Ziegler on the Brink: A Case Study in Narcissism

Oh, John Ziegler.

With all the tact and professionalism of an Anthony Weiner, or perhaps somewhat less, Ziegler has decided to once again, as the LSM would say, insert himself into the story. Also like Weiner, the web of lies and self-conceit he has spun is slowly starting to engulf him as it is fed by his own appetite for the media spotlight. Join me on an incredible journey inside the mind of a man who once dreamed great dreams, a man who would aspire to say something relevant to the conservative base, and yet a man for whom all the intellectual ability of a two year old was his ultimate downfall. The fisking that follows is a sad and cautionary tale about the danger of believing that you, rather than the larger conservative movement, are what is important.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 Kidding. That's not how the article actually starts, but it may as well a have been. Here's what the Z actually said:

When I went public with “The Sarah Palin I Know,” I expected that the reaction would be intense and mostly negative. I have not been disappointed. But no matter how clearly you see the flak coming in your direction; its impact is still unpleasant, especially when it is largely unjustified.

So let me get this straight, Johnny. You wrote an article bashing Sarah Palin, despite the favors she did your career and the fact that she is the leading voice of grassroots conservatives in America. You realized full well that this would make the vast majority of conservatives who view her as the ideological leader of the conservative movement angry, and yet you published the article anyway in a desperate bid for continued attention. And now you are upset at the "flak coming in your direction" (for which I am proud to claim a small part of the credit) and its "unpleasant impact". Cry me a river. Also, the fact that you had to say it was "largely" unjustified tells me that it was "almost completely justified".

Next bone of contention:

Half of the column was the untold narrative of my many efforts on behalf of Palin and interactions with her, and half was an argument about the electoral consequences of her running for president. I did it this way because I figured that the juicy tidbits that made up the inside story would get more people to read the argument portion of the essay.

So you admit that you exploited your "efforts on behalf of Palin" (I don't believe it for a moment - you were merely clinging to the coattails of her fame) in order to garner attention. Do we all love it when we can find "juicy tidbits" to post in our blogs? Yes, because it brings new readership. But most of us don't brag about it; we subtly weave them into the essence of the story. To hear you tell it, it sounds like you run a gossip rag. And in order for juicy tidbits to work, they have to be real.

Now, if I was a celebrity commentator I wouldn’t have had to go in this direction, but for a mere mortal like me to get this message the attention it deserves, the gas pedal has to be on the floor.

Inferiority complex? Check. As one of your fellow "mere mortals" in the blogosphere, I don't whine about people not reading my blog. Instead I try harder to write more interesting and informing articles in order to earn said readership. It may be news to you, but there is no "board of bloggers" who can confer upon you "celebrity commentator" status. You have to earn it. Breitbart, Erickson, Nolte and others got where they were by saavy writing and entrepreneurship, not by whining that nobody pays attention to them. If you were worth it, they would.

Similarly, many seemed to mistake my technique of letting the reader inside my world and head during this saga as me displaying undue arrogance. In reality, I was actually cracking open my bizarre life, warts and all, simply so that the reader could get a better understanding of why I did the things I did, why I was hardly being disloyal, and why I finally had to come forward.

You could have spared us your "technique". Seriously, no one wanted inside your head. Actually, we most certainly did see your bizzare life and understood immediately why you did the things you did. And the reason was undue arrogance.

...until the article came out, my last communication from the Palins indicated that I might be working on her campaign...

Didn't you say you turned down the offer to work on her campaign a while ago? The lies are closing in. Obviously, if you decided not to work for or support Palin, then it is probably "in your best interest" to come out against her. It is not in America's best interest. That is why the flak is flying your way, not because you're some sort of misunderstood genius.

I do find it quite amazing that no one ever seems to care that there hasn’t been a single allegation of an inaccuracy in either my film or the Daily Caller Palin essay.

No. The allegation has been of narcissism, incompetence, and general stupidity. Unless you're referring to your assertion that Palin can't win the presidency, which is certifiably inaccurate. Anything can happen, and in this case is more than likely to happen if she runs.

Unfortunately, I am one of those people who appear to be genetically incapable of doing anything but tell the truth.

Did I mention this article was about narcissism? Also, the voices in your head are not "truth".

...kudos to Dennis Miller and Erick Erickson for having the brains and guts to publicly defend what I am saying, and thanks to the half-dozen people significantly connected with Palin who have sent along private good wishes...

First of all, thank you. Erick Erickson deserved every bit of criticism in my last article. And second, you're starting to make me feel sorry for you. Will you have that abandoned puppy look when Erick realizes it's in his best interest to get off the Ziegler train to crazy town? I know some of those people who you would probably consider "significantly connected with Palin", i.e. those at C4P and O4P. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but those "private good wishes" are sent along in the manner one might pat the head of a two year old who thinks he has just discovered a brilliant idea. No, that mud pie isn't actually edible.  They're just humoring you. As it turns out, many of them are very nice people, much nicer than me. Sorry little buddy, politics ain't beanbag, especially if you're a fool.

Assuming [John Nolte] is sincere and not just pandering to the Palinistas...

You ever follow the guy's tweets? Some of us believe in bigger things than our political careers. (And I, for one, have found it easier to get things done in politics when it is not your career.)

However, there has never been a legitimate poll where Palin is even in real striking distance of Obama head-to-head.

First of all, yes there has. But without getting into the nitty-gritty of poll break downs, let me bring two to your attention: the 2008 and 2010 elections. In the first, she was dragged down by McCain. The second, she won. Even for a certain lady to whom career saving endorsements apparently don't seem to mean anything. *Ahem*

..the big guns have not been fired on her by an Obama team (and mainstream media) that lusts after the chance to run against her.

...proving that Ziegler is, indeed, two years old. He apparently was not on the face of this earth in 2008. My other hypothesis is that Ziegler is one of those aliens from "V". He does look a bit reptilian.

Frankly, other than MSNBC, the media has largely been rather gentle towards Palin as of late and given her potential run far more attention than it deserves because they so badly need her ratings-friendly story as part of the campaign narrative.

Yeah. Can't get enough of that fair and balanced MSNBC. WHY AREN'T THEY HARDER ON PALIN? Even if one were to concede that a few outlets like CNN, pinched by the need for ratings, have begun to cover her accurately, that speaks first to the dedication of Palinistas everywhere. Second, it undercuts Ziegler's main point. If covering Palin fairly means they get ratings, could it be that the American people actually (gasp!) have a fondness for this woman? And that she could indeed interest the public in a candidacy for President of the United States? No!

...an act they will inevitably, with the media’s help, see as quitting her job in order to become a rich celebrity

But you just said... the media... you know that look of utter confusion John Stewart feigns sometimes? Oh how I wish he'd cover Ziegler Monday night. (If indeed he is as devoid of political bias as he recently claimed on FOX News Sunday, this would be a fantastic opportunity for some equal opportunity ribbing towards anti-Palinistas. Hey, he did the piece about the Palin emails, right?)

...she is unwilling to do interviews with liberal media members...

She just did 17 of them on her recent bus tour. I know most people don't read to page 3 of your articles, but you really shouldn't just make stuff up like that.

Of course I am very cynical about any “conservative” media member giving an opinion on Palin’s electability...

As am I, John. As am I. As far as not wanting to offend Palin supporters, why yes you're quite right. They also don't want to offend Reagan supporters. You know why? Because these types of people are the best and the brightest of the conservative movement. You, apparently, have no such compunction. And finally,

But regardless, to Nolte and all other commentators who claim I am wrong about Palin’s chances in 2012, I simply ask you to put your money where your mouth is. I am officially offering a $1,000 bet, at incredible 100-1 odds, that Palin will not be inaugurated president of the United States in January of 2013. This unbelievable $100,000 offer (along with details as to how I would pay in full with the money I had reserved for the charity offer that Keith Olbermann dodged) is available to the first prominent conservative who takes me up on it.

I'd love to see Hannity take you  up on it, or Limbaugh. But no one will, because even though that's probably pretty good money for a commercial, the fact that you would be the star of it turns them off. What you want most is attention. I'm ok with giving you a little bit, because I'm a "mere mortal" as you put it. But the "celebrity bloggers" of the world have more important things to talk about, like what they ate for breakfast, or how exciting it is to watch the paint dry on their studio walls. Or... how Palin will win the presidency.

We in Palin-land welcome the rise of the Ziegler. May he become the voice of anti-Palinistas everywhere.