The Freepers on Laura Wood on Sarah Palin

Laura Wood’s blog article on Sarah Palin’s appearance on Oprah Winfrey has been posted at Free Republic, and the hostility and insults directed at her by the commenters there, the Freepers, are something to behold. They would be amusing if they didn’t send the message that “conservatism” now practically means worshipful identification with Sarah of Wasilla and moronic hostility to anyone who does not share it. Which is not to say that there are not lots of people who have an irrational and wrongful hatred of Sarah Palin and seek to destroy her. And which is also not to say that one must agree with all of Laura’s assessments of Palin; I myself felt she was too tough on her in a couple of spots. But she gives reasons for her views and is not attacking Palin personally or gratuitously. By contrast, the Freepers are swinging wild, one minute comparing Laura to the liberal leaning David Frum, the next minute comparing her to Iranian mullahs, and in between calling her insulting names—as though comparing anyone to David Frum were not insult enough. The Freepers remind me of J.R. Dunn at American Thinker who has essentially demonized—essentially read out of America—all conservatives who find fault with Sarah Palin, the coming saviour of our country.

Or it’s as though she were the woman in Chapter 12 of the Book of the Revelation, the mother of the saviour-child, being pursued by the dragon who does everything he can to destroy her, while she seeks safety for a time in a place prepared for her in the wilderness (Alaska?):

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered….

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Here is a selection of the Freepers’ comments:

Wonder who Laura contributed to and voted for last go-round?

3 posted on 11/16/2009 7:49:17 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Palin/Thompson 2012, John Bolton Sec’y of State!!)

To: ventanax5

Another blogger trying to steal wind from Sarah’s sails!

4 posted on 11/16/2009 7:49:37 PM PST by Randy Larsen ( BTW, If I offend you! Please let me know, I may want to offend you again!)

To: ventanax5

So let me get this straight..Sarah isn’t “Smart” enough to become President, but Obama is a genius LOL..
Also, perhaps someone should remind this woman that they did a poll and this country is becoming more PRO-LIFE

5 posted on 11/16/2009 7:49:38 PM PST by Sarah Barracuda

To: ventanax5

What a stinking load. Or for those of you in Rio Linda, a hit piece.

6 posted on 11/16/2009 7:51:14 PM PST by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)

To: Sarah Barracuda

I believe Laura Wood is a Republican.

7 posted on 11/16/2009 7:52:09 PM PST by ventanax5

To: ventanax5

Laura Wood should move to IRAN!

Gee, Palin stating that things have changed in America and that there exist equality among the sexes is too extreme??

Sheesh!!!

I guess there are idiots that too far left and idiots too far right.

8 posted on 11/16/2009 7:52:57 PM PST by purpleporter

To: ventanax5

I believe Laura Wood is a Republican.

Yes, she’s a Frum-Powell Republican.

16 posted on 11/16/2009 8:04:54 PM PST by death2tyrants

To: ventanax5

Who ever this Wood is, she is envious of Palin. She is probably going to get more hits on this than on anything she has ever written. My guess is that she is a ‘never has been’. A loser, in other words.

19 posted on 11/16/2009 8:07:25 PM PST by ABQHispConservative (A good Blue Dog is an unelected Blue Dog. Ditto Rino’s!)

To: ventanax5

Lets see, dems: Clinton, Kerry, Gore, Dean, Biden, and Obama are/were all presidential material…. but not conservative Palin. Gotcha….

The writer is a fool.

20 posted on 11/16/2009 8:08:10 PM PST by Gator113 (Obamba, Reid, Pelosi, the socialist triad.)

To: Hildy

Me too. I hate that idiotic comment about how she is not smart enough, I dont give a rats behind who says it, Republican or Democrat. We have the most incompetent moron in the White House yet Sarah isn’t smart enough. What more does Obama have to do to convince people he’s an idiot

21 posted on 11/16/2009 8:10:30 PM PST by Sarah Barracuda

To: ventanax5

… so is Scozzafavva.(sp?)

22 posted on 11/16/2009 8:11:47 PM PST by I am bigjohn

To: ventanax5

she felt understanding for women who choose abortion

I think a review of the transcript would show this to be a lie. Palin chose her words carefully. A closer re-telling of what she said would be she felt understanding of how a woman in difficult circumstances could consider abortion, if even for a moment, thinking that it’s an “easy” way out (even though it’s not).

There’s a world of difference in the two. It’s like saying “I can see how someone for a fleeting moment could want to kill their spouse” is the same thing as “I have understanding for people who kill their spouses”.

Again, not even close.

This blogger is obviously looking for things to nitpick and has to embelish what she does find.

Extremely weak.

23 posted on 11/16/2009 8:16:31 PM PST by GLDNGUN

To: ventanax5

And I’m of the opinion Laura Wood is a moron, Republican tag notwithstanding.

25 posted on 11/16/2009 8:22:12 PM PST by Pox

[end of Free Republic excerpts.]

- end of initial entry -

Terry Morris writes:

Well, I hope Laura has thick skin. I’ve been called a leftist and everything else for criticizing Palin in various forums across the blogosphere. But generally speaking I’m not as much criticizing Sarah Palin as I am this worshipful praise “conservatives” heap upon her. Simply pointing out that she does not deserve it in many (most) cases because she’s obviously not as conservative as her worshipping followers make her out to be, is enough to bring down upon one’s head all manner of hateful vitriol. Of course, these people are blinded to how very non-conservative these manner of attacks are, almost purely emotion-driven as they are. But whatever. They’re passionate, I’ll give ‘em that. Besides, they know instinctively that if Sarah isn’t all they’re cracking her up to be, then neither are they all they’re cracking themselves up to be. And that’s why they take criticisms of Sarah so very personally and answer them so very passionately.

Water off a duck’s back.

Michael S. writes:

Freepers acting like cretins. What else is new?

Terry Morris writes:

Can you imagine the kind of vitriol that’ll issue forth from the Freepers when they learn that Laura questions the wisdom of women’s suffrage. ROTFL!!!

LA to Laura Wood:

Your article on Palin is at Free Republic (I’ve saved it in case they spike it which often happens there)

Laura replies:

They’re saying I’m a jealous housewife. And, a Frum-Powell Republican. :—)

LA replies:

Maybe you should change the name of your blog to The Jealous Housewife.

Laura replies:

Ha! I love it!

The irony of this is that I really do find Sarah charming and quite beautiful. I just don’t think she should be president.

Tim W. writes:

Free Republic has degenerated to nearly the level of DU or Daily Kos in the past year. It’s always had some hysterical bullies, but they were once balanced by posters who could make an intellectual argument. Most serious posters have quit of their own accord or been banned since Obama was elected and there was a crackdown on non-PC conservatism. All that’s left are libertarians or blindly partisan Republicans.

Gintas writes:

Here’s a pertinent passage from the New Testament, Acts 19:23-41 where there was a riot among the Ephesians in favor of Artemis (who is also Diana, which really fits with the Palin thread; if you remember my picture of Palin on a statue, that statue was Diana / Artemis). I’ve changed the wording here just a little:

23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Robinson, who made silver shrines of Palin, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Auster has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Alaska and in practically the whole province of America. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Palin will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of America and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Palin of the Alaskans!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Wood and Morris, Auster’s traveling companions, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Auster wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Auster, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Neocons pushed McCain to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Neocon, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Palin of the Alaskans!”

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Men of Alaska, doesn’t all the world know that the state of Alaska is the guardian of the temple of the great Palin and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Robinson and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Clark Coleman writes:

It suddenly occurred to me when reading this blog entry that Sarah Palin is the conservative version of Barack Obama. Many of us (even Obama himself) noted that Obama was a blank canvas on which his followers could project their political hopes. Why? Not because of his political experience or capabilities or clearly stated policy positions, but because of his personal life story. E.g., Obama is going to be a post-racial unifier. What was there in his past to indicate such a thing? Nothing. In fact, just the opposite. But his followers had hopes, you see. Ditto for numerous other policy areas where people had hopes not based on his statements or past actions.

Sarah Palin is a dyed in the wool conservative who will lead the GOP out of the mushy moderate wilderness. How do we know this? By reading her pronouncements on immigration, feminism, etc.? Obviously not. Rather, it is because of her personal life story. She is a small town girl, one of us flyover-country types, who identifies with us and not the Beltway elite. We can project all our conservative hopes on her. Because of her personal qualities, she is a conservative political blank canvas, ready for us to paint to our liking, just as Obama was for white liberals.

LA replies:

I think this is an important, basic insight into the Palin phenomenon..

Further, your analysis also explains the left’s overwrought reaction to her. Earlier today I was saying to a friend, “Why do people love her so much, and why do people hate her so much? Neither makes sense.” In fact, as your comment makes me realize, the left loathes and fears her for the same illusory reason that the right loves and adores her: both sides imagine her to be some super conservative. Both sides are taking her biography, her symbology, as representing something real about her politics.

The right and the left are having this huge, bloody battle over Sarah Palin in Plato’s Cave, fighting over illusory images.

Jordan writes:

Sarah Palin is evidence, all you need, that the “conservative” movement is dead, dead, dead. All they need is a push and a proper opposition party and it’s all over. Better, I think the average “conservative” is starting to feel this in his bones.

LA replies:

This was my overriding point in our huge Palin debate in September 2008. I said in every way I could that the conservative movement’s over the top enthusiasm for Palin, their eager dropping of their principles in order to give her their unqualified support, indicated the end of conservatism. All that was left of conservatism was emotinalist populism plus opposition to abortion.

However, the meaning of your second and third sentences is ambiguous.

November 18

Laura Wood writes:

I couldn’t agree with Clark Coleman more in his description of the Palin phenomenon.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 17, 2009 08:55 AM | Send