The mysterious Sarah Palin
Posted on September 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm by Patrick KeeganSince her splash at the GOP convention, there have been precious few opportunities for the press to get a chance to question Sarah Palin.
A blogger from Newsweek wondered aloud what kind of access the press would have to Palin after the Convention. Just a week later, this article chronicles just what Newsweek wondered about - the fact that the Palin was being shielded from the press.
The lack of access has started to make some wonder when she would be available for interview.
Queue the Charlie Gibson interview, where she held her on on some areas, looked a little nervous in others, and got slammed over the entire “Bush Doctrine” exchange, even if its a little vague what is the true definition of the “Bush Doctrine”.
Just today, the press staged a protest by threatening to boycott Palin’s appearance at the United Nations for, once again, limiting access. The Palin camp eventually relented.
She has not held one press conference since her nomination as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate. She’s had two major interviews, the aforementioned “Bush Doctrine” encounter with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, and one with Sean Hannity, which looked more like a bar league slow-pitch softball game.
There has long been complaints that the media has favored Obama, and its hard to argue against the fact that there are media biases for both sides (MSNBC, Fox). But when it comes down to it, the media has very little to work with when it comes to Sarah Palin, and so the frustration level has ultimately lead to small revolts like today. We can’t soon forget that John McCain once called the media “his base”, but more recently he’s left his base hanging out to dry.
The good news for Palin today is as she learns more about international relations at the U.N. meetings, there will be at least one person there she’s probably heard of - namely U2’s Bono.
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I agree that this is frustrating, Patrick. Although I think it is part of what THEY consider a disciplined reveal strategy (i.e, giving Palin time to get up to speed). Contrast this with some apparent Obama-Biden lack of discipline in getting their stories straight lately. Which hurts more?
It’s hard to say Eric. It is obvious that Obama and Biden are not always on the same page, but at least they’ve been out there talking. They are taking their knocks now, whereas eventually McCain and Palin have to come out from under cover.
To me, keeping Palin under wraps this long means they are hiding something. Not anything sinister mind you, but hiding that she really isn’t up to speed, and it’s been taking her longer than they wanted to get her up to speed.
“Not anything sinister mind you, but hiding that she really isn’t up to speed, and it’s been taking her longer than they wanted to get her up to speed.”
Or maybe they want the argument to revolve around Palin and not McCain? What Presidential candidate in history runs against the VP of the other ticket? Yet every time I turn around there’s another story about what Palin is or isn’t. If the Democrats want to win, stop obsessing over Palin and take the battle to McCain. Remind the conservatives of why they don’t like him and that will help alienate about a third of his base. Work on the moderates that have common ground with Obama and represent about a third of the whole voting block. Then work on shoring up his own fringe base. He’s got three fronts he needs to fight, and Palin isn’t one of them. He keeps focusing on her and he’s toast.
I disagree Shawn. The assault on Palin is a direct attempt to shore up his own base, mostly Clinton women voters. Polls have shown that he’s struggled to pull them in, and that many were caught up in the fact the GOP nominated a woman.
But why should Clinton women vote for Sarah Palin? Palin’s stands on issues should be anathema to Clinton voters, but they are still stuck on her loss. You bring them back to Earth with the fact that Palin is far, far from what Hillary Clinton stood for, he stands a better chance to retain her votes.
As far as needing to concentrate on McCain? Why? McCain was desperate when he picked Palin. He needed a shot of energy, he needed to get the conservative base that doesn’t like or trust him to do just that. Sarah Palin was the answer.
Sarah Palin is a can of Red Bull to the John McCain - a short term burst of energy with a lot of emoty calories, but after a while, the caffeine and sugar high wear off, and the body crashes.
McCain has to hope the high makes it to November.
I disagree with your disagreement.
Trying to shore up the women vote by attacking another woman won’t work. He has already lost those votes because they were all about having a woman on the ticket more than they were about abortion which is the only real wedge issue they might care about. Most of those women are soccer moms that decided to have children and probably wouldn’t personally choose to have an abortion, yet believe their sisters should have the right to choose. He’s not getting those voters back unless he puts a woman on the ticket…but even then, a woman scorned…?
He won’t get anywhere on the experience issue because it backfires on him. He won’t get traction with corruption issues because no one cares and everyone believes all politicians are inherently corrupt. What has he got left? Pointing out she likes guns and the Bible? Wow, that should win him votes.
All McCain has to do is keep her out of an uncontrolled spotlight and they win. McCain can keep trotting Palin around the USA filling stadiums to their hearts content. She’s a winner in that arena.
Barack is running a campaign against the intangible ideal that Palin represents, instead of just Sarah Palin. You can’t win against an ideal because it has more to do with feelings and emotion than it does reality. She’s pretty, has a great husband, came from the small town to take on the establishment and won. Now she’s headed to Washington to clean house and don’t ya just love her? How is Barack going to beat that head to head? The more he focuses on her, the more the ideal she represents cements itself in the voter’s mind. Unless she comes out and does something real and stupid, she remains the superwoman of conservatives’ dreams…
I’m a Libertarian Conservative and I like her too. She makes me feel all warm inside. I might even consider voting for McC…damnit, you see what I mean…?
McCain: 1, Barack: 0 -
Palin: 1 divided by Zero
Pretty good analysis.
All they had to do was to throw her into the arena for a short moment in a very controlled setting. That was enough to establish the projection screen for conservatives dreams. What they now have to do is to hide her from the spotlights.
As you can see the brainwashed crowd is willing to sort any kind of information around to make the ideal fit. It’s all about emotions and culture. It is against any sort of rationality and given the stakes in play it is dangerous for all of us. It reminds one of Orwell’s 1984 but in the end they probably will win.
If it was not so sad and dangerous one would like to laugh.
Hi Eddio, I read Shawns statement twice and still don’t have the slightest idea how you come to your interpretation of his words.
Regarding Palin, the strategy and conflicts behind her appearences, my fears, the comparison with Obama and the like there would be much to say. If you wish we can exchange this another time, though it would cost me some time to point out my view, it would be pretty long, it would require the will to have a real discussion and, so I suspect, everything is already said, we just have to recap the different blogs, paper contributions etc. Finally it’s all about how we sort the information to confirm the views we already have/had in advance.
It’s a pitty that our exchange about Obamas appearence in Berlin disappeared, but at least I hope you noticed my last reply.
Warm regards
OK, G.O. - Shawn was writing with some creative license. He’s not advocating an abdicatiion of reason for emotion, OK? But his point behind the hyperbole is cogent. Obama can’t attack her because she’s a “him”; she is a mirror to him on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Her narrative matches his, and he knows it. She’s riding the clouds he rode for about 12+ months before Hillary started taking potshots at him. The big difference is that her “ride” is with the American people, not the media.
In fact, that’s why the media hates her - because she’s his story, and she is stealing the thunder the MSM crafted for him. They’ve been upstaged, hoodwinked, outmanueverd, and it enrages them. SlowJoe has been all but forgotten and ignored in this process, and yet he’s had less press events (at least ones anyone will cover), more gaffes (in spades!), and more leniency by the media compared to her. And you wonder IF the media is biased? That’s like saying the New York Yankees have won a few games over the years. Massive understatement…
Yes, G.O. - Appreciate the banter as well. I agree - we could go round and round on many topics. Good posting…
How sweet itis, when liberals whine
Re the press being treated unfair.
That Sarah isn’t just walking into
Their ambushes daily, everywhere.
Press treatment of Sarah Barracuda
Has been contentious and plain rude
But, she survived and thrived and
Now the liberal”press” is screwed!
Obviously, she doesn’t need them;
The crowd down in Florida was 60K,
In Green Bay, 4K more than Obama…
Her crowds & friends grow each day.
Gibson’s interview was insulting,
Condescending,looking over glasses,
Ambush questions from a master of
Giving all Democrats free passes.
Sarah Tsumani is too smart to be
Forced into gotchas, traps & mines.
She’s easing into her new world.
We think she’s doing just fine.
Whodat loves it when liberals whine
about unfair treatment, but see no problem with NBC or NYT or CBS or any of the rest.
Red Ed loves it when Whodat slings poetry around like a heavyweight champ throwing a haymaker.
I’m far from whining Whodat, I’m just stating the fact that Sarah Palin has had a historically small amount of contact with the press, and that includes Fox News.
Conservatives are blinded by guns and abortion here. She shares your views with key issues, that doesn’t make her prepared to be Vice President, let along President.
You know where this is going, right?
“She shares your views with key issues, that doesn’t make her prepared to be Vice President, let along President.”
No more than Obama is qualified in my eyes for the same job. That’s been my point for the last 6+ months. Glad you see the light.
So many political strategies can make very little sense and leaves the rest of us trying to figure out what in the world they’re doing. Who knows why they’re REALLY taking this approach, but we can all have fun speculating about it. It could be just to make folks, like you, “itch” about it for attention’s sake.
In a scenario where Obama wasn’t actually running for pres and the demo nominee pulled him in as a running mate a couple months before the election, I would guess that we would see a very similar situation with “press protection”. But Obama has had a VERY long time to prep himself despite his lack of time and experience in this political level since he decided way back when that he was running for the top spot. Biden’s been around the national scene for so long that most people who care already have their opinions about him.
If she’s not ready to face the press, how is she ready to face the world? How will she stand up to Iran and North Korea? The number one line in the theoretical job description of a Vice President is that you need to be ready to assume the office and duties of the President of the United States.
And right now, they won’t even hold a press conference for her.
How about a football analogy? (Especially since those Pats of yours got roasted by a bunch of fins - he, he.) A backup quarterback gets picked up by a new team. He’s got 3 weeks to get the playbook memorized forwards and backwards and ready to call the offense. Does he take the time to have multiple press conferences and bay holding session beyond the bare minimum? If he’s worth his weight in salt, he’s busting his hump cramming the brain and preparing himself to go at it publicly.
SP is just memorizing the playbook and preparing to call the offense. In case you forgot, she’s got a highly public date with an old comb-over that could be defining her as either a new star on the screen or a disaster. I’d rather she memorize the playbook now and hold babies later.
Thanks for the analogy RSE. It explains it well.
The “stand up to Iran and North Korea” point is just the reason why I’m afraid of your man Obama. While the economy may be most people’s #1 issue, national security remains mine. He has certainly come across as the type that isn’t going to “stand up” to these threats. He wants to have tea and cookies with them instead. I’d take a legitimate estrogen-filled woman (Hillary doesn’t qualify since she’s just a man-wannabe) over Mr. Tea-and-Cookies because, as most of you married men know, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
she’s got a highly public date with an old comb-over…..I’d rather she memorize the playbook now and hold babies later.
Too funny. Thanks for the laugh.
Now you know, Patrick, with the level of vitriol and invectic being poured out on her by every corner of the MSM and elites like the Hollywood stars, it would seem prudent and wise to restrict the access. Too many reporters would want to “make their name” in liberal circles as the guy/gal who played “gotcha” with SP and got her to say something incorrect so they could parade it around and offer it as a rebuttal to her revival of the R ticket. That’s just blatantly obvious. Gibson was just about tripping over his tie to get out the door with his little nugget as exhibit A.
If I had a bunch of cretans in front of my house waiting to publicly humiliate my daughter in some personal way, you bet I’d be out there with a loaded shotgun, clinging to my Bible, asking which of them thinks he’s a lucky punk who wants to make my day. I’d definitely restrict the access to her by any of them, and only under guarded and secure conditions.
How long did it take to get Obama on Bill O’Reilly? (Answer: a real, long time. And we all know why, too.)
You don’t have to rhyme, Red Ed. I love it when you talk conservative! I say, “well, said!”
I am sad that you didn’t contact me for lobsters and a couple of Sam Adams Ales when you were up in the Boston area Whodat.
Next year. You’re on. My wife’s family has a place down in Plymouth. Lots of great golf courses and a few places to have a Sam. I mean, if I can stay married to a Yankee for 31 years, I can enjoy a few beers or a round of golf with a liberal.
Whodat, like McCain, believes in “Counry First”. But, beer and golf are tied for 2nd…
We were just in Plymouth in May. Beautiful city, toured the “boat”, went to Plymouth Plantation (which sounded like they wrote the narrative straight out of Liberal U.). Also rode the T into Bahston. Kids & Missus had a great time…
Unfortunately, today is one of those rare occassions where I’m not in the mood for an arugement with Patrick today… 80 hour work weeks to that to you.
I do have one question though, when has Biden held a press conference? Maybe he did and it just wasn’t covered?
You know, its picky litte observations like that that are upsetting to liberals. Just keep your facts to yourself. Besides, after the last 72 hours of Bidenisms, I think the Obama camp will have Joe duct-taped and in the trunk for the next 45 days.
But, you are right; Sarah has logged moe one-on-one interview time than SlowJoe..
Whodat always loves to watch the wheels come off liberal wagons…
My bad… I forgot the rules… no negative talk about Obama or the Democrats.
Alaina loves to watch the wheels come off liberal wagons too…
Oh, and when are they going to break out the teleprompter for Biden?
No, but he has been vetted over the last 30+ years he’s been in the Senate. We know very little about Palin.
Oh wait, given her experience, maybe there is very little to know?
Uh, are you talking about Palin or Obama?
Hmm, can’t tell the difference between a “him” and a “her” eh?
Besides taking yet another cheap shot, you’ve ignored the fact that Obama has also been vetted for the last year and a half, including a couple dozen debates and hundreds of press conferences and interviews, making him far and away more known to the voting public.
But of course that means nothing to you, because you are right and will always be right. And I don’t mean you are correct, but I don’t expect you’d understand that, since you couldn’t even tell the difference between “him” and “her”.
Why do liberals like Patrick insist on trying to run the McCain campaign. If keeping her away from the hater-press is a bad political move, so be it. The strategy on how they choose to use Palin in this campaign is completely up to camp-McCain, not the liberal in the media or Patrick.
Over the next 40 days I hope McCain will choose to keep Palin away from the Palin-hating media and Obama will continue to allow Biden to continue to entertain us with his gaffs.
I’d want to stay away from the Palin-hating press too. Why would you want to talk to people who are going to twist your words and take them out of context?
She has too many things to do than worry about pleasing a bunch of whiny journalists. Maybe they should go after Biden; poor guy isn’t getting much air time.
Well, Patrick?
Looks like you have no takers for your hidden Sarah observations. It must get lonely being you. Have you considered work as a Maytag repairman?
Whodat believes that there is a nitch for everybody
Or how about backup quarterback for the local NFL team? Heard there’s a need…
I played baseball and was more of a hitter than a fielder or thrower.
Not sure if I have the stuff, but thanks for the job tip RSE.
I don’t expect many people on here to agree with me, but I keep posting in the hope that a couple of you may actually be open-minded about things once in a while.
Anyway, fun debates as always.
Sorry, Patrick, but none of you are open minded.
Everyone (R) knows (O) that (N) ONLY (P) Libertarians (A) are (U) truly (L) open (!) minded.
Shawn. Shawn. Shawn.
Y’all are determined and original. Funny stuff. Thanks.
Does “open minded” = “agree with Patrick”?
Not at all, I just see, with few exceptions, a lot of people going with McCain because he has an (R) next to his name.
My guess is that Senator McCain was not a popular choice among the conservative denizens of this site, I just find “blind faith” a little beyond people who are interested enough in the political process to blog about it.
I’m glad to be open about my misgivings about Obama.
I do have some concerns about his experience.
I think he is a gifted public speaker, but I think he’s going to have his hands full with McCain in the debates because of their styles.
Some of his quotes that border on sounding socialist give me pause.
That said, I think this country has a lot of problems, and he is a pretty smart guy who will come at the job with a different approach than the current administration.
“Not at all, I just see, with few exceptions, a lot of people going with McCain because he has an (R) next to his name.”
AMEN!
“Some of his quotes that border on sounding socialist give me pause.”
My guess, from reading your posts, is that you are probably more along the lines of a social liberal with fiscal conservative leanings. You probably find yourself aligned more with the middle but leaning strongly left. Just a guess. You would probably find that if you sat down with Kaiser and had a beer, you would agree on more than you disagree.
Again, I don’t know you, I’m just guessing.
Despite what most likely think, I’m actually quite a likable person. I get passionate about politics, but it’s not personal