Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz offered a story on Sarah Palin’s run of TV interviews, spotlighting a former Palin aide who didn’t sound like a fan:
"She wants to rehabilitate her image and get everyone to love her again," says Larry Persily, a former Palin aide. "If I were advising her, say it once and then stop. You protest too much. You start to look a little foolish."
But Dan Schnur, who runs the University of Southern California's Institute of Politics, says the challenge is simple: "Feed the media beast or it's going to feed on you."
Who is Larry Persily? Kurtz added a little detail when he forwarded another Persily insult at article’s end:
With the campaign over, Palin seems more than happy to fill the media void. "Being in the limelight is good," says Persily, a former Anchorage Daily News editor. "She's smitten by it, just like McCain was smitten by her. She loves the attention."
Persily showed up on The Huffington Post during the fall campaign, most notably questioning her vice-presidential debate facts. Another item, cross-posted on the site Alaska Dispatch, mocked Palin as an airhead:
Will Palin continue her tactics of "ask, but don’t expect an answer"? Will she avoid specifics as much as possible? Or will she stumble through multiple commas for want of a period to end her sentence, as she did in her CBS interview with Katie Couric?
Garrison Keillor made light of the governor’s Couric interview during a presentation Monday evening in Washington, D.C., when he was asked if he had any advice for the candidates. Yes, he said, "think in complete sentences."
Persily worked in Alaska's lobbying office in D.C. for about a year in 2007-08, but he also worked for four years in the administration of Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles (who served from 1995 to 2003), as noted in the State of Alaska press release on his hiring in 2007:
Persily has an extensive background in public service and with the press. Among other positions, from June of 1999 to June of 2003, Persily served Alaska as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Revenue.
The Post also used Persily to knock Palin on September 19:
Nor has she proven particularly attentive to the details of public policy. "She's not known for burning the midnight oil on in-depth policy issues," said Larry Persily, a former journalist who was associate director of the governor's Washington office until the spring.
He also trashed her on Hardball, delighting Chris Matthews on October 10 as he agreed she was an ignorant, immature demagogue:
MATTHEWS: Do you think she should be vice president?
PERSILY: No, I don't think she should be vice president. She's not qualified. She doesn't know what she thinks she knows. She's too immature politically and just doesn't bring anything to the ticket other than this cheerleader....
PERSILY: But, as she talked, she can really get people behind her without dealing with the facts.
MATTHEWS: You're talking about a demagogue?
PERSILY: Yes, maybe a small 'd' on demagogue.
A Washington Post reader might only suspect this degree of hostility from the dishy quotes, not from Kurtz, who failed to describe adequately the depths of Persily's pique.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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The Making of a Cheap Shot Artist 2008
November 13, 2008 - 09:05 ET by KC MulvilleJeez, I wonder why he doesn't work for her anymore?
I especially enjoy his criticism that Palin likes the limelight too much. If it wasn't for Palin and her candidacy, this guy would never have been noticed outside snow-covered tundra.
Caveat emptor
Don't You Just Love Bi-Partisanship
November 13, 2008 - 10:42 ET by allanfWhen Republicans reach out to Democrats, Republicans lose.
They lose, all right
November 13, 2008 - 19:49 ET by panzerakcTheir hands!
So, apparently it may be
November 13, 2008 - 09:06 ET by marpelSo, apparently it may be Persily who is helping spread all the hideous rumors about her. He was part of her staff? When the hell was he part of the staff?
I'm a fan of Gov Palin, but
November 13, 2008 - 09:10 ET by oilcanI'm a fan of Gov Palin, but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with the amount of coverage given to her the past few days. The Greta Van Susteren interviews were just a little too much. Maybe one night's worth, but over three nights was an overdose factor for me.
It's beginning to sound a lot like an it's about me spectacle now.
Speaking of which, Andrea Mitchell on Morning Joe put a good jab at Palin. When asked by Joe about any ideas of what she would need to do for a 2012 run, Mitchell put out "learn geography!" What freaking wench.
On the other hand, Bobby Jindal has been on good message form in his interviews, talking about steps the party needs to take reemerge as the party of choice.
Oilcan
November 13, 2008 - 09:38 ET by NorthCoasterI say go for it Sarah. With all of the trash talk that has been thrown about in the news, now is the best time for a media blitz from Sarah. The only way to counter the negative press is to overwhelm it with actual factual information and discussion. Yes it may be a bit much now, but if you have watched some of what Sarah has said, you realize that the previous interview editing (ex., Katie Couric), was unfairly done. I especially liked her discussion of the, "What do you read?", question where she thought it curious and sort of surreal. Many of us out of the major cities are better read than people in the news centers of the world. In discussing the question it sounded like Sarah was thinking "Come on, you really think we're totally out of the news loop here in Alaska don't you?" So, why isn't the "I read everything I can", answer adequate? Can anyone truly recall all of the news sources that they access without forgetting an important one?
WAY TO GO SARAH!
November 13, 2008 - 09:44 ET by andophiroxiaI would normally agree, but the thing is that the media have been spreading crap about her through day one and didn't even end it when the campaign was over! Of course she has to come out here and say something about herself, Alaskans, and how they run things.
She's what we conservatives have to be relentless with the truth. She cleared up a lot of things about how Alaska works (Alaskans own the resources, not the oil companies which normally lease it out), Alaskan life (reason why they hunt the wolf, caribou and moose are essentially their cattle), and how her Administration and the campaign were run.
In this case, the more she talks about herself, the more how the real Sarah Palin comes out. The news may have done that at some point, but I wouldn't say they did it now with Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. We complain about that all the time.
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill
I saw the interview and Im
November 13, 2008 - 10:07 ET by Dan The Man 2I saw the interview and Im ready to retire to Alaska.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
I agree ...
November 13, 2008 - 17:08 ET by GOPG8RI completely agree with you. As for the comment about what she reads in Alaska, I took that question the same way Palin did. I would have been offended by the question - like seriously?? You think we are completely cut-off from the rest of the world? My husband was horrified that she didn't name one thing she reads but it's like I told him ... they aren't showing what Couric asked her before that question .. or the question before that, etc. Palin's tone seemed somewhat exasperated in response to the "What do you read" question. I thought it might have something to do with what Katie was asking her about prior to that ... and then the question that pretty much insults her intelligence and the intelligence of all Alaskans.
The technique employed by
November 13, 2008 - 09:21 ET by TEThe technique employed by Kurtz whereby Kurtz merely described Larry Persily as "a former Palin aide", is a frequently used technique of leftists in the Washington Press corps. The useful idiots have routinely described such militant leftist kooks like Lawrence Korb and Anita Hill as merely "former Reagan Administration officials" and David Gergen as a "former aide to Ronald Reagan". Ken Duberstein is another darling of the Washington press corps who the Washington press corps merely describes as a "former Reagan chief of staff" but fail to identify his ideology. Country and western Marxist Kevin Phillips is another leftist who was often described as a "Nixon aide" or some such, when he should have been described as a fundamentalist leftist.
Yes, he was "Korbed"
November 13, 2008 - 10:46 ET by Tim GrahamPersily was "Korbed," used by the reporter to imply a significant (and political) tie to the governor when he is now clearly in opposition.
Korbing is the opposite of Borking.
Persily has an axe to grind
November 13, 2008 - 09:24 ET by NorthCoasterPersily has an axe to grind and wants everyone to know it. Your information says that he worked in the Washington Alaska lobbying office from 2007-2008.
Let me guess, he's not happy about getting let go, or having to leave, is he? It sure looks like it's in his best personal and political interest to trash Sarah.
The MSM needs somebody to
November 13, 2008 - 11:23 ET by BeatenValveThe MSM needs somebody to kick around, since GWB will be retiring on January 20th.
Tim Graham - Excellent Investigative Work
November 13, 2008 - 11:40 ET by Rush FanThe Kurtz article is just another unflattering hit piece by a liberal media reporter. The article has a completely hostile tone from beginning to end:
1) "For a vice-presidential nominee who never held a news conference, Palin is on one heckuva television blitz."
2) "Palin is clearly in need of some image rehab. Her stumbling interview with CBS's Katie Couric, mocked by Tiny Fey on "Saturday Night Live" sent her stock tumbling, and by Election Day, polls showed that a majority of Americans felt she was unqualified to be vice president."
3) "One unnamed adviser told Politico's Mike Allen that Palin was a "whack job."
4) "The onetime sports anchor told King last night..."
It's interesting that Kurtz would reference "sports anchor" rather than "city council member" or "city mayor" or "chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission." Also, Kurtz frequently uses the "In fact" technique attempting to contradict what Gov. Palin said or did.
Howard Kurz "acts" the role of ombudsman investigating media bias and attempting to present a "fair and balanced" explanation. Kurtz should take a hard look at his own role in pimping for the left.
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"There is no longer a media in this country. There is simply an established propaganda arm for the Democrat Party and any and all who relate to it in any way, elected and unelected." ~ Rush Limbaugh
My guess
November 13, 2008 - 12:10 ET by Ole_SargeFor a couple weeks after she took office as Governer of Alaska, long enough to count for some...
"If it wasn't for double standards, Democrats would have none at all." - Chris Plante 630-WMAL (D.C.)
I'm a little confused
November 13, 2008 - 18:30 ET by katiejaneIs the year Persilly worked as a DC lobbyist for Alaska why they are calling him an aide to Gov Palin?
As someone who has personally....
November 14, 2008 - 04:14 ET by old croreceived correspondence* from Sarah Palin......
The left will do all in their power to illegitimize and trash her lifestyle, political savvy, family and general knowledge do to the fear they reveal in doing so.
* I got a postcard in the mail yesterday for literature on visiting Alaska from her.