Dr. Laura: Media trying to 'evicerate' her 'soul sister' Sarah

"Every day she survives the shark attack”
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In an interview with Newsmax TV, the satellite radio talk show host defended Sarah Palin, whom she referred to as "a soul sister":

The media continue to assault Sarah Palin and other social conservatives in the wake of the Tucson, Ariz., shootings because they are intent on silencing voices that disagree with theirs, Dr. Laura Schlessinger says. Her comments highlight a situation where the left can attack Republicans for harsh political rhetoric while at the same time Democrats compare GOP tactics on healthcare repeal to those used by the Nazis.

“(The media goes after Palin) for the same reason they go after all social conservatives, they’re trying to silences voices that disagree with theirs,” Schlessinger said in an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview. “There’s a horrible trend in censorship going on in this country. Newsmax is a safe place to be, Sirius XM, where I am now on radio, is a safe place to be. But I really find a soul sister in Sarah Palin because every day they try to eviscerate her and every day she survives the shark attack.”

[...]

Schlessinger said that the focus on Palin and other conservatives following the Tucson shooting that killed six and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was a means of attaining power.

“What happened, the tragedy that happened in Tucson, had nothing to do with politics but everything to do with paranoid schizophrenia,” she said referring to the mental state of accused gunman Jared Loughner. “We have to have a means by which society can contain somebody who is mentally ill and dangerous.”

Dr. Laura was one of Sarah Palin's critics when the first woman to become Alaska's governor became the first woman to be the vice presidential candidate of the Republican Party. But two years later when Schlessinger herself came under attack, Sarah Palin was one of the few who defended her, inspiring Dr. Laura to post on her blog:

On Wednesday, in her Tweet and Facebook, Sarah Palin made strong statements in my support. You may remember that, two years ago, I was less than enthusiastic when she was selected by John McCain to be his running mate, as my concerns were that having responsibilities for small children should preclude such a decision.

In spite of my criticism of that time, Sarah Palin came out in support of my decision...

[...]

I spoke with her yesterday and told her how impressed I was with her character. You don’t see such character much these days. I believe most folks would have had a more negative approach considering I had not been supportive at that time. But, nope, not Sarah. She is gracious and a woman of principles – no petty reaction.

Gov. Palin's graciousness and strength of character made Schlessinger realize that the two "have a lot in common." Both women, Dr. Laua said, have been the targets of "vitriolic partisan attacks," and both "made huge changes in our lives to be able to protect the people we love and have a freer context in which to try to help America’s families."

Sarah Palin demonstrates through her actions that she can change hearts and minds in a very personal way. If she can have that same sort of impact in the public sphere, the presidency will be hers.

- JP