Once again, the morning newspaper has left me shaking my head. Not really in disbelief, because I’ve seen too much bias in recent years to be particularly surprised at anything I read – it’s more of a “how can they be so blind to what they’re saying” head shake.
The headline, from the Associated Press, was “Palin disclosures put campaign on defensive.” It was all about how the disclosure that Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old unmarried daughter was pregnant was “the latest in a string of disclosures that left the John McCain campaign defending his choice and the thoroughness of the background check of the little-known Alaska governor.”
What were the other disclosures? Well, it seems that she dismissed Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan after she was elected governor in 2006. Not surprisingly, Mr. Monegan wasn’t happy about losing his job. He speculated to a reporter from KTUU in Anchorage that he thought he probably had been dismissed because he resisted pressure from “Palin’s staff and husband” to fire a state trooper who was involved in a “bitter custody battle” with Sarah Palin’s sister after a 2005 divorce. Now, mind you, Palin’s ex-brother-in-law had allegedly fired a Taser at his young stepson and threatened to kill his father-in-law. It is not unreasonable to think that maybe, just maybe, a person who would do those things shouldn’t be carrying around a gun and a badge if the allegations are true. It’s also worth noting that the custody case, and many of the complaints filed against the trooper by Sarah Palin and her husband, predate her election to the governor’s office – when she was still a private citizen.
The result is that the Alaska State Legislature has appointed an investigator to look into the allegations. Sarah Palin’s response to the investigation, if I may be so bold as to paraphrase, was, “Bring it on!” McCain’s campaign has stated publicly that they were aware of the investigation, had looked into it themselves, and were convinced that there was nothing of substance there.
Oh, and the other disturbing disclosure was that Sarah Palin’s husband was arrested for drunken driving 20 years ago. No, I’m not joking. I don’t think they were even married at the time.
So the personal attacks begin. Oh, that’s not the way they’re spinning it – the spin is that the story isn’t about Palin, per se, but about what it tells us about the vetting process (or lack thereof) of the McCain campaign. Bullfeathers. I believe that fair-minded Americans will see this for exactly what it is: a blatant attempt to attack and discredit Sarah Palin. And we will see the attacks increase and escalate, because Sarah Palin represents a huge danger to the Obama campaign, simply because she’s conservative, she’s popular (her approval rating in Alaska is 80%), and she’s a woman.
But if you want to talk about the vetting process, let me just mention that the Democrat Party just nominated a Presidential candidate who:
- Spent 20 years sitting in the congregation of a pastor who is on record as spewing absolutely outrageous and hateful lies about his country, and about white folk, among other things. We’re asked to believe that Obama didn’t actually hear any of those particular sermons, and didn't know what was being said.
- Served on a board of directors with, gave speeches with, and has repeatedly been a guest in the home of unrepentant “radical activist” (read “domestic terrorist”) William Ayres. (He held a 1995 campaign event at Ayres' house, and Ayres and his wife, former terrorist Bernardine Dohrn, were contributors to one of his campaigns.) Mr. Ayres was a member of the Weather Underground in the 1960s and 1970s, and admitted to participating in the bombings of the New York police headquarters in 1970, the U.S. Capitol Building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972, although he was never charged or convicted. And before you start telling me that this is ancient history, let me stress that it is the “unrepentant” part that has us conservatives a little twisted up. As recently as September 11, 2001, the New York Times quoted Ayres as saying that he found “a certain eloquence in bombs," and that he didn't "regret setting the bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” Furthermore, he believes that America "is not a just and fair and decent place," and his response to the suggestion that America is a great country is that "it makes me want to puke."
- Has been involved in questionable real estate deals with indicted Chicago real estate developer Tony Rezko.
I could go on, but I think that’s plenty for now. Might I suggest that there’s something wrong with the vetting process of the entire Democrat Party? And with media outlets who are just fine with that, but who dig up the fact that Sarah Palin’s husband had a DUI 20 years ago?
The more I read the newspapers and listen to the “alphabet networks” in this country, the more convinced I am that the only reasonable explanation is the one Bernard Goldberg advances in his book Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. (An excellent book, and one that is definitely on the Leftcoast Blues recommended reading list.) As amazing as it may seem, Goldberg is convinced that his former colleagues honestly believe that they represent mainstream American thought. They spend all their time hanging out with people who think the same way they do, going to the same parties, and reading each other’s work. Their belief system is never seriously challenged, because they simply never interact with anyone who doesn’t share it. Consequently, they really don’t believe that they are biased at all – they truly believe that they are moderate in their political thinking, and don’t understand why people accuse them of being otherwise.
They just don’t get it. Unfortunately for them, we do. Which is why newspaper readership continues to decline across the country, and why the major network news shows continue to struggle to maintain their ratings. But by all means, keep up the attacks - they'll do more to help elect McCain and Palin than any positive news coverage could ever do!
Thanks for listening.
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