"Bristol Palin saved her best performances for last," says Gretchen Carlson of Fox and Friends. We happened to doze off just as "Dancing with the Stars" was about to start last night but hope to catch up with that — not to mention Sarah Palin's new book America by Heart — later in the day. See below for details. Above, Bristol "dances in a creme dress with dancing partner Mark Ballas" Monday night. (Adam Larkey/ABC)
"You've apparently bought the media spin. I suggest you do a little research of your own before repeating the shopworn talking points of the Palin haters," we replied to commonrabble in the comments of Hillary Chabot's latest Boston Herald report on Bristol Palin's "Dancing with the Stars" adventure. (Previous reports here and here.) Here's what we wrote:
Bristol won the admiration and respect of a lot of us out here in television land by her gritty determination and "girls-just-wanna-have-fun" spirit, proving what her mother twittered last night in a note of appreciation: "Congrats Jen, Kyle, Bristol et al for proving competition is GOOD! Remember: 'They're going to criticize anyway, so you might as well dance!'"
As one of reporter Chabot's local quote sources for all things Palin, we were amused to read that "Tea Party blogger Sissy Willis … sat glued to the TV last night and faithfully voted for Palin." We had in fact voted the night before and fallen asleep just before the show started last night, waking up only moments before the rousing revivalist hysteria of the finale, where Bristol came in a respectable third. The show's producer, cited by Cubachi yesterday in her perceptive "Bristol Palin and rooting for the underdog," calmly explains what was really going on:
You see her gradually unfolding and unfurling and all, as a performer. I can assure you that she’s really enjoying doing it. It’s not like she doesn’t want to be here. Far from it. I think she just feels uncomfortable with a lot of the things you see on our show — wearing tiny costumes, being over-the-top. She just feels slightly embarrassed doing it. She just doesn’t come from this world. I think that’s one of the things that’s absorbing about watching her.
"As for the Suffolk professor's insinuation that Sarah isn't showing political substance," we emailed Herald reporter Chabot this morning, referencing another of her local quote sources, a Suffolk University political professor who "said Sarah Palin must show some political substance to balance her flashy TV allure":
That's reflexive anti-Palin boilerplate, one of those lies that becomes perceived as truth through repetition. The professor — and others — should check out Palin's WSJ op eds, Facebook challenges to the President and her new book, America by Heart, for a little original research to give heft to their pronouncements.
We're planning to purchase the book later on this morning for reading on the way over the river and through the woods to Goomp's Down East for Thanksgiving. A few excerpts from Jedediah Bila's excellent review to whet your appetitie:
She stresses the importance of a strong American work ethic that "gives you wings" and rejects a culture of entitlement: "Everything that is worthwhile comes through effort. There is no free lunch. Anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is selling something – usually something paid for by your tax dollars."
Woven through it all are her belief in American exceptionalism, her reverence for our military, her prioritization of personal responsibility, and her confidence in the fact that "The American people have a principled wisdom that all the lawyers and academics and schooled-up 'experts' in D.C. fail to appreciate."
Update: Michelle Malkin Buzzworthy link!
Update II: Related must-read: Melissa Clouthier reviews and expands upon Elizabeth Wurtzel's "Sarah Palin, Riot Grrrl." Over to you, Dr. Clouthier:
Sarah Palin is just the sort of woman a real man likes and other women fear and wimpy men loathe. And, when you look at her favorable/unfavorable ratings, that’s just how things break down.
Crossposted at Riehl World View, Cloven Not Crested and Liberty Pundits.
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