Father Knows Best
If anyone thinks John McCain actually picked Sarah Palin because he thinks she's capable and ready to step in as President should he be unable to serve, just take a look at how he's "handling" her. For weeks now she's been allowed ONE national interview, and even that was not taped live nor with any of the big hitters in political reporting (no slight on Charlie Gibson intended). And now she's not even allowed to address questions about her governing of the state of Alaska without running it by daddy first.
GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is effectively turning over questions about her record as Alaska's governor to John McCain's political campaign, part of an ambitious Republican strategy to limit any embarrassing disclosures and carefully shape her image for voters in the rest of the country.
That's right, the Governor of the Great State of Alaska is not allowed to answer questions by herself.
With charges of sexism flying fast and free this election cycle, does anyone find McCain's heavy hand in managing Sarah Palin just a little bit...paternal? This is a woman who could sit as the Vice President of the United States come January 20 and MAY have to one day assume the role of President but she can't be trusted to answer some questions about her own record as Governor? Quite a vote of confidence there, Mac.
Comments
Wait until the debates when Daddy isn't around. Palin will likely blow it, but as witnessed in 2004, winning debates means nothing to the American public. When will the US elect an intelligent leader again?
Posted by: Todd | September 17, 2008 12:18 PM
The problem with "debates" is that the Left and Right use different yardsticks to measure a debater's success. On the Left, one gets high marks for making salient points supported by evidence. On the Right, one gets high marks for screaming louder than one's opponent.
The MSM will declare a victory for Palin, in part because the expectations for her are so low that if she just shows up and spews a few talking points and says "USA" and "9/11" a few times she will have performed better than expected. Biden will make the mistake of talking about actual issues, which most Americans neither understand nor really care about.
Posted by: Jude | September 17, 2008 1:45 PM
Jude, I love you man, but when people use the abbreviation "MSM" they always come across as a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy nut. I don't disagree with your points at all, but it's sort of like calling anti-abortion people "anti-choice" or calling estate taxes "death tax." It just reeks of agenda.
Posted by: Jake | September 17, 2008 2:21 PM
"MSM" is a moniker commonly employed by the Right which is sort of a code-word for "Liberal Media." So, yes, it is a product of a paranoid viewpoint as the Right is convinced that the MSM is out to tarnish their image. That's partly why I chose to employ "MSM" in this instance; it's a play on the term "MSM" since anybody who pays attention knows that the MSM in this country actually fairly conservative.
The media is almost afraid to treat Palin like an actual candidate for the second highest office in the land. Look for some serious soft-ball questions for her during the "debate." From my crystal ball - "Mr. Biden, in light of the recent collapse of the mortgage lending industry, would you support legislation akin to the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act and, if so, how would you like to see those regulations modified to reflect today's investment banking industry?" vs. "Ms. Palin, can you name an animal other than a moose?"
Okay, I jest, but only slightly...
Perhaps "SCLM" (So-Called Liberal Media) would have been more appropriate?
Posted by: Jake, | September 17, 2008 7:59 PM
Ha! I like CSLM.
But when the right thinks the media is liberal and the left thinks the media is conservative, isn't that an indicator that they might be more unbiased than either side would like to admit? Either that, or the right-wingers are just dumb...
Posted by: Jake | September 18, 2008 2:13 PM