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Rare Film: 25 minutes of The Dove: Sarah Palin CSpan Interview

September 7th, 2008
By DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, Assistant Editor, TMV Columnist

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Even if Charlie Gibson gives a whole ‘hour’ to Gov. Palin, the interview will be scripted, edited, parts left out, spliced, and in toto, with commercial breaks be perhaps 16 minutes of Palin speaking.

But, in February of this year, C-SPAN interviewed Sarah Palin whose delivery is quite different than seen at the recent GOP convention, the C-SPAN interview more person-to-person, rather than in tones of voice usually reserved for re-telling the grand sagas. And it is 25 minutes of unscripted Sarah Palin. Watch these films: what do you see/hear in her tone, text, and subtext?

She takes calls from open lines, and gives particular views about the Valdez oil spill and the culpability of the drunken captain.

She speaks of her son being deployed to Iraq, her family’s attitude to her position in government… as one might expect in most families… more concern about their own lives as teens, than hers as Mrs. Gov.

‘Her little known fact:’ her husband is a four-time winner of the Iron Dog race… the oldest and toughest snowmobile race on the AlCan landscape.

She speaks of the polar bear and an imminent meeting with the federal sec of interior, she wanting ’sound science’ if the polar bear is to be characterized as a species con habitat under duress. She speaks about development being an issue in such matters.

She is asked about Obama’s tax strategy and his intent to raise taxes on the upper classes and corporations. Gov. Palin talks about tax cuts as her take on stimulating the economy

She is asked where the line is between middle and upper class… and speaks about cost of living in Alaska being sky high and an 80k income is not the same as 80k income in another town elsewhere in the continental US

Despite all the pundits over the last many weeks who apparently don’t watch C-SPAN and who have wrongly guessed everyone as VP pick … except her…. Gov Palin is asked directly on this film, if John McCain will offer her the VP position. Back in Feb. 08. Interesting subtext to her answer. Had any paid attention.

Wasteful earmarks and corruption are also covered on this interview.

Ethics reform ideas are put forth, but not the particulars…

It is in this part of the Interview (Stave II) that it becomes most clear that Ethics Reform, that is, ‘cleaning up’ is a bloody business… and as I listened I wondered if Sarah Palin knew just how bloody.

Though her tone and demeanor are soft in this interview, cleaning up government et al, takes hoary bristly-legged intent and an Amazonian strength to the finish… far less dove, a great deal more executioner

On this last, I’d just say, few in charge would do what Palin appears to be doing, wielding the axe herself for clean-up. Most moguls, headsmen hire someone else to be hatchetman. Rupert Murdoch comes to mind. He hired Anthea Disney away from TV Guide Publishing Corp., to chop authors and editors at Harper Collins. Which she did in a bloodbath unprecedented in mainstream publishing. In the end, after the bodies lay in the iron stench of the battlefield, Murdoch fired Disney.

Throughout history, in mythos, in the stories of our times, it is often a huge vulnerability to act as hatchetperson oneself.

Yet, reformers and revolutionaries, protectors and visionaries… and scoundrels and terrorists… often do just that.

It’s a heck of a paradox that ‘clean up’ means using cincture, marginalization, garroting and severing even, whether physically, economically, or powerwise, as a primary tool by many different kinds of ‘kings and queens, leaders and viziers’ ….to clear the way for that individual’s or group’s ‘new idea.’

Whether Sarah Palin will be able to command her new catbird seat with the axe in one hand and the dove in the other, remains to be seen.



This entry was posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at 9:08 pm and is filed under Newsweek Blogitics, Republican Party, C-SPAN, Sarah Palin, RNC St. Paul Convention, Democratic Party, John McCain, 2008 Elections, Democrats, Republicans, Barack Obama, Politics. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 20 Comments

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    HI, sarah is my gov. there is a lot of much to clean up here in AK, and she isn't dong any of the cleaning. the fed's are doing all the prosecuting, not her. she defeated a spectacularly unpopular gov. this is one of the many things she where she has lied/creatively expanded on the truth. she has not cleaned up anything. and unfortunately she has created her own personal muck.
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    One thing that intrigued me about that interview is this: about 3 min into part 3 the interviewer asked what the age range of Palin's children were. Check out the exchange there, and also her response to the very nest follow-up question. And keep in mind that Palin was about 6 months pregnant when this interview took place. I don't know what to make of it exactly, except to think it was a very odd exchange.
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    You have some kind of literary disease. Maybe reading some Hemingway will cure you.

    OK, I get it, Sarah fired some people, and she got Alaska out of some sweetheart deals, and opened up some contracts to competitive bidding. I guess that's just like what "scoundrels and terrorists" do, when they're not "using cincture, marginalization, garroting and severing even, whether physically, economically, or powerwise..."

    I eagerly await your dissertation on the career of corporate downsizer "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap. I wonder, did he cincture, marginalize, garrot, or sever? Maybe a little of each, depending on his mood, to various employees.

    That's being said, thanks for the C-Span links. Should be an interesting interview.
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    I always enjoy your posts Dr. E. Imagine that - an interview with a public official on C-Span (gentle slap to forehead).
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    no dear kryon, chainsaw al dunlap acted like the lamprey he is, and sucked the guts, read cash, out of the pensions of longtime and hardworking men and women from Sunbeam and bought more shark and barracuda sculptures, lifesize,to decorate the cabanas at his swimming pool.

    dr.e
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    dear Ricorun, astute observation about her being pregnant at the time of the CSPAN interview. I dont know, but imagine she knew she was carrying a child with Down's at that point. The 'clutch' you noticed, is interesting

    dr.e
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    Dear Greginak

    "this is one of the many things she where she has lied/creatively expanded on the truth. she has not cleaned up anything. and unfortunately she has created her own personal muck."

    can you elaborate on that? She often says '"We" put the government back on track... ' not sure who the 'we' is. Do you live in Juneau or one of the points north?

    dr.e
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    Just a note, in the third video she is asked about her children, FOUR of them. She was also asked what she would do if McCain did call her to invite her on to the ticket. She responded that she would cross that bridge when she got there.

    She was SIX MONTHS pregnant with a Down syndrome infant.

    No mention she was pregnant. I'm sorry, but I'm the mother of three daughters. I had my last (no complications) at age 42. There is NO way I would respond that I would cross a bridge should I be asked to be the vice president of the United States KNOWING I was pregnant , let alone with a special needs child.

    I'm sorry, but I personally think there is a cognitive dissonance with Sarah Palin when it comes to her children and THEIR needs.

    Note, in 2004 she was asked about running for the Senate. She claimed she couldn't be a hockey mom at the same time and that her son had concerns about her being unavailable. Her son spent his last year of high school out of state supposedly to be on a school's hockey team.

    Are people really afraid to ask these questions because she is a woman and she supposedly has cracked the glass ceiling?

    Remember, she was six months pregnant when the above CSPAN interview was conducted and she made NO mention of this NOR did she seem to be leaning towards turning down the invitation from McCain should it materialize.

    This goes to character in this mother's book.





    These are "family values"? Sorry, but I find this beyond believable.
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    Dear Marsh... your comment is poignant, I think, because more and more I hear people are turning to CSPAN for news, as a main source. I never thought I would see entire cable networks be rather nonstop partisans for whomever their guy is.... balanced seems sometimes to be a word that only applies to ballerinas nowadays,

    If y ou go to the CSPAN website, or to the section of YouTube devoted to CSPAN, there's lots of interesting films there.... including CSPAN2 re many serious and interesting interviews with authors of political and history books, as well as all other genres of books.

    It's not everyone's cup of tea, but like tonight, it's cold here in the Rockies, just built a fire, and am watching CSPAN. For a moment, life seems good. lol . Given these times in my life, I am grateful.

    dr.e
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