The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Setting the Record Straight on "Palin 5.0"

    By AmericanDreamer on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 2:24pm |
    Josh, your 10/20, 7:15 pm blog entry <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/238576.php">"Palin 5.0"</a>, as I read it, is misleading and unfair to Palin.  
     
    The blog entry reads simply and in full: "Palin calls reports of hollered threats at rallies 'atrocious and unacceptable.'" 
     
    When I read that, I took it to mean that Palin was blaming the media for claiming there were hollered threats at M/P rallies--that what she was calling atrocious and unacceptable were media reports of hollered threats.  
     
    But when I read the article the entry linked to, the 10/20 12:10 pm piece in the NYT Politics blog, "The Caucus" by Michael Falcone, it appeared to me that what Palin was calling "atrocious and unacceptable" were the things individuals attending the rallies allegedly said, not the media reports noting the threats.  The Falcone article has her saying she has not heard such things said at rallies (which may or may not be true), but that if such things were said she would call on supporters to avoid such language.
     
    Had the blog entry read instead "Palin calls hollered threats at rallies 'atrocious and unacceptable'", or, alternatively, "Palin calls alleged hollered threats at rallies 'atrocious and unacceptable'", it would have more clearly and accurately reflected what Falcone wrote.
     
    If you agree that what you wrote was misleading, or at least should be clarified, I hope you will issue a correction or clarification and move on.  If you don't agree, I hope you will take a few moments and say why in response, as I would like to know.  And of course I could be incorrect in what I'm saying here.
     
    I hope this doesn't come across at nitpicking.  The subject of politicians appearing to condone, or to avoid condeming, threats with violent overtones is a serious one.  And 58 people recommended that blog entry.