What Palin Should Have Said to Katie Couric
[Guest post by DRJ]
Palin answers some previously unanswered Couric questions about what she reads (the same things people read in the lower 48), Supreme Court decisions she disagrees with (Kennedy v Louisiana and Kelo), and her views toward the media. Here’s the ending:
“Palin, asked about her relationship with the media, said “what I need to do is commit to not be so annoyed and impatient with mainstream media. And I will make that commitment because I do understand that that is how I speak to the American people. In a position like this I speak to you and through you and that way that message is received by American people. So I apologize for the the, I guess, flippant response that I gave through that interview on a couple of questions.
“But I would ask also then that the media tries a little bit harder also,” Palin went on. “And that this is a two-way street that there is fairness, just objectivity and fairness and truth. That’s all Americans ask for.”
Go here for the beginning.
— DRJ
I agree Palin needs to take her fight to the media back at them. But she needs to engaged the media on terrain she controls (a public event where Palin supporters are), not some sit down interview they get to control and edit.
Let me raise another point…
Is Romney still sulking? Get him out to Michigan and stump for McCain-Palin. Listen, the chances of Mac-Pali winning are certainly less than 50% right now. If Mac wins, he may only serve one term. Win or lose, Romney would do himself an enormous service by stumping actively. Not only that, Romney would do the country a lot of good explaining the economic mess we are in and why the McCain-Palin approach is far better than Obama-Biden.
Romney could help a lot in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Nevada. And Mac should strongly consider him as Secretary of Treasury (heck he will get 700 billion to play with, which is a heck of a lot of power if they win).
Joe (dcebbd) — 10/3/2008 @ 1:30 pm“I agree Palin needs to take her fight to the media back at them.”
In order to do that she’s going to have to, you know, talk to the media.
And quit the cowardly hiding. But we all know that ain’t gonna happen.
I will give her credit for figuring one thing out though. It is better to remain quiet and have people think you are stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
jharp (2282bb) — 10/3/2008 @ 1:42 pmAnyone can give good answers after they’ve heard the question and thought about it for a few days. I’m sorry if Palin wanted to talk about something else but you answer the questions that are presented.
Her comments weren’t the answer of someone who was annoyed or flippant but of someone who didn’t know the answer. This is clearly a BS damage control issue but the American people have already seen her for what she really is…a bunch of nothing.
mj (c39ebb) — 10/3/2008 @ 1:48 pmIt is better to keep ones stock of cliches to oneself than to type them out and remove all doubt as to the intellectual vacuousness of your comments.
Icy Truth (1468e4) — 10/3/2008 @ 1:56 pmjharp…
It is better to remain quiet and have people think you are stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Agree wholeheartedly…which is probably why you should’ve kept your “cowardly hiding” drivel to yourself, when there’s the possibility (indeed, I believe a HIGH probability) that you will be proven hideously wrong in the coming days.
Chris (6733a5) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:08 pmjharpy is is sad foul unhappy little man.
JD (f7900a) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:18 pmHarpy thinks it’s courageous when you make fun of mentally – disabled children. That is all anyone needs to know from now on, and we’ll make sure that he’s tagged, dressed and stuffed with it every post he attempts to infiltrate with his filth.
Dmac (e639cc) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:20 pmWhat makes you think he’s a man, JD? I’m thinking more of a sexually – confused girl at this point. Too much bitterness and anger to suggest otherwise.
Dmac (e639cc) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:23 pmHarpy thinks it’s courageous when you make fun of mentally – disabled children.
Comment by Dmac
And Dmac is a dirty rotten stinking liar and I promise to point that out with his every post.
jharp (2282bb) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:23 pmAnd Harpy has already been called out on this same exact type of behavior by commenters over at Reihl. End game for the drunky girl.
Dmac (e639cc) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:27 pmAnd of course we had the requisite claim of “LIAR!” from the loathsome HarpTard. It’s so predictable, you could set your watch to it.
Dmac (e639cc) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:32 pmMethinks harpy is a hybrid anomaly who menstruates twenty seven days out of the mouth. The arrogant assclown won’t dare scrutinize his asshole buddies Obama and Biden. Has to focus on the governor as Veep and doesn’t give a rat’s ass that his affirmative action magic negro has less experience even though he’s running in the potus slot. Listen to him howl when all the ads come out revealing the “friends” of Obama in all their infamous glory- Rezko, Ayers, Dorhn etc.
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:34 pmI’d still like to know just where the normal people are around Obama- his kids don’t count and besides they’ve been exposed to Rev. Wright’s hatred of whitey. Nor are Olberdouche, Matthews and Andrea Mitchell unbiased.
Its even a greater interview watching it. Palin is relaxed, sure of herself, self-deprecating and yet clearly expresses herself. It sounds like the campaign finally realized that she can truly hold her own as well as she herself has a clearer picture of what part the media plays. It may be distasteful to her as honest people generally bristle when their words get edited and twisted to mean something entirely different but she seems to have a handle on that now.
Side note: and she looks stunning in the interview, too.
Dana (973491) — 10/3/2008 @ 2:43 pm“Bitch” would have been satisfying.
Would not have worked, but definitely fun.
Joe (dcebbd) — 10/3/2008 @ 5:04 pmThanks for the link DRJ, here is my favorite part of the interview- Palin: “…we’ve really got to have a mutually beneficial relationship here with those fighting the freedom of the press…”
Yes yes I know, out of context and she was just being a babbling brook of BS again and got her words tangled up.
My question is why are you so interested in a candidate who needs to make excuses for her non-answers and needs do-over interviews? If Palin was worried that Couric would pounce on her if she said “I read the Economist” (you know, if she went completely “gotcha” with something like “Really?, what is your favorite most recent article?” ) then she needs to come up with some smarter strategy to deal with it, like saying, “oh, that’s such a “gotcha” question” or hey, Reagan style (well, there you go again with the gotcha questions…) and not go getting all vague and shifty and bullshitty and saying the equivalent of “…uh I read…you know… important stuff….”.
She certainly shouldn’t say that horrific convoluted Kerry-esque position statement out of her interview that you cut and pasted above. That statement was anti-barracuda.
EdWood (c2268a) — 10/3/2008 @ 5:26 pmHere’s the full quote EdWood excerpts in his last comment:
As for why I’m “so interested in a candidate who needs to make excuses for her non-answers and needs do-over interviews?” Hmmm. Let me think. You blue staters are so good at outsmarting me. It must be because I’m a shallow, stupid (blonde, too), racist, Texas redneck.
Or it could be because I prefer politicians who believe in conservative values, and Palin is the only one still in the race.
DRJ (c953ab) — 10/3/2008 @ 5:57 pmPalin is a thumb-in-the-eye to the modern urban-center American aristocracy who believe that once you go about 40 miles or so from either coast, you’ve entered Jesusland, populated with drooling, incestuous, godbothering, biblethumpers who are only good enough to raise/catch/grow the food of the aristocracy. Heaven forfend they ever would want to participate in government beyond dutifully showing up at the polls and voting like the American aristocracy’s PR arm (aka MSM) tells them too. These droolers have gotten way too uppity and Palin is the head drooler who needs to be neutralized by any means necessary.
I’m a conservative in So. California. I can socialize with lots of people, listening to conversations and hearing that for them, anyone just outside their liberal/leftist echo chambers is so exotic they’ve never met them or would want to. They are shocked if someone “outs” themself as a conservative… “but but, you seem so SMART? How could you?”
And Palin is happy. That really frosts the Left. It just sends the PDS dial over to eleven.
Darleen (187edc) — 10/3/2008 @ 6:20 pmDarleen, I have been thinking about Palin alot and about her happiness quotient. I think you’re onto something.
The left is an unhappy, bitter lot clinging to their sanctimonious self-righteousness like we cling to our guns and when confronted with one like Palin who fairly radiates genuine happiness and well being while enjoying her life – in spite of the very extraordinary difficulties – its so foreign and unfamiliar to them that it threatens to make their heads explodes. Their only recourse is to attack. Relentlessly or at least until the happy person becomes just as miserable as they are.
Dana (973491) — 10/3/2008 @ 6:39 pmDRJ said
I could not have said it better myself. I would have just been more succinct.
Racist.
😉
JD (f7900a) — 10/3/2008 @ 6:58 pm“It must be because I’m a shallow, stupid (blonde, too), racist, Texas redneck.”
I have never insinuated anything of the sort about you DRJ, nor do I think that you are any of the negative things in that quote above (nothing particularly wrong with being a Texas redneck).
What my smartypants “blue state” post was insinuating is that S.P. is trying to put up a front and people are suspicious about it. If she wants those suspicions to go away then she needs to get smarter about how she deals with the press.
If she (well, or her handlers) had spent more time working on her image as an executive and less trying to sell us this fable about how she is “just one of us” then she might be having a better time of it.
Sarah Palin and John McCain are supposed to be the honest straight shooters, that is how they are billing themselves, so if she gets her current events from staff or from the T.V. or if she has been focused on JUST ALASKA and doesn’t really read magazines much she needs to say so and go from there.
Trying to BS her way through interview questions because she just knows the press will be mean or for whatever reason makes her look like she is NOT the straight shooter she is saying she is. It makes her look like she is trying to bamboozle us all.
Patterico is suspicious too which he mentioned in another thread only to have everyone jump down his throat like he was some sort of traitor instead of a thoughtful person expressing some misgivings.
We already had 8 years of “just plain folks” leadership which hasn’t been working out so well in the opinion of some and it bothers people when the latest “straight shooter” starts acting all hincky. They start asking more and more questions to try and get behind the (at least perceived) facade.
EdWood (f45c9a) — 10/4/2008 @ 2:01 amPalin’s problem is having to carry around McCain’s shortcomings. If she could think and speak without worrying about McCain’s skeletons she would be great. Just think how how effective a Romney/Palin ticket would have been. Maybe next time….
R.Childs (654a18) — 10/4/2008 @ 8:27 am