It seems that whenever I fault the news media for going overboard about Sarah Palin, any Palin-hater within earshot will rebuke me for demanding that people refrain from criticizing the accomplished Alaska reformer. They contend I wish to silence Palin critics. Heck, I don’t even seek to silence the rabid Palin-obsessives, just lament that those who criticize the charismatic conservative celebrity (more often than not) exaggerate her flaws, if not make up (or truncate) comments she has made or views she holds, all while refusing to acknowledge Sarah Palin’s strengths as an individual and her record as an office-holder.
Why can’t some people just express their disagreement with Mrs. Palin in a civil tone — and take the time to familiarize himself with her actual arguments? Those who question her competence to hold office should at least consider her actual record in office. But, some in the news media would rather ask gotcha questions than inquire into that record.
Despite the ignorance of many Palin critics of what that Republican woman actually did in Alaska, she was an accomplished reformer who had worked with Republicans and Democrats alike while governor of the Last Frontier. Before questioning Palin’s qualifications to lead, Ann Althouse did just that when commenting on a movie based on the Alaskan’s accomplishments:
The material — which impresses some people, even to the point of getting confused into thinking that the movie is good — shows Sarah Palin’s rise to power in Alaska and her excellent achievements and immense popularity as governor. The problem is that all of this happened in the context of boldly and bravely challenging the corrupt Republican establishment. This made her very popular with Democrats in Alaska. She worked in a bipartisan way, mainly to extract money from oil and gas resources in Alaska, and that was popular with everyone, pushing her ratings above 80% in Alaska. She was raking in money for Alaskans and challenging the big corporations (and their inside dealings).
Althouse stresses that “Governor Palin’s greatness came through working with Democrats”, but wonders how a President Palin would “work with congressional Republicans? It can’t happen now. What made her great in Alaska is now lost. It was lost in Alaska, after the ’08 election, which is why — the movie shows this — she had to resign as governor.”
The woman who, in Alaska, bridged the partisan divide has, on the national stage, become a partisan cheerleader.
That, in a nutshell, is Althouse’s point. But, let’s also look at how that blogress makes it. First, she acknowledges Palin’s accomplishments in Juneau, then explains why she believes Palin can no longer make similar accomplishments in Washington. She doesn’t attack Mrs. Palin nor even label her. She just looks honestly and her record in office and her current status in American politics.
Would it that more Palin critics could do the same.
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