Visorgate: Sarah Palin Tries To Black Out John McCain, Literally
This is one of those stories you have to read twice because it’s almost too ridiculous to believe. Apparently, whilst vacationing with her family in Hawaii this week Sarah Palin, having no other head accessories at her disposal, opted to wear what is now a year-old John McCain campaign visor to the beach. Except in order to remain “incognito” she blacked out McCain’s name with marker (she blacked out his name with a marker…because there were no other hats in Hawaii?). TMZ, which is probably kicking itself these days for dropping the whole TMZDC idea, snapped the pictures.
So yes, even for Sarah Palin this is a bit strange (also, one imagines, both messy and smelly.) Politico’s Playbook caught up with the former governor and this is what she had to say for herself:
Declaring that she ‘was honored and proud to run with him,’ the former Alaska governor pushed back hard last night against a report that she had disrespected Sen. McCain by blacking out his name on a sun visor she wore on the beach….Palin tells us she was just trying to ‘be incognito’ and shield her children and husband, Todd, from paparazzi: ‘I am so sorry if people took this silly incident the wrong way. I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago. So much for trying to be incognito.’
Someone send the woman a hat, or something.
39 comments
Pat Doherty says: Who cares?
germ says: Pat Doherty:
+1
Colby Hall says: Pat Dohery and germ care so little about this story, that they each feel compelled to comment on it. That is very active apathy – nice work!
timzank says: Advertising 101. She’s all over the news again and all she did was black out the name on her hat. The media that keeps trying to “bury” her just keeps on boosting her, which is fine by me, it’s hilarious to watch.
rmbltmbl says: Is something like this worth a –gate term now? I think it would be a good idea for Palin to separate herself from the Republican party anyway, and who would blame her?
It’s apparent that among Mediaite writers, Glynnis MacNicol is the runt of the litter, and Dan Abrams has assigned her the duty of Daily Palin Basher, a task to be performed in-between distributing mail, getting Chinese for the senior writing crew, wiping down the counters in the lunch room and cleaning the toilets — which is probably why the line reading “messy and smelly” came to mind.
It’s OK, Glynn — lots of respectable writers had to start at the bottom. And nothing is more “at the bottom” than trying to gin up “scandal” where is absolutely none.
Pat Doherty says: Colby Hall
Touche. Do you care though?
roxsteady says: I think the choice of vacation spot is interesting. And guess who’ll be vacationing there next week with his family? I’m telling you, he’s in her head. Personally, I love Hawaii and hope to someday move there. If I may make one more observation; she’s quite pastie.
ImNotBlue says: Snoooooooooore.
tjl says: Smithee, to be fair, I don’t think this post warrants an attack on Ms. MacNicol. I mean, you should probably get your facts straight as well. I believe “editor” is hardly someone who’s running out and getting food orders for others. Though, I suppose since you make the dopest and freshest little icons (it’s you’re name! get out!! that is fresh!) you probably know more than I do. Hey, don’t let me get to you – lots of respectable icon makers (is that what we should refer to you as?) start at the bottom. And nothing is more “at the bottom” than spending your days trying to get the LN and Smithee to line up.
JunkJunk says: I’m glad I refreshed this page before posting, because my post would have surely been eclipsed by tjl in wit and accuracy.
Well done, boy/girlfriend!
RazorsEdge says: Hey, I like it!
Colby Hall comes back swinging! Actually Colby, I do appreciate knowing that you do read the comments and actually participate.
Although, my $02 is stories are getting shortcutted (sp) and a little gossipy (sp). More quoting other media outlets like TMZ or Politico and less originality. Like getting quotes from sources or actual players in the stories (Like Politico did).
There are so many stories being “published” that reference to other outlets and what seems to be less and less originality. Heavy on volume less on quality.
Just me. I know it’s not my site. I’m just a reader. I like Mediaite. I’m finding I’m coming more to comment with the other “regulars” now more than to get info from the articles.
This is all you MSNBC dorks got? Sarah’s bad hair/hat day?
Ooh she scratched out McCain.
Look at the swipe against TMZ, these guys wish they were TMZ… or maybe Perez Hilton.
What can you expect from a guy who’s bass was replaced by KO’s intern.
tjl wrote:
Smithee, to be fair, I don’t think this post warrants an attack on Ms. MacNicol
Oh, no? Hold on, lemme “fact check.”
Scrolling to the top of the thread now…yep, there it is — “by Glynnis MacNicol.”
Sorry, tjl. She wrote it, she owns it, she gets the blame.
Thanks for the comments on my icon. The “LN” and the “Smithee” aren’t supposed to be lining up, FWIW.
Hey, RazorsEdge: Check out the tag Colby Hall put on the O’Reilly-Newsweek thread. Tres mature.
Oops, gotta hate that.
What can you expect from a guy who’s boss was replaced by KO’s intern?
germ says: Colby Hall:
Why can’t I voice my opinion? Mediaite won, they got me. They got the extra page view, and they could care less about the comments.
I just don’t see why this is news worthy. I don’t know anyone that has taken SWAG or old company high-grade materials and blacked out or removed the name. I my old company gave me a nice coat that I liked but I no longer worked there, I would probably “de-stitch” the embroidery or black it out as well.
ImNotBlue says: tjl says:
December 17, 2009 at 10:24 am
You seem to be really focused on that icon… called an “avatar“… like the movie, but different.
It’s made in a program called, “Photoshop”… you may have heard of it. Create a canvas that’s a square (ex. 100px by 100px), and create a picture. Upload it to Wordpress… and there you go. Wow! If you need more directions than that, try Googling “how to create a blogging avatar.” Now you try!
tjl says: Smithee: comprehension skills are necessary in this time and day. I wasn’t asserting that she didn’t write it, though it’s Smithee’s world and we’re all just living in it. And what are we “blaming” her for? You mean she’s reporting on a photo that TMZ posted on their site — on a media website…the nerve! I don’t blame her for anything. Except maybe for getting my lunch order wrong….zing!
I was telling you to fact check about your suggestion that she is “at the bottom.” Again, last I checked ‘editor’ was not someone at the bottom, as you put it. But I guess if you’re not much into reading I can see how you’d get that mixed up. Wiki it, you’ll have a blast.
And bro, I know the LN and Smithee aren’t supposed to line up. You don’t roll that way. Being center means being square, boss. Big ups! Hey can you make me one?
RazorsEdge says: That’s what I’m alking about! Comments turn more into readers commenting on readers as much (sometimes) as on the points made in the story.
Mediaite’s has some good regulars that go after each other once in awhile (keep it clean, the name calling and over the top nasty is like a Fart Butt Sandwich).
Seriously @Smithee, I think I know the urban definition of fart butt sandwich but I’m clueless on the reference to O’Reilly or Newsweek. I’m sure it’s funny and I wish I understood.
I’ll defend Colby, He’s seems pretty fair. It seems he has to herd cats sometimes so I like to give him some benefit of doubt. Look at his articles. They seem to have more depth to them.
tjl says: ImNot: Avatar??! PhotoShop!? You’re breaking me into another world, a world I never knew! Thanks for the lesson, friend.
And listen, if that’s what passes for “photoshop” these days I really should apply for a job in design. I’m a wizard at MS Paint!
RazorsEdge says: MS Paint? That was funny!
StewartIII says: SARAH IS AWESOME!!!
ImNotBlue says: tjl says:
December 17, 2009 at 11:07 am
And bro, I know the LN and Smithee aren’t supposed to line up. You don’t roll that way. Being center means being square, boss. Big ups! Hey can you make me one?
I still don’t get the point you’re attempting to make with this.
ImNotBlue says: tjl says:
December 17, 2009 at 11:14 am
And listen, if that’s what passes for “photoshop” these days I really should apply for a job in design. I’m a wizard at MS Paint!
Well… prove it. Let’s see you avatar-up!
Or you could just steal a free one. I just don’t get the point you’re trying to make.
I like having an avatar. When I come to see if anyone posted a comment in response to mine, having the avatar helps me find my last comment… everything after that is “new.” Saves some time. See… practical!
Colby Hall says: Hey look at this – I’m honored to get some play in the comments section!
@Pat Doherty – Do I care about this story? Not sure if “care” is the right word. I find it amusing. Sarah Palin is a very interesting (and divisive) character. On one hand it shouldn’t really matter that she blacked out the McCain logo. On the other hand, it is kind of a strange thing to do, no?
@germ – of course you can voice your opinion – forgive me for my harsh sounding comment. I meant it in jest. Please continue to share your thoughts — I find the comments section of these posts to be most fun (though at times frightening)
@RazorsEdge – thanks for the plaudits, and yes, maybe of late we’ve done a tad too much gossip aggregation and less original reporting. We always try to find the right balance and that pendulum swings both ways. Love your constructive critcism.
@Smithee – my “fart butt sandwich” tag was a reference to an article we ran yesterday about the GOP URL shortener. It was a real tag for an actual story. I used it on the O’Reilly/Newsweek story as sort of an inside joke to our editorial staff. I plead guilty for the occasional immature decision, but doing this day in and day out – one needs to occasionally act out to keep the job fun and the site feeling alive.
Thanks for the comments though. As you were.
Pat Doherty says: Colby Hall
- I just think it’s a bleh story. To answer your question, I suppose it’s kind of strange, but we’ve all altered clothing before, no?
Colby Hall says: Yes – but she was McCain’s vice presidential candidate. Its more than just altering clothing in this instance. Right?
ImNotBlue says: Colby Hall says:
December 17, 2009 at 11:31 am
I think my comment, using your response Pat Doherty as a jumping off point would be… what is the relevance of this story to the world of media? Is this a media related story?
Personally, it seems to me that the media component of this story is at best miniscule (TMZ “broke” the story, that’s its relationship to media)… so why post it? I can’t find a rational why THIS story would be on THIS website. It simply seems to fuel the fire, and support the claims that Mediaite is a media/left-wing politics site… as this story is more politics or political interest, than media interest. Am I wrong?
Pat Doherty says: Colby Hall
- It is, and it’s interesting in that context. I just think this is more or less media needing a Sarah Palin story, and VisorGate has to do because she hasn’t said anything interesting in the past few days (with the exception of that subdued kerfuffle with Arnold; did you guys cover that?).
Pat Doherty says: *the media
Colby Hall says: @ImNotBlue – why do we need to rationalize to anyone which stories merit inclusion on Mediaite and which don’t? We found the story to be interesting – and you aren’t wrong – it is political in nature. But, calling out odd behavior of Sarah Palin, in this instance, doesn’t reveal a political bias (IMHO.) But I gather that you are going to see as a left-wing political site regardless of our editorial.
tjl wrote:
I was telling you to fact check about your suggestion that she is “at the bottom.” Again, last I checked ‘editor’ was not someone at the bottom, as you put it. But I guess if you’re not much into reading I can see how you’d get that mixed up.
I plead guilty to not fact checking Ms. MacNicol’s status at Mediaite. Let me point out in my own defense that I wrote “apparently” she was the runt of the Mediaite litter. IOW, my perception was that if she had any clout at the site, she would be doing things more important than trying to make chicken salad out of a chicken you-know-what item from TMZ.
If you drive up to the corporate offices of Microsoft and the parking lot attendant kinda looks like Steve Ballmer, you wouldn’t say “You’re Steve Ballmer!” because you would figure “It can’t be Steve Ballmer, because Steve Ballmer wouldn’t be doing this.” I would have thought issuing the daily two minutes hate on Sarah Palin was beneath a senior staffer. The fact that it’s not doesn’t speak well of Mediaite.
And what are we “blaming” her for? You mean she’s reporting on a photo that TMZ posted on their site — on a media website…the nerve!
Summon up your considerable “comprehension” skills and let me remind you what I wrote:
…And nothing is more “at the bottom” than trying to gin up “scandal” where [there] is absolutely none.
My thoughts on TMZ and Harvey Levin can be found here.
roxsteady wrote:
I think the choice of vacation spot is interesting. And guess who’ll be vacationing there next week with his family? I’m telling you, he’s in her head.
If you’re referring to the President, yeah, “he’s in her head” — as well as the rest of ours.
Personally, I love Hawaii and hope to someday move there. If I may make one more observation; she’s quite pastie.
Foregoing the punny possibilities of your latest misspelling: Good observation, rox. That’s because she’s 1. From Alaska, where sunlight is not year-round, 2. She’s just been on a book tour in cities where they’ve had colder temperatures than normal (so much for global warming) 3. She’s on vacation, and probably didn’t feel the need for a lot of makeup.
You know what Palin needs? A tanning bed. Oops — she already has one! And sorry, Editor Glynnis, a phony “scandal” about her tanning bed has already played itself out.
Fidoohki says: .>Slow Palin news day it seems…. Quick! Someone photoshop her kicking a kitten!:P
Sarah is indeed awesome and the closest to John Adams since Ronald R. Read her book, she could bring real change that is desparately needed in this dumbed down nation of ours!
Nachi says: Hawaii is it?? This moose-mauling clod dirties every spot she visits. McShame certainly deserves to be “blacked out” – but the brilliance & creativity Sarah demonstrated here is a new intellectual zenith for her.
“John Adams”?? “Most men are weak, and evil and vicious.” (sic). That’s deeply over the head of Sarah – and the lil FanBoys here. Generic commoners.
rmbltmbl says: ‘Someone send the woman a hat, or something. ‘
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something wrong with this to me.
Nachi’s nasty comment doesn’t make sense to me. I guess it’s just “deeply over my head.”
ImNotBlue says: Colby Hall says:
December 17, 2009 at 12:23 pm
@ImNotBlue – why do we need to rationalize to anyone which stories merit inclusion on Mediaite and which don’t?
Wow! Touchy! Am I to understand that you have no rational for why this story is on a media website? Seems like a reasonable question to ask you to define what your website stands for… what’s its purpose? Seems like you might just as confused as me.
We found the story to be interesting – and you aren’t wrong – it is political in nature. But, calling out odd behavior of Sarah Palin, in this instance, doesn’t reveal a political bias (IMHO.) But I gather that you are going to see as a left-wing political site regardless of our editorial.
Well… if you can’t tell me why this story merits more attention than another, and why it fits in on this site… I’ll continue to wonder why it’s here. “We found it interesting,” is great… but “WHY did you find it interesting”, is still the question.
Your non-answer, and apparent distain that I even bothered to ask the question, tells a lot about this site… and how you view your readers.
LNSmithee says:
December 17, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Join the club. The guy thinks he’s Shakespeare, but makes so many mistakes, and is so incoherent… he can’t be much more than an outcast high schooled with a big ego and the shades drawn.
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