They Really Are Afraid of Palin: WH Talking Points Single Out Palin and No Other Republican

White House talking points blast Palin in run-up to Obama's third failed speech.

A source sends on the talking points the White House is circulating to allies in advance of President Obama's speech, most of them reiterating familiar themes of momentum and security.

But the White House has also chosen specifically to focus on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and evidently to make her the face of the opposition, or to respond to her ability to project herself into the debate. She is the only Republican named in the talking points.

In closely related news: Lefties praise Palin's WSJ editorial, indirectly, by caterwauling she didn't write it; and Marc Ambinder pleads with the MSM not to give Palin any exposure.

By the way, he concedes that Barack "Rara Avis" Obama didn't write his editorials. But, see, it's different and stuff.

The media -- by which I mean the cable news networks, primarily -- will determine whether Palin's view on health care becomes influential. There are many Republican, conservative health care spokespeople who have earned the right to speak for their party's principals, and, truth be told, can recite the talking points (complete with Ronald Reagan quote) better than Palin and her writer can. They're the ones who should be offended if Palin's op-ed becomes the voice of the opposition tomorrow....

Awww, he's worried about the Republican Party.

So here's a challenge to the media: if you want to do justice to conservative ideas and find some balance in your coverage tomorrow, book serious Republicans with original ideas on your programs. If you don't, Palin is giving herself a voice at your expense and through little effort of her own.

By implying, incidentally, that Palin gets help from a speechwriter, I mean to make an observation. Barack Obama didn't draft his op-ed, either. But, reading Obama, it's not a leap to believe that the ideas are truly his. Palin has no chops and no experience talking about health care and isn't participating in this debate; the content of her op-ed piece isn't original, and the points are points that Republicans make every day.

Palin was an early adopter of one of the most effective lines of attack, Bub. Indeed, before she adopted it, barely anyone was talking about.

This notion that only the actual originator of an idea can push it is bizarre. First I've heard of such a thing -- were it the rule, only one dude could speak out on any idea.

But of course the rules are different for Palin.

This is the reality. Palin has policy credibility problems. Big ones. A few op-eds aren't going to help her. But if the media treats her as as a legitimate and influential voice today, she won't need to do the hard work that will result in her learning more about policy and actually becoming conversant in the issues that she, as a potential presidential candidate, will deal with.

Ah, he's concerned about Palin, too. He's trying to help her, you see, by forcing her to do that "hard work."

Concern troll.

By the way, Ambinder is almost certainly parroting, yet again, the White House's official line, as he frequently does. (Not the originator of his ideas, so he shouldn't be permitted to write them out.)

Mickey Kaus has been having great fun at Ambinder's expense by noting that Ambinder is the only guy in politics, pretty much, willing to commit the most ludicrous spin from the White House to postings which are supposed to be seriously-intended, rather than parody.

Stuff like "Obama won August!" Yeah, Ambinder actually got spun on that, before walking it back, slightly, to "Obama survived August."

Kaus calls him Marc "Please Spin Me Some More" Ambinder or somethin'.

So, you know. Here's a confirmed Tesla-level genius, the kind of guy who's told by Rahm or Axelturf that Obama won August and immediately dashes off a blog post to that effect, a Mensa Chapter President, telling us all that Palin's too dumb to have her effective editorial given any media attention.

And, meanwhile, his spinners/handlers at the White House are specifically giving Palin the attention he claims she doesn't deserve.

Remember, Marc Ambinder only has the GOP's and Palin's best interests at heart with all this.

Semi-Correction: While Kaus does in fact knock Ambinder's apparent politico-sexual masochistic craving to be spun, he thinks that on this current spin -- Obama winning August -- it's so frickin' stupid it must have come from Ambinder himself.

Are They Afraid of Her, Or Do They Think She's Unpopular and Are Therefore Attempting the Rush Limbaugh Maneuver on Her? Actually, now that I think about it (I got spun by my tipster!), I think it's the latter.

But it won't work. See, Palin is on the right side of this issue as far as popular opinion. (And she wrote a heckuva editorial, too.)

So associating Palin with the anti-ObamaCare side of things doesn't reduce support for the anti-ObamaCare side.

Instead, it increases support for Palin.

The White House has become increasingly petulant about simply calling anyone who disagrees with them a liar, or stupid. They think they will be able to make this sale more easily if they make Sarah Palin the face of the resistance.

Not so. The public believes most of of what Palin believes. They're not going to change their minds simply because Palin is on the same side they are. Even if they don't like her.

Lose-lose for Obama. The attack accomplishes nothing to help themselves, and only increases Palin's profile and credibility.

Precisely the opposite result that the other guy spinning Ambinder hoped would occur.

Thanks to Rene.

posted by Ace at 04:15 PM

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