Sarah Palin Outdoes Herself

"Here's the problem, Matt. It's the double standard that's been applied here...[R]emember in the campaign, Barack Obama said "Family's off limits. You don't talk about my family," and...everybody adhered to that, and they did leave his family alone, and they haven't done that on the other side of the ticket, and it has continued to this day. So that's a political double standard."

-- Sarah Palin, on the Today show. June 12, 2009

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's "death panel" so his bureaucrats can decide...whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

-- Sarah Palin, on her Facebook page. August 7, 2009


Well, at least we learned one thing about Sarah Palin: She doesn't understand the meaning of, "double standard."

The good news is that it only took us 56 days to discover this. Some people can go years before they make such diametrically opposed, egregiously contradictory statements. Okay, to be fair, some people can go a lifetime.

And to be fair, we already knew this about Sarah Palin. But it's always good to have it this clearly in black-and-white for those who had their eyes closed the previous times. (At least now when they ignore it, they can look as foolish as her.)

What Sarah Palin has never understood because she's too small-minded -- or what she's understood perfectly and is a demagogue -- is that there is no double-standard. That if you don't want people talking about your children because they're off-limits...then they're off-limits. To everyone. And "everyone" includes yourself.

Except at the Democratic Convention and one instance where he allowed his children on camera, which he immediately regretted and said it would not happen again (and it didn't happen again), Barack Obama said his children were off-limits, and kept them off-limits. So, the press saw him living by the standards he was asking of others, and kept Mr. Obama's family off-limits.

Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has found few events she couldn't shove her children into - during the campaign and after. Sarah Palin used her children so much that they not only became circus props, but Barnum & Bailey probably took lessons.

Wherever she went, she seemed to have her youngest child on her shoulder. Whenever she could talk about her child having Down Syndrome, she did. When invited to drop a puck at an NHL hockey game, she dragged a child onto the ice with her (subjecting the girl to a rousing chorus of boo's.) Sarah Palin shined a light on her family during her first, major national appearance - making a notable reference to the world at the Republican Convention of being a "hockey mom." She brought her children with her on campaign stops. She dragged her daughter and temporary prop faux-son-in-law where she went. She was right there in the TV studio when her daughter gave an interview on national television. And there was her daughter, dressed in a fire engine-red graduation gown and holding her newborn baby on the cover of People magazine, one of recent year's most questionable Role Model Moments.

And Sarah Palin wants to lecture anyone about double-standards? Sarah Palin wants to cry that her children are off-limits?

Sarah Palin not only put her children so far on-limits, that if she hadn't, it sometimes seemed she wouldn't have had anything to talk about. Sarah Palin so-repeatedly made her children objects of attention that it was like being locked in a room with the world's most annoying theater parents. ("Here, Janie, show the nice stranger how you can tap dance. And then we'll bring out the home movies.") At times, it felt like you were watching the live-action version of "The Sound of Music," with the Von Trapp Family children singing, "So Long, Farewell" - except that they wouldn't leave. The only parents more liable to serial child-endangerment abuse on TV were Jon and Kate.

Yet despite all that, Sarah Palin just accomplished what some thought impossible. She outdid herself.

The person who has been putting her children on stage, while shedding crocodile tears for a year how they are off-limits - just used her Down Syndrome baby as another circus prop by writing for a national audience how he could be killed by the government.

I was going to call this disingenuous, but that's wrong. It's unconscionable. It's pathetic.

How pathetic is it? Even if Sarah Palin had never complained about double-standards and off-limits, it still would have been pathetic.

And this doesn't even touch on the reality that what she said wasn't remotely true. And she either knows it isn't remotely true and was despicably riling up an unthinking mob into imagining that the government is going to kill the weak, or she's such an idiot that she shouldn't be allowed to chew gum without supervision.

And she did it by making her Down Syndrome baby the issue. She put him on the table. She made him and his condition the object of national debate. She did it. Herself.

Again.

And you know that some time in the future she's going to cry about double-standards and how her children are off-limits again. And put them centerstage under a bright light. Again.

Again and again and again.

Hey, every circus has a merry-go-round. And a clown.

Comments

[SickofLiberals]

Where is this double standard in her statement? I think in her first statement she said OBAMA said family is off limits. The press stayed away from his family while continuing on the other side. I believe all of that is correct. Yes SHE also brought up her child when talking about Obama's healthcare plan. AND??? I have hear Obama speak of his children during news conferences. He has mentioned his children in the last healthcare news conference while campiagning for support if I am not mistaken. HE is the one that said off limits then mentions his kids and is the one with the double standard. Why cant Sarah mention her kids when the press has never stopped butting into her family business?? There is a huge double standard here but I dont think it is Sarah Palin who has it!!!

[Elsbeth]

Obama also said that ALL candidates' children were off limits. He said this when the "Trig is Bristol's Baby" rumor/lie surfaced to demonstrate his disgust at those going after Palin through her children. Obama came to PALIN's defense.

You obviously didn't read the above article. Palin used her son to fear-monger. She accused Obama and his health plan of wanting to KILL HER SON!

Palin used her children as a political fashion accessory.

Good grief.

[Patrick8]

Hey, so is this sorta like how Obama just cited the recent death of *his* grandmother to make his point about the health care proposal? Welp, guess that means she's fair game to the media's chopping block...right?

She didn't accuse him of wanting to kill her son...geez. She accused him of supporting a proposal that would created health panels responsible for allocating health care from a communitarian perspective.

[iMissMollyIvins]

She's the Kathie Lee Gifford of politics.

[kpal]

On the subject of not being on the subject of Palin's kids - since we haven't heard anything about Track's military career, it's probably safe to assume that that Palin still has nothing to brag about where he is concerned. At least he managed to avoid jail-time by enlisting. The Brave Little Patriot .

[S1m0n]

In fairness to Ms Palin, the White House also snarled at a recent allusion to the first daughters while also distributing photographs of them in various activities. Is that a double standard, too?

[MysticalPippin]

No

[Elsbeth]

1) No, the first family is surrounded by cameras all day, every day. The only way for the Obama's to keep their kids from being photographed would be for the girls to never leave the east wing of the White House. President Obama is shadowed by staff photographers all day.

2) The Obama's do not use their children as political fashion accessories.

3) Where were the Obama's "distributing photographs" of their daughters?

[Carl Caroli]

I'm waiting for her to show up somewhere packing heat.

[pinkibus]

The thing that is so very wrong with this article is the statement that Sarah Palin has overdone it. Sarah Palin will reach much farther in the incredibly awfully outrageous department before she lies down.

[S1m0n]

Seconded.

[S1m0n]

In fact, she may well end up a camp icon before this is all over.

[guinganbresil]

"Eight simple ethical principles for allocation can be classified into four categories, according to their core ethical values: treating people equally, favouring the worst-off, maximising total benefits, and promoting and rewarding social usefulness. We do not regard ability to pay as a plausible option for the scarce life-saving interventions we discuss." --- Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60137-9/fulltext

Although I understand that some treatments are finite, limited resources (like transplants), scarcity in resources that do not fall into that category occur routinely. Dr. Emmanuel removed from the list of ethical principles the only allocation method that ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THE SCARCITY. By allowing free market forces to act, there are strong incentives to bring a larger supply - reducing the scarcity, and improving the system. I fail to see why the only option that would actually improve the supply is not "plausible", whereas the disability-adjusted life-year allocation ("a life-year with blindness to roughly 0·6 healthy life-years") is worth discussion.

[Patrick8]

Right, guingan. And the bureaucratic panel that would be implemented under this bill with the responsibility to allocate scarce treatment and resources in the industry (deciding who does and does not receive treatment, who lives and who dies essentially) is the panel Palin referred to by "death panel." Sure, they distribute health for everyone, while they deny it as well.

[Blink2X]

Rationing has already been implemented by the health insurance companies for their bottom line.

[alwaystwosides]

Well, if she doesnt use her children as props, what else can Palin spew rhetorics about ? She is shameless, clueless, brainless and a fear-monger.

[damyanky]

The difference between a hockey mom and a pig is -------okay, well that didn't take long.

[kps888]

Oh, just wait. Next spring, on her baby's birthday, there is a national effort being organized to pray away his Down's Syndrome. The press surrounding that event ought to make for some great headlines.

If it works, then she won't have to worry about any death panels for the time being.

[LittlePurpleUSA]

"...or she's such an idiot that she shouldn't be allowed to chew gum without supervision."

This.

[XME]

And I have a feeling that she'll continue to manage to top herself again and again!

[mdlw]

Palin's comments were horrific by projecting discrimination, implying Trig was less of a person because of his disability. Trig is unique and should receive services designed to help him achieve his maximum potential. At the link below, please meet some young adults who with the help of their parents reached their maximum potential.

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/08/trig-palin.html

[Elsbeth]

Well said.

[Susan Gessford]

I want to know how much disability money Palin is accepting each month for dear Trig. Betcha she's not refusing that government handout!

[BlueFloyd]

Everything makes sense, except i just cant figure out why palin hates the troops so much......

[PatA]

I will go to my grave not understanding what conservatives are talking about when they deny that she put her children out there after McCain picked her to run as his choice for VP.
I have NEVER seen another person run for a national office that showed up for every goat roping with all the children in tow and that poor baby slung over her forearm. Never. I was appalled then and I am appalled now that she is still using the children, particularly the baby, for her political gain.
Facts are facts. Go look it up on Youtube, if you don't believe me.

[smileatfear]

Hey Sarah, in honor of our soldiers - STOP MAKING THINGS UP!