UPDATED: Because Politico is really just a GOP bulletin board

Written by Eric Boehlert

Published

Glenn Thrush wins more admirers at the RNC with this nasty piece on Nancy Pelosi, proving once again that Politico staffers seem to thrive on regurgitating GOP talking points beneath their bylines. I mean, who actually quotes Michelle Malkin in a news story? Glenn Thrush, that's who.

Check out Thrush's comically loaded lede [emphasis added]:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the most despised political figures in the country.

From the first sentence we can see where Thrush is going. Pelosi isn't unpopular, she's despised. By that measure, I suppose former president Bush was despised, but I didn't see those kinds of references in Politico news articles last year. But a Democrat? And a female Democrat? Trust Thrush; she's despised.

Politico's proof?

Last week's Public Strategies Inc./POLITICO poll brought grim news for Pelosi, revealing that only a quarter of Americans trust the San Francisco Democrat — putting her in the basement with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Do I even have to explain that the polling data Politico pointed to had nothing to do with public figures being “despised.” It asked voters which leaders were trusted. Pelosi scored low, and Thrush translated that into her being despised.

BTW, according to Politico's own polling, 58 percent of Americans don't trust Pelosi. And wouldn't you know it, according to Politico's own polling, 57 percent of Americans don't trust Sarah Palin. Can't wait for Thrush's exposé about how Palin is among “the most despised” political figures in America. Wake me when it arrives.

UPDATED: Well, well, well. According to Politico's polling, the Republican Party is not trusted by 57 percent of voters, which, of course, makes it one of the most “despised” political institutions in America, right?

UPDATED: Thrush utterly failed in his attempt to rewrite GOP history with this passage:

By contrast, Newt Gingrich's popularity tanked only after his conservative revolution sputtered and he had helped shut down the federal government.

False. During his first year as Speaker, Gingrich's approval rating stood at a soft 31 percent, and only got worse after he helped shut down the federal government.