PJ: Sarah Palin has grabbed every opportunity to keep herself in the spotlight but sometimes is not pleased with the way that others use her words against her. A few days ago on the conservative Hannity show (Fox), Sarah Palin had this to say about President Obama:
"He is bringing us back to days, you can hearken back to days before the Civil War, when unfortunately too many Americans mistakenly believed that not all men were created equal. And it was the Civil War that began the codification of the truth that here in America, yes we are equal, and we all have equal opportunities, not based on the color of your skin, you have equal opportunity to work hard and to succeed and to embrace God-given opportunities to develop resources and work extremely hard and as I say, to succeed. Now, it has taken all these years for many Americans to understand the gravity of that mistake that took place before the Civil War and why the Civil War had to really start changing America. What Barack Obama seems to want to do is go back to before those days when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin. Why are we allowing our country to move backwards instead of moving forward with that understanding that as our charters of liberty spell out for us, we are all created equally?"
Perhaps if she didn't provide so much ammunition, others wouldn't fire back.
The Guardian
Sarah Palin: Barack Obama's 'enemy of the week'
An attack ad aimed at Sarah Palin as a far-right Republican is a cheap shot, but think of it as just a warm-up routine for the fall
By Paul Harris
Let's shift away for a moment from the ongoing Hatfield-McCoy blood feud that is the Republican race and cast a glance at what Team Obama has been up to.
It is a strange time for the Democrats. On the one hand, they must be barely able to suppress a grin as they watch the GOP rivals tear strips off each other – and especially the presumed frontrunner Mitt Romney. On the other hand, as they go about the basic business of preparing for the presidential election, Democrats still do not really know who they will face. Or what sort of battered and bruised shape their eventual opponent will be in. That makes it hard to craft a message.
What
But there are no prizes for not trying. Hence Obama For America has whacked out this video aimed at going viral online. It is a cheap shot, as it features former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. This ensures everyone watches and talks about it. It's like throwing a slab of red meat into a pit full of hungry bears.
When
It went up this week and has already got Palin herself to loudly condemn it on her Facebook page, where she says she is annoyed at being treated so unfairly:
"I'm not running for any office, but I'm more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama's 'enemy of the week'."
Why
Palin-baiting is easy and effective. Democrats see the long, bitter and increasingly ultra-conservative Republican race as a major turn-off to many centrist voters: the very people whom most election pundits believe are the key demographic in any race. So – in the absence of an actual GOP opponent yet – how better to ram home the message that the whole Republican party is extreme than by reminding everyone of Sarah Palin? Perfect. It annoys the right wing, motivates the left wing and, hopefully, provokes Palin herself into a response – which will generate some free media attention. Job done, Democrats! Free publicity all around.
How
This is a retro ad. It begins by reminding everyone that it has been four long years since Palin first emerged into American mainstream national politics as Senator John McCain's running mate – and started spouting off about "palling around with terrorists". A message flashes on screen:
"More than four years later, Sarah Palin and the far right say President Obama will bring back racial discrimination … against white people."
Then, it jumps into a rather obviously chopped-up Fox News (surprise!) interview with Palin, in which she calls Obama a radical who wants turn America back to pre-civil war days, when people were judged by their race:
"What Barack Obama seems to want to do is go back to before those days when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin."
In an era when vast swathes of the Republican electorate believes Obama is a Muslim (by the way, he isn't), then this claptrap from an icon of the GOP should be no surprise, either. Palin, of course, complains she has been selectively edited. And she is right. Her words have been shortened.
But as this New York Times blog detailed, it didn't really change the meaning of her attack; it just made it more concise.
The ad goes on to ask viewers:
"These attacks are wrong and dangerous. If you're tired of it, do something."
And then, it asks straight-up for a cash campaign donation, which is a nice, direct way of trying to get people to "act" after watching it.
All in all, this is the political equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. It's slick, well-done and an easy target that fulfils multiple objectives. It's still a long way until November, 2012 – and the result is far from guaranteed – but this ad shows Team Obama is getting the basics right, so far. But that's easy. There will be sterner tests to come. See this ad as a simple practice run.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/14/sarah-palin-barack-obama-enemy?newsfeed=true
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