Sarah Palin gave a really good speech. Why go beyond that, asks Simon.
Photo: AP
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.
On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.
We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.
We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?
We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?
Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.
It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn’t be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.
Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”
But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:
First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.
Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).
Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”
Why go there? What trees does that plant?
Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.
Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”
Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.
Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.
Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.
Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)
The official theme of the convention’s third day was “prosperity,” but the unofficial theme was “the media are really, really awful.”
Even Mike Huckabee, who campaigned for president this year by saying “I am a conservative, but I am not mad at anybody,” discovered Wednesday night that he is mad at somebody.
“I’d like to thank the elite media for doing something,” Huckabee said, “that, quite frankly, I didn’t think could be done: unify the Republican Party and all of America in support of John McCain and Sarah Palin.”
And could that be the real point of the attacks on the media? To unify the Republican Party?
No, that is simply the cynical, media view.
Though as Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”
Their media is not interested in what America thinks just McCain!!That's the republican double talk tell what you did wrong and say that they did the same thing but it's not wrong!! DUH!!!!! I can't get over the fact that a person can claim to have more experience, when they have never written a law one. Never sponsored one or pass one federal law!!!! That's what the federal government does LADY!!! ""NEWS FLASH"" OBAMA HAS PASS, WRITTEN, SPONSORED MORE FEDERAL LAWS THEN YOU WILL EVER DREAM OF DOING!!!!jimmy 451
this apology is misplaced. the run up to the two wars we are in, now there's a big fat mistake by the MSM, ayy? are you apologizing for that too? most people would just appreciate you elitist "journalists" to just do your jobs like you may have finally started to do with Palin. calling her speech great was a bit of an exaggeration, but she does have the sneer for attack politics, the high school delivery will not help in the press room or the debate hall, though.
Of course the media should ask difficult questions. The issue is the cynical, smirky attitude openly exhibited when talking about Gov. Palin... I was surprised by the ferocity of it all, and it just felt unfair. Perhaps the media's true feelings came through since they didn't have time to script a response to the surprise announcement? Or, perhaps they resented being left out of the loop? I'm not sure what explains it.
The simple fact that the conservative base has been so ralled by a woman because she (1) eats mooseburgers???, (2) is not particularly intelligent, i.e., 'one of us,' (3) has a pregnant daughter (does this not demonstrate that abstinence education doesn't work?), (4) supports creationism in public schools (against modern science, please, keep mythology in literature classes), (5) was the governor of a state of 800,000, (6) ...? I think, clearly demonstrates the relative stupidity of the Republican party. 'Just elect someone like me, that hunts and rejects science in favor of religion.' Great thinking, take mediocrity over intelligence.
It was what was expected. A red meat speech to feed the red meat wanting masses. Not a sensational speech by any measure but it did what it was supposed to do - fire up their dwindling base. When your own commentators are saying you have no shot, might be a good time to re-think the pick. God bless Johnny McSame for picking Sarah Palin - we really couldn't have hoped for better. The speech was on in my office and a number of the moderates/independents in the room were openly mocking the speech. Even the two die-hard republicans in the room were a little embarassed by the ******** and hyperbole. But well done...too bad she is still too chicken**** to take questions from the press...McCain/Palin 08 - Doing more to further the Democratic Agenda than we thought possible...
As an American (and one time Republican)- it angers me how McCain is playing this game. Does he really thing we are all stupid? I still have not found any one reason to support Obama- however- his positive message of unity and good future inspire me at times. I will probably end up voting for Obama. However- it hurts me more thinking that I used to think so high of McCain once.
As a republican- I was not impressed with Palin's speech- She has not won my vote yet.
I don't know why she's lashing out at the media. She accused Hillary Clinton of "whining" when she came under pressure from the media. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... Makes her look a bit foolish. John McCain truly believes all American's, especially women, have "STUPID" written across their foreheads. Well, this FEMALE REPUBLICAN is voting for OBAMA.
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