Comments on: Why Is McCain Hiding Palin From The Press?

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:54:13 +0000

Given that there were times when the media crossed the line, it does not alter the fact that Sarah Palin will sooner or later have to answer questions in connection with knowledge of foreign affairs, domestic affairs, and where she wants to help take this country.

Like others, I strongly suspect that she will regurgitate whatever the Republican leaders will spoonfeed her. If she chooses to be just one heartbeat away from the Presidency, then it is our absolute right to know where she stands on key issues.

Frankly, I am getting increasingly impatient with the charges of sexism,
especially coming from the Republicans–the very people who profess to condemn victimhood. It is definitely NOT sexist to ask for accountability and transparency from people who aspire for the highest offices in this country.

And as far as I am concerned, their attempt to quash the Palin investigation in Alaska is more than ample proof of their cynicism and lack of integrity.

By: steeve

steeve — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:55:16 +0000

the last few days were spent getting her custom earpiece made so they can feed her everything she needs to say :) lol

By: Voter

Voter — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:36:54 +0000

McCain doesn’t want her to talk because it takes a while to remember all the lies so they speak with one voice. If she could tell the truth she’d be ready now.

By: Jimmy the Dhimmi

Jimmy the Dhimmi — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:22:05 +0000

sleeping, eating and taking care of her disabled infant, and keeping an eye on her teenage daughter.

By: mw

mw — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:02:30 +0000

I don’t know Jimmy. It looks to me like she is still spending time campaigning. That is really unacceptable. Outside of sleeping and eating, making sure the media is properly fed should really be her only responsibility between now and the election.

By: Jimmy the Dhimmi

Jimmy the Dhimmi — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:59:36 +0000

Well, lets hope Palin has brushed up on everthing because, as of today, the "coccoon" has now been broken; she is no longer "in hiding." That was quick, all you guys can stop gnashing your teeth and rolling your eyes now. Here is today's schedule:

Saturday, September 6, 2008 Colorado and New Mexico 10:00am Media Interview 10:30am Satellite into AARP Convention 11:30am Media Interview 12:30pm MT â€œThe Road to Victory Rallyâ€ Colorado Springs, CO 1:45pm MT Depart Colorado 2:50pm MT Arrive NM 3:30pm MT Media Interviews 7:00pm MT â€œThe Road to Victory Rallyâ€

By: Polimom

Polimom — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:51:14 +0000

This cocooning of Palin, combined with the news that the McCain campaign’s trying to kill Alaska’s Legislative Council investigation into Troopergate, are really starting to bother me a lot.

I cannot understand how McCain thinks he can introduce an almost complete unknown to the country, line her up as his second in command, and then refuse any public vetting.

The whole concept of “we’ll tell you what you need to know about her” disqualifies the GOP ticket altogether — and also flies directly in the face of McCain’s stated desires of “transparency”.

By: Navel8

Navel8 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:04:48 +0000

Kenneth P. Vogel has written about Wasilla response to the influx of reporters into Alaska seeking information on this woman. He concludes with an angry local resident stating, â€œShe answers to God, not reporters.â€ Revealing indeed! Here’s the URL:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080906/pl_politico/13199_1
If people are naive enough to vote for a ticket with this woman as a VP contender, despite her EXTREME right-wing views and almost total lack of knowledge re: the major issues facing the country today, then they deserve the unmitigated disaster they’re bound to get. Unfortunately, they’ll be taking the rest of us down the tubes with them…

By: grognard

grognard — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:55:13 +0000

J Harden, she should have been ready from day one. She was a hit at the convention and should be able to take on any interview, even if it is only restating McCain’s policy positions. VP is no longer a job for some political hack that you can seal away and forget after the election. There is no study time for a job that might require her to take over the administration days after the election. I am well aware of Putin’s control of the Russian media, I am also aware that a KGB cutthroat was able to fool a naive Bush into thinking he would be a partner with the west.

By: steeeve

steeeve — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:03:07 +0000

Question: Why Is McCain Hiding Palin From The Press?

Answer: Shes a puppet that is told what to say by the guy pulling her strings, and an insult to any intelligent woman. He doesnt want america to see that shes just a prop they throw out there to win the ignorance vote. Which represents a large percentage of americans, 44% according to gallup. But to be fair they cant all be ignorant, im sure some of those are just bigots… wait.. i think that qualifies as ignorant, nevermind :).

But the votes dont matter, cuz theyll rig it anyway. Well at least in Texas they will. ————- Paperless voting machines.. Making cheating easy and untraceable since 2000!

By: Angellight

Angellight — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:59:58 +0000

The Republicans have exactly in Palin what they falsely accused Barack of. Early on in this race Republicans loved to say that Barack was a “Roll of the Dice” and a “Celebrity”! The hand of Karma is swift and the chickens have come home to roost in the guise of Sarah Palin who is the real roll of the dice (no foreign or national experience) and a celebrity (on the cover of US Weekly, People, National Enquirer, etc.). Maverick McCain who truly loves to gamble, loves Las Vegas, just risked the safety and welfare of this nation with his roll of the dice VP pick, Sarah Palin!

By: Puma

Puma — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:40:49 +0000

The term is simply cowardice. Palin is proof that the Republican Party has completely sold out and is now gone. Gone is the party of no big government, gone is the party of personal responsibility, gone is the party of Lincoln. This is the party of religious extremism. This is the new American Taliban. This is the Evangelical coup de taut. After 14 years in the Evangelical church I can tell you that clearly that Sarah Palin is not calling the shots, James Dobson is. This is a small women in search of a balcony.

Sarah Palin cannot meet the press because she cannot answer a single question to which she has not been fed the answer well in advance. She has run both her city and state government the same way Evangelicals run their churches; as personal fiefdoms designed to inflict personal revenge. Evangelicals loved it when the Enquirer went after Edwards and when the MSM went after Clinton. But now that they have the same goods on her she goes into hiding. No integrity at all. None. Do you really want Palin to be a 72 year old heart beat from the Whitehouse? I weep for my party and my country.

By: mac

mac — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:33:58 +0000

Definitely … and then some.

By: Jimmy the Dhimmi

Jimmy the Dhimmi — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:53:46 +0000

She needs time to study!

By: J. Harden

J. Harden — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:36:59 +0000

Palin canâ€™t handle the media how on earth would she handle Putin?

So, by “handle” the media, you mean allow the media to dictate when, where and how she communicates with the public. It seems to me to she is “handling” the media just fine, just not how the media likes to be “handled.” It wasn’t so long ago GrogNard that we didn’t have 24 hour news channels and three hour news cycles…some how the American public survived. Btw, Putin has a interesting way of “handling” his own media.

By: grognard

grognard — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:58:37 +0000

Scenario, McCain tragically dies from a heart attack and Palin takes over. Putin, seeing an opportunity, moves on the Ukraine. If Palin can’t handle the media how on earth would she handle Putin? Fair or not, how a candidate reacts to the media is a good measure of character.

By: Stuperb

Stuperb — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:34:49 +0000

Additionally, the false cry of “sexism” when someone questions Palin is irksome. To imply that tough questions asked of a woman are sexist is just about the least feminist thing possible. It suggests that a woman is in need of special protection from things that make her think too hard or that, as a woman, her gender’s natural sensitivity would be harmed if she were grilled.

Not only is it disingenuous, it’s insulting.

(That said, I do wish that no one had posed the “can a mother of five be a good VP” question.)

By: DougL

DougL — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:02:57 +0000

Not to mention that it’s the media’s d*mn job to ask tough questions of our elected officials and those who seek election to public office.

It is absolutely not the media’s job to be “friendly” (or any of a number of alternate opposite-of-hostile words of choice) towards elected officials and candidates for public office.

By: BenG

BenG — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:53:44 +0000

Good question, and i agree it will backfire. Talk about celebrity, we’re crazy about this stuff and crazy b/c of it. They’ll put out the flames if they do this.

Why hasn’t the MSM talked about the shameless way the RNC mocked Obama’s volunteer service is also puzzling to me. It was insulting to any one with half an ounce of respect.

Here’s a statement from a concerned party: “The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has operated the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, its domestic anti-poverty and social justice program, since 1969. In 1986, the Bishops issued Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the US Economy, which said, “Human dignity can be realized and protected only in community.” Senator Obama worked in several Catholic parishes, supported by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, helping to address severe joblessness and housing needs in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of Chicago.

“It is shocking that a vice presidential candidate would disparage an essential component of the Catholic Social Tradition with her condescending attack on urban community organizing,” said Dr. Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats. “Her divisive rhetoric, repeatedly pitting small towns against urban communities, demonstrates not only a lack of charity toward the needs of some of the least among us but a fundamental disrespect for those who dedicate their lives to overcoming poverty across our country. Her sarcastic tone is also emblematic of the contempt that she and Senator McCain have shown toward actually addressing the economic distress that is gripping America in these difficult times. Economic issues, including extreme poverty, are among the most important to Catholics and other people of faith in this election.”

“Why do Governor Palin and the McCain Campaign sarcastically attack efforts to organize unemployed Catholics and Protestants? Senator Obama has spoken warmly about his experiences as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago,” said Lisa Schare, chair of Catholic Democrats of Ohio. “His work in helping people who were experiencing the real trauma of losing their jobs and livelihoods demonstrates an authentic Christian spirit and the real essence of Catholic Social Teaching, something strikingly absent from Governor Palin’s remarks tonight.”

This statement was taken from a TPM posting today.

By: DougL

DougL — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:52:59 +0000

Not to mention the fact that this is no mere traffic violation accusation.

Not to mention that the election process is specifically a “court of public opinion”. Always has been. Are you arguing that it shouldn’t be?

Surely you’re not arguing that in the hypothetical situation that a candidate lies about their record or is accused of actual criminal offense that it would be unseemly for the public to form opinions about the suitability of that candidate for the office they’re seeking or more broadly that it’d be wrong somehow wrong to question the judgment of the campaign/administration recommending the candidate? Surely you’re not suggesting that only a criminal trial with its attendant burden of proof requirement should hold sway over whether the electorate should judge a candidate worthy of the office they’re seeking.

Party of law and order my a$$.