Big Media's Big Palin Push - Democratic Underground

Patsy Stone

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Fri Sep-12-08 10:04 AM
Original message

Big Media's Big Palin Push

Edited on Fri Sep-12-08 11:01 AM by Patsy Stone

I am one of the angry left. I’m angry at the direction in which this country is going. I’m angry about our status in the world, and I’m angry at the proclamations from our leaders and journalists that mediocrity is good and we should all strive to be Betas, because Alphas just have to work too damn hard.

Right now, however, I’m also angry with the media and the Republicans for trying to pass Sarah Palin off as an eminently qualified, viable alternative to politics as usual; someone ready to assume the mantle of leadership of the free world on day one. This, mind you, based solely on her thin resume of public service, a Bachelors degree in Communication from her umpteenth university (finally!), and the fact that she can see Russia from the edge of her state. In fact, I'm not just angry; I'm furious.

Let’s get serious; she wasn't even ready to sit down and face the press on day one. The campaign is so worried about her lack of experience they not only gave the press a two week head start on her with no rebuttal, they also demanded the media agree to treat her with the deference due a woman of her stature in the world when she did deign to address the public's questions and concerns, or else no soup for you! In other words, “Please don’t hurt our little trinket at least until after she has a chance to learn the difference between Freddie Mac and Bernie Mac, ‘k?”

Give me a break.

I would have thought the open secret of her Eliza Doolittle-like crash course in world politics (complete with flash cards), her carefully scripted media availability, and the campaign's accusations that any criticism is due either to sexism or the belief that we have nothing more than a leftist, Commie press in this country, would have sent up cries of derision up from the media and the country; but, no. Once again, the media lap dogs find themselves begging for scraps and more beatings, and cheering wildly while they sell the RNC’s latest dangerous and defective product to the country. Still basking in the marketing success of such crowd pleasers as The Iraq War; George Bush’s Second Term; and Wiretapping Makes You Safer: No, Really! the media now brings you Sarah Palin – The Little Mayor Who Could! A Lifetime movie sponsored by the RNC and the corporate media: no longer interested in keep you safer or more informed. Additional underwriting for this product launch was also provided by BP and the NRA.

The same people who brought you "Obama’s inexperienced and the country has a right to get to know him better." Now bring you "Experience is for suckers and just look at her adorable button nose!" The same people who brought you Reverend Wright on a 24-hour loop now bring you "Religion-smigion!" Forget the secessionist groups and the scary proselytizing because she’s got a bunch of zingy one liners and that’s good enough for me!

Experience? Experience is so two weeks ago. Now it’s all about personality, not issues or experience they tell me. She can breastfeed a moose while negotiating funding cuts for teen mothers! She can wrestle Castro to the ground while shooting some caribou! And isn’t she just precious, ladies and gentlemen?! Is she ready to be president? Who cares? Mika needs to know where she gets her glasses!

There are millions of people in this country who know that Fannie and Freddie were private companies until last weekend, and I'll bet a large subset of them also know what the Bush Doctrine is; some even have a degree in Communications. (Hey, I just described myself!) Are they/we/I, then, by extrapolation, more qualified to be VP than Sarah?

But let's not forget -- she's not just a Wal-Mart shopper who may not be up on the news, she's the governor of one of these United States of America.

Begging the question: how many other US governors are as equally uninformed about current political events and the country's economic situations? If this is a trend instead of a fluke, we may be in bigger trouble than we thought.

Taking the cue from Big Pharma who, legally, don’t have to tell you the medication’s side effects unless they tell you what it actually does, the media obviously intends to only show us ads and infomercials filled with shills ridiculing us for wanting to discuss issues with Palin running on the beach at sunset, or through fields full of fuzzy bunnies, until we are compelled to vote for the un-vetted panacea because then, and only then, will everything will be right with America.

Do they feel any responsibility to their country? No, I guess not. They want us to forget about the lack of international experience or familiarity with the problems facing large urban areas, asking instead, "Wouldn't you just rather walk on the beach and smile that knowing ‘I’ve got a secret, and it’s all in this little blue pill!’ smile?"

I heard Willie Geist the other day on Morning Joe quoting Tom Brokaw: "If they pull off this magic trick, it will be one of the greatest in the history of elections." Um, great for whom? Is that what we're supposed to root for? Is that good for America? I think not.

Any national media worth their salt would balk at the presumption that a small town mayor and/or the Governor of the 48th most populous state in the country is a perfectly fine choice to be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the Oval Office. Sadly, self-awareness is the one thing no one could accuse the media of suffering from.

"Bruce Lee, patron saint of self-defense, pray for us." – Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray) in Meatballs.

(This is an update and partial re-post of a dKos diary I wrote the other day. I thought the anger would pass and the media would wake up. For a few hours it seemed possible, but after some of the reviews by some pundits of her interview, the anger is bubbling again this morning.)