Like Matt Lewis I Too Admit I Was Wrong About Palin

M.Joseph Sheppard
Matt Lewis, writing at The Daily Beast ran a long mea culpa,
​”​You Betcha I Was Wrong About Sarah Palin​“​ where he engaged in a chest beating sob story about his errant ways in having supported Governor Palin right from the start .”I was there” he crows, relating how he stood in awe at her 2008 convention address, but sadly it appears its all over.
Beating his breast for his not being as perspicacious as the immortal Kathleen Parker for one who “saw something I didn’t when she attacked Palin” and bowing to the wisdom of his erstwhile colleges he admits not only that in the past he “got some stuff right” but apparently his having contributed to the “premature deification of Palin” (what terrible twaddle-he actually gets paid for writing such junk) is too much of a burden to bear and he confesses all.
What brought on this terrible spate of guilt (are these writers all Catholics?) was Governor Palin having committed the dreadful sin of making, in the eyes of the media, one sub-optimal speech in Iowa. I described the avalanche of hate that was released by the media across left and right as a dam full of sewage bursting and flooding the sunlit plain where Governor Palin (and most normal non-Beltway denizens) dwells.
I wrote the following and listed the 25 pundits who, like Lewis variously described Palin as done/finished/irrelevant/all over and etc. All 25 are, post CPAC, totally silent when it is now actually time for their genuine admission of stupidity​;
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After Governor Palin’s address at the Freedom Summit in Iowa in January there was a veritable explosion of rancor, hate and downright poor manners across the entire spectrum of the various media. It was like there had been a massive powder keg of built up hate just waiting for the tiniest spark (or illusion of one) to cause this massive explosion-and massive, as I will show below, is no exaggeration.
The incredible unleashing of venom from left right and middle media was so ridiculously out of proportion. After all, it was just one speech which was, in some peoples view, delivered sub-optimally after a teleprompter breakdown.
If President Obama, who of course has delivered poor speeches after similar mishaps, were to be also so attacked for a bad speech there would be dozens of such outrages, but of course there has not been. On the other hand it says something for the quality of Palin’s public events that the media had to wait six years for their chance-they are rather pathetic are they not?
Clearly something deeper was involved. On the left the media finally saw their chance to dump their excrement on Palin (which Bashir failed at but they did successfully) for 6 years of, rightly, being called out for their slavish Obama enabling and worship.
The centrists see Palin as possible threat to their anointed one (or ones if a fall back is required) Jeb Bush or Christie-it being no coincidence that their attack came after Iowa where of course the first primary takes place. The “conservatives” who used the event as an excuse to distance themselves from Palin also perceive her as a threat to their choices and took the occasion, with wails of mea culpa, to try and nip any idea she has of running in the bud.
As for the “progressives” like Maher and Daily Kos etc, it was just another day at the office for their six year run of snide arrogant elitist hate.
Here are the pundits that Palin took to the woodshed at CPAC. They are irrelevant, many are utter hacks, most just went for clickbait with journalistic integrity be damned. They should eat a double serving of crow if they had an iota of professionalism.
Once again the media writes Palin off in a show of Beltway elitism. Once again she grinds their collective noses in the dirt.
Now, I too have to admit “you betcha, I was wrong about Sarah Palin” I wrote, at American Journal
CPAC; ​ ​Palin’s ​ ​Last ​ ​Chance ​ ​To ​ ​Declare ​ ​Or ​ ​Declare ​ ​Support?​
Once again Governor Palin seems to be at crisis, or better yet, inflection point in her political career.
​I set out that when she was written off in the past e.g. before her 2008 convention address and then before her debate with Biden, Palin confounded her critics and delivered, respectively, a speech of a lifetime and a debate performance that, once again, resuscitated McCain’s near defunct campaign​. Thus, with the media again descending on her at CPAC, just like those previous occasions Palin would need to deliver another speech of such quality it silences the critics who are baying for blood.
I then went on to provide the unsolicited advice that, perhaps, if Governor Palin does not announce she is running, or gives a solid indication that she might, it would be best if she endorses someone who can carry her banner for her. In my defense I did write “but who am I to give advice” (whilst of course giving it).
What I did, my “you betcha I was wrong” moment, was to fall into the very same trap that the Palin haters do. I, no doubt because I actually read their drivel and apparently took some of it on board, underestimated the incredible ability of Governor Palin to rise to the occasion.
I saw three possibilities. One, that Governor Palin announce she is running. which would make her speech subject, apart from that announcement, of little consequence so it wouldn’t matter if her Iowa address was not an aberration. Two, that she advise she will endorse (and possibly hint who she might) which would also render her speech irrelevant as far as delivery. Where I came unstuck was with possibility number three.
“Not only is there the pressure of meeting reasonable expectations but to make a speech of a lifetime (yet again) that is so powerful, dramatic and inspiring that the media will have to reverse their entire “Palin is not a politician anymore” meme-that much is riding on her CPAC address in my opinion. Can she do it-of course she can, will she do it and include a strong indication she is running-that is the,possibly end-game question”
What I should have done is is to have concluded the sentence at “of course she can”
But, like the sage of old I was guilty of “I believe, help my unbelief”. I was wrong about Governor Palin, I knew from past history she had it in her to silence her critics, actually she smashed them at CPAC, but I let my belief be tempered by the media hounds of Hell. Mea culpa-I won’t do that again “lesson learned”