Saradise Lost: How Alaska Bloggers Dethroned Sarah Palin

While she never said it out loud during her farewell press conference, it certainly wouldn't have been a shock if Palin had directed a Nixonian parting phrase toward Alaska bloggers: "You're not going to have Palin to kick around anymore."

I'm not suggesting that homegrown bloggers alone were responsible for Palin's "No más" moment, but there's no question that the online activists played a key role. That with their shit-kicking brand of frontier citizen journalism, they drove Palin to distraction and changed the way voters nationwide thought about the governor.

So if conservative bloggers get credit for driving Dan Rather out of the anchor chair in 2004 following their Memogate campaign-season tale, then the band of scrappy liberal bloggers in Alaska ought to be allowed to bask in a bit of glory, because they made their own history when Palin announced her exit.

Brandishing dogged reporting skills and wonderfully insightful, entertaining writing, Alaska bloggers turned the 49th state (and a very, very red one, at that) into a hotbed for plugged-in citizen journalism and showed the rest of the liberal blogosphere, as well as media elites, what's possible when passion and creativity are harnessed online.

Just ask Palin.

Read the entire Media Matters column here.

Comments

[whitehawk]

At one point in the blogosphere in Alaska, I was also watching it and took notes. These bloggers were exceptional, nervous of reprucussion but went ahead with their stories. Two years ago, they were fed up with Palin and her husband, their abuses, their destroying personal lives of people.

When it became known by the bloggers that friends of Palins were 'whispering' behind her back, bloggers took to the blogs.....­.....espec­ially www.adn.com were they revealed her sad, pathetic life of personal destruction and gamesmanship by her 'militia'.

Thankyou bloggers, not much of what was mentioned on the blogs in the spring before her pick has been revealed, but adn.com and bloggers were aware and stated the FBI was monitoring the blogs in Alaska for information concerning Palin. This is when, once again, people were somewhat intimidated to post anything again, but their anger is still there.
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[whitehawk]

I don't respect the Clinton's and I certainly don't respect the Palin's, especially the way they treated the people in the state, holding them hostage with threats constantly. they are bully's, golddiggers, unfaithful, fraudulant, wicked and very tactically scary and do / have hurt many people's careers and reputation, only to have it all themselves.

The bloggers were great. Before she was even elected as vp candidate, bloggers had revealed her affairs, Todd's affair's, the past underhanded crap they did, and who they were involved with. They were invited to the WH 4 x in past two years before last summer. Cheney and his energy plan, remember. Ted Stevens indictment, remember..­..........­..........­. Cheney ordered by court not to destroy any memos, emails etc., that year, remember???? Thankyou Alaska. Palin exposed so much for the liberals.

[cgr]

As one who followed those amazing, informed, articulate (and pithy) Alaskan bloggers since McCain stunned us all with Palin as his VP pick, I agree with you wholeheartedly. They revealed what non-vetting didn't and gave us a clearer picture of this person who might be called upon to lead the free world. Yikes. Bless 'em for getting the word out.

[Shortyfuse]

I think they had help from the Corporate Butt Kissing Supreme Court also. When they said it was OK that the gold mining company dumped sludge in a pristine lake , her days were numbered. I don't care if they are Republican or Democratic almost all Alaskans are environmentalist. They would never let a governor survive that allowed that kind of thing.

[section9]

Can I say something here?

What they did was to abuse an ethics law that Palin helped to pass. Then they tried to bankrupt her family, more than likely at the behest of the White House. We're not exactly stupid in the Republican Party; we know how these things work in Soros World. Now she's fairly close to half a million dollars in debt because the clowns in the Democratic Party decided to play wrecker with someone's life. Oh, she'll be fine now. She'll pay it off. The point was, this shouldn't have happened in the first place. All you people did was poison the well.

Unfortunately for you folks, you've taught us that two can play the Saul Alinksy game.

The upshot? She's now free to help Republican candidates during midterm elections. Had you left her alone. Had you not been too clever by half, she would have stayed in Alaska and kept her nose to the grindstone like she did in 2006-2008. She wouldn't be free to come down to the Lower 48 and help our team out.

Now she is, without regard to the Alaska Ethics Statutes. She'll make gobs of money and she'll help elect gobs of Republicans. Lots of Blue Dogs in marginal Bush 2004 districts will probably go down because you clowns were too fanatical to leave her alone.

"For want of a nail...."

Go ahead. Pat yourselves on the back for being stupid.

[dbartenstein]

So what you're saying is that the Dems beat the 'Pubs at their own game.... or were you equally as indignant when Swiftboating was used against the Democratic presidential candidate.

Didn't think so........

[wheresthebeef]

"We're not exactly stupid in the Republican Party." This is why I love The Huffington Post. I learn something new here every day.

[RobinSeattle]

Payback's a female dog, huh pal?

You guys tried to bankrupt the Clintons with your specious horsecrap. You guys put Susan MacDougal in jail because she wouldn't lie for Ken Starr.

Also, you ignore the fact that Palin's legal bills were only about $500,000. Now how does someone with her name recognition and popularity with a well monied GOP base not be able to raise that amount in an afternoon via a legal defense fund?

Face it, she is a grifter and you got hustled. You just don't want to admit it because it would damage your self esteem.

And in her juvenile reactions to the bloggers, she only enhanced their prestige and popularity. Just another typical GOP blowback artist. If she is the best you guys can do that's pretty freakin' weak.

[dali partin]

Attributing the work of a free press to the president or a particular party is hilarious. I find it comforting that Palin supporters still don't even know where the criticism is coming from. It shows me how easy to beat they will be in the future.

[SamEllison]

I smell Minn. Mike