The Vanity Fair hit piece is just crumbling to pieces, isn't it? It was debunked here, blown out of the water here, and it ain't over yet.
You may recall that the author, Michael Joseph Gross, wrote that Governor Palin was a terrible tipper and treated bellhops horribly. He wrote:
Palin does not always treat those ordinary people well, however—it depends on who is watching. Of the many famous people who have stayed at the Hyatt in Wichita (Cher, Reba McEntire, Neil Young), Sarah Palin ranks as the all-time worst tipper: $5 for seven bags. But the bellhops had it good in Kansas, compared with the bellman at another midwestern hotel who waited up until past midnight for Palin and her entourage to check in—and then got no tip at all for 10 bags. He was stiffed again at checkout time. The same went for the maids who cleaned Palin’s rooms in both places—no tip whatsoever.
This information, of course, came from...you guessed it, anonymous sources.
But read what Jackie Sic had to say in her article, "We All have a Bellhop Story":
On the morning of May 14th, I attended the “Celebration of Life” Breakfast which was hosted by the Susan B. Anthony List (www.sba-list.org). Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker and the event was held in Washington, D.C. at the Ronald Reagan Building with over 600 people in attendance. It was at this event I had the privilege of meeting Sarah Palin for the first time. I found her to be warm, genuine, sincere, and I felt she was truly interested in my family and me. While this part of my story serves to let you know when and why I was in Washington, D.C., the rest of my story is a small and unexpected moment that over the last few days has taken on new meaning.
I’m sure that by now you’ve either heard about or read the most recent Vanity Fair article on Sarah Palin. (I refuse to link to Vanity Fair, so if you have not seen it, just use your favorite internet search engine.) In fact, this article has been a dominating news story in the blogosphere due to its outrageous and unsubstantiated accusations. One part of the article allegedly details Governor Palin’s treatment of bellhops in a Wichita, Kansas hotel, citing that she was a poor tipper and had a bad temper. Now, let me tie these two seemingly unrelated stories together.
After the “Celebration of Life Breakfast,” my family and I returned to our hotel, the Renaissance Washington, in order to change into casual clothes for some sightseeing. I decided to don a pair of jeans and my “Team Sarah” (www.teamsarah.org) t-shirt. We went back down to the lobby to find a tourist map and I somehow became separated from my husband and my son. I decided to stay put in the large lobby, figuring we would eventually spot each other and commence with the sightseeing.
Before reuniting with my family, two bellhops approached me, pointed at my shirt, and asked me about it. I explained to them that I was a supporter of Sarah Palin and was in town to hear her speak. I also told them that I was very involved in a website called “Team Sarah.” They both became very excited and extended their hands. At that point, I realized they wanted to shake my hand because I was associated with Sarah Palin in a small way. These bellhops enthusiastically started telling me in broken English about their recent encounter with Sarah Palin, as she had been a guest at the same hotel. These two hard-working gentlemen adored her. I then asked a very simple question, “Was she nice to you?” Their response was, “Oh yes, very nice.” About that time, I was reunited with my family. I let these gentlemen know that I was delighted to have met them and thanked them for sharing their story with me.
All this time I’ve thought that my “big story” from that trip was getting to meet with Sarah Palin; however a three minute encounter with two bellhops in a hotel lobby has become meaningful as well.
Michael Joseph Gross, author of the Vanity Fair article, expects people to believe that he approached this assignment with an open mind and journalistic integrity. He expects us to accept his vicious characterization of Sarah Palin as truth—simply because he says so. He even expects that the vast majority of people will now believe the worst about her. The only problem is that he obviously didn’t expect that many of us have had our own experiences with her, and we will not exchange those experiences—or those of others we’ve personally talked to, like these bellhops—for the claims of anonymous sources.
People are coming forward because they are sick of the libel, the slander, and the politics of personal destruction directed at decent people like Governor Palin. Enough is enough.
Yep, another lie bites the dust.
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