In her more than two years on
the national stage, former
Alaska governor Sarah Palin
has proven to be a master of
attention-grabbing quotes and
vivid images. As a result, she
finds herself at the center of a
political and media
controversy - unfairly in the
estimation of her allies - after
Saturday's shootings in
Tucson.
The controversy, which may
have caught the Republican by
surprise, is the kind of test
candidates commonly face in
a presidential campaign. How
she navigates it, several
Republican strategists said
Monday, could be a defining
moment for her politically.
What makes her challenge
unique is that it comes as a
result of a national tragedy in
which there is no known
connection between anything
Palin said or did and the
alleged actions of Jared
Loughner, who is accused of
fatally shooting six and
severely wounding Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)
and 13 others.
"It's absurd to point fingers at
Palin, and people who are
doing that are just as guilty of
politicizing this tragedy as
anyone else," said Todd
Harris, a Republican
strategist. "At the same time,
to the degree that this is a so-
called learning moment for
the country, I think the public
looks to its leaders and pretty
quickly decides who has
something to teach and who
has something to learn. I think
that Palin is missing an
opportunity to show that she
can be a leader at a higher
level than she's been viewed
before."
Part of Palin's political success
owes to her knack for frontier
imagery and provocative
sound bites, as in the health-
care debate when she tweeted
after the bill had passed
Congress, "Don't Retreat,
Instead - RELOAD!" But Palin is
on the defensive at this
moment because of her
decision to make Giffords,
who remains in critical
condition after being shot in
the head, one of 20 Democrats
marked for defeat in the 2010
midterm elections.
Palin set up a Web site called
"Take Back the 20," which
included a map of the United
States with cross hairs on
congressional districts of
Democratic candidates she
had singled out for defeat.
The map drew immediate
criticism. Among those who
voiced disapproval was
Giffords.
"We're on Sarah Palin's
targeted list, but the thing is
that the way she has it
depicted has the cross hairs of
a gun sight over our district,"
Giffords told MSNBC at the
time. "When people do that,
they've got to realize there's
consequences to that action."
On Sunday, the issue of
whether Palin was partly to
blame for the tragedy in
Tucson became the top
question asked on Facebook.
Criticism of Palin escalated
across the Internet.
Palin has had little to say
since the shootings. Her first
response was a brief note of
condolence posted Saturday
on her Facebook page. On
Monday, Glenn Beck told his
radio audience that Palin sent
him a message in which she
said:
"I hate violence. I hate war.
Our children will not have
peace if politicos just
capitalize on this to succeed in
portraying anyone as inciting
terror and violence. Thanks
for all you do to send the
message of truth and love and
God as the answer."
The controversy gathered
force when Rebecca Mansour,
an adviser to Palin, told radio
host Tammy Bruce that the
criticism of Palin and her list
was "obscene." She added
that the target list was not
meant as a reference to guns.
"We never ever, ever
intended it to be cross hairs,"
she said.
Her explanation overlooked
the fact that Palin had earlier
described the symbol as a
bull's-eye.
The "Take Back the 20" Web
site was removed over the
weekend.
Palin advisers were asked
Monday for comment by the
former governor, but Palin did
not respond. On her Facebook
page, a lively debate about
the controversy erupted, with
more than 10,000 comments.
Palin may be more aggressive
in her language than some
other politicians, but she is
hardly the only person to use
martial rhetoric or imagery in
the heat of a political
campaign. Such talk is
common on both sides and is
one reason there have been
calls since Saturday for
restraint and a change in the
discourse.
Last fall, to show his
separation from President
Obama, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-
W.Va.) aired a television
commercial that included
footage of him firing a rifle
shot into a copy of the cap-
and-trade energy bill that was
pinned, targetlike, on a tree.
On Monday, Manchin said he
probably wouldn't use the ad
in today's post-Tucson
environment and called for
the nation to come together.
About the ad, he said, "The
act of a deranged madman
who commits a horrific act
should not and cannot be
confused with a metaphor
about a piece of legislation. I
have never targeted an
individual, and I never would."
But Palin is a lightning rod for
criticism, especially from the
left, almost no matter what
she says. Keith Appell, a
Republican strategist who
works closely with
conservative organizations,
said the fact that Palin has
found herself enveloped in
this controversy combines "a
predisposition on the left to
feel threatened by her" and
the media's exploitation of her
celebrity status to attract
readers or viewers.
He said Palin needs allies who
can "point out repeatedly that
the cross hairs are irrelevant.
The only thing that's relevant
is what Jared Loughner was
influenced by, and according
to his posting and his videos,
there's not an iota of evidence
that he was even aware of
these things. So you need
allies out there saying that."
He also said Palin could help
herself by calling on people
"to take a breath and let the
investigation proceed" as a
way to lower temperatures
and put the focus back on the
suspect.
Politico's Jonathan Martin
wrote Monday that Palin may
soon have to decide "whether
she wants to be Ronald
Reagan or Rush Limbaugh" as
she contemplates her future.
Palin allies point to language
and imagery used by some
critics on the left as evidence
of a double standard. But John
Weaver, a GOP strategist, said
Palin is being held to a
different standard precisely
because she may have
presidential aspirations.
"You can't put the actions of
this insane person on her
doorstep or anyone's
doorstep," he said in Palin's
defense. But, he added,
"having said that, there's a
difference between how
people judge the conduct of a
blogger and a political leader
or someone who may want to
run for president of the United
States."
Source: Http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006695.html
the national stage, former
Alaska governor Sarah Palin
has proven to be a master of
attention-grabbing quotes and
vivid images. As a result, she
finds herself at the center of a
political and media
controversy - unfairly in the
estimation of her allies - after
Saturday's shootings in
Tucson.
The controversy, which may
have caught the Republican by
surprise, is the kind of test
candidates commonly face in
a presidential campaign. How
she navigates it, several
Republican strategists said
Monday, could be a defining
moment for her politically.
What makes her challenge
unique is that it comes as a
result of a national tragedy in
which there is no known
connection between anything
Palin said or did and the
alleged actions of Jared
Loughner, who is accused of
fatally shooting six and
severely wounding Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)
and 13 others.
"It's absurd to point fingers at
Palin, and people who are
doing that are just as guilty of
politicizing this tragedy as
anyone else," said Todd
Harris, a Republican
strategist. "At the same time,
to the degree that this is a so-
called learning moment for
the country, I think the public
looks to its leaders and pretty
quickly decides who has
something to teach and who
has something to learn. I think
that Palin is missing an
opportunity to show that she
can be a leader at a higher
level than she's been viewed
before."
Part of Palin's political success
owes to her knack for frontier
imagery and provocative
sound bites, as in the health-
care debate when she tweeted
after the bill had passed
Congress, "Don't Retreat,
Instead - RELOAD!" But Palin is
on the defensive at this
moment because of her
decision to make Giffords,
who remains in critical
condition after being shot in
the head, one of 20 Democrats
marked for defeat in the 2010
midterm elections.
Palin set up a Web site called
"Take Back the 20," which
included a map of the United
States with cross hairs on
congressional districts of
Democratic candidates she
had singled out for defeat.
The map drew immediate
criticism. Among those who
voiced disapproval was
Giffords.
"We're on Sarah Palin's
targeted list, but the thing is
that the way she has it
depicted has the cross hairs of
a gun sight over our district,"
Giffords told MSNBC at the
time. "When people do that,
they've got to realize there's
consequences to that action."
On Sunday, the issue of
whether Palin was partly to
blame for the tragedy in
Tucson became the top
question asked on Facebook.
Criticism of Palin escalated
across the Internet.
Palin has had little to say
since the shootings. Her first
response was a brief note of
condolence posted Saturday
on her Facebook page. On
Monday, Glenn Beck told his
radio audience that Palin sent
him a message in which she
said:
"I hate violence. I hate war.
Our children will not have
peace if politicos just
capitalize on this to succeed in
portraying anyone as inciting
terror and violence. Thanks
for all you do to send the
message of truth and love and
God as the answer."
The controversy gathered
force when Rebecca Mansour,
an adviser to Palin, told radio
host Tammy Bruce that the
criticism of Palin and her list
was "obscene." She added
that the target list was not
meant as a reference to guns.
"We never ever, ever
intended it to be cross hairs,"
she said.
Her explanation overlooked
the fact that Palin had earlier
described the symbol as a
bull's-eye.
The "Take Back the 20" Web
site was removed over the
weekend.
Palin advisers were asked
Monday for comment by the
former governor, but Palin did
not respond. On her Facebook
page, a lively debate about
the controversy erupted, with
more than 10,000 comments.
Palin may be more aggressive
in her language than some
other politicians, but she is
hardly the only person to use
martial rhetoric or imagery in
the heat of a political
campaign. Such talk is
common on both sides and is
one reason there have been
calls since Saturday for
restraint and a change in the
discourse.
Last fall, to show his
separation from President
Obama, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-
W.Va.) aired a television
commercial that included
footage of him firing a rifle
shot into a copy of the cap-
and-trade energy bill that was
pinned, targetlike, on a tree.
On Monday, Manchin said he
probably wouldn't use the ad
in today's post-Tucson
environment and called for
the nation to come together.
About the ad, he said, "The
act of a deranged madman
who commits a horrific act
should not and cannot be
confused with a metaphor
about a piece of legislation. I
have never targeted an
individual, and I never would."
But Palin is a lightning rod for
criticism, especially from the
left, almost no matter what
she says. Keith Appell, a
Republican strategist who
works closely with
conservative organizations,
said the fact that Palin has
found herself enveloped in
this controversy combines "a
predisposition on the left to
feel threatened by her" and
the media's exploitation of her
celebrity status to attract
readers or viewers.
He said Palin needs allies who
can "point out repeatedly that
the cross hairs are irrelevant.
The only thing that's relevant
is what Jared Loughner was
influenced by, and according
to his posting and his videos,
there's not an iota of evidence
that he was even aware of
these things. So you need
allies out there saying that."
He also said Palin could help
herself by calling on people
"to take a breath and let the
investigation proceed" as a
way to lower temperatures
and put the focus back on the
suspect.
Politico's Jonathan Martin
wrote Monday that Palin may
soon have to decide "whether
she wants to be Ronald
Reagan or Rush Limbaugh" as
she contemplates her future.
Palin allies point to language
and imagery used by some
critics on the left as evidence
of a double standard. But John
Weaver, a GOP strategist, said
Palin is being held to a
different standard precisely
because she may have
presidential aspirations.
"You can't put the actions of
this insane person on her
doorstep or anyone's
doorstep," he said in Palin's
defense. But, he added,
"having said that, there's a
difference between how
people judge the conduct of a
blogger and a political leader
or someone who may want to
run for president of the United
States."
Source: Http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011006695.html
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