Palin Knocks ‘Em Dead on ‘Tonight Show’
by John Nolte—–
Wow. This audience loves her and only grows to love her more as the interview rolls on. About ten minutes in she shows more guts than any politician maybe ever by agreeing to make her stand up debut … on The Tonight Show … in front of a Los Angeles audience. What poise.
If Sarah Palin can win over this audience in this way in one of the bluest regions of the country, if I were Barbara Boxer I’d be pretty worried right now.
Something’s in the air.
Kudos as always to Jay Leno for being the consummate gentlemen. During the interview he’s curious, respectful, let’s her talk, and just probing enough for this kind of setting. Imagine David Letterman in this situation. With one eye on impressing his fellow Manhattan Elites, he’d have been a nauseating mixture of lecherous and cruel. Jon Stewart would’ve made a lot of faces, Bill Maher’s head would’ve exploded, and Stephen Colbert would’ve made fun of Trig.
If Leno thought the Beautiful People were out to get him before, his respectful treatment of Sarah Palin should forever seal his fate as The Outsider. He must have missed the Hollywood Memo declaring that its child-raping directors you make look good, not self-made governors.
UPDATE: Ed Morrisey makes a keen observation:
The Right Scoop captured last night’s canny performance from Sarah Palin on Jay Leno’s renewed Tonight Show. How canny? She manages to tie her treatment by the media to the mostly unfair treatment Leno himself got from the entertainment media, a good way to gain the audience’s sympathy.
Yup. Just keep underestimating our Sarah.
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585 Comments
Palin did very well. I hope she keeps fight for "Truth, Justice and the American Way!"
Leno just earned some respect.
No… that's somebody else's line!!! Oh wait… he gave it up… That's right. I think we can use "Real American Hero" as well!
Yah, great. She rocks. She keeps pounding! This is exactly why she quit Governorship of shackles the Dems thought they had her in. With their Sith like manipulation of lawsuits. Now, as a free citizen, she can bust it out!
While I find Leno to be an intolerably smug comic, I do appreciate his even-keeled treatment of guests. He treats Rush and Palin with just as much respect as he would Obama or Gore. Good on him.
I'm still confused at why she was supporting McCain, yet says she is a real conservative.
I'm sensing a bit of a trend here. First on Conan, Sarah appeared with Bill Shatner in a hilarious gotcha moment – even if it was perceived, and now Leno? Keep this up and NBC might dedicate a parking space for the up and comer. Zucker must be growing hair from this sacrilege. While Letterman will just nasty away.
I THOUGHT I saw lightning coming out of of Pelosi's hands. I almost didn't recognize the emperor in drag and botox'd up.
Professional courtesy and gratitude for having brought her to the national stage.
"Real American Hero" Real Americans don't quit.
Yup, the "inconsequential chillbilly from Wasilly"- as the Lying Left tries to characterize her – just grows STRONGER and STRONGER…
…Sarah knew she would be much more valuable to Alaska and America as a "free agent", not hamstrung by crazed-Democrat frivilous lawsuits which were wasting Alaska's money and time…
…she is, indeed, "re-loading, not retreating".
Whatever Palin's future political ambitions, she seems to enhance her image with every appearance. It's to her advantage to keep 'em guessing.
Romney made a huge mistake going on Letterman. As far as I'm concerned anybody who'd go on Letterman's show after his mean spirited vulgar remarks about Palin's teenage daughter has no business calling himself a Republican, never mind a conservative. Romney may not know it yet, but he's dead meat as a politician.
Smart and pretty. And pretty smart. A woman who is comfortable in her own skin and doesn't need a government program to feel loved. No wonder the left hates her.
She continues to prove that no matter what the left attempt to paint her as, she rises above it and proves them wrong. When they have Nancy Pelosi making such insightful statements as "A bill can be bipartisan without the votes being bipartisan", it is easy to see why Sarah Palin makes them insane. At times she seems to get a little flustered and reverts to talking points and rehashed statements, but I think she understands that and is working to address some of the shortcomings she has had in the past.
Leno strikes me as an old-fashioned liberal – someone left of center who nevertheless does not suffer from PCD (progressive compulsive disorder). He's able to treat people he disagrees with with respect, whereas PCD sufferers can barely acknowledge that those on the right are even in the same species as them.
Real Americans know when to retreat, regroup and charge forward again. George Washington is a prime example.
I agree. He dropped out of the presidential race just after our primary and he's also behind McCain.
No vote for him.
it's exactly WHY the left hates- and fears- Sarah so much…
When a true blue conservative- one who walks the walk as they say- is wrapped in a whip smart (yes, she is that)
sassy, and blow me away sexy package, she is, as Germaine Greer famously said- an existential threat to feminism.
Confident enough to be self deprecating (heard Maher EVER be self deprecating? didn't think so) yet dish it out as good as she takes it- the Hollywood audience just knew something special was happening.
The lady from Wasilla is a phenomenon, no doubt…
I thought that was why sharks don't eat lawyers.
I'm sorely disappointed in her backing of McCain.
Is that why Barry Obummer is still sucking on those cancer-sticks, you lying leftist troll ?
Hopefully by 2012 Palin is sitting in the chair currently occupied by Michael Steele.
One thing about Sarah Palin…she comes across like a sincerely decent, nice person. Probably too nice for the world of politics, imo. But God Bless her and God Bless her family.
IMO, if Palin had been a liberal Democrat and gotten the fawning treatment from the MSM that liberals typically do, with her poise and natural demeanor in front of the camera, she would have been the first female President.
Good job,Sarah! Keep the lefty trolls off balance, you're driving them nuttier than they already are!
Sarah has the world by a string…and the world is just waking up to that fact.
She'll survive the Vichey Republicans (headed up by the Bush Texas League) primaries with a few bruises, which will only make her stronger to go on to crush The Won in the general election.
HOWEVER, If Hillary decides to run against The Won in the primaries, I predict Sarah will not run. Her political instincts are second to none. She knows Jesus Christ/Ghandi/Muhammad could not team up to beat the Clinton machine. She'll sit back and let Mitch Daniels or Mitt Romney be destroyed into the history books, never to be heard from again. Plus, I get the feeling Sarah likes the Clintons more than she does some of the Vichy Republicans.
Real Americans don't use the courts as weapons. That's a communist tactic.
Or, the one currently occupied by Barry Soetero….
Good job, Sarah, in your stand-up debut ! Bless you for being REAL, and driving Lefty Tolls even nuttier than they already are. Their heads were exploding during your appearance on Leno.
I used to be for Romney…but no more. I believe that Sarah Palin is more 'in touch' with the public than Gov. Romney.
why are you comparing her to politicians? she quit that gig.
I still think Sarah's would be best suited outside of politics as was proposed a few weeks ago as sort of "a new Oprah". She could influence the culture which really is a means to an end and will ultimately have more impact than another face in Washington. Tell me there isn't a network that wouldn't jump all over her having her own Oprah type show. Even though the left despises her they know she sells. As a matter of fact she'd probably have more liberal viewers that Conservative viewers.
To not support him would allow an opening to be crucified by her critics. So he was good enough for president, and a year later, he's not good enough for the Senate? "You must have poor judgement, you have no loyalty, you flip-flopped on McCain, etc, etc, etc" – it would be suicide to not back him for his Senate seat. If for example he were to run for President in 2012 – she would have the leeway to endorse a different candidate. I hope McCain loses his primary, but I do understand the realities behind why she had to endorse him. He was 'king-maker' in this scenario.
Real Americans know Patton's creed " No one ever one a war dieing for his country, he won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." Palin is knocking you libs down by the bushel. 2012 is far off but every time I see her she makes me smile.
That was GREAT!!!! I heart Sarah Palin.
Loyalty. The process by which a human being does the right thing even when unpopular.
to compare Leno's studio audience to that of the typical population of LA or San Francisco is asinine. you do realize that the majority of the audience is from out of town, right? she did not win over the "bluest" people around. Leno's audience has always been middle America. you are blatantly lying to yourself or your readers to suggest that the audience is very liberal and was won over by Palin. terrible journalism. just be honest, please. this isn't the NYTimes, we are supposed to stand for something more. pathetic.
There used to be a term, "Truman Democrat", much the same way we use "Regean Conservative" today to describe a certain world view. I think Jay is a thinking man, sees the wealth and opulence this nation has bestowed upon him, and is one of the few thankful people in Hollywood. He is at least conservative enough to be civil.
"…she is that… sassy, and blow me away sexy package, she is, as Germaine Greer famously said- an existential threat to feminism." This always makes me laugh. I live with a progressive liberal who looks and acts like Sarah, or Sarah looks and acts like her, and she is torn. She loves looking like Sarah, or Sarah looking like her, but hates listening to Sarah. What a dilemma. (yes I live with a proglib. she is the only one I have love for.) I am laughing as I type this.
She's got game!
Shameless, mindless hussy! Not Palin. Nolte.
Ms. Palin handled herself very well which she does in any reasonably fair environment. Fortunately Jay Leno is a gentleman and a self-deprecating fellow. [Anyone who so at ease with himself as to do the voice of The Crimson Chin on "The Fairly Oddparents" has to be a pretty good guy.] There were no "gotchas" or attempts at spiteful theatrics which would be inevitable on nearly any other venue. Any other host would have used Ms. Palin to puff up their self-importance and "relevance" but not Leno. Both host and guest came off as classy human beings.
Didn't she also endorse McCain before Hayworth was officially in the race? I'm not saying that would have changed her mind, but if that's true, who should she endorse? The Democrats running against McCain?
Agreed. The MSM would be merciless on her, and this time they'd have a valid point.
"So he was good enough to be president, but not good enough to be a senator?"
Let Romney do something in the next administration that surrounds economics. Whatever else he is or isn't, he has proven to be an able businessman. He did manage to get the Salt Lake City Olympics running on budget, and they actually made a profit. That's no small achievement because the Olympics almost always lose money for their host cities.
That would be an interesting possibility, but I don't see where she'd fare any better than in the Alaskan state house. As leader of the GOP, she's once again have to play nice when she'd rather be unpacking the RPGs
Those three you cite couldn't beat the Clinton machine …. but Barak Obama did?
She started off the interview saying that she doesn't think she asks for controversy. She certainly isn't asking for controversy when she is abusing power, not answering questions in the vice presidential debate, pretending to confuse a joke about one daughter with a joke about another (the context of the Letterman joke was to combine two scandals, one of which involved Bristol getting knocked up), or asking the Chief of Staff to resign over a use of vulgar slang.
Then, she says she thought the rule was you can't go after a person's family. Uh, whether or not you believe John McCain made a "why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly joke?" at a Republican dinner, the Arizona Daily Star reported that Rush Limbaugh had asked his audience if they knew that the Clintons had a dog as he held up a photo of 13 year-old Chelsea.
Then, she says she wishes that when she puts out a statement like the one about "Family Guy" that she would be able to send out a message to "clarify" what she meant. Wow. Her statements probably offended first amendment Tea Party libertarians. I think what that means is that she speaks her mind and it isn't popular that she should be able to change her mind.
She is a master of changing the discussion. It was debated that Rahm said "retarded", but I've heard her on Fox News refer to him as having said "retard". She talks about how she remembers when it was "just the facts" and that influenced her decision to join Fox News yet she is not on Fox News as a reporter but for her opinion.
I should be careful, as the other neocon Mitt Romney says, "she has a rifle, you know."
It should be noted that the Tonight Show audience is hardly a native Los Angeles one–it's typically tourists by the busload, and tickets are free. Was this her Arsenio/sax moment? Remember when it was truly unique to see politicians on late night talk shows? It was genius for exposure, but doing standup…sort of cheapens her as a pol, IMHO. She's really become a celebrity.
They were watching Colbert.
jay claims he wants to get "all views"… OBVIOUS problem with that is that msnbc, cnn, etc such as olberman are focused on one single opinion of always defending obama. there is no way in heeeilll anyone can say msnbc, etc have been fair. Fox is.
mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmmmm
"TeaBaggingForJesus" !?? Oh my Obama, what kindof name is that!? I mean I'm a christian and I love teabagging my wife, and I guess, raising children and a life long commitment as father & mother, could be ….hey… YOU'RE RIGHT!!! I teabag for JESUS too!!! Gotta go get a quicky before my wife goes to work! Whooohoooh!!!
we hope- for the both of you- that she comes to see th error of her ways…
Imagine a Presidential Debate in 2012. For the Democrats–Hillary Clinton (she beat Obama in the primaries) and for the Republicans–Sarah Palin. Time will come to a halt–the most watched debate in history. Even though Hillary does poorly and comes across as a burned out hack, the MSM credits her with the win, as usual. The people though, long fed up with high taxes and unemployment score it 12 rounds to 3 and in the election Palin takes every state even the die hard blue ones. It could happen.
yah i like J.D. Hayworth, but sadly McCain is not the problem. Though he has made lots of mistakes I do agree. This is not as horrific a loyality issue as Obama or any other democrat has shown.
jay tried to rile her but she is far too smart for him… i luv this woman. BEAUTY AND BRAINS.
Hillary would crush Obama so badly in 2012, he'd have no chance. He probably would come up with some "health" excuse or family excuse not to run against her in the primaries. His ego could not stand the loss.
Hillary would be unstoppable in 2012. She'll resign as Sec of State by 2011. She'll hit the speaking trail and turn to the center.
I pray she doesn't run, of course, We need a Sarah Palin to restore capitalism, downsize DC by 10-25%, crush Iran, etc. Sarah will NOT run against Hillary Clinton. Like Sarah, there's really not any additional so-called dirt that can be dug up on Hillary. However, Sarah will go banjee on Obama's ass in a national campaign and call him out for every dinner he had with PLO-loving professors, his Chicago thugland ties, etc. All that stuff she knew in 2008 but McCain's pantywaisters prevented her from talking about on the campaign trail.
we guys really need to have the baaalllz to step aside for once and let us see this country ran through the eyes of a woman. i really feel she is the one to do it. she's got my vote hands down.
you fearful of Palin people are amusing. each time this woman excels you have an excuse for why. give it up and cross the rubicon. it is what it is and she is very capable and coming for obama's job come 2012. shes gonna get it too.
The MSM is going to be merciless on her regardless of her backing McCain or not, her decision to back him reeks of politics as usual and hypocrisy on her part. Either she is a friend of liberty or she isn't, McCain had his name on one of the biggest grabs on personal freedom that this country has ever had. He should be an outcast of the GOP, but I guess that tells real conservatives all we need to know about the Republican party.
Republicans like McCain are the problem though. It is by the actions of Republicans like McCain and Graham that the Republican party has fallen to the state that it is in now, the party of hypocrites, those who scream of small government, free markets, liberty, and etc., but in actions do the exact opposite.
He also created the monstrosity known as MassCare, flip-flops constantly on guns, flip-flops constantly on social issues depending on the political climate, in short the man is a Republican version of John Kerry.
What makes you assume Colbert would make fun of Trig? He never has.
to all the above posts:
She was plucked from obscurity by John McCain. He is the reason she exists on the public stage.
Loyalty does count for something, and backing Hayworth- who she is probably closer to politically-
would have been craven and self serving.
She made the correct- and only decision she could…
Pretty much impossible to "teabag" a woman….check out urbandictionary.com.
I kind of agree with this. The audience was probably full of Palin fans. I say this as someone who was a Palin fan until the whole "f-ing retard" facebook post.
OUTSTANDING Sara! This is the first time in over a year that someone took a shot a the sitting president on a talk show too!
LOL your comment knocked me out! The camera sure likes Sarah, she has carisma! I would like to see someone do a nice documentary of Sarah Palin. Maybe a favorable film of going around Alaska and her narrating the enviroment and history of Alaska. I once read an article of she did in a runners world magazine describing the land and enviroment of Alaska, it was something nobody has ever heard her do before, and she did it well.
Why show loyalty to the same guy who tried to trash her once he figured out he was going to lose? The same McCain who allowed his staff to write her off as stupid, the same staff who dropped to the media how much was being spent on wardrobe, and I could go on about how McCain and Co. trashed her.
Loyalty counts for something, but I'm glad she is letting the world see that her loyalty is to McCain and his political pull, not to the actual ideals she claims are close to her heart. If she was really for small government and freedom, she would back Hayworth over McCain, her decision not to do show shows she is nothing but talk, she doesn't believe half of the things she says because she won't put them into action in her own life.
The MSM is already merciless. There is a better candidate and she chose not to support him.
He wasn't good enough to be President, that's obvious. And, no, he is not good enough to be senator.
The word is LOYALTY! She cant win on this issue either way she goes.Loyalty is honorable!
Hey, Chris. You're an idiot. You know, that factually, none of your crap is true… but you repeat it. Why would you lower yourself so much, just to get some momentary negative rush?
not sure McCain was onboard with all that, friend…
Steve Schmidt- who quit his association with the AZ senator is the real source of all this. To protect his own arse, he leaked all of these negatives. mcCain, for the most part, has defended her assiduously throughout.
No matter how you feel about it- and it is understandable- she had NO other choice. But don't expect a lot of support from her, either. Like W supporting Hutchinson. It's basically doing for others what they once did for you. To not do so would be seen as opportunistic to the Nth degree.
Make sense?
Then why are you and the rest of the Lying Socialist Left obsessed with such a 'silly woman" ?…
…because she is Honest, Fearless and Right on the Issues as most Americans see it….
…every time you attack her, you prove your fear of her, and make her stronger and give all of us here a good laugh….you sappy troll….hahaha
Of course she killed! Every one of her appearances are comedy masterpieces!
I understand the haters will knock her for this, and I agree it's not particularly 'presidential', but it is fun to see her getting more confident and comfortable talking about herself, and resorting to the same small set of phrases less and less.
And one thing that's important – note how she handles applause. A good speaker knows to resume talking at the height of the applause, rather than wait for it to die out (like Obama kept doing at his awful SOTU). That keeps the speech flowing, keeps the energy up. Palin did a very good job of that during her standup bit, which was actually pretty funny. Jay even kept it authentic by rushing her off after the last line.
Real Americans show more couth than than to use a sexual slur as a handle. You are beneath contempt.
I love Sarah Palin. It would be interesting to speculate (futile of course) how McCain would have done without her. Some claim that because she is "polarizing" he would have done better.
I'm not among those people.
She is fearless in voicing her views – not mealy mouthed as most politicians not wanting to offend any group.
It just so happens that her views resonate with a lot of people.
Yeah, let's see Duh 1 do a comedy routine in front of a semi-hostile audience! She continues to amaze me -
Thank you for that hope. We have been together so long we are a habit. So far as a proglib changing their mind, it is their nature, like the scorpion and the frog. Only this yeti/frog does not let any of them sit on his back anymore.
Exactly. You dance with the guy who took you to the dance.
I agree completely. Letterman is so yesterday! I actually remember him as a young comedian on the small room circuit. Back then, he was funny. Now he's just nasty. Some people don't recognize when it's time to go – and his time has come and gone!
She can win with future voters by being LOYAL to the PRINCIPLES she says she values dearly. If she is what she claims she is, she should be supporting Hayworth and it really is as simple as that. How can you claim you are a small government and freedom lover and support McCain? The answer is you can not, so it is either she is loyal to conservative ideals or she is loyal to McCain, in supporting McCain she tells everyone she doesn't give a damn about actual conservative ideals.
Nice try at revisionist history – trouble is, you're a little early – we still have the memories fresh in our minds – and you're just plain wrong.
Now, move along, troll.
Shame on you for using the Lord's name in such an offensive, demeaning manner. That is just horrible and disgusting. You are showing yourself for what you are a mean spirited, hateful person who is just trying to be offensive. Well, it worked, but may God have mercy on you.
No it doesn't make sense, because she did have a choice. She could have went with an actual small government supporting Republican or she could have supported a big government loving, freedom hating, interventionist, and anti-free market RINO, at the end of the day she supported the RINO, so all her political credibility is gone.
As for GWB, he was always a RINO so supporting Hutchinson doesn't matter.
Palin helped John McCain gain conservative credentials, in return, she has to help him win reelection? Don't by that logic or reasoning at all.
" She certainly isn't asking for controversy when she is abusing power"
Trolls can't help but lie. It's what they do.
Bryan's post is exactly right — but that only means by his own admission, Palin is VERY popular in many parts of the country, just not in "the bluest people around".
Obama has the Chicago machine and ACORN (or whatever his thugs are called nowadays.) in his pocket. They are on the gravy train right now and will do anything to keep their guy in the White House.
Hillary only got a mild sunburn in 2008. If she actually tries to take the POTUS spot, she'll suffer third degree burns from the SEIU and MSM.
I can live with her being a celebrity! Look at "THE CHOSEN ONE" At least Sarah had a real job first.
Thats not at all what it means. It means that people from out of town will show up to "see a show" you're working under the assumption that a studio audience is representative of the american people as a whole. Which they aren't.
True, no doubt about the makeup of the audience. Yet, nobody points out Daily Show's audience is full of New York college kids — who virtually always veer Left (until they earn their first paychecks, usually) — and Bill Maher's show is stocked with people who share his opinion.
All this proves, again, is Sarah Palin is a very popular person, and a force to be reckoned with, one way or another. I don't like Oprah, but she's powerful and influential. If you can't admit Palin is, too, your ideology has blinded you, and you're useless intellectually.
BTW, the MSM thought it was pretty swell and it didn't "cheapen him" when Obama did SNL and Leno.
his point is he watches MSNBC because it balances out the conservative nature of FOX. Fox news being fair, in that they separate their opinion and their news shows, but not balanced in that their opinion shows are all right leaning.
Why are they upset? Palin has the Presidential Trifecta, Charisma, A positive outlook, and experience. The Pinkos think they can destroy her by attacking her and her family. Big mistake. Attacking Palin is like pissing on a Marine.
In all fairness, the liklihood of palin winning all states is roughly equal to the odds of obama losing the socialist vibe.
Have to agree with bryan on this. I thought she did a good job, but late night audience are prepped and primed to cheer for whoever comes out. No host wants to have their guests get booed. They may have even planted guests: does Sarah get a stack of complimentary tickets to give out to the local Republican party? Wouldn't surprise me.
Still. I liked the appearance and I do think Jay is a better man than Letterman.
But one of Palin's major criticism of Obama was that _he_ was too much of a celebrity and concerned with the spotlight, and now…she's one too. I just find it ironic. I wasn't trying to knock Palin's influence at all–it's huge, and continues to grow. But I still find it odd that politicians have become such late night fixtures we don't even blink anymore. It's starting to irk me–I feel pandered to. Can't really articulate why. Re: Oprah's influence–over the years I may have read a book or two she recommended on the show, but…I sure wouldn't elect her to anything based on her pop culture presence/personality.
You do realize you're getting voted down for stating a fact (she's now "technically a journalist again) because palin is the most protected person on this forum right?
I don't think she helped. I mean when you look at the numbers now and then its easy to see that palin didn't hit her stride in terms of support until obama was already in office.
um excuse me are you for real? You honestly think no "real american" has ever used the court to push their views? What do you call it every time ANY president republican OR democrat appoints a judge that happens to have their stance on political issues?
I regret using the phrase "abuse of power" but it's really semantics as to whether having Todd use her office gave her the personal gain necessary to constitute my words.
Maybe, just as she didn't understand how to use her database and needed Todd, she didn't understand that is ethically wrong to have him using her office. But I'd like to see if you find anything else I said about her to be invalid.
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