-By Warner Todd Huston
He’s kidding, right?
Sometimes a mediot (that would be media idiot for those unaware) lapses into some crazed, other world, some bizarro-land where up is down and black is white. It looks like our pal Greg Mitchell from Editor & Publisher is the latest to toke a little too hard on that wacky tobaccy. Mitchell, you see, thinks he’s lighted on the real story of how Governor Sarah Palin got chosen as McLame’s running mate last year: the media is whot done it.
I know, I know, I laughed, too. But Greg is serious. He thinks the media’s attention on Hillary Clinton’s supporters, the PUMAs, convinced McLame to pick Palin because she… well, she’s a she.
You see, Mitchell figures that the media’s concerted attention on those Democrat defectors that were incensed that their “historic” female candidate was out campaigned by The Obammessiah was ubiquitous in the Old Media and this attention made the female vote seem more consequential than it was. This, in turn, made McLame pick Palin thinking to cash in on the disgruntled female vote.
Because John McCain and his people bought it, hook, line and sinker, as I explain in my book “Why Obama Won.” This explains the sudden (though often ill-explained) rise of Sarah Palin to the top of their VP list. The McCainites saw an opening, which really wasn’t there, and went completely overboard. Not only did a female VP suddenly look like a great idea, but she would have extra appeal to the particular type of Hillary primary voters so hyped by the media.
This is absurd. Not only that, but it is no reason why McLame lost. The addition of Palin to the ticket made McLame’s rally go from boring, sparsely attended affairs to raucous, sign waving, rock-star hailing events with Palin in the middle of a swirl of enthusiasm.
We know McLame lost, of course, but he would have lost in a landslide if the choice of Palin had not brought many conservatives that were on the verge of not voting at all back to the polls.
The Olympic worthy back bends that Mitchell makes with this nutty piece is worthy of a gold medal for gymnastic contortionism.
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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, RightWingNews.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.
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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Ah…what passes for logic in the liberal mind once again leaves one gasping for breath at the inanity contained therein. One wonders how they can even tie their shoes in the morning to proceed with their day if their logic reaches such heights!
I’ve invited Sarah herself to address this issue and she’s due to… oh wait, it’s a note from her spokesperson. “Sarah Palin will not be attending, and she was never aware of an invitation.” Oh.
Palin’s femininity was a factor in her choice, but it certainly wasn’t the only one. Having a moderate on the ticket was a guarantee that none of the far right base would turn out to vote, and Palin is no moderate.
…and McLame is no Republican. That’s why he lost. It wasn’t because of Palin. In fact, Palin brought him closer to Obama’s vote total than he would have otherwise.