Diane Sawyer Ruins Marvelous Special on Gabby Giffords By Attacking Sarah Palin
ABC presented an absolutely marvelous special Tuesday evening about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' (D-Ariz.) remarkable recovery from a gunshot to the head last January.
After 36 minutes of uplifting scenes involving the Congresswoman's therapy and road back to being able to walk and speak, host Diane Sawyer for some reason felt the need to bring politics into the program at its conclusion while taking a truly pathetic swipe at former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (video follows with transcript and commentary):
DIANE SAWYER, HOST: So does Gabby Giffords really want to go back to Washington, back where she was once called the most positive person in Congress?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D-ARIZONA): It is exciting. Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAWYER: Staying upbeat, even during the unsettling campaigns of 2010 when we all watched opposition sometimes become vitriol. After she voted for healthcare, she faced people in her district calling her a traitor, booing her in townhalls. Someone even fired a gun into her office door. And you may remember Sarah Palin targeted her district with an ad that had a gunsight on it. Giffords once worried aloud to her husband.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIFFORDS’ HUSBAND MARK KELLY: She says is, “Some day, I'm really worried somebody’s going to come up to me at one of these events with a gun."
Exactly why was this necessary or even considered by Sawyer and her producers?
It is now a well-established fact that Giffords' assailant Jared Lee Loughner was not in any way associated with the Tea Party, folks that were protesting at healthcare townhalls, or Palin. If anything, he leans to the left in political ideology if in his clearly deranged mental state he actually has one.
To make an obvious allusion that his attack had anything to do with the 2010 campaign, healthcare protests, or Palin was dishonest and disgraceful.
Couldn't the folks at ABC have made it through 41 minutes without injecting politics into what was up until that point a really wonderful look at what Giffords has gone through since that awful Saturday in January?
Is it possible for someone like Sawyer to just address the human side of this tragedy without having to take unwarranted and fallacious potshots at folks she believes to be her political rivals?
For 36 minutes last night, I cried and laughed with likely millions of Americans on both sides of the aisle as I watched Giffords' struggle to get her life back.
And for some reason, Sawyer and company ruined it.
All that bipartisan unity, that sense that for just an hour we can all be Americans rather than Democrats and Republicans wiped away in the blink of an eye with a fiction-based political attack.
People in the media are constantly blaming lawmakers - mostly on the right side of the aisle, of course - for the caustic political tone in the nation.
Last night we saw evidence that it's not just our elected officials taking unwarranted swipes at their opponents. It's people in the press like Sawyer who can't even get through 41 minutes without doing so.
Folks within my organization know that I struggled with writing this because I was so moved by what I saw last night. I'm one of the millions of Americans cheering and praying for Giffords' full recovery and sincerely hoping to see her back in Congress despite my political differences with her.
That's the sense that all of our fellow Americans should have been left with when the final credits rolled at the end of this program.
But because of Sawyer's negligence, and her adherence to advancing her agenda at any cost, as the screen faded to black, we were all Democrats and Republicans again.
Shame on Sawyer for ruining what could have been a shining moment for Americans, for just a little while, to feel like just Americans again.
(H/T Right Scoop via Twitter)
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Comments
Diane Sawyer is a disgrace
Submitted by frank14 on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:33am.
She came on O'Reilly promoting her show, hoping people wouldn't remember what a stupid lib she is.
O'Reilly's plug
Submitted by rowdygirl on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:58am.
I saw this and was surprised. It made me wonder why he's promoting this. If he saw the interview and the Palin slam, it's even more disappointing.
Tam
"Stupid Lib"
Submitted by NC Boy on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:46pm.
Why do you repeat yourself?
survey markers
Submitted by ferv888 on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 6:26pm.
Stupid means you have brain, but cannot use to capacity. Sawyer is brainless. The "targets" are survey marks, not targets. What of knoddled head Biden telling the unions they fired the first shot at a mtg. Yesterday. Liberal equals stupidity
Ferv888
And to pile on, NS
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:34am.
Here's a little bit more on the Gabby recovery front....Little Debs Piles On Hot and Heavy.
Oh I hope the voters a few miles south toss this idiot out on her poodle head.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Poodle head
Submitted by Agnostic on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:41am.
It may not be manly but I like poodles - they are one of the smartest breeds of dogs (the larger ones - not the yippy ankle biters). And while I hate to disparage any canine by comparing it to Debbie - you have a point.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz-for-brains...
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:46am.
No class, all a$$.
Blonde...
Submitted by TempusFugit on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 3:42pm.
...you forgot to add "of the Wasserman crime family"! Everytime I read that I laugh hard. I picture a Godfather-like scenario of the Wassermans dressed in 40s gangster regalia, consiglieres and capos and foot soldiers. Or perhaps Little Debs in a Goodfellas-type of scene "so what are you saying? That I'm here to amuse you?" Hilarious
As far as I could see
Submitted by ricklail on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 4:42pm.
As far as I could see Giffords is not capable of holding the House seat. She needs to resign now.
completely unfair!
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 8:23am.
She has every bit of the capacity to do as good a job as Pelosi or Reid.
Too soon?
Never
Submitted by John21 on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:34am.
The propaganda media like the Obama administrations creeds
Never miss an opportunity to proven you are a liberal.
Never miss an opportunity to proven your bias
Never miss an opportunity to show your lack of basic respect
Never miss an opportunity to show you lowest intelligence quotient
Never miss an opportunity to lie
Never miss an opportunity to show your lowest moral charactor
They are just being liberal and know that none of the other propaganda outlets will call them on it.
Sad, what was once a responsible party has lowered itself into the the scum.
Once again, I am compelled to apologize...
Submitted by KyWriter on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:47am.
...on behalf of all Kentuckians for allowing this mindless bimbo to escape and spew her meaningless drivel all over the airways. Obviously, our horses are much smarter than Sawyer, but I regret to say that our bourbon cannot get one drunk enough to zone her out. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.
No problem, KyWriter!
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:50am.
Far be it from us to blame you! No apology required.
I certainly have no room to talk: I come from the land o' the Kennedys.
And even though I lived in Minnesota when Jessie Ventura was governor, I REFUSE to take any blame for him!
Consider yourself "distanced" from her, and enjoy life.
Thanks, mom...
Submitted by KyWriter on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:53am.
...this was keeping me up at night.
Not exactly sure what you said.
Submitted by MightyMouth on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:52am.
but I think I agree. :-)
KY....well, it works if Sawyer drinks the bourbon
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:00pm.
If it's possible, it just makes her sound even more vapid than usual.
She's drunk as a skunk.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Blonde - never seen that
Submitted by Van Halen on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:22pm.
Blonde - never seen that video - incredible! Sawyer has a little substance abuse problem! Alcohol, drugs, or both.
It's not the only one on YouTube, Van
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:29pm.
If you search YouTube for "Diane Sawyer Drunk"....there's a clip of her (earlier in her career) on set, waiting to go on. She's obviously lit, and is actually sipping a glass of red wine!
What did we do before YouTube? :)
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
The caption says "hangover".....LOL...
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:29pm.
Hangover my foot! She's still blitzed!
An oldie, but a goodie! Thanks for bringing that up!
On a light note,
Submitted by RefudiateObama2012 on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:07pm.
On a light note, not many of us Kentuckians consider Louisville, where she grew up, part of Kentucky. Take away the Derby, and there's not much about Loserville to write home about.
She grew up in a Republican family, but apparently when she attended Wellesley she became stupid.
At least there's Horseshoe Casino...
Submitted by KyWriter on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:23pm.
...just across the river. As for becoming stupid when she attended Wellesley, don't they all?
Which was confirmed by Sawyer's subsequent
Submitted by Jer on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 9:03am.
employment with the Nixon crime family.
Jer
they can't help it
Submitted by rowdygirl on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:55am.
"Is it possible for someone like Sawyer to just address the human side of this tragedy without having to take unwarranted and fallacious potshots at folks she believes to be her political rivals?"
The answer is NO.
Tam
Sawyer
Submitted by HudsonRiverGirl on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:57am.
Proving again that there is no honor on the left.
This implied accusation ought to mean that Kelly sells NO books. Was a big fan of the author until I learned he was writing the book on the Gifford/Kelly story.
Sent him an email letting him know how dishonorable Kelly was and that I would not consider buying the book.
NoelI am really frustrated
Submitted by buddyc on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 1:35pm.
Noel
I am really frustrated by this. Why can't the candidates step up and take Sawyer on. I realize they are petrified of making a mistake but anyone of them could seize the tea party support by really taking her on.
In an interview with her, make sure you have in tape, but instead of responding to her first question attack her instead. Point out what Sawyer did and said when Giffords was shot. Point out that the gunman didn't even know who Palin was. He was not motivated by Palin or the "target" and it was wrong for Sawyer then and even more wrong know to bring that up and then point out the comparison between Sawyer's coverage of OWS and the Tea Party and demand she explain the difference. Tell her it is offensive, unethical of her, partisian and WRONG.
If they do it right right, the candidate that blasts her, and I mean in words, would be a hero of many including the Tea Party.
The candidates are living in the past. They basically have gone before CNN, CBS, MSNBC and Politico and been badly damaged by their liberal hosts. How can they be so stupid? They need to invited Obama to the next debate, have a vacant seat for him, have the moderator ask the empty seat the questions they ask the republicans, let the candidates comment on his doing nothing but running for re-election. They can't sit back and cry after the fact about a partisan media. The media is even more partisan than it was in 2008 and it is not going to improve for 2012. It is going to even get worse than it is now. THEY HAVE TO TURN THE TABLE ON THESE CHEATERS.
DIANE SAWYER
Submitted by csmrjerry on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:13pm.
These liberal people that talk this sh_ _ makes me sick. Diane Sawyer is a liberal idiot that supports everything that has been destroying this country for the last 3 years. If I was a major sponsor for this stupid show I would pull my sponsorship to show my support for the values that helped make this country strong.
O'really is a dupe.
Submitted by mioilman on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:18pm.
Diane Sawyer on the O'Really hour cannot come as a surprise to those who pay attention. Bill O'Really is a frustrated ex- big network guy whose wandering eye and caustic demeanor kept him from success. O'Really plays footsie with liberals because he dreams of the day the networks beg him back. O'Really is a phony and the networks can have him, they deserve each other.
Disagree
Submitted by StarAZ on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:47pm.
I like watching Bill, warts and all. And since I watch every nite, I know what the warts are.
On his Sawyer interview, Diane got all dopey over Giffords saying "tough as nails..." when the woman merely repeated what her husband said. I know some brain-impaired people who can repeat back something just said. I am not saying she is only doing that, but it is sort of a pattern.
I'm tired of Gabby Giffords.
Submitted by Van Halen on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:19pm.
I'm tired of Gabby Giffords. Clearly she's only held up by the Left because she's a useful tool to them in order to attack the Right. Giffords could put an end to this right now by publicly announcing that Palin and the Right had nothing to do with her shooting, but she likes all the attention too.
And for Diane Sawyer to trot out the incredibly lame 'target' thing after what we've seen the Left do since the Giffords shooting - and then seen what the Left's troops of the Occupy crimewave have done...
Van Halen, don't blame Giffords!
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:35pm.
With this brain injury she may not even be aware of the politics at this point, and I seriously doubt she's aware enough to be "enjoying the attention."
If you've never dealt with someone with a severe brain injury, you don't know what you're talking about.
She's a tool, nothing more now.
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 2:03pm.
I agree, and I've said it before, she's been reduced to nothing more than a tool to the left. I can't believe her husband is allowing her to be used like this and as I said before, he's an astronaut, I thought he was smarter than that.
On the other hand, if he's allowing this, even encouraging some of this rhetoric going on while using her as a tool, he's a scumbag too. That's why I asked if anyone's asked her husband if he realizes that it was a nutcase that did this, one that should have been stopped long before this and the authorities turned a "blind" eye on him. And if he DOES realize it, then it's further credence he's a scumbag.
That's what I want to know, where is the husband in all this?
-Jon
I agree, jon...
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 4:09pm.
Her husband is the irresponsible party for allowing this.
Maybe he's enjoying his 15 minutes of fame; if he is, he should be ashamed.
The AZ angle
Submitted by StarAZ on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:42pm.
Also, I think her colleagues do like her, but are letting her make the decision on running again bec this way they can hold a Dem seat that might go Rep. To me, her communication skills are not up to being a member of Congress, even if the staf does most of the work. I guess it's not fashionable to say that...
Agree, Star
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:59pm.
What is the sentiment in AZ?
Are the R's running someone against her, or is "her" seat now some sort of sacred cow?
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Her colleagues are cautious
Submitted by StarAZ on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 2:31pm.
She is a third rail here, apparently. They might as well rename the Arizona Republic the Giffords Republic. On the political side, in the politics columns, her colleagues say it's totally up to her whether she can run in 2012--but I did notice today that a couple of people very mildly said well, it seemed like she probably won't run for Kyl's seat. I cannot imagine in a million yrs she could have done that. So--it's delicate.
I am tired of being snookered
Submitted by totsotvaitn on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:21pm.
I am tired of being snookered by left winged numbnuts who think Americans can be fooled. First, how convenient that Gabby's husband had a handy video camera and kept copious notes from day one of her ordeal. I don't believe for a minute that he planned to document everything about Gabby's struggle for a future book? Nah, he wouldn't do that. Yeah, right...........
As for Diane "whats her face", I don't waste my time watching her news show and in particular her specials. She spends most of her time bashing Republicans and elevates Democrats to the highest heights as if they were infallible. Her news show is a joke. Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams are two of a kind. Sanctimonious and phoney.
I always think
Submitted by StarAZ on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:41pm.
When I see her, I think of her and Mike Nichols at some tony dinnner party in NY, all the predictables slapping themselves on the back for their "intellectualism."
Diane Sawyer is a dictator-loving, gun-grabbing commie
Submitted by Dave. on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:24pm.
...who fully supports the Dear Ruler's destruction of America.
That makes her nothing less than a traitor in my eyes.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
How pathetic. I used to
Submitted by helomech on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:30pm.
How pathetic. I used to Sawyer on tv a while ago and this is what happens to a media type when you get older? Add her to the liberal sh1tpile of media nacks...
Sawyer is just making sure
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:39pm.
Sawyer is just making sure Americans don't get so caught up in Giffords' progress that we forget who was "responsible" for this tragedy.
Diane Sawyer
Submitted by StarAZ on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:38pm.
She is being shot through mayonnaise on the lens or else is really that blurry and murmury. It was an interesting interview--but she is an avowed lib and naturally cannot help but snipe--it's in her DNA, poor thing.
I've said it before...
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 1:01pm.
...and I'll say it again: screw Gabby Giffords. Yes, it was a terrible thing that happened. But the media and dumocrat party tried to pin it on conservatism when the perp was a wacko and probably liberal. She's recovering, but others died and have been forgotten by all but family members. To top it all off, if this had happened to a Republican, the media would have blamed the victim for his or her policies.
Screw the media, screw Gabby Giffords.
It takes a hardened heart to say something like..
Submitted by greggy on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 4:09pm.
"screw Gabby Giffords". Now screw the media - yeah - I'm ALL IN with that sentiment.
But I've been rooting for Gabby Giffords to make the fullest recovery possible since Day 1. I didn't agree with her stance on the healthcare law, but some things are separate from politics and political demagoguery.
When you say "screw Gabby Giffords", some people are going to get the idea that you mean that directed at her personally, and not at the way she was used in Sawyer's story to misinform the public (yet again) that Sarah Palin had a darned thing to do with her shooting.
Regardless of how someone's tragedy is being misused by the corrupt mainstream media to misinform and propagandize the public, I can't bring myself to say "screw" a person who has been shot by a madman,has suffered, has traveled a difficult road to recovery, and will probably never be the same.
And I would hope you don't mean it that way..
Who to focus on
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 4:48pm.
The person to focus on is her astronaut husband. I asked this above and I'm going to keep asking, there HAS to be an answer somewhere for this, but where is her husband in all this? Is he party to letting her be used as a tool for the left? Is he an unwilling accomplice? Either way, he's an accomplice in all this.
That's where the focus needs to go to better understand why the left is making use of her. It's easy to understand HOW, but the WHY, in this case, WHY is she being used as a tool, especially since her husband has to make pretty much all the decisions for her now that she's physically damaged in her brain. I can't believe that her husband is allowing her to be put on the pedestal of Gun Control, but it is happening. Regardless of if he's willing or not, I question his ethics on this matter. I question his thinking. Hell, I question his being a man, that if it had been anyone else, they would have been requesting privacy and just get out of the public light, that's no place for a brain damaged gunshot victim.
So in the end, where is the husband in all this?
-Jon
am I the only one
Submitted by texasborngranny on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 11:54am.
that would not be surprised if hubby Kelly ran for her seat?
Good point, greggy
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 5:04pm.
You are correct; I don't really mean it in the way it's written. Aside from the truly evil in this world, I would not wish her fate on anyone. My frustration is with the whole story -- from how the initial event was reported to how blame was falsely assigned by the leftist media and now to her recovery. When it comes down to it, Gabby Giffords, while a human being, is a public servant -- a politician. She is not a hero in the sense that military, police and fire rescue personnel are heroes. She's recovering admirably from a traumatic event, but I stand by my statement that if she were a Republican, she would have been long forgotten and probably impugned.
My apologies to anyone who didn't like what I said in my first comment.
You were right to point this out
Submitted by NC Boy on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 1:32pm.
It's like the "unpaid political announcement" at the end of every PBS science show telling us what we need to thing about climate change, resource usage, etc.
Assigning Fault
Submitted by HockeyKid on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 2:37pm.
Why don't they blame all the gun-related violence on:
Tom Braden
Michael Kinsley
Bob Beckel
Geraldine Ferraro
Bill Press
Paul Begala
James Carville
i.e., the leftist hosts of CNN's "Crossfire"?
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Diane Sawyer, you are a liar and a fraud..
Submitted by greggy on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 4:21pm.
You falsely led the public to believe the long ago totally disproven slander that Sarah Palin had any influence at all on Jared Loughner's attack on Gabby Giffords. You could not resist the opportunity to take a cheap political potshot at Palin or conservatives, even though you were fully aware that Palin's targeted districts on some obscure PAC website had no connection whatsoever to what happened. You deliberately tried to create an association in the public mind between Palin, and something she had nothing to do with.
It was disgraceful, and you should apologize.
And every journalist who has ever tried to associate Palin's targeted districts map with the shooting, without mentioning that Democrats used bullseyes in exactly the same manner, is a propagandist and a liar, using a tragedy to try to achieve some kind of political benefit.
What do I have to do, draw you pictures?
Submitted by thestalkinghorse on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 10:17pm.
"Couldn't the folks at ABC have made it through 41 minutes without injecting politics into what was up until that point a really wonderful look at what Giffords has gone through since that awful Saturday in January?"
Um...NO
What a disappointment!
Submitted by gailannr on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 1:05am.
Shame on you Diane Sawyer!
Diane Sawyer
Submitted by Peted on Tue, 11/22/2011 - 11:54am.
The entire country saw what Diane Sawyer saw: Sar;ah Palin shot Gabby Giffords and all those other people, didn't she? Oh, she didn't? Then what was going through Diane Sawyer's small mind?
Diane Sawyer and Gabby Giffords
Submitted by jefdov on Sun, 11/27/2011 - 10:49am.
Please-- "marvelous" or otherwise, what did Gabby Giffords ever do to warrant a "special"? What part did she have in her "miraculous" recovery?
Come on America, we've got to have a higher standard of excellence than mere survival...
Diane Sawyer is WORSE than a disgrace ... she's an IDIOT
Submitted by MCLANTIERE on Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:04pm.
The "gun" targets she references ... are actually GRAPHICS TARGETS ... used in page layouts, surveying, overlays ... to EXACTLY LOCATE a FOCAL POINT. Maybe Diane Sawyer should go back to Journalism School ... it seems she got an advanced degree in LIBERAL ASS KISSING ... rather than FACT REPORTING.
Diane Sawyer is WORSE than a disgrace ... she's an IDIOT
Submitted by MCLANTIERE on Thu, 12/22/2011 - 4:04pm.
The "gun" targets she references ... are actually GRAPHICS TARGETS ... used in page layouts, surveying, overlays ... to EXACTLY LOCATE a FOCAL POINT. Maybe Diane Sawyer should go back to Journalism School ... it seems she got an advanced degree in LIBERAL ASS KISSING ... rather than FACT REPORTING.