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Truth-Twisting Palin Just Gets More Dangerous

New 'author' irresistible to both right and left: parody editors

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 13, 2009 4:07 PM CST

(Newser) – Sarah Palin remains a major player on the national stage because "neither the left nor the right can get enough of her," write Richard Kim and Betsy Reed, the editors of Going Rouge, the parody that comes out the same day as the former Alaska governor's memoir, Going Rogue. They’re frankly afraid of their target, her fast-and-loose relationship with the truth, and the tenets of the political philosophy they dub "Palinism": "fact-free conspiracy, hollow patriotism and public religiosity."

“Palinism works by draping hard-right policy in a winning personal story and just-folks rhetoric,” Kim and Reed write in the Nation. “Its genius rests in its ability to magically absorb inconvenient facts and mutually contradictory realities into an unassailable personal narrative.” So, unwed teen mother Bristol Palin “is somehow a poster child for abstinence-only education.” But Palin’s reach is considerable, and the health care debate will surely cause her to “bum rush the field once again.”

This book cover released by OR Books shows Going Rouge-Sarah Palin An American Nightmare.
This book cover released by OR Books shows "Going Rouge-Sarah Palin An American Nightmare".   (AP Photo/OR Books)
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Her nonsensical statements may inadvertently provide comic relief, but it's no laughing matter when serious debate is distorted by the wild misinformation she feeds to her increasingly paranoid base. - Richard Kim and Betsy Reed

The more we chuckle, the more indignant and impassioned the Palin army becomes. That's the bedeviling thing about Sarah Palin, and the secret to her success: neither the left nor the right can get enough. - Richard Kim and Betsy Reed

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 45 comments
krymsonkyng
Nov 16, 2009 11:30 AM CST
Then we are in agreement. Politicians in general are sleaze, regardless of party. You'd have to be to sell yourself to the masses. The folks who subscribe to a party instead of their ideals are like the collectors of pinups. You ask yourself, which facade do you prefer? Apparently sex sells in more ways than one. Scandal gets attention. Gender gets attention. What ever happened to the ideals of the individual over the contents of a party? Dem. Rep. It's the same really... Two sides to the same con. Now I'm not one for whining, so here's my alternative: Focus on the issue more than the individual. Deny these creatures their cults of personality and consider for a moment what you stand for. What you believe in. Why you are not an active member of the political scene. I'm not saying reduce yourself to their level, but think for a moment what they want here. Is it about power, or actually helping the people? Vote for the person who seems to care the most about listening to the people, instead of extolling virtues prescribed to have the greater fan base. I wonder if either side has ever had the politician set up a q and a page online. Seems silly though. That's what the party's for.
lindamae
Nov 16, 2009 5:04 AM CST
You do know that Tina Fey said that on SNL - not Palin - don't you? Of course, considering that the shores of Alaska and Russia are @ 0 miles away across the straits, you can see to the other side. A little geography lesson for you.
kirby
Nov 16, 2009 1:25 AM CST
Why does it always have to come down to sex when it's about a woman? Stop thinking with the wrong head...

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