I’m a little late to this one but better late then never. At least one liberal gets it. Here is Camille Paglia from two days ago:
As I have repeatedly said in this column, I have never had the slightest problem in understanding Sarah Palin’s meaning at any time. On the contrary, I have positively enjoyed her fresh, natural, rapid delivery with its syncopated stops and slides — a fabulous example of which was the way (in her recent interview with John Ziegler) that she used a soft, swooping satiric undertone to zing Katie Couric’s dippy narcissism and to assert her own outrage as a “mama grizzly” at libels against her family.
Ideology-driven attacks on Palin became clotted liberal clichés within 24 hours of her introduction as John McCain’s running mate. What a bunch of tittering lemmings the urban elite have become in this country. From Couric’s vicious manipulations of video clips to Cavett’s bourgeois platitudes, the preemptive strike on Palin as a potential presidential candidate has grossly misfired. Whatever legitimate objections may be raised to Palin on political grounds (explored, for example, by David Talbot in Salon) have been lost in the amoral overkill that has defamed a self-made woman of concrete achievement in the public realm.
And let me take this opportunity to say that of all the innumerable print and broadcast journalists who have interviewed me in the U.S. and abroad since I arrived on the scene nearly 20 years ago, Katie Couric was definitively the stupidest. As a guest on NBC’s “Today” show during my 1992 book tour, I was astounded by Couric’s small, humorless, agenda-ridden mind, still registered in that pinched, tinny monotone that makes me rush across the room to change stations whenever her banal mini-editorials blare out at 5 p.m. on the CBS radio network. And of course I would never spoil my dinner by tuning into Couric’s TV evening news show. That sallow, wizened, drum-tight, cosmetic mummification look is not an appetite enhancer outside of Manhattan or L.A. There’s many a moose in Alaska with greater charm and pizazz.
I disagree with much Ms. Paglia believes in and writes about but you have to appreciate the absolute intellectual honesty that emits from her fingers. Oh, and completely destroying the ever frivolous Katie Couric is a big plus in my book.
Basically it comes down to Camille Paglia believing that out of all the journalists she has EVER had interview here Katite Couric was “definitively the stupidest.”
Yup, I think we can agree on that.
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and katie couric is still wanting to know exactly what palin reads in alaska, who the hell cares what palin reads while in alaska. it could be the toilet paper packege for all we really care, but i think couric was really trying to nail her and when she couldn’t she went for the nasty edit trick. thanks for this curt, i saw it else where and was happy to read it.
Palin nailed the narcissism of Couric with her observation that the world doesn’t revolve around Katie.
Since when asking someone what they read is a tough or unfair question…
Those of us with jobs that entail the processing of information read hundreds, and sometimes thousands of pages a day. Like Pres. Bush, governors get hundreds of pages of reports every day, and that is after others have read it for you and provided a digest.
When you get home, watching the news, or reading “Tyme” or Newsweak” isn’t often on the agenda.
Journalists often think that the world waits on their product. I use Glen Reynolds/Instapundit, Volokh Conspiracy, Littlegreenfootballs, and Drudge to digest the news for me, but then, I am not a governor, and have no executive responsibilities.
And Tam at “View From the Porch” and Rachel Lucas are my small, guilty pleasures.
Don’t bother GaffaUK.
More important than Ms. Paglia and Mrs. Palin is Krispy Kreme’s abortion donuts:
KRISPY KREME CELEBRATES OBAMA WITH PRO-ABORTION DOUGHNUTS
by Katie Walker
Released January 15, 2009
Washington, DC (15 January 2009) – The following is a statement from American Life League president, Judie Brown.
“The next time you stare down a conveyor belt of slow-moving, hot, sugary glazed donuts at your local Krispy Kreme you just might be supporting President-elect Barack Obama’s radical support for abortion on demand – including his sweeping promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as soon as he steps in the Oval Office, Jan. 20.
The doughnut giant released the following statement yesterday:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American’s sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies — just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet “free” can be.
Just an unfortunate choice of words? For the sake of our Wednesday morning doughnut runs, we hope so. The unfortunate reality of a post Roe v. Wade America is that “choice” is synonymous with abortion access and celebration of ‘freedom of choice’ is a tacit endorsement of abortion rights on demand.
President-elect Barack Obama promises to be the most virulently pro-abortion president in history. Millions more children will be endangered by his radical abortion agenda.
Celebrating his inauguration with “Freedom of Choice” doughnuts – only two days before the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion – is not only extremely tacky, it’s disrespectful and insensitive and makes a mockery of a national tragedy.
A misconstrued concept of “choice” has killed over 50 million preborn children since Jan. 22, 1973. Does Krispy Kreme really want their free doughnuts to celebrate this “freedom.””
As of Thursday morning, Communications Director Brian Little could not be reached for comment. We challenge Krispy Kreme doughnuts to reaffirm their commitment to true freedom – to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – and to separate themselves and their doughnuts from our great American shame.”
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
PR Newswire: Krispy Kreme to Celebrate Freedom of Choice on Inauguration Day (14 January 2009) http://sev.prnewswire.com/food-beverages/20090114/AQW52414012009-1.html
http://www.all.org/article.php?id=11754
Couric’s personal and professional life is going downhill faster than a snowball in the
Alps. Killing herself daily. I’ll give it less than a year and she’ll be gone from the public.
If Palin reads all of them – then you think it would be easy to name them. Couldn’t even name Wasilla’s Frontiersman.
@Scrapiron
Seems the snowball is gaining viewers…
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Dayparts_update_51/Palin_payout_Couric_picks_up_viewers.asp
@GaffaUK: the point is that she was just about obessing about that. if asked what i read, i would most likelly answer the same. i don’t read my local paper daily because it is a weekly one, i read a reagional one online, i also cruise the web for my news, i hit cnn, fox, and drudge. i also read a ton of books, quite a few magazines, because i read different things on different days it could be difficult to answer. the feeling i got from the way couric asked the question and then obsessed about it showed me that she was hoping she would say something like she read star or the enquirer. couric thinks she is a real news woman, cbs thought she would bring them nbc viewers, well that backfired for them. she was all chatty ont he today show and somber and morose on cbs, she is play acting at trying to be serious and missed the mark. couric tries to see herself as a strong woman and a serious jounalist and she thinks gutting and hanging a person makes it so, it doesn’t and it shows.
@luva
Most people read different things on different days but can still name what they generally read. It seems Couric and Palin are both obsessing with their encounter. But it seems Palin came off worst.
Couric only asked twice what papers she read. Hardly a big issue. Palin was just so vague.
Nothing compared to what British politicians have to go through in interviews…Here the then Conservative leader is asked TWELVE times whether he overruled the Chief Executive and Director General of the British Prison Service.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwlsd8RAoqI
God help us all if a measure of intelligence is reading the western print media….
Help us all if a measure of intelligence is having belief in a God – especially the belief in creationism;)
Is asking a politician what they read supposed to be some sort of trap?!
Thank you Curt, I had not seen Paglia’s column, I love her wit and work, many conservatives appreciate her.
Don Meaker, I appreciate your reasonable, commonsense post, thanks for reminding me of Rachel Lucas, used to read her all the time, and will also check on that other guilty pleasure of yours.
Now to refresh. The first two paragraphs of Paglia’s column says quite a bit. Two paragraphs by her can be like reading a whole book by the idiot Couric. The closer in paragraph two, heh, recognize where you place when it comes to Sarah Palin:
“Whatever legitimate objections may be raised to Palin on political grounds (explored, for example, by David Talbot in Salon) have been lost in the *******amoral overkill that has defamed a self-made woman of concrete achievement in the public realm.”*******
(asterisks mine)
There are two posisibilities here. It is probably the most likely explanation is that Sarah was taken off guard by the question. I have never heard that question posed to any other candidate by a journalist. And for a politician, this is a loaded question. Because you will get dissed no matter what you reply unless you read the standard Times (which to me is boring). There is probably another explanation. She may not read that much. If she is a typical working mother raising five kids and is working full time plus has a husband who has his own business and she is involved with her kids and their sports, she probably doesn’t have much time to read and when she does, it is probably that she gets her briefs from her staffers and watches the local news and watches cable news for her news. However if she had said that, she would be dissed as being uneducated about the world.
GaffaUK
You are such a terrific debater, just like those British politicians you reference.
Of course the question isn’t the trap, it’s the follow up questions, which I’m sure were prepared. You sound more like a religious bigot and not your basic jealous snob.
GaffaUK
It was a stupid question and a waste of time. Sarah Palin was off put because it was a left field question. It was seemly innocuous but was chosen to try and put Palin in a bad light by allowing followup that would denigrate her no matter how she answered. Your answers are ridiculous about your reading as though it were set in stone and you read the same things religiously day by day and week by week. I am a voracious reader but I certainly don’t waste my time with the NY Times or weekly news magazine. The question was designed to suggest that Ms Palin should be judged by what she read, to suggest that her biases were showing in what she read or that she would be an intellectual only if she read the intelligentsia approved reading list. That is the thought of someone with no intelligence what so ever. In general research is far more important than unfocused reading of media related to the day to day events where you are at the mercy of the media slant and lack of research. Keeping up on day to day is better done by reading a selection of internet news and blogs and then researching back to see what was said before and how similar ideas developed to develop an understanding of context. Liberals like Couric are so consumed by hate that they can’t be troubled to think or reflect, only attack.
@Robin4est
In what way am I a religious bigot?
@JGalt
“Your answers are ridiculous about your reading as though it were set in stone and you read the same things religiously day by day and week by week.”
I think you have a reading problem, – I never said I read same things religiously day by day and week by week. In fact I said – “Most people read different things on different days but can still name what they generally read.”
If she doesn’t read that much beyond what is given to her by staffers she could have said she doesn’t read much of the Print media but gets her news from X, Y and Z. Better to be honest and take the flack from those who wouldn’t have voted for her anyway than be so vague and evasive. In fact she said she reads it all.
I think the problem was that she was chosen by Palin’s team because they wanted what they thought would be an unchallenging interviewer and they hadn’t prepared.
@GaffaUK: “In what way am I a religious bigot?”
Oh PUHLEAZE! That is so laughable.
How much time do you have?
You DRIP with derision for anyone who dares to express themselves in a non-secular manner.
Doesn’t that then make me an irreligious bigot?
And I thought bigotry comes all ready pre-packed with religion (certainly with Christianity; Islam and Judaism)- just look at their holy books.