-By Warner Todd Huston
I don’t know. Maybe the Associated Press thinks that no one is aware that John McCain lost his race for the White House? Maybe the AP thinks no one is aware that his choice for VP, Governor Sarah Palin, lost right along with him? Maybe the AP thinks that hardly any American has gotten the word that Obama and slow Joe Biden won on November 4th? The AP sure acts as if they think people still need it pointed out that Governor Sarah Palin is “the failed Republican vice presidential candidate.” At least if its current report on the latest doings in Alaska is concerned, anyway. After all, right in the middle of a report on Alaska state workers having sent around some race tinged joke emails, the AP helpfully reminds us that Palin is that aforementioned “failed Republican vice presidential candidate.” I mean, who knew she lost?
The AP is reporting on some race-y emails that were reported to them by a state worker, using it to needlessly jab the governor. At one point the AP sternly tells us all that, “State officials were unaware of the e-mails until asked about them by the AP,” as if something untoward was going on in the Administration itself. But, even the AP’s own report seems to show that a mountain is being made of a mole hill.
Naturally, the AP found Reverend Alonzo Patterson, Alaska’s own homegrown race baiter, to scold the Governor for not yet having said anything about an issue that is neither much investigated at this point, nor even in her initial purview in the first place.
It looks like these joke e-mails with racially tinged humor were sent from outside the state computer system and then forwarded by several state workers inside the state’s system. Palin’s spokesman, Bill McAllister reminds everyone that the matter has to be investigated by the state’s personnel and employment office adding that said office has nothing at all to do with the office of the governor.
But, let’s just get one thing straight, shall we? Palin is a “failed vice presidential candidate.” Failed, do you hear? THAT is the important point here. To that important reminder, we are given this line tucked into this piece of… reporting:
Kreitzer said she alerted the office of Gov. Sarah Palin — the failed Republican vice presidential candidate — about the e-mails.
It was oh, so important that this little dig be included, right? Why, without it, the story could not possibly have been understood by the reader. It couldn’t have been “former Republican vice presidential candidate,” “late GOP vp candidate,” or even “onetime vp candidate,” right? It had to be “failed Republican vice presidential candidate.”
Finally, let us be clear on a few things about this story. No one should expect any governor to come out and squawk about a story like this immediately upon learning of it. For one thing, a governor has little power to fire anyone. After all, the public employee unions (like the SEIU) have made it impossible for state governments to be allowed to fire unsuitable, or even criminal employees without first groveling before the undemocratic and illicitly powerful state employee unions. So, if there is any question about a state employee at any level (but appointed positions) concerning their behavior or job performance, the government itself has to walk a cautious line for fear of upsetting the unions. This whole fear of upsetting the tender sensibilities of these union thugs is precisely why unions are antithetical to good government and should never be allowed to exist in the public sphere.
Secondly, how can the governor make a statement on something that has yet to be much investigated or even widely known about?
Anyway, those points aside, it seems that the AP was more interested in finding just another way to remind everyone that Palin failed as a vp candidate. This is, of course, another media lie. By any unbiased assessment of her month long run for vp, it has to be said that she was one of the most successful vp candidates ever that didn’t win the office! After all, can you remember a single vp candidate that was talked about so much even after they lost?
On second thought, it’s pretty hard to remember too many vp candidates that have ever been talked about even after they won! Let’s face it, of the past vps that didn’t go on to become president, few were much in the news win or lose. Al Gore seems to be one of the few exceptions.
So, with that thought in mind, I’d say that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska is one of the more successful vp candidates in American history, failed candidate or no.
But wait. Some may ask how I can get so upset about this? After all, Palin did lose her bid to become vice president. In this line of thinking, the AP is right to say “failed Republican vice presidential candidate.” Well, I might not have a problem with the whole thing if the AP labeled every past candidate that lost something as a failed whoseawhatchis. But, only Palin constantly gets the failed epithet.
For instance, this very day, the AP had a story about John Kerry. Here is how they titled the man:
The Massachusetts Democrat and incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told the AP on Wednesday…
Well, what a surprise. Kerry isn’t called the failed Democratic presidential candidate!
Here is a recent AP story about Al Gore:
… after meeting with former Vice President Al Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming.
It didn’t occur to the AP that Al Gore was a failed Democratic presidential candidate, I guess?
Of another failed vice presidential nominee, the AP said this of Joe Lieberman today:
When asked last month about the Connecticut Democrats’ plans to consider a censure, 66-year-old Lieberman, the Democrats’ nominee for vice president in 2000…
Guess the AP forget he failed, just like Sarah Palin, huh?
The AP has even already forgotten that John McCain is a failed candidate. Here is one from the AP today mentioning McCain:
… He invited both Obama and his Republican rival John McCain to his Saddleback Church in Orange County for a forum on faith and public service.
Was McCain just a rival? Still, no use of failed for John, AP?
Yeah, it sure seems that the Associated Press hates Sarah Palin with a passion.
(Photo credit: fitsnews.com)
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, Human Events Magazine, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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Be afraid of Palin AP. Be very afraid!