Political interviews are never done like this. Because it makes the questioning entirely at the discretion of the person being interviewed and their handlers. The interviewer has to be on their best behavior, at least until the last of the 'multiple interviews' because otherwise the subsequent sittings just won't happen. For a political journalist to agree to such terms amounts to a form of self-gelding. The only interviews that are done this way are lifestyle and celebrity interviews. And it's pretty clear that that is what this will be....Previously, Marshall had been dogging Palin for not submitting to an interview:
It will be unwatchable.
[McCain campaign manager Rick Davis... says Palin won't give any interviews until she feels "comfortable" giving one. And this morning he added that she wouldn't give any "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference."So, okay, maybe she's found her softball -- or no balls -- interview in Gibson.
Sarah Palin could be the President of the United States in four and a half months. We tend to think of this as an abstraction; but it's true. And yet today she's so unprepared and knows so little about the challenges and tasks facing the country that she can't even give a softball interview.
We'll see how soft it is. It's unlikely to be complete fluff. So let's watch it -- not just pronounce it "unwatchable" -- and stand ready to rip Gibson apart -- if there's anything left to rip after he's gelded himself. And then we can go on to insist that Palin step it up and submit to something tougher.
Man, Marshall is really freaking out over Palin. He slashes Gibson for falling short of journalistic standards, but what are his standards? Look at this gush of testosterone:
As is so often the case, Palin is the incarnation of the Republican slurs. The darling of the hard-right; she gives stem-winding speeches. She pushes all their buttons. But she's such a lightweight, they can't risk letting her answer a few questions.Continuing to browse through Marshall's posting, I run across this:
New PollThat must cut like a knife.
09.08.08 -- 12:56AM By Josh Marshall
USAToday/Gallup: McCain 54%, Obama 44% among likely voters.
पोस्ट्स
१४४ टिप्पण्या:
Perhaps Marshall and Sullivan are identical twins separated at birth?
If I were Palin, or some other conservative punching bag for the media, I would only agree to do interviews that ran live. I'd never trust them to edit me.
Let’s see, Hillary Clinton’s campaign made it clear early on that any media scrutiny would entail cutting off access to them. Access to the media is crucial. Hence, she cut the media’s nuts off and gave interviews and answered questions on her terms. That was alright. That was the moral high ground. It was pure and good and saintly.
Sarah Palin takes a play from the Clinton handbook and it is wrong, it is evil, it is horrible. Hillary got the free ride. Obama is getting a free ride. How come Palin has to pay her cab fare?
That must cut like a knife.
Yeah, but it feels so right.
Well, she does appear to be quite the celebrity, an all, with the response over the weekend. Oprah's even taking the heat...My question (with Oprah out of the picture) is, wasn't Barbara Walters available?
Marshall and his ilk, including Olberman and Tucker, have no one to blame but themselves. Their bias is so blatant the backlash was all but certain. Oprah is the latest Obama supporter who is having to explain to her 75% female base why she is not having Palin on her show.
Watch her "shuck and jive" as she trys to be convincing that gender vs race is not a topic worthy of discussion.
"Sarah Palin could be the President of the United States in four and a half months"
-so could a community organizer with a hundred hours of US Senate time under his belt...
Once bitten twice shy.
Charlie Gibson is actually one of the few national network types that I actually don't actively distrust.
Anecdotal... but am I "average" that way?
Marshall assumes the Palin is incapable of a strong showing in an interview. This is unsurprising, since he's a stone victim of Teh Narrative. Has he considered the ramifications for his side (and make no mistake, his motivation is nakedly partisan) if the governor comes out as, well, just as she has so far: direct, informed, focused, likable, and competent?
I agree in spirit with roger j.. Sully may well have found a buddy in the bloviating biz.
Short of employing Dancing Bears and the Tooth Fairy, it will be hard for Gibson to be puffier than he was for Obama in March:
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2008/03/07/obama-interview-abcs-gibson-imitates-saturday-night-live
Freeman, I'd love to see a live interview, but I don't think that's going to happen this time.
I'm willing to cut Palin and Gibson a little slack here. Sometime next week, though, Palin must be allowed to fly solo in an interview.
Oprah's an idiot for refusing to have Palin on her show.
And I should care what Josh Marshall says why, exactly?
If I were Charlie Gibson, here are some of the questions I would try to ask:
Should a woman have the legal right to abort a child with Down Syndrome?
How will drilling in ANWR -- or anywhere, for that matter -- help gasoline supplies now if there aren't enough refineries?
How many nuclear plants will be built during a McCain administration to help reduce the Nation's dependency on oil?
Did you ask for books to be banned while mayor of Wasilla (I'm actually genuinely curious about this one -- did she? I read about it, but no facts are found, just vague insinuations...Can Mr. Gibson clear it up?)
Do state office buildings in AK have compact flourescent bulbs?
Before this nomination, how many states have you been in?
What's your favorite cookie recipe? Maybe he should ask if she and John McCain have swapped favorite cookie recipe. (I would pay good money to see that question asked during the Obama/McCain "debates").
I think I'm certain to be disappointed by the questions actually asked.
Again with the cutting and the knives bit...paging Dr. Freud to the white (oops) um beige courtesy phone please...
(MadisonMan picks up the red phone)
I said the BEIGE phone!
(sigh) I love that movie.
Marshall need not fret, I'm sure Gibson will ask some tough Redbook or People magazine questions. Like what the inspiration of her glasses were, or how tough it is being a tough mavericky woman who stopped the bridge to nowhere with her bare hands.
What's irking Marshall is that if Palin does interviews, their talking point that she doesn't do interviews dies a horrible death. But the talking point has always been cover: they don't want Palin to do interviews, they want her to place her head on the chopping block and be decapitated by Chris Matthews or Keith Olberman, someone like that. The "she must do interviews" is just a convenient talking point that's now been washed away to the extent it ever had validity.
Personally, I think that the best thing Palin could do would be to book into C-SPAN's Washington Journal show a couple of times in the next few weeks. Bypass the media entirely.
"[McCain campaign manager Rick Davis... says Palin won't give any interviews until she feels "comfortable" giving one"
He must have said that a few days back:
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/06/and-about-the-palin-bubble/
I guess the internal polling was telling them what the public polls are telling us now - I'm beginning to understand the panic.
Re Oprah: its her show and she can have whom she likes on it. Plus she has more money than God. But by not having her on, she continues to make Gov Palin a "victim." Dissing Gov Palin didnt work well the week the Ds tried it.
Marshall is just insanely jealous that he did not get the interview. It would have been the coup he needed to rocket into legitimate media stardom.
Marshall writes: As is so often the case, Palin is the incarnation of the Republican slurs.
What does this mean? What other cases is he talking about? And if Palin is reliably right-wing, how can she be the incarnation of Republican slurs.
Either "incarnation" or "slurs" is wrong.
Or "Republican." In truth, Marshall's description of Palin shows her to be the incarnation of liberal slurs.
But you will never find "liberal" and "slurs" coupled together in the trainwreck of Marshall's prose.
Do you actually have some substantive disagreement with Marshall or are you just being an asshole?
Madison--
Re: your question "Should a woman have the legal right to abort a child with Down Syndrome?"
What if a test could show that a fetus would be gay?
It would not be right to have an abortion on that ground, would it?
You do ask good questions...We need more refineries and more nuclear plants.
I saw the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial debate on CSPAN. She was pretty self-assured in that one - I think she'll do well in the interviews. At this point, I think the best strategy for the Dems is to continue to hammer away at her. If they ease up, they're sunk for sure.
I doubt Marshall cares that Obama might lose. The lefties love to lose the POTUS. That's why they keep nominating people like McGovern, Duke, Mondale, Gore, Kerry, and Obama.
George, those are nice dodges to answering the questions. I suspect Gov. Palin might use them and I'll be surprised if she doesn't.
Wouldn't it be great if interviewers actually pressed politicians to answer the question given? So a voter could actually learn something?
Oh for Christ's sake, Doyle, is that all you've got?
[Answer: Yes. It's all we ever get.]
You're the perfect idiot. Remarks not worth reading. Vanish.
On an earlier thread, there were two proposals for an interview format which bypassed the MSM: citizen question in a forum, with no MSM moderator and no plants; and having bloggers from left, center and right ask questions, again no MSM moderator.
Oh come on, I know it was an easy one, but was hoping for a little love for my Brian Adams reference.
And since Ann is cruelly neutral, she would be the ideal moderator and step in with follow up questions where they were required.
Putting Matthews or Olberman opposite Palin would end this election almost as certainly as will the morning of November 5th.
Incoherence isn't a selling point, unless you believe that Code Pink has something important to contribute.
"Palin is the incarnation of Republican slurs"? That's your narrative.
Why engage opponents if they are just inbred, bible thumping, xenophobic, war mongering, bigoted, male chauvinist, racist, hypocritical, hicks?
See, he's the enlightened, liberal, broad thinking man. It comes through in every sentence, every single word he writes.
Ask him. He'll tell you all about it.
If I were Palin, I'd do FOX and Larry King. FOX is the only fair and balanced mainstream news organization out there, and even if Larry King is hostile to Palin's politics, she could 'own him' any point in the interview she chose. For an example of how easy it is to steamroll over King, see Seinfeld waterboard him here.
55% - 45%, and at this juncture.
Hillary was right. And, she takes no pleasure in that.
Wouldn't it be great if interviewers actually pressed politicians to answer the question given? So a voter could actually learn something?
You mean like when Biden says he believes life begins at conception? (link)
I'm thinking he would have been better off not answering. "Yeah, my personal view is that you're murdering a defensless child, but I'm not going to impose my view on you." Now that takes courage.
Oops, forgot the link
Yes, that is exactly what I mean.
btw, the Life Begins at Conception line: I learned yesterday that the Catholic Church doesn't have an official policy on when Life begins. Which I found surprising.
That's surprising! Interesting. But it does, of course, as you know, have an official position on abortion.
"Political interviews are never done like this."
Every interview Hillary has done for several years was done EXACTLY that way.
Marshall is either a shill or stupid. Either reality should result in him being ignored.
Trey
Some spectacular journalist career suicide could likely happen in the coming weeks. The DC herd badly needs culling anyway. Here's hoping.
eliza d. said...
My question (with Oprah out of the picture) is, wasn't Barbara Walters available?
Barbara Walters makes people cry. Palin would make Barbara Walters cry. Bad, very bad.
As to Oprah, she has issued a statement that since supporting the Messiah, she has not had him on her show. She will have no candidates on her show. It is her show, after all.
Why does any thinking person take TPM seriously. It is nothing more than Josh Marshall's personal editorial page. Granted, he is a talented journalist, but he is far, very far from objective.
Well, this seems close enough to me: "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person -- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life." (link)
IIRC, Charlie Gibson was one of the better moderators in the primary debates. I think people are being too hard on him and putting their own biases on display. Let's give it a chance and see what actually happens. (Shocking concept, I know.)
No, Palin should not bypass the media entirely and go straight to (only) C-SPAN. I mean--by all means go on C-SPAN (love it!), but the fact of the matter is that many people either do not get C-SPAN or are not in the habit of watching it. I think everyone--not just wonky types, internet obsessives and news junkies--needs to get a chance to see Palin, and therefore my preference is that she appears in multiple outlets and a broad selection of them.
Go for it, Gov. Palin! Don't listen to those of your partisans who want to limit your chances to shine. (Sometimes I have to wonder if Palin fans really have as much faith in her as they loudly proclaim they do.)
Yes, the priest could be wrong, and he did say the Church presumes that life begins at conception, but it surprises me that a bureaucracy like a big church hasn't already formed a committee to dot the Is and (ahem) cross the Ts when it comes to something like that.
Should a woman have the legal right to abort a child with Down Syndrome? Let each state decided that.
How will drilling in ANWR -- or anywhere, for that matter -- help gasoline supplies now if there aren't enough refineries? That's a good point. More refineries would certainly be helpful and I am confident that oil producers will have the good sense to build them immediately so we can get the oil to market sooner.
How many nuclear plants will be built during a McCain administration to help reduce the Nation's dependency on oil? When you talk about energy, you need to talk about comprehensive reform. At the end of the day, nuclear energy is a tricky sell. People are apprehensive about it. We need to convince people that it's okay to have in their states, and we need to get the states on board for energy initiatives galore. At the same time, we don't want to be awash in pork. Throwing out an arbitrary number won't solve anything.
Did you ask for books to be banned while mayor of Wasilla? I didn't. These rumors are pretty desperate, huh, Charlie?
Do state office buildings in AK have compact flourescent bulbs? Here's what our current law says...
Before this nomination, how many states have you been in?That's kind of a silly question. Do people count them> I will tell you that I've never been to the Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard or any spa in Beverly Hills. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.
What's your favorite cookie recipe? I don't really have one. Usually, we just go store-bought, those kind that are like a loaf. I've got five kids and I'm a governor.
And that will be the last poll we ever hear about from Ann, as she's known for cherry picking her polls, and it's probably the high for McCain this election season.
How about a poll on downtownlad?
garage mahal said...
Marshall need not fret, I'm sure Gibson will ask some tough Redbook or People magazine questions…
Charlie Gibson is a gentleman and a consummate professional. He will not make her look bad, insult her, or try to make a fool out of her. He is also not a political hack. He is serious and objective. Of course you cannot have that. You would rather have her debased and abused so you can play gottcha. Ah, Democrats. The party that hates self made strong women.
chickenlittle said...
Some spectacular journalist career suicide could likely happen in the coming weeks. The DC herd badly needs culling anyway. Here's hoping.
Of course the Republicans will be blamed for it. A state funeral(s) will be demanded. A congressional investigation will be demanded and a DOJ investigation with indictments will be demanded.
As is so often the case, Palin is the incarnation of the Republican slurs.
This really is unintelligible. I think Marshall's passion got the better of him.
From a PR craft standpoint, Palin actually is assuming a major risk by letting the interview be put together this way. I'm surprised Marshall doesn't get this.
If you give your interviewer the power of the editing scissors, then you have effectively given up almost all control of the interview. A live interview is actually the safest route for someone who is concerned about media fairness or their own capabilities, because it gives the interview subject greater control, while ensuring that their answers will always be viewed in context.
Why does Marshall assume that Gibson/ABC will be fair to Palin in assembling these interview fragments? Does he imagine Gibson will let her say "Stop the tape, I have to go back to my handlers and ask them what I'm supposed to say about Iran's nuclear threat?" That's not going to happen.
As a political event, I would suggest that agreeing to this format is a big risk for Palin, and as a political event is more likely to come out in Obama's favor.
I think he's trying to condition his readers to dismiss the program if it turns out in Palin's favor, and to see it as disproportionately damaging if it doesn't.
OT, but for what it's worth, Sullivan hasn't put up any posts this morning. Perhaps he's being taken out to the woodshed.
Well, seven, you dodge the first question as well. I'm asking if she thinks that.
In fact you dodge all of the questions! (Well, except the book-banning one) Are you sure you're not a politician!? :)
Wasn't it Charlie Gibson who falsely claimed in a debate that revenue goes down when capital gains taxes are cut?
Wasn't it also Charlie Gibson who had no idea how much college professors make?
He may or may not have been the least bad of the debate moderators (i.e., no flag pin questions), but he certainly didn't do a great job.
Come on, Madison. Give me some credit. I'm trying to think with the bounds of the realistic here.
If I were Palin, I'd do FOX and Larry King.
She also needs to go back on Charlie Rose.
Yes, the priest could be wrong, and he did say the Church presumes that life begins at conception, but it surprises me that a bureaucracy like a big church hasn't already formed a committee to dot the Is and (ahem) cross the Ts when it comes to something like that.
MadisonMan, I don't think that's a fair interpretation of the situation. I think the Catholic church's argument is along the lines that the process of life creation is to be respected. That includes the acts before conception and after conception. Their stance against birth control and abortion are intertwined. They do not need a precise stance on "life at conception" because it does not matter.
It seems a more consistent and thorough argument than a pro-contraceptive but anti-abortion position. For instance, some pro-lifers like Randy Alcorn are against IUDs and many forms of birth control pills because they interfere not only with conception but implantation. But, he's not against barrier methods of contraception (IIRC) or other forms of contraception that purely act to prevent conception.
Now such a person as he ought to be expected to formulate a concrete position about the moment of conception, yes. But as you know there are ambiguities there. As another commenter pointed out in another thread, there is the issue of twinning: if a one-cell conceptus is truly a distinct human life, how is it possible that two human lives could result from it? I think that argument can be effectively parried by saying that by admitting a certain ignorance on that score, while pointing out that at implantation, that ambiguity is resolved.
But again, that difficulty arises only if you insist on a distinct position before and after conception. The Catholic church really does not.
Finally, the Bible supports a bit of ambiguity on the issue, I think: "As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all." (Ecclesiastes 11:5, Amplified translation)
I live in a state, NY, where after many high minded arguments and the defeat of many high minded liberals, capital punishment was re-instated. Despite its reinstatement and despite a number of sufficiently evil crimes, no murderer in NY is on death row. With the law and with the will of the majority on their side, the supporters of capital punishment have been unable to make it happen. This leads me to believe that in the state of NY there is very little chance that women will be denied their wish to have an abortion.....I admire Palin not for her views on abortion but for her willingness to live her principles and state her position forthrightly even if it costs her votes. I dislike Democrats not for their views on abortion but for their efforts to mask those views.....Forget gays and Down syndrome. In China millions of females are being aborted because they are female. Why isn't this a feminist issue?
seven, the problem as I see it is that the Republicans have nominated someone about whom many know nothing. So if I'm asking her the questions, I'd like to hear answers that flesh out my understanding of what makes her tick. I don't want to hear reformulated talking points.
All I've heard so far is (1) she's a mother of a DS baby (2) she can field dress a moose and (3) she -- like any other mayor or governor -- will happily take money from DC. I'd like to know more before I vote for her (if I do).
So this is the tack these people will take. First it's "she can't stand the pressure." Then she does a Grand Slam speech. Next it's "she won't do interviews; they're hiding her in a closet." So she agrees to do Charlie Gibson-the first of what are sure to be MANY interviews. Now, each and EVERY one of those interviews will be considered to be "softballs," or "hamstrung," or "controlled by Palin and her handlers." IT WILL NEVER END, even when she and McCain win this thing. Can you imagine the sheer and utter hate that will be spewed at these two for the next 4 years? I think it will make Bush hate seem like the Barney show. Because McCain will have beaten their savior.
seven, the problem as I see it is that the Republicans have nominated someone about whom many know nothing. So if I'm asking her the questions, I'd like to hear answers that flesh out my understanding of what makes her tick. I don't want to hear reformulated talking points.
I think this is entirely fair, particularly since you demonstrate a desire to see this on both sides. Because surely you acknowledge that Obama and Biden spin like a top to the extent their interviewers allow them.
AllenS said...
"How about a poll on downtownlad?"
Here it is:
"He's a douche" -----------95%
"who's he?" ---------------5%
Obama and Biden spin like a top to the extent their interviewers allow them.
Of course they do. But I'm pretty aware of the warts that encrust Obama and Biden. Before I vote for someone, I want to know what's bad about them, as in, what's the worst that could happen? I don't have that with Gov. Palin.
I wonder how Marshall feels about Mr. Obama's presser in Chicago a few months ago regarding his sweetheart house deal with Rezko; y'now, the one that lasted for all of 8 questions before he left in a huff…
Or perhaps how Josh feels about Mr. Obama's most recent interview with Bill O'Reilly. Not only was it patently obvious that he wanted to distract from McCain’s speech that same evening, but he limited the interview to a 1/2 hour sitting. Hillary subjected herself to a full hour of O'Reilly inquisition; so who really has more visceral fortitude??? And, I wonder how much time he’ll limit Herr Goebbles-I mean Keith Olbermann..?
Josh Marshall, like much of the far left, is simply experiencing cognitive dissonance over the Palin VP selection. They consciously feel the need to destroy another up and coming young conservative; but their complete and utter indoctrination into the ideology of identity politics is making them unconsciously feel like two cents waiting for change...
Next it's "she won't do interviews; they're hiding her in a closet."
Yes, this from the Party that was too cowardly to appear on FOX across from Brit Hume and Mara Liason. How funny. How many months did Obama FOX? 18 months.
Palin's just playing rope-a-dope. The more these primadonas complain about "access" [waves to Eason Jordon], the higher her numbers go. People like seeeing the partisan MSM hacks get tweaked. And after their wholly unprofessional smear of her, they don't really have any right to expect an interview. They've poisoned the well.
And MadisonMan, excellent questions. Ann should moderate a forum between you, Simon, and Palin.
Of course they do. But I'm pretty aware of the warts that encrust Obama and Biden. Before I vote for someone, I want to know what's bad about them, as in, what's the worst that could happen? I don't have that with Gov. Palin.
MadisonMan: I'm with you.
In the case of McCain and Biden, I pretty much know what's up. I've followed those guys for years ... decades, even. With Obama, there's still some fleshing out, but really--not all that much. I've pretty much got his number, too.
Palin's the newbie on the stage; she's the unfamiliar one for me. Unlike some people, I don't take my politicians on faith, and they don't get automatic points for being in one particular party. It takes much more than that.
Before I vote for someone, I want to know what's bad about them, as in, what's the worst that could happen?
Just perfect.
MCG nails it, Madison.
What do I know about Obama? I know he supports change we can believe in, almost certainly the most vacuous platitudinous talking point ever formulated.
I've never said I like McCain. I don't, really. However, I'll take the world-weary guy with experience who is nominally on my side every time. He's a lot less likely to screw up massively.
Of course they do. But I'm pretty aware of the warts that encrust Obama and Biden. Before I vote for someone, I want to know what's bad about them, as in, what's the worst that could happen? I don't have that with Gov. Palin.
Fair enough, MM.
When you stop and consider the level of personal invective that the lefties use here, Marshall's panic-driven outburst is not surprising.
But why is that? IMO, anything that questions--or in Palin's case perhaps destroys--the dogma is dangerous. It's not just their idea of governance that is being attacked (do they have a theory of governance?) it is their deepest selves.
And MadisonMan, excellent questions. Ann should moderate a forum between you, Simon, and Palin.
Agreed.
I'm pretty aware of the warts that encrust Obama and Biden.
Are you? I feel that I don't know Obama at all. What I suspect about him is that he is radically to the left. If I am wrong, I am blameless. I say that seriously. It's Obama's responsibility to fill in the vacuum of missing information in my mind.
Certainly, none of us knows anything about Palin and it's her responsibility to fill in the vacuum as well. That's the downside to picking the dark horse.
All of this said, I've never seen such fascination with a vice president. Geraldine Ferraro was a novice and nobody went apeshit over her like this. Did they?
Wasn't it Charlie Gibson who falsely claimed in a debate that revenue goes down when capital gains taxes are cut?
It's a matter of some debate as to whether that claim is "false" or not, but I don't think he really made such a "claim" anyway. He posed it as a question to Obama: If it turned out that by raising cap gains taxes you'd see less revenue, would you still want to raise them? Words to that effect.
Obama answered by saying that, yes, even if it was shown that revenues would go down, he would raise cap gains taxes for the sake of fairness alone. Which is an unintentionally fabulous answer in terms of demonstrating what Obama really believes, for which Gibson should be given great credit.
Marshall better not get near any dogs. The smell of fear is all over him.
Why does Marshall assume that Gibson/ABC will be fair to Palin
He may well assume that ABC will at least be less unfair than some others. I recall an analysis from a few years back which found that among the TV networks Fox alone tilted right-of-center, but the others tilted even further-from-center to the left. Since then, my casual observation has been that ABC has tried to capture a bigger slice of the center by distinguishing itself from CBS and NBC as a more middle-of-the-road network. Of course, nothing could infuriate the Marshall types more than that.
Personally, I think Jim Lehrer runs the best news program on TV, and I would like to see him do the first Palin interview. I think a Lehrer appearance address Freeman Hunt's valid concern about editing, too. But failing that, Charlie is as good a choice as any.
I can understand the criticisms of Palin and interviews if the questions are, as MM proposed above, issues. There are voters who do vote on issues, but I fear that very few American's write down a list of issues important to them and then compare candidates with respect to their list. Those are apparently the people that internalized their high school civics instruction.
Most people, I fear, vote on based on very different reasons, more a feel good thing. In that context Gov Palin has already ticked off some major winners for me: courage of conviction (having trig); reform (running against the corrupt AK republicans and winning); support for more oil production and, I hope, petroleum infrastructure, second amendment rights, and finally backbone (enduring all manner of egregious attacks, standing up to them, and delivering a great speech in response.
So I am satisfied already with her qualifications based on what I know.
I'd tune in a Barbara Walters interview just to hear her say "Twig Pawin".
Which is an unintentionally fabulous answer in terms of demonstrating what Obama really believes, for which Gibson should be given great credit.
Yes, it is. I remember it well. I also remember this interview with Maria Bartiromo earlier this year. I believe that Obama changed his position yet again yesterday and now says “he would delay rescinding President Bush's tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.”
I want to see Palin interviewed by Simon, Paula and Randy.
They would be a lot better than any newscaster or pundit.
That's the English Simon.
The other English Simon.
Oh forget about it.
Fen said...
"MadisonMan, excellent questions. Ann should moderate a forum between you, Simon, and Palin."
I'm game. But I would again reitereate that I think the smartest tack for Palin is to take to C-SPAN, often, bypassing the "professional" media and taking questions directly from the public.
I think its fair to say that the media has lost its "right" to demand anything which means people like Josh Marshall are just going to have to get used to not being able to rely on them. In any case she'll have plenty of chances to shine and screw up, why rush into a bunch of gothcha interviews while the glow is still strong? She will be cramming the names of the deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan, etc. while people ponder are left to ponder the incredibly strong voting record of foriegn policy expert Joe Biden.
In the absence of anything about her, you'd think they want to take advantage and talk about their guys.
What's the worst that could happen with Obama? He'd actually listen to the dingbats on the far left side of the Political Party. I'm not yet sure if he would or not.
Imagine, though, if an elected Obama was actually moderate, and needed things actually got done in DC. Why, he could cement a Democratic Majority for years. Alas, for that reason, many Republicans won't agree to agreeable things. (Of course, you can flip the parties here insert McCain and write essentially the same sentence) The same opportunity was given to GWB post-9/11, and I have to say that Political Parties just love to shoot themselves in the foot. Oh, they're aiming for the other guy, but somehow their own feet always get in the way.
Final question for Gov. Palin: Who is the defending Super Bowl Champion?
OMG--Madison Man serves up a soft ball to trooper york.
peter hoh said...
OT, but for what it's worth, Sullivan hasn't put up any posts this morning. Perhaps he's being taken out to the woodshed.
That would be a reward to him. "Ooooooooooo, punish me somemore!!!!!!!!!!! Yesssssssss!"
MadisonMan,
What did you know about Hillary Clinton? What do you know about Barak Obama?
Only what they told us and what they supposedly advocate. That is it. Nothing more.
I think the smartest tack for Palin is to take to C-SPAN, often, bypassing the "professional" media and taking questions directly from the public.
C-Span? Lets just Youtube a half-dozen interviews. Who needs the media? Instapundit can set it all up.
Echo earlier poster re study that showed left of center media outlets are rated farther to the Left then Fox is to the Right. The Lesser Evils, ABC and WaPo, have been making fair attempts to provide more balanced and unbiased reporting. They are the only outlets on the Left that I bother to follow.
NYTs called again. They better act fast - after November I'm raising my fee to read their trash to $20 an hour.
OT, but for what it's worth, Sullivan hasn't put up any posts this morning. Perhaps he's being taken out to the woodshed.
I doubt it. He's probably flying to Alaska ;-)
If I were McCain's campaign adviser, I would continue to play coy regarding Palin's interviewing availability. Wait and see how hard the Obama campaign starts to press on the matter. They've already had Biden bring it up; if they wait long enough, perhaps even Obama himself will mention it.
And if he does, then have her respond by challenging Obama to a debate.
If he doesn't, then just go with option two-- challenging Biden to several (not just one) debates, and for Obama to agree to more than just the two tightly-controlled ones.
The current McCain bump is likely to be transient. Soon the bloom will be off the Palin rose. And the pair of candidates will be tied, give or take.
MSM interviews are therefore a complete waste of time. Do them live or not at all. But as they nearly all function merely as an arm of the Democratic Party, better to tell them all to go screw.
Palin doesn't 'need' NBC, or CBS, or CNN. They are bloated hacks for the liberal elite, propagandists for Obama and the fag ends of the 60s left. What does she gain from contact with them, aside from a nasty rash and a sense of nausea?
What does she gain from contact with them, aside from a nasty rash and a sense of nausea?
A very big target on her back.
"What does she gain from contact with them?"
An introduction to voters? Not all of us go to townhall meetings, watch YouTube or conventions, or subscribe to right wing e-mail blasts.
"An introduction to voters?"
That's hilarious.
You kill me, man. Fuh neeee.
Should a woman have the legal right to abort a child with Down Syndrome?
Palin: "She already does, in every state of the union, up until the moment she gives birth. I think a better question is, 'Does a Down Syndrome child have a right to live?' Senator Obama vetoed a bill that would have protected the life of infants born alive during a failed abortion procedure. Are Americans comfortable with throwing newborns in a corner to die unattended?"
Final question for Gov. Palin: Who is the defending Super Bowl Champion?
I don't think that will catch her off guard. She was a sportscaster.
Senator Obama vetoed a bill . . .
Gotcha! He could only have done that if he had executive experience -- er, --
I agree with Pogo. There is almost to be gained by going on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN. Tyhe liberal stations need to pay the price for their bias.
The Dems boycotted Fox right? Or to be accurate, they all ran like frightened little girls away from the big bad Fox News Channel.
Gotcha! He could only have done that if he had executive experience -- er, --
Heh. You're right, of course. I meant to write 'voted against.' My bad.
Pastor_Jeff said: Palin: "She already does, in every state of the union, up until the moment she gives birth. I think a better question is, 'Does a Down Syndrome child have a right to live?' Senator Obama vetoed a bill that would have protected the life of infants born alive during a failed abortion procedure. Are Americans comfortable with throwing newborns in a corner to die unattended?"
You should post that thought in the Trig Palin thread (which is still growing) from last night.
The problem with Palin is that she's that girl Vicky from Love Boat, playing a handicapped girl on Airplane!: there's a long queue of people waiting to smack the sh*t out of her.
Nuns, rabbis, basketball players, Josh Marshall. All America wants in on the beating of the century.
So you know, I understand why there would be a little jealousy when Charlie Gibson is chosen. He looks like the guy who comes to a fight with a nerf ball.
Cheers,
Victoria
Peter wrote: "Granted, he is a talented journalist, but he is far, very far from objective."
Peter, I am not sure you can put both halves of that sentence together and not have it be contradictory!
Madisonman wrote: "Imagine, though, if an elected Obama was actually moderate,"
Sorry, I am still having trouble imagining pigs flying.
Trey
You should post that thought in the Trig Palin thread (which is still growing) from last night.
It's a super thread. All kinds of angles being talked about.
BTW, I really wish Blogger would add a "last comments" feature. Perhaps there's a widget along those lines. LGF is easier to handle because of that.
Not to hijack, but I would just like to note publicly that Michael Brezny's pussing out of the $1000 bet he offered has officially cost me $1000.
In the wake of the Palin selection, he offered in comments here to bet $1000 that she would hurt McCain in the polls. I tried to accept, suggesting we compare polls from that day to polls a week later. He did not respond and did not email me as I requested.
According to the RCP average, on the day Palin was selected, Obama led in the polls, 47.7% to 43.6%. Exactly one week later, on Friday the 5th, the RCP average reflected only a 46.6%-44% Obama lead. If we had taken a longer period, obviously it would have only helped me more, as McCain now leads 48.6%-45.4%.
Michael Brezny is a coward. He should have either stuck to his guns and accepted the bet, or admitted that he was bluffing.
Does Mort have a brother?
I mean I know Mort is a brother, but does he have a brother?
Could it be a brother from another mother?
Could it be a half white brother?
Wait a minute could he be Obama's brother?
Nah.
Is Michael Mort Brezny's brother?
Now I know why we have not heard from Mort or Michael for a while.
I offered to bet Mort too.
"BTW, I really wish Blogger would add a "last comments" feature. Perhaps there's a widget along those lines. LGF is easier to handle because of that."
Blogger has no features, Victoria. It's a dated, substandard piece of crap. The volume of comments and the amount of traffic Althouse now receives are far in excess of its intended capacity, Unfortunately she won't switch to something else despite my repeated pleading.
He was for the bet before he was against it.
Did someone forget that Obama's interview with Bill O'Reilly was the EXACT SAME FORMAT?
Vicky was completely annoying. You know a show is going downhill fast when they cast a kid in it (Exhibit A: Cousin Oliver).
I did like Joyce Bulifant as her mother though.
Palladian, you are spot on, Ann needs a new platform. Say what you will about Charles Johnson's politics, the LGF blog is one kick-ass library of code. He is a JavaScript machine!
I'm too lazy to go back and check, but it seems more likely that I misremembered his first name and it was Mortimer than that Mortimer has a secret brother named Michael.
If he were awake, Mortimer would call you a racist for that mistake, Benjamin.
Sarah Palin C-SPAN interview, 2/28/08
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
"Palladian, you are spot on, Ann needs a new platform."
Yes, but she only wants Change™ in the political arena. In blogging platforms, she's squarely in the four more years of Blogger corner.
Well if Mortimer called Ben a racist, Ben would be among a select group of several thousan Althouse commenters.
OK, now I am feeling left out. Why hasn't Morty called ME a racist?
Trey
Watching that C-SPAN interview now. She did a hell of a lot better with the "what is middle class?" question than McCain did.
"What does she gain from contact with them?"
Trevor: An introduction to voters? Not all of us go to townhall meetings, watch YouTube or conventions-
ie. you need NBC to filter it for you first. Can't risk Dems having another cog-dis breakdown.
btw, how do you avoid the internets?
I'm no Mortimer, but I'll give it a shot:
You're a racist, Trey!
I know, I know, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?
You know, the C-Span moderator (what's his name? It's not Brian Lamb) did a good job. He actually got some pointed questions in about corruption in Republican ranks in Alaska, and I think she fielded them well.
Here's something striking in Part 3, about 1:20 in. A caller on the Democrat line says this: "Good morning. This is the second time that I've ever called in. And I think the Governor brings a breath of fresh air. I'm a lifelong Democrat. I actually think that the biggest problem for the Democrats would be a/the (*) governor on the ticket. I'm a Hillary supporter.... I can't say I would vote Republican because I am a staunch Democrat, but I'd just like to commend her..."
This is 2/28, people.
(*) I cannot tell for sure if she was referring specifically to Gov. Palin at the (*). However, her overall tenor and surrounding words suggest she might have had Palin in mind.
TMink said...
Peter wrote: "Granted, he is a talented journalist, but he is far, very far from objective."
Peter, I am not sure you can put both halves of that sentence together and not have it be contradictory!
Every once in a while he does a straight reporting job. Not often; but it is usually quite good. Now he may be drunk or high as a kite when he does it...
Because of the importance of this I feel a need to address the following:
"there's a long queue of people waiting to smack the sh*t out of her."
It's been a while, but I don't think that was the Jill Whelan character who got beat up.
The woman who got beat up was a passenger who was panicking, and everyone lined up to get her to calm down.
Course, Whelan's character's key scene does seem to connect to this election now that I think about it, but with the other side.
Here's the slapping scene.
"michael" said that hitting a woman isn't funny.
Sullivan has only one post up for today, and it's "the view from your window." That trip to the woodshed has lasted a while.
Do you think that before announcing their run for President any of the Democratic and/or Republican candidates spent time brushing up on national issues and polishing their responses to likely questions?
I think it is likely that Palin will soon become available for the Sunday morning shows and other interviews. In the meantime, it seems completely sensible for her to hit the books.
The woman who got beat up was a passenger who was panicking, and everyone lined up to get her to calm down.
Paddy, thanks! You are so right. It wasn't Jill Whelan (nice memory, no way would I have remembered her real name, but I do remember she shared my nickname in Love Boat) but that other lady.
Course, Whelan's character's key scene does seem to connect to this election now that I think about it, but with the other side.
Yes. Obama will sing us Kumbaya and all our troubles will be over.
In fact, Palin addressed that when she escoriated him, "when he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet".
LOL. I still laugh.
"I did like Joyce Bulifant as her mother though."
Oh man, I always loved Joyce Bulifant... She was one sexy pixie with squeaky voice... I just wanted to pick her up.... and rip her clothes off....and bend her over the Match Game Set....and Sandy Duncanize her till one of her eyeballs popped out.
And Anita Gillete too!
I often thought you could have a great mother daughter porno with
Joyce Bulifant and Joyce De Witt from Three's Company.
I would call it "Re-joyce."
Palin is going on Howard Stern!
Marshall need not fret, I'm sure Gibson will ask some tough Redbook or People magazine questions. Like what the inspiration of her glasses were, or how tough it is being a tough mavericky woman who stopped the bridge to nowhere with her bare hands.
I remember liberals complaining not that long ago that Chris Matthews was biased toward republicans. What a joke that was. Now it's Charles Gibson: because of one tough question directed at Obama regarding capital gains.
You're not doing anything to dispel the "democrats are pussies" stereotype if that's enough to label the interviewer biased or incompetent.
I understand (looking for links) that Michelle Obama's interviews come with several significant preconditions as to which subjects are off limits. To my knowledge, she's never been asked to explain the "for the first time" gaffe. I wonder why?
Michelle Obama is a political spouse and is not running for office. Sigh.
But, Terry, a 5-second Google search would've given you an answer to your very important and relevant question.
On The View last June:
And she dealt — once again — with the issue of patriotism, explaining that when she had said during the primary that this was the first time she felt “really proud” of her country, she was referring to the political process, not the nation.
“Of course I am proud of my country,” she said. “Nowhere but in America could my story be possible.”
Michelle Obama is a political spouse and is not running for office. Sigh.
So? She's participates in active campaigning, so picking apart what she says is just as "fair" as if it came from Gutman or Butler or any other Obama campaign spokesperson.
Well, Josh Marshall just got
PWNED, by Reality:
Charlie Gibson to get repeat unlimited access this thursday and friday - no topic off limits.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13264.html
ZPS: Thanks for the information regarding the View and I stand corrected on that point. Regarding the Ts&Cs of Michele's interviews though, unless I can find the article that I'm thinking of, I will withdraw the question.
Michelle Obama is a political spouse and is not running for office.
She's a campaign spokeswoman as well as a spouse. She's also one of the three wisest people Barack knows, according to him, and someone he plans to consult often during his Presidency. So the public certainly has good reason to be interested in finding out more about her.
And she dealt — once again — with the issue of patriotism, explaining that when she had said during the primary that this was the first time she felt “really proud” of her country
As others have noted, she gave two speeches; in the first, she said this was the first time she'd been proud of her country, and in the second she said it was the first time she'd been "really proud".
She has done a lot of equivocating about the second statement and how it supposedly didn't mean she'd never been proud of her country before. She has pretended the first statement, which cannot be spun that way, never happened.
she was referring to the political process, not the nation.
That's a fairly transparent lie, don't you think? Can't the woman speak English?
She is not just the candidate's wife, she's her co-panderer. (link):
Mindful of the audience in front of her, she then touched up gay and lesbian issues. “In a world as it should be,” Obama said, “we repeal laws like DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” She also said an Obama Administration would “recognize” gay adoption rights. Both lines received loud applause. Another crowd pleasing line was about the Iraq war. “In a world as it should be,” Obama said, “we end this war responsibly.”
Palladin: remember when you remarked that Obama's and McCain's positions on gay marriage were basically the same, and I responded that Obama's was just lip service?
>>Cousin Oliver
Excuse me? I went to school with Oliver. Oliver was a friend of mine. Vicki, sir, was no Oliver.
Hey, Courtney, thanks for that heads-up. Remember when I said that I read Palin is a quick study? Seems that Team McCain perceived that, and now she's going to be more visible.
Of course, the comments in that thread were all over the place. This caught my eye:
YOU ARE THE TROLL! We all know that the Rednecks and morons who would support these fools do not know how to use the intertubes...
SEEMS to me that she is sending her son to his possible death for political reasons....WHAT ABOUT BEING PRO-LIFE? HOW CAN YOU BE PRO-LIFE AND SEND YOUR SON TO HIS DEATH FOR OIL???
There is a strong, unending, and very deep disconnect that some people have about how most of America sees things, and how they do.
We may be seeing the self-destruction of the Democratic Party this 2008.
Cheers,
Victoria
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