ABC News calls Palin a ‘Sideshow Candidate’

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Sarah Palin’s critics often accuse her of being too sensitive or skeptical of the media. There may be something to that, but it’s also safe to say that Palin has plenty of good reason to resent the “lamestream” media (a point I recently made on CNN’s “Reliable Sources“). The most recent example comes from ABC News.

The piece in question (brought to our attention by Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics) lumps Palin in with the likes of Donald Trump. Palin is referred to as a “Sideshow Candidate” — a curious designation for someone who places second in many national polls for the GOP primary. (The piece is called “Sideshow Candidates Get Hype, but Share Few Policy Proposals.”)

But what may be even worse is that ABC News quotes Ron Kaufman three times — identifying him simply as “a Republican strategist who worked on George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan’s campaigns.” (In 2008, Kaufman was also a prominent adviser for Mitt Romney — a point which might have been relevant for ABC to disclose …)

Matt K. Lewis