First Part Of Palin/Couric Interview
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, McCain, Media, PalinHer first answer about Rick Davis was rough. Her second about the bailout wasn’t much better.
And the third, well, just watch…
Folks, she strikes me as somebody who would have been an adequate surrogate on cable pundit shows and that’s it. She certainly doesn’t engender any type of confidence in her thought process.
Still, this could just be nerves. So keeping her away from the press has, is and will always be a bad idea. She needs to dive in now or questions about her readiness will sink McCain.
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September 24th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL
I think we now know why McCain has quit. Stick a fork in him, he is done.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Ugh. I only made it through half of that. It is just too ugly to watch. This is truly a surreal election.
I despise Palin and think she’s a manipulative, arrogant, vindictive, deceitful pathological liar - but I just can’t get any enjoyment out of watching anyone humiliate themselves so badly in front of millions of people.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
“I-I’ll try to find ya some and I’ll try to bring em to ya!”
Wow.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Good God. She is hardly comprehensible — truly. No wonder they want to keep her away from the press. Seriously, she is no Margret Thacher or Jeane Kirkpatrick. That said, Biden is a moron too.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
“I’ll try to find some and I’ll bring them to ya??” OH MY GOD
September 24th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
If McCain wanted a woman as his running mate so badly, he should have picked a qualified one, like Kay Bailey Hutchison or Susan Collins. This just makes it clear that his only interest was burnishing his image, regardless of the risk she poses to the country if–God forbid–she should ever find her way into a position of greater authority than governor of Alaska, at least in her current state of unpreparedness.
Frankly, the fault is not entirely with Palin but more with McCain, who is clearly using her–in the most painfully hypocritical way–for nothing more than her gender and her persona. And now his ploy to stave off the debates? How crass can the campaign become?
September 24th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
wow. http://www.barackobama.com/donate
Vote Obama, please.
McCain/Palin supporters, listen… there’s a possiblity McCain doesn’t live his first term, he has had cancer, he’s old… if anything (god forbid) happens to him, this woman… this clueless hockey mom will be running the country. Wake up, please.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I admire honesty and integrity. Sarah Palin is both.
I think that when we begin to hear someone speak the truth who is seeking office, it SOUNDS false, because they don’t speak as fluently as those who are used to spewing forth lies and the rhetoric that they believe the American people want to hear.
I admire the truth and those willing to speak it and stand up for values that they believe in - things that are good and right.
If you don’t know the answer, say so! I’ll take that any day over blind arrogance and self conceit.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Jess,
I don’t think anybody is saying she doesn’t have honesty or integrity. But is she up to the task of being the leader of the free world? In fact, she seems to just be a female retread of Bush…only she won’t even do any interviews!
I don’t know, maybe she’s brilliant, but so far I haven’t seen one shrewd of evidence to suggest she is.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Wow. Now I see why the GOP rarely lets Palin answer unscripted questions in public without chaperone McCain present. Palin really seems like a nice enough person, but there is no way she should be 2nd in line to be president of the USA.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Uh, Justin, you didn’t really just say that you don’t think anyone is saying she doesn’t have honesty an integrity after everyone has been saying she’s lied about, oh, a half dozen or so things in the last month alone, did you?
If so, I will stand up now, raise my hand and say that I don’t think she has honesty or integrity.
I can also now safely say that she has no grasp of any issues, is hopelessly ill-equipped to be president and really gives crappy interviews to anyone but Sean Hannity, who doesn’t count.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I actually winced while listening to some of her responses to basic questions. Her lack of intelligible responses to fairly basic policy questions shows one of two things: a) she has taken no interest in political/economic/foreign policy on a national scale, or b) she has no opinion on any of it.
Of course she could just be the dumbest person ever to make it to this level of accountability and literally cannot form an actual opinion.
How is it that somebody running for Vice President of the United States would not be favored in a debate on foreign policy against your average poli/sci major at any US university?
No matter your opinion on the issues, if she is your idea of what our high office is worthy of…I need to get the hell out of Dodge because you are grossly underestimating the skill set necessary to serve at that level.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I think that as the options are weighed, McCain and Palin come out far ahead at being prepared to be “the leaders of the free world”. Obama has no experience to deal with yes, let me say, foreign policy; since he has none. Sarah Palin has none, yet she is not running for the same office; she fits the call of the office that she is running for. I cannot say the same of Obama. His inexperience in the seat that he would hold gives me serious pause. It is not inevitable to assume that McCain will die; to do so is foolishness. We do not know what tomorrow may bring either candidate or their mates in health or providence. Have you seen what this man has lived through? We’re talking about the next four years, and I do believe that they’re combined experience make them a perfect compliment to one another; exactly what a president and vice president should be. And a freshness and honesty that this country desperately needs.
Tell me, how will Barack fair at negotiations with those who don’t desire to negotiate? There are times when the protection of ones freedoms and security are an offensive movement; any other belief leaves us ignorant of the surrounding groups that see our country as an enemy DESPITE any stand we may take; they are a threat and we do need to be prepared. I do not believe that Obama is prepared; with or without Biden, because he seems to want to stand alone. It is his seeming ignorance and inability to admit it, that I believe would be his downfall as leader of the free world. And dire future for this great country that we have worked so hard to preserve.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
She did give a good interview to Sean Hannity :)
Not funny, I know.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I’d like to point out that Sen. Obama’s plan for a withdrawal from Iraq has been endorsed and is currently being implemented by both the Iraqi and American governments.
Please, don’t tell me Barack isn’t prepared to deal with foreign policy. He’s clearly the best one in the group, after Joe Biden.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Lies lies lies.
Barack somehow says that he supports the second amendment yet voted FOR a bill that would prevent gun sales anywhere within a five mile radius of a school or park. So I guess that means that I have to GO TO ALASKA to buy a gun and that he evidently DOES NOT support the second amendment (again, where will I buy a gun to utilize that right?). Say what you mean; mean what you say, or just say you’ll get back with ya!
September 24th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Was that withrawal a plan before or after the surge that makes all the difference in our Iraq position?
September 24th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Oh yeah, McCain voted for the surge; not Obama. Did Obama show up that day or just check “present”?
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Jess-
You’re obfuscating. I didn’t say anything about gun rights or the surge. Your argument that Sen. Obama has no foreign policy experience is patently false. He proposed a 16-month withdrawal timetable, which is being implemented in a joint action by both the Iraqi government and the White House. Please come back with an policy actual response.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I didn’t expect her to give a great interview, but I honestly never thought she’d be as bad as she is. Now I see why the McCain camp is going to such lengths to keep her out of the public eye and is trying to derail the vp debate.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I really like this website, but my husband is upset that it is 1:00 and I’m still on the computer, so I have to go. Thanks for debating with my obfuscating self. I stand mostly on this side for gun rights, abortion rights, and against big government; things that aren’t easily swayed. I did sway off course myself in my commentary; good thing I’m not running for vice president. Hmmm maybe that’s why I like her.
And goodnight.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Jess,
Wow. Listen, if you want to support McCain, fine, but you look like a 3-year-old throwing spaghetti against the wall trying to paint a close approximation of the Mona Lisa with that series of non-sequiturs.
Do yourself a favor and next time, “resist.”
September 24th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Jess- She is DUMB…when the press offers you a softball like are we headed for another great depression and you can’t reply with the standard playbook and sound intelligent - and then to directly contradict McCain’s position as she’s rambling around trying to circle back on the original point!!! She has 8th grade communication skills and you want her placed in the white house - have you no shame?
September 24th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Regardless, “experience” per se isn’t even a particular worry of mine. The notion that Sen. X is more qualified than Rep. Y simply because he spent a certain number more years in Congress is absurd. That number is a good guide, but no means a perfect measure of policy acumen. What truly impacts my evaluation of the candidates here is their engagement on the issues; how much thought they seem to apply to our problems.
In the interviews I’ve seen and the policy I’ve read, it’s clear to me that Sen. Obama spends a great deal of time engaged with people, and grappling with problems. As Sarah Palin as demonstrated in this interview (and the other two she’s given) there is no such engagement. It’s as if she doesn’t seem to care.
And that scares me. A lot.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Jess:
Yes, Obama is bad. We all know that every playground needs a gun dealership nearby so the wee ones can go there during recess to purchase their AK47s.
You may not like to hear it but Sara Palin is not honest, she lies. She looks straight at you through the camera and lies again and again and again. Indisputable, proven lies. Re: the Bridge to Nowhere, the earmarks, her refusal to cooperate with her Alaska “abuse of power” investigation. Of course, before McCain chose her for his running mate she said she would “cooperate fully”.
You are correct when you say McCain and Palin make a good team. They are prepared to feed you four more years of the “scare ‘em good” political nonsense.
For sane, thoughtful government, vote Obama, Biden.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
That Katie Couric… just like that Charlie Gibson. Trying to trip her up with all those sexist questions.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I meant within the context of this interview. There are obviously big question marks about both her honesty and integrity elsewhere, but in this case I don’t think anybody’s saying she’s lying.
Sorry for the confusion.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
She simply doesn’t sound like she knows what is going on. Listen to the way Palin answered the last question. I’m sorry, but I don’t want that person as VP. Her selection is a very, very bad reflection on John McCain. We all knew he was going to pick a woman and why. I don’t have a problem with that at all. Condi Rice would have done well. Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins too. But not Palin. Not in a million years.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Both Gibson and Couric were polite in the extreme, Palin was just inadiquit and unprepared. Hannity, as usual, was pandering and brown-noseing.
Palin is just Anne Coulter without the rabies.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Jess, please don’t use computers. Your ability to make a point here is as effective as a chapel in a whorehouse. How are you not hanging your head in shame for backing this horrible pick for VP? You have to be thinking that McCain could have picked a MUCH better candidate than her. Who cares if she “seems” honest. She has no skill as a politician. She’s a heartbeat away from the presidency and she can barely answer questions that a softball CBS reporter is throwing at her.
“I’ll try to find ya some and I’ll try to bring em to ya!”
GEEZ. She clearly has no idea what the hell is going on. It’s obvious that people are coaching her on what she’s supposed to say. Palin can’t think for herself. She has not done any research on McCain Under pressure she cracks and turns into a total flake. Who cares what political stance you think she has. It’s all being force-fed to her. Who knows what’s really on her mind? She’s a former beauty pageant contestant. I bet all she’s thinking about is how she wished they had let her wear a tiara to the interview. Her mind wanders, she attempts to patch things up and spin the questions. She’s DODGING the questions. She’s hiding something, whether it be her real intentions or her own complete stupidity on the topic.
But also I want to make a point about your defense of the 2nd amendment that you complained about earlier. You say “Obama voted for a bill to keep guns from being sold in a 5-mile radius of a school” and I have to ask you if you REALLY want guns being sold near children. I’m all for the right to buy guns, but are you THAT desperate to buy a gun that you can’t travel 5 miles down the road to get it? I bet you wouldn’t want porn or sex toys being sold within 5 miles of a school, but it’s our constitutional right to be allowed to at least buy it somewhere in the country. Learn what it is to come to a compromise.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I honestly feel sorry for Palin. I truly think that she is a generally good person, with a good head and good intentions, however, it seems that she is merely a pawn for this campaign. She has been thrown into a very bad position, and only the boss - McCain - can be blamed. I think that at the end of the RNC when McCain declared so strongly that “We’re gonna win” his statement was more than just a declaration of his ambition. I think that was the moment he decided this was his place in history, and he was prepared to do whatever it would take to claim it, including abandoning the very side of himself that so many of us have admired - his honesty and integrity. This pick is just more evidence of that. Forget the experience argument, that isnt the problem. It is a problem of scope, and not by her own fault, Palin simply lacks, and is clearly not in the position to take on this huge responsibility. My admiration of this man remains static but my trust and respect is sinking like the Titanic.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
wow.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Makes you wonder which head McCain was using more when he decided she was a good pick. She’s that stereotypical beauty queen. You watch and listen to her and can only think, “I don’t care how stupid she is, I’d hit that!”
If McCain/Palin win, I seriously expect him to hand her a bouquet of roses, place a tierra on her empty head and parade her @ss down a runway while he sings, “There she is…..Miss Amerrrricaaa…..”
September 25th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Jess,
Should you come back you should know….
Obama isn’t going to make it hard for a law abiding citizen to own a firearm, abortion laws will most likely stay the same (which you may not like, but its not going to get any “worse”), and over the last 8 years the Republicans have made this government bigger than anyone ever thought possible and now they’re trying to enact socialism for wealthy. The “Dems will create “big gov’t” excuse is hard to swallow in this day and age. Both candidates have talked about cutting a lot of government programs anyhow.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:00 am
I honestly don’t have any ill feelings towards or about Sarah Palin. She’s someone who admits to aspiring to be (vice) President … and she’s been offered the opportunity … whether “ready” or not, most of us would jump at the chance to actually pursue our wildest dreams. (which I think is an appropriate description of her situation)
I do however, have Absolute Contempt for people who intend to vote for her (and
“that McCain guy” who’s running With her) because “she’s just like me”.
If you want to hear something truly scary, tune in to the Hugh Hewitt radio show sometime, and listen to his callers gush about “our Sarah”.
When he first started taking the calls, he asked them why they thought “Sarah” would make a great president. I kid you not, one lady from Alabama answered:
- She hunts and fishes
- She’s a good mom
- She’s got five kids
- She hunts and fishes
- She’s just like me
Hey, I’m just an enlisted military guy. But, I must be some sort of “elitist” because I’ve got this crazy idea in my head that the people running our country should be Smarter Than ME !!!!!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Jess, I would ask one thing for the sake of all that is good. Please don’t vote. For the love of God please don’t vote. Blind, unfailing ignorance breeds something far worse. The idea that Obama lacks the experience necessary is perhaps only a bigger fallacy then that W. had the experience necessary or that McCain is anything but a propped up corpse of his former self. All Bush had were a failed oil business and a nasty coke habit. His supposed lack of experience is more then made up for in what he is and what he represents and what he can be. Obama’s lack of experience is a one trick pony that Republicans and their gimps have ridden to death and its almost solely based on Roveian spin. Palin represents, if I may be so blunt, the asshole of America. McCain, who at one point had a spine and a soul, represents no better. I see faults in Obama but to actually believe that McCain would be better is nearly a sin. This is why I propose an IQ test for the right to vote…….and I’m only half kidding. All this does is make me really want to move to another country where, at the least, I can not hang my head in shame and if Palin somehow becomes our VP I swear I am running away as fast as the weak US dollar can take me. PS: she does lack honesty and integrity. In every way possible she does. We are not voting on the freaking cookie committee or PTA!!!!!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Oh lord, that was awful. She sounds like a schoolgirl who memorized just one answer for each possible question, and when that answer doesn’t cut it, all she can do is parrot the same thing over & over…
After that embarassing peformance, McCain is probably wondering if he might have been better off picking Hilary.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:14 am
so wait…if you don’t want gun stores next to elementary schools, you hate the second amendment?
You don’t think that’s a bit of a stretch?
September 25th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Maybe katie should have asked who was the president during the great depression and did they get Showtime back then? Who knows — she might have answered Jimmy Carter - which, by the way, is what we will get if the O is elected.
Sorry - maybe it’s just me - but i don’t see a lot of difference in this video and what we’ve been seeing ever since this election campaigning started (about three years ago). Generalities, platitudes, and interviewers who do those “let me look really serious” cutaways. No danger of brain overload in this interview format maybe but certainly not the horrible image that some are making out. Her record - once you get pass the partisan campaign soundbites and research it for yourself - shows her -for the most part -to have been an effective leader in Alaska. But I will concede that this is probably irrelevant in modern day elections — what really matters is how well you do in a five minute interview. Go figure….
September 25th, 2008 at 6:16 am
This is painful to watch. I take no joy in watching Palin struggle to answer questions. I think she’s a terrible pick for vice president.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Bah, Jess just threw the gun control issue out there in order to deflect attention away from Palin’s terrible, terrible performance. Don’t take the bait.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Awesome! Blink. Blink. Blink. Blinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblinkblink!
September 25th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Where are the comments from the folks that just a couple of days ago were willing to take bets on Palin creaming Biden in the the debate. She isn’t even well versed at the talking points. I was willing to take bets then, I’m definitely willing to take them now.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:21 am
To Jess:-
If you don’t know the answer, say so! I’ll take that any day over blind arrogance and self conceit.
The problem is, she does know - just the way that you and I and the dogs in the street know that there are no other examples of McCain being pro-regulation. That makes her comment a ‘lie by omission’.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:28 am
The only difference between Palin and Obama, in terms of answering questions, is Obama skirts the issues more eloquently. You can point me to his web site and tell me the answers are there, but if he can’t and won’t talk about answers, that just tells me that he doesn’t know them. He just has a better way of not saying anything. If you consider that presidential, than go ahead and vote for him. But tell me this, is it better to say nothing of substance, which admittedly Palin did, or contradict your running mate at every turn - like Biden has been doing. The difference between Palin and Biden is that Palin is smart enough to not answer a question she does not know that answer for and Biden is cocky enough to throw an incorrect answer out there just for the sake of answering. If we are going to obsess over VP candidates, let’s see a little more about Biden’s gaffs - there have been many. And finally, I think it’s rude and yes, elitist, to ask someone who may or may not be as informed as you to not vote. The Democrats have made a living getting votes from people that have no insight into the issues. Rocks, glass house, you get it.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:34 am
This is so sad. She really has no idea what is going on.
I second the poster who resents the people who are voting for Palin because she is “just like me”. First with GW and now with Palin, anti-”elitism” is really anti-intellectualism. Too many Americans are so arrogant and self-centered that every one of their attributes must be elevated into a virtue, while every quality they lack is demoted to a vice. As Bill Maher said, “Barack Obama can’t help it if he’s a magna cum laude Harvard grad and you’re a Wal-Mart shopper who resurfaces driveways with your brother-in-law.”
I tried, I really tried to identify with and understand “values voters” for a while. I thought Mike Huckabee spoke eloquently on life issues and the second amendment. But they went with Palin because they want to practice the politics of resentment, cultural class warfare. It is base political calculus; it is easier to appeal to people’s irrational instincts than their rational faculties. My hope is that the narcissism of the typical American voter that leads them to seriously consider Palin also leads them to consider that, in the end, it does benefit them directly to have someone competent at the helm. I think declining poll numbers for McCain and favorability ratings for Palin are indicative of a slow and steady shift
That said, I might be inclined to feel sorry for her if she didn’t support shooting defenseless animals from airplanes for fun.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Split, I think he was making a joke, more than being partisan and actually asking a narrow minded, uninformed Republican not to vote. Biden’s gaffes, have been noted, the difference is that he has given a respectable number of interviews, fielded questions, and some missteps are to be expected. The Problem is that they seem to be shielding her, and when she seems confused and inarticulate, it appears that they are shielding her for a reason.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I do believe that I will become a Canadian if this election goes to people with this level of comprehension.
September 25th, 2008 at 8:42 am
[...] frankly, they would have done well to pull Palin off the road after that interview with Couric. [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 8:49 am
As a life-long republican, I must concede Mrs. Palin did not do as well as she might have. Maybe the full interview will prove to be different. The Democrats do have the argument in their favor about her being “one heart beat away.” It is likely just too much for them to accept that notion knowing who is already only two heart beats away. Yea, Nancy Pelosi. Isn’t the double standard astounding. It all reminds me of the best line in the Wizard of Oz. “Pay no attention to that man behind the screne.” Frankly, I think that sums up the entirety of the Obama campaign.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Rick,
Even Pelosi would be a better choice as being one heartbeat away from the president than Palin. You may not like her, shoot, I don’t like her, but she knows the issues, has equated herself well in head to head battles with republicans, she has corraled the far left of her party, and she can handle any interview thrown her way.
With that argument you are now official grasping at straws
September 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
That last part was pretty hard to watch. I can’t see how Palin has any favorable ratings whatsoever.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I find her clear lack of interest in national economic and foreign policy issues to be refreshing.
I hate these fancy Harvard Law School educated liberal know-it-alls. They are always paying attention to the issues for years and then say what they think is the “best” plan.
It’s about time that we got someone with a community college education, who was planning on making a living by announcing semi-pro hockey scores for a small town sports program to start calling the shots around here.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Joy, you say after you review Palin’s effectiveness as a mayor and Gov in Alaska, that she woulod be qualified to lead. Tell me where did you do your research, building an overpriced sport complex on land you do not even have deed to, voting for the “BTN “and then lying that you said no but no thanks, keeping the money and building a road to nowhere, not responding to subpeona’s after you said you would fully cooperate, are not the qualities of a effective leader but more like an opportunist. Palin is a puppet the Repubs are the puppet master for both her and McCain, it’s all about keeping the power, just like the 7 billion$ fiasco that is being shoved down America’s throat, did you know that we have to take a loan in order to raise this money to bail out the incompetent fiscal leadership(sic). I want someone at the helm who is bright, articulate, thoughtful, cautious, and calm at the helm during this turbulent time in our country. Voting for MCPalin will bring us nothing but eraticism. I honestly feel sorry for the next president whoever they may be. The legacy inherited will be more than anyone should have to face, let alone try to resolve. I feel that McPalin would flounder miserably, panic, and possibly propel this country and the world into a DEPRESSION. Calm, intelligent, thoughtful consideration of all avenues of resolution will be needed and I feel only Sen.Obama is capable of fulfilling these needed criteria.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Wow. You guys are a little brutal here.
I consider myself very well informed and educated on the issues and the candidates. Even as a conservative, I watch mostly CNN for a few hours a day and listen to what is being said.
This interview was bad.
Obama stumbles on himself too (not AS bad), but the mainstream media doesn’t seem to attack him as much for skirting the issues - obfuscating as it may be and he’s the presidential candidate. McCain too; the women on the morning show tore him to shreds. So I wonder, is this some feminine phenomenon; do women just seem stupider when they do the same thing?
That said, I still don’t agree with Obama on some major issues. He appears very socialistic to me, and I don’t want to die in an ER waiting room like the man in Canada this week due to a failing socialized healthcare system that would probably be instituted under his regime. We can’t even get social security to work! We have failed time and time again with government programs designed to serve the people (Medicaid, Welfare, SS). Those programs are still not fixed (nor will they be) and we want to begin screwing up healthcare. Given, the system is broken and needs definate regulation.
I also think that when he speaks of foreign policy it sounds very surreal and idealistic, as if the scenarios that he has played out in his mind on talks and relations are inevitable; I am concerned that he does not seem to consider his position if those talks were to fail - as they most likely will (no offense to Obama, but the rest of the world just isn’t as democratic as we are. ha. ha.).
As far as guns…
I have no problem with not wanting a gunstore next to an elementary or high school, but five miles is a large radius. Consider that throughout the US there is probably (unless you live in Oklahoma or a state with large barren areas where no one lives anyway) a school or park or several within that radius in every area and adjacent. There just doesn’t remain a location for retail under those specifications, and that was the point of his support of that bill; it would virtually eliminate the sale of guns in this country.
All of this aside from the interview, which is this forum. So, yeah, it was bad. I concede. I hope it was a bad moment and that she posesses better media skills than this. I thought that she had before and am hoping for more evidence of that.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
The selection of Sarah Palin is often defended in terms of Barack Obama, as though his sparse experience excuses hers. In fact, Barack Obama was chosen in spite of his lack of experience, not because of it. Although Obama has only been in the Senate for 3 1/2 years, his background and education provide him with some understanding of our government. He is able to answer tough questions logically and coherently, conveying not simply his understanding of the issues, but also reflecting the time spent pondering solutions to the tough issues that face us.
I was optimistic that although Sarah Palin lacked any formal education or apparent exposure to broad national or international issues, that she would be able to speak coherently on those topics. Instead, after viewing her interviews, I was chilled to the core and afraid for America. Palin’s interviews made is abundantly apparent that not only did she lack any view of her own on the topic, but that she was able to do little more than repeat talking points.
Perhaps there is some merit to Typical Republican’s assertion that someone “who was planning on making a living by announcing semi-pro hockey scores for a small town sports program [should] start calling the shots around here,” but do you honestly think it’s Palin who is drafting her talking points? She can’t answer simple questions posed by Couric; how can we expect her to “call the shots” when she lacks a rudimentary understanding of the issues?
The reason that experience matters is that time generally yields wisdom with which a candidate will draw on in making decisions, but experience is not the only way that a good leader makes decisions. Obama may lack McCain’s experience, but no one can argue that he doesn’t understand the issues. Likewise, after seeing her interviews, no one can argue (convincingly) that Sarah Palin does.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
As a life long Republican, I have never been so embarrassed. This lady came to a nationwide interview totally unprepared, not to speak of being oblivious to what’s going on in the world around her. She hasn’t even bothered to learn some things about Senator McCain. This is a governor of a state?
September 25th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Uhh . . . on second thought, I think I’d take the pit bull!
September 26th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Oh…my…gawd!!
It’s been ten minutes since I watched and I’m STILL uncomfortable.
How can you get behind that? There’s enough chance, even if minute, that McCain won’t live through his first term, that you have to consider the possibility of this woman meeting and negotiating with the world’s leaders. “Um, yea, I’ll get back to ya!”
Oh…my…gawd!!
September 26th, 2008 at 9:08 am
A “token” is never an asset to the demographic group he/she represents. As a woman, I am, not only concerned, but embarrassed and angry. Is this the best you can come up with in your party? Someone to insult women who have achieved their rightful place with hard work to overcome occupational inequality? Really?????
She is playing high school debate tactics in the auditorium with Katy Couric, who is having a hard time avoiding showing disdain in her face.
If I were the Rep party, I would find a way to cancel the debate with Biden (which I think they already did, but voters did not buy into it, so McCain will show up in Ol’ Miss with lipstick and egg on his face). It is one thing to be “freshman” and another entirely to have the appearance of attempting to bamboozle voters with sophomoric, insulting, poorly contrived strategies, comments and formulations. Did she think these up in the car on the way over?
This is not about Sarah Palin, but the condition of America, and having people in place to lead knowledgably and remain steadfast at the helm. Nevermind how she would respond to Putin, how would she respond/collaberate the those on the Banking and Finance committee handling the congressional talks with Wall Street…seriously…try to picture that. Barney Frank (committee chair) would thank her, and shut the door in her face, not wasting crucial time on “lipstick, shoes and Quale-esque moments” of importence.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:16 am
about the surge mentioned above…dont be so dumb people…
it went down this way
1. bush makes war, no facts
2. removes police/military infrastructure, doesnt want old regime
3. war movement collapses
4. Bush, on his knees, no makes deal to preseve legacy (yah, right!)
5. Patreus invites local talke with…who?…those Bush forced out of the police/miliary infrastructure.
WIN???…we bring back those we fought against because we are losing, and call it a win, as the terrorism slows…BECAUSE they are running the show again…can anyone say….DDDDUUUUUUUHHHHH!!!!!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Jess,
You choose to cite the odd and rare occurence of a man dying in the ER waiting for a bed in Canada, to compare with the US where millions of Americans have no health insurance and are not waiting for a bed, but are turned away from a bed because they cannot affoard medical care.
You are going to compare the quality of American health care, which studies show, that despit costing multiple times more, still has poorer peformance than Canadian as well as other social health care programs.
You are going to compare people selling their homes (if the bank hasn’t yet foreclosed) so they can pay for a required operation or procedure.
Don’t believe the hype. Social health care, while not perfect, is far superior to private health care which provides little or no security to the average person. Take a look around the world. Every other developed nation has social health care…..America is the only one without. An average person is entitled to fuller health care in Cuba than in America. Look beyond your borders. Look beyond your media. CNN is not the be all and end all of news.