Conservatives love to play the victim, besieged, in their fanciful imaginations, by hostile Democrats and a leftist media. In particular, they love to pretend that they are discriminated against for their Christian beliefs. They try to pull this off while in power and ascendancy, but really let it all hang out when their political fortunes wane.
In a new sit-down interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Sarah Palin rolls out the classic conservative victimization theme. Presenting herself as tormented by religious bigots and frustrated with the vapid mainstream media, Palin paves the way for a transition into the martyrdom she will surely claim as the Republicans spend the coming years in the political wilderness.
Let's get right into it. When David Brody asks Palin about "shots taken" at her unusual religious beliefs and offers her the opportunity to explain exactly what she does believe, Palin informs us that religion "in general" has been under attack during this campaign:
Yeah, and I think the saddest part of that is that faith, not just my faith, faith and God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is unfair for others who share a faith in God and chose to worship our Lord in whatever private manner that they deem fit and my faith has always been pretty personal. I haven't really worn it on my sleeve. I haven't been out there preaching it.
So, according to Sarah, questions about witchdoctors in her church are tantamount to an attack on anyone who has faith in God. Or did I miss all those times when faith "in general" was mocked during this campaign?
And poor Sarah is also upset about being mocked by the evil mainstream media. That's why she won't give interviews to cable networks:
Well sometimes it just doesn't do any good. I mean you set yourself up just to continually be mocked, you know so sometimes that doesn't do any good, but what I have done in this campaign is in reaching out to the American voters through our rallies, through the one on ones, through the small meetings that we've had trying to get our message out, our plans for this country out there minus the filter of some of the filter of the mainstream media because, because that filter as, as we see every day when we turn on the news too often there is this, this opaqueness, there is this, this spin, this contortion of a person's words and intentions and that does more harm than good, so it's a greater challenge for me and for John McCain to try to get our message out there without that filter of I think some of the world's media.
That's also one of the reasons she didn't answer Katie Couric's question about which newspapers she reads -- Palin didn't want to provide "fodder" for more mockery. But Palin also offers an even more ridiculous reason:
And it's not just that question, but it was some of the other questions that she asked me also and, and it was, I guess my being such an outsider from the Washington elite and the media elite is the questions she kept asking me were, I kept thinking why aren't you asking me things that really, really matter right now about our economy and about how we're going to win the war and about protecting our Constitutional rights in this country, some of the questions that were being fired at me, I was kind of impatient and I think that showed, it's like come on Katie, let's talk about the things that really matter...
Things that really matter?! What a load of crap. As we all know, of course Couric did ask her questions about the economy and constitutional rights, and Palin utterly embarrassed herself on those as well. But worse, Palin covers for her own ignorance and lack of preparation by suggesting that she was impatient with the vapidity and condescension of Couric's questioning. Palin is truly a piece of work.
Palin can't even comment on Tina Fey without revealing her contempt. You really have to watch this one. But her words alone reveal plenty:
She's a talented gal, as most of them are. They're pretty good at pretending to be other people.
Palin is a small person. Conceited and drowning in self pity.
There's much more. Check it out for a preview of the classic victimized Republican routine, coming soon everywhere in 15 days and for years to come.