
My partner in satirical and boldly biased analysis is wonder woman writer, feminist, and managing editor and columnist for Politicususa, Sarah Jones.
LN: So listen, Sarah, and you will hear, about the newest ride of Paul Revere. No kidding, guns blazin’, bells ringin’. I grew up in Massachusetts and somehow missed that chapter in all our history and learnin’ books.
SJ: What disturbs me about this is the Right’s willingness to distort reality in order to cover for Sarah Palin. When basic history is brought into question, it’s as maddening as saying “black is white” and having the press begin to repeat it because it was said by someone famous.
This is a dangerous slope of managing reality, and given the press’ propensity to merely report what is said, I think it has an exceptionally negative impact on our culture. The Palin revisionists were arguing with Wikipedia that since Palin said it, she was a source. That’s some rather frightening circular logic.
In many ways, the modern day press has no time to debunk basic things, and so we find ourselves too often settling for cutting down the middle of two statements (no matter how untrue one of those statements may be) instead of finding the facts. “Fairness” is a dangerous game to play.
LN: To what do you attribute this dire need to “cover for” a political figure or potential candidate? It almost says more about the folks rushing to her rescue than it does about the woman herself.
SJ: I don’t think the press has an agenda, but as far as the conservative operatives who are pushing the meme in papers that Palin was right about Paul Revere warning the British, how can they do anything but defend her? How can they start defending the truth when much of their platform is a lie, meant to bilk the people for the sake of corporations? If they start telling the truth about Palin, it might awaken the masses, and they can’t have that.
LN: Edwards, Arnold, Weiner…it all seems so implausible - until it isn’t. The press, it appears, tiptoes at first, and then goes all relentless on these guys. But Mrs. Palin: Snafu after FUBAR Snafu…and she just smiles and says she knows her American history. Just like she smiled for the cameras and said she was glad that the Branchflower investigation found her innocent of any abuse of power. Explain this to me, cause I’m all ears.
SJ: I wish I could. I’ll distinguish the sex scandals from Palin’s mishaps because there was hard evidence of them (pardon the pun). Palin is being elevated by some very moneyed interests. The problem for Palin is that she sells, so when she descends, the press will hound her with the same devotion they do now. It will be relentless and inescapable. That’s the downside of being a celebrity who is disliked by the majority of Americans. They love to hate her.
LN: Any predictions on when we’re likely to see the wheels on the family RV with paint all over it go round and round again?
SJ: I’m looking for a July 4 surprise because if there’s one thing Palin knows how to do, it’s play the holiday slow news cycle for all it’s worth. But this is Sarah Palin we’re talking about. Anything could happen.
LN: Well, what ever historic sites Mrs. Palin sets her sights on, you and I will be right there to cut through the noise. And I know that you are already all over the Emails dump, including those critical of Palin. Thank you so much, Sarah Jones.