Love Palin, hate media

Dana Milbank of The Washington Post mocks Republicans in Pennsylvania:

[VIDEO REMOVED DUE TO TECH PROBLEMS]

Milbanks demonstrates the arrogance and condescension that are the chief cause of the MSM's evil reputation. His entire points is that ordinary Americans aren't to be taken seriously. The only way that Milbanks ever looks at these people is by looking down his nose.

That kind of attitude doesn't produce useful reporting. The entire point of a newspaper sending a reporter to a campaign rally (rather than just running the wire-service report) is to try to capture some local color and gauge the mood of the community. People aren't going to talk to a reporter if he disses them the way Milbanks did. Look at what I did, for instance, when I covered a Hillary Clinton rally near Pittsburgh in March:

Campaign volunteer Vickie Sackett could scarcely contain her excitement Tuesday as she worked the door at Hillary Clinton's appearance here.
Ms. Sackett's elderly parents had been selected to share the stage with Hillary at a
"Solutions for America" rally at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, where the former First Lady's speech focused on her "plan to help families in Pennsylvania have a secure retirement."
Collecting tickets at the entrance to the gymnasium where the Clinton rally was held, Ms. Sackett beamed with pride that her parents -- like her, they're loyal Democrats -- had been chosen for such an honor. "They're backstage meeting with her right now," she said. "I'd give anything to be back there myself."
More than 1,200 Pennsylvanians evidently agreed with Ms. Sackett, waiting in line for hours to gain the privilege of being in the same building with Mrs. Clinton. The Democratic presidential candidate was greeted with a standing ovation that lasted more than a minute, and repeatedly drew cheers by dishing up a red-meat message of economic populism. Clearly, she knows what Democrats in suburban Pittsburgh want to hear.

See? I might not share their enthusiasm, but those Democrats were treated with respect. Do you think I would have found out the part about Ms. Sackett's parents being backstage if I hadn't shown some humanity?

Highlight of the Milbank video: Audience member at the rally shouts out to Palin: "You're a hottie!" To which she laughingly replies: "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ah, but she didn't deny it, did she?