John Berman has been at ABC since 1995, and allowed to appear on television since 2001. He covered the 2008 campaign extensively, following John McCain and Mitt Romney during the primaries and then Barack Obama in the general election. He also spent more than 20 months chasing George W. Bush around the country as a producer from 1999 until 2001, earning the clever nickname, "Pain in the Ass," from our 43rd president. He is a frequent and sometimes welcome contributor to all of ABC's broadcasts.
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More From the Supermarket Aisle . . .
September 03, 2008 4:52 PM
Yesterday, we shared the cover of the new US Weekly -- the one that's pretty devastating to Sarah Palin.
Today we get a sneak peek of the new cover of People -- and they went the opposite direction.
"SARAH PALIN’S FAMILY DRAMA," reads the headline, promising a sympathetic take on the vice-presidential candidate "raising a baby with Down syndrome and coping with her teen daughter's pregnancy -- while running for office." (We haven't been given a copy of the text yet, just the cover.)
It doesn't hurt that People scored the first interview with John McCain and Palin, just as it did with Barack Obama and Joe Biden a week earlier.
But might this be a good omen for Palin's image? As we noted today, Palin has her biggest chance yet to redefine her image, with her speech tonight, and she needs all the help she can get.
If you don't think the McCain campaign is worried about these sorts of things, check out this response to the latest issue of the National Enquirer -- the first time I can recall a campaign responding proactively to an unsubstantiated allegation in this particular publication.
"The smearing of the Palin family must end," McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt said in a statement. "The allegations contained on the cover of the National Enquirer insinuating that Governor Palin had an extramarital affair are categorically false. It is a vicious lie."
This strikes me as including a touch of taking down a straw man -- the campaign sees political opportunity in the image of Palin under siege. But they’d rather these stories went away entirely.
September 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (27)
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"Ms. Leive cited the cautionary tale of Jane Swift, a Republican who gave birth to twin girls in 2001 while acting governor of Massachusetts and then, her popularity ratings low in part because of her prior use of aides as baby sitters, dropped out of the 2002 primary race for election in her own right. Later she attributed her struggles to the difficulties of balancing work and family."
"“I know now that it was virtually impossible for me to take advice and make decisions when I was responding emotionally as a mother, not thinking rationally as a public official,” she wrote in an essay in Boston magazine."
Posted by: Ohenry | Sep 3, 2008 5:12:03 PM
Frankly it's not what kind of mother she is that bothers me. It's the selfish, arrogant, unethical, power-hungry politician that she is that disturbs me.
Posted by: Marika | Sep 3, 2008 5:20:16 PM
Biden confuses battalion and brigade for the third time this week, and the ABCNEWS nitwits are totally silent. Instead, they are drooling over 17 year old girls (and boys!). Grow up. The issue is Biden is a doofus. He is a creation of himself, promoted by himself, and believed by the media.
Posted by: Karen | Sep 3, 2008 5:27:57 PM
How is People going to react to the paternity tests for the LuvGuv's baby that McCain's own camp is talking about?
If she gets in, they should just set up her 'family' in a double-wide trailer on the White House lawn!
Posted by: LuvGuv | Sep 3, 2008 5:30:49 PM
Biden -- 2 brain aneurysms, 2 plagiarism admissions, 2 failed presidential bids, 5 Vietnam draft deferrals, 1 phony "asthma" diagnosis, and 3 times this week he confused battalion and brigade. Uhh, will someone at ABC put down their Obama coffee mug, take off their Obama underwear and do some investigation of Biden?
Posted by: Karen | Sep 3, 2008 5:31:06 PM
Yep that piece of trash called the US Mag is owned by Obama camp supporter, ABC hid that fact. US mag is trash and ABC is trash for hiding the facts
Posted by: hilly-billy | Sep 3, 2008 5:31:41 PM
Nobody believes any thing theese stupid magazines publish anyway.
Posted by: Ynot | Sep 3, 2008 5:32:26 PM
Supermarket tabloid or ABC NEWS? Can't tell the difference. The barren women of ABC News are really pulling for Obama, and are outright sexist and jealous of Palin. May they rot in hell.
Posted by: Cornell | Sep 3, 2008 5:32:26 PM
It time to sue these people for slander
Posted by: hilly-billy | Sep 3, 2008 5:33:06 PM
So did he have the affair or not?
Posted by: MrP | Sep 3, 2008 5:34:02 PM
Today, my daughter accidentally spilled her drink on all the copies of USWeekly in our local Publix. Then, unbelievably, she accidentally spilled another drink on USWeekly in Target. Then WalMart. Then Kroger. I feel sooooo bad.
Posted by: AntiMediaVoter | Sep 3, 2008 5:34:10 PM
I love how the McCain bloggers talk about how mean the Obama supporters are. By the looks of this blog I would have to say it's the other way around.
Posted by: Mary | Sep 3, 2008 5:34:32 PM
How sick is it that the mainstream media have told us more about Bristol Palin's out-of-wedlock baby in the past 5 days than they have told us about John Edwards' out-of-wedlock baby for more than a year!
Posted by: Elizabeth Springer | Sep 3, 2008 5:34:51 PM
The media is disgusting and this country is in serious trouble no matter who wins. We are such a dumb society.
Posted by: a reader in georgia | Sep 3, 2008 5:35:43 PM
Get a life Marika,it's remarkable how you never heard of Palin before this week but now you know All about her, amazing!! I bet you never heard of Alaska either, I'm right aren't I. You no what I mean?
Posted by: bombem | Sep 3, 2008 5:38:42 PM
Get a life Marika,it's remarkable how you never heard of Palin before this week but now you know All about her, amazing!! I bet you never heard of Alaska either, I'm right aren't I. You no what I mean?
Posted by: bombem | Sep 3, 2008 5:40:10 PM
I love The First Alaska Dude, Mr. Palin. Obama can do easy body surf. Mr. Dude is a four time champ of a four day snow-sled race. You Go Mr. Dude!
Mr. Dude those Obama goons picking on your daughter Bristol for being blessed with a child, most of those goons abandoned their child(dren) and they're being raised on welfare. Many of them themselves never had a father nor family, and lived on welfare all their lives, including goddess Oprah who was raped by her low-life uncles. Here's oprah supporting a dirtbag unamerican Obama.
We love Hillary and we love Governor Palin and family.
Posted by: Mrs. Phoenix | Sep 3, 2008 5:45:09 PM
Governor Palin would not be in this situation if the McCain campaign had vetted her properly. I hope America is done with incompetence.
Posted by: indy in tx | Sep 3, 2008 5:45:22 PM
The LuvGuv needs to release her medical records and the baby's birth certificate. It's the only way to end this controversy.
Where is the birth certificate?
Posted by: LuvGuv | Sep 3, 2008 5:51:30 PM
Most of your blog entries are anti-Obam and appalling,
The truth of the matter is that Obama is trying to make life better for the poor and down-trodden but most of you lilly -livered ,spineless ,greedy and overly-gullible McCainites are being hoodwinked into buying a third term for Bush.Pure and simple,Palin+McCain=Same old BS because she is neither experienced nor fit to become VP,let alone president in the event McCain steps down .
My advice to your moronic MCanites:'Once beaten ,twice shy'
Posted by: Blaster | Sep 3, 2008 5:52:14 PM
I guess those democrats against Governor Palin having a job because she has a special needs child should also be against our brave women soldiers who are really in harms way while their children are at home being cared for by a husband, grandma for family.
What is the problem? Both women have jobs and are extremely brave.
I will not vote for Obama because he's not a full fleshed American. Obama's mother hated America and her own white race. Obama's mother does not deserve her weak and crazy half breed son to be president.
NO Obama. Never Obama
Vote for Love on Country McCain/Palin
Love you Hillary!
Posted by: Mrs. Phoenix | Sep 3, 2008 5:57:16 PM
Marika,
What are you doing here? According to your philosophy, you should go home, cook dinner for your boy friend, shine his shoes, do his laundry, rub his back. You are so selfish here blogging; that poor guy.
Posted by: d0 | Sep 3, 2008 5:58:06 PM
So much for McCain's judgement or lack therof! Sarah WHO??? Howard Gallas, Reno, NV.
Posted by: Howard Gallas | Sep 3, 2008 5:59:34 PM
As posted "Obama is trying to make life better for poor and down-trodden..lilly white"
Last time I read, Obama's gradmother lives in a hut, no toilet, no toilet paper, no water. His brother lives on less than one dollar a day in a chanty town eating garbage. Chicago poor blacks don't live any better than his family in Kenya.
Yes, Obama will do better for poor lilly white people. Ha...Ha...Ha..Ha..
Maybe Obama will release his one million kinship out of jails.
NO to corrupt Obama, Obama know nothing about American people. Sorry but I can't stop laughting about Obama's experience and god-like powers.
Posted by: Mrs. Phoenix | Sep 3, 2008 6:08:40 PM
Obama is "not a full fleshed American"!?!?
Hey Mrs Phoenix, I believe there's a double-wide calling your name...
Posted by: mila | Sep 3, 2008 6:13:28 PM
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