Another round of boos: Palin drops the puck in Philadelphia

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Sarah Palin, abuser of power, was in Philly this evening ceremonially dropping the puck before the Flyers home opener against the Rangers. Ryan Cormier at Delaware Online (i.e., The News Journal):

So, how did Philadelphia Flyers fans greet Sarah Palin, who was on hand tonight for the ceremonial puck-drop?

Watching on Comcast, it seemed like there was an avalanche of boos when she walked out -- boos that were almost immediately drowned out by blaring, bombastic music.

There is no doubt in my mind that that the music was ordered up to help tamp down what could have been an even more embarrassing moment.

The clip below. It's hard to tell just how loud the music was, but it sounds as if it was intentionally turned up to drown out the boos. And Palin just seems completely oblivious to reality. As usual.

I realize that Philly sports fans are notorious for being, if I may put it euphemistically, ill-mannered, but it's pretty clear what they think of America's self-styled #1 hockey mom.

Cormier's colleague Adam Taylor was at the game and reports here: "At best, the reaction could be described as mixed." The booing started right away, but then "there was a competition among chanters."

Lynn Zinser of Slap Shot, the NYT's hockey blog, has more here:

The biggest problem: when Palin came out onto the Wachovia Center ice Saturday night -- greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos from the Flyers crowd -- the two hockey players who had no choice but to appear with her in that photo op were turned into props in a political campaign. If Rangers center Scott Gomez [who's from Alaska] or Flyers center Mike Richards wanted to make some sort of political statement, that would be fine, but in this case, they were thrust into a situation not of their choosing. [Flyers owner Ed] Snider put them there with his ill-advised mixing of politics and sports.

Note here that the reaction isn't described as mixed. Palin was "greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos from the Flyers crowd."

And, yes, I agree. There was no need to politicize the event like this, no need to force politics into hockey, no need to put the players, including Gomez and fellow Ranger and Alaska native Brandon Dubinsky, in a difficult and uncomfortable position.

And the effort to drown out the boos with "blaring, bombastic music" was simply ridiculous.

Can't handle the truth, Mr. Snider?