Behind the Scenes of the Campaigns

[Balta1701]

Palin getting ripped on Fox.

 

 

Smith: Now that the election is over, Carl, tell us more about those reports of infighting between Palin and McCain staffers.

 

Cameron: I wish I could have told you more at the time but all of it was put off the record until after the election. There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lack the degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, and a heartbeat away from the presidency. We're told by folks that she didn't know what countries that were in NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, that being the Canada, the US, and Mexico. We're told she didn't understand that Africa was a continent rather than a country just in itself ... a whole host of questions that caused serious problems about her knowledgeability. She got very angry at staff, thought that she was mishandled.....was particularly angry about the way the Katie Couric interview went. She didn't accept preparation for that interview when the aides say that that was part of the problem. And that there were times that she was hard to control emotionally there's talk of temper tantrums at bad news clippings......

[Steff]

Yet they were just fine with trying to get her elected.

[lostfan]

Yeah, my god, that interview is f***ing hilarious. My god.

[Steff]

Yeah, my god, that interview is f***ing hilarious. My god.

 

 

I can't believe what a clusterf*** the Repub's are right now. I'm ashamed.

[kapkomet]

And I think a lot of it is just lies to make it "excusable" that they lost. All this just needs to go away. Like yesterday.

 

 

[Steff]

And I think a lot of it is just lies to make it "excusable" that they lost. All this just needs to go away. Like yesterday.

 

That could be true. A response from Palin would be nice. Even something from McCain would be also. This stuff makes him look like a moron as well. But... this is a woman that couldn't name a newspaper she read on a daily basis. Nothing would surprise me.

[whitesoxfan101]

For the record, if Palin were to be the presidential nominee in 2012 against an incumbent Obama, it would make this years final electoral college total look close. A lot of moderate republicans (like me) would vote for Obama in that senario, unless of course he's just an awful president, which I'm going to assume and hope he's not. Now, of course, the stupid redneck portion of the GOP would probably come out in pretty big numbers for Palin since she is just like them and would be going against an african american/biracial male, but she would still get smoked IMO.

Edited November 6, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[mr_genius]

Behind The Scenes: Newsweek On McCain In The Dark, Obama Threats, And More

 

-- McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

 

 

-- The Obama campaign was provided with reports from the Secret Service showing a sharp and very disturbing increase in threats to Obama in September and early October, at the same time that the crowds at Palin rallies became more frenzied. Michelle Obama was shaken by the vituperative crowds and the hot rhetoric from the GOP candidates. "Why would they try to make people hate us?" Michelle Obama said to a top campaign aide.

 

-- On the Sunday night before the last debate, McCain's core group of advisers--Steve Schmidt, Rick Davis, adman Fred Davis, strategist Greg Strimple, pollster Bill McInturff and strategy director Sarah Simmons -- met to decide whether or not to tell McCain that the race was effectively over, that he no longer had a chance to win. The consensus in the room was no, not yet, not while he still had "a pulse."

 

-- The Obama campaign's "New Media" experts created a computer program that would allow a "flusher"--the term for a volunteer who rounds up nonvoters on Election Day--to know exactly who had, and had not, voted in real time. They dubbed it Project Houdini, because of the way names disappear off the list instantly once people are identified as they wait in line at their local polling station.

 

-- Palin launched her attack on Obama's association with William Ayers, the former Weather Underground bomber, before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting.

 

-- McCain also was reluctant to use Obama's incendiary pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright as a campaign issue. He had set firm boundaries: no Jeremiah Wright; no attacking Michelle Obama; no attacking Obama for not serving in the military. McCain balked at an ad using images of children that suggested that Obama might not protect them from terrorism; Schmidt vetoed ads suggesting that Obama was soft on crime (no Willie Hortons); and before word even got to McCain, Schmidt and Salter scuttled a "celebrity" ad of Obama dancing with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres (the sight of a black man dancing with a lesbian was deemed too provocative).

 

-- Obama was never inclined to choose Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate, not so much because she had been his sometime bitter rival on the campaign trail, but because of her husband. Still, as Hillary's name came up in veep discussions, and Obama's advisers gave all the reasons why she should be kept off the ticket, Obama would stop and ask, "Are we sure?" He needed to be convinced one more time that the Clintons would do more harm than good. McCain, on the other hand, was relieved to face Biden as the veep choice, and not Hillary Clinton, whom the McCain camp had truly feared.

 

-- McCain was dumbfounded when Congressman John Lewis, a civil-rights hero, issued a press release comparing McCain with former Alabama Gov. George Wallace, a segregationist infamous for stirring racial fears. McCain had devoted a chapter to Lewis in one of his books, "Why Courage Matters" and had so admired Lewis that he had once taken his children to meet him.

 

-- The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for the Democratic primary debates, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me ... answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

 

sounds like another crappy hit piece on McCain.

 

i'll pass.

 

[mr_genius]

Palin getting ripped on Fox.

 

 

haha i saw that. it was funny

 

Palin has basically been blaming her terrible media interviews on McCain. Like he was somehow responsible, which he wasn't. Only thing he was guilty of was picking some annoying dumbass to appease parts of the so called 'conservative' base. Basically he needed someone to inspire those people, as they all hated him before; remember the fury of all the right wing radio hosts and even some FOX commentators. So he goes with her, at least he has some media on his side now as he realized a lot of media outlets were going to be totally pro-Obama, and he has the base riled up. He took a gamble on Palin, her poor performance just sealed his fate. Obama had plenty of room for Biden's gaffes as this election started off with big advantages for the Democrats as GW Bush is a Republican and he is Nixon popular right now. Obama ran a better campaign, McCain just really didn't have it. 8 years too late for him, unfortuately.

Edited November 6, 2008 by mr_genius

[Texsox]

The timing with Palin was a mistake. If the party gave her four years to polish and prepare, she could have kicked ass. As things are working out, getting her into that Senate seat for example would have given her about the same prep as Obama, with Governor for a day or so tossed in. I fear this probably ruined her national career.

 

I had secretly hoped McCain would have found a cross over Dem to join him.

[daa84]

The timing with Palin was a mistake. If the party gave her four years to polish and prepare, she could have kicked ass. As things are working out, getting her into that Senate seat for example would have given her about the same prep as Obama, with Governor for a day or so tossed in. I fear this probably ruined her national career.

 

I had secretly hoped McCain would have found a cross over Dem to join him.

yeah, it was a bad pick...they tried to kill 2 birds with one stone by picking a person who would win the far right, and hopefully also draw some independents women and/or hillary voters....the problem is she drove the hillary voters away, and the far right was gonna vote for mccain either way

 

in retrospect the best candidate probably would have been mitt romney, as he likely would have been able to help sway alot of independents to mccain's side when the economy went to hell

[Controlled Chaos]

That could be true. A response from Palin would be nice. Even something from McCain would be also. This stuff makes him look like a moron as well. But... this is a woman that couldn't name a newspaper she read on a daily basis. Nothing would surprise me.

It's more complicated than that, but if you really believe that she couldn't name the newspaper she reads then so be it.

[BigSqwert]

It's more complicated than that, but if you really believe that she couldn't name the newspaper she reads then so be it.

 

Then why couldn't she name a single newspaper she reads? What's so complicated about that?

[The Critic]

It's more complicated than that, but if you really believe that she couldn't name the newspaper she reads then so be it.

She was asked several times to name one specific publication she reads and she refused to name one.

I don't believe she couldn't name one, I think she was afraid to "set herself up" for some sort of scrutiny by naming one, but it made her look really stupid and/or paranoid.

[Steff]

It's more complicated than that, but if you really believe that she couldn't name the newspaper she reads then so be it.

 

 

If I really believe it...? I watched it. She couldn't do it. For whatever reason she chose to put on her frilly underpants and do another song and dance around a question that EVERY politician in this country should know how to answer at the drop of a hat. Ridiculous.

[Controlled Chaos]

She was asked several times to name one specific publication she reads and she refused to name one.

I don't believe she couldn't name one, I think she was afraid to "set herself up" for some sort of scrutiny by naming one, but it made her look really stupid and/or paranoid.

I agree with this sentence 100%, including the part about it making her look stupid. That's totally different from saying she "couldn't" name one, that's all my point is. Of course she could, but I'm sure she was thrown off a little like...wtf are you asking me what paper I read for? Then she's thinking, this is a trap question, if I say the Wasilla Times or something, I'll get ridiucled, but if I lie I'll get ridiculed. Her answers have consequences and she wasn't up to snuff on how to BS your way through a question yet. The question was specifically made to get her to say she doesn't read the NYT, WSJ or any main stream papers and she blew it and looked dumb. I agree with that, but that is different from acting like she is mentally incapable of forming the words to say what paper she reads. If any of us walked by her on the street 6 months ago and asked her what paper she read, I'm sure she would have answered in an instant. That's all I'm saying...

Edited November 6, 2008 by Controlled Chaos

[Rex Kickass]

I agree with this sentence 100%, including the part about it making her look stupid. That's totally different from saying she "couldn't" name one, that's all my point is. Of course she could, but I'm sure she was thrown off a little like...wtf are you asking me what paper I read for? Then she's thinking, this is a trap question, if I say the Wasilla Times or something, I'll get ridiucled, but if I lie I'll get ridiculed. Her answers have consequences and she wasn't up to snuff on how to BS your way through a question yet. The question was specifically made to get her to say she doesn't read the NYT, WSJ or any main stream papers and she blew it and looked dumb. I agree with that, but that is different from acting like she is mentally incapable of forming the words to say what paper she reads. If any of us walked by her on the street 6 months ago and asked her what paper she read, I'm sure she would have answered in an instant. That's all I'm saying...

She could have just said, I try to read the Anchorage paper every day. And I look at other papers when I get the chance.

 

I'm not even her and I could easily make some crap up that nobody's going to really catch.

[Controlled Chaos]

She could have just said, I try to read the Anchorage paper every day. And I look at other papers when I get the chance.

 

I'm not even her and I could easily make some crap up that nobody's going to really catch.

I agree...the easiest thing would have been to say I read the "Alaska paper" and I also read various papers online when I get a chance.

 

[HuskyCaucasian]

Then why couldn't she name a single newspaper she reads? What's so complicated about that?

Fox News reports that during her prep for the debate... she didnt know Africa was a continent... she thought it was a country.

[lostfan]

I agree...the easiest thing would have been to say I read the "Alaska paper" and I also read various papers online when I get a chance.

I don't think she could've gone wrong if she said she read TIME, either. Even if it was a lie, it wasn't like Couric would've done something like "oh, so you must know about such and such an article, then..." It's Katie Couric, she's a softballer.

[Controlled Chaos]

I don't think she could've gone wrong if she said she read TIME, either. Even if it was a lie, it wasn't like Couric would've done something like "oh, so you must know about such and such an article, then..." It's Katie Couric, she's a softballer.

No but the digging would have ensued and they would have found she doesn't subscribe to Time. Then the interviews with the cashier at the Wasilla shop and save would have concluded she never buys Time there, only the National Enquirer and US Magazine....

BTW, love that AHB is now quoting Fox News....

[Steff]

I agree with this sentence 100%, including the part about it making her look stupid. That's totally different from saying she "couldn't" name one, that's all my point is. Of course she could, but I'm sure she was thrown off a little like...wtf are you asking me what paper I read for? Then she's thinking, this is a trap question, if I say the Wasilla Times or something, I'll get ridiucled, but if I lie I'll get ridiculed. Her answers have consequences and she wasn't up to snuff on how to BS your way through a question yet. The question was specifically made to get her to say she doesn't read the NYT, WSJ or any main stream papers and she blew it and looked dumb. I agree with that, but that is different from acting like she is mentally incapable of forming the words to say what paper she reads. If any of us walked by her on the street 6 months ago and asked her what paper she read, I'm sure she would have answered in an instant. That's all I'm saying...

 

 

Is that some sort of assumption of my words?

 

I'm quite confident she has some common sense and is able to articulate on her thoughts so if you want to try to make it sound like my comment was to intend that she was too stupid to give a response then that, and your actions towards anyone who isn't following behind her like a love struck puppy, is transparent. And ridiculous. The fact that she couldn't respond to a freshman level political questions says a lot and opens the door for possibility on some of the latest wild accusations coming out to be true.

[Steff]

No but the digging would have ensued and they would have found she doesn't subscribe to Time. Then the interviews with the cashier at the Wasilla shop and save would have concluded she never buys Time there, only the National Enquirer and US Magazine....

BTW, love that AHB is now quoting Fox News....

 

 

No but, no but, no but.... It's a shame we'll never know.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Fox News reports that during her prep for the debate... she didnt know Africa was a continent... she thought it was a country.

 

 

I've heard that, but I find it truly hard to believe. The GOP is probably trying to really to discredit her even more so there is no chance she thinks about running in 2012. I just have a hard time believing any 44 year old with any sort of decent education or IQ is not aware that Africa is a continent and not a country.

[Balta1701]

I've heard that, but I find it truly hard to believe. The GOP is probably trying to really to discredit her even more so there is no chance she thinks about running in 2012. I just have a hard time believing any 44 year old with any sort of decent education or IQ is not aware that Africa is a continent and not a country.

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