Sarah Palin on Sunday said that she sees similarities between how the media are treating Kentucky senatorial candidate Rand Paul and the way the press tried to "get" her before the elections in 2008.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace, the former Alaska governor said, "I think there is certainly a double standard at play here."
"One thing that we can learn in this lesson that I have learned and Rand Paul is learning now is don't assume that you can engage in a hypothetical discussion about constitutional impacts with a reporter or a media personality who has an agenda."
She continued, "They are looking for the gotcha moment, and that's what evidently appears to be that they did with Rand Paul" (video follows with partial transcript and commentary):
SARAH PALIN: I think there is certainly a double standard at play here. When Rand Paul had anticipated that he'd be able to engage in a discussion, he being a Libertarian-leaning constitutional conservative, being able to engage in the discussion with a TV character, media personality who perhaps had an agenda in asking the question and then interpreting his answer the way that she did. He wanted to talk about evidently some hypotheticals as it applies to impacts on the Civil Rights Act, as it impacts or Constitution. So he was given the opportunity finally to clarify, and unequivocally he had stated that he supports the Civil Rights Act.
CHRIS WALLACE: Do you see some similarities to what politicians and the press did to you in the fall of 2008?
PALIN: Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, one thing that we can learn in this lesson that I have learned and Rand Paul is learning now is don't assume that you can engage in a hypothetical discussion about constitutional impacts with a reporter or a media personality who has an agenda, who may be prejudiced before they even get into the interview in regards to what your answer may be, and then the opportunity that the seize to get you. You know, they are looking for the gotcha moment, and that's what evidently appears to be that they did with Rand Paul. But I'm thankful that he was able to clarify his answer about his support for the Civil Rights Act.
Is Palin right? Are media trying to do the same thing to Paul they did to her in the fall of 2008, or is there something else in play?
For instance, how much does their attack on Paul have to do with his direct connection with the Tea Party and how much they hate as well as fear that movement?
Or is that largely irrelevant for the press will attack any successful member of the GOP that isn't a Republican In Name Only?
