Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:13 pm
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, co-host Mika Brzezinski rushed to the defense of Sarah Palin while criticizing the “mainstream media” for not understanding that Palin represents the views of real Americans and not the liberal elite who live in cities. So I guess the real Americans are 30%-40% who approve of Palin, and the millions who voted for Obama aren’t?
Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:
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Brzezinski said, “People were coming to those rallies because they agree with her. Look at the polls out there. Look where people stand on life. Look where real Americans think, and you will find that in the, oh God I hate to say it, but in the cities where there are a little bit more liberal elite populations, you are not going to find what’s representative of America. There was a lot more to her than fascination.”
Later she tried to clarify what she meant, “I think her views actually do. As much as people in the mainstream media might not agree with her views on some key issues, I think a lot of Americans do, and I remember travelling the country as a CBS News correspondent and meeting these Americans, many of them agree with her.” She tried to clarify that by real Americans she meant people who live outside of New York or Washington.
Mika could not be any more wrong if she tried. Her black and white view of the ideological makeup of the nation assumes that the people in the cities are liberal, and those who live in rural America are conservative. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As someone who lives in rural small town America, I can tell you first hand, that aren’t as clear cut as Mika believes.
Sarah Palin is very polarizing all over America. People either love her or hate her. There is no middle ground in either small towns or big cities when it comes to Palin. There is also no such thing as a real or fake American. Whether a person is liberal, conservative, independent, or non-political, we are all Americans.
Perhaps the most insulting element of Brzezinski’s adoption of Palin’s talking points is the idea that the millions of people who voted for President Obama don’t represent the “real America.” If Palin is so representative of all Americans, then why is her approval rating so low? Why was she on the losing ticket last year?
The funny thing about this is that when Mika went into her defense of Palin, Republican Joe Scarborough said, “I don’t know about that.” The mainstream media doesn’t hate Palin. They love her. She is a story that writes itself. If the media hated Palin, she would not get any coverage, at all, but I don’t think that anyone should be surprised that an insulated talking head, like Brzezinski mistakes talking points for facts.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
