Free Sarah Palin: McCain Camp Called Out by CNN Reporter

[iheartscience]

I thought this was an interesting clip. Anchor Campbell Brown called out the McCain crew for their apparent sexism in keeping Palin from the press. Quote and link below:

"Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/23/campbell-brown-rips-mccai_n_128782.html

What do you all think? It does seem rather patriarchal to prevent Palin from interacting with reporters. What are they "protecting" her from, I wonder?

 

[diamondfan]

I am not sure I think it is because she is a woman...

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Definitely not because she's a woman in my opinion, my guess is they're trying to prevent her from becoming a gaffe-machine if that's possible at all.

ETA: Not to mention a bunch of pundits were literally throwing fits on the MSM shows yesterday because she met with foreign leaders, got good photo ops, and then dared not to take questions from reporters. Gasp!

 

[purrfectpear]

Let''s get real here. They aren''t protecting HER, they''re protecting THEMSELVES. No one wants her to open her mouth until they''ve had a lot more time to "brief" (pound some intelligence in her) her on foreign policy. This is a woman who wasn''t quite sure what the duties of a VP were

I think Palin is probably an intelligent woman who can learn what is needed, but I don''t think she was VP material when picked. We''ll have to see if she''s a quick study, or just an embarassment that has to be kept in the background.

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 9/24/2008 9:05:09 AM
Author: purrfectpear
Let''s get real here. They aren''t protecting HER, they''re protecting THEMSELVES. No one wants her to open her mouth until they''ve had a lot more time to ''brief'' (pound some intelligence in her) her on foreign policy. This is a woman who wasn''t quite sure what the duties of a VP were

I think Palin is probably an intelligent woman who can learn what is needed, but I don''t think she was VP material when picked. We''ll have to see if she''s a quick study, or just an embarassment that has to be kept in the background.

I agree, this is the real reason, however, Campbell went after them with a smart angle. I do have to wonder, if she were a man, if she would be as protected as she is...I''m not completely sure. Whatever the case, kudos to Ms. Brown.

 

[movie zombie]

she was selected for VP and therefore put into the spotlight by those now trying to protect us from what she might say. not very democratic but then our election process whereby groups try to stop other groups from voting isn''t very demcratic in the first place.

movie zombie

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/24/2008 8:44:32 AM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Definitely not because she''s a woman in my opinion, my guess is they''re trying to prevent her from becoming a gaffe-machine if that''s possible at all.

ETA: Not to mention a bunch of pundits were literally throwing fits on the MSM shows yesterday because she met with foreign leaders, got good photo ops, and then dared not to take questions from reporters. Gasp!

Yes, because it''s customary to answer questions from the press. The McCain camp wanted good press (photo-ops) but didn''t want to open themselves up to bad press (she says something stupid because she has zero foreign policy experience). That''s not really how journalism and a free press work.

 

[E B]

Date: 9/24/2008 9:05:09 AM
Author: purrfectpear
Let''s get real here. They aren''t protecting HER, they''re protecting THEMSELVES. No one wants her to open her mouth until they''ve had a lot more time to ''brief'' (pound some intelligence in her) her on foreign policy. This is a woman who wasn''t quite sure what the duties of a VP were

This.

This, this, this. They don''t want her opening her mouth and ruining the illusion they''ve created.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/24/2008 10:13:30 AM
Author: MoonWater

Date: 9/24/2008 9:05:09 AM
Author: purrfectpear
Let''s get real here. They aren''t protecting HER, they''re protecting THEMSELVES. No one wants her to open her mouth until they''ve had a lot more time to ''brief'' (pound some intelligence in her) her on foreign policy. This is a woman who wasn''t quite sure what the duties of a VP were

I think Palin is probably an intelligent woman who can learn what is needed, but I don''t think she was VP material when picked. We''ll have to see if she''s a quick study, or just an embarassment that has to be kept in the background.

I agree, this is the real reason, however, Campbell went after them with a smart angle. I do have to wonder, if she were a man, if she would be as protected as she is...I''m not completely sure. Whatever the case, kudos to Ms. Brown.

Ditto x 2. Although I must say I think it''s a little foolish to choose a VP candidate you don''t trust to not make a fool out of his or herself in front of the press.

 

[risingsun]

If she wasn''t VP material when they chose her [ROFL], then pounding facts into her head won''t change that. I''d sooner trust Tina Fey

 

[starsapphire]

I submit that they don''t want her to become a gaffe machine like Joe Biden is. He has been saying some pretty interesting things lately......

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 9/24/2008 10:40:55 AM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 9/24/2008 8:44:32 AM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Definitely not because she''s a woman in my opinion, my guess is they''re trying to prevent her from becoming a gaffe-machine if that''s possible at all.

ETA: Not to mention a bunch of pundits were literally throwing fits on the MSM shows yesterday because she met with foreign leaders, got good photo ops, and then dared not to take questions from reporters. Gasp!

Yes, because it''s customary to answer questions from the press. The McCain camp wanted good press (photo-ops) but didn''t want to open themselves up to bad press (she says something stupid because she has zero foreign policy experience). That''s not really how journalism and a free press work.

There''s actually plenty of times when political candidates refuse to answer questions from the press and/or only answer questions they have received prior to the actual interview, in particular whenever they are engaging in photo-ops. I definitely don''t think it has anything to do with her gender, it''s just strategy because they know that everyone is waiting to pounce on her (which is fair enough); I don''t see anything wrong with her not answering questions right now. I highly doubt there has been ONE VP candidate who had all the knowledge they needed to be asked any question from the media (including Biden). They ALL undergo crash courses on what to say (or not to say). Obviously someone with two failed presidential runs will perform better, however. With other VP candidate making the huge mistakes he is, I frankly don''t blame them. It''s a good strategy because anything she says will most likely be misconstrued and criticized as the media has already built up an image of her they won''t soon be tearing down. Politics are a game; they''re just playing it...of course the media will be upset so I take it with a grain of salt. I will just continue to research her stances on issues and look forward to the debate. It should be a massacre if she''s as bad as everyone says she is. I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

 

[E B]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:02:46 AM
Author: IndyGirl22
I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

She isn''t just "anyone." She is running for Vice President of the United States. We as a concerned nation have every right to ask her as many questions as we need answers to, and she should answer them. Being shielded for fear of what the media will say is absolutely ridiculous. If she isn''t able to answer tough questions in real time, she isn''t ready to be, as they say, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

 

[luckystar112]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:02:46 AM
Author: IndyGirl22

Date: 9/24/2008 10:40:55 AM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 9/24/2008 8:44:32 AM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Definitely not because she''s a woman in my opinion, my guess is they''re trying to prevent her from becoming a gaffe-machine if that''s possible at all.

ETA: Not to mention a bunch of pundits were literally throwing fits on the MSM shows yesterday because she met with foreign leaders, got good photo ops, and then dared not to take questions from reporters. Gasp!

Yes, because it''s customary to answer questions from the press. The McCain camp wanted good press (photo-ops) but didn''t want to open themselves up to bad press (she says something stupid because she has zero foreign policy experience). That''s not really how journalism and a free press work.

There''s actually plenty of times when political candidates refuse to answer questions from the press and/or only answer questions they have received prior to the actual interview, in particular whenever they are engaging in photo-ops. I definitely don''t think it has anything to do with her gender, it''s just strategy because they know that everyone is waiting to pounce on her (which is fair enough); I don''t see anything wrong with her not answering questions right now. I highly doubt there has been ONE VP candidate who had all the knowledge they needed to be asked any question from the media (including Biden). They ALL undergo crash courses on what to say (or not to say). Obviously someone with two failed presidential runs will perform better, however. With other VP candidate making the huge mistakes he is, I frankly don''t blame them. It''s a good strategy because anything she says will most likely be misconstrued and criticized as the media has already built up an image of her they won''t soon be tearing down. Politics are a game; they''re just playing it...of course the media will be upset so I take it with a grain of salt. I will just continue to research her stances on issues and look forward to the debate. It should be a massacre if she''s as bad as everyone says she is. I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

Not only are they waiting to pounce on her, but they''ve already decided they don''t like her. The media is in a race to see who can make her look stupid first. They could care less about her.

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:34:41 AM
Author: EBree

Date: 9/24/2008 11:02:46 AM
Author: IndyGirl22
I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

She isn''t just ''anyone.'' She is running for Vice President of the United States. We as a concerned nation have every right to ask her as many questions as we need answers to, and she should answer them. Being shielded for fear of what the media will say is absolutely ridiculous. If she isn''t able to answer tough questions in real time, she isn''t ready to be, as they say, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Seriously!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:34:41 AM
Author: EBree

Date: 9/24/2008 11:02:46 AM

Author: IndyGirl22

I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

She isn''t just ''anyone.'' She is running for Vice President of the United States. We as a concerned nation have every right to ask her as many questions as we need answers to, and she should answer them. Being shielded for fear of what the media will say is absolutely ridiculous. If she isn''t able to answer tough questions in real time, she isn''t ready to be, as they say, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

I don''t think it''s that she isn''t able to answer the tough questions, i think they may be more concerned with wondering what she will say. Right now, McCain has fumbled IMO and has been wishy washy the past week. I think palin has an opinion and they should let her talk. I for one whould LOVE to her what she has to say.

 

[partgypsy]

The bottom line is having her sequestered from the press, she is not having to go through the same process that other candidates go through that help us decide for ourselves if we want her for vice president. Hillary went through it. Why not Palin? I don''t know if it is due to her gender, but she is being treated differently, and it makes it seem like she is side-stepping the process.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:34:41 AM
Author: EBree

Date: 9/24/2008 11:02:46 AM
Author: IndyGirl22
I assume anyone has the right not to answer questions, just as journalists have the right to ask them.

She isn't just 'anyone.' She is running for Vice President of the United States. We as a concerned nation have every right to ask her as many questions as we need answers to, and she should answer them. Being shielded for fear of what the media will say is absolutely ridiculous. If she isn't able to answer tough questions in real time, she isn't ready to be, as they say, a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Well, I personally believe the right not to answer questions apply to EVERYONE, even VP candidates. No one else is forced to answer questions from the media, so if she/McCain campaign doesn't want to, then perhaps they will lose voters but I don't think they *owe* it to anyone. In this day and age the internet can give you more than enough information about any candidate. The media is *not* a reliable source of information this year. If people have a problem with it then don't vote for McCain; simple as that. The truth is most of the people up in arms about this are liberals who won't be voting for her no matter what she says. Perhaps Biden should follow her lead to help himself. IMHO, people who are waiting hear a blurb from her at a photo op to decide if they are voting for McCain for should probably just wait for the debates for some real demonstration of her level of knowledge. It's obvious that the media is only upset because they want to find more dirt and attack her words. It doesn't matter at this point if she answered every question perfectly. The image of insuperiority and ignorance has already been built up by the media. Perhaps she is following someone else's lead about not answering tough question by simply being "present."

 

[MoonWater]

Answering questions is part of the job interview. She''s applying to be VP, we, the citizens of the United States of America, are the hiring partners. She needs to answer questions or go look for another position to apply for.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:23:16 PM
Author: IndyGirl22
so if she/McCain campaign doesn''t want to, then perhaps they will lose voters but I don''t think they *owe* it to anyone. In this day and age the internet can give you more than enough information about any candidate. The media is *not* a reliable source of information this year. If people have a problem with it then don''t vote for McCain; simple as that. The truth is most of the people up in arms about this are liberals who won''t be voting for her no matter what she says. Perhaps Biden should follow her lead to help himself. IMHO, people who are waiting hear a blurb from her at a photo op to decide if they are voting for McCain for should probably just wait for the debates for some real demonstration of her level of knowledge.

i totally agree indygirl...

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:46:46 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 9/24/2008 12:23:16 PM

Author: IndyGirl22

so if she/McCain campaign doesn''t want to, then perhaps they will lose voters but I don''t think they *owe* it to anyone. In this day and age the internet can give you more than enough information about any candidate. The media is *not* a reliable source of information this year. If people have a problem with it then don''t vote for McCain; simple as that. The truth is most of the people up in arms about this are liberals who won''t be voting for her no matter what she says. Perhaps Biden should follow her lead to help himself. IMHO, people who are waiting hear a blurb from her at a photo op to decide if they are voting for McCain for should probably just wait for the debates for some real demonstration of her level of knowledge.

i totally agree indygirl...

I agree as well. If I trusted the media, then I''d say yeah..go for it..answer all of their questions. But they are so slanted and untrustworthy. Biden can''t keep his mouth shut, but that doesn''t mean Palin has to do the same. And it''s not like Obama always takes questions when they''re not in a controlled environment (e.g. one of his "press conferences" - he''s already President you know) ..he''s walked off at least once that I know of and refused to answer questions.

 

[MoonWater]

apples and oranges. someone who has been scrutinized by the media over the course of two years v. someone that came out of the blue and the media isn''t even allowed to scrutinized in a mere two months. not to mention how often obama HAS answered questions and been in uncontrolled enviroments (meet the press anyone? i dare the mcCain camp to allow Palin to go on).

 

[FrekeChild]

If everyone is already slanted against liking her (darn liberals!) then why don''t they let her do interviews with Fox News?

(Perhaps this has already been done, I''ve been buried in schoolwork lately...)

 

[E B]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:23:16 PM
Author: IndyGirl22
If people have a problem with it then don't vote for McCain; simple as that.

This isn't a matter of liberals vs. conservatives- EVERYONE should want to hear what Palin has to say.

If you're going to run for public office, you're going to be put under a microscope. Your words are going to be twisted by the scandal-loving media. You're going to make mistakes, and you might end up looking like a fool, but that comes with the job. As Moon said, this is a job interview, and refusing to answer questions doesn't fly.

I'm tired of the excuses being made for Palin. As Americans who truly love this country, we should all want to "hire" the most qualified man or woman for this job. I don't care what a candidate's website promises; I want to hear it from his or her own mouth (though not from a script).

If she's as intelligent and confident as she claims to be, she'll have intelligent, confident answers to our questions. But as long as she continues to hide, I'm going to assume she doesn't have the answers we're looking for.

 

[strmrdr]

I say Bravo!
I hope she continues to ignore them.

She is under no obligation to say one word to them!

If I was running my standard answer to 90% of the presses questions would be...
go take a long walk on a short pier over shark infested waters.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:23:35 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 9/24/2008 12:23:16 PM
Author: IndyGirl22
If people have a problem with it then don''t vote for McCain; simple as that.

This isn''t a matter of liberals vs. conservatives- EVERYONE should want to hear what Palin has to say.

If you''re going to run for public office, you''re going to be put under a microscope. Your words are going to be twisted by the scandal-loving media. You''re going to make mistakes, and you might end up looking like a fool, but that comes with the job. As Moon said, this is a job interview, and refusing to answer questions doesn''t fly.

I''m tired of the excuses being made for Palin. As Americans who truly love this country, we should all want to ''hire'' the most qualified man or woman for this job. I don''t care what a candidate''s website promises; I want to hear it from his or her own mouth (though not from a script).

If she''s as intelligent and confident as she claims to be, she''ll have intelligent, confident answers to our questions. But as long as she continues to hide, I''m going to assume she doesn''t have the answers we''re looking for.

Very well said, Bree!

I don''t understand why the McCain campaign seems to think that Palin is above being interviewed by the press!

 

[E B]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:21:36 PM
Author: FrekeChild
If everyone is already slanted against liking her (darn liberals!) then why don't they let her do interviews with Fox News?


(Perhaps this has already been done, I've been buried in schoolwork lately...)

She was already interviewed by Sean Hannity, who, of course, asked her the tough questions.

Here's a transcript (pt. 1):

Hannity Interviews Palin

 

[E B]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:27:45 PM
Author: strmrdr
I say Bravo!

I hope she continues to ignore them.

She is under no obligation to say one word to them!

If I was running my standard answer to 90% of the presses questions would be...

She has an obligation to the people. And until she can visit each of us in person, she''s going to have to speak to the media.

 

[FrekeChild]

I''m looking forward to the debates.

Thank you for that link EBree.

And I think it''s safe to say that anyone who answers the media''s questions in the same manner that strm would, would not be elected.

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:23:35 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 9/24/2008 12:23:16 PM
Author: IndyGirl22
If people have a problem with it then don''t vote for McCain; simple as that.

This isn''t a matter of liberals vs. conservatives- EVERYONE should want to hear what Palin has to say.

If you''re going to run for public office, you''re going to be put under a microscope. Your words are going to be twisted by the scandal-loving media. You''re going to make mistakes, and you might end up looking like a fool, but that comes with the job. As Moon said, this is a job interview, and refusing to answer questions doesn''t fly.

I''m tired of the excuses being made for Palin. As Americans who truly love this country, we should all want to ''hire'' the most qualified man or woman for this job. I don''t care what a candidate''s website promises; I want to hear it from his or her own mouth (though not from a script).

If she''s as intelligent and confident as she claims to be, she''ll have intelligent, confident answers to our questions. But as long as she continues to hide, I''m going to assume she doesn''t have the answers we''re looking for.

I could not have said it better.