Barely Employed Blogosphere Astroturfer Gets Snarky...

One of my least favorite "professional" bloggers, Steve Benen of (the decidedly dull) Washington Monthly, decides to get nasty on Sarah Palin:

UNEMPLOYED HALF-TERM GOVERNOR HIRED BY FOX NEWS

The post is here, and it opens with this bit of stupidity:

Sarah Palin inexplicably walked away from her job last year, quitting as Alaska's governor half-way through her first term. It presented a minor problem for the often-confused right-wing politician -- what, exactly, would she do with herself between her resignation and her presidential campaign?

Now, as we all know, Steve is paid to cheerlead rather than think. But if Palin's resignation remains inexplicable to Benen at this late date, well, then the man really is as mediocre as his resume... Especially if he thinks landing a slot on Fox News doesn't constitute a major coup on her part. As of this date, all Palin has done since resigning is write a bestseller, go on a successful book tour and use the internet to drive Democrats crazy during the health care, er, insurance debate.

What'd Steve do during those months? Other than jerk off the dimwit partisans at Washington Monthly, I mean: Appear on Rachel Maddow's show. Get linked at Huffington Post. Do NPR.

Wow.

Of course, had she graduated Ivy League, gone Democrat and spent a half-term in the Senate, Steve Benen would be falling at Sarah Palin's feet... Especially if she'd managed to fuck up health care, er, insurance reform beyond all recognition, sell out the queer folk and ramp up the colonization of Afghanistan.

You're a d-list political whore, Steve, and your work isn't commentary, it's astroturfing. You, of all folks, have no cause to be casting stones at anyone for the work they choose to do. Then again, if you dared voice an opinion not approved by your masters, you'd be the one that was unemployed. And we can't have that...

Right? 

Comments

[Annoying Old Guy]

I suspect Palin discovered the hard way how much power is available to the person who owns the microphone and decided she wanted some of that for a while.

[Kyle]

"if Palin's resignation remains inexplicable to Benen at this late date, well, then the man really is as mediocre as his resume..."

Well, she couldn't explicate it. Oh, those floating fish.

"... managed to fuck up health care, er, insurance reform beyond all recognition, sell out the queer folk and ramp up the colonization of Afghanistan."

Jesus, have you gone left? It's been a few years since I stopped in here. Last I saw you were pissed at Pajamas Media, but that was all personal shit.

[all the President's meme]

"often-confused right-wing politician"

That's confusing. Guess he hasn't read how right-wing pols are unalloyed racists, haters, intolerant meanies, uncouth hicks, flag-waving morons, accomplished liars and selfish cheats, as in Chimp-in-Chief Bush and Devious Dick engineering War for Oil.

[David]

"Breaking news: braindead media hack is a lefty tool. Film at 11:00."

Benen seems exceptional, though: a little perusing of his archives revealed a plaint about Prop 13 being the root of CA's fiscal problems. I mean, even the commies HERE have stopped arguing that b.s.

[Heywood P. Freely]

DtheP,
Sir, this "health care, er, insurance reform" joke is getting a little tired. As you've already won Unfunniest Blogger 2009, perhaps it's time to set sights higher for the new year.
HPF

[Dennis The Peasant]

And pass up the opportunity to annoy folks like you? I don't think so.

[Dennis The Peasant]

Kyle-

No, I haven't gone Left. Just pointing out what Lefties would be saying if Bush had done then what Obama is doing now...

[Lit3Bolt]

I'm disappointed, I thought you would have something actually insightful to say about Palin, but no, it's character assassinate the lefty blogger time.

Well let's see, Dtp, from your little "support your local peasant" link, I can deduce you're an 1. Andrew Sullivan wanna-be, 2. A World of Warcraft player at some point, and 3. you have abnormal tastes in music for a grown man, and seem to live in the past a lot. Would you like to talk about your mother? Or perhaps the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?

[Surfeit]

Lit:

So you're disappointed. At least you can come here and experience a familiar feeling. As a WOWer, I take umbrage. I'd also take your Visa card, but that $200 limit is almost as constrained as your arguments. Behave or someone will cast a Conflagrate on you.

Surfeit, 80 UD warlock, Kul Tiras.

[Dennis The Peasant]

Lit3Bot-

Wow. You nailed me to a "T":

1) Except for the batshit crazy, elitist, intellectually dishonest, anti-semitic, dope-smoking, HIV-positive, self-taught gynecologist, pseudo-intellectual parts, Andrew always has been a hero of mine.
2) I don't actually know what "World of Warcraft" is - other than it being some sort of video game Mr. T pushes (that is the one with Mr. T, isn't it?)- but I really like playing the "Rhythm Parade" and "Snowball Fight" games in my Wii Fit Plus.
3) And as far as music goes, I've got about 250 classical cds, 100 jazz, 100 blues and gospel and, say, 150 rock and punk cds. Not a single Madonna, Lady Gaga or rap cd in the lot. No Beatles, Eagles or Foreigner either. So just what the fuck do "grown men" listen to these days?

You didn't come here for insight on Palin, you hit the Memeorandum link thinking you were going to get another steaming pile of the shit Benen's peddling. Go talk about your own fucking mother.

[Uncle Fester]

Well, Dennis, you're certainly pissing off all the right people!

Carry on!

[David]

"No Beatles, Eagles or Foreigner either."

I hope your collection includes Mojo Nixon's classic "Don Henley Must Die."

[Dennis The Peasant]

Lit probably has all of Toto's albums.

[David]

"Toto"

It burns, it burns! Kill it with fire!

[Dennis The Peasant]

Probably has all of Kansas' albums as well.

[Dennis The Peasant]

Styx...
Al Stewart...
The Doors...
Boston...
Journey...
Dan Fogelberg...
Motley Crue...

Runs from room screaming

[Hellen]

Wake up boys! This is your life!
Come on son, well, the vice principal's always in your face
tellin you what to do.
That brainless twit can kiss my ass, Yaba-Daba-Do

Liberate a six-pack, I ain't goin' back cuz

Highschool is a prison
and you, you gotta get free!
Hey mom, the school prom makes no history

Let me tell you
Well the fool go crazy and are ready to ride
it's your life, you decide!
are you gonna explode and make a cheerleader drool
or stay at home and be a fool
Cut your F(?) up to eleven
Blast 'em all, straight to heaven

(Better Mojo, but it's all academic at this point. Ancient History 101. And music snobbery is unbecoming. [I don't like Neil Diamond and someone gave me 13 of his albums, but I said thank you. {Any takers for $50?}])

[David]

"music snobbery is unbecoming."

Yes and no. It's good to have standards, but it's unbecoming and dickish to be hipper than thou about it. I'll listen to anything that's well-played, and try to avoid music that has to be listened to at a certain volume in order to be appreciated. But that's me.

[Simon needs boats]

Better Mojo Nixon -

"Aahh! The Sailing Elvis!
Captain Elvis!
Commodore Elvis it is."

[Uncle Fester]

PINK FLOYD!

[Lefty]

astroturfing = fake grassroots like the teabagger convention in Nashville. Benen writes a blog, he's not an attorney paying Sarah Palin a reported $100,000 to make a speech and charging poor dumb teabaggers $549 to see it in some Opryland hotel ballroom.

I'd be surprised to see Palin run for president. She doesn't seem interested in learning or working very hard. But what the hell wingnuts, please tune in and watch. I think even you guys will be happy to see her shuffle off the stage.

[Uncle Fester]

As long as she takes The Zero and the rest of the Democratic Socialists with her.

[Randy Rager]

"teabagger" Disqualifying statement, you lose, seeyabuhbye.