Those who have seen HBO’s Game Change come away with a more sympathetic view of Sarah Palin, Time magazine’s Mark Halperin, co-author of the book on which HBO based its production set to air Saturday night, contended Wednesday night on CNN. Erin Burnett interviewed Halperin and co-author John Heilemann and Halperin told Burnett:
We’ve seen a few screenings with people and uniformly – every screening we’ve attended – people who came in, didn’t like Sarah Palin, weren’t fans of Sarah Palin, almost every one of them has said to us afterwards, “you know what, I now understand what she went through more, I have more sympathy for her, I have more appreciation for what she accomplished.”
Has anyone who admires Palin gotten into one of these screenings?
Halperin insisted: “It’s factually accurate and I think a lot of people who watch it who are favorably disposed to Governor Palin are going to find it to be a pretty favorable portrait, a fair portrait of what she went through.”
Earlier: “Leno Says Game Change ‘Humanizes’ Palin; York: Could’ve Focused on Democrats Trying to Block Black Man”
From the pre-recorded segment on the Wednesday, March 7 Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN:
ERIN BURNETT: There’s some controversy that it’s too harsh. She’s called it Fact Change instead of Game Change. But you obviously have seen the movie, you consulted on the movie. Is it a fair representation of what was in the book, of what your reporting was?
MARK HALPERIN: It is. We’d urge anybody who’s not seen it – airs on HBO on Saturday 9 o’clock – to watch it. It’s factually accurate and I think a lot of people who watch it who are favorably disposed to Governor Palin are going to find it to be a pretty favorable portrait, a fair portrait of what she went through, all the things she accomplished in those 60 days on the ticket; the challenges as well. We’ve seen a few screenings with people and uniformly – every screening we’ve attended – people who came in, didn’t like Sarah Palin, weren’t fans of Sarah Palin, almost every one of them has said to us afterwards, ‘you know what, I now understand what she went through more, I have more sympathy for her, I have more appreciation for what she accomplished.’
BURNETT: That’s interesting. So a little more empathy.
