Sarah Palin is so rogue right now
Labels: Arts & Media, Books, Life Issues, Marriage & Family, Politics & Government, Religion & Society, Sexual Ethics
By Billy Atwell|Published Date: October 30, 2009

I’ve never been impressed with National Public Radio, even though friends of mine -- who are reading this right now and thinking “that’s me!” -- think me bullheaded and shallow for not appreciating the vast array of news and priceless journalism NPR has to offer.

Now NPR has published the worst assessment of Sarah Palin I’ve ever read. The form of the argument is grade-school quality (no offense to the grade schoolers out there). I don't mean to give away the whole thing, but NPR seems to be selling ad space in their Opinion section.

In “reporting” on Palin’s endorsement of Doug Hoffman, New York’s Conservative Party candidate for the state legislature, Betsy Reed attacked Sarah Palin for walking in “lockstep with the Christian right” by not endorsing the Republican candidate who is pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage. I guess Reed feels as though it would be more politically advantageous for Palin to abandon her ethics by voting for a candidate in her own party.  Isn’t that the type of behavior most Americans demonize politicians for?

While Reed is correct in saying that Palin’s endorsement could split the Republican vote and help elect the virtually unknown Democrat in the race, there are still principled reasons for not voting Republican, in cases such as this. There are non-negotiable issues for Christians in the voting booth. I believe that we cannot in good conscience vote for candidates who support euthanasia, abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, or human cloning.

Then, in the middle of her article, Reed pulls out the traditional, tested tool of journalism to show just how relevant this piece really is: she hawks her own book. Not to be thought of as merely prejudicial, Reed spends several lines talking about the book she’s co-edited on how Palin doesn’t write her own speeches (as if any politician does), how empty her policy positions are, and how dangerous she is for modern feminism. But wait—if Palin is so “nonsensical” and irrelevant, then why is she important enough to write a book about? I disagree with Dennis Kucinich, but I’m not writing a book about him.

Continuing her attempt to dismantle Palin’s credibility, Reed placed the final layer of icing on this dung cake. Reed said that Palin is “practicing the politics of deception” because she isn’t actually “rogue.” When one makes a self-identifying claim, refuting the claim like a child by screaming “no you’re not!” doesn’t help one's case. Though Palin entered the 2008 presidential campaign with Hollywood finesse and with an impressive wardrobe, I hardly believe this is cause for cries of deception. Reed needs to research “ad hominem” before her next journalistic endeavor.

In selecting opinion content, my hope is that it’s back to the drawing board for NPR.
 

13 Comments

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  1. Posted by vikingmother on 2009-11-02 15:41:30

    I was a kid when the 1960's women's movement reactivated. In short, unsuspecting males learned quickly that women were not to be treated as objects---women were to be treated as fellow thinking human beings and not talked down to---women were not to be discriminated against because they might have a family. Some female activists were loud & rude, but many worthy ideas on how to treat women with more overall respect came out of the 60's. Some serious inroads were started against pornography and the term "objectifying women" was used against those using women's bodies --- Then this concept started eroding... Fast forward to September 2008---when some wholesale gas prices DOVE right after the Palin speech... Look out Marty Mcfly---the DeLorean took us back to the 1950's view of Women!!! And historians will read with amazement all the nasty, petty comments on Sarah Palin and realize...the anti Palin blast is about 95% petty attacks on an elected official... What I wonder is---does that level of contempt against Palin reflect a high level of contempt for all persons (Christians, others) who hold similar values? NPR (so I am told) has some great programs. I just don't bother because I don't want to trip over the blatant propaganda I helped pay for,

  2. Posted by anne morse on 2009-11-02 12:36:05

    No, Sarah Palin did NOT get involved with a group advocating having Alaska secede from the Union. Yet another warmed-over lie from the presidential campaign....

  3. Posted by jason taylor on 2009-11-02 11:25:59

    Oh well, Benjamin, being militarily indecicive and dramaticly troubled about the fate of prisoners of war, especially irregulars(Sheridan just shot partisans, and no one worried at the time) is hardly Lincolnesque and Obama can be accused of that. Apologizing for America to foreign tyrants is also not like Lincoln. And Obama claimed Lincoln as a hero which makes the analogy more pointed. For the matter of that, neither Obama nor Palin have advocated mass bombing of cities which is certainly Churchillian. Nor have they advocated the use of flogging as a means of military discipline, which is Washingtonian. The point was specifically that, in fact, loyalty to the party machine is held low among the vir

  4. Posted by Gina on 2009-11-02 07:28:41

    As do I. And no, she was not involved with any such group.

  5. Posted by Benjamin Ady on 2009-11-02 03:50:37

    Jason--interesting that you brought up Lincoln--Wasn't Palin mixed up at some point with some group that wanted Alaska to secede from the Union? Hardly Lincolnesque of her. I have this deep delight at the idea of Palin as the Republican presidential candidate in '12. And it seems at least possible--shares for Palin as Republican nominee '12 are trading highest on intrade right now--just slightly ahead of Romney and Pawlenty

  6. Posted by jason taylor on 2009-11-01 11:04:38

    As I recall, Churchill went rogue, Lincoln was part of a splinter party(it was originally Federalists vs Democrats not GOP vs Democrats) so he was going rogue. George Washington was(pretty obviously)going rogue. In fact quite a lot of famous political figures were accused of "going rogue". As loyalty to political parties as such is not a virtue held in high repute, it is not clear what the problem is.

  7. Posted by Nolan Pluke on 2009-11-01 00:47:15

    So look what she got done, despite pressures from the Republican party, in the 23rd congressional district of New York! Is that not rogue, in the best sense of the word?

  8. Posted by Billy Atwell on 2009-10-31 11:01:51

    I thought her "rogueness" had nothing to do with her as a Christian, and more to do with her as a Republican. She used the term before the media attacked her faith. I think there is a misapplication of who he is and isn't in lockstep with going on here.

  9. Posted by jason taylor on 2009-10-30 15:11:26

    Exactly Lee. And by definition, someone who has "gone rogue" is not "in lockstep"

  10. Posted by Mark Thomas on 2009-10-30 15:07:18

    It might be hard for the public to know the real Palin as long as Tina Fey does her caricature act.

  11. Posted by Lee "Do pitbulls even HAVE lips?" Quod on 2009-10-30 15:00:23

    Jason, it's hard to avoid joking with you that as a former beauty contestant, Sarah Palin is very careful in her application of rouge, foundation, eyeliner, and especially lipstick. But to answer your question, the meaning is adapted from the spy novel usage: to "go rogue" is to act in accordance with a personal agenda rather than as directed from above - and to be at risk for a "standing kill" order if one refuses to come back to the reservation.

  12. Posted by jason taylor on 2009-10-30 14:21:12

    And now that I think about it, isn't it kind of hard to "go rouge" and be "in lockstep" at the same time?

  13. Posted by jason taylor on 2009-10-30 14:19:51

    What does "go rogue" mean? In a spy story it means "conduct operations outside the authority or policy of the agency one works for" and is a convenient way to create a villain that doesn't insult any particular country. How does a politician "go rouge" by continuing in the position she always held?

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