Posted on 08/21/2007 10:21:27 AM PDT by Reagan Man
(WBZ) BOSTON Giving the little people a chance to face off with "big people" is what makes the New Hampshire primary famous.
Rudy Giuliani is the latest candidate to get caught off guard by a cut-to-the-chase question from a voter.
I spoke with the Derry, New Hampshire woman who brought him up short, and she's feeling the heat for her question.
Katherine Prudhomme-O'Brien says she was just curious about the apparent lack of support for their father's candidacy by Giuliani's son and daughter from a previous marriage, but that query and Giuliani's dismissive reply have been the buzz of the political world all weekend.
"I asked him how he'd expect the American people to give him loyal fellowship if he was having a hard time getting it from his own family."
Giuliani's response: "There are complexities in every family in America. The best thing I can say is kind of leave my family alone, just like I'll leave your family alone."
Keller: What did you think of his answer?
Katherine: I thought it was a little defensive. I guess he's still not ready to talk about the whole thing because it's very uncomfortable for him.
And apparently for others, as well. Katherine's question has been criticized by some pundits as inappropriate.
Katherine: When George Stephanopolous said I was a professional heckler, that was crazy, because I don't recall every heckling anybody.
She did once ask then-candidate Al Gore to comment on Bill Clinton's personal misbehavior, a fact that's been used to discredit her.
Keller: You're not a kook or a wacko?
Katherine: I don't think I'm a kook or a wacko.
Keller: You're not a plant by some other campaign?
Katherine: No, this is a plant (pointing to a nearby plant), I'm not a plant.
In fact, Katherine wonders why she had to be the one to raise long-simmering questions about Giuliani's personal character. "I'm very frustrated by the media. I think maybe they want to maintain access, so maybe they're selling their soul for access and not doing their job."
How true. Concerns about Giuliani's temperament are one of the key barriers he faces in his run for president, and stories about his estranged son and Obama-supporting daughter have been out in public for awhile.
It's outrageous Katherine has been taking heat for politely asking about it. And it's testimony to the value in forcing candidates out of their media bubble once in awhile to take blunt questions from fearless voters, New Hampshire style.
eh - maybe not a heckler per se - but definitely an attention seeker
That name sounds very familiar. Did she do this before to another GOP candiate?
Stephy? Yeah there’s a real unbiased opinion. He has the gall to call someone else a plant?
Hillary, how does Chelsea feel about Bill’s serial adultry?
Hillary, what would you do if Chelsea’s husband cheated on her with a fat intern and then instructed everyone to lie under oath about it?
What is an issue is how utterly pointless the question really is. Family dynamics are complex, and Rudy was right: it's none of her business.
Applying the same logic two decades ago, if estrangement from one's children were a legitimate disqualifier, Ronald Reagan would have quietly wasted away in the Old Actor's Home instead of serving so admirably for two terms as the President.
Why does IT have an R by ITS name instead of an D?
According to the article she did it to another DemocRAT candidate. She appears to mainly target liberal democRATs like algore and Rudy.
Remember in 1992, when Georgie-boy got through on the phone lines for some call-in townhall meeting show where ordinary citizens were supposedly allowed to call in to ask then-president Bush questions about the issues. Georgie-boy starts in with the dem talking-points rather than asking a question. Talk about a dirty-trick plant by the producer of the show.
Do what before? You mean ask questions of candidates?
Concord Monitor. ConcordApr 4, 2007.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney ended a long day of presidential campaigning yesterday at the Derry Opera House offering nearly 200 voters the chance to "Ask Mitt Anything."That's anything, Romney teased. The crowd was enthusiastic, and most questions were easy: What to do about illegal immigration, health care and failing schools? Afterward, Eileen Williams of Dover praised Romney's business background and conservative values, but then she got right to the point. "And he's drop-dead gorgeous," she added. "And the American public likes lookers."
But Romney made even the harder questions from the less effusive audience members look easy yesterday, including one from Katherine Prudhomme-O'Brien of Derry, who wanted to know why Romney had gone from from being pro-choice to pro-life.
"I've always been personally pro-life," Romney said. "For me the role of government (on that issue) was what was uncertain." Romney said as president he would let state governments decide individually whether to legalize, outlaw or restrict abortion.
Romney reminded the crowd that other Republicans - former presidents Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush - were also pro-choice before they were pro-life.
Reagan Man--I just noticed the last paragraph. So Romney is spreading lies about Reagan, too? (I haven't been following Romney much).
I agree. It’s a pointless question which tells me nothing about the candidate’s policies - but I’m sure the press will eat it up. Appears that he handled it well though.
But, but, I thought the liberal press was force-feeding Giuliani to us. The MSM sure has had their long knives out against him and Romney for a long time now...
Good Spot!
Thanks for the ping. This was posted earlier. Also, the lady quoted is a FREEPER...
She is a FReeper. Great! Whats her handle? I know the drill, search turned up nothing.
3 guesses as to what her handle is.
Hint: She’s from Derry, NH.
Isn’t it more than a little ironic that the media, who fails these obvious questions of the candidates, tries to paint this woman as a kook?
Citizens.... doing the jobs the media won’t do.
If I were able to ask a question of Hillary Clinton, I’d be asking her when was the last time she and Bill slept in the same bed together.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.