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Angry Liberals Twist Bristol Palin’s ‘Dancing’ into Tea Party ‘Conspiracy’

By Matthew Philbin | November 23, 2010 | 13:19

A  A

Those Tea Partiers – is there anything in this nation they can’t spoil? They’ve already gummed up the president’s agenda with their rallies and signs and voting. Now, they’re trying to ruin “Dancing with the Stars!”

So says the left and many in the media agree. Now that newly resurgent conservatives have handed them a crushing mid-term defeat, liberals are seeing nefarious Tea Party plots everywhere – including in silly entertainment shows. And they’re taking plenty of shots at Bristol and, predictably, her mother.

Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol, 20, has done remarkably well in this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” competition on ABC. As she’s advanced from week to week, buoyed by viewer voting, entertainment reporters and liberals have become increasingly frustrated.

Video below the fold.

“Once again,” wrote Anna Chan in the “Today” show’s The Clicker blog Nov. 16, “Bristol Palin outlasted a competitor who is infinitely more skilled and interesting on the dance floor. Ugh!” Things have reached the point where there’s been open talk of a plot.

On Nov. 8, the liberal Daily Beast wondered about a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” On Nov. 17, Bloomberg’s Ronald Grover wrote that Palin had survived “another week of low scores from the talent show’s judges with the help of fans that included Tea Party voters.” Grover offered no evidence to back up his assertion. Instead, he quoted a Las Vegas oddsmaker as saying, “This year is about popularity, and whether it’s the Republican Party or whoever, Bristol Palin is getting more votes despite being the worst dancer.”

On ABC’s “The View,” there was talk of conservative websites instructing readers on how to vote for Palin. The Daily Beast credited “Operation Bristol,” something mentioned in a tweet by conservative talk show host Tammy Bruce on Nov. 1. Bruce encouraged her Twitter followers to call in and vote for Palin. “Bruce has more than 14,000 followers and ‘Operation Bristol’ has been picked up and posted by Palin fan sites like Conservatives4Palin and US4Palin, giving those who’d like to cast a vote for a Palin, a different outlet.”

The Washington Post and ABC even conducted a poll on the issue. “The headline in Tuesday's paper was ‘Poll numbers suggest Bristol doesn't have “Dancing” legs to stand on,’ according to NewsBusters. The poll found that 54 percent of Americans think Palin has made it to the finals “because of large-scale voting by viewers who support her mother.”

Covering the poll and the “Dancing” controversy on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” reporter John Berman said, “Well, some people are calling this the first presidential straw poll, and it really felt like it on Twitter last night, which was on fire with people both for and against Bristol Palin.”

The further left, the more angry the accusations, although they stop well short of shooting the TV set in protest. Writing on Huffington Post Nov. 19, Bill Persky called a potential Bristol win “the Tea Party’s greatest accomplishment.” In what must have been a cathartic vent, Persky sputtered, “Can she dance? Who cares? This is politics. Forget about ability, experience and qualifications: since when do they matter to them, as they continue to take America back, one fox trot and quickstep at a time.”

And he didn’t waste the opportunity to attack Bristol’s mother, even working in a not-so-subtle racism charge.

If you doubt it, just be watching as Sarah – I'm not sure wearing what, or whether she'll be holding Trig – embraces Bristol as she turns it into an aggrandizing moment for herself and the American people. It will be tricky to work in an attack on President Obama, maybe something down home like, "Lucky for Bristol that President Obama wasn't in the competition, because you know he's got rhythm." The evening will be all hers, and theirs, as once again the Tea Party movement is moved to mobilize for mediocrity over ability, fantasy over fact and rage over reality.

The next day, HuffPo featured another, rather less coherent piece by “Singer and songwriter” Carole Bayer Sager titled “Dancing With the Tea Party.” Ominously, Sager wrote that “on Tuesday night, I began to believe for certain in the power of the Tea Party.”

After relating how “week after week, dancers with more natural talent, grace, and most importantly, ability,” have lost to the Bristol onslaught, Sager got to the point: “What all of this means regarding how the votes are counted on DWTS is far less important about what this might be telling us about the future of our country and the power of Sarah Palin.” All this was an example of “The Karl Rove School of Politics.”Sager ended with this head-scratcher: “Elections can be stolen when enough people deliver the same message; much the same as choosing finalists on television.”

True to form, The Daily Kos found a way to insult American voters. The Washington Post quoted a Kos blogger saying “By all means, let the Republicans conspire to fix this meaningless election. . . . If Bristol Palin wins, while the judges gag at her weak performances, then finally, we'll be able to explain politics to the apolitical using concepts that they can understand!”

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Comments

subterfuge

Submitted by Burgher on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:27pm.

Don't forget about the fun the hillbuzz.org boyz have been haveing with DWTS

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I personally do not watch the

Submitted by oldArmy on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:37pm.

I personally do not watch the show. However, if Bristol's success pisses off the left. Can someone tell me if it's too late to vote for her?....and how I can....LMFAO at these idiots...

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Gosh, voting is a popularity contest?

Submitted by merly1 on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:43pm.

Who knew?  What's next?  Olympic judges are political for their ice dancing competitions?
THE INHUMANITY!  ;oD   :oD   :oO

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angryliberals--------all one

Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:45pm.

angryliberals--------all one word....

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Sour grapes.

Submitted by Beukeboom on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:47pm.

Sour grapes.

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The entertainment value is amazing

Submitted by IgnatzJFahrquar on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 1:59pm.

Not the lame program, but watching the head-exploding action that is happening amongst the Liberal media.

"Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."
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Hate to be a downer but...

Submitted by Bass_Man on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 2:06pm.

...WHO CARES?  It's an ENTERTAINMENT show. 

Look, I'm a big fan of the show since the first season (here's my man-card...go ahead and take it).  Bristol is nowhere near the "worst dancer ever" (hello Kenny Mayne) and she's grown a lot during the season.  It's a fun show to watch.  But the way these leftists are acting, you'd think the fate of the country came down to who did the best cha-cha.  This seems to be a distraction so the drive-by media ignores the important topics.

Do they cover: "The Koreas at war?"  "TSA Groping American Citizens" "POTUS' policies not working?"  Their response?  "Ummm...oh, look at that evil Bristol Palin on 'Dancing With The Stars'!  It's those racist Tea Party people!"

Whenever I think the MSM has sunk as low as they can, they never cease to amaze me.

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A vote 4 Bristol

Submitted by Chasman on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 2:12pm.

My email to at the Washington Post TV writer Lisa de Moraes :

I confess. Even though I have never watched DWTS I voted for Bristol just to annoy folks like yourself. She deserves to win because of the press bullying she endures.To add insult to injury I sent in my five free ATT sponsored text votes from my iPhone while watching Bill O'Reilly.

"The best diplomat that I know is a fully loaded phaser bank." --- Lt. Cdr. Montgomery Scott USS Enterprise
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Bristol

Submitted by grammajane on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 2:27pm.

For a young lady who no dancing experience, she is now a pro!! All my votes are for you Bristol, win or loose. Good Luck and you are a true American champ

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bull S**T

Submitted by charlietexas on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 2:42pm.

I couldnt get through all last night on the phone, texts and on line......it kept on saying my time zone was closed..........I live in Austin TX.....so whos the cheater??? ABC??

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Any of them threaten to leave?

Submitted by UltraC on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 2:53pm.

Any of the liberals annoyed with Bristol Palin's DWTS success threaten to leave the country if she wins?  That's always entertaining.

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.  -- Ronald Wilson Reagan
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it is a mental disease

Submitted by wizardjr on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 3:00pm.

someone way back said that liberalism is a mental disease, too true

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   The problem the

Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 3:07pm.

   The problem the left-wingers have is that they don't want to realize that us normal conservative people of the country out number them and surround them.  They don't realize what a minority they are because they have a big megaphone, the MSM.  But we can squash them like bugs any time we get riled up and we is riled up.

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WAPO articles

Submitted by bandit4eva on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 3:30pm.

I believe the WAPO had at least three articles on the subject today. Push their buttons much?

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Forget about dancing--

Submitted by HockeyKid on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:01pm.

vote Bristol and watch the libs' heads explode!  I haven't had this much fun since Reagan was re-elected!

"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me

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New reality/contest show for next year

Submitted by c5then on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:20pm.

Sh!t the WaPo says.

the previous weeks headlines and articles will be discussed and the stupidest ones will be voted on.

Celebrity host: Sarah Palin.

That will definitely cause some aneurisms.

 

Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it! 

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LOL.  DWTS is an

Submitted by Smartypants on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:29pm.

LOL.  DWTS is an entertainment show and I'm sure the producers retain the right to select who they want to continue.  I'm willing to bet that ratings help influence this decision.  BP is a ratings magnet.  Libs tune it because they hate her and her mom.  Conservatives want to cheer her on and everyone else is just interested in seeing it unfold.  I would have bet BP would not be eliminated early regardless how well she danced.  In the "American Idol" show, it is part of the standard agreement that the prodocers can overrule the nationwide vote at any time for their own reasons.  This only makes sense; some contestants are more boring than others and the last thing they want is to end up with a bunch of dog contestants because some teenagers flooded the phones for one or two of them because they think they're cute.   I've got to believe there is similar language in the DWTS rules.

 

 

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This year, I made it a point

Submitted by marpel on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:35pm.

This year, I made it a point to watch DWTS because of Bristol.  The first time I saw her, I promised myself that I would text at least 20 votes for her each time she performed because I felt she was definitely the underdog in this competition.  I am as stunned as everyone else she has made it to the finals, and, while I feel that someone else will win the trophy, I am thrilled she has made it this far.  It tells me that eventhough the judges votes do count, the viewership votes count for much more.  I say, Good For Her!  I think I texted at least 30 votes for her last night.  She has definitely come a very long way in her self confidence.  But, who the hell is making death threats against her????  WTF???

"Deep within my heart lies a memory.  A song of ol' San Antone..."

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Chelsea Clinton?

Submitted by Jimbo on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:48pm.

if Chelsea Clinton was on DWTS, do you think the MSM headlines would read "Ugly Duckling Dances Swan Lake"?

If you spent $1 million a day since Jesus was born, you would have not yet spent the entire stimulus package.
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**

Submitted by Chaitealover on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 5:00pm.

DWTS is not a dance competition and never has been. Only the 3 on-screen judges care about the celebrities ability to dance. The audience votes for the person they like the most. That's why some very good dancers get eliminated, and some lesser dancers get to stay.

I've seldom watched the program since they started using "celebrities" like The Situation, politicians, and foul-mouthed bi****es like Margaret Cho, but I took a look last week. Jennifer Grey is terrific, but she's been a dancer for years, so I don't think she should be there. Brandy was technically good, but uninteresting; Kyle, the boy from Disney, was just OK as a dancer but has a cute personality. Bristol was far from perfect, but very likable. The facts that she's not used to performing and has improved a lot since the beginning works in her favor. I think, in the beginning, a lot of teens voted for her because she's a lot like them. Now a lot of older folks are voting for her because they are sick and tired of the MSM just plain picking on any Palin they can.

I don't really care who wins, but I'll enjoy watching liberal heads explode if Bristol does.

Chai

"You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong." Abraham Lincoln
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Just go here and see the

Submitted by scarebear83 on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 5:16pm.

Just go here

and see the comments for yourself, that actually it seems to me a lot of moderates, or those who don't care about Sarah Palin are actually voting for Bristol because she's the most improved.... wow, they actually are voting based on merit and not popularity! Of course you still have those one or two comments that say she's awful but ya know. Anywhos yeah, so much for conspiracy, I think it's just that the people have been voting based on that they can relate to her and how she's improved.

"... they slash prices, drown in their sorrows, punch buttons, and kill time. I won't tell you what they do to eggs. They blow up photos, hang plants, crash at a friend's place and then when they're done arguing they bury the hatchet." -Mork
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Bristol Palin

Submitted by MissM on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 8:24pm.

I think the support for Bristol has nothing to do with support for her mother, I think it is a response to what the media has subjected Bristol to over the last two plus years.

Basically, America is very compassionate, and the media demonstrated it was compassionless when it came to a presidential candidate's pregnant teenage daughter.  The vulnerability of a pregnant teenager is especially compelling to Americans.  A lot of us are old enough to remember when the pregnant girl down the block didn't come out of her house for two years, even though her boyfriend married her.  The public understood that accepting a presidential candidacy meant full disclosure of anything sensational in the candidate's family.  The public also understood that few children would have denied a parent the rare opportunity to be considered for national office.  The public also understood that it had to be very, very difficult to be seventeen and stand on a national stage as unwed pregnant teenager.  The situation was sad, but it also took a special kind of courage for Bristol to expose her personal heartache to the nation.

What happened next was a media feeding frenzy, fueled by the media's smarmy bias, that has lasted for years.  And for the majority of Americans, the media's obsession with, and demeaning approach to the young woman has been repulsive.  This vote is not kudos for Bristol or her mother.  This vote is an indictment of the sanctimonious media which has viciously fed on a single teenage mother's vulnerability; it is a compassionate population's revenge on a media they feel in their hearts went too far.  It is an indictment of a media that is making a news story out of the vote of a population that cares more about a single mother than her dancing talent.  The story is that real, compassionate people care more about vulnerable people than they do about media hype, political spin or who is the next presidential candidate.

I have never watched a single DWS.  But I do understand what motivates people to give Bristol Palin a 'win' in a hostile media environment.  I just because I do, I may tune in just so I can figure out how to cast a vote on her behalf.

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If It Makes Liberal Heads Explode ...

Submitted by LibertyAtStake on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 9:49pm.

... I'm On Board.

 

off topic - Who just saw Whoopie Goldberg's Stupidity Seminar on the O'Reilly Factor?

 

http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/

"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

d(^_^)b http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/ “Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”
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