Was Sarah Palin's 'Blood Libel' Comment a 'Dog Whistle' -- or Just Inadvertent?

Yes, I believe Palin to be an opportunist and not your average-American anything. What average-American has an American flag beside their fireplace? It appears she's all about image.

I would say Palin was most likely unaware of the term, that fits in with her basic superficial, aggressive and unlearned stance on a multitude of issues. Her speech writers, handlers and aides however, like the above mentioned Michael Goldfarb are the ones who should know the meaning of that term especially if they are guiding her, writing her speeches and directing her videos. They are trying way too hard to push their agenda and an event like this opens a small window to see the public relations machine and people behind Sarah Palin, only this time they made an irreparable mistake in their bid to have her as president.

"Dog whistle"? "Inadvertent"? How about CARELESS??? Palin has consistently show herself to be anything but a deep thinker or who who gives pause before running her mouth and thus reflects before speaking. No doubt she saw the phrase "blood libel" used by others, assumed she knew what it meant, and appropriated it, never bothering to wonder "Does this mean what I think it means?" What we are dealing with her, is symptomatic of a deeper problem with Palin; i.e. she does not engage in self-examination or self-criticism. She believes that she is beyond all that; that she knows it all. Thus, when her behavior is called into question, her immediate response is to assume the role of victim and go into counter-attack mode. It just doesn't occur to her that she MIGHT be in the wrong.

Of course it was deliberate. And it turned the spotlight from the dead girl and others to HER, where she wants it. Whenever Sarah gets caught doing something wrong her response is doubling-down, which she just did. She "can't" be wrong, you see, because she is a christian martyr. And the rest of us, Including the families of the dead and Giffords herself who begged Sarah to take down the sniper site? We're equivalent to Roman soldiers pounding nails into Jesus (Sarah) on the cross.

Here's what I don't understand: According to Palin, words don't cause violence, but words that suggest that words cause violence DO? Um, what?

Also, reading your 'rules'... I would remind you that it was your article that stated that (and I quote)
"I also think the fact that Sarah Palin resides in Alaska is more significant than most people realize. The state's culture and history is quite different from that of the "lower 48." My guess is that she was oblivious to the sensitivities and "political correctness" that many Americans recognize. In some cases, this is refreshing. In other cases, as in this one, it is politically damaging."
This is a demeaning statement to, and about the people of Alaska. I would hope that you would welcome rebuttal.

I don't get this writer. It seems to me that he will make excuses for Palin no matter what. How about the fact that as a politician, she should make every effort to be careful with the language that she uses? Everytime she uses inflammatory language this writer finds an excuse. Why not simply tell the truth. The truth is that Ms. Palin simply does not have the sophistication to be a succesful politician and certainly not a presidential candidate.