What Palin ACTUALLY Said….
October 1, 2008
by Amy Siskind
|Our MSM seems unwilling and unable to give balanced coverage of the candidates. What viewers have seen of Gov. Palin in the last couple of week has been brief clips of her gaffes during interviews. She has also spoken articulately and with substance on important issues, and yet that footage has been passed over as not interesting enough.
Gov. Palin gave a follow up interview to Katie Couric on September 29th in which she addressed many issues of great concern to voters. A partial transcript follows.
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Palin as a Feminist
I’m a feminist who believes in equal rights and I believe that women certainly today have every opportunity that a man has to succeed and to try to do it all anyways.
Palin on Fair Pay (one of The New Agenda’s Goals)
I’m absolutely for equal pay for equal work. The Ledbetter pay act – it was gonna turn into a boon for trial lawyers who, I believe, could have taken advantage of women who were many, many years ago who would allege some kind of discrimination. Thankfully, there are laws on the books, there have been since 1963, that no woman could be discriminated against in the workplace in terms of anything, but especially in terms of pay. So, thankfully we have the laws on the books and they better be enforced.
There should be no fear of a lawsuit prohibiting a woman from making sure that the laws that are on the books today are enforced. I know in a McCain-Palin administration we will not stand for any measure that would result in a woman being paid less than a man for equal work.
Palin Global Warming
Well, we’re the only Arctic state, of course, Alaska. So we feel the impacts more than any other state, up there with the changes in climates. And certainly, it is apparent. We have erosion issues. And we have melting sea ice, of course. So, what I’ve done up there is form a sub-cabinet to focus solely on climate change. Understanding that it is real. [...]
You know there are – there are man’s activities that can be contributed to the issues that we’re dealing with now, these impacts. I’m not going to solely blame all of man’s activities on changes in climate. Because the world’s weather patterns are cyclical. And over history we have seen change there. But kind of doesn’t matter at this point, as we debate what caused it. The point is: it’s real; we need to do something about it.
Palin on Contraception
Well, I am all for contraception.
Palin on Abortion in Cases of Rape
I’m saying that, personally, I would counsel the person to choose life, despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in. And, um, if you’re asking, though, kind of foundationally here, should anyone end up in jail for having an … abortion, absolutely not. That’s nothing I would ever support.
Palin on Evolution
Oh, I think it should be taught as an accepted principle. And, as you know, I say that also as the daughter of a school teacher, a science teacher, who has really instilled in me a respect for science. It should be taught in our schools. And I won’t deny that I see the hand of God in this beautiful creation that is Earth. But that is not part of the state policy or a local curriculum in a school district. Science should be taught it science class.
Palin on Homosexuality
But as for homosexuality, I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal relationships. I have one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years happens to be gay, and I love her dearly. And she is not my “gay friend,” she is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice that I have made. But I am not going to judge people.
[...] Palin ACTUALLY said… (reprinted from The New Agenda) by Amy [...]
She’s had what, 2 months to learn to play the media like a washington insider, with everyone trying to catch her out and embarrass her (video of her playing the flute 20 yrs ago???? Really???). I don’t think that drawing a blank or mispeaking occasionally are unprecedented for anyone who might be in her position. The hate that is directed towards her, by many WOMEN (Joy Behar? Campbell Brown? Sandra Bernhard?) is the real embarrassment.
You can disagree. You don’t have to be hateful.
You GO, girl. And BTW, it’s GOVENOR Palin, people…..
I understand from a member in Boston that Sandra Bernhardt’s act for a fundraiser in Boston was just cancelled due to her disgusting attacks on Gov. Palin.
Small grain of hope.
thanks for reporting the truth and being for women and people without the character assasinations and hatred or bullying… this election needs to be about choice and the freedom to have our own!
It is disconcerting to see the MSM cut out parts of this interview in an attempt to smear her. From Olbermann to Maddow to Campbell most of them on CNN and MSNBC are sexist.
If it’s not “their” candidate they smear.
We have our work cut out for us with the media. I am glad we have started.
Thanks for this post, Amy! It’s heartening to hear more unedited Palin. How sad that more of this footage didn’t actually get aired prime-time! For voters to make a good decision about Governor Palin, we need to see the real her, not the most awkward moments, the so-called gaffes. She’s obviously a bright, thoughtful person. People can disagree with her views without the current ridicule that’s been the media mainstay.
On Governor Palin’s remark about remembering Senator Biden’s speeches since second grade, many seem to be missing the fact that Biden entered the Senate in 1972 and McCain didn’t until 1986. Sarah was referencing longevity not age. Duh!
Hope does float, good piece of news and reporting. Maybe women can form a 3rd political party and be primarily in control of the party (for once). Sorry, but you would have to demonstrate some clout before I will fetch coffee for you and take notes. Just kidding of course, but why not? Why not start a viable 3rd party where women are in the majority of control? Pay equity, health care, the environment, justice – there is much more common ground amongst women than the abortion issue. Most men would endorse a party that would fight for more pay for his mate. Forget about the gonads, aim for the wallet when it comes to men.
Thank you for posting this. I am sickened by the way that Gov Palin has been treated by the media and others. I don’t necessarily agree with her on all views and policies, but I still respect what she has accomplished and think she deserves a fair chance. I have been horrified by how willing people are to believe and perpetuate smears and lies about her.
It seems hopeless that the media will change. Perhaps with more callouts like this, the media will lose some influence over the population. They have lost me. I was once an avid NPR listener and haven’t listened in weeks after too many slights regarding Gov Palin (for example, referring to her as “former small town mayor” Palin). I’m a democrat, so this posting was not coming from a partisan perspective.
I’m pretty sure that her remarks above on fair pay oppose the Ledbetter legislation.
Thank you for sharing a positive side of Sarah Palin…She is just
an ordinary woman doing extra ordinary things in her life!!!
I have stopped watching the View , Larry King, Campbell Brown, and other shows because of there abuse of Palin. And why would anyone care what Joy Behar would have to say, why have her on your show to only bash Palin and McCain? Shame on you Larry. These are no longer news shows, and I truly hope they like what they are promoting.
This is a very important time in our countries history, and bringing in unproven leaders, that we really know very little about is very risky.
God Bless America
Finally, comments from Palin not filtered through the liberal media. Thank you for sharing the rest of her interview.
Gov Palin is not the most articulate person, however, the plain talk is a refreshing change from the double speak and empty talk that is prevelant in DC. I felt a breath of fresh air when she was introduced as McCaiin’s running mate and still feel that way. I feel that she is always given hard ball questions whereas, Biden/Obamma get the soft ball questions. Yes, the media tends to focus on her less than best moments and overlooks the rest. Bottom line, if we want change in DC we will not get it from folks who for 20 years or so have been voting their party line. Rooting for Palin tonite.
Why would anyone really give a hoot about anything Katy Couric does or says, the most unpopular news anchor on television? Couric has always been biased, but now adds her acid persona to her so-called “interivews” (a.k.a. interrogations, not unlike those done to criminals). Couric is an embarrassment to the profession of news journalism. Nobody at NBC seems to be anything but relieved that she is out of their hair. I feel like the McCain campaign people have done Sarah Palin an injustice by allowing her to be ravaged by news anchors who are obviously bitterly opposed to her. If Charlie Whats-his-name had talked to his wife (or anybody else over the age of 3) the way he talked to Sarah Palin, she’d have been right to deck him.
Thanks for this unedited look at Palin. I am really sick of the biased coverage on CNN and MSNBC. I wish I was able to demand that they be removed from my cable package so I would not have to subsidize them with my basic cable payment.
Sadly women in MSM get ahead by acting sexist for the approval of their male bosses. This is why real women are not influenced by them or the channels they are on. I wish I could say I was no longer watching CNN, MSNBC View and Oprah because of the sexist dreck but I never watched them anyway.
She didn’t answer some baited questions as your typical male career politician would have – that’s the stark reality behind the biased assumption she is dumb and really not qualified to be a VP candidate. That assumption also defines Alaska as a backwater state, full of stupid people to have voted her into office after being a mayor. The projected oil revenues in Alaska this coming year go from 10-14 billion and she was last sporting an 80% approval rating. Yup, they must be dumb to be able to generate that kind of revenue and have the gall to let a woman be in charge of it all. Hell yes vote gender on this one, what the hell, essentially you women have only been voting full scale nationally since what, 1920? 88 years and you won’t gamble on one of your own because she doesn’t talk like a man and chooses to birth babies? Weeping Jesus! It’s now or never.
Sources, please…..
Are you kidding me? These answers are hardly any better than her fumbles in the Couric interview. She’s not being “folksy,” she’s not giving “straight talk” – constantly refusing to answer the question asked of you is the exact opposite of straight talk. She’s not talking the language of small-town soccer moms, and that suggestion is frankly unbelievably insulting to millions of small town moms across America. What she’s doing is simply failing to answer basic questions with any kind of honesty and forthrightness that would show respect for viewers, and the media’s absolutely right to call her on it. I wish they’d be equally hard on established candidates like Biden and McCain as they are on newcomers like Palin. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s absolutely failed on the simplest tests of her knowledge and readiness to be Commander-in-Chief, and to simply give her a pass on that would be real sexism.
She is not running to be CIC – only the President of the US is CIC. Why do Presidential expectations keep getting slapped on her? The presumption is McCain is too old and will die off shortly after being elected and Palin will be wearing 5 stars as CIC, but the presumption becomes just another form of discrimination and bias, that McCain is too old and will die shortly. Geez! Gimme’ a break! I would like to know too when any career politician from either party has given many straight answers? Again, the VP is not Commander in Chief and people need to quit laying this on her. I’ve heard this before – next she’ll be launching missles from the VP’s office. She’ll pay a visit to Saudi Arabia wearing a knee length dress, the land where women can’t drive cars, that’s what she will do and they will be so offended they will stop the flow of oil to the Western world and we will all die! Oh Sarah!
Where are all of us women on this piece of scum???!!!
Larry Flint to do a porono movie with a Palin look a like!!! We all would not want this on any woman seeking office…geez, us women have no chance. If we do not stop this type of trash now,,,what will he do to Sen. Hillary!
http://www.nydailynews.com/gos.....in_fl.html
Larry Flynt is using the power of porn to express his views on Sarah Palin.
The Hustler founder and freedom of speech advocate has produced an X-rated movie using an adult-film actress who resembles the Republican vice presidential candidate.
I don’t as a law abiding person have an answer for this issue of Flynt and this porn thing with Sarah Palin. I can’t suggest some woman dousing him with gas while he sits in his wheel chair and torching him, no, that would require a fundamentalist trance state equal to abortion clinic bombers or middle east homicide bombers. The rights to your bodies has not reached that critical juncture yet, despite our shelters filled with bloodied women and prisons holding women who had to kill their abusers to live. Radical feminism must have some accompanying violence but many in your ranks counsel against firearms training and real self defense training, desipite some of your sisters who do fight in the streets and homes all the time. How many will take 90 days to 6 months jail time for spraying orange paint on the faces of men coming out of the first theatre that shows Palin’s imitator being sexually used and abused? Would you if she were a Hillary imitator? God knows you have bled as a gender in trying to be equal in all ways but you have not been able to collectively sanction even minimal violence against oppression. The progressive males in government trying to help women even look askance at civil disobedience, don’t they? Yeah, that’s what I thought. How is your plight so different than laborers who died and bled fighting for unions or Blacks that died in droves for what is now taken for granted? The 4th wave is not fully defined yet nor even begun its course. Put a female in the Vice Presidency of America, put on some brass knuckles and keep your eyes on the prize. That’s what Blacks used to sing sometime in the civil rights marches when the KKK was setting dogs on them – keep your eyes on the prize.
the fact that any woman running for any office would be treated like this is just double standards. This sets all women who are thinking of running for higher office back. If a good looking woman was thinking of running for office…she would have another hurdle men do not face…Larry Flynt types.
I have asked NOW to come out and denounce this type of tactic against ANY female candidate.
YOUR organization, I can get behind! Why I would ever want to give money to NOW, knowing as we do that they are a purely LIBERAL organization with liberal agendas– NO THANKS! I am looking on your site, to find out how I can join– and donate! Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air– she is well- equipped to handle the politics in Washington– if she can not only survive, but shine, during the death of fair media, which is what has happened this year– she can LEAD this country,along with John McCain! I have stopped watching all news but FOX, and I am writing to sponsors for all the major networks, to tell them I am CHECKING OUT–and will stop buying their products, thanks to this.
[...] This is a piece originally posted on our blog on October 1, 2008. [...]
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