Yes, we can.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

Palin stumbled going up against a couple of world class journalists who were setting her up with gotcha questions.....Obama tripped over his own tongue.

Palin looks like an idiot doing an interview with someone tyring to make her look like an idiot(imagine that)

Obama, even when confronted with a very friendly interviewer says things like "my Muslim Faith" and gets a pass on it(I am not saying he shouldn't get a pass on that but if he, someone who has been campainging for the #1 job for two or so years gets a pass shouldn't someone who has only been campaiging for a few weeks and the #2 job also get the same sort of pass?).

"Gotcha journalism" "gotcha questions". Is it as easy as that? McCain brings up a label for something and now everyone is using that same label in lockstep from now on? Is this going to be like "media elite" and "activist judges" etc? Ugh. At least "Hope" and "Change" are used in a positive manner and not in a way to put things in a tidy box and then discounted.

I expect interviewers to be tough on candidates running for office. When it comes to someone running for office, Couric asked very simple questions, Gibson asked very simple questions... Palin didn't have any answers for them. "I'll get back to ya" is not a good response. O'Reilly grilled Obama and he handled it very well. Palin didn't "stumble". She fell on her face. Palin was widely panned by liberals and conservatives alike. I don't buy it that journalists are deliberately trying to Swift Boat Palin. That's a copout. She f'ed up big time. While we're at it, "Stumble" rubs me the same way "peppered" did. Give me a freakin' break.

When someone is coherent and on the money about something most of the time and trips up a few times, they get a buy in my book. When someone keeps tripping up over and over, I raise my eyebrows and say 'something's not right here'.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

Palin stumbled going up against a couple of world class journalists who were setting her up with gotcha questions.....

Are you serious? I just watched the Couric interview today. Those were not gotcha questions. Those were not hard questions. Palin embarrassed herself all on her own there.

[scaeagles]

Hope and change mean nothing. They are a campaign slogan. They are most certainly used to put things in a tidy little box.

Gibson was most certainly attempting to do "gotcha", and in fact made himself look like an idiot. The question about the "Bush doctrine" that he was so visibly disgusted that she didn't know what he was talking about, when in fact there have been 4 distinct Bush doctrines, and the one Gibson expanded upon isn't even regarded as the current one. I can post a link to a couple of write ups about it (Krauthammer did a good one) if anyone really is interested.

Couric asked Palin about a depression. Her words. Then she later jumped on palin for using the word depression about the economy (disclaimer - I did not actually see the Couric interview. This is what I read, and I do not recall who wrote it up. It is entirely possible that I am wrong about this one and apologize if I am. I don't have time nor the desire to watch Couric).

Palin certainly stumbles. No doubt. But she most definitely gets help doing it from some rather hostile members of the media.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by COURIC

But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

Originally Posted by PALIN

He's also known as the maverick, though. Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about — the need to reform government.

Originally Posted by COURIC

I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?

Originally Posted by PALIN

I'll try to find you some, and I'll bring them to you.

How was that a "gotcha"?

[scaeagles]

If you are addressing me, that was not a gotcha in the least.

[BarTopDancer]

I highly recommend you want the SNL opening from last week to get a grasp of that interview. Much more entertaining then the actual interview.

Palin talks circles around the issue like a bad salesperson. It's sad that she can barely handle herself in an interview with the US media. How is she going to handle foreign press and leaders? She'll be eaten alive.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

You know, so many like to give Palin never ending grief when she stumbles a little facing reporters asking gotcha questions;

Yet, for some reason, Obama can stumble a little on his own(sans reporters) and that's ok?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU


Todays vocabulary word is Teleprompterless

Hoo boy, that's some cringe-worthy stuff there, no doubt about it. I guess he is human after all.

I've been hearing a lot about how much time these candidates spend talking to people. That they do these townhall meetings, and outdoor speeches, then shake hands with spectators, visit local businesses and schools, and then do interviews on the bus, and another on the plane, and call in to radio shows, and sit down with news anchors.....

I heard on NPR this morning that Palin is mostly relegated to introducing McCain on stage, and has stuck to the same speech she gave at the convention, minus the "thanks but no thanks" and "sold the plane on ebay" which were both false. They said she doesn't do any townhall meetings, any lunches with the public or other appearances. The report made it sound like this isn't what a VP nom should be doing.

I found a blog about Biden, and it does seem he's not tethered to Obama at all.

I tried to find a blog about Palin's activities and found this. Heh, kinda funny. But I didn't find anything else.

In any case, if Palin doesn't answer questions from the public and is only trotted out as MC for McC, while Obama does townhalls and shaking hands in restaurants and all the rest, then it's guaranteed that he's going to have more gaffes and blind spots.

In addition, it's not like Palin blew just one question of the Couric interview. She blew a good 75% of it (and I think that's generous). She was a deer in headlights.

As Tom says - these were valid, sensible questions. She looked like a moron.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Tom

Are you serious? I just watched the Couric interview today. Those were not gotcha questions. Those were not hard questions. Palin embarrassed herself all on her own there.

I don't know. This question was particularly difficult, and obviously one of those setups we keep hearing about.

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

I mean, who could expect anyone to know the answer to that? Talk about unfair...

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

(disclaimer - I did not actually see the Couric interview. This is what I read, and I do not recall who wrote it up. It is entirely possible that I am wrong about this one and apologize if I am. I don't have time nor the desire to watch Couric).

I really wouldn't try defending her if you haven't watched it.

[innerSpaceman]

I can't believe I'm reading this. I don't know if it was 3894 in this thread or another, but the study about conservatives who simply dig in when presented with evidence contrary to their wishful worldview has apparently come home to roost among the couple of conservatives we have here, whom I have otherwise come to respect for some modicum of intelligence and integrity.


Please, sleepy and scaeagles, give it up on defendaing Sarah Palin. I can't believe everyone else here is wasting their time and fingertips explaining to you how the sun rises in the east, but also am appreciative of the massive solar rising evidence gathered here in one easy place.


I'm not going to waste any more of my particular fingertips on this subject. If we want to talk about how hot it is at noon, which IS debatable, then fine. But Palin sucking at interviews and the sun rising in the east are two absolutes I will no longer bother with ... and with all due respect I suggest the rest of you stop trying to convince these two ultra-stubborn individuals otherwise.


Check the study that 3894 linked to. There's just no point arguing, er, talking to such people.


I'm ashamed of both of you. You can do better than this.


scaeagles, if you change the subject one more time to try and deflect some criticism you're not happy with, I'm going to put you on Ignore till the election is over. Jeebus.


sleepyjeff, you on the other hand, have drunk far too much kool-aid, and your statements are so absurd that I don't have to bother ignoring them. They are almost gibberish of a foreign language.



Sorry to get too personal. But this is your guys' lowest hour.