Posted By: Stonecipher

Sept. 9, 2008

One of the few things we’ve learned about Governor Sarah Palin in the last week and a half is that she is very fond of running around telling people that she told Congress "thanks, but no thanks" in regards to Alaska’s infamous bridge to nowhere.

While this claim is completely disingenuous at best , it happens to be pretty much the only ammunition the half-term governor has at this point and the media has happily repeated the line over and over and over and over and over.

It’s getting annoying. And it is time for America to stand up and say "thanks, but no thanks" to Sarah Palin.

Almost two weeks after Governor Palin was announced as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee we have yet to see her answer a single question from the press. Not from the networks, not from the cable news shows, not from the Anchorage Daily News and not even from the mighty Wasilla, Mat-Su Valley Fronteirsman of Palin’s hometown.

The reason for this media blackout given by the McCain Campaign? They refuse to let her be questioned by the media until they are confident the media will treat her with "respect and deference." Those are words from McCain campaign manager Rick Davis appearing on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.

Respect and Deference.

You nominate a woman Mr. Davis, who most of the country has never even heard of, to be Vice President of the United States - one heartbeat away from the Presidency - one 72-year old, John McCain heartbeat away - and you won’t let her speak with the media until she is treated with respect and deference? What’s wrong with you?

Did Barack Obama get any respect and deference during his primary run? Was it respectful of FOX News to report a completely fictional story, based on an email, that Obama attended a Muslim Madrasah in Jakarta as a child?

Did the media show deference when, before voting even began in the primaries, they openly questioned whether or not Obama was "black enough" while simultaneously pointing out that he may in fact be "too black" to win the presidency?

Was it respectful, Mr. Davis, when you and your campaign released an absolutely despicable ad which falsely claims that Barack Obama wanted to teach sex ed. to kindergartners when, in fact, the bill in question was designed to protect small children from sexual predators?

Was it deference you were showing Mr. Davis, when you ran an ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton?

And now Mr. Davis, after all of the slams against Barack Obama for his "lack of experience", you nominate a half-term governor of the 47th largest state in the nation, who was mayor of a town of 5,000 just three years ago, who admittedly hasn’t thought too much about Iraq, and you expect the media to lay off and take it easy on her?

Give me a break Mr. Davis. Barack Obama did not have the luxury of waiting for the media to show him respect and deference. If she wants to be Vice President and play on the national stage she needs to be ready for some hardball.

The majority of the American people know nothing about what this woman believes in and you are asking them to elect her to the second highest office in the country. That, my friend, is not showing any respect or deference what-so-ever for the American people.

As it appears right now, Sarah Palin will not actually be interviewed until this coming Sunday, a full 16 days (out of 67 until Election Day - or 23% of her candidacy) since she was nominated.

Who is going to be interviewing her? FOX News? No, that would be too obvious.

Rick Davis and the McCain campaign have granted the first Sarah Palin interview to none other than ABC’s Charlie Gibson. The same Charlie Gibson who, along with George Stephanopoulos, spent the first 51 minutes of what was supposed to be a debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama back on April 16th, grilling Obama on things like his flag pin and his next door neighbor in Hyde Park, Chicago.

So for 23% of Palin’s candidacy her views will have been completely kept in the dark and then all we’ll get is professional softballer, Charlie Gibson.

During the Gibson interview we can expect to hear more about her son heading off to Iraq on Sept. 11 (which Joe Biden’s son will also be doing on Oct. 3 with far less fanfare), her NRA membership, her cute daughter Piper, her pregnant daughter Bristol, her working class husband Todd and her image as the "hot" VP candidate.

What we shouldn’t expect to hear from Gibson are questions about her extreme views on abortion, which she is against even in the case of rape or incest. Or her nutty, completely outdated and counter-productive abstinence-only approach to sex education.

We won’t hear about how she bilked the state of Alaska for a per diem every night she chose to sleep in her own home in Wasilla, Alaska rather than in the capitol of Juneau - a move which her predecessor, Democrat Tony Knowles, denounced as a scam while he was in office.

We aren’t likely to hear about her complete denial that the polar bear is an endangered species or that global warming actually exists.

And we certainly aren’t likely to hear more than one token question (with no follow-up) about that false claim that she was against the bridge to nowhere.

So when will we actually get to know who Governor Palin really is and what her views are?

Well, until Rick Davis and the McCain Campaign decide to show some respect and deference to the American voters, those of us unlucky enough to live in the lower 48, or in Hawaii, will have a tough time figuring out just where the half-term Governor of Alaska stands on most issues.

And until that happens, America needs to say "thanks, but no thanks" to Sarah Palin.