"In the October issue of Vanity Fair now on newsstands, Michael Gross reverts to junior high school to issue gossip-girl digs at Sarah Palin. Next up in Vanity Fair: 'Sarah Palin Super Stuck Up; Thinks She's All That.' ... Most psychotically insane is Gross' rumination on why the Palins would leave their home on, I quote, 'the anniversary of Sarah's resignation.' This is the kind of 'anniversary' celebrated only by Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann and other Palin obsessives. It is not yet, as we go to press, an anniversary celebrated by Hallmark."
"Michael Joseph Gross, the author of the recent Vanity Fair hit piece on Sarah Palin, does not seem to be able to tell the truth. In a new attempt to 'shoot the messenger' (me) rather than admit that his story is concocted, he tries to turn the tables and call my credibility into question. The problem–there are witnesses and logistical impossibilities that expose further problems with his story."
"Michael Gross's 'profile' on Sarah Palin is drawing more and more detractors... Why? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because it's pure, unadulterated crap!?"
"The author of [the Vanity Fair hit-piece against Sarah Palin] has since stated... that 'the worst stuff isn't even in there', and that 'she lies about everything'... I spent several weeks in Alaska last year... During that time I spoke with more than a few people who knew Sarah Palin personally, both her supporters and her opponents... The story from those people is radically different from what's portrayed about Ms. Palin in the mainstream media. Even her political opponents grudgingly conceded to me, in conversation, that she was a very genuine person, who said what she believed and stuck to it. She had their respect as an honest politician, even if they disagreed with her... She simply is not the person the mainstream media want to portray her as being."
"Vanity Fair’s Michael Gross today lashed out at his critics and claimed, among other things, that Gina Loudon is lying about him. That’s so unfair, isn’t it, Michael? You have a conversation with someone, then they tell their side of the story in a way that makes you look bad, and . . . well, it just feels kind of wrong, doesn’t it? ... As I said before, every liberal journalist with any influence or ambition is either now writing an anti-Palin book or is trying to hustle a deal for an anti-Palin book. The fact that Sarah Palin isn’t cooperating with writers like Gross (i.e., she’s not helping him get paid to trash her) indicates that she’s not quite as stupid as he thinks she is."
"I am always astounded when the left’s bigotry and smugness is hailed as intellectualism. Vanity Fair, if you want to write about hate and anger then look to the left."
"In reading Vanity Fair’s bill of particulars, we wonder, 'Compared to what?' Is Ms. Palin making any more money than the aggregate $100 million collected by good ol’ boy Bill Clinton — as he jetted his way around the globe between 2001 and 2009, offering his 'aw shucks' global initiatives to any creepy foreign thug who would pony up the near-million-dollar fee? Are the now-orphaned Palin children missing their careerist mother more than, say, the Obama children missed their absentee father huckstering on the campaign trail for two years in 2007–2008? And is Ms. Palin really less of a game-eating shooter than the duck-hunting camouflaged John Kerry was in 2004?"
"Vanity Fair regurgitated all over Sarah Palin in a nasty 18-page attack in last week’s issue... its article felt purposefully petty, trivial with a streak of hysteria. Frankly I am confused by its neurotic delirium..."
"As more people get to know Governor Palin through real, unscripted moments... it will be increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for liberals and their allies in the media to caricature Governor Palin as some bendy-straw demanding diva. The near-universal denunciation of the ridiculously fictitious Vanity Fair hit-piece is evidence that this is already happening. The more people get to know the real Governor Palin, the less traction these outrageous hit pieces will receive (outside of MSNBC and their ilk, that is). Time is on her side, not on theirs. The Left knows this and that is why their attacks are becoming increasingly hysterical, as the Vanity Fair piece demonstrates."
"Passing judgment... seems to be the theme for the week with Vanity Fair publishing the worst kind of baseless smear masquerading as an article by Michael Gross on Sarah Palin, using anonymous sources, and operating from the most misogynistic point of view."
"We’re going to tell you all something, and we want this to be abundantly clear — we stand with Governor Palin in all that she does, all that she hopes to do, so long as we believe she has the best interests of this country in her heart and she continues to fight for Americans in every way she knows how... Governor Palin has consistently stood up for the rights and liberties of all her constituents during her time in elected office — and yes, even the gay ones — and we see her on peer with former Vice President Dick Cheney as one of the Republicans we trust most when it comes to defending gay people against all bullies, wherever they may be found (hint: they’re usually on the Left, funded by the DNC, and not on the Right where state media tells you they are…Fred Phelps, the most gay-hating closet case in the known universe is a Democrat)."
"While Vanity Fair writer Michael Joseph Gross has admitted he erred... he still hasn’t retracted any of the other inaccuracies in his Sarah Palin piece. And there are plenty."
"In the wake of the now infamous Vanity Fair hit piece, of which now even the author is admitting may have some errors in it, Sarah Palin's acerbic reaction to the piece is now being spun into a manufactured controversy... Sarah Palin is now being accused of gay bashing... Imagine whatever prurient imagery you would like. Palin was not attacking Gross's sexual preference. She was attacking his writing ability, his journalistic ethics, and his virility, the last especially treasured by any man no matter who or what he prefers to sleep with."
"You know it's bad for Vanity Fair when even liberals like Ben Smith, Dave Weigel, and Kirsten Powers are defending Governor Palin and conceding that the Vanity Fair Hit Piece is questionable."
"You can't take the kinds of punches Sarah Palin has taken for the past two years and still be standing - and standing even stronger and taller than you were before you took the punches - unless there is something really weak with the attacker, something really strong about the punch taker or a combination of both... While the smears against Sarah Palin will continue (the smear campaign against Ronald Reagan continued throughout his entire presidency), you can mark this down: the Vanity Fair 18 page empty shell will come to symbolize the moment when the smear campaign became impotent and limp... The smears the Left passed around to each other like syphilis may have once created a false apprehension in the less astute reader, voter, independent or moderate; but ultimately even these people will find that Palin is more palatable than they've been led to believe, especially if they are suffering 'buyer's remorse' over Obama."
* Law Professor and blogger William Jacobson was interviewed recently by WBT-AM's Stacey Simms on "Charlotte's Morning News" about this post at his blog Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion.
* Vanity Fair attack dog Michael Joseph Gross has admitted to one glaring "error" in his smear job on Sarah Palin, but the reports contradicting his hatchet job continue to stack up, according to NewsBuster Nathan Burchfiel:
In a Sept. 7 post on The Corner, Katrina Trinko "refudiated" Gross's characterization of Palin as vicious, vengeful, and fake. Unlike Gross's sources, almost all of which were anonymous, Trinko provided citations.
Gross had cited "people who know" suggesting Palin's relationship with close friends Kristan Cole and Kris Perry had "deteriorated." But Cole reportedly told Trinko the charge was "absolutely not true. I don't know where they get this stuff from, honestly."
A former Palin aide, Ivy Frye, also contradicted Gross's characterization that she parted ways with Palin "on bad terms." "I didn't leave on ‘bad terms,'" she said in a statement. "Gross' 8 page hit piece is a complete work of fiction from beginning to end."
Although Gross admitted that he "misreported" an incident in his story in which he had alleged that Gov. Palin was using her Down Syndrome child to curry political sympathy, Burchfiel checked the Vanity Fair website, and the original story appears unedited, with no correction or apology added.
Related: Ben Smith has an update at Politico which casts some serious doubt on another Gross anecdote from his VF hit piece:
Now Scott Conroy, a Palin embed and co-author of the critical, reported book on Palin's rise Sarah from Alaska emails over his informed thoughts on the matter:
[Co-author] "Shushannah [Walshe] and I were fed the same story more than a year ago while we were researching our book. We decided not to print it because although it was related to us by a senior aide who claimed to have been on the receiving end of Palin's inquiry, the source had a very obvious axe to grind and insisted upon anonymity. Also, there were several other people present at the time that Palin supposedly posed the question. We spoke to all of them, and none recalled hearing Palin ask, at that time, about when Bristol should marry Levi. In fact, a couple of the people present said that they would have overheard the question if she had indeed asked it..."
* Progressive pundits, at least those with some degree of credibility, are running away from the latest Vanity Fair hatchet job on Sarah Palin or trying to pretend that they aren't aware of its existence. Susannah Fleetwood explains at NewsReal Blog. Here's the Cliff Notes version:
1. Michael Gross, the author of this column, sounds like a blithering idiot, his column is dripping with hatred, and he manages to prove Sarah Palin correct about the “lamestream media”.
2. Michael Gross’ hit piece on Sarah Palin was just dripping with blatant sexism.
3. When Michael Gross is not attacking Sarah Palin in his column, he is attacking her supporters–who are his fellow Americans.
4. Franky speaking, Michael Gross sounds like a pervert who is way too interested in Sarah Palin’s undergarments, as well as her sex life.
* Dr. Gina Loudon, who exposed Michael Joseph Gross as a liar for the Vanity Fair hit piece that he wrote about Sarah Palin, says in a Big Journalism op-ed that the smear merchant and the mendacious magazine both owe Gov. Palin an apology:
He falsely reported that Sarah somehow disregarded her child at an event, when he knew the child was mine, and I took him from the Governor who was holding him right up until she was walking on stage.
He did not apologize to Sarah Palin, to me, or to either of our children, for the record. He also has not retracted the other 99 lies in the piece. At least not yet.
He accuses Sarah Palin of creating fictitious PACs to “hide” money she is supposedly collecting from all of these groups. He speaks specifically in his piece about the “Take America Back” rally where the Governor, and I spoke, among others.
[...]
The right thing to do is to write a formal apology to Sarah Palin, her family, and all liberty-loving patriots across the country. We are a forgiving lot. If you could manage that level of honesty, you would be shocked at the good things that would come your way, not the least of which is your right to continue to write whatever you believe about whatever topic you desire. How ironic that we, your targets, are actually the ones who might save your job for you.
Perhaps you have already apologized, in a backhanded kind of way. I think your piece (which has been rebuked by liberals and conservatives alike) may have pushed anyone who doubted the Palins square into their corner. You may have done more for her than a million dollars worth of marketing. You may have boosted her shot at the White House. We may all be thanking you for that one day. You betcha’!
Read Dr. Loudon's full Big Journalism article here.
"I’ve read [the VF hit piece] and it’s simply the worst excuse for journalism – oh wait, we’ve already seen some of the worst excuses. In short then, it’s nothing more than a hatchet job. It is character assassination to the highest degree... No one in the public arena, in this nation has ever been roasted, toasted and trashed like Sarah Palin. Until Sarah Palin, I never believed that Americans could be so unkind or so cruel. The attacks on this woman and her family have been heartless and brutal, regardless of whether you like her or not. No one deserves the abuse she has endured and it makes everyone who has done her so unkindly, a much lesser person."
"Why did the Vanity Fair author (Gross), who was told repeatedly that the child did not belong to Palin, confuse the Down Syndrome child with Palin's? Because he was looking for a story that he had already written... The truth is that the Vanity Fair was a despicable hit piece, meant to totally destroy Sarah Palin, if she should decide to run for the presidency."
"The other day, Vanity Fair published a 10,000-word hatchet job about how Sarah Palin is history’s greatest monster. It was so bad, so shoddy and error-filled, even Palin-haters are bashing it. Even Palin-haters who helped the VF writer with his story are bashing it!"
"Anyone reviewing the latest Vanity Fair article about Governor Palin should at least do so armed with an awareness of the words of Mary Hargrove, a former editor and investigative reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: 'When I go to Washington and I see a proliferation of anonymous sources used daily, I don't believe it myself even when I know the authors... I think, Can't you take that extra step? It's just cheap shot heaven.' This, of course, is something which appears lost on Michael Joseph Gross..."
"So what did we learn from Vanity Fair's Sarah Palin roast? Apparently, women are supposed to be Mommies and nothing else, whose job it is to simply look pretty and be the sole caretaker for the children. Apparently, any other choice means that they are bad mothers... Criticize her politics all you want, but until I see an 18-page article about Barack Obama or any other male politician's parenting choices and wardrobe, I'm going to stand by the reprimand. Shame on you, Vanity Fair for the damage you've done to the women's liberation movement."
"The mainstream media will eviscerate whomever they perceive to be the greatest threat to their 'progressive' agenda, and since 2008 that has been Sarah Palin."
"The entire blogosphere is buzzing about the Vanity Fair hit piece... Make no mistake -- it is such a brutal piece of no facts personal attacks that even the progressives who hate Sarah Palin with a passion... -- are aghast. For my part, I am wondering exactly how much further journalism can sink into the toilet before everyone stops paying attention. What are they teaching in journalism schools [these days]? One thing the article does settle for me is Palin is the real deal and the progressives know it."
"[CNN gives] credibility to profanity-laced ANONYMOUS quotes to smear Sarah Palin and her family... It is no wonder [their] numbers are in the dumpster!"
"The most you can say for Mr. Gross's effort is that it is, well, long. I was about to write 'comprehensive' but that implies some sort of worthwhile knowledge or insight. Instead what we get is an eye-stabbingly boring list of Palin ephemera... Perhaps the clincher in persuading me that Mr. Gross would be better employed writing about pop stars and celebs, which he has done, is that he implies with many a wink and a nod that the people of Alaska, or at least [Wasilla]... heartily dislike her, and yet, only a week ago the incumbent Senator, the daughter of one of the most powerful Republican families in the State, was ousted by a total unknown - who was backed and endorsed by the very same 'hated' Mrs. Palin. "
"Speaking truth to power is scary, isn't it, Howard Kurtz... 'I agree with Palin on overuse of unnamed sources, but calling reporters impotent and limp? Did she have to go there?' twittered a wimpering Howard Kurtz yesterday afternoon. Truth to power is scary, especially when the shoe is on the other foot. Meanwhile the New York Times was trying to breathe new life into the hoary tale of the Hatfields and McCoys of The Last Frontier."
"The fact that Gross doesn’t see fit to mention any of his liberal baggage when he appears on TV suggests that he’s not being very honest. I think the real motivations come through in his work."
"Referring to a recent article in Vanity Fair written by gay journalist Michael Joseph Gross, The Advocate... accuses former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin of ‘gay-baiting....’ It is The Advocate, not Sarah Palin, who is guilty of ‘gay-baiting.’ I don’t think most people associate the words ‘impotent,’ ‘limp,’ or ‘gutless’ with being gay – I know I certainly don’t. If the folks at The Advocate think these words are euphemisms for being gay or lesbian then I think that speaks volumes about their own internalized homophobia. Governor Palin was absolutely right to use the words she chose to describe the pathetic hatchet job penned by Mr. Gross."
* And though he constantly whines about 'constant whining,' even liberal Ellis Hanican admits that the VF piece is 'a hit job," and left-leaning Democrat Kirsten Powers said it was "absolutely atrocious" in this clip courtesy of Palin TV:
And in this Fox NewsWatch Face Off, Hanican and Jim Pinkerton continue the debate. While Hanican continues to whine about whining and gratuitously slams Gov. Palin over the authorship of her book, Pinkerton deals with substance, making the point that the real burden of proof is on Gross and VF to back up their wild claims, which they have refused to do:
* Dr. Gina Loudon, who debunked the big lie in Michael Gross' made-up Vanity Fair hatchet job on Sarah Palin, was interviewed by Larry O'Connor Saturday night on Blog Talk Radio's "The Stage Right Show."
After being caught Red-handed, so to speak, by Dr. Loudon, Gross tried to do some damage control, as he was forced to admit to what he claimed was just an error of mistaken identity. Don't believe this leftist "useful idiot" for even a minute.
In the interview, Dr. Loudon reveals the Michael Gross-Joe McGinniss connection, and announces that she may have uncovered Gross' smoking gun -- or in this case, the bloody axe he has to grind. This is must-hear Blog Talk Radio, and you can listen to a replay of the program here.
"Having read [his] dismissive account of Palin’s faith, it surprised me to see Mr. Gross on television claiming he has a lot in common with Palin, including Christianity. It reminds me of that old car commercial 'This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.' Well, Michael Gross is not your father’s Christian. In fact he’s apparently a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary which is a long way from the faith of most evangelicals... Perhaps he’s being honest about his initial sympathy towards her, but I’m metaphysically certain he also has lots of equally plausible reasons to dislike her and what she stands for. You don’t write speeches for Bill Weld and then suddenly become one of Palin’s pen pals."
Sarah Palin stalking and anonymous character assassination for political gain by marxist trolls; what's not to love? LOL
It's soooo... evil and dirty. But these lamestream media trolls are less smug and bold in their evilness these days as even well known media Democrats and liberal feminists are rejecting these tactics because they have belatedly realized that such behavior destroys their overall credibility with the American public in a huge way.
These trolls' self-destructive behavior is what it is: self-destructive.
Sarah Palin is powerful because she knows what she is doing by controlling the dialog with a hostile lamestream media and by boldly and fearlessly speaking the truth; traits which evoke admiration of many ten's of millions of Americans' disillusionment in the DEM majority track record of empty promises and failed policies. Their disillusionment and distrust will be richly evidenced in the looming 2010 mid-term elections.
The good news is the lamestream media trolls are seen by the majority of Americans exactly for what they truly are.
The Palin tweet parade of the liberal voting minority of Americans provides amusement as it scrolls by. Obsession is treatable, but first one must admit to having an obsessive compulsive disorder, namely: Palin Derangement Syndrome (PDS):
-VF
TX4P contributor Voting Female, Texas born and raised, manages her own blog and resides in New England.
* At Death By 1000 Papercuts, Mondo Frazier deconstructs the latest Newsweek broadside fired by the troubled magazine at Gov. Palin. Excerpts:
Newsweek has an article on its website on Sarah Palin titled "Why No Amount of Reporting Can Hurt Sarah Palin." The article is extremely informative–only not in the way intended by its author, Ravi Somaiya.
[...]
Newsweek got the headline mostly right while Somaiya stumbled around what was another tired Palin hit piece from the $1 newsweekly. The headline alluded to “reporting.” But “reporting” is not what we get from the magazine and its bedfellows at Vanity Fair. It’s a mish-mash of whispers, gossip and cluelessness and third-hand anonymous sources.
Somaiya can’t come out and pen an article that argues the merits of his ideology. He’d rather try to be clever about it. The only thing is: after seeing the same trick over and over, even the most dim-witted eventually figure it out.
The answer which Ravi Somaiya couldn’t fathom?
The answer why pieces like his, as well as the two from Vanity Fair, have almost no effect is simple: we don’t believe you any longer.
Read the full DBKP debunking of the latest Newsweek anti-Palin hit piece here.
* Jackie has posted an outstanding and timely personal story at Sarah Palin Blog. Here's an excerpt:
On the morning of May 14th, I attended the “Celebration of Life” Breakfast which was hosted by the Susan B. Anthony List (www.sba-list.org).Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker and the event was held in Washington, D.C. at the Ronald Reagan Building with over 600 people in attendance.It was at this event I had the privilege of meeting Sarah Palin for the first time.I found her to be warm, genuine, sincere, and I felt she was truly interested in my family and me.While this part of my story serves to let you know when and why I was in Washington, D.C., the rest of my story is a small and unexpected moment that over the last few days has taken on new meaning.
I’m sure that by now you’ve either heard about or read the most recent Vanity Fair article on Sarah Palin. (I refuse to link to Vanity Fair, so if you have not seen it, just use your favorite internet search engine.) In fact, this article has been a dominating news story in the blogosphere due to its outrageous and unsubstantiated accusations.One part of the article allegedly details Governor Palin’s treatment of bellhops in a Wichita, Kansas hotel, citing that she was a poor tipper and had a bad temper. Now, let me tie these two seemingly unrelated stories together.
After the “Celebration of Life Breakfast,” my family and I returned to our hotel, the Renaissance Washington, in order to change into casual clothes for some sightseeing.I decided to don a pair of jeans and my “Team Sarah” (www.teamsarah.org) t-shirt.We went back down to the lobby to find a tourist map and I somehow became separated from my husband and my son.I decided to stay put in the large lobby, figuring we would eventually spot each other and commence with the sightseeing.
Before reuniting with my family, two bellhops approached me, pointed at my shirt, and asked me about it.I explained to them that I was a supporter of Sarah Palin and was in town to hear her speak.I also told them that I was very involved in a website called “Team Sarah.”
Learn the rest of the story at Sarah Palin Bloghere.
"Perhaps some of them are beginning to realize that the more they attack this woman and her family, the more popular she becomes and the closer the idea of a President Sarah Palin in the White House gets to reality."
I thought I might share another point about those “impotent, limp and gutless” reporters: It’s not really hard to do what they do. A pro-Palin friend e-mailed me:
The root of the VF-style hit pieces can be found with a handful of Alaska characters. A journalist on assignment to write a hit piece will ring up Shannyn Moore, and she’ll put this person in touch with a slate of people who have an obvious axe to grind . . . or just a tenuous connection to Sarah Palin. We can always tell who the “anonymous” sources are.
Exactly: “The Real, Hidden Scary TRUTH About Sarah Palin” is a color-by-numbers exercise that has been done to death by now.
[...]
Some people in the journalism racket really need to re-consider their career strategies. Being a dime-a-dozen cliché-peddler just isn’t very smart in the long term.
"Vanity Fair has unleashed a ten thousand word hit piece on Sarah Palin in the latest issue based largely on anonymous sources that has already begun to fall apart under close scrutiny by reporters who actually check facts... If it was the intent of the Vanity Fair hit piece to tarnish Sarah Palin, it seems to have backfired... Ben Smith thinks Sarah Palin is partly to blame, as she tends to avoid contact with the mainstream media, sticking to friendlier venues in the conservative press. But, really, if people are going to write things like the Vanity Fair piece, can she be blamed for not wanting to help them do it?"
"This entire Gross piece is nothing more than a gross exaggeration and embellishment. And I doubt this Gross guy took the time to interview people with different stories and varying experiences with Sarah Palin. But what really galls me the most is the way the mainstream press is not calling him to task on this. On CNN this morning, while this Gross guy sat there in the studio, before millions of people, and put on a fake-somber expression and a deep serious tone to promote his Gross piece on Sarah Palin, not one of those anchor boobs on CNN had the inclination to question him about his sources or the integrity of the piece."
"This article is actually filled with lies that nobody who has ever met the real Governor Palin--or anyone with an ounce of discernment--would ever embrace, but facts don't seem to matter to loons who are obsessed with running her into the ground. Isn't it something how these things seem to get uglier and uglier as she does more and more damage to the liberal agenda? It's no surprise that after this latest round of endorsees' victories, this comes out. The latest, of course, is the 'Miracle on Ice,' Joe Miller's defeat of Lisa Murkowski in the battle for the U.S. Senate."
"The Vanity Fair hit piece on Sarah Palin is so bad that even liberal columnist Ben Smith cannot stomach it. Of course he blames all the hostile and dishonest reportage and commentary on Sarah, saying that it is because she won't give interviews to unfriendly journalists [like Ben Smith]. He seems to think that if she gave lots of such interviews the hostility would abate. Yeah, sure... Smith is not the only one protesting the hit piece. Other liberals, feminists, and even Palin haters are protesting the piece."
"The irony of the whole Palin situation is that a person who holds no elective office... and who communicates by Facebook and Twitter is not only impervious to the leftist attacks, but is assisting the radical left to destroy itself."
"The mighty Sarah Palin, not in any political office but who somehow nonetheless rules the world from her Facebook page, clearly terrifies this pathetic little man, Michael Joseph Gross, who was all over the media today to promote his largely unsourced hatchet job on Sarah Palin. Yes, that’s right: Sarah is so terrifying that no one would speak of her on the record, which is why Gross had to, um, quote unidentified sources about her martial relations, her shopping habits, and other such things crucial to our understanding of her as a politician."
"Every time Gov. Palin scores a significant accomplishment, the leftist media spin machine has their hit piece ready to roll. Vanity Fair has a... history of running hit pieces against Gov. Palin, and 'Sarah Palin the Sound and the Fury' is the latest in that publication’s line-up... Every supporter of Gov. Palin is spoken of negatively. Those who don’t like her are portrayed as victims of a sinister Palin-controlled Mafioso type network running roughshod through Wasilla clamping down with an iron fist on those who would say anything negative about her."
"Although he has denied the charges, Gross reveals a bias against Palin early in his article titled, 'Sarah Palin the Sound and the Fury.' The Vanity Fair writer manages to paint a picture not so much about the sins of Palin, but his desire to make her look bad at any cost... What follows [the first paragraph] is a series of assumptions and hearsay backed only by anonymous sources... Even though the piece is mostly fluff and vivid storytelling, one disturbing part of the article is the author's attempt to demean Palin's faith."
"Vanity Fair posts some garbage article taking pot shots at Sarah Palin... Is this what now passes for journalism in this country? No fact checking? No scrutinizing of news sources? The entire VF article can be summarized as: 'I don’t like Sarah Palin. Here’s a bunch of people (I can’t tell you who they are), who knew Sarah Palin (in some unspecified capacity), who told me, at some time, some mean things about her. So you should stop liking her.' Really? That’s it? No names? Dates? Places? FACTS? We’re just making stuff up now? There are liberal websites who are RUNNING with the quotes from this article like it’s the gospel. I can understand not liking someone on the other side of the political spectrum, and trying to convince folks on their side to jump ship. But, can we at least pretend to verify our smears before we publish them in a nationally-read magazine? For crying out loud..."
* In a blistering op-ed at Big Journalism, Dr. Gina Loudon speaks truth to leftist lies and exposes Vanity Fair hatchet job author Michael Gross as not a journalist, but rather just another smear merchant for the anti-Palin crime syndicate:
Remember Vanity Fair (you know–the stale, old magazine that no one buys unless they are on the cover or they are wishing they were, like Joy Behar)? The recent hit piece on Sarah Palin by Michael Joseph Gross reveals that they must be as desperate as the rest of the MSM for sales/ratings, because they have lost all credibility, if they ever had any.
Reading his tripe was excruciating. Some 90% of the hard accusations are attributed to anonymous “sources.” This is billed as a profile piece, not exactly Watergate. You have to do better than attributing everything to an anonymous “Deep Throat.”
I have read a lot of MSM slime over the years, but never, ever have I felt subjected to a more jealous, petty, sophomoric, disturbed piece of ragslime than I do after reading this latest on Sarah Palin. Gross left nothing alone. He attacked her beauty, intelligence, marriage, parents, friends, family, children, ability, sincerity, honesty, faith, state, husband, home, shoes, speeches, pastor, book, job, cooking, hunting skills, supporters, church, weight, undergarments… the list goes on. I honestly cannot think of anything about her that he did not attack.
Sarah Palin doesn’t need me, or anyone else to defend her. She is strong, self assured, and she has heard all of this unoriginal slime before now. The only thing new in his story is the new depth of utter disregard for professionalism in journalism. Here is an excerpt:
“When …Piper Palin turns around, she sees her parents thronged by admirers, and the crowd rolling toward her and the baby, her brother Trig, born with Down syndrome in 2008. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, bend down and give a moment to the children; a woman, perhaps a nanny, whisks the boy away; and Todd hands Sarah her speech and walks her to the stage.”
Unfortunately for Mr. Gross, it happens that I shared the stage with Sarah Palin at that event... and I remember it well.
As I stood backstage with the Palins I remember a reporter asking me if I were “Trig’s Nanny” with a hint of something I didn’t trust in his eyes. I coldly retorted, “no, I am Samuel’s mother.” He looked confused, and had more questions to follow. In his VF story, he said that no one is willing to speak about Sarah “on the record” unless they are paid by her, or afraid. I was one of the people you interviewed Mr. Gross. I am not paid, or afraid. But since you opted not to print what I told you, here is the rest of the story: Since the first time the Governor saw my son Samuel (who also has Down syndrome), she bolts across the room to greet him every time she sees him. She nuzzles him like a mother who loves children with Down syndrome does.
[...]
After I explained which children were Todd and Sarah’s, and which were mine and my husband’s, Mr. Gross moved into a sinister line of questioning. I let him know that I was surprised that he believed the baloney written about her during her 2008 race with John McCain. I told of my work on Governor Palin’s “advance team” and that I was there when the whole St. Louis “story” about her alleged expensive taste became more important to some writers than her stellar performance in the debate. I told him the Governor I know was always polite, always a lady, even behind the scenes in her darkest moments.
[...]
I told Mr. Gross that the Palin family is so real, it is unreal. What you saw in front of the cameras is precisely what you saw behind the scenes. I have known a lot of politicians. The interesting thing about the Palins is how grounded they are, despite their astonishing success. Mr. Gross says he talked to her hairdressers, makeup artists, waiters, and clerks at the Independence, Mo., event, and he tells of scandal, self absorption, and power slinging. But he never mentions talking to me, or to others I heard echoing the sentiments I offered to him. One of the most endearing components of the Palin family is their ability to point out, and laugh at their flaws. The Palins were gracious enough to let Mr. Gross follow them for months backstage, behind the scenes, and in their private moments around their staff and friends and family, and this is how he thanks them?
Here is petty, but further evidence of Mr. Gross’ slander. Sarah is a size 4. She is tiny. So when you try to hit the woman in the place that would really hurt, and accuse her of spending $3,000 of campaign money on her underwear, namely Spanx girdles, it tells your readers so much about you.
[...]
One more thing among your errors: “the boy” in the excerpted quote above, was not Trig Palin. That was my Samuel, also a beautiful boy with Down syndrome. No “nanny whisk(ed) the boy away.” I am his mother. I took my son, Samuel from Sarah before she went on stage. I told Mr. Gross that fact, but he didn’t let that divert him from his pathetic narrative.
That is not journalism. That is just gross.
Please go to Big Journalism and read Dr. Loudon's complete refudiation of the Grossly disingenuous Vanity Fail hatchet piece.
Vanity Fair's Michael Joseph Gross brews up a particularly virulent lie-strewn Palin smear job citing a plethora of "anonymous sources" and gets his butt handed to him by leftist writers and bloggers who just could not be a part of perpetuating such baseless literary lying slime and what does Huffington Post Danny Shea do? Why, he pats his fellow troll on the back. LOL
Seems there are those on the Left for which patting Michael Joseph Gross on the back is a bridge too far...
So here’s where we’re at. Yesterday the piece dropped, and immediately even left-leaning reporters like Ben Smith and Dave Weigel started challenging it. Today Smith came back with another reason to question its accuracy; meanwhile, lefty feminists (including KP, whose criticism of Vanity Fair almost but not quite atones for her recent “Republicans are racist” op-ed) are unloading on VF for attacking Palin over alleged behavior that’s par for the course for male politicians. And now, as a coup de grace, here’s renowned Palin-hater Shannyn Moore telling Weigel that she’s filled with heartache at what a supposedly unethical hack the VF author has turned out to be.
I don’t give a rip what you said about me – though it was so completely wrong, and put me in such a completely inaccurate and unfavorable light people are mad on my behalf.
Fine thanks for Alaskan hospitality. I have extended the Alaska Spirit to dozens of journalists and visitors, and I will continue to do so. It’s on YOU, not me, as you are the only one who has broken agreements with sources you promised complete anonymity.
I’m sure you’re thrilled to be on TV now. Just know, like Sarah, Alaskans paid a price for it. Specifically, a 79-year old woman, with failing health, who spoke to you under anonymity who hopes her adult children will speak to her again.
“I was w/ Palin for entire VP bid. never got a hint that she ‘lashed out at the slightest provocation’”
All of which brings me to a question: If, like Vanity Fair, you’re in the business of churning out occasional hit pieces on Palin to take her down and/or convince your readers that she’s every bit the demon they believe she is, wouldn’t you want to make extra, extra sure that the details are perfectly accurate? You know her supporters will allege media bias; the only counterargument is to present an airtight factual case. As it is, they’ve managed to turn this into Exhibit A in her argument for just how lame the “lamestream media” is. Amazing.
Sarah Palin to Lame Stream Media's Scumbag Trolls like Michael Joseph Gross: (starting at 4:10)
Is there any doubt Sarah Palin is the most powerful Conservative Woman in America? These Marxist Trolls pay her tribute by their fear-inspired projectile vomit 'journalism' against the blowback fan of the majority of Americans whom these slime balls also smear as Ignorant Racist Bigots.
Obviously these trolls think they have the upper hand. Wrong ;)
-VF
TX4P contributor Voting Female, Texas born and raised, manages her own blog and resides in New England.
* Curt at Flopping Aces weighs in on the left wing women who find Vanity Fair's smear job against Sarah Palin to be over the top:
I have to say, I’m a bit surprised that the liberal feminists who have taken every opportunity they could to attack Sarah Palin have now come out to defend her from the disgusting Vanity Fair article that was released yesterday...
[...]
How bad was this article? So bad that Shannyn Moore, a liberal Palin hater like no other, attacked the writer of the Vanity Fair hit piece:
I don’t give a rip what you said about me – though it was so completely wrong, and put me in such a completely inaccurate and unfavorable light people are mad on my behalf.
Fine thanks for Alaskan hospitality. I have extended the Alaska Spirit to dozens of journalists and visitors, and I will continue to do so. It’s on YOU, not me, as you are the only one who has broken agreements with sources you promised complete anonymity.
I’m sure you’re thrilled to be on TV now. Just know, like Sarah, Alaskans paid a price for it. Specifically, a 79-year old woman, with failing health, who spoke to you under anonymity who hopes her adult children will speak to her again.
Shame on you. You’re not a writer…you’re a climber.
With no respect, Shannyn Moore
[...]
While I find it heartening that these liberals are backing Sarah regarding this article, I find it a bit hard to feel sorry for them being used the way they were. These same people were not so worried about the truth vs. fiction regarding Sarah way back when. Trig not the baby of Sarah…Sarah spending too much on clothes…Sarah baaaaad.
But now that they have been treated the same way, they are now upset.
I don’t think I have ever seen these “feminists” back Sarah against these unfair attacks before so color me skeptical that they have now seen the light.
We share Curt's skepticism. And what Moore is upset about is not VF author Gross' hatchet job on Gov. Palin. Moore slimes the governor and tells as many lies about her in one day as Gross did in one hatchet job. And Moore it does every day of the year, sometimes several times a day. No, what has Moore's knickers in a knot is that Gross outed Moore's friends, sources he had agreed to cover for, not his bearing of false witness against Sarah Palin. Make no mistake here -- Gross, Moore and most of the other leftist women who lost their mud over this article share a common goal, and that is to drive Sarah Palin's poll numbers down and ultimately destroy her politically. And if Sarah's husband, children, friends or supporters get wounded in the process, well they're simply casualties of war, from the leftist POV. These leftists still believe like Alinsky and Lenin that the ends justify the means. This is war, after all. C'est la guerre.
* At the Daily Caller, Rusty Weiss channels Captain Obvious and calls the Vanity Fair hatchet job on Sarah Palin "an example of shoddy journalism":
Michael Joseph Gross of Vanity Fair is the kind of journalist you’ve come to expect these days. He’s the kind of journalist that tabloid reporters look at with disdain. The kind of reporter producing work that even TMZ photogs would consider beneath them. He’s the kind of journalist you’d expect to find rooting through one’s garbage for some deep, dark secret to expose to the world.
His recent hit piece on Sarah Palin follows the same theme, entitled, “Sarah Palin the Sound and the Fury.” In this piece, Gross goes on a mind-numbingly long (10,000+ words) diatribe about Palin’s secretive, dark, backstage persona.
“Her on-the-record statements,” Gross says, “amount to a litany of untruths and half-truths.”
With so many words focusing on Palin’s life being a lie, one would imagine that the journalist had a host of witnesses, friends, or sources from which to pool information. And indeed, Gross has plenty. There’s just one problem. He can’t name any of them...
