Posted on 09/06/2008 2:51:16 PM PDT by Vision Thing
When political junkies flip through television stations on Sunday morning, they'll find policy-driven interviews with three of the four candidates on the presidential tickets — John McCain, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They won’t, though, see Sarah Palin.
Less than two months before voters hit the polls, Palin has yet to sit down for or even schedule an issues-oriented interview with any newspaper, magazine or television network.
Meanwhile, the McCain campaign has significantly scaled back the access of the national press he used to jokingly refer to as his “base,” and several speakers, including Palin, took shots at the media in their speeches at last week's Republican convention.
Since her debut in Dayton, Ohio, the McCain campaign has been receiving about 80-100 requests a day from news organizations around the world, according to spokesman Ben Porritt, who said interest in an interview was "through the roof" and that the campaign was going through them now.
"There's no doubt in my mind that the McCain campaign would like to run out on the clock on this," said David Chalian, political director for ABC News.
He expects the campaign will tightly manage access to Palin, but give some national interviews shortly before the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate with Biden, moderated by PBS' Gwen Ifill.
"They know they're not going to get through the next 60 days without doing interviews and being tested and prodded," Chalian said.
But even if Palin does submit to a few carefully selected interviews around the October debate, that means another month before the 37-million-plus viewers who tuned into Palin's speech and others get their first look at how the newcomer to the national stage performs outside of a campaign-controlled setting.
In the meantime, Fox News is rolling out a special (as are other networks): "Gov. Sarah Palin: An American Woman," a one-hour biography hosted by Greta Van Susteren that includes "exclusive video and photos" and "interviews with her family, friends and colleagues" — but not Palin herself.
Palin has already become a ubiquitous presence on newsstands. Presently, her face adorns the cover of traditional newsweeklies Time and Newsweek, Beltway favorites The New Republic and The Weekly Standard, and even celebrity glossies Us Weekly and Ok!.
While everyone from the New Yorker to CNBC has rushed to republish their older interviews with the Alaska governor, it's People magazine that has the only actual interview she’s done since joining to the ticket.
Larry Hackett, managing editor of People, said the McCain campaign offered the magazine an opportunity to photograph McCain and "Nominee TK" at the Aug. 29 event in Dayton.
In addition to a brief Q&A with both Republicans (as well as their spouses and McCain’s daughter Meghan) and an accompanying article that was mostly based on months-old reporting, the magazine also ran a lifestyle feature on Palin’s life as a working mother running a statehouse and her own house.
People has a long history of reporting on the personal side of candidates and their families, but Hackett acknowledges that "we have a different job" than overtly political titles.
"Are we going to ask about Pakistan?" Hackett said rhetorically, adding that it's not a focus for their readers.
That said, journalists are pushing hard to ask Palin about Pakistan — and Iraq, Iran, Russia, North Korea and Al Qaeda, not to mention a host of domestic issues, from the economy to health care.
Jay Carney, Time's Washington bureau chief, questioned McCain spokesperson Nicole Wallace about the lack of access on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" last Thursday, resulting in a heated exchange that quickly got passed around via YouTube.
"We know now that Sarah Palin can give one hell of a speech," Carney said. "She's a natural. And that's no mean feat. We don't know yet and we won't know until you guys allow her to take questions, you know, can she answer tough questions about domestic policy, foreign policy?"
"But I mean, like from who?” Wallace asked. "From you?”
When Carney answered "Yes," Wallace followed up with, "Who cares?
"I think the American people want to see her," Wallace continued. "Who cares if she can talk to Time magazine?"
Later that day, Carney — who last week had a much-buzzed about interview with McCain in which the candidate became testy, and refused to answer some questions — told Politico that the McCain campaign is acting "condescending and smug" toward the press.
"The national media," he added, "will be kept far away" from Palin.
They may be at once close and far away. Top newspaper reporters will be on the trail with her day after day, including The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin. The New York Times will have a rotating cast, beginning with Monica Davey.
And each network will have an off-air producer, or embed, devoted to the Palin beat: Matt Berger (NBC/ National Journal), Shushannah Walshe (Fox), Imtiyaz Delawala (ABC), Scott Conroy (CBS), and Peter Hamby (CNN). The bigger-name, on-air correspondents will also be on the road with Palin from time to time.
Sam Feist, CNN's political director, said that since Palin has had to focus on regional issues as Alaska's governor, he expects she'll begin with media avails on the road and only offer wide-ranging interviews after getting thoroughly prepared for them by the campaign.
However, he said, "if a presidential candidate or a vice presidential candidate declines to do interviews, the news organizations will note that."
Even when Palin does begin taking interviews, it remains to be seen if she’ll grant them to outlets with which the campaign has had a hostile relationship — most notably the New York Times.
"There's no question that we've had less and less access to McCain himself," said Richard Stevenson, the paper's political editor. "Certainly the Times has had a strained relationship with that campaign for a while."
"Strained" might be putting it mildly.
Since February, when the McCain campaign talked about going to war with the paper over a front-page article that included allegations of an improper relationship with a female lobbyist, there have been several public disputes. This past Tuesday, a McCain spokesperson described Elisabeth Bumiller, one the reporters on the McCain beat, as a "fiction" writer.
"I know whether or not they cooperate with us, we will be very actively looking into who [Palin] is, what she's done, what her record is — as much as we can learn about her in as concentrated a time as we can," Stevenson said.
"One of the costs to them of not putting her out there," he added, "is the coverage is going to define her as much as the campaign."
Brokaw spoke at The University of Oklahoma graduation several years ago and told students that there would never another greatest generation and that Bush was selected not elected. This is a total Red State for Bush. He left right after the speech and didn’t stay around for any reception. The look on everyone’s face on stage was one of shock at what he was saying. The graduates might as well of not gone on to jobs because they would not be very successful. It was disgusting.
I think Mort must be having problems in his personal life. He has been just mean lately. I don’t recall him ever being like this before. Maybe his new wife dumped him??? Who knows but there has been a marked change in his attitude lately.
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I noticed this, too. He’s usually very mild and generous with his comments - not a hateful partisan.
......Maybe his new wife dumped him???....Are you telling the truth? Mort is remarried? After becoming so invested in his wife’s illenss it seems out of character.
Mort has certainly turned toward the dark side.
Maybe Sarah should seek out Tim’s son, Luke. He was doing TV spots at the DNC convention with the young people and I thought he was so much like his dad....respectful and thoughtful and bright!
BTW, his “spot” aired on Chris Matthews show with young voters and Matthews was horrible to him....chastising him on National TV when Luke was explaining facebook and my space. I think Luke is a threat for the college tours Chris thinks are his domain and so he humiliated him by demanding one explanation after another.
Why should she ever specifically talk to “the media”?
Give me a break.
She can talk to the American people, that’s good enough for me.
The media can report what she said to the American people, that’s good enough for me.
This turns out to not be true. What about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GE11URmmnc
Course leave yourself open to reports such as Greta apparently did this evening.
My FRiend, I'm not trying to say people are bad for smoking (dipping, whatever).
Nicotine is, however, an addictive drug.
With no judgment implied on anyone who currently, or previously, uses tobacco, I think it's important to know if Marxist Obama is still smoking.
So, how does it work if I separate tobacco into a category by itself (away from opiates, etc) but still ask the question?
Palin-Biden Debate:
They come out on stage to meet and greet, Biden trys to cop a feel, Sarah slaps him, the crowd goes crazy, she heads directly to a mic and says,"I came here to debate a man, when you find one, call me.", and proceeds to gather her things and leave.
Carney is such a girly-man, I’d enjoy watching Sarahcuda rip him up one side and down the other.
BUT, Gov Palin doesn’t need any of them .. they’ve shown themselve for what they are, scum of the earth.
I saw this testy exchange. The Times reporter was shocked that Wallace dared to tell him ‘who cares’.
I think her best bet at getting her feet with would be Brit Humes.
Interesting. As time progresses we may witness a changing of the guard in the media which may reflect the 'youthful' perspective on politics.
That, or the pendulum may be finally swinging Right after years of leftism (Great Society, etc.), brought on by the internet and places like this as witnessed by the dying of the old media.
Too many events point to the latter: Ophra denies Sarah, 'Plugs' is onboard to shore up a lack of 'experience' on the ticket, Hillary is dumped for an even more radical socialist, the Left nominates a guy with a muslim middle-name less than ten years from the time of this nation's most aggregious attack by radical muslims- and he's half-black.
Symbolically, I believe it began when Bill Clinton dropped his pants for an intern in the Oval Office. As things move right, a movement 'back into the closet' may occur as self-respecting gays will admit that their perversity is no longer suitable for public consumption. It won't "be cool" anymore, in other words.
Nor will gang membership and other anti-American activities. What will be 'cool' will be having families living in safety and maximizing opportunities for all who embrace what this country provides. My concern will be for 'safety' as our Bill of Rights simply defines. Others will tackle issues such as education and unions and entrenched bureaucrats that stand in the way of progress- something we sorely need to compete in the global economy.
Prediction: Good times ahead for all.
Perhaps the McCain campaign can get some videos of Prime Minister Maggy Thatcher chewing up the liberals on the floor of the House of Commons.
PBS used to broadcast back in the 80s,the floor debates in the HoC and they get downright rowdy.Watching the Iron Lady get the best of loud and ignorant leftists while still maintaining her feminine class,could be valuable shows for Mrs.Palin to study.
She is busy talking to Americans.........
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