Flee the Press

[telcoman]

When Sara When

Dailykos

http://www.dailykos.com/

Flee the Press by georgia10 Thu Sep 04, 2008 at 09:00:35 AM PDTIt's been five days now and John McCain has not allowed his vice-presidential pick to be interviewed by the press even once.

If the McCain-Palin ticket is about "tranparency" and "reform," why are they so afraid about letting Sarah Palin talk to the press?

Oh, that's right. Because as a result of John McCain's two-minute "vetting" process (Rush Limbaugh loves her, so it's a go), reporters (and bloggers, for matter) have undertaken the real vetting process. And if John McCain is so intent on keeping his vice-presidential pick away from questions, well, what does that have to say about how she might answer?

What is her problem?

Telcoman

[hsckris]

Rampant speculation does not a good post make... and until you prove that McCain is forcing her not to speak to the press this post is just that, speculation.
Modified by hsckris at 10:15 AM 9/4/2008

[HashiriyaS14]

I agree that this is speculation.

If it gets to 2 or 3 weeks after the convention and she still hasn't done any interviews, then it will be highly suspect, and it wouldn't matter whether it was McCain's or her own decision. They ALL need to be open to interviews and TV appearances, it's part of the public vetting process.

[smockers83]

Depending on what channel you watched the RNC on, they reported on her exposure to the press, how its going to work, and why.

[HashiriyaS14]

Depending on what channel you watched the RNC on, they reported on her exposure to the press, how its going to work, and why.

Nope, didn't see that. I'd be interested to hear it though.

I've heard that she can have a reluctance to go off-message, which doesn't come across very well. Apparently (admittedly this is somewhat unsubstantiated) the Alaskan press often give her a break on this, but I doubt someone like, say, Keith Olbermann is going to give her a break.

The key to her coming across well in the media will be how she answers questions regarding her stances on social issues. If they can effectively pin her down as wanting to teach creationism or outlaw abortion, she's in deep poo.

[AZhitman]

Just a thought, and it's not a defense or an attack on the VP candidate:

Did the press vet Cheney like this? I don't recall it being so "intrusive".

And, if not, perhaps they should have. Perhaps his current detractors missed the boat and failed to take the opportunity to see what he was all about when he ran with GWB.

Then again, maybe it was just like it's really always been: The VP candidate doesn't really matter all that much.

I dunno which it is.

Thoughts?

[smockers83]

On C-SPAN I think it was, they were talking about the very issue of how she will be limited to the press for awhile--they were saying about two weeks before she can go out on her own. Otherwise she'll have advisers with her or McCain with her. This is because they want her debriefed on all of the issues, to make sure she's ready to face the press, and all of that jazz. They want to ease her into it instead of just throwing her out there. I mean, she is from rural Alaska. Being from rural areas, you need training to deal with the media. I know from experience, if you know what I mean. (That's partially a joke) If you want more details, I don't recall exactly what they were saying (that's the gist of it), I could try and find that portion of the broadcast but it would be hard.

Yes, we get C-SPAN in rural America along with any other channel, minus the local channels obviously. We have cable and satellite, no rabbit ears.

[ishkabibble]

Did the press vet Cheney like this? I don't recall it being so "intrusive".

And, if not, perhaps they should have. Perhaps his current detractors missed the boat and failed to take the opportunity to see what he was all about when he ran with GWB.

Then again, maybe it was just like it's really always been: The VP candidate doesn't really matter all that much.

I dunno which it is.

Thoughts?

I agree. The general public didn't know a whole lot about Cheney until it was too late. People didn't really care about the VP back then.

People are paying a lot closer attention to politics (and, in turn, the VP) these days, for what I see as two reasons:

1. A lot of people can't wait for the current administration to get out.2. The "uniter, not a divider" turned out to do exactly the opposite

[szh]

It's been five days now and John McCain has not allowed his vice-presidential pick to be interviewed by the press even once.

Perhaps, she is being given some time to get up to speed on some topics? This is really speculation on my part, of course!

Oh, that's right. Because as a result of John McCain's two-minute "vetting" process (Rush Limbaugh loves her, so it's a go), reporters (and bloggers, for matter) have undertaken the real vetting process.

Two minute "vetting" process by John McCain? Where did that information come from ... do you have a reference, please? Thanks!

Z

[Jimefam]

Just a thought, and it's not a defense or an attack on the VP candidate:

Did the press vet Cheney like this? I don't recall it being so "intrusive".

And, if not, perhaps they should have. Perhaps his current detractors missed the boat and failed to take the opportunity to see what he was all about when he ran with GWB.

Then again, maybe it was just like it's really always been: The VP candidate doesn't really matter all that much.

I dunno which it is.

Thoughts?

I do think that the vetting is and should be harder for her than cheney. The biggest reason is that mccain is very old to take on this position and the probablity of her assuming the POTUS is as high as its ever been for a VP. Just look at the before and after pictures of any president and you can see the wear this job inflicts. Also cheney has been in many peoples eyes one of the most powerful VP in history so we are aware that the choice isn't as irrelevant as it may have seemed in the past. Biden hasn't recieved as much heat because he's been around forever and was vetted pretty well when he ran for POTUS just now.