legal to openly carry?
Is this one of those Assistant Regional Manager versus Assistant to the Regional Manager things?
To anyone familiar with Nordic-style patronymics it seems pretty clear why the teacher is named Gustafson and not Gustafsdotter.
@Matt Also note the amount of money and time it takes to replace a governor.
Lt Governor was right there and ready. Unlike some states where the Lt Governor can be from the other party.
And that couldn't have been more expensive or less effiecient than trying to govern with almost daily harassment from the lefties.
Can someone put up a side-by-side youtube of the dueling eye rolls?
Here's Couric.
There are a lot of assertions being made with very little evidence. It will be interesting to see if there are any new facts that emerge in the next day or two.
I think that a lot of the PDS comes from her quitting the Governorship, and thus slipping from the grasp of the left. As Governor, she would have been tied down in AK for the remainder of her term the victim of specious ethics charges filed in attempt to smear her name.
Now she gets to travel around, commenting on current events and making money and the best the lefties can do is whine "She rolled her eyes!" pathetically.
Ready for prime time or not, she's doing well for herself and her family. She's become a powerful political figure who has the attention of millions. What will she do with it? Does it really matter at this point?
Palin FTW.
The video was clearly edited. The video is cut at the 0:34 mark when the Governor responds to the question why she left office.
We can safely assume that the governor made a strong argument.
As Sarah Palin stated in her resignation speech ( and stated in many interviews); she resigned because she recognized the cost that the frivolous ethics complaints were having on her state and she saw how much of her staff’s time and her own time were forced to deal with those issues.
Palin’s entire administration was paralyzed by those frivolous complaints.
She saw that if she stayed on as Governor it would cost the state millions of dollars in wasted time and resources to defend against false and maliciously ethics complaints and doom it to gridlock.
She wasn't able to effectively fulfill her role as Governor, so she passed the reins onto someone who didn't have to be concerned that if he sneezed , an ethics complaint would be thrown at him.
Sarah had to step down for the better of her state and it was the honorable thing to do
She instead knew she could fight for Alaskans and Americans outside of office, and she knew the man who would fill her place would follow the same agenda as she had.
Eh, Gatewaypundit is a bore and always has been. Picking a fight with this guy seems a little beneath you, but whatever.
Well, she didn't actually call out Gateway Pundit by name. I guess she's hesitant to do that, considering the fact that her benefactor, InstaPundit, links to him on an almost daily basis, and the fact that Gateway Pundit is heavily pushed by other leading right-wing blogs like PowerLine. None of these leading right-wing bloggers are at all concerned that Gateway Pundit is proven time and time again to be a shameless liar and smear-artist. But what do you expect from a crowd that considers Andrew Breitbart the model for good journalism?
Sarah Palin comes off as ridiculous, fake, and stupid as ever in this latest video clip. Hard to believe that the right-wing blogosphere thinks she's a good candidate to be President of the USA, Leader of the Free World.
a lot of Sarah Palin fawning
[Palin] instead knew she could fight for Alaskans and Americans outside of office
I know I'm kinda fucked up in the head, but my recollection is that Sarah Palin ran for VP while not knowing a damned thing about anything. She didn't know jack squat about diddly! It's amazing that you conservatives want a country that used to be led by the likes of Thomas Jefferson to be turned into a joke a country led by a dunce like Sarah Palin.
LOL -- check the post on the boots she was wearing at Andrew Sullivan's blog.
Why hasn't this women been told to get off the stage a long time ago??????
Loaf said: Why hasn't this women been told to get off the stage a long time ago??????
Why haven't you been told to get off your soapbox stage here a long time ago????
What I get from watching this video is that Sarah seems to be the same cheerful, upbeat person she is privately as she is publicly and Sarah had no problem with the lady’s right to protest.
Sarah talked stuck up for herself in a nice and friendly way.
There is no reason to attack the teacher. Just show people the video; she does enough harm to herself.
When I looked at the video the first time, I kept waiting for the teacher to come in from outside the frame and start an argument. I looked at the video again and realized that the teacher was the one she was talking to from the start. This "confrontation" was really sort of friendly. This is a joke, isn't it?
Considering the crap that seems to be thrown at her on a regular basis, SP seems pretty good-natured. I wouldn't be so pleasant.
BjM- yes exactly why in Alaska where According to the National Rifle Assc., "A permit to carry a concealed handgun is not necessary in Alaska.. and one can carry any weapon openly is it necessary to pat down those private citizens watching a filming of Palin, but not necessary in other states where citizens are attending a Town Hall meeting?
"Ok, I'm a little confused here. You wrote "former" twice, so what part of that word do you fail to understand?"
I understand the word just fine. If you're a professional public figure (a former politician and a current celebrity and television star), you kind of lose the ability to make the "private citizen" argument.
I mean, c'mon, it's not like Sarah Palin was just down at the super market minding her own business when she was "ambushed".
She was filming a television show.
"No they're not. Just like we're not immune to watching you beat the shit out of strawmen."
It's not a strawman. Read through the thread -- several Palindrones were suggesting that as a private citizen, Palin should be immune to this kind of criticism.
"Since you're so hopelessly confused here, allow me to help: offering a critique doesn't make you immune from criticism. We call it debate or argumentation. This is pretty basic stuff really."
Who said that the Gustafson is immune to criticism? I surely didn't!
Here's a clue, dipshit:
Several Palindrones bitched and moaned that their Dear Leader was a "private citizen", so it was unfair to criticize her. (One poster complained that it was wrong to criticize her because her daughter happened to be there!)
I just want to know where the "private citizen" defense that Palindrones claim for their Dear Leader ends, exactly.
That doesn't mean that I give two shits about Gustafson.
Your post makes it seem as if Palin said all that when she didn't. The aggregate method of posting links is sloppy.
You've got a hardcore drama geek, with a small radio show, family planning clinic ties - iow a code pink type. I have no problem with that.
(Damn, though! I've never seen someone take such offense to a Hedwig reference gone wrong as showing cultural ignorance - kind of obscure for that. As a former musically-oriented, downtown type, I know it, but my much more bobo-in-paradise university town sister wouldn't have ANY idea what it was, for example - and she started out as an art major fer chrissakes...)
But "the teacher" is what she is and Palin was instinctively right to roll her eyes at the word. Palin couldn't have been nitpicking over her background at that point, she probably correctly surmised "oh god, another teacher slamming me for promising on 'my precious' Bible" and the eyes went up into the back of her head.
Joe the Plumber: When the teacher has to deal with someone illegally accessing her private state records "for the cause" and putting her business all over the mainstream media in the middle of an election cycle, get back to me. The teacher also inserted herself into the situation whereas Barack pushed himself on Joe the Plumber.
I don't see the controversy. Both were civil and the "teacher" had a valid point--Palin did break her word (as did Gov. Huntsman of Utah)--and Palin made a valid point that she was having an effect on the country as a whole.
Wait, so Andrew Sullivan writes that Sarah Palin's boots (her BOOTS!) prove she's inauthentic, and someone here recommends it as if it doesn't make Sullivan look deranged?
Really?
"...with a small radio show..."
What's the name of the show? What station is it on? What time?
Despite the fact that blogs have been pushing the claim that she's a radio personality (and that what she did was a radio stunt), the only evidence that they've supplied is that her picture was on the "Familiar Faces" page on a small AM radio station's website.
Combined with the fact that the very same blogs claim that she's a singer in some drag queen band when she's clearly not, it really seems like people are just making shit up in an attempt to smear her for daring to criticize Dear Leader.
If Palin had been disabled by a major health issue, wouldn't it have been proper for her to resign?
Her opposition made it impossible for her to do the job. Different causes, same effect. Why should she have stayed on in the job?
Youngblood said: "I understand the word just fine. If you're a professional public figure (a former politician and a current celebrity and television star), you kind of lose the ability to make the "private citizen" argument."
Well clearly you have a problem with simple definitions then. She may be a public personality right now, but by very definition, she's a private citizen. Full stop.
"It's not a strawman. Read through the thread -- several Palindrones were suggesting that as a private citizen, Palin should be immune to this kind of criticism."
Cite for me three Palin supporters who said she should be "immune from criticism".
I'll wait.
"Who said that the Gustafson is immune to criticism? I surely didn't!"
Here's your clue shit-for-brains:
"Like Obamabots, Palindrones like to make up new rules of etiquette to render criticism of their venerated leader invalid. What are the new rules here?"
Now who went and typed that? This is you making up a bunch of bullshit and saying that people who criticize are themselves immune from criticism.
Criticism isn't automatically valid you moron. The only thing you see on this thread is people attempting to render Gustafson's criticism invalid through the application of facts, reason, logic, rhetoric, invective, etc.
Where are the fucking "new rules" dumbass?
Now, YMMV on how effective people have been at rebutting Gustafson (which I believe will be inversely proportional to the amount of disdain one holds for Palin), but there's nothing new here. It's all standard stuff, but I repeat myself.
GMay,
1.) I never said that Gustafson's criticism is automatically valid. Try again.
2.) You claim that the Palindrones are arguing based on the facts. You seem to be confused about the meaning of the word "fact".
One of the "facts" that Palindrones have trotted out again and again in this comment thread is that Gustafson hosts a radio program and that her banner was a publicity stunt for that show.
In fact, you were one of the people singing this tune.
So... um... What's her radio show called? What station is it on?
I've asked this three times now and nobody has been able to answer.
3.) If none of the Palindrones have been claiming that the criticism is somehow invalid because Palin is a "public citizen", why wrangle over the definition of the term as much as you've been doing?
That's what I mean when I'm talking about these new rules. When global warming skeptics protest Algore's appearances, I don't really hear people saying that it's unfair to criticize him because he's a "private citizen".
Now, I'm a small-c conservative. I'm suspicious of change. I don't like it when people make up new rules out of thin air. For the better part of two years now, Obamabots have told me that criticizing their Dear Leader or his policies is a racist act.
Now I see the Palindrones coming up with new rules. I just want to know what they are. When is it OK to criticize Our Lady of Perpetual Victimization?
Actually, I asked about the radio show two times, not three.
This post is a wonderful example of why I like to read Althouse. I had no knowledge of the facts regarding the "transsexual band" charge.
Just goes to show that reading only the subject line of a blog post can be as misleading as reading only the headline in a yellow sheet.
But my question to the teacher might be, "Why are you shirking your responsibilities as a teacher and making yourself into a celebrity?"
"1.) I never said that Gustafson's criticism is automatically valid. Try again.
One could reasonably infer that. Infer. Which is what you did when you posited that people here said Palin is immune from criticism. The difference is that your inference was hardly reasonable.
"2.) You claim that the Palindrones are arguing based on the facts. You seem to be confused about the meaning of the word "fact".
No, I think you're confused about pluralisation. You pull up one alleged "fact" out of many that are verifiable. The radio show idea isn't really a big point on this thread.
Try again.
The reason no one answered your question? You waded into a dead thread like you fucking own the joint.
Nice try.
"3.) If none of the Palindrones have been claiming that the criticism is somehow invalid because Palin is a "public citizen", why wrangle over the definition of the term as much as you've been doing?
I'm not wrangling, I'm correcting. I mentioned it in passing because the Professor was obviously incorrect on that point. I left it at that. Another lawyer waded in and argued the point and soon conceded the fact.
Now you wander in, obviously have it wrong, and want to wrangle it.
Care to project anything else?
So again, no new rules here, just your hopeless confusion.
Now, the thread is really dead. I'm outta here. You have the last word. I won't be back.
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