NBC Falsely Paints Palin as Uninvited 'Distraction' at Rolling Thunder
By Kyle Drennen | May 31, 2011 | 12:41
On her Friday 1 p.m. ET MSNBC show, NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell characterized Sarah Palin participating in the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally in Washington as a "distraction," with the headline on-screen wondering if the former Alaska Governor was "stealing their thunder."
After declaring that Palin was "once again showing that she sure knows how to seize the political spotlight," Mitchell spoke with Rolling Thunder spokesman Ted Shpak, and asked: "When did you first hear that Sarah Palin was coming? Did you invite her?" Shpak incorrectly claimed: "No, she wasn't invited. We heard yesterday she came out with a press release that she was coming to Rolling Thunder."
In reality, as Hot Air's Ed Morrissey reported on Saturday, there was a miscommunication within the Rolling Thunder organization. He detailed a conversation he had with another organization spokesperson, Christine Colborne: "She explained that Shpak didn’t know that Palin had been indeed invited to ride at the event. The invitation came from a retired board member, Michael DiPaolo, who had connections in Alaska and got Palin to agree to attend....Colborne....explained that the last-minute RSVP didn’t get communicated through the echelons of Rolling Thunder."
During the Friday segment, Mitchell played up Shpak's objections to Palin's attendance: "I know it's an open event. She can get on the back of a Harley, but you're not exactly going to have her bus as part of you're event?" Shpak replied: "Absolutely not. We're not endorsing – you know, we're here for a reason. And our – in a way this has been taking away from the reason we're here." Mitchell concluded: "So you think it's a distraction? I don't want to put words in your mouth, but-" Shpak added: "No, you don't have to put words in my mouth. It is a big distraction because my phone's been ringing off the hook ever since she did that, she announced that."
So far, Mitchell has failed to offer any correction to her Friday segment.
Here is a full transcript of Mitchell's May 27 interview with Shpak:
1:04PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: Meanwhile, back here, Sarah Palin once again showing that she sure knows how to seize the political spotlight. She's kicking off a national bus tour of east coast historic sites this weekend, with plans to stop at Gettysburg, the Liberty Bell and then New Hampshire. The first time since 2008.
Her tour kicks off at Rolling Thunder, the annual motorcycle rally held in Washington in support of the nation's veterans, particularly those held captive or missing in action, a very serious purpose here on Memorial Day weekend. Ted Shpak is a spokesman for Rolling Thunder and he joins us now. Ted, first of all, when did you first hear that Sarah Palin was coming? Did you invite her?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Stealing Their Thunder?; Sarah Palin Announces Multi-State Bus Tour]
TED SHPAK: No, she wasn't invited. We heard yesterday she came out with a press release that she was coming to Rolling Thunder.
MITCHELL: Well, what role do you expect that she would play? You've got an event. You have a rally at the Pentagon. This is something that happens every year. We all here in Washington look forward to it. So how is she going to fit into this?
SHPAK: Okay, we've got to remember, we – first of all, Rolling Thunder, it's a demonstration for the prisoner of war issue, veterans issues, taking care of our troops, taking care of our military. And this is why we do this run. Now, anybody, as you probably know, we have a lot of people that show up in town for this weekend. And this is the weekend – the reason that we're here is because of them reasons.
Now, we didn't invite her. I heard stories, people calling me and says we endorsed her. We don't endorse nobody. She's not – we have our program after our run, down at the – by the Lincoln Memorial. And she's not invited to speak. We're not endorsing her. But she's – we can't stop her from coming to ride, if she wants to ride. That's fine because, you know, we don't-
MITCHELL: No, I know it's an open event. She can get on the back of a Harley, but you're not exactly going to have her bus as part of you're event?
SHPAK: Absolutely not. We're not endorsing – you know, we're here for a reason. And our – in a way this has been taking away from the reason we're here.
MITCHELL: So you think it's a distraction? I don't want to put words in your mouth, but-
SHPAK: No, you don't have to put words in my mouth. It is a big distraction because my phone's been ringing off the hook ever since she did that, she announced that. And, you know, we're not – we're not political. This is not a political event. We don't want – you know, maybe she's coming because she knows we have a half a million people in town and thinking she can start her, you know, it is just the way it came out, she's saying we endorsed her, we're not endorsing anybody. And she's not speaking on our stage during our program. We're taking care of our issues and that's why we're here.
MITCHELL: Ted Shpak, thank you very much, and we all look forward to the rally this weekend and we know the serious purpose that motivates what you've been doing for decades now here in Washington on Memorial Day weekend. Thank you.
SHPAK: Thank you, Andrea.
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Comments
All I can say is...
Submitted by Bill Brasky on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:49pm.
The left has Andrea Mitchell on their side, and they claim Sarah Palin is stupid?? Right.
we could spend hours expanding THAT list... ha ha
Submitted by wizardjr on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 3:42pm.
You're right BB. If we lined up a column of not so bright lefty females with a column of our women it would take hours to finish.
More of the same from Mitchell
Submitted by Galvanic on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:54pm.
She's a one-trick pony.
So, did Palin show up to Rolling Thunder with her bus, or was Mitchell just planting the image in our minds so that Tina Fey can pretend she did?
Sarah rode on the back of a big Harley . . .
Submitted by Benjamin on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:24pm.
but she did not make a speech or anything.
See, so she was a BIG
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:22pm.
See, so she was a BIG distraction on that BIG Harley. She should have ridden a moped.
Andrea Mitchell caring about
Submitted by Beukeboom on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:58pm.
Andrea Mitchell caring about facts? Doesn't happen. Especially when ignoring facts gives her the opportunity to slam conservatives.
How hard these lefties work
Submitted by Semus on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:59pm.
How hard these lefties work to create and keep this fictitious world of theirs, they really should try the truth sometime. This liar will never retract this story because it will prove she isn't doing her job.
hey Lefties
Submitted by look on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:06pm.
what's the Carbon foot print of 400,000 Harleys?
Andrea...
Submitted by gAMEoVER on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:08pm.
you ignorant slut.
I didn't know one had to be
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:12pm.
I didn't know one had to be invited to participate.
I followed this issue over the weekend.
Submitted by Benjamin on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:19pm.
It was an intentional smear by Mitchell and this guy Shpak. Of course, truth and journalistic standards go out the window when there's a chance to paint Sarah Palin in a negative light. Every news organization and blog, except for NBC/MSNBC, eventually got this story right, including Politico and Mediaite. MSNBC never corrected their story, and the outpouring of hate and vitriol towards Sarah over there was incredible.
I think the actual timeline went like this:
On Wednesday, the Palins confirmed their attendance.
On Thursday, the Rolling Thunder national group issued a statement that the Palins had accepted their invitation.
On Friday, Mitchell goes on the air with her bogus story.
Palin's attendance brought needed attention to this group and their causes, but Mitchell's story created a huge distraction, and all weekend long it was all about whether Sarah was invited or not, and whether she was trying to "horn in" on the event. Andrea Mitchell should be ashamed of herself.
FAIL
Submitted by Free Stinker on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:21pm.
FAIL
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Jealous
Submitted by grammajane on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:25pm.
Mitchell is jealous of Palin looking so fine on the back of a Harley. She only wishes she had the style of Palin but, that is unrealistic, as Mitchell is twice Palin's age.
IMO, more importantly,
Submitted by stratman on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:20pm.
IMO, more importantly, Mitchell's exponentially uglier on the inside.
Normal
Submitted by vote24 on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:28pm.
Simply the normal of the abnormal media. Believe nothing from media outlets. This election will be fought in the streets. The libs think we are scared. We may be reluctant to have to fight such a stupid war against a liberal fraudulent media. But scared, no. It is they who pee themselves on a regular basis.
Not scared
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:37pm.
No, we're angry, furious actually. It's the libs who better be scared. And the RINO's. It's time to clean house and get rid of social programs and giving away other peoples money.
NBC
Submitted by jessieH on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:32pm.
NBC, ABC, CBS, they all have the same agenda. To help o'bama get re-elected. Good luck, with that. In 2012, they'll all be unemployed.
Harley Palinson
Submitted by Jack Bauer on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:37pm.
Palin attends Rolling Thunder...
Meanwhile, Obama attends Rolling Blunder at the White House every day.
Palin rides a Hog --- while Obama lives high on the hog.
All of the above Mr Obama? --- How about ALL OF THE BELOW, instead.
Newsbusters really needs a
Submitted by Free Stinker on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:49pm.
Newsbusters really needs a "Like" button
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
I'll second that motion.
Submitted by Beukeboom on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:08pm.
I'll second that motion.
All in favor say, "aye!"
Aye
Submitted by paragrouper on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:20pm.
Aye
Moochele
Submitted by Richard.Halavais on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 4:16pm.
And Moochele is a hog!
Lizard Face Mitchell....
Submitted by BEGRUNT on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 1:50pm.
just doing her part of the LSM smear machine. Secretly, these idiots are on a verge of a stroke at the thought of Palin getting in the race. If Lizard Face has anymore nips and tucks, she'll have a belly button for a nose.
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
It's called
Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:47pm.
"Pelosi chic"
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
True Dat
Submitted by Joe W. on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 3:24pm.
True dat, and she'll be sportin' a real nice goatee, as well......
Ha...
Submitted by retrocon on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:16pm.
and it's not a distraction when Obama goes on date night to NYC and stops traffic and flights for hours, while wasting taxpayer dollars on security.
Don't hold your breath on
Submitted by marpel on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:31pm.
Don't hold your breath on thinking that Andrea Mitchell will correct anything. She hates Sarah Palin as do most of the media, so it's much more convenient to just let the misinformation lay there. I think if Sarah went to rolling thunder on a mountain bike, the MSM would get their burkenstocks shuffling enough to cause a fire and blaming that on her too. So, it doesn't matter what Sarah Palin does or doesn't do, the fact that she's breathing in the same atmosphere pisses them off. And what's funny is that the MSM have no idea how stupid they look and sound.
"Deep within my heart lies a memory. A song of ol' San Antone..."
Let me see...
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:34pm.
The Rolling Thunder event has not been covered by the media in the last couple of years (at least the national media other than FoxNews). This year Sarah Palin gets involved in it and simply rides on the back of a motorcycle (no bus, no speech, no media event) and it is all over the national media and TV and papers.
Why is this a "bad" thing?
P.S. she ditched the media circus on Monday so she could visit Gettysburg without the distraction of the national media and all their busses and vans and cameras. It pissed off the media but was, I am sure, welcome by the familys at Gettysburg.
Part time Congress with term limits! - No more professional politicians. Let's start rebuilding the Republic!
Andrea Mitchell has LEZ-BO-Girl-CRUSH on Palin!
Submitted by MCLANTIERE on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:36pm.
I think that Andrea Mitchell has some kind of a sick, twisted Lez-Bo-Girl crush on Sarah Palin. Mitchell has a deep-seeded resentment for her unrequited love, it seems. To that extend, she has that much in common with Chrissie Matthews ... also a Palin lovelorn freak. However, where Matthews can still actually TURN HIS CHEEK about being rejected by Palin ... Andrea can't even FIND HER CHEEK (unless it's her sagging wrinkled ASS CHEEK) -- since all her plastic surgery has left her looking a little like a stocking-bandit.
Maybe these two MSNBC femms can find love between the thighs of of a REAL MATCH -- like Chaz Bono.
mclantiere
The Mummy knows all about "uninvited distractions"
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 2:40pm.
She is one.
Ventriloquist act
Submitted by Model850 on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 3:09pm.
Mitchell: So you think it's a distraction? I don't want to put words in your mouth, but -"
Um, that's exactly what you wanted to do sweetie. And you succeeded despite Shpak's lame denial.
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.
Out of the
Submitted by CSM on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 3:29pm.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of Veterans and their families this ditz finds THIS GUY! How convient for her.
She wan't invited!! I didn't think you had to be invited to go with these Veterans just show up and roll.
BTW who are the ones that are making this all about Sarah Palin? It certainly isn't Sarah Palin!!
This guy is an honarable veteran doing a honarable event on Memorial Day in Washington D.C.. Don't you think she should have thanked him and them for their service instead of trying to hammer SP??
I am going to go and read how the MSM is upset that Sarah and her familly are not cooperating with them.
All supporters welcome.
Submitted by CobraMan on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 10:59pm.
"I didn't think you had to be invited to go with these Veterans just show up and roll."
You don't. Not according to their website anyways.: "All Supporters Welcome! You Do Not Have To Be A Member of Rolling Thunder to Ride!"
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
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Non-veterans can join
Submitted by Cowboy on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 3:40am.
In fact, you do not have to be a veteran to be a member.
No credibility
Submitted by NotFondOfLibs on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 3:30pm.
Question for andrea mitchell: where is it written that Sarah Palin is obligated to give you or any other goofball liberal reporter an itinerary of where she is going? mitchell is such a no credibility snot nose, she ought to consider retire to a shuffleboard league so we don't have to suffer her anti-Republican rants every day.
Sarah Palin
Submitted by cocodrie on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 4:34pm.
Anyone that can p-o all of liberaldom just by taking a bus trip can't be all bad. To top it all off she didn't throw anyone under the bus either.
Liberaldom will never forgive her for not killing Trig. She is a feather in the cap of America. Andrea, however, is a boil on the butt of America.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Riding a Harley, is Simply Priceless!
Submitted by gruyere cheese on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 10:49pm.
...something these so called journalists cannot understand. Taking a cross country trip in an RV or motorcycle (if you have one) throughout this beatiful country in the summer time, meeting up with the locals whenever you stop is the best lesson life can offer you. I will take such a trip anytime over having a one way conversation with people like Mitchell who probably needs to bring her make up case anywhere she goes and listen to her admiration over their God, Obama...blah.
no andrea you poor dolt
Submitted by scarletandgold on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 11:01pm.
the truth is she was more than welcome there,,real people love her...you who wouldnt be welcome there dear,,,...you would have been the queen of cold shoulders from the real americans...why you may ask??? because your a progressive moron..
Why didn't Andrea Mitchell ride?
Submitted by Cowboy on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 3:38am.
The fact is, on its national organization web site, Rolling Thunders invited EVERYONE to participate in the ride, whether they are members or not.
So not only was Palin invited, so was Andrea Mitchell. Why didn't Andrea Mitchell ride?
Let's get Andrea Mitchell
Submitted by gwalt on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 8:14am.
Let's get her face up on a billboard with Biased, Liberal and Untrustworthy splashed on it. Then close with Don't Watch NBC. They lie.
"A lot of briefing for a 2 hr. special with Dan Rather. Saw the show & wonder why we bothered". Ronald Reagan
You go girl
Submitted by vatvoo on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:24am.
No fan of Palin here, but I do like the idea of her as a biker babe! very HOT
www.privacy-web.no.tc
bs alert
Submitted by silent conservative on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:01am.
i do not believe for one minute that Andrea was looking forward to the event. she would crap herself if she ran into several thousand bikers on the road.
i would guess that the elites would turn their noses up and sneer at the thought of real americans making lots of noise and riding for a worthy cause.