We're all racist thugs now

Almost since the moment Obamacare passed the House on Sunday night, the predominant narrative in the MSM has been how eeeeeevil those awful Tea Partiers are.  I mean, from the way the news has been presented, everyone opposed to the healthcare bill hates blacks and gays (and enjoys using really nasty slurs against such groups publicly) and wants to kill all Democrats.  And, of course, it's all the fault of the usual subjects.

What was the big story on Monday?  (Yes, I mean other than the passage of H.R. 3590.)  Why, those Tea Partiers yelled the N-word at a black congressman!  Oh, wait, they didn't?  But someone heard it!  They wouldn't make that up, would they?  Well, multiple people were taking videos of this little setup, possibly in the hopes that someone would say something damning.  And yet, I have yet to see a video in which you can clearly hear someone shouting an epithet.  Yes, I'm aware that people commenting on the following video elsewhere are hearing what they want to hear, but there are no epithets clear enough to distinguish without question.  Watch it for yourself and decide:



In the same WaPo article as linked above, Barney Frank (D-MA) claimed to have been the object of anti-gay epithets.  No video exists of this.  None.  There were something like--and keep in mind this is an estimate--eleventy zillion people in and around the Capitol on Sunday, including, one would suspect, the media, and no one got video of this?  It seems suspect to me.

In any case, many media sources are reporting these epithets having been shouted as fact.  Fine.  Whatever.  The part that really riles me is that some in the MSM are using incidents which--if they even occurred--were totally isolated incidents to try to paint all people opposed to Obamacare as racists.  MSNBC ideologue Keith Olbermann, for example, went so far as to say (per Hot Air, since I'm not linking to Olby), "If racism is not the whole of the Tea Party, it is in its heart, along with blind hatred, a total disinterest in the welfare of others..."

(Aside:  Keith Olbermann, in trying to paint a caricature of Tea Partiers, is apparently unaware that he himself has become little more than a caricature himself.)

So, the first truth of this week in the MSM is:  Tea Partiers, Republicans, conservatives, and you--yes, YOU--are all racists.  (More on your status as a racist from Jim Treacher may be found here.)

(Obvious disclaimer:  If, in fact, someone was yelling epithets at people, then they are (words not acceptable for publication edited).)

But after all the portraying of anti-Obamacare types as racists, there was more stereotyping left to be undertaken by the MSM.  You've probably heard about bricks being thrown through Democrat office windows.

Well, they were.  This wasn't made up.  Some people think so little of their opponents that they resort to this type of reprehensible behavior.  Democrats, Republicans, and Tea Party organizers have all condemned these actions. 

And who is encouraging these attacks?  It's the Republican Party leaders, right?  No, it's not.  It's some guy whose name I had never heard before yesterday named Mike Vanderboegh.  I'm not linking to his blog, as he's already crowing about his "enemies" sending him traffic, but I will link to this article in which he boasts about the damage his comments have caused.  (If you want to pursue the same strategies as Mr. Vanderboegh, please leave this blog now.  In fact, turn off your computer and please try to reground yourself in real life.  Kthxbye.)

I have no problem with these attacks being reported by the MSM.  They should be reported.  What bugs me is that two narratives have appeared:  1) only these saintly Democrats are the ones who are ever oppressed in such an egregious way; and 2) it's the leaders of the Republican Party that are inciting this.  (The Republicans have leaders?  Who knew?)

Let's start with a really easy item to refute.  Of course both sides have their extremists who advocate violence.

For example, courtesy Big Government, here is a typical Democrat extremist embracing this sort of violent talk:

Obama’s critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let ‘em know that if they aren’t with you, they are against you, and will pay the price.

That would be taken from...CNN.  ("This is CNN...conservatives can go take a flying leap.")

Here's another:

You’ve given it your best shot, you’ve tried numerous times to talk with the Republicans, to negotiate, to meet them halfway on every single matter before the American people. But they hate you for many reasons. It’s time you break kneecaps (bold in original). It’s time to destroy the Republican Party. They don’t deserve a seat at the table when all they want to do is score political points by being the Party of No.

And that would be from the Huffington Post.  (I refuse to link to the Huffington Post; go back to Big Government if you want the link.)

As I said, it's now pretty much accepted as fact by the MSM that Republicans, in stating their anger with the way the Obamacare bill was forced through, are actively encouraging this week's violent offenders who are vandalizing offices, making threatening phone calls, and so forth.

A common theme in this, in addition to the usual suspects (Rush et al), has been the referencing of so-called "incindiary language" by Sarah Palin.  All these stories refer to a particular tweet, which said:

Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Pls see my Facebook page.

Does anyone with half a modicum of rational thought really believe that Mrs. Palin is referring to reloading actual rifles and such?  Of course she isn't (though the aforementioned Mr. Vanderboegh sure is).  I would hope that the regular readers of this blog, including some who don't care much for the policies of Mrs. Palin, can distinguish the true meaning of what she said.

And if one were to continue to her Facebook page, one would find the same post previously mentioned in this space.  Does it have to do with targeting Democrats?  You betcha.  Of course, it's talking about targeting them for defeat, not violence.

(But Snowed, she had a map with crosshair symbols!  Yeah, she's targeting them for defeat.  I believe I just said that.  What did you want her to use, little pink hearts?  Maybe fluffy white clouds?)

This whole narrative is yet another attempt to paint Sarah Palin as an extremist who only appeals to people who like to throw bricks, or something like that.  It's not going to work.

Watch, for example, how NBC's Ann Curry tries to maneuver Sen. John McCain into condemning Gov. Palin for her language.  And watch, too, how Sen. McCain deftly deflects criticism of his former running mate.  I may not agree with Sen. McCain on everything, but he did a great job defending Sarah Palin's remarks here.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

You can see more coverage of this interview over at NewsBusters.

Incidentally, one Democrat extremist once expressed a wish to "kick [Sarah Palin's] [edited]".  Who's advocating violence again?

But never mind that, it's all about making Tea Partiers, Obamacare opponents, and Sarah Palin look as bad as possible.

For further reading on the continued smearing of Sarah Palin, please check out "Lying Liberals Target Governor Palin" by Adrienne Ross, who's been mentioned in this blog before, I believe.  Well worth the read.

Incidentally, I'm curious as to what sort of reception this article will get at the Austin Post, where I tend to cross-post some of my blog articles.  The last article I posted was edited to remove the term "Obamacare", so I'm not sure this one will even make it onto the site, and if it does, I imagine I'll get a few negative votes for it.  Such is the price for being conservative in Austin, Texas, I suppose.

When Sarah knocked it out of the park

On September 3, 2008, at least 37.2 million viewers watched what was basically the coming-out party for Sarah Palin. Her speech resonated with and inspired the viewers, and it made many, including the Snowed family, think that Gov. Palin would and should be part of the solution to the issues facing our nation.

In case you missed it, or you need to reminded that Sarah Palin is not the caricature pushed on you by the elites in both parties, I invite you to set aside 45 minutes and watch that RNC speech, and get to know the real Sarah Palin.



(Video courtesy C-Span)

The transcript, as provided by the NYTimes, may be found here. As can be seen, Gov. Palin truly shone, for example, when speaking about energy policy (applause breaks cut):

I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are open, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.

The stakes for our nation could not be higher. When a hurricane strikes in the Gulf of Mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we're forced to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And families cannot throw more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil.

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of the world's energy supplies, or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia, or that Venezuela might shut off its oil discoveries and its deliveries of that source, Americans, we need to produce more of our own oil and gas. And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: We've got lots of both.

Our opponents say again and again that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems, as if we didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling, though, won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines, and build more nuclear plants, and create jobs with clean coal, and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American sources of resources. We need American energy brought to you by American ingenuity and produced by American workers.

And, while she ended up not being part of a McCain-Palin administration, as it turns out, she did have a pretty good idea of where government would go under an Obama administration (again, audience reactions cut):

What does he actually seek to accomplish...? The answer -- the answer is to make government bigger, and take more of your money, and give you more orders from Washington, and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world.

America needs more energy; our opponent is against producing it. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight, and he wants to forfeit. Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay; he wants to meet them without preconditions.

[...]

Government is too big; he wants to grow it. Congress spends too much money; he promises more. Taxes are too high, and he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan.

It's worth giving Sarah Palin another listen, isn't it?

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, most people in America were introduced to someone they had never heard of before when John McCain chose then-governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. Many were caught off guard, including, at least temporarily, the Obama-Biden campaign. Since then, of course, most people who follow politics know what has become of Gov. Palin.

I think that she is now in a good position to advocate for better policies than are getting out of DC these days. When she announced her resignation in July, I wasn't sure at the time that resigning was a good idea, but I think the total disappearance of the ankle-biting trolls who were happily coordinating to file frivolous ethic charge after frivolous ethic charge has been a boon for her. Of course, it's also helped that some of the ankle-biters' masks have slipped, mostly courtesy people such as Robert Stacy McCain and Dan Riehl. IMO, the future looks brighter for Sarah Palin now than it did, say, two months ago.

But that's not what I wanted to write about today.

You see, I knew of Sarah Palin before August 29, 2008. And I wanted her to get the VP nod from John McCain. (I certainly didn't want her to deal with the inordinate amount of vitriol, hatred, and flat-out lying directed at her, but, silly me, I did not anticipate that happening when I was sitting at my desk one year ago today. But that's a subject for a different post.) So one year ago today, I was excited, for the first time in a while, about the future of conservatism. (The administration at the time was doing its part to weaken fiscal conservatism, as we all know at this point.)

Though I had heard the name Sarah Palin originally in 2006, when she knocked off incumbent governor Frank Murkowski in the AK gubernatorial primary (which, at least from my vantage point in Texas, was a good thing, due to what I was hearing down here about corruption in Gov. Murkowski's administration), what really introduced me to Gov. Palin, a couple of years later, was a blog called "Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President", by Adam Brickley.

See, I was resigned to having John McCain, whom I perceived as a moderate (and still do, pretty much) as the Republican presidential candidate, and since that didn't excite me very much, I was spending a little bit of time researching potential vice-presidential candidates. One of the first sites I encountered was Adam's. I knew nothing of Sarah Palin at that time, so my first thought, of course, was "Who???" Luckily, Adam had taken the time to list reasons why she was deserving of the VP nod, as well as to list her positions on the issues.

Well, this Sarah Palin seemed like my kind of conservative, but I am generally not convinced by one person's opinion. So, I did a little more looking into her, and I found a video of her appearing with Glenn Beck in June of last year:



Sarah Palin, from her own statements, appeared to me to know more about energy policy than anyone else involved in the presidential race. And in a summer where most of America was paying over $4 a gallon for gasoline, that was an important plus. Between that, the fact that she was a fiscal conservative, and the other potential VP candidates' positions with which I disagreed, I became convinced that she was the right candidate for this race.

And so I found myself on the night of August 28, 2008, sitting in front of a computer, partially to comment at various sites about the parts of Barack Obama's acceptance speech with which I disagreed, and partially to monitor this thread at Adam Brickley's site. There was lots of speculation, mostly fueled by a commenter named "Drew", who, it turned out, was sent by the McCain campaign to give out information just a little at a time. Because of Drew, I went to sleep that night knowing that Gov. Palin was going to be the pick.

And so I, with many others, was sitting again in front of my computer to see her speech at Sen. McCain's event in Dayton the next day. I was excited about what a Sarah Palin could do for our country.



Some other time, perhaps, I will most likely go into the year since then, and what the McCain campaign did right with Sarah Palin, and what everyone got wrong. But in looking at the issues and the challenges, and how she has faced them, I remain confident that Sarah Palin needs to play a large role in the future of conservatism in this country, for the sake of our country's future.

Oh, and it was Gov. Palin's speech in Dayton that said that today, August 29, was her anniversary. So, I hope she and Todd are having a good one. I hope they're spending it far from the din of the haters.

Bill Whittle on the Campaign to Destroy Sarah Palin

Bill Whittle at PJTV breaks down here what exactly was done to Sarah Palin in an attempt to take her down, how it was done, and which groups of people were doing it. The video is 13 minutes and is well worth watching. (As far as I can tell, there's no way to embed the video here.)

(Hat tip: Why Mommy is a Palin Supporter)

Media Malpractice: A Review

I finally ordered and received my copy of John Ziegler's Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Got Targeted, which I've been wanting to see ever since I wrote about what was then an upcoming documentary eight months ago.

So, here's my take on the movie. My take on the DVD itself will follow when I've viewed everything on the disc.

Media Malpractice does a good job of laying out the timeline of the 2008 presidential election, positing the idea that the mainstream media presented their news in a way that put now-President Obama in a good light and put his opponents in a bad light, with the worst of the treatment given to Sarah Palin (though Mr. Ziegler gives a good amount of time to showing how the media turned on then-frontrunner Hillary Clinton). Now, from one viewing (admittedly the evening after I watched a Harry Potter midnight movie, so I may be too tired to remember), I did not remember a clearly-given reasoning for the media's sudden turn to Obama as their chosen candidate (but if someone corrects me, I'll retract that).

Now, it's easy to say that the media was in the tank for President Obama. Heck, I'll say that right now. What Mr. Ziegler does so well in this doc, though, is to use many, many clips from the different news channels and sources to show that: 1) stories that contained information damaging to the Obama campaign were portrayed as of little value or, in some instances, not even mentioned; 2) stories that were damaging to other candidates were highlighted and usually repeated over several days; 3) ideas about then-Senator Obama were presented as facts by pundits, sometimes even when they were debunked by a pundit's same network within an hour; and 4) some media sources would repeat multiple times little concerns about anything damning regarding Palin rallies or supporters, rather than to present any real portion of what Governor Palin was actually saying. One of the most damning items in the movie is where Mr. Ziegler shows that not once, but twice, the most informative portion of the GE/NBC conglomerate, with regard to stories showing either Obama or Democrats in general in a bad light, was Saturday Night Live.

With all that said, there were a few issues I had with the movie. Most annoying to me, almost for the entire length, was the incidental music. I didn't like it, and I found it distracting. Also, there were some statements made by reporters which Mr. Ziegler used to show a definite bias ("we had to make several trips...", or something like that), when I thought that didn't necessarily mean anything (as a reporter covering Obama, of course she had to go with him on these trips). I also would have liked to see more refutation by Governor Palin of some of the more laughable assertions repeated by Carl Cameron of Fox News (which he got from anonymous "insiders"), since portions of her interview (the entirety of which I have not watched yet; it is presented as a special feature on the DVD) do address some of the other major attacks toward her.

Anyway, I realize that as a supporter of Sarah Palin, I may not be the most objective person to speak about the 2008 campaign. (Oh, like you are, Gentle Reader!) But with that said, I thought Media Malpractice was good, not great, but definitely thought-provoking. It's worth a look.

(I think tonight I'm watching Die Hard; it's great and not thought-provoking.)

An Open Letter to Senator McCain

Dear Senator McCain:

Thank you for your service to this country, both in its military and in Congress. I have a great deal of respect for you, even if I don't agree with all your policy positions. I was happy to support your ticket last fall.

This is why I am so concerned about the treatment that your campaign staff, and even you and your family, have given to your former running mate, Sarah Palin. Your selection of Governor Palin inspired me to support your presidential campaign because of her stand on the issues that concern me most. Governor Palin's selection seemed to invigorate your supporters, drawing tens of thousands to your campaign rallies. And yet since Election Day, statements have been made by "unnamed McCain staffers" denigrating Governor Palin. You yourself have seemingly refused to make any definitive statements regarding any future support of Governor Palin, as has your daughter Meghan. In your April 13 Tonight Show appearance, your omission of Governor Palin from a list of potential GOP leaders appeared to be deliberate. Jay Leno's failure even to ask about her after you gave your list left the impression that your handlers had spoken to Jay's staffers, requesting that he not mention her.

Obviously, not everything that happened behind the scenes in your campaign last year are not publicly known. However, your seeming disloyalty to Governor Palin is very troubling. As Republicans oppose the wasteful spending of the current Congress and the current Administration, we do not need to be turning on each other; rather, we should unite and pursue our common goals. I believe you can help in this manner by refuting the most outrageous statements that have been made about Sarah Palin, and also by giving Governor Palin the credit she deserves for her role in your campaign, and in this party.

Thank you again for all the work you have done for our country. I know that you and Governor Palin, along with a Republican Party presenting a united front, can work together toward a more prosperous America.

Sincerely,

Snowed.

Facts? What Facts? So Say Misinformed Voters

Apparently only some of the messages about the candidates in the recent election got through to a lot of the voters. As this video will show, at least some Obama voters are severely misinformed with regard to questions such as which party currently controls Congress, who said they could see Russia from their house (um, that wasn't Sarah Palin, people, it was Tina Fey!), etc. Watch the whole thing. Just don't click through to the comments, which are not part of a healthy discourse.



Lest one think that these interviewees were cherry-picked, a Zogby poll of 512 Obama voters was commissioned, and the results pretty much matched up with this video. Go to http://www.howobamagotelected.com/ to see for yourself.

I believe a lot of this comes down to what the MSM is saying. Many, many "news" outlets were falling over themselves in genuflection toward Barack Obama, to the point that Chris "Snugglebuggle Kissyface" Matthews now believes that his job is "to make this presidency work". It's unfortunate that he didn't feel the same way toward the current (yes, flawed) administration.

So, why pay attention to what people like Mr. Matthews, or their outlets in general, are saying, especially given the wealth of information available that isn't filtered by said outlets? Truly, I don't know anymore.

(Hat tip: Meet the Real Sarah Palin)

Where Do We Go From Here?

Well, our side lost in most of the big elections around here, with the exception of Sen. Cornyn. There is certainly room for disappointment, with (for starters) the results of these elections, with a Republican Party that has seemingly forgotten what its main tenets are, with a mainstream media that absolutely didn't do its job (to say nothing of the outright campaigning by such esteemed publications as the worthless weekly...stay classy, guys), with a lot of so-called conservatives jumping ship for reasons of political expediency, and with the Kossacks and others who took great pleasure in trying to destroy the lives of people who got in the way of their candidate.

With that said, what comes next? Here's my proposed list of things to do:

Republicans:

1. Now is the time to congratulate President-Elect Obama. Pray that God blesses him, and all our country's, and our world's, leaders with much-needed wisdom.

2. That doesn't mean that there is not room to oppose the policies and programs desired by an Obama administration. Of course there's room for that. But there's a way to oppose a policy without tearing down a person. Our party absolutely lost that way with President Clinton, and the other side threw it back at President Bush fourfold.

3. As several people have said, it is time to figure out what this party is going to stand for. The Contract with America was a concise message that resonated with voters in 1994. There was no message this time, and I would argue that what resonated with the base of the party this cycle was Sarah Palin.

4. And that leads to the next action item: do not let the MSM and quasi-conservative pundits tell you that the road to redemption starts with throwing Governor Palin under the bus. This is also not the time for finger-pointing; it is the time for action.

5. Like it or not, the other side holds a better hand at this time. There will be opportunities to work with them on items that are important to both sides. Don't capitulate on your basic beliefs, but work with Democrats to help this nation, 'cos things won't be any rosier on 20 January than they are now.

6. Absolutely, positively, don't be jerks about it. Yes, half the country disagrees with you. That doesn't mean they're any less intelligent or more evil, or that they hate this country. Do not sink to the level to which the other side descended four years ago. Remember the disparaging cries of "Jesusland"? The contempt directed toward middle America? Jim Treacher will remind you, if you really want to revisit that era. (Some of his examples of that behavior are NSFW/language.)

7. Are you still relying on the MSM for news? If so, why? Seriously. There are few reasons left to continue to take a daily paper, or at least the one we have here. Channels such as MSNBC have given us the likes of Chris "thrill up my leg" Matthews and Keith "get a shovel" Olbermann. Why watch them? Stay informed, of course, but understand that there are many sources of information other than the usual suspects. Check out, for example, a list of post-election questions and reasons why this is not the end of the world (NSFW/language).

8. Hey, 2012 candidates? Don't take public financing!

Democrats:

1. Yes, by all means celebrate this win. You earned it, in all seriousness.

2. Remember that it is possible for people to oppose your policies without being evil capitalistic pigs. And while you're remembering that, phase out the use of the oh-so-original "rethuglicans", "republiKKKans", and the like. Now, please.

3. Please stop telling our party what positions and candidates we should support. (For example, I don't know how many times I heard some of you saying McCain should dump Palin because I lost count.) I mean, come on. I haven't seen any of our party telling you that you should run Dennis Kucinich and Michael Moore.

4. I know this will come as a surprise to the MSM, but bipartisanship does, in fact, include taking some ideas from Republicans. It's not a one-way street.

But Snowed, your side didn't do that! Please. If it wasn't NCLB (or, as Mrs. Snowed calls it, Every Child Left Behind) or the Medicare prescription program, it was a $700B bailout.

5. Again, do not be jerks about it (again, that includes you, Kossacks). And don't go around telling us our viewpoint is invalid because our side lost this one.

And for everyone: be thankful it's over!

Head Games, That's All I Get From You...

Dear Mainstream Media:

Just shut up. Really.

Dear McCain-Palin supporters:

This election is not sewn up, despite what ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and others have said. The media is not acting as a nonpartisan observer. And the folks at Hillbuzz explain very nicely how the media is trying to keep you at home, so that you don't cast that vote for Senator McCain. ("It's over anyway, so what's the point?")

Here are the three things you have already seen and will continue to see until November 4 at about 10pm:

(1) Calls for McCain to just give up and quit, because the race is over.

(2) Wild claims of Obama winning states that shock and surprise you.

(3) Repeated insistence that blacks and young people will decide this election, and they are all going to vote in record numbers for Obama.

Hillbuzz knows all about this, because the same thing happened to Hillary voters earlier this year. Don't listen to what the media is telling. Make your own decision, and get out there and vote.

Seriously: go read this story. And really, don't believe the hype. Actually, I advise the following for the next few days:

• Don't watch the news. Not ABC, not CBS, not NBC, not Fox, not CNN, nothing. (Especially not KXAN, if you happen to be here in Austin. Let 'em tank in the November sweeps ratings.)
• Don't read the newspapers. Not the unwanted daily, not the worthless weekly, and absolutely not the New York Times.
• Don't read the comments on a lot of the media's political blogs. Or if you do, do your research on astroturfing. (What about comments on your blog, Snowed? C'mon, I don't get those types of comments. Heck, I usually don't get any comments, period.)
  
• If you must watch or read, take all these stories with a grain of salt.
• Tell your fellow McCain voters that they also should take these stories with a grain of salt.
• Get out there and vote!

(Hat tip: Jim Treacher)

Beyonce's New Album, Jay-Z's New Smear

This just in: Beyonce would like to be known as "Sasha Fierce". (Per Yahoo! Music)

But, at this point, I think I'll just think of her as someone married to a severe misogynist. Is this really someone Senator Obama wants associated with his campaign?

(Note: "Misogynist" was by far the nicest term I could come up with to describe him.)

What Would an Obama Presidency Really Mean for America?

Set aside some time in the next few days and look through a couple of items that show just how important your vote for President will be.

First, Fred Thompson describes what a President Obama and a heavily Democratic Congress would do:



Then, check out The comprehensive argument against Barack Obama.

Look into what these people are saying. They're not smearing anyone; they're laying out facts. Check the facts and decide for yourself.

Don't just vote, vote smart!

Another Day, Another Palin Hit Piece

The good folks at ABC's Nightline seem to be continuing the newfound tradition of throwing everything they can at Sarah Palin. Take, for example, the report they produced for the October 22, 2008 episode. Titled "The Palin Problem", it is currently at the top of the Nightline page. But, in an attempt to be helpful, I'll do my best to reproduce what I heard last night using my admittedly faulty memory. That way, you don't have to bother to watch.

MARTIN BASHIR: And now, here's Terry Moran to smear Sarah Palin some more.

TERRY MORAN: Sarah Palin can sure excite a crowd. But actually, she's a real drag on the ticket. I mean, really, she spent just barely more on clothes that she's going to donate to charity after the election is over than Barack Obama spent on styrofoam faux-Greek columns that were tossed in the trash (along with the American flags) after the Democratic National Convention.

Look, Joy Behar has another obnoxious comment about Ms. Palin. And everyone agrees with Joy, right? Right?

Look, a lot of people view her negatively now. I wonder if it's because of non-stop slanted media coverage?

Look, a retired general and former Secretary of State has slammed her when it was politically expedient to do so, so obviously his opinion is more important than those tens of thousands of people who go to her rallies.

Now, to present a semblance of balance, I'll interview a local yokel who thinks she's a good choice, but I'll question his judgment to his face. Are you sure she's a good choice? Really? No, come on.

Of course, Sarah Palin ignores her critics, such as, for example, certain people at ABC News, but we hope you don't. You don't really think this election's a toss-up, do you? Really?

Well, it looks as if Caribou Barbie is gonna be around for a while, much to my chagrin. Excuse me while I purge.

MARTIN BASHIR: Thanks, Terry. Coming up on Nightline, we'll have an actual balanced story about airlines, and then we'll go after McCain.

BARACK OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama, and I approved this message.

(endless commercials for people not in my district)

I didn't stick around to see what they said about McCain.

Like I said, this may not be an exact reproduction of yesterday's Nightline, but it pretty well sums it up for me.

Seriously, stop. You're embarrassing yourselves.

Come on, people. Try being civil.

Unfortunately, a lot of people can't. Like astroturfers "keenan" and "Aloha62" in this thread discussing Barack Obama's latest misstatement:

"The Jerry Springer/Povich group will love this type of fight and will go for the person they can most identify with....Piggy Palin...Now that you have an idiot, trailer park, barefooted Hillary wanna-be running..."

"We all know that Obama was not referring to Caribou Barbie. Frankly, if he had been, I would have been furious, and all pigs would have been outraged too."

Or there is Michael King's rather petty statement made as part of a column in the free (and worth every penny) local alternative weekly:

"The flummoxed GOP strategists are also trying to figure out how to market their very peculiar vice presidential nominee, who would make a more likely candidate for an oil-field sitcom – Married (in Alaska) With Children."

I guess whoever said this election wasn't about issues was right, because all these people attack about Sarah Palin are her family and lifestyle. Actually, that's not entirely true, but whenever actual issues are brought up, Ms. Palin's viewpoints are exaggerated to the point of absurdity. But then, absurdity seems to be the main content of most of the rantings I've seen about her.

No He Didn't!

Wow. I have respect for Barack Obama, though I disagree with him on virtually everything. But I have no idea what he was thinking saying something this insensitive:

"You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig."

Yeah, way to show respect for your opponent. No, strike that, for your opponent's running mate. Wow, that's low.

I really hope this turns out just to be a nasty rumor (you know, like all the ones Kos likes to make up regarding Sarah Palin). Given that Drudge has linked it, though, I'm guessing it isn't.

Update: It isn't.

Debunking Sarah Palin Rumors

So, apparently we've learned this week that to the mainstream media, vetting an unknown (to them) VP candidate such as Sarah Palin involves printing every salacious rumor as fact, along with more than a few digs at John McCain's judgment. And that doesn't even begin to cover the hateful blog comments, which are usually justified with the "someone did it to our guy, so it's okay" argument. Whatever. (I have more of them to post...really, the other side is making itself look incredibly shallow.)

Anyway, someone at least knows how to do their own research and determine actual facts, and so he has created a site debunking pretty much every Sarah Palin rumor that exists. Go check it out.

More anti-Palin absurdity

Wow, some people are really gnashing their teeth over Sarah Palin. You don't have to go far on the net to find someone frothing at the mouth about how bad a choice they think this was. Of course, these people were never going to vote for McCain anyway, but they'll sound off on his choice anyway. My personal favorites are the ones who say they always voted Republican until now, but after Palin was picked, they are instantly going to switch to Obama. Yeah, sure you were.

Today's entry comes from "overgold", commenting at the unwanted daily:

What a joke,senator Magoo just picked THE least qualified person available.Do you Rush clones really honestly believe that the twenty month governor of the 17th most populous state is qualified to be one frail heartbeat away from being president?What about Kay Bailey,Condi Rice,or Elizabeth Dole?
I smell flop sweat.

Actually, I believe the least qualified person in this race is running on the other ticket. And by continuing to point the finger at Ms. Palin, you're pointing three more back at your own guy. And as for the other choices mentioned: no, no, and no thanks. Ms. Palin energizes the base in a way none of the other options mentioned do.

And if you're smelling flop sweat, it must be coming from your own party, given the nastiness directed toward Ms. Palin in the comments I've seen.

By far the dumbest anti-Palin comment I've seen

First of all, congrats to Governor Palin. I think she'll be an excellent VP.

Now then...

They say there aren't any stupid questions, but good grief, are there ever stupid blog comments.

(Like yours, Snowed? No, my comments are always extremely well thought-out. So there. :P)

Anyway, are they ever in abundance today with regards to Sarah Palin. The worst offender so far has to be Jean, comment #106 in this thread:

When John McCain dies before he finishes a term…

Great, we’ve got Miss Almost Alaska and she’s Assembly of God. She’ll probably round up Mitt and the rest of the Mormons for a little stay at Gitmo until they admit they belong to a cult.
Theocracy Accomplished.

Wow. Yeah, Jean, you found us out. We're out to round up all those pesky Mormons. That's the main plank in our platform, you know. You'll be able to hear all about it during the convention next week, but only if you're wearing your tin foil hat whenever Ms. Palin mentions "fighting corruption". That's really a code, of course. Don't want to tip our hand too much.