CNN’s Candy Crowley neglected to include sound bites from conservatives during a report about Sarah Palin on Tuesday’s American Morning, other than from the former Alaska governor herself. While Crowley did acknowledge the widespread support that Palin has among conservative Republicans, she only used clips from moderate commentator David Frum, Democrat Bill Owens, and colleague Wolf Blitzer.
The CNN senior political correspondent’s report, part of a series on the Republican Party’s future, highlighted how Palin was a “high voltage candidate,” and included five sound bites from the Republican vice presidential nominee. After noting her continued popularity amongst a “loyal following in the GOP” and her active year following the 2008 election, Crowley zeroed-in on the former governor’s weaknesses: “A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 85 percent of Republicans say Palin agrees with them on their most important issues. But here’s the rub: only 49 percent of independents feel that way. It’s a telling measure of her political reach and its limits, that the Republicans who won governor seats in Virginia and New Jersey this year politely rejected Palin’s offers to campaign for them....Her clout is inside the party.”
The correspondent used the brief clip of Blitzer as an example of how Palin is a “a headline magnet,” while the sound bite from Owens lead in to an account of the vice presidential candidate’s role in the New York 23rd congressional district race this year. Before playing the clip from Frum, Crowley stated that “Palin is doing selected interviews, Oprah et al, to promote her book. Look for news and a best seller from a GOP mover and shaker, a politician fueled by celebrity- lucrative, but not necessarily good.” The former Bush speechwriter and Palin critic would go on to compare her to current governor of California: “Americans tend not to elect celebrities. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the exception, but more often than not, people want something in their political leaders that is more steady, stable and predictable.”
Crowley concluded her report by noting that “of half a dozen Republican consultants I spoke with, including four who supported the Palin nomination, all see her as playing a part in rebuilding the party, none thought she would be the next presidential nominee, and only two thought she would even run.” You mean out of those six Republicans, she couldn’t find a reputable conservative to include in her report?
The full transcript of Crowley’s report, which first aired 24 minutes into the 7 am Eastern hour of Tuesday’s American Morning, and reran later in the day on The Situation Room:
JOHN ROBERTS: We first profiled the President’s inner circle. Now, all this week, we’re taking a look at the future of the Republican Party in our in-depth series, ‘GOP, The Next Chapter.’ Today, it’s Sarah Palin. With her new book ‘Going Rogue’ hitting shelves in exactly one week’s time, will she be a contender in 2012?
Our Candy Crowley is giving it her best educated guess.
CANDY CROWLEY: Good morning, Kiran and John. A little political trivia- not since 1920 has there been a failed vice presidential nominee who would later go on to be elected president. Also true- not since- well, since forever, has the political world seen a failed vice presidential candidate quite like this one.
CROWLEY (voice-over): She was a high voltage candidate-
SARAH PALIN: I think I’m going to have to cast my vote for the maverick.
CROWLEY: Lighting a fire in the grassroots of Republican land- fresh, folksy, fierce.
PALIN: I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.
CROWLEY: Sarah Palin remains, of course, the most recognizable name in the Republican Party, a headline magnet.
WOLF BLITZER: Political ticker- Sarah Palin apparently is trying to re-launch a controversy she started, over the so-called death panels.
CROWLEY: She has a loyal following in the GOP, critics her supporters love to hate, and a way with words.
PALIN: You betcha. It’s drill, baby, drill.
CROWLEY: Just over a year after the defeat of the Republican ticket, the Republican number two is Amazon’s number one in nonfiction presales. Writer of books, giver of speeches, muser of politics on an unusually-active Facebook account and robo caller on behalf of a conservative group in this year’s Virginia governor’s race.
PALIN (via telephone): Virginia, hello, this is Sarah Palin calling to urge you to go to the polls Tuesday and vote to share our principles.
CROWLEY: A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 85 percent of Republicans say Palin agrees with them on their most important issues. But here’s the rub: only 49 percent of independents feel that way. It’s a telling measure of her political reach and its limits, that the Republicans who won governor seats in Virginia and New Jersey this year politely rejected Palin’s offers to campaign for them. Both Republican governors-elect owe their victories to huge majorities of independent votes. Her clout is inside the party. In a New York congressional race, she helped push a Republican Party candidate out of the way for a more conservative candidate. That battle won, Palin lost the war. The split made way for a Democratic victory.
CONGRESSMAN-ELECT BILL OWENS: Thank you very much.
CROWLEY: These days, Palin is doing selected interviews, Oprah et al, to promote her book. Look for news and a best seller from a GOP mover and shaker, a politician fueled by celebrity- lucrative, but not necessarily good.
DAVID FRUM: Americans tend not to elect celebrities. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the exception, but more often than not, people want something in their political leaders that is more steady, stable and predictable.
CROWLEY: Fans and critics inevitably point to this moment as Palin’s biggest political problem. The vice presidential candidate criticized for her thin resume quit as governor of Alaska with about a year and a half left in her first term.
PALIN: Only dead fish go with the flow.
CROWLEY: It’s the kind of rogueness that made her a household name, but in the end, may make Palin a player who helps shake the party rather than lead it.
CROWLEY (on-camera): Of half a dozen Republican consultants I spoke with, including four who supported the Palin nomination, all see her as playing a part in rebuilding the party, none thought she would be the next presidential nominee, and only two thought she would even run- Kiran and John?
ROBERTS: Candy Crowley this morning with that profile. Candy, thanks so much.
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.




















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"A recent CNN/Opinion
November 10, 2009 - 18:45 ET by Willis_Leon_Johnson"A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 85 percent of Republican..."
This twisted twit used a 'poll' from a pair of known to be very friendly to socialism entities with little to no credibility, in an attempt to discredit a "Known to be incredibly more intelligent" than any of the talking heads pretending to be 'journalists?
http://gjresult.com
I cant keep up!
November 10, 2009 - 20:14 ET by thedailyzingOne day the drive by media says Republicans are sexist and forced
Scozzafava out because she is a female! Now Conservatives are all crazy
in support for the very feminine Palin!
They just cant get there story straight. What a tangled web they weave.
Check out this very funny and very true write up on the "7 Habits of
Highly Defective Liberals" its awesome. http://thedailyzing.com/334/7-habits-of-highly-defective-liberals/
We are 3 years from
November 10, 2009 - 20:35 ET by jkwtradingWe are 3 years from presidential election and these people are obsessed with detail upon details. One year from a congressional election and their fear is agianst someone not running in the next election.
But here's a hint to the press and all other pundits, The american people are fed up with all politcians..period. blundering idiots all of them. The desire is growing for us or "we the people" to stop expecting anything from politicians and begin to do it ourselves without their help.
By the time the press fully realizes the predicament they are in they will totally overrun.
Why Palin
November 10, 2009 - 22:23 ET by slickwillie2001Liberal tactics run on Alinsky's principles; "Pick the target, freeze it,
personalize it, and polarize it." Alinsky also points out that it doesn't work with organizations.
The liberals are frantically searching for a target to attack, that's why they lob bombs at Palin, Limbaugh, Beck, etc. To some extent a leaderless Republican Party is convenient for us, for now. Once the slate for 2012 begins to form up, they will have their targets.
The MSM
November 10, 2009 - 20:49 ET by iveseenitallAnother anti-Palin report from the unbiased, objective media. I'm shocked!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Let's look at their numbers
November 10, 2009 - 20:55 ET by FastEdIf only 49% of independents are for Palin, what percent were for the O-man? and, what is it about Sarah that frightens them so? If this is part of their new and improved playbook, how nuts are they going to be during the next election cycle, and how off the wall will they be in 2012.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Candy Crowley slips try to get traction.
November 10, 2009 - 23:16 ET by needleCandy Crowley admits that “a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found 85 percent of Republicans say Palin agrees with them on their most important issues;” but could not find a single Republican to balance Crowley’s report – er, make that her campaign – to discredit Sarah Palin. Patently pathetic!
Candy Crowley is called a CNN senior political correspondent. She corresponds to a toady Democrat sycophant.
I suspect that we can put this whole “diss Sarah” segment down to an abortive – my! but that word fits nicely here – attempt to blunt Sarah’s book promo tour.
As for me, I am buying the book, not Candy Crowley’s “report.”
PS: By the way, Crowley, who was that failed 1920 VP nominee who eventually became president? Oh, now I remember; it was FDR. Now why didn't you mention that?
- Relying upon the State Run Media for your information is like relying upon an embezzler for your portfolio management.
- I didn't leave the Republican Party; the Republican Party left me.
Americans don't elect
November 11, 2009 - 10:56 ET by InfidelphiaAmericans don't elect celebrities? Uh, Cindy, you did everything in your power during the campaign to create the Obama Cult of Personality that helped to elect the empty suited celebrity we have running the not so Free World these days. CNN does at least one segment a week on Palin, and not once has it been favorable. There is a reason Fox has left CNN in the dust. It's called credibility.