The line that made her political future unredeemable may have been, "Laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting, but it reminds us some Hollywood/NY entertainers have a long way to go in understanding what the rest of America understands -- that acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others."Unlike many Palin comments, at least you can diagram the sentence. But after all was said and done in this tawdry episode, that began with a really lousy comedy sketch by an over-the-hill comedian, what the nation saw was perhaps one too many of the examples of Palin's inability to master a situation that might have benefitted her future. And only nutcases believed Lettermen or his scriptwriters meant anyone other than Bristol, who Palin has repeatedly thrown into the arena as red meat, when it served the Governor to do that.
The week before, Palin had scored more Diva points than anyone in recent American political history, in the way she mishandled her appearance at the biggest GOP fundraiser of the summer. But she closed far more doors than she might have opened, by the drama major way she and her handlers dealt with the "will she speak, uh, will she appear, uh will she...." thing.
The continuing tie-in between Conservatives4Palin "luminary" RA Mansour and mockumentary maker John Ziegler is getting weird. Who paid Ziegler's way to the NYC protest against David Letterman last week, that drew 15 participants and 35 reporters?
C4P began a fundraiser for Palin's legal fund this week. It is in day 6, now. Early on, it raised some good money. Maybe it will bring in a lot near the end, but over the past 40 hours, it has brought in about $5,500. Back in early winter, Alaska bloggers raised more money than that, to get Dennis Zaki into Emmonak, in an evening.
Palin's appointment of a capable Attorney General nominee should have been done immediately after Talis Colberg's resignation, rather than now. It is ironic that this man, who will probably get a unanimous vote in his confirmation by our legislature, has built a large part of his career in finding ways for the U.S. government to "attach strings" to money it issues.
Updated - 10:45 p.m: I can't thank "film maker" John Ziegler enough for directing me so courteously in the comments, toward the footage of his undeservedly ignored press conference, bravely held on the dangerous streets of NYC, as the huge demonstration against David Letterman taxed the resources of NYC's finest around him, in a poignant tribute to how Americans can rise up against falsehoods as heroically as do the Iranians of Tehran.
I mean, there's got to be somebody somewhere, who - just a few hours ago - declared, "We're all Persians now!" - who is now, after seeing that press conference, declaring - "We're all SARAH PALIN now!"
Keep up the good work, Mr. Z!
Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three:
Part Four:
image - Shannyn Moore
28 comments:
I believe Ziegler said he paid his own way.
Isn't the beg-a-thon money going for putting a SLAPP on the ethics complainant? It's not going to be close to their goal.
Hmmm. Celtic Diva needs about...$5,500. Think they'd donate it to her?
This is John Ziegler. Yes, that one. Clearly you people don't give a damn about facts. First, of all, I paid my own way to New York. Second, there were plenty more than 15 people there (not that it matters). Also, my press conference IS on Youtube and I have posted it on the website of my radio station. Finally, based on your pathetic lack of research I am quite sure you have never seen either of my films and you calling my a "mockumentary" filmmaker should obviously be seen within the context of your utter disregard for the truth.
John,
As there are so many people who would love to pose as you for all the benefits that might gain them, how do I know that you're really teh John Ziegler the above post mentions? Your blogger profile has no links, and is only 6 months old.
I would call it a "Crockumentary"
Zeigler, you're a crank, give it up already.
John Z. - time to go back on that dating show (where you showed the world what a mysogonist ass you are) - Sarah is just not that into you, sorry. Even she realizes you do her more harm than good, and she will distance herself soon, you betcha!
John,
I can't thank you enough for allowing me the opportunity to correct the current chapter of Saradise Lost. Next time you're in Anchorage - I owe you lunch!
I'll update the chapter with your valuable information.
My apologies for the error in not looking at your radio station's web site for the YouTube of your unexplainably ignored press conference on the streets of NYC.
Who's the interesting woman hugging you at the beginning of the clip I posted?
BTW, your Palin movie is far better than the 9-11 mockumentary. To paraphrase your hero W, on how you communicated to me today, "OK, John, you've covered your ass, now."
John Ziegler...lol...he start talking and Im reminded of zipper on an over stuffed suitcase. Be gentle people.
Forever.
I don't care which woman is hugging Ziegler, as long as it's not me. Whomever she is, she will learn like all the others ... and he'll end up alone like he always does.
But the reason I'm posting, Phil, is to tell you that you (and no doubt anyone else looking at the c4p site) are making a mistake if you beleve they raised all that money.
Folks who had already donated to the slush fund BEFORE the begathon were invited to email c4p to say how much they HAD donated. That explains the big initial total on Day 1 and the lack of donations since.
So, you can safely consider that Sarah Palin's slush fund isn't even near half-full yet - and you should also bear in mind that the slush fund deliberately drew funds away from the PAC.
There really isn't a lot of love going round for Sarah Palin.
Hey Mr. Ziegler,
Since you are so close to Sarah, could you perhaps provide, or get them to provide some kind of proof that Willow was at the game like she and Todd claimed? Todd, in his statement stated that Willow was in pictures with the Giuliani's, and yet no one can find those pictures
People have been searching high and low for those photo's, while oddly enough they are proving to be rather elusive. I had seen the photos before this Letterman dust up began, and I didn't recall seeing any of her kids, so I went hunting for them because of the statement made that it was obvious she was there. I did not feel it was obvious, so went back and looked, and not surprisingly, couldn't find them. Neither could anyone else who went looking.
Willow is seen in photos at the other events, as a matter of fact she is quite easy to find in photos of those events, but no one in the media mentioned Willow in any article written about the Palin's & Giuliani's at the ball game.
Mr. Giuliani was on local radio with Eddie Burke, and he mentioned how everyone was excited at the game to meet Todd and Sarah, but he never mentioned Willow, not once. That seems rather odd.
I think the Palin's are lying about Willow being at the game with them, and since you are so concerned about things being "factually accurate" when it comes to yourself and Sarah Palin, perhaps it would be wise to clear this up, unless of course the Palin's were lying, then I am sure we will hear that Willow was at the game, but not in any pictures.
oops - CAN SPELL believe - just can't type it. :)
John,
as a fellow documentary film maker, I know you paid your own way to NY and Alaska to do the Palin media film. Otherwise, you would not call yourself a documentarian.
My question is can you verify that to the public, to put an end to the doubting debbies???
I would, if I were you-- just for your reputation. One day, Palin will throw you under the bus, as she has everyone else, and you will need what little dignity you can salvage out of this situation. Plus, your past career has been blighted with misogynistic bleeps, and you can just ask Letterman how hard those can be to overcome without a huge following.
Just write a blog about it and tell the world how you paid your own way to NY and Alaska and for that matter, who funded your documentary.
Thank you and best of luck to you.
Yes, Mr. Ziegler, since we're on the subject of funding, please fully disclose to us who funds your filmmaking, for the sake of factual accuracy about you. That would be very instructive for us to learn, and it would certainly clear things up for the sake of your pristine "filmmaking" reputation. Thank you!
Audrey from palindeception launched the new website "teamtruther (dot) com", an interactive network for opponents of Sarah Palin. The purpose is for example to share information, discuss topics on the forum and the blog and get to know each other better. The site focuses on the pregnancy issue, but other topics are also being discussed as well. Your contributions will be welcome!
John,
let me just say that you are doing a heckuva job for Sarah Palin, and I thoroughly enjoyed your recent performance on Canadian radio which can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFL0iIDqzno
Not to forget your charming participation in this TV dating show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQqLPJvk3gM
Keep up the outstanding work!
Hee, hee..."at least you can diagram the sentence"....I used to do this in grade school, and I can just imagine all the little lines to dissect Sarah's never ending word salad...
Awesome...thanks Phil
I agree with the other anon...Willow was not at the game. I have scoured the "internets", and looked at the NY Post, Daily News, and even individual NY bloggers accounts of Palin's appearance at the Yankee game and there are zero pictures or mentions of anyone but Todd and Sarah.
BTW, those tickets go for $1,000 to $2500 apiece so Sarah will have to declare them. You know she sure as hell didn't pay for them.
Mr. Munger, great post. From a PR perspective, this WAS the series of events that has done Palin in at a nat'l level--from which there is no return. Palin has had a disastrous June, and there are still 10 days left to go.
With the Shirley-Gingrich plagiarism; the GOP fundraising debacle; the bizarre, prolonged battle over a TV comedian's tasteless recycled joke about her older teenaged daughter (whose pregnancy Palin herself brought to nat'l consciousness last year at the RNC convention and this year, via the paid "Candies abstinence" junket & her approval of a May PEOPLE cover featuring the daughter & new baby); signing on with Exxon; and a failed "protest" of said TV comedian by her supporters: Palin is permanently branded as erratic, reactionary, and a "fringe figure," at best.
What does she stand for, if you look at that series of events? Plagiarism, ego, erratic values (same jokes or worse were okay during the campaign but not now? She highlights her daughter's pregnancy in magazines & corporate sponsorships, but forbids pop culture references to it?), big oil, and shrinking "fringe" support. Ziegler is her "public face." A handful of uninformed people protest for her in NYC, with more media in attendance than protesters.
(This list omits the horrible tragedy at the Holocaust Museum....The discovery of a murdering domestic terrorist's admiration for Palin would have been enough trouble for most PR pros for one week.)
Whoever has been controlling her PR and her image at the nat'l level has done her a severe disservice.The steps and $$ it would take to repair it are unimaginable.
This is an anonymous pathetic blogger, John Ziegler.
That's really an articulate come-back..."there were plenty more than 15 people there..." You sure aren't Walter Cronkite.
You were really restraining yourself otherwise, weren't you? No foul-mouthed four-letter words.
I have to admit one thing, you know pathetic. You see it every time you look in the mirror you carry around with you.
I suspect Sarah thinks she came out of the Letterman dustup smelling like a rose--after all, her base loved it and she even got the idiots at NOW to support her. She has excellent instincts when it comes to playing to the loony bin. The problem is, she doesn't understand how the rest of the country feels or thinks. I suspect most of the GOP leaders were horrified by this spectacle. And she doesn't realize that women's rights advocates who sucked for her mock outrage and lined up with her to defend American womanhood still don't like her because she is the personification of everything they're fighting. She is characterized by those who support her--Crazies4Pain, Zeigler, Fox Noise, et al. Zeigler is a joke, but she keeps giving him interviews. It's bizarre. Does she really think anyone takes him seriously? Or does she not care as long as he gets her face and squeaky voice out there?
Everyone keeps talking about how badly she is advised. Sarah doesn't take advise. Why should she? She's brilliant and God talks to her.
Yes, John. There were plenty more than 15 people there. There were 50 people there as you and your kind have been more than happy to state to anyone that will listen. What you didn't qualify was that of the 50 people, 35 were media covering the event and the rest were protesters. Some of whom don't seem to realize that Leno is off and Conan O'Brien is now on The Tonight Show.
Not exactly lying by omission. More like lying by obfuscation or pedantics. But it's still lying.
And Ziegler, plenty of Alaskan bloggers sat through your high school media project when you presented it. They even paid money to do so.
You need to realize that not everyone in the U.S. has an I.Q of 80 and lives in a trailer. Some of us have masters degrees. We can analyze content. We can even think for ourselves. Obviously NOT your intended audience.
I don't suppose you watched Colbert the other night and caught Jeff Goldblum's tribute to flies everywhere? And the Palin reference. You do know that was a diss, right? And there will be more. Many more.
Or do you think Colbert is a Republican?
Mr. ZieglerBot:
If you really are John Z, why don't you prove PROOF that Willow was at the game since no one seems to be able to find any evidence of it.
It will be so delicious to watch SP toss you under the bus when she needs something else insane to do.
When you play with narcissists, you LOSE John, bigtime. If you ever cross her or she no long has any need for you, you are done and outta there. Then again, perhaps you are also a narcissist and you are simply two neurotics whose psychoses are attracted to each other?
Yes John there were 50 people there of which 35 were the media who had nothing else to do, or were waiting for a bus.
It will be so much fun to watch both of you disintegrate. Tee-Hee.
Thank you Phil for posting the Vancouver radio interview.Can we call that 'John Ziegler unmasked ' or 'in his own words '... whatever it was, it certainly pulled back the curtain into that simple little mind of His. No wonder, he fits right in with those people in the streets of NYC. Birds of a feather, flock together. Being in NYC... I might call them 'stool' pigeons. Yes... pun intended.
BTW John... What about that big follow-up protest rally that was organized for Texas...? I Google searched for it... NOTHING !!! Not even Google can find out where you are 'hiding '..? Since Texas has a smaller population... I would expect smaller turnouts. You could probably get ALL the protesters in ONE car. Since you work out of LA ( and you won't have to buy a plane ticket )why not go over to the Conan studios with all YOUR radio fans from your HomeTown. Maybe you could pick them up in Your own car so you can be sure they don't bail on you and not show up. Just trying to help you out.
Ziegler hasn't had much on camera face time with Gov. Palin lately. Maybe he is already under the bus and hasn't noticed yet.
Isn't it strange that neither Ziegler or Palin have addressed the issue that the man present with her at the Yankees game, that same Republican party man who extended the invitation to the Gov & First Dude has been silent. Not a peep other than an acknowledgment on an Alaskan radio show playing to what is defined as a small market, that "Gov & First Dude" were at the game. That same man who was the MAYOR of NYC and who has on a number of occasions been a guest on Letterman. That same man who has immediate access to contacting the Letterman show to confirm or deny that who was at the game. That same Republican man who along with all the other Republican men/women in government positions - Oh wait, let me look under this rock to see if any are there - NOPE. Maybe over here - NOPE. Nowhere to be found. SILENCE.
Amazing, the only mouths flapping are those of the Gov, the First Dude and the Pee-ons.
If you google Letterman's station you can pull up his monologue for Friday 6.19.09
Everyone seems to have missed his JOKE ABOUT PALIN. He states this weekend is gay pride weekend and that Liza Minelli will be husband hunting. Then he makes statement that it is the only time you can see 300 guys dress up like Sarah Palin.
LETTERMAN IS GOING TO GO AFTER HER EVERY CHANCE HE GETS. He is not forgetting that she made no attempt to dissuade the "protest" nor did she condemn it afterwards, despite the remarks that his son Harry was "a bastard" ( stupid as someone forgot Tripp is as well) and the lie that he had a daughter out of wedlock from a previous relationship. I believe his wife was referred to as a slut as well.
Letterman is thinking before he speaks but Palin is now on HIS "enemies list." and Dave has the money and the media to do as he wants with her.
No matter what real protest may develop, I think Dave will defend his wife and child over any possible negative backlash to his show.
As our poster child for narcissism gets slammed by Letterman, she will go deeper and deeper into depression and will become more and more desperate for positive narcissistic supply and with NO WAY to avoid the negative narcissistic supply ( everything about her is now NATIONAL media) she is going to lose it.
Also: if Willow was at the ball game, there should be a ticket for her and with the price of those tickets, won't they show up on some tax info in the future?
While it may be a delayed way to find out if Willow was at the ball game, IF SHE WAS AND PALIN DOES NOT REPORT THE COST OF HER TICKET, THEN THE IRS WILL GET HER.
ON THE OTHER HAND: If there is no reporting to IRS about Willow's ticket, it supports that she was NOT at the game.
Don't know how to get media to ask Guiliani, but that would be a much shorter time frame to get the answer.
I know Guiliani's wife sat between him and Sarah and she is easy to mistake for a Palin daughter.
AND ONE MORE THING LOL LOL:
Let's settle the questions of "what would you say if Letterman had talked about Obama's kids that way."
This is comparing apples and oranges. Obama's kids have not gotten themselves knocked up, nor thrust themselves into the media spotlight nor have their parents done that.
IF THEY HAD, THEY WOULD DESERVE WHAT LETTERMAN DISHED OUT THE SAME WAY BRISTOL, SARAH DID.
Please note I said, "IF."
That is a very big "IF."
IF they had, then yes, it would be apples and apples and Letterman would have the same right to comment on them as he did on Palin's kids.
AND I would have NO problem with that.
However, to compare "what is" with what "might be but is highly unlikely to ever be" is apples v. oranges.
NOW, IF Letterman made the same joke about the Obama kids WHILE THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE IT, THEN YES, I WOULD BE PISSED.
But, Letterman--as well as other comedians-- do NOT make jokes about people that don't deserve it.
NOT because they are so moral, BUT BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT BE FUNNY !
It would not be funny because it did not make sense. Thought experiment: Substitute Obama for Palin, and substitute ( in your mind as well as Letterman's words) Malia for Bristol ( or as some insist, Willow).
Ok, not funny right? BECAUSE IT WOULD MAKE NO SENSE.
And last but not least, I cannot tell you how ashamed I am of women who use the most shallow of reasons to "be offended" by "sexist" remarks that really reflect NO sexism from the person making the statement, NOR are sexist generically. I have taken a lot of "blows to the head" and have broken a lot of trail in the area of women's rights a long time before feminism existed and N.O.W. is no longer an organization I respect. They should be ashamed.
It is the same as hyphenating your last name and thinking you really "stood up on your hind legs" and did something to be proud of. Sorry, kiddo's. I have seen mud puddles with more depth.
SARAH PALIN: CULTURE WARRIOR AND DRAMA QUEEN, YES; GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP, NOT SO MUCH.
Thousands of Alaskan families suffered miserably this year from high energy prices and inadequate fuel supplies. Alaskan coastal communities reeled from declining fish runs exacerbated by ill-considered marine fisheries policies. Alaskan river communities were decimated by catastrophic flooding.
On which of these Alaskan issues is Sarah Palin concentrating her political capital? None.
She’s been busy manufacturing outrage for deposed beauty queen Carrie Prejean and at entertainer David Letterman.
Meanwhile, governance of Alaska has been left to others:
• She failed to carry her agenda through the last legislative session;
• She disenfranchised Juneau-area residents while she remained at loggerheads with Democrats over the appointment of a replacement state senator – challenging common sense and law while daring legislators to cross lines she figuratively toed in the dirt;
• She suffered the only rejected confirmation of a governor’s cabinet appointee in Alaskan statehood history;
• She retreated repeatedly over threatened rejection of federal stimulus funds, settling for a commonsense-defying token veto of badly-needed energy funds – incurring agreement by both parties’ legislative leaders that they should consider a rare veto override.
She’s forsaken governance while aspiring to leadership of an ever-dwindling segment of the electorate.
Even young evangelicals are abandoning culture-war wedge issues for substantive policy goals in areas such as protecting the environment and reducing poverty, and seeking leadership more in tune with their concerns.
Trading barbs with a late-night television comic is not a recognized characteristic of leadership; many would consider this penchant for the muck to be the antithesis of leadership. It does, though, support conservative columnist Kathleen Parker’s September 2008 assessment that Palin is both “vindictive” and “immature.”
Palin’s “vindictive” immaturity and the self-serving hypocrisy of her belated attempt to cast herself as the spokesperson for feminist outrage are on display when an Anchorage radio host railed against Lyda Green , Republican Senate President, cancer-survior, and former Palin mentor: “Lyda Green is a bitch, and she needs to go away because she is a cancer on the progress of the state of Alaska." Palin laughed.
The b-word: one of the most common degrading labels applied specifically to a woman. Regarding Letterman, Sarah Palin maintained that “degrading” remarks about women are “not funny;” except, apparently, when applied to someone she no longer likes.
The irony is amplified when you consider the Letterman affair began with a Sarah Palin interview by John Ziegler, who has been building his resume around Palin: peddling a DVD he produced from a video interview in her home; a principal behind the firedavidletterman.com Web site and the failed protest outside the Ed Sullivan Theater; and booking Palin as the first guest on the premier of his conservative radio talk show June 8.
Ziegler is on record saying he likes a woman “who is informed and is rational, which I realize is kind of an oxymoron for women.” So, Sarah Palin can simultaneously revile New York/LA media types who may feign misogyny when they mock her, while exploiting LA/New York media types who embrace misogyny, so long as they adore her. Self-serving, hypocritical, and opportunistic.
Sarah Palin resists detailed policy discussions, defers on issues of governance, escalates drama, and embraces cultural issues when they serve her cause.
There is a segment - dwindling as it may be - of society that reveres Sarah Palin as a potent leader and would like to follow her to the ends – and perhaps the end-times – of the world; but only in a world where being the first lemming to leap over the cliff can be considered leadership, can Sarah Palin truly be considered a leader.
Gee, why don't you tell us how you really feel :)
Just in case, yes, I am being facetious. I agree with you completely.
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