2008 Sarah Palin, First Amendment Martyr
posted by on October 31 at 13:15 PM
Let me see if I can accurately convey the latest complaint from Sarah Palin.
She seems to believe that because the media is calling her attacks on Barack Obama negative (and worse), this somehow infringes on her Constitutional right to free speech.
It’s always a trick to figure out what’s going on inside the mind of Palin, but maybe she actually believes that the right to free speech includes the right to free, glowing media? That seems to be the only explanation for this:
“If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations,” Palin told host Chris Plante, “then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.”
Defending the First Amendment means correcting loopy, wrong-headed reasoning such as the reasoning on display above, so, stating what should already be obvious to an elected official leading the largest state in America, here goes:
The media has a First Amendment right to say pretty much whatever it wants to say about Sarah Palin. And Sarah Palin has a First Amendment right to say pretty much whatever she wants to say about Barack Obama or anyone else.
If Sarah Palin doesn’t like how the press is covering her statements, she can exercise her First Amendment right to free speech by complaining, loudly. (Which she’s doing.) She can even base her complaints on totally fatuous reasoning. (Which she’s doing.) She can also buy print ads and TV commercials and air her views in the very mediums that are currently hurting her feelings. (Which her campaign is doing.) Or she can grab a microphone and complain about Obama’s associations as loud as she wants, for as long as she wants. (Which she’s done, from time to time, at her rallies.)
What Sarah Palin can’t do is tell the media how it should cover her, and then claim her Constitutional right to free speech is being violated when the media doesn’t do her bidding.
That’s how a Banana Republic works.
What's the difference between Palin's mouth and her vagina?
Only some of what comes out of her vagina is retarded.
She also can't seem to hold a press conference.
Doesn't the First Amendment have any kind of restriction on the kinds of adjectives the press can use to describe a candidate's statements? There need to be some guidelines in there. A list of adjectives that are acceptable and, more importantly, not acceptable would sure be helpful. Maybe some pro-American congress-people can get in there and amend the amendment.
I thought banaynay republics worked by employing children and selling coats.
I would say "fuck her", but the prospect of Yet More of Those walking the earth keeps matters in check.
What an embarassment.
As Tina Fey says: "please let her lose, so I can get on with my life"
Jesus Christ, this lady drives me crazy. This argument -- very frequently used by the right -- drives me absolutely insane. Somebody need to give everyone on the right who uses this argument a basic civics lesson, i.e., freedom of speech does not equal freedom from criticism/critique of that speech. If the KKK has a march and gets greeted by counterprotestors, that's freedom of speech in action, not censorship. Same is true for creationists/intelligent design folks who have supposedly been repressed (such as is asserted in the ridiculous "documentary" Expelled), when all that's happened is that people have called them out on their shit (which is usually sloppy pseduo-science) and made them be accountable for it.
I feel like I'm IRC listening to someone bitching about being banned.
It seems almost churlish to point out that her latest "association" charge, Khalidi, is in fact a complete load of shit; he's quite moderate and respected, and her own running mate is one of Khalidi's chief financers. The ONLY POSSIBLE motivation for the new attack is racism, 100%, pure and simple every time.`
I think she knows she's full of shit, and is attempting to manipulate the public's perception of her, as well as the public's perception of what the media says about her. She also trying to manipulate/intimidate the media itself.
On a certain level, while totally diabolical and a sick distortion of freedom, it's genius.
Fucking truthiness.
A tale told by an idiot.
How can ONE PERSON in this country vote for a ticket that contains someone who proves almost every time she opens her mouth that she hasn't got grasp of the most basic tenets of the founding principles of this country?!?
I will vomit if they win. Then cry.
She failed highschool civics, huh?
Yes, she has the First Amendment exactly backwards. Its intent is to protect the press from the likes of her, who would apparently seek to restrict it, not to protect her or anyone else from the press. It's kind of amazing that she's turned the most basic right in the land against itself, and millions of people probably agree with her, or think they do.
Sadly, I don't think this is because she doesn't understand these principles, or because she's stupid. That's letting her off too easy. She's calculating and hyper-ambitious. She knows this riles up people who are easily riled up, and she's doing it on purpose. She is pure evil.
@ Rank Stranger,
I thought the joke went "Everything that comes out of her mouth is retarded."
Jokes like stated here are as ugly as anything Palin has said about Obama. One thing I admire about Senator Obama is his sense of decency and willingness to focus on issues.
I am an Obama supporter, and frankly, I would hope that at least one "side" can show more dignity and respect than the unhinged Palin supporters.
That said, what is disturbing about Palin is how ignorant she is. Yes, I think she is sleazy, calculating and hyper-ambitious. I also think she is genuinely ignorant. That is a dangerous combination. Look what it got us the last 8 years. And Palin is worse.
This incident has finally solidified what bugs me the VERY most about Sarah Palin (If I have to choose just one thing). It's not just that she's not intelligent. Sadly, she is probably about average (giving her a generous benefit of the doubt). What pisses me the hell off is her utter contempt for the intelligence of all Americans.
She *thinks* she's much more intelligent than everyone else, and that all Americans are dumb enough to fall for her bullshit. There's nothing wrong with having an IQ of 100. There's nothing wrong with having an IQ of 100 and running for public office. What IS wrong is having an IQ of 100 and assuming that everyone else in the country has an IQ of 20.
@12 no but it took her six years to get a four year degree eventually graduating from a second rate party school. good lord. McCain the "smart" one was fifth from the bottom of a class of almost 900. If they have minimum GPA to be a city file clerk dumb and dumber should be barred from running.
Why do you try to figure out what's going on in the head of Srah Palin, or any politican for that matter? Trying to figure out motives that way is like trying to figure out the motives for why an ex does what she/he does. It's impossible and always colored more by your own biases than anything else.
That's not to say we should take politicians' words at face value. But rather that try to figure out what's going on inside their heads, analyze instead by figuring out who wins and who loses.
#16, exactly! She thinks she's a smart ass but she is an idiot. I think the contempt Palin and Gramps show for Obama is rooted in the fact somehwere in their reptilian brains they know that he is SO much smarter than them. And he is a master at personally staying above the fray. God I'll be glad when this campaign is over...
That's how a Banana Republic works.
That's how Caribou Barbie's mouth works...without a thought behind it.
But isn't it wonderful that Governor Palin is so politically naive that she actually allows her idiocies free voice? Whether it's her assessment of the First Amendment or of her readiness to lead in the world stage because she can see Russia from Alaska (which must mean I could pilot a 777 since I've seen the cockpit), she's laid bare at least some of her fatal flaws. Now we get to see if we're participating in a tragedy in which the McCain/Palin ticket comes to power or if her selection as candidate for VP is the penultimate error in the comedy that brings us to a happy conclusion.
The present administration seems to have had a fairly hard time with the Fourth Amendment ("The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated." etc..) and with the separation of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Powers. In other words, they do not have a great grasp of the Constitution. Unfortunately, it does not seem all that surprising that that the administration's successors would not have a better grasp of the Constitution and understand the real meaning and implications of the First Amendment.
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