Politico has a story on Palin's "detente" with the mainstream media. The story begins with a picture of Palin with Barbara Walters at her interview session with Walters, described by the article as "exemplifying" her engagement with the mainstream press. Since Walters's interviews are always focused on the personal, rather than substantive, side of the subjects, it's absurd to use Palin's willingness to be interviewed by Walters as indicating any increased willingness to subject herself to tough, substantive interviews. In fact, Politico plays into the Palin strategy: show a reaching out to the mainstream press without subjecting herself to any real substantive challenge.
In its article, Politico cites Mary Matalin offering advice: "[S]he would advise Palin against trying to build relationships with mainstream media (MSM) outlets, since their reporters “at best, don’t understand (Palin) and, more commonly, have an elitist, Pauline Kael world view where people like Palin are hicks from the sticks.”
"Palin “has received jaw-dropping unfair coverage from the MSM,” Matalin said, praising Palin for blazing "new trails” to disseminate her message without the assistance of the media. “No other political figures have the kind of reach she has achieved on social media forums.” "
Once again, the conservative meme is that us liberals/Democrats must be "elites". Matalin's definition of an elite is, presumably, anyone on the other side of the political divide. It's not Palin herself that mainstream media reporters supposedly disdain, it's "poeple like Palin". Let's assume, for argument's sake, that Matalin is correct that a lot of mainstream media reporters don't "understand" Palin--or that they "disdain" her. That couldn't be because she has no substance, is an inauthentic poseur and is probably the least knowledgeable, most ignorant major party Presidential candidate in at least 100 years. No, it must be because those reporters think people like Palin are hicks. In other words, for Matalin to proffer the fiction that the mainstream media's objection to Palin (if in fact it does object) is about prejudice, she has to totally ignore Palin's deficiencies which are patently obvious, to the point where even other Republican/conservative commentators acknowledge it.
Matalin also spreads the fiction that the mainstream media has been unfair to Palin, but I'd love to see the evidence of that. As far as I've seen, the network and cable news coverage has been "bend over backwards" fair. This fiction started with the absolutely disastrous Katy Couric interviews, which, according to the various insider accounts of the campaign were entirely Palin's fault. However, Palin has consistently refused to accept any blame for her poor performance, and over time has turned Couric into the villain of the story for being condescending and asking trick questions. It's all nonsense.
Matalin has become an ennabler. Surely she isn't blind to Palin's total lack of substantce and, accordingly, I have to think that Matalin is simply being dishonest in writing as she does.
Aside from her obvious substantive and policy deficiencies, her apparent lack of a work ethic, etc., one of the most disturbing character traits that has been revealed about Palin is her consistent refusal to accept responsibility for her own failures--not even a hint that she had anything to do with it. This relentless deflection of blame onto others--which I suspect she really believes--is, frankly, a terrible character flaw for a President. A willingness to recognize when one has screwed up, so one can learn from the mistake, seemse critical to me.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46464.html#ixzz18Jag6cgh
In its article, Politico cites Mary Matalin offering advice: "[S]he would advise Palin against trying to build relationships with mainstream media (MSM) outlets, since their reporters “at best, don’t understand (Palin) and, more commonly, have an elitist, Pauline Kael world view where people like Palin are hicks from the sticks.”
"Palin “has received jaw-dropping unfair coverage from the MSM,” Matalin said, praising Palin for blazing "new trails” to disseminate her message without the assistance of the media. “No other political figures have the kind of reach she has achieved on social media forums.” "
Once again, the conservative meme is that us liberals/Democrats must be "elites". Matalin's definition of an elite is, presumably, anyone on the other side of the political divide. It's not Palin herself that mainstream media reporters supposedly disdain, it's "poeple like Palin". Let's assume, for argument's sake, that Matalin is correct that a lot of mainstream media reporters don't "understand" Palin--or that they "disdain" her. That couldn't be because she has no substance, is an inauthentic poseur and is probably the least knowledgeable, most ignorant major party Presidential candidate in at least 100 years. No, it must be because those reporters think people like Palin are hicks. In other words, for Matalin to proffer the fiction that the mainstream media's objection to Palin (if in fact it does object) is about prejudice, she has to totally ignore Palin's deficiencies which are patently obvious, to the point where even other Republican/conservative commentators acknowledge it.
Matalin also spreads the fiction that the mainstream media has been unfair to Palin, but I'd love to see the evidence of that. As far as I've seen, the network and cable news coverage has been "bend over backwards" fair. This fiction started with the absolutely disastrous Katy Couric interviews, which, according to the various insider accounts of the campaign were entirely Palin's fault. However, Palin has consistently refused to accept any blame for her poor performance, and over time has turned Couric into the villain of the story for being condescending and asking trick questions. It's all nonsense.
Matalin has become an ennabler. Surely she isn't blind to Palin's total lack of substantce and, accordingly, I have to think that Matalin is simply being dishonest in writing as she does.
Aside from her obvious substantive and policy deficiencies, her apparent lack of a work ethic, etc., one of the most disturbing character traits that has been revealed about Palin is her consistent refusal to accept responsibility for her own failures--not even a hint that she had anything to do with it. This relentless deflection of blame onto others--which I suspect she really believes--is, frankly, a terrible character flaw for a President. A willingness to recognize when one has screwed up, so one can learn from the mistake, seemse critical to me.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46464.html#ixzz18Jag6cgh
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