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MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe Says Sarah Palin ‘Refreshingly Honest’ but ‘Self-Serving’ in Tucson Response

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by Tommy Christopher | 6:07 pm, January 18th, 2011

» 19 comments

After today’s White House briefing, I caught up with MSNBC contributor and author Richard Wolffe to get his take on the media’s handling of Sarah Palin in the wake of the mass shooting in Tucson, and Palin’s handling of it, as well. Wolffe said he thought Palin was “refreshingly honest” at times in her interview with Sean Hannity, but criticized her “self-serving” overreaches, and defended the mainstream media’s coverage of Palin as part of the Tucson story.

Wolffe has been critical of Palin’s response this past week, so the main thing I wanted to do was to ask him to respond to some of the criticism that Palin has been leveling at the mainstream media. On that count, Wolffe said much of Palin’s reaction is perfectly reasonable, but that she often goes too far in playing the “victim card.”

But Wolffe defended the mainstream media’s inclusion of Palin in the story, noting that the worst attacks on Palin came from less mainstream sources, and that, as a possible aspirant to high office, Palin’s rhetoric is subject to scrutiny.

A quick note about our interview: this was rather impromptu, and I only used the built-in mic on my camcorder, so there’s a lot of ambient chatter from just off-camera. You can hear Wolffe just fine, and it does give you some sense of what the White House briefing room is like.

fox news, Hannity, msnbc, Richard Wolffe, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity

Moderate

“attacks on Palin came from less mainstream sources,”

Palin’s biggest attacker has been the NYTimes, I know they have lost most of their stature but I had no idea that they are no longer “mainstream”.
Judge Mental

What, Tommy, you had a whole room full of media types there, and you only asked one guy what he thinks of Sarah Palin? Or did you get everyone’s take, and we’ll be treated to each one ad nauseum?
Moderate

Tommy had no doubts how people from MSNBC felt about Sarah Palin. Even some other journalists are starting to empathize with Palin.
TfT

If memory serves me correctly, Tommy was more than displeased at the mainstream media’s linking Palin to this story.

Wofle on the other hand is an MSNBC guy – it is their job to participate in the political assassination of anyone who is not a democrat, Obama suck-up.

Defending the media actions in any way shape or form over this enter story, is admitting that you are dumber than a white sock.
ChiliPeppersFan

tommy christopher,
wolffe says there wasn’t an attempt previously by her advisors to say there weren’t crosshairs or to take down the map. didn’t someone from her camp go on a radio show and attempt to say they were surveyor symbols and not crosshairs?
WCinWI

TfT said:
If memory serves me correctly, Tommy was more than displeased at the mainstream media’s linking Palin to this story.

Wofle on the other hand is an MSNBC guy – it is their job to participate in the political assassination of anyone who is not a democrat, Obama suck-up.

Defending the media actions in any way shape or form over this enter story, is admitting that you are dumber than a white sock.

Not only is he an MSNBC guy, but he’s also a frequent guests of such knowledgeable hosts as Matthews & Olby.
WCinWI

WCinWI said:
Not only is he an MSNBC guy, but he’s also a frequent guests of such knowledgeable hosts as Matthews & Olby.

*guest
Tommy Christopher

ChiliPeppersFan said:
tommy christopher,
wolffe says there wasn’t an attempt previously by her advisors to say there weren’t crosshairs or to take down the map. didn’t someone from her camp go on a radio show and attempt to say they were surveyor symbols and not crosshairs?

Wolffe was saying that Palin herself didn’t try that tack, as her advisor, Rebecca Mansour, had. So, you’re right about that, you just misunderstood Wolffe.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/sarah-palins-twitter-feed-undercuts-sarahpac-aides-defense-of-crosshair-imagery/
lonestar77

“But Wolffe defended the mainstream media’s inclusion of Palin in the story,”

The only link Palin has to the story is that she has been to Arizona. To that end, I guess Wolffe (and the others) would defend the character assassination of anyone whose ever been to Arizona. Just curious, is Wolffe a big fan of “Zeitgeist”? I’m willing to bet that Palin isn’t.

Wolffe and the other lefty journos can spin whatever they want but they were exposed as nothing but character assassins using a tragedy to try and score political points. Wolffe, Olby, and the rest were praying that this guy had ties to the Tea Party. He doesn’t. But, that doesn’t stop them from spreading their hate. Despicable. ANYONE who “linked” Palin is a despicable, opportunistic punk.
Pablo

and defended the mainstream media’s coverage of Palin as part of the Tucson story….

Sorry Richard, there’s no defending it. That was an own goal of epic proportion and we’re going to be reviewing it again and again and again and again.
OxyCon

Sorry…no one gives a rat’s ass what some MessNBC puke thinks about Sarah Palin.
I think we all know by now.
ChiliPeppersFan

Tommy Christopher said:
Wolffe was saying that Palin herself didn’t try that tack, as her advisor, Rebecca Mansour, had. So, you’re right about that, you just misunderstood Wolffe.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/sarah-palins-twitter-feed-undercuts-sarahpac-aides-defense-of-crosshair-imagery/

thanks for that. must have been the “ambient chatter from just off camera.”
also thanks for the behind the scenes look at the briefing room.
ChiliPeppersFan

lonestar77 said:
“But Wolffe defended the mainstream media’s inclusion of Palin in the story,”

The only link Palin has to the story is that she has been to Arizona. To that end, I guess Wolffe (and the others) would defend the character assassination of anyone whose ever been to Arizona. Just curious, is Wolffe a big fan of “Zeitgeist”? I’m willing to bet that Palin isn’t.

Wolffe and the other lefty journos can spin whatever they want but they were exposed as nothing but character assassins using a tragedy to try and score political points. Wolffe, Olby, and the rest were praying that this guy had ties to the Tea Party. He doesn’t. But, that doesn’t stop them from spreading their hate. Despicable. ANYONE who “linked” Palin is a despicable, opportunistic punk.

it has nothing to do with the victim, the real victim gabby giffords who said of palin’s ‘target map’ there’s “consequences to that action”?
you can argue whether it’s deserved or not, but there is a link and the “despicable, opportunistic punk” is palin herself. but really, you shouldn’t be so harsh on her.
lonestar77

Who cares what she said of Palin’s “target map”? The shooter never saw the map and wasn’t influenced by it.

As for the “real victim”, stop pretending like you care. If you’re like the left-wing media, you don’t. The left has proven they care nothing about Ms. Giffords, only about trying to profit politically from it. Therefore, all those on the left who used this tragedy in an attempt to “link” Palin to it are nothing but despicable, opportunistic, punks.
lonestar77

It’s curious that the left wing whacko that was arrested for making threats to the tea party guy basically repeated ver batim what I heard from the likes of Olby, Mathews & Tommy. He then went on to say that Palin, Beck, Limbaugh & Bachman should be tortured. He said someone should cut their ears off and make a necklace out of them.

Where’s the outrage from the media over this? Tommy…
david r

OxyCon said:
Sorry…no one gives a rat’s ass what some MessNBC puke thinks about Sarah Palin.
I think we all know by now.

Right on! He’s a punk-ass chump. Can they go a whole day without a Palin story? It’s like the blob. It’s totally out of control.
RunSarahRun

Could you imagine the half-term guv as President?? Sitting in the Oval Office responding to every slight with a Facebook rant. Please run Sarah…. phuleeeeze!!!!
Pablo

ChiliPeppersFan said:
it has nothing to do with the victim, the real victim gabby giffords who said of palin’s ‘target map’ there’s “consequences to that action”?

So, your thesis is that Gabby Giffords is psychic and that the shootings are a result of the crosshair graphic?
CAconservative

What the hell happened? Some loony-tune shot up a bunch of people in Arizona because, “that’s what crazy people do”!! And now the story’s about Sarah Palin? What the hell’s wrong with you people?!!
A politician gets shot and now it’s about messing with the 2nd Amendment, again? If this politician had not been a target does anybody think this story would have lasted more than two news days?