There she goes again; Sarah Palin speaks to a special base

Much has been made in recent weeks of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's network interviews with some in the media. John McCain called it "gotcha" journalism.

Funny how Palin does this MSNBC network interview with Savannah Guthrie and gets caught doing something else. But no one points out this interview as proof of anything bad.

Watch and judge for for yourself what it says. Maybe you know others who'd like to judge too. Send them this link here. And for a photo of Palin and Trig, click the Read more line below.

-- Andrew Malcolm

To register for instant alerts on all Ticket items straight to your cell, go here to Twitter.

And a hat tip to the all-seeing folks over at MediaBistro.

Photo credit: AFP / Getty Images

Comments

[Tim]

I'm sorry, I have no clue what you are complaining about. I saw a fairly well put together story on Sara Palin and her connection to the special needs community on the campaign trail.

How does this relate to "gotcha journalism?"

[Tim Love]

She is a kind caring person.

[Kim Priestap]

As a mom to a special needs child, I was so moved by that report. Thanks for posting it.

[Jennifer]

A nice story about a group of such special people. You cannot tell from looking at them what they know and what they can do. Don't sell them short.

[Reaction To Closed Minds]

Sarah Palin must be destroyed. Give her no quarter or mercy as she is a threat to our mortal existence & self-image. Await further instruction from your local DNC contact (alert: due to surprising media attention which we thought was sufficiently controlled we can no longer use the cover of our local ACORN designees). Exisiting approved memes: airhead, big hair, cocky wacko, racist, secessionist, liar, power hungry, anti-intellectual, mainpulator of the retarded, 'state schooler from far West {Idaho, so easy, not ivy league, Stanford or from northeast), totally unqualified .... more to come as threat level changes. Stand by for more instructions on how to 'describe' Gov. Palin (in pinch, refer to daily storyline of NY TImes). Act like you never heard of one good thing she has ever done as Gov. & dismiss such as right wing crackpot propaganda.

This is not a parody - sadly it partially reflects the existing mass hysteria that has overtaken the country (certainly the breathtaking cheerleading by most of the main strea media). The mindnumbing lack of objectivity & critical thinking in so many Democratic oriented friends & colleagues is breathtaking in my adult existence. Disclosure: a northeastern US resident (metro NYC area; multiple post-grad degrees [yes, even one from a leading engineering school - there must be something wrong with me as I do not think like the rest of the robots] & multiple professional licenses in ultra-liberal/socialistic NY. Further disclosure: will vote for Cong Chris Shays, the last remaining New England GOP congressman, who many on the right disdain as a republican in name only. Hint to more hardboiled conservative voters > why is he the only remaining GOP Cong.? Because there is no tolerance in the NE for conservative thinking (or it has to be masked adequately in WmF Buckley elitist postures. Learn to deal with it effectively versus raging at the 'machine'. Speaking of 'machines', see Chicago & the celebration that will soon unfold in Cook County starting in January. Katrina relief for Chicagoland! Chicago will have the best harbor, port& airport security in the nation, that is an easy bet to make now. Looks like United made the smart move after all leaving Seattle HQ for Chicago.

[M Benet]

Sarah Palin is shameless, even dragging a young infant around as she campaigns, standing before crowds holding the child as if she were running for the new mother-of-god image, dragging a young daughter out on hockey rink ice in the midst of screaming and booing. While I'm making a leap here, let me tell you a person whose morals permit this behavior is not a person of vice-president caliber, let alone a potential president.

[Ruth Lindemann]

What do you mean "There She goes again"? You people really hate her don't you? Why do you fear her so? I would like to know the logic you liberals use concerning Sarah Palin. But then I would not understand your reasoning. I am convinced the reason you people hate her is because she didn't abort her kid. Trig is like a red flag in front of a bull to you liberals. You disgust me, I despise most of the media because you are so biased and completely unreasonable.

Ruth
Colorado

[B 4]

Sahah used her child as a prop to gather other folks with children who have similar conditions, so she can give them false hope, and get votes.
Shocking!

[driver]

I'm a McCain/Palin supporter, and I see nothing wrong with Palin's support of special needs children, or with parents of special needs children being attracted to her personal commitment in her own life.

What is the point of this post, Andrew? I'm not getting where you're coming down on this. Are you mocking Palin, or supporting her?

[Jon Fraud Carry]

God Bless Sarah Palin!
McCain/Palin 2008
Palin/Jindal 2012

[Trannny]

I am confused, liberals proclaim themselves to be for freedom? Yet, they are in truth, the most anti-freedom Nazi's since Adolph Hitler's brown shirted storm troopers and the MSM is nothing short of Goebbels propaganda ministry.

Truly revolting and sickening, this election is being stolen right before our eyes, through fraud, deception and usurping of the ballot box.

If Obama is elected, and when the truth hits home, I foresee these "LIBERALS" overstepping by far, and there will be unprecedented violence when the people rise up against them. I would not wish to be a known Obama supporter or leftist MSM type when the smelly brown stuff hits the rotating discs, for it will not be just anger, but cold calculated hatred directed at them.

[cpabooks]

"Using the child as a prop?" A comment like this speaks more about the source and the objectification of humanity. People like this would rather see Hollywood faces and stop there.
No feelings, no humanity, no culture, no purpose, just narcissism, just like Barack Obama.

[KansasGirl]

And that my friends is exactly why it will be a McCain-
Palin win.

[John]

Ruth, you are a fool. What you do not realize is that it is not just the "liberals" that hate her, it is the REAL republicans as well. She is an insult to the intelligence of anyone that has any (this does not include you) and an obvious prop. People hate her because she didn't abort?!? Would you just listen to yourself a moment, you idiot? Thank God I don't live in the Springs in your obviously sheltered hiawatha, it sounds like there are many ignorant fools like you around. People like you are what is killing this country and the republican party.

[Jayne]

"dragging a young daughter out on hockey rink ice in the midst of screaming and booing. "

Well why were all those people who are so concerned for the well being of Gov Palin's daughter screaming and booing at her? You would think they would be well mannered and either applaud or stfu...oh wait they are liberal hypocrits and are only concerned with killing babies instead of being respectful. SIck...

[OBAMA SAYS]

See I always thought republicans were retarded... Now I know for sure!

Go OBAMA GO TAKE BACK THE COUNTRY FOR THE US.

[Ed]

I wonder if the wrong video was posted? I'm a hardcore Democrat but I can't see the contradiction or the bias that is supposed to be apparent in the clip.

[John Q. Public]

Question for all.
Which is more dangerous to a free society, a state controlled media that only tells the citizens what the state wants them to believe, or a free press with an agenda?
Ask our MSM?

[Robert C. J. Parry]

Biden says JOBS is a "three-letter word." But, I find nothing about it here. I imagine if Palin said the same thing the mockery would be intense. Guess you guys really know how to pass a hot potatoE.

[kelly]

OBAMA SAYS: "See I always thought republicans were retarded... Now I know for sure!"

How cruel. As a mother of a child with Down's, you have no idea what you are talking about. This can not be easy for Sarah Palin. She has graciously shared her son and her feelings about his special needs with the country, and people of both parties have responded. If you had any brains or compassion, you would see that a child with special needs goes takes priority over any political agenda. GROW UP

[jane]

Why does it not suprise me to read comments by liberals accusing her of using her chilren as a prop? Apparently the concept that she includes them because she loves them iescapes you. Is that what your mother did to you?

[Suzy]

I think Governor Palin gives a lot of families with special-needs children the hope, love and encouragement they deserve. My adult brother has special needs it moves my family to tears when we see the Palins holding Trig with so much pride and love. Only a person with a dark and angry heart would think it's Okay to say such terrible things about Trig.

[mantis]

" John McCain called it "gotcha" journalism."

No, McCain calls questions from voters in restaurants "gotcha journalism."

[anna paidoussi]

FINALLY! Something I can see in Palin that doesn't make me cringe! I think that after this intense exposure to the public she can become a wonderful advocate for Down's Syndrome children and adults! A marvelous contribution to our wonderful country and people........DEMS'08!!

[Mike from CT]

Would anyone expect anything different (or other than that the bond among parents in a similar situation is a very legitimate one)?

Look, I'm not voting for her -- I think Gov. Palin is completely inadequate to the job. But that others who went through the same process and made the same decision in regard to their own children find validation in her story is perfectly natural and appropriate.

Now, if only we can get McCain to agree that "across the board cuts" is a glib, overly simplistic answer to the needs of all kinds of special needs in this country, he might not look like he's talking out of both sides of his mouth.

[Tone]

Granted, Governor Palin seems genuinely moved with her love for her child; I have no doubt that these parents of children with Down's Syndrome are drawn to her through a shared bond. However, I don't believe this is in and of itself enough of a reason to vote for a McCain/Palin ticket. Her record as a mother should have no more bearing on this election than than a male candidate's as a father. If we were to judge her parenting skills, one could say she definitely failed with Bristol, and her use of "abstinence only". All parents make mistakes. But parenting is not what this election is about. I am a staunch liberal and found nothing negative regarding the above video clip--it was a human interest piece to humanize a woman who can sometimes appear harsh in speeches and less than truthful (as most politicians can) in recent news. More troubling to me than her possibly using her child as a "prop," is the hate being spewed "on both sides of the aisle" on this website. I am offended on behalf of all Americans that we have sunk to the levels shown here. Not by politicians, who often sling mud, but by CITIZENS who claim to love this country, regardless of party affiliation. Shame on all of you.

[Ray]

Ruth, as a liberal, I'm sorry we "disgust" you. We really don't hate Palin for not aborting her child, it's an unfair accusation to say the least. We are frightened by her apparent lack of knowledge in the Couric interviews, and we don't like that she didn't silence those who yelled "terrorist!" and "kill him!" when she mentioned Obama at a rally. Mostly, we aren't nutjobs, we just believe in our principles as firmly as you believe in yours.
Oh, and I didn't see anything wrong with that video.

[GOD BLESS AMERICA]

M Benet Oct 16 @ 7:37am says, "Sarah Palin is shameless, even dragging a young infant around as she campaigns, standing before crowds holding the child as if she were running for the new mother-of-god image,

I SAY: THE OLD SAYING: SHE CAN'T WIN FOR LOSIN'! FITS HERE: SHE GETS THIS "M Benet"-TYPE OF IDIOCY WHEN SHE BRINGS HER KIDS, BUT IF SHE DOESN'T, EVERYONE ASKS, "ISN'T SHE NEGLECTING THEM?"

"...dragging a young daughter out on hockey rink ice in the midst of screaming and booing."
I SAY: PHILLY FANS WOULD BOO JESUS FOR DROPPING THE CROSS! THEY SOUND LIKE YOUR KIND OF PEOPLE.

"While I'm making a leap here,"

A LEAP? HONEY, YOU'VE JUST JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE.

"...let me tell you a person whose morals permit this behavior is not a person of vice-president caliber, let alone a potential president."

YOUR CHOICE OF CANDIDATE IS SO ARROGANT, HE REFUSES TO COMPLY WITH OUR CONSTIUTION, ARTICLE 2, SECTION 1, CLAUSE 5: NATURAL BORN CITIZEN.

OBAMA'S CERTIFICATE IS THE SHORT ONE NOT THE LONG FORM (THAT HAS BEEN REQUIRED SINCE 2001 BY HOMELAND SECURITY TO REPLACE ONE'S SOCIAL SECURITY CARD.)

JOHN MCCAIN HAD TO SHOW HIS LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT OBAMA?

EVEN IN THE FACE OF A LAWSUIT (PHIL BERG
vs OBAMA) HE IS STONEWALLING, ASKING FOR DELAY OF DISCOVERY UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION.

IT IS A FRAUD OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER BEING PERPETRATED ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

IF HE WON'T FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION NOW, WHAT WOULD HE DO WITH THE POWER OF THE PRESIDENCY?

DON'T LET HIM TELL YOU HE POSTED HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE ON HIS SITE- THAT'S NOT WHAT IS REQUIRED.

AND DON'T WAIT FOR PELOSI, REID OR THE DNC PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION COMMITTEE (WHO DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB VERIFYING HIS ELIGIBILITY IN THE FIRST PLACE) TO RESPOND.

HOW MUCH WILL THIS MESS COST IF HE IS ELECTED THEN CHALLENGED AND WORSE, WHAT WILL IT DO TO DIVIDE OUR COUNTRY EVEN MORE?

AND LASTLY, I DON'T TRUST OBAMA. HE PAID $832,000 TO ACORN IN 1 MONTH. HE CHANGED HIS WEBSITE'S FACT PAGE RE HIS WORKING FOR ACORN. GO TO HOTAIR.COM AND SEE ALL THIS FOR YOURSELF. IT IS #2 BLOG TO GET NEWS ONLINE. PROOF IS THERE. GOD HELP US.

SORRY for the caps, I started with them to differentiate my words from the ones I was responding to & forgot to switch back.

[Becky]

Kelly, I agree completely that a child with special needs takes priority over any political agenda. So for that reason I would have hoped Sarah Palin would have put the needs of her son and the rest of her children first and not accepted her appointment as VP candidate in the first place. Why is she running for VP when she and her husband should be devoting all of their time to their family?

[Leslie]

Who will look after that poor child when his special-needs advocate mother is out doing the Washington social circle? Will the Senate have to allow working mothers to bring their children to work? Will they provide child care? Will mom take hundreds of half-days off, then cry "unfair!" if we call her on it. I got 10 weeks maternity leave, not 300 days. What is going on with her? What makes her so special?

Poor Trig is going to need so much extra attention that they'll have to hire full-time help to engage him and teach teach teach him the things that come naturally to other children. I cringe to think of leaving him with strangers.

I thought at first that she got it but now I'm starting to wonder whether Sarah Palin really speaks for the rest of us.

I'm also very concerned about the message her daughter gives to my daughters about pre-marital sex. This is a mess.

[Kathy Guns]

OBAMASAYS;

I have never said an unkind word on these boards or made a persoanl attack- but you are just so beneath all of us, anyone with a soul and a heart. You are going straight to Hell. And God BLess Sarah for her courage-

ObamaSays- you are a dispicable pig - may you may beg forgiveness on your death bed and not be granted it.
You are the detritus of society- may your herpes spread to your fingers so you can no longer type your filth

[Wally]

What is shocking is the lack of humility and humanity in many, many Democrats. I really feel sorry that their party has fallen into such a hateful abyss of moral ineptitude.

[XKarenX]

I'm really heartened by the sensible, human, thinking responses of most of the comments here. Thanks for not being led by the nose by the media.

[Nick in Virginia]

There was an article a few days ago in the Dallas Morning News (I believe) about a high-school senior with Down syndrome who was elected Home Coming Queen by her class. It was a very touching story (I'm a 58-yr old guy, and it brought tears to my eyes). I had to comment, though, that if her parents had listened to the left-wing liberal Democrats, Kristen never would have been born, never mind elected Home Coming Queen.

And this is probably why all the feminists and lefties hate Palin so much: they will not experience what goes through her mind and heart when she holds Trig, because they are too weak to take on the burden of a child with Down syndrome. They'll just flush it down the toilet, then hate themselves for flushing it down the toilet, and they take it out on the nearest symbol - Sarah Palin, who has shown, by accepting the burden of Trig's condition, that she is a much better person than they are.

No wonder they hate her so much.

[Nick in Virginia]

Robert C.J. Parry:

Good one!!

I wonder how many people actually understand it?

[Deanna]

I'm an Obama supporter, and I'm sorry, but I really don't see what the problem is with Ms. Palin's special needs interest. Did I miss something?

[Nomo Stew]

Yikes, folks. We're talking about the potential Presidency, not Oprah.This remains someone who billed state tens of thousands of dollars for the "travel" expense of working from her home, then didn't declare it as income, left Wasilla in debt and in litigation, invited her husband to use state apparatus to settle personal scores, supports separatists who hate America infinitely more than Ayres and Wright combined, and hasn't a clue what to do about any important national issue. Conservatives relish how much Palin frightens liberals, but if you had a brain in your pointy heads she'd scare the liver out of you, too. And now she deserves election because, as fate would have it, she has a Down's syndrome child? I can see why that means one could relate to her, but raising a special needs child is not exactly a qualification for repairing all the damage W has left us.

[anup]

.. alsmost seems like she is using her child for attracting votes. not cool

[Dan Rains]

I support Obama, and see nothing wrong in this video. Yes, Palin has a special needs child, and yes, that does give her a broader understanding of those voters with special needs children. But there are a group of special needs people that the Republicans have forgotten about: they are the thousands and thousands of Iraqi families whose fathers and brothers, or mothers and sisters, were sitting in downtown Baghdad on the night America decided to drop 1,000 pound bombs on them, destroying the lives of untold thousands because George W. Bush and those idiots he had in his administration could not think of any other way to take out Saddam Hussein. This is the tragedy. So, no, they don't get my vote because of this. Every time I see a special needs person it reminds me of the dead Iraqis who did NOTHING to deserve the death and destruction that came raining down upon them on the day America lost its soul to the madmen who care nothing about human lives unless they have the money to protect themselves.

[KL]

Shameless use of one's family for self-promotion. This woman will do anything, including force her young daughter to have a baby at 17 and get married, all for appearances sake.

SHE IS TRULY DISGUSTING.

[Julie Hamil]

The hatred displayed on this site leaves me breathless. It is hard for me to understand such venom coming from Americans. Shame on all of you!

[write826]

I feel badly about this entire post and comments. What I see in the video is Gov. Palin exploiting Downs Syndrome children (including her own baby) and I see other parents unwisely dragging their children in for a photo op despite that some children are screaming with fear. Not something I would submit my special needs child to, though they may have thought to publicize the number of Downs children which is growing so much in the past few years. A screaming political rally is not the right place for this but I do concur with the intention.

Then on this post I see comments that are heartless and make me ashamed to be a citizen of what this country has come to in the past 8 years. I can see that such people have no shame, but the rest of us have enough for all of you.

I agree that it's improper and dastardly to abuse a child no matter who the mother is, but it's also not in a child's best interest to face radical crowds that are screaming and booing that child's parent. If this was a common citizen they would be investigated as unfit parent(s). Strange world, isn't it?

[Eddy]

Being an empathetic, caring mother to a special-needs child has no bearing on whether or not Sarah Palin will make a good vice president (or president).

Her qualities as a parent are not the issue here. The germane factors to her candidacy are such things as her intelligence, temperament, knowledge, experience, and education. And ever since her acceptance speech in Minnesota (which was actually very good, her shining moment in fact), she has proven herself to be woefully lacking. Any honest appraisal can see that (which is why even many conservative pundits have panned her).

The United States is not choosing the best parent on November 4.

By all accounts I have ever read, George W. Bush has been a loving and doting father to his two daughters, and they both revere him.

He also happens to be a catastrohpically bad president, likely the worst ever.

As a mother, Sarah Palin would make a horrible vice president.

[Jerry w]

The link at the end of the comments that's for an ad hosted by Google says that Sarah Palin's IQ is 120.

Is that in sled dog I.Q. points or adjusted for Alaskan intelligence?

Just curious,
Jerry w.
www.boskolives.wordpress.com

[MaryClaudia]

#1. "Sarah Palin is shameless, even dragging a young infant around as she campaigns..."

Could that be BECAUSE she is a nursing mother?!!

#2 "This is the same Sarah Palin who has been seen paling around with assassination conspirators and hate mongers at Republican Rallies."

a. The Secret Service has investigated the nefarious claim that someone yelled "Kill him" in response to Obama's name. None of the sixteen law enforcement personnel heard ANY SUCH SHOUT COMING FROM THE CROWD, unlike the eight years of talk from the left about assassinating Pres. Bush. The only "HATE" on behalf of the respectful conservatives at her rallies is for the thought of our country being taken further down the road of socialism. Don't think so? Well, go to bartleby.com and read the definition in any reference. Or, even go to Wikipedia.

b. Even if Sarah Palin or John McCain for that matter had been "palling" around with such individuals, they would be no different that Barack and Michele Obama with friends like Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers and Bernadine Dorn, and the Chicago political machine. According to the media and the left, that's no big deal and has no influence on them at all, right?

[Tobie]

The left hates Gov. Palin primarily because she does not condone the secular sacrament of abortion - and she walks the talk! Trig will change hearts and maybe, just maybe, this is what God had in mind when he blessed the Palin family with this beautiful child.
BTW, I still don't get why Palin's experience level is such a big deal while Obama's lesser experience is not (143 days in the Senate!). Palin manages a huge state budget, thousands of employees and has to make excecutive decisions on a daily basis (w/80% approval rating!); she does not have the luxury of voting "present" like Obama.

[James Stacey]

I think there is something Palin is doing by putting her family up front, particularly Trig. She wants to make the point that if we really want mothers to participate fully in this world, they may have to bring their children along.

[Gary]

What an awesome lady. This is the kind of PERSON so many of us have longed for to be at the top of the ticket, any ticket.

Her genuine life story and dedication to Human Life is truly inspirational -- something so many of us can identify with.

In the spirit of the NY Tiimes in 1984 -- Why not a mere congressperson, or a mere governor, or a woman, who will be given the chance to grow into a statesman?

Why not? Because she's simply got the wrong letter after her name. Boy, that's some high-minded intellectualism going on there. -- not

[hanuman9]

Sarah Palin, the bottom line in all of this is that you are not qualified to lead the free world. As a human being, you owe it to your children, your family, to your constituents, to your sex, to your country, and to humanity to Do What's Right and Step Down before it's too late. In other words, take responsibility, get a firm grip on reality, and ADMIT that you aren't qualified, and just announce very calmly one day that you're going to spend more time with your family. You have been thrust into this situation and it may seem like fate to you, but it is folly. It really isn't your fault. Very humbly, you've got to realize that McCain's crazy selection of you as his running mate is proof that his candidacy is unworthy of success. But you must always remember, Sarah, You are not bad, just not right for this particular job.

And as for McCain, face it, man, you've lost the popular vote. You lost when you hugged Bush. From then on the fix was obviously in, and the people won't buy it. They want Bush's head, and you're his bitch.

The best you can do is to go back on the straight talk express. You might as well, because there's no way we're electing you. And you're going to feel a lot better about it all when all is said and done. You'll have done yourself proud.

[What bias]

I have to say as an overseas person looking at the US election and what the media has to say, I am disgusted at the bias against Sarah Palin and I have never heard such disgusting language as that that comes from the Democrats - they all seem very low, common and degerate - Bush may not have been able to string a sentence together but at least he doesn't speak with the gutter language that Democrats use - I feel sorry for Obama having such a low common lot of supporters - it's time you all washed your mouth out with soap and water - no doubt Sarah Palin is far too clean living for you all!