A lone Republican leader defends Sarah Palin while McCain is mum

Yes, it's shocking, we know here at the Ticket. But there is at least one prominent Republican sticking up for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Go figure. Her presidential running mate sure isn't.

The 44-year-old working mom singlehandedly energized the party's base with an electrifying speech and refreshing personality at the Republican National Convention and after.

Between her selection Aug. 29 and the Nov. 4 election, Palin did 132 political events in 105 cities in 25 states. That's not exactly dogging it.

And who's heard any leaks from Palin's camp about the awful mishandling of her media rollout in September?

But in the, what-is-it-now, four days since American voters decisively opted for the younger guy from Illinois, one or two of John McCain's brave aides have been anonymously leaking uncorroborated charges about Palin's personality, knowledge, spending habits, etc., which the media gobbles up, in an apparent attempt to pin the defeat on the female half of the GOP ticket.

Good luck with that. Anyone who saw McCain and Palin work together, saw as the partisan crowds chanted her name during his speech.

Back home in her Anchorage governor's office, Palin defends herself, as The Times' Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston describe in an article this morning.

This issue isn't going away immediately. Love her or leave....

...her, win or lose, the media knows there's a voracious public hunger for almost anything about the Alaska hockey mom still. Especially in the complete absence of any other viable Republican Party leaders.

Palin will spend a chunk of this weekend talking to Fox News' Greta Van Susteren for a long broadcast interview Monday evening. And Tuesday night, Veterans Day, McCain will chat with Jay Leno on NBC.

Now, amid the deafening silence of other prominent GOP leaders, including Mike Duncan, the party's alleged national chair, at least the state chair of the South Carolina Republican Party is speaking out. Katon Dawson issued a statement Friday bemoaning the anonymous attacks:

"The disappointment felt by many Republicans following Tuesday’s election is certainly understandable. However, the attacks on Gov. Sarah Palin made by a disgruntled handful of political insiders are unacceptable. Their claims, made under the veil of anonymity, can never be verified and only serve as fodder for our opposition.

"The media has already demonstrated its propensity to discredit Gov. Palin, and the Democrats are undoubtedly rejoicing at the sight of this Republican cannibalism. 

"Now is the time for our Party to unite –- not behind any one individual, but behind our time-tested principles of limited government, opportunity for working Americans, traditional values, and individual responsibility.

"I respectfully ask my fellow Republicans to join me in condemning these divisive attacks so that we can focus on the task at hand -– moving forward as a Party and moving forward as a nation.”

While most attention is naturally focused on the presidential winner, let's see if any other Republican leaders speak out from one of their vacation homes.

Leno is no Tom Brokaw, but he might ask the Arizona senator, about the intramural post-game defamation of the running mate he himself so enthusiastically chose out of the blue.

Why can't McCain even seem to control a couple members of his own Apple Dumpling Gang?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: Associated Press

Comments

[Bill Lenner]

Almost all the Republican presidential candidates in the primary last year were signed on to extreme foreign policy agendas that basically included more invasions of more country, no matter, or maybe because we were having so much trouble in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When Giuliani brought out his agenda, he was roundly denounced as a nutcake.
When the Republican presumed and later confirmed nominee echoed the former mayor, the news media was strangely silent.
How to make Americans forget what was revealed about the GOP this year? The virtual drawing and quartering of "the woman”. Thank you GOP for showing us your true colors, once again.

[keith]

This is what's going on - Palin represents a threat to all the blue blood republicans who are trying to move the party to the center. Of course the center is where this party failed so miserably this election, but the dum-dums just won't accept that. So they are trying to destroy her so that she won't be a problem for them in the future, but I think they are burying themselves in the process. The truth is McCain dragged Palin down. The Republican base knows it, just like Barack was the new rising star 4 years ago at the Dem convention, Sarah is the Republican's same star.

An Obama comment - funny how all the media is now starting to water down expectations for him, it's already everywhere you look - what a non-starter this guy's going to be.

[Dave Baily]

If Sen. McCain believed what his aides are now saying anonymously, he owed it to the American public to say so during the election. We deserve to know the truth when we're voting. If he doesn't, he should some out and say so now. His silence on this issue shows what we already knew. He is not cut from the cloth of presidents.

Responding to a point made in this article, though, Democrats take no pleasure in the Republican infighting. We welcome vigorous debate, and we want to work with Republicans, period. This is not the time to delight in the failure of others, this is a time to come together and work for the common good. The President-elect understands that.

[Republican Folley]

What a dream it would be if the dieing Republican Party decided to run a halfwit who couldn't even construct sentences properly as their candidate in 2012. It appears as though they have depleted their list of viable potential candidates and now are choosing to run cartoon characters.
It could be argued that GWB is responsible for the demise of the Republican Party, but I believe that it it just decayed into an irrevelant behind the times cult.

[ash]

The Republican Party is baffling. Anti-just-about-everything. I thought it was about less government (unnecessary laws), supporting business, local control and giving people a helping hand, not just a handout.

If there is a Republican Party that still is guided by those principles, I'd sure like to get in touch with it. As a Republican, I am feeling mighty isolated.

[marie]

Wait a minute. Can somebody please explain to me the Republicans' platform of "our time-tested principles of limited government" - in view of the Patriot Act rammed through by Bush and company, and the $700,000,000 rescue plan (of taxpayers' money) rushed through that gives the government free choice to do with as they like? Is this the definition of "limited government"?

[Alistair Sinclair]

Well done Andrew Malcolm ... an L.A. Times story worth reading ... a miracle ... now, if you can just continue actually reporting, as you did here, rather than simply re-pubishing every matoid story from the 'uptown daily worker' on the other coast ... you guys might actually look like you work at an independent NEWS paper. I applaud this story ... 1st thing I've read from L.A. Times in YEARS that made any damn sense.

[Jim Terr]

"Refreshing" is not the word many of us would use to describe her personality. "Threatening" is more like it, in the context of a possible ascension to the presidency. Leno may ask McCain what he thinks about all this, but it's unlikely he'll get anything but a diplomatic non-answer. I'm certain that McCain regrets his daring choice now. On the other hand, he was probably bound to lose, in the face of an exploding economy and a bright, charismatic opponent, so he took his chances. Yes, anonymous shots are cheap shots, but perhaps Leno will ask Andrew Malcolm whether he thinks it unlikely that Palin really didn't know Africa was a continent and not a country. Sounds plausible to me, since a lot of people probably don't know it either.

[Ray]

Mia, you got one thing right. We DID get the president we deserved.

[Kelly Parker]

It's important to keep bashing Sarah Palin so that the American public understands how dangerously close we came to electing this moron to an important position of leadership. I'm torn... I'd like to know who is leaking the truth because I believe they should be honored as heroes if they are telling the truth. BUT... Unfortunately, they are like a lot of OTHER Republicans: they are back-stabbers rather than whistle-blowers. Considering the irresponsible things she said during rallys, as well as her horrible interviews, I have no reason NOT to believe the rumors... let's keep digging and get to the WHOLE truth so this woman never rears her head on the national political scene again.

[PKCali]

the uneducated, inexperienced Palin got exactly what she deserved. It was like nominating Brittany Spears for VP. Hope she goes onto being the voice of the defeated Republicans, we can continue to use the joke...stay up there in the land of poorly educated drunks, Alaska.

[JJ]

Go, Palin! You are the president-elect of United Rednecks of America

[Anna Peterman]

As to McCain - I think he is an a lukewarm, wishy washy tip-toe in the tulips - mealy mouthed sad-sack - who by his timid - "I don't want to be a racist" - "I want the media to like me" -"I'm not like the others - who run a dirty campaign" -made up his mind NOT to win!- He threw Sarah Palin under the Bus right when it was apparent that she was the star - not him! - And he made the most incredibly stupid decisions NOT to play HARDBALL; he was too chicken and too cowardly to win! we know the man is not a coward so what was HIS motivation?????

[Ed Sommers]

Actually, you DIDN'T get the President you deserve. What you deserve is Bush, or McCain or Guilliani or Romney.

In Obama, the President you got is far better than the President you deserve. The rest of us -- those that enthusiastically supported and voted for Obama -- we finally got what we deserve. You get to come along for the ride. Watch what happens when the country is led by a capable, intelligent, pragmatic leader. When you see how that works out, perhaps you'll vote for Obama in 2012.

[mavisdarling]

Gee folks. I think the attacks probably originated with McCain himself. After all, HE was the one who went on Saturday Night Live, opposite Tina Fey playing Sarah, and made fun of Sarah! And there were plenty of jokes about Sarah's expensive clothes, about her "going rogue" and trying to make a name for herself on the 2012 ticket.

Now WHY, if McCain was really that fond of Sarah, WHY would he make fun of her on Saturday Night Live the weekend before the big election? It's no surprise he's been silent since the election... he said it all with his comedy performance. That McCain: he's an old codger!

[Dave]

I hope to forget McCain as soon as possible. As for Palin, she enjoys the attention. Whether she can actually learn geography, and the reality with it, who knows.

The only one I feel sorry for is John McCain's wife, who is obviously and observably a victim of spousal abuse.

[Carl Turner]

In other stories, Palin has called some of McCain's anonymous advisors "cruel" and "petty" and "cowardly." Sorry, but she didn't know this about McCain's advisors BEFORE she was picked as VP candidate?

[Curly]

If Sarah Palin is the cause of the loss of the election let her accusers be man (or woman) enough to stand and be known, other wise they are working for the far left democrats. I think that they are part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

As for the republicans need to be the opposition to what needs opposing. It might be necessary when some law comes up for a vote that is detrimental to the US and there is no chance of stopping it to walk out of congress in protest. Any other forms of protest might also have to be used to stop bills that need stopping.

[anOPINIONATEDsob]

Why are we surprised by the Palin affect? The republicans gave us "W" didn't they? Stupid, arrogant, and greedy are required traits to be a leader of the religious radicals of the far right fringe. In the vernacular of the political wonks these types are called "terrorists" when they attack us but evangelicals when they kill and maim others.

As we return from the land of bible thumping crusaders perhaps we can stop financing fairy tales and put science back to work for the betterment of the ENTIRE world and not just the well healed republicans. BTW, listening to the talk radio morons since the election has prompted me to wonder if my references to them as sharks in a feeding frenzy might just be correct as they begin to devour their own now that the intelligent crowd has reasserted it's superiority over those of spoiled privilege.

Egotistical idiots are so much fun to watch when they run out of lies to tell on their "enemies" and they turn on their allies as we see the real character of these lowlife pretenders. Palin was the right trying to pander to their base who are known to be somewhat less that having enough oars to man a life boat on a smooth ocean.

Now we have another chance to regain the moral high ground and care a little for those who are not as well healed as a republican. To do so is as Christian as the evangelicals claim to be. We are called socialists for such compassion but an honest assessment of the actions of the republicans and their mental mindset is as pure a form of communism as ever practiced by Stalin.

If it is to be scocialist to work for the benefit of those around you then I guess I am to be a socalist but thats alright as long as we are all God's children.

NOTE: To Rush and all his pretenders, you rail against those who take advantage of "hand outs" as you practice insider trading and other forms of abuse just as criminal in nature. You live in glass houses and wonder why others mimmick you behaviors and attitudes, look in the mirror before you condem others.

[Ron Sampson]

Now that we know what she's all about, it is clear that we need to search for another candidate for Governor of Alaska, ASAP. What a coniving, naive bimbo.

[eugenejpuleo]

yes, thank god, america did vote for the president this great nation deserves. that said, on to sarah palin's wardrobe malfunctions--i'm not just talking lipstick here. president elect obama spent a diva's ransom of $1,300.00 per suit on several custom tailored, top brand suits. out of his own pocket, not dnc money. soon to be first lady, fashion trendy michelle is reported to wear whatever she feels like out of her closet. compare this to “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast.” a comment from the mccain inner circle. this is what happens when you take a small town girl and boost her way beyond her pay grade. she became just a bit giddy at the sudden heights. thank god no accidents dropped her into the oval office. that said i agree with ms. palin. whoever made these comments should come forward and restate them for the record. to do other wise is cowardly, though in character for certain elements of the republican party. all this ruckus shows me that the dirty tricks mentality cultivated by the republican party over many elections has finally come home to roost. scurrilous robo calls and sarah's dirty laundry all hung out to air on the same petard, so to speak.

[safari]

I[m sick and tired of hearing about McCain's past. So what if he did 4 1/2 years as a Viet Nam POW. He's the one who got shot down. It's time for him to get off the public payroll, which he has been on since he was a cadet at the Naval Academy, and do what a lot of us senior citizens do. Retire!

[DMiner]

She's the new Britney Spears type celebrity.

[Ron Sampson]

Palin is a true Republican. If you don't like the message, attack the credibility of the messenger. Pathetic.

[Ed Magowan]

Don't go away mad, Palin. Just go away.