I Just Saw Sarah Palin Snow a Willing Greta van Susteren

Just minutes ago on Fox News I saw Sarah Palin tell Greta van Susteren that the rumors that she wanted to ban books in the local library while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska were false.

Governor Palin said the charge was untrue because someone accused her of banning Harry Potter books and that would be impossible because Harry Potter "hadn't even been written when I was mayor." But Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002 and there were additions to the Harry Potter series in that period.

So the conclusion to be drawn here is either 1). Palin is lying about her attempt at book burning in Wasilla and trying to cover it up; or 2). Palin is so clueless about secular popular culture she is unaware of the time period of the publication of the books in the mega-hit Harry Potter series. Of course, van Susteren -- dutiful Fox News Republican ventriloquist dummy she is -- just let Palin's assertion go by unchallenged. I just thought it was really weird. I guess Palin just lies even when she doesn't have to or is really culturally challenged up there in the tundra. Did anybody else see this?

Comments

[GrandmaJ]

Yes, I saw it and immediately thought it couldn't be true. I checked it out. She was Mayor from 1996 to 2002. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997. If the book banning incident occured very early in her term as governor, then maybe this statement is technically true. However her statement whether true or not is just a way to shift the argument. She did not deny that she had the discussion with the librarian.

[DinkSinger]

To be fair, the alleged book banning incident took place at the beginning of Palin's administration in 1996. The first Harry Potter book was published in the US on September 1, 1998. It was published in United Kingdom in 1997.

There is a very good contemporaneous account of Palin's library censorship discussions available from the Wasilla newpaper, Mat-su Valley Frontiersman, here: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/05/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt

Palin also fired the librarian because she didn't like her answers to the "rhetorical" questions. She rehired her the next day under pressure from the people.

[naeblisone]

Come on, Palin has like 17 kids, I'm sure at least ONE of them has some Harry Potter books laying around the house.

[oldgoose]

Don't fool yourself. I have visited such households and the only thing you find in them is multiple copies of the bible written for diverse age groups! That and church litterature is probably all her kids read since they are "home schooled". Bet they did not do much studying on the campaign trail!

[SailFree]

This despicable tendency to stereotype people does nto bode well for tolerance and diversity under a fanatic left-wing government, does it?

[boing007]

Don't fool yourself. I have visited such households and the only thing you find in them is multiple copies of the bible written for diverse age groups!

You forgot John Birch Society and Alaska Independence Party newsletters and who knows what else from her religious associations. Postcards from Kenya?

[DinkSinger]

Fact check: The Palin kids have not been home schooled. They have all attended public schools. There was an unconfirmed rumor passed on by home school bloggers that Sarah looked into home schooling for Bristol in a program run by a public school district the week before her selection was announced. Since Bristol was five months pregnant at the time and since the father is home schooled this would not be surprising.

[jeanrenoir]

As always, Fox will do all in its power to con the public, lie to it, whatever. Nothing matters except whether or not Obama is perceived by a critical mass of Reagan Democrats in Appalachia to have succeeded in 2012 or not. They will swing the election then, just as they did this year. If Obama wins as many of them over then as he did this year, by succeeding, then Greta van Susteren, O'Reilly, and Hannity will be as irrelevant as Mike Huckabee.

[MadDogDonna]

Greta doing an impartial interview? Please, she has a serious girl crush on Sarah.

[deebell]

I want to see Sarah Palin do an interview with Keith Olbermann, or even Rachel Maddow. Now THAT would be an interview worth watching.

With Greta? Not so much.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Greta is just so not appealing. And her voice is so monotone....snoooooooooore

[Mugzi]

Faux nooz is just Republican entertainment...not a bonafide news station. Repugs run to faux nooz since they are not really interviewed...just a chat.

[Aodhan51]

This is the reason, in part, why Sarah Palin appeals to the most conservative of the Republicans--Fox News not only gives her a pass on her untruthful statements and non-answers, but in doing so they encourage and promote the dumbing-down of the Right who, it seems, praises ignorance. As long as Fox acts as a shill for the Conservative base (and the rest of the Republican Party), lightweights like Palin are going to be with us, polluting the political landscape. It's a shame what some people will do for money. Hear that Hannity, Rush, Savage, Beck, Coulter, van Susteren, and the rest of you?

[HalBrown]

Just watch Part One of Matt Lauer's interview. Softballs. How can you interview someone as a journalist while they're in their own kitchen with their kids and husband, preparing dinner for you, and ask them hard hitting questions.

He also let her get away with saying Harry Potter hadn't been published when she was mayor.

The woman is slick and you'd hardly believe it's the same person who a couple of weeks ago was saying Barack Obama might be a terrorist.

[corkonian]

She's repositioning herself as a sensible centrist - she know the way the wind is blowing. Beware!

[Mugzi]

If she repositions her political opinions, she will be considered a flip-flopper...flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop!!! I have no intention forgetting her antics over the past 2 months and I will remind fellow bloggers of the poison and hate winky spewed. I don't think leopards change their spots, neither does she!

[realpolitic]

Palin has suggested that the first amendment should be used to guard politicians against criticism by the press. Her interpretation is exactly the opposite intent of the freedom of the press protections guaranteed in the constitution.

Also, her understanding of the duties of the vice-presidency are way off. She thinks the vice-president has some policy role in the Senate and can decide its agenda and steer debate. The vice-president has no role in the Senate other than to cast a tie-breaking vote on legislation.

Palin could not pass an eigth grade civics test.

[PDinCA]

Or history test. Or geography test. Or English test. Or math test.

Or lie detector test.

[pfc1369]

First Harry Potter book published in 1997.

Sarah Palin mayor of Wasilla from 1996-2002.

"When I was mayor they (Potter books) weren't even published yet."

Is she ever accurate about anything?

[gvc]

What she means is that when she tried to ban the books at the beginning of her term, Harry Potter had not yet been published. Oops.

[wagthedog1001]

I caught that too. She basically admitted the truth of what she did. She didn't actually "ban books." They never do. Once they are hit with the library's procedures for doing so, they use other methods like firing the librarian.

--former librarian

[realpolitic]

Mr. Palermo's larger point is right too. An interview with a Republican on Fox is like a waltz. Even if the politician can not dance well, Fox anchors will carry them through the song and dance and support them if they stumble. An interview with a Democratic politician on Fox is like the old trench warfare of World War I. It is a take no prisoners attack!

[Fussbucket]

She doesn't so much lie as cherry-pick her truth. The Harry Potter books had not yet been published when she first became mayor, so it is true she did not try to ban those books. However, that does not mean she did not try to ban any books. She employs a logical fallacy familiar to lawyers and rhetoricians: By invalidating a part of the claim, you invalidate the whole.

[Wiserone]

By invalidating a part of the claim, you invalidate the whole.

Which Palin did throughout her rally's when she questioned Obama patrioism by stating he is palling around with terrorists.

[scooperss]

In palin's world, it's never her fault and she has never done anything wrong, morally or legally.

It's always the fault of someone else.

Her bro-in-law she says.
monnehan for whatever her mind decides on that day when asked.
bush for the mccain/palin failure.
The media for asking gotcha questions.
Aides for buying clothing she didn't ask for (riiiiiiiiiiiiiight)
Her HUSBAND for trying to get the ex bro-in-law fired.

She's the worst of the worst. Never ever accepts responsibility for wrong doing.

NEVER EVER wants to take the blame for her own mistakes. A truly frightening person.

[pfc1369]

When these clowns win, it's God's will.

When they lose, it's somehow not God's will, but the fault of everything else that is not God, I suppose.

[QuietLightTraveler]

I couldn't take anything this woman says seriiously. I don't think anything I have ever seen in the political world of this nation ever upset me more than the presence of this woman. For me, just her ivolvement in high office politics diminishes the credibility of the whole system. I find it unfathomable how such an unsophisticated, provincial, uneducated person could be the governor of a state and a VP candidate. Im outraged that McCain selected such a person as VP candidate. In fact, if I were Obama I would appoint a task force to monitor what goes on up there in Alaska. Their political system appears to be riddled with corruption and their voting public doesn't seem to have a clue. Alaska is too valuable as a natural resource to this country to have Palin and some of these other jokers decide its future. And I certainly would be very careful about providing federal funds for projects in the state of Alaska with people like this running the show. Alaska has apparently gotten more than its fair share of federal funds in the past.

[realpolitic]

She is slightly more frightening then George Bush. Imagine what one with no sense of history, no understanding of the constittution, and no sense of geo-politics can do while in office. Combine those traits with the thought that God is on our side. She would likely start WWIII, while helping the bottom line at Neiman Marcus..

[Wiserone]

What really gets me though, and currently in her interview with Greta (Fix News) are her statements in which she plans on being a major player with the Obama administration. Am I the only one that picked up on that?

[qtpi410]

The clothing thing bothers me when SP said she never stepped into a NM store.
So the RNC picked out a Lou V bag for Piper? Also, her pick as VP was such a surprise how did the RNC know all the clothing sizes for her family, what would fit and not fit.
I have never heard anyone talk in circles like this women.
I hope the Alaskan's don't re-elect .

[Riani]

The media let this woman get away with murder. They nit-pick trivial nonsence, but never ask her real hard policy questions. The question is not whether or not she has tried to ban books, but to outline her policy on freedom of speech and informations, and bookbanning in general. To the best of my knowledge she has never spoke on real policy issues during the campaign, except the bit about support for families of children with special needs, which was pathetic in oh so many ways, and her energy policy bumbles, which are scary.

[realpolitic]

You suggest that the fact that she has tried to ban books is not important, but what is important is her views on book banning in general. Since she has once tried to ban books, I would suggest to you she does not have too much regard for the first amendment.

Also, she has suggested that the first amendment should be used to guard politicians against criticism by the press. Her interpretation is exactly the opposite intent of freedom of the press.

[Riani]

Sorry, I guess that sounded funny. What I meant was that if you ask her if she has tried to ban books, she can more easily lie and wriggle herself out of the question, whereas a question on policy would hopefully force her to commit to a position.

[kendal]

Palin lies, brazenly and persistently, but not very well. In the face of contradictions, she continues on with her lies. Apparently some of the public believes that if something is repeated often enough that is must be true.
Her response to negative media is that her "rights" are being violated or that the perpetrators are jerks. Couric was "annoying." Everything is always somebody else's fault. These are hardly facile rejoinders.
And I fail to understand how a shrill-voiced, hate-spewing and fear-mongering dogmatist who cannot complete a coherent sentence could possibly be considered attractive or talented or fresh. There is nothing new about the hideous politics of hate. Sarah Palin, tenacious liar, is political theater--and bad theater at that.