As the broadcast network evening newscasts reported Friday on Sarah Palin's decision to resign as Alaska's governor, some of the negative wording on the CBS Evening News sounded eerily similar to the partisan statement attacking Palin that was released by the Democratic National Committee, which was quoted the same evening on FNC's Fox Report, and on Special Report with Bret Baier.
As she began her report, correspondent Nancy Cordes used words with a negative connotation -- "abandoning her job" -- to describe Palin's departure from office. Cordes: "Surrounded by family at her home in Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin said she was abandoning her job because she has no interest in being a lame duck."
Similarly, the statement issued by DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse also used the word "abandon" to refer to Palin's resignation: "Her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today.”
Also similar to the DNC statement, CBS managed to squeeze in the word "bizarre" twice as a description of Palin's announcement as Cordes first showed a soundbite of the Politico's Mike Allen calling Palin's actions "bizarre," and, moments later, as he appeared with substitute anchor Maggie Rodriguez to discuss the story, CBS News political consultant John Dickerson also used the word. Allen: "This is very unusual, even bizarre." Dickerson: "It's bizarre, and there's no good explanation."
But Cordes did employ other negative words of her own in her report as she also described Palin's statement as "rambling" and "confusing." Cordes: "In a rambling, at times confusing announcement, the former vice presidential candidate said this move had been in the works for a while." NBC's Andrea Mitchell notably used similar words in a report on Sunday's NBC Nightly News.
CBS also resurrected an infamous exchange between Katie Couric and Palin in which the Alaska Governor became tongue-tied while responding to criticism of her statement about the proximity of Russia and Alaska as a source of international experience:
KATIE COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land boundary that we have with Canada. It's funny that a comment like that was kind of made to – I don't know, you know, reporters-
COURIC: Mocked?
PALIN: Yeah, mocked. I guess that’s the word, yeah.
Below is a complete transcript of the report from the Friday, July 3, CBS Evening News, followed by the text of the DNC's statement on Palin's resignation, as read by FNC's Chris Wallace on the same day's Special Report with Bret Baier:
#From the July 3 CBS Evening News:
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Good evening, everyone. Katie’s off tonight. On this 3rd of July, Sarah Palin is declaring her independence. In a move no one saw coming, she announced today she's resigning two and a half years into her first term as governor of Alaska. She said she believes she “can effect positive change outside government.” This, of course, raises a lot of questions about the future of one of the few big stars of a battered Republican party. Nancy Cordes begins tonight's coverage.
GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN (R-AK): And I really don't want to disappoint anyone with this announcement.
NANCY CORDES: Surrounded by family at her home in Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin said she was abandoning her job because she has no interest in being a lame duck.PALIN: That's what's wrong. Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit the road, they draw a paycheck, they kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that.
CORDES: In a rambling, at times confusing announcement, the former vice presidential candidate said this move had been in the works for a while.
PALIN: -millions of your dollars go down the drain in this new political environment. Rather, we know we can affect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale, and actually make a difference.
CORDES: Palin didn't go into detail on how she plans to do that. But she did allude to the hits she's been taking lately, everything from a dust-up with David Letterman to a scathing new expose in Vanity Fair about her rocky relationship with the Republican establishment.
PALIN: -and I know when it's time to pass the ball for victory.
CORDES: The former high school basketball star has also been on the defense in Alaska, where the Anchorage Daily News reported this week that the state has spent $300,000 investigating 15 ethics complaints against the Governor, most notably related to state-paid family trips and “Troopergate.”
PALIN CLIP #1: And this political absurdity, the politics of personal destruction, Todd and I, we’re looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills just in order to set the record straight.
PALIN CLIP #2: The people who offer up these silly accusations, it doesn't cost them a dime. So they're not going to stop draining the public resources.
CORDES: Palin’s surprise decision is sure to fuel speculation that she is clearing her plate to run for President, though this approach would be a risky and highly unconventional political gamble.
MIKE ALLEN, POLITICO, CLIP #1: This is very unusual, even bizarre. Governors just don't stop in the middle of their terms when there’s no clear reason.
ALLEN CLIP #2: -frees her to run for President, but now she has to answer questions about why she quit her job, about why she now is traveling around to make money for herself instead of working for her state.
CORDES: Leaving the state house would give her the freedom to travel across the country, campaigning for Republicans and giving her valuable political experience she could never get in Alaska.
KATIE COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land boundary that we have with Canada. It's funny that a comment like that was kind of made to – I don't know, you know, reporters-
COURIC: Mocked?
PALIN: Yeah, mocked. I guess that’s the word, yeah.
CORDES: The timing of all this is curious. Typically, when politicians make announcements on a Friday at the start of a holiday weekend with no notice, it means they're trying to bury the news, not herald the onset of an exciting new chapter in their political lives. Maggie?RODRIGUEZ: Nancy Cordes in Washington. Thanks, Nancy. John Dickerson, also in Washington, is a CBS News political consultant. John, after listening to the entire news conference, I'm still not sure why Sarah Palin is resigning. What's your take?
JOHN DICKERSON: Well, I think she's basically sick of being governor, sick of being the target of both the media and her political opponents who have launched all these ethics investigations. She's going to take the bulls eye off her back. And now she can travel. And she can go embrace her public. They are wildly in love with Sarah Palin in the Republican base. She can raise money for Republicans, build morale in the party, and if she wants a future in the national party, those are all important things if she wants to run again.
RODRIGUEZ: But 2012 is a long way away. Why do you think she chose to leave now?
DICKERSON: It's bizarre, and there's no good explanation. And if she were trying to do away with the kind of speculation that she says has so irritated her, this is not the way to do it.
RODRIGUEZ: What about the down side here? Could her actions be seen as bailing on the citizens of Alaska?
DICKERSON: The down side is that her greatest card used to be the charges that she lacked depth and didn't have executive experience, she could point to her role as Governor. Now she doesn't have that anymore. She used to say I could fight the old boy network, but today in her remarks she clearly was sick of the fight.
#From the July 3 Special Report with Bret Baier on FNC:
CHRIS WALLACE: The Democratic National Committee released a statement on Governor Palin's announcement saying, quote, "Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job ... now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."
—Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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Comments Policy
It doesn't surprise me. We
July 6, 2009 - 10:25 ET by ricklailIt doesn't surprise me. We all know that the SCM is controlled by Obama and the Democrats. I would expect nothing less of them. I bet Oblerman and the rest of his cronies at MSNBC will be doing the same thing.
Semper suprene nitens
Dole Had to Resign
July 6, 2009 - 10:49 ET by allanfSo let me understand the Democratic calculus. Bob Dole had to resign from the Senate in 1996 to run for President. Even though Bill Clinton could remain President it was unfair of Dole to take on both tasks according to the press.
Now when Palin resigns, so she won't have to do both tasks, she is "abandoning".
Re calculus
July 6, 2009 - 10:53 ET by slickwillie2001When President George W. Bush ran for office in 2000, that meme was pounded mercilessly; -'why aren't you resigning your position as Governor?' Is this fair to the people of Texas? etc, etc.
If he had resigned early, he would have been called a quitter too. The liberal media and their democratic masters really do have it both ways.
Intense
July 6, 2009 - 11:01 ET by allanfThe media caterwauling would have been intense if Palin left Alaska frequently to seek higher office. She would have been “abandoning her duties”. The Democrats would have continued to file ethics complaints, and there would be charges that she was using State resources to travel.
Republicans will be consumed by media bias until they confront the bias directly.
No surprise
July 6, 2009 - 10:29 ET by slickwillie2001This should not come as a surprise to anyone. The talking points distribution machine is still running, it's just no longer in the news. Rahm's morning conference call (was it 9:30ET?) and the JournoList, and the third one I can't recall. They were in the news a couple of months ago but have been largely forgotten. There are likely others that we don't know about. This is how the democratics and their liberal media machine operate.
Don't forget Pelosi
July 6, 2009 - 10:57 ET by KC MulvilleRemember Nancy was at the briefing where the harsh interrogations were discussed, then claimed that she wasn't, and that the CIA was lying about her? When the questions piled up, she anounced that she simply had nothing more to say about the issue.
Oh those dogged reporters, speaking truth to power ...
Surprised?
July 6, 2009 - 10:44 ET by cvgbuckeyeDoes the name Pravda mean anything to you? How about Comrades?
Kruschev (?) has been proven to be correct. They have done it without firing a shot. All they had to do was allow the so-called free press to follow it's liberal nose by an event that they dreamed to be preferable to entering the Kingdom of Heaven; and that is to have a minority elected to the presidency. It would not have mattered if it was Hitler, as long as he was black.
Racism only took about a 20 year sabatical and returned with a reverse vengeance. Here we are.
jessieH
July 6, 2009 - 10:49 ET by jessieHjessieH The dems. talk of change. Isn't it ironic that when someone wants change, they still mock that person. Now that Palin has left office, they still stalk her every move. It is her decision, not theirs. These "robot journalists" are useless to everyone but the govt.
Journalism HA!
July 6, 2009 - 11:04 ET by jdripperThere are no journalists or editors anymore there are just rewrite people for the DNC.
Jack
"If at age 20 you are a conservative then you have no heart. If at age 30 you are a liberal then you have no brains." Sir Winston Churchill
To the politically addicted...
July 6, 2009 - 11:10 ET by CobraManThe decision of Sarah to resign is a "bizarre" event. To those who think that being a high-level politician is the highest aspiration a human may seek, the choice to leave public office is an abandonment, an abandonment of principle. To those who believe that achieving and maintaining Political Power is more important than anything else, the decision to leave a powerful position is a sign of weakness which is subject to ridicule.
To everyone else, including myself, Sarah's decision is a personal choice. It's her life, let her live it her way. The people who think this is a "bizarre" "abandonment" needs to stop OBSESSING on politics. That political obsession is far more bizarre, far more of an abandonment of reality, than anything Sarah has done.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Yep!
July 6, 2009 - 11:43 ET by poorsinnerBut one caviat: Alaska Governor is not THAT powerful of a position. I back her. Millions back her. Less than 700k Alaskans. She has a higher calling.
I love the smell of liberal
July 6, 2009 - 11:41 ET by Gary P JacksonI love the smell of liberal fear in the morning!
www.thespeechatimefo...
Herd mentality
July 6, 2009 - 11:54 ET by doug1950on full display. A leaf shuttered in the wind and the whole damned herd is in panic mode and ready to stampede. Sarah knows exactly what she is doing, but because it defies their logic and way of thinking they are pulling out all the stops (if there ever were any) to paint her as loonie, bizarre, a quitter, etc. You ain't seen nothing yet.
Palin has done things her way and gone against "conventional wisdom" and proven to be right every time with the one exception of going along with the McCain team. I think she is a very quick study and knows now that was a mistake. She is in better position today than she has ever been, even as a VP candidate with a nitwit in the number 1 spot as her running mate. The rest of the crowd is just standing around, Sarah is doing something. I am enjoying all the chatter. Even some of the Rinos over at Fox are in panic mode with all the sweat pumps on line and in high gear.
Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way!
The media and the left is
July 6, 2009 - 12:03 ET by LiberalliesThe media and the left is full of hypocrites.
Hmmmm....President Barack Hussein Obama left his Senate seat, did he not? He abandoned it, did he not? In fact, it is a very well known FACT that while Barack held the Senator title, he did NOTHING as a Senator, but run for the office of the President of the United States!
Juan Williams on Fox News with Chris Wallace when presented with this FACT was unable to defend Obama, yet he kept on attacking Palin. I watched other Sunday morning shows and it was pretty much the same thing.
When someone said, "Well, didn't Obama abandon his Senate seat to run for the Presidency and then when he became President?" The pro-obama, but anti-Palin repoter could not give a coherent, well thought out respond.
The fact is, whether we like it or not, politicians are constantly abandoning political posts in other to seek other political posts. As someone already mentioned, while Bush was running in 2000, this was a point that was constantly hammered home by the media. Even when Kerry ran in 2004, the media was asking why he had not resigned as Senator since he wasn't doing anything for Mass.
but now that Palin is doing it, it all of a sudden becomes wrong, it is abandoning your post, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....
I pity those that watch the news media and believe what these idiots say.
Gov Palin--relentlessly
July 6, 2009 - 13:53 ET by ConservativeRexGov Palin--relentlessly attacked, her husband--relentlessly attacked--her children relentlessly attacked. For 10 months it has been a constant offensive on the Palins. How her husband restrained himself from going after these maggots with his .270, well, let's just say he's a better man then me. You attack my family in this or anything close to this manner, you won't have to wait for a lawsuit to be filed to see your justice.
What it all boils down to is this: Sarah Palin is not wealthy, she did not go to East coast snobaholic schools. The elites in this country, and I include the elites on this site, just hate her class of people. They don't know or associate with anyone from this class, they would never know or associate with anyone from this class. That is exactly what it boils down to. How dare someone like her show up on the national scene and ruffle well heeled patrons of politics. This reminds me of what I heard in Japan one time..'the nail that sticks up, gets hammered'.
Well, millions upon millions think Gov Palin is alright. Millions upon millions can relate to her upbringing and education. Millions came from large familys and saw their daddys work two and three jobs to support the ones he loved. Oh, we've not heard the last of Sarah Palin. This country is a better country with folks like the Palins in it.
I said the same thing about Joe the Plumber
July 7, 2009 - 13:59 ET by PTWBoth he and Sarah Palin hit the lottery with these attacks...at least Joe wasn't running for anything. Seven figure book deal, national celebrity, etc. This is called vetting the candidate...not pretty but warranted. The Presidency is a critical position and without the blogs and media we would get nothing but spin. I know we lambast the media for not doing there jobs but we need to make informed decisions...much like I do when I watch FOX, I try to discern policy from propaganda.
If Palin were honest, she's say that she's riding this criticism right to the bank. With her humble background, this is not a questionable choice. It may be the right one for her and her family.
The media and the right . . . relentlessly
July 6, 2009 - 14:53 ET by wjneillJonah Goldberg, darling of the "Wall Street Journal", has written bad things about Mrs. Palin:
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http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/07/another-letter-to-jonah-goldberg.html
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And the Palindrones are very, very unhappy about this sordid turn of the screw.
Take care to check out the many highlighted text items in the above story. The knives are out and the slashing has begun in earnest.
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This is cool. And Rush has yet to comment on what's happened to his 'darlin. 'nothin's official on this matter until Rush has spoken. Regardless, the real conservatives and the real real-conservatives are now harpooning each other in the most delightfully subtle of ways.
Truly Bizarre
July 6, 2009 - 15:05 ET by BarkerAnd just how many liberal news outlets and liberal democrats described Michael Jackson as "bizarre", hmmm?
Troll Alert...I am one
July 7, 2009 - 12:35 ET by PTWJohn Kerry and John McCain went back to work after losing and being hammered by the media...why couldn't Palin? She has a legal defense fund and lawyers that can handle ethics complaints and whatnot...are you saying she can't multi-task like everyone else? And I just have to ask. Is she ready? I keep reading Thatcher comparisons but when I look at their bios...I don't see it. Before you say it...I don't think Obama was ready either. But if you all feel that she should be president then I agree to disagree. Experience, education and gravitas matter...that's why the Iron Lady was great.
After being in the national
July 7, 2009 - 12:49 ET by Another Dead KennedyAfter being in the national spotlight and feeling the excitement of national politics, going back to Alaska wasn't satisfying. Combine that with the pressure from conservatives to become a national figure, future presidential candidate, perhaps head of the RNC, and the thought of "just" being governor of a state in which not many people in America pay much attention to, it makes sense that she didn't just happily resign to her Alaskan post.
But I know no one here is really blaming the media for this. As Palin said in her own words:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Y8FKAsxmk
Close, but not quite
July 7, 2009 - 13:28 ET by RukusPTW called "troll alert", not "troll call", there's difference don'cha know. ; )
Gary
I want my country back!