More on the Vanity Fair/Levi FAIL

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Reaction from the blogs...

Althouse:

"...if you want to talk crazy, how crazy is it to want so badly to paint Sarah Palin as crazy? She is your political opponent, Andrew, and you don't think she's good enough for high office. It's not so dramatic. It's utterly banal. Ironically, Palin draws energy from your overheated hatred. Have you heard she's about to make $100 million?"

Colleen O'Conner:

"Even worse, Levi says, is the fact that Sarah Palin kept bugging him to adopt his yet unborn child."

[...]

"We both kept telling her we were definitely not going to let her adopt the baby. I think Sarah wanted to make Bristol look good, and she didn’t want people to know that her 17-year-old daughter was going to have a kid."

"An equally plausible explanation might be that Sarah and Todd Palin clearly saw what their daughter did not—Levi Johnston’s less than sterling character."

[...]

"Putting up with a cad like Johnston just might make her 'Mother of the Year.'"

Adam Shaw:

"Levi Johnston (the father of Bristol Palin's child) has appeared in Vanity Fair, slagging her off as a bad parent. Yet the 'previews' VF give us aren't exactly groundbreaking or interesting and makes one wonder why VF spent such a huge amount of time and coverage on what really is a non-news story, amounting to nothing but the irresponsible bitching of a whiny teenager about his child's grandmother."

[...]

"How this counts as a serious scoop is beyond me."

[...]

"Again, it goes back to the left's determination to throw as much crap at Palin as they can, in the hope that some of it will stick. However, while it worked to an extent in the election, I think as more and more people hear Palin speak and read what she writes, and see this increasingly desperate smear campaign by the left for what it is, then Palin's standing will only increase."

MomLogic:

"The only thing telling about Levi Johnston's tell-all interview in the latest issue of Vanity Fair is that he obviously doesn't care one whit about his one-year-old son, Tripp. If he did, he wouldn't be ripping the family of his son's mother apart for all the world to read."

[...]

"Who knows whether any of the slanderous muck is actually true..."

[...]

"I spoke with psychologist Dr. Michelle Golland to find out what effect Levi's choice to drag the grandparents of his only child through the mud would have on the family."

"It will make it harder to have smooth transitions of custody," predicts Golland. "Placing our anger and resentment in full view is difficult for children to have to bear."

"Are you listening, Levi?! It's not about YOU anymore and your need to get back at the Palin camp. You're a dad now. Stop acting like a big sleazy baby."

ChristWire:

"Levi Johnston has hopped aboard the train of shame again this week, this time by joining in with closet socialists to derail the respected character and ethics of Former Governor Sarah Palin."

[...]

"Johnston allegedly claims that Sarah Palin wanted her and the “First Dude” to secretly adopt Tripp (Bristol and Levi’s out of wedlock child), so no one would know Bristol had been pregnant."

"This is of course a bag of lies. Sarah Palin honestly confessed that her daughter had fallen into premarital sins, but would still be giving birth. She did not hide behind the abysmal curtains of abortion or adoption like Obama liberals always force their daughters to do."

Melissa Clouthier:

"It’s no surprise that Vanity Fair, the least fair of glossy liberal publications, would give a nice splashy spread to useful idiot Levi Johnston."

[...]

"Levi Johnston says far more about the sorry state of modern media than he says about the Palin family. Levi Johnston says more about the American Idol culture than he says about the Palin marriage. Levi Johnston reminds all of us why many feel shame at weddings and family reunions. There’s one in every family."

[...]

"American youths are immersed in the fame-seeking culture. Children are rewarded for participation rather than achievement. They grow up singing karaoke and making stage characters on “Rock Band” for Wii. Is it any wonder that when a young man such as Levi Johnston gets on an actual stage, he thinks he’s a rock star?"

Dodo Can Spell:

"This low-life Johnston has been spreading the vilest of rumours about Palin and her family and the Left has been grooming and pampering him just like they did with Cindy Sheehan."

[...]

"The wacko is being manipulated by the Left and whatever "pearls" of lies that fall out of his mouth that can possibl[y] vilify Palin are quickly caught in the palms of Palin haters and swiftly strung into the most expensive of Pearl Necklaces."

Death By 1000 Papercuts:

"Nasty cynics claimed Palin used Trig. Nasty cynics, most likely, facing the same situation, would have aborted him, and thus, cannot comprehend Palin’s love for baby Trig."

[...]

"What’s truly been interesting is the amount of vitriol still leveled at Palin. During the election, intrepid journalists descended upon Palin’s tiny Wasilla, Alaska, in droves to dig through her trash and they’re still trying to trash Palin, with Levi Johnston, a 'witting' pawn."

[...]

"Liberals couldn’t attack Palin on her record but they could use the same tactics as the writer of the Reagan script, the producers, and CBS. Tactics such as depicting Palin as 'cartoonish', 'inept', 'shallow', 'intolerable', to name a few, and using Levi Johnston, who was probably paid a 'handsome' sum in his 'eyes'."

Dan Riehl:

"You might recall VF's last most famous couple, Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson. They didn't last too long after VF [for not Very Fair to Republicans] feted them."

"Now it appears as if Levi Johnston's fifteen minutes of fame might be just about up, as well."

- JP

Vanity FAIL: No solidarity on the Left for Levi's lies

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Usually the leftist media can be counted upon to unite, seize upon an anti-Palin meme and run with it. That liberal solidarity, however, has all but vaporized in the wake of Levi Johnston's latest round of charges against Sarah Palin and her family, as promoted by Vanity Fair magazine.

The first cracks in the liberal media wall appeared when only CBS of the big three alphabet television networks bought into the myth Vanity Fair's editor Graydon Carter had hoped to spread to take down Palin, as NewsBusters' Kyle Drennen reported:

"Teasing an upcoming segment on Thursday’s CBS Early Show about new attacks on Sarah Palin by the father of her grandson, Levi Johnston, co-host Maggie Rodriguez exclaimed: 'And shocking allegations that could shatter former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s conservative family image...'"

[...]

"Unlike the Early Show’s accepting coverage of Johnston’s outrageous claims, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America raised serious questions about his credibility."

Oops! Only one for three with the morning big three.

FAIL

The crack in the wall of lies spread a bit more with this Reclusive Leftist post titled "Did Bristol Palin dodge a bullet or what?":

"Levi is singing his song again to Vanity Fair, the song of course being, 'so, like, what do you want me to say about Sarah Palin? Cause, you know, whatever you want. Hey, do I get to keep the limo?' Levi is about as believable as The Pathological Liar on Saturday Night Live."

[...]

"No wonder Bristol has decided that abstinence is best."

Attention: Blogger not on board.

FAIL

Another crack in the wall appeared after this from a site which has been hyper-critical of Sarah Palin, Business Insider:

"Is America's most famous teen dad getting his revenge for being forced to shave off his mullet and hold Bristol's hand at last summer's Republican convention instead of partying the night away?"

"No!"

[...]

"Johnson has actually managed to help Sarah Palin's cause."

FAIL

The next crack in the wall for Levi's lies came from another unlikely source. Liz Smith wasn't falling for Levi's deception, and the columnist, who is in the habit of slamming Sarah, even felt the need to ask her liberal readers to cut her some slack for not joining in the feeding frenzy that Vanity Fair was trying to get started:

"Don't kill me here on this eve of the Labor Day weekend, but I am actually beginning to feel a bit sorry for Sarah Palin. At least in the matter of her estranged, almost-son-in-law Levi Johnston. This kid just can't keep his mouth shut."

[...]

"I just don't see the wish to protect a teenage child as terribly evil or Machiavellian. Sarah Palin could play her well-worn 'Good Mom' card and even I would buy it."

[...]

"...I don't think Bristol tossed away endless nights of effervescent conversation when she broke up with him."

"Now, her mother is nobody to mess with. There is a Medusa behind those Foster Grants; an atmosphere of Faye Dunaway barking in 'Mommie Dearest,' -- 'Don't f*** with me, fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo!'"

When you're trying to smear Sarah Palin and you lose Liz Smith, you've lost one of your strongest potential allies.

FAIL

The cracks grew much longer, deeper and wider when the Washington Posts' Ruth Marcus, who prefaced her column by admitting that she had been less than charitable toward the 2008 GOP vice-presidential candidate:

"Finally, though, I find myself in Palin’s corner -- pushed there by Levi Johnston, her former future son-in-law, and the father of her grandson."

[...]

"Is any of this true -- the talk of divorce, Sarah’s secret plan to adopt Tripp? I don’t know. Would anybody’s household look especially attractive if its inner workings were splashed on the pages of Vanity Fair by someone with every motive to accentuate the negative? I know mine wouldn’t."

"Johnston is an opportunistic creep..."

Remember that WaPo was founded in 1877 as an organ of the Democrat Party and has never strayed far from its original mission. When even the Post won't get on board your ship to score points against a prominent conservative who it otherwise delights in bashing, your boat is taking on water.

FAIL

But the unkindest glass cutter of all turned out to be the real jaw dropper of the bunch. Gail Collins, columnist for the mother of all liberal media outlets -- the New York Times -- exposed Levi's lack of cred in her September 2 column:

"For the first time in my life, I feel sympathy for Sarah Palin."

[...]

"Given the fact that Johnston is a 19-year-old high school dropout whose mother was arrested last year on six felony drug counts, it is conceivable that he is not the perfect arbiter of normal families."

[...]

"So it would be helpful to know if Palin was 'always in a bad mood and she was stressed out a lot,' as Johnston claims. But really, we’re going to have to wait for a more reliable witness."

If you can't convince the NY Times to buy what you're selling to beat Sarah Palin up with, your ship is headed for the bottom.

FAIL

So, two of the three major alphabet networks, the Washington Post, the New York Times and a smattering of liberal bloggers, all of whom can usually be counted upon to join in any attack on Sarah Palin, refuse to be convinced by the Levi line of BS offered up by Vanity Fair.

SERIOUS FAIL

And if all of that wasn't enough bad news for Vanity Fair, its parent, the Conde Nast publishing empire, is drowning in a sea of red:

"Conde Nast is reeling from what is expected to be a loss of 5,000 ad pages this year, translating into a revenue shortfall of between $275 million and $350 million -- and very likely pushing the publishing giant into the red."

"After Condé Nast's ad-page tally last year fell 10.5 percent to 34,966 from the previous year, according to Media Industry Newsletter, the company behind mags like Vogue and Vanity Fair is expected to see the ad-page count fall more than 20 percent this year."

EPIC FAIL

Update: Yet another columnist who is a longtime Palin critic weighs in against VF and lyin' Levi. Ana Veciana-Suarez of the Miami Herald:

"Johnston is not the sort of person someone in my business would call a credible source. This is his shot at the limelight, and he cares little about its consequences."

EPIC FAIL OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

- JP

Words for today

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Today's words, boys and girls, are "scumbag" and "scumbaggery."

The Urban Dictionary provides a number of definitions. This one seems to be the best fit:

scumbag
1. One who steals from others, even close friends
2. One who rats out others, even close friends, for small personal gain
3. One who cheats, bribes, lies, and steals for personal gain

Stacy McCain demonstrates proper usage of "scumbag":

"The scumbag has an agent. The scumbag has a lawyer. The scumbag does a Vanity Fair photo shoot and appears on network news programs. People say they've seen him wheeling around in a brand new $30,000 truck. And other people say the scumbag hasn't bought a single diaper for his own baby son."

The Telegraph's Lucy Jones shows us how to use "scumbaggery" in a headline:

"Levi Johnston plumbs new depths of scumbaggery with Vanity Fair article on Sarah Palin"

Your homework assignment is to plug the name Rex Butler into a search engine and learn how a scumbag Stalinist lawyer manipulates a scumbag useful idiot. Pop quiz tomorrow. Have a good day!

Update: Politico's Ben Smith links to a Larry King transcript proving Levi's Vanity Fair statements contradict what he was saying about the Palins in April.

Allah:

"Surprise: Even MSNBC thinks Levi Johnston’s a lying scumbag"

Aaron Goldstein:

"I guess you can't blame Vanity Fair for knowing its audience of middle-aged, middle to upper class, urban dwelling white liberals who hate Sarah Palin and will believe anything they are told about her."

Jamie Jeffords:

"Johnston... seduced Bristol Palin, knocked her up, and then abandoned both her and their son. Now he is trolling around Alaska in a $ 30, 000 pick up truck bought with money news outlets for which he trashed the grandmother of his child. None of that money has gone to support his child."

Politik Ditto:

"Now Levi Johnston becomes another tool for the Left to use, exploit and spit out when they're done with him. In other words he's another Meghan McCain."

Dan Riehl:

"Sarah wanted us to get married, Sarah wanted to adopt the baby! Oh wait, Rex, what do I tell them next?"

Mayor Jeff Graham:

"Wait a minute....the same media wags who joke about Sarah Palin hunting game from a helicopter, now report she cannot operate a gun."

Finally, Gawker confirms that Ricky Hollyweird will strip down for the gay guys who read Playgirl. You stay classy, Levi!

- JP

Ian Ransom on Levi's Vanity Fair Palin Smear Job

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Ian Ransom's cutting commentary regarding Vanity Fair's latest character-assassination-for-hire of Sarah Palin is not to be missed. The contract on Palin went to the most unlikely of hit men -- Levi Johnston, who blends with the VF elites like Scotts Miracle Gro mixes with moose manure. Any way you package it, it's the same old... er, stuff. What we like about Ian is he uses a keyboard like a samurai wields a katana. Here are a couple of excerpts:

"Once again, we witness the Left's indefatigable obsession with defaming and dehumanizing Sarah Palin, long after she has departed center stage--for the time being--in the battle for America's ideological soul. Though Beltway denizens and pundits have adopted a wait & see approach (whilst keeping their straight-razors handy), bloated old fashion-mummies like Graydon Carter can't seem to shake their overweening fear of Palin's decency, or their inability to comprehend her unwavering, distinctly American dignity. Fops like Graydon Carter can't tolerate such abiding normality because, unlike Palin, these individuals do not value character...they value characteristics."

[...]

"It's not shocking that Vanity Fair and its washed-out hive of worker bees would stoop to such galling depths to ridicule a fine American leader who has never harmed anyone. Vanity Fair's sales are unquestionably in the same toilet wherein the souls of its editors are currently swirling toward the Ultimate Flush. These dandies are forced to pander for their very lives, which, in a way, testifies to the power that Sarah Palin has over them, and not vice versa."

Well, Ricky Hollywood, when Rex Butler said he would make you a star, is this what you had in mind? Probably beats posing for Gayboy magazine, though. Or is that next? And to think that your dad had found honest work for you until Dan Fagan screwed that up.

Read Ian's complete commentary here.

- JP

Quote of the Day (July 2, 2009)

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Christine Pelosi is a Democrat, and it's a rare Sarah Palin policy that she would agree with. But she recognizes the VF smear job for what it is -- character assassination and biased reporting. Pelosi fears that the hit piece will only serve to help the governor:

"My guess is Palin circulates this hatchet job and raises a fortune."

-JP

Malek: VF never talked to McCain, Rick Davis or me

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Fred Malek's latest diary posted at RedState.com sheds a little more light on just how selective Todd Purdum was in gathering quotes for his Vainly Unfair (Vanity Fair) hit piece on Sarah Palin. Malek, the consummate GOP moderate and Beltway insider (but don't hold that against him. He's one of the good guys), said that Purdum had personally asked him if he would talk to the author about Gov. Palin, but never got back in touch with Malek before launching his Palin smear job. Malek says he knows that Purdum didn't contact Rick Davis or John McCain prior to writing the hit piece.

That tells us that Purdum was only interest in getting negative quotes about the governor for his attack article, and all of those quotes came from cowards who wanted to remain anonymous. Unfortunately for their political careers, their anonymity will prove to be fleeting. We are finding out who they are.

In his RS diary, Malek had more words of praise for Gov. Palin:

"I have known many political leaders over four decades including all Republican presidents and VPs. I have come to know Sarah Palin over the past year and can state unequivocally that she is smart, curious, hard working, charming, and effective. She also has something her detractors clearly lack – a sense of honor and loyalty."

Almost goes without saying that this is a must-read. Fred Malek is a gentleman and a stand-up guy.

- JP

Quote of the Day (June 30, 2009)

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Carol Platt Liebau, commenting on the Todd Purdum hit piece on Gov. Sarah Palin in Vainly Unfair magazine:

"...any lingering doubts or disagreements any Republican might have with the Governor become irrelevant when one reads the assemblage of snippy innuendo, predictable negative-insider-quotes and the elitist, snobbish tone of pretention that underpins the entire piece. And there's reason to believe that it' s not just Republicans like me who feel this way."

- JP