John McCain, Hero of Wall Street
| Wed Sep. 24, 2008 4:42 PM PDT
JOHN McCAIN, HERO OF WALL STREET....Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin about reforming the finance industry:
COURIC: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
PALIN: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie — that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.
COURIC: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.
PALIN: He's also known as the maverick though. Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about — the need to reform government.
COURIC: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?
PALIN: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.
How dare Couric ask the question three times in an effort to elicit an actual answer? She has obviously become a tool of the Obama campaign and is hereby banned from further contact with the McCain campaign on the grounds of insufficient deference.
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Comments
Submitted by Craig (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 4:50 PM PDT.
Aw, c'mon Katie, cut to the chase. The Republicans are drunk with power and greed and want to drive the economy a little further into the ground for the next four years before they join the Wall Street exodus to the Bahamas. Country first, my ass. More like the bankrupt Countrywide.
If anyone has had doubts about John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for his running mate, the interview of Palin by Couric should seal the deal.
Palin didn't demonstrate a level of knowledge shown by the stereotypical beauty contest contestant, including the contestant from South Carolina now making the Internet rounds ...repeat-back of the questioner's question is a poor excuse for an answer. It truly shows her depth. Palin fails miserably.
Submitted by Jassalasca Jape (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 5:14 PM PDT.
That's a hilarious exchange.
In other hilarity, Krugman has put up a bittersweet observation on the Treasury negotiations with Congress. Linked (via my toy blog) under the Jape link below.
Submitted by Independent Perspective (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 5:17 PM PDT.
Ha, Olbermann talks about the "other" bailout".
McCain's bailout of the debates.
Olbermann also says that McCain got campaign money from Fannie and Freddie - strange how they had money from him, but needed a bailout from the feds too.
And Rick Davis was getting money from Fannie and Freddie as late as last month.
jeebus!
Strawmen all around. No one on the McCain side is complaining about Couric's questioning. Palin should have just said she has made no effort to memorize McCain's 26 year record, so she would not know. On the other hand, she now could come forward with a list and explain that she had not memorized his record and did not realize it was so strong.
Aside from your partisan bias, one thing you criticize her for is that unlike Obama, Biden, McCain and other professional politicians, she has not developed the art of evading the question. Some may find her efforts to answer without political evasion an endearing quality.
Submitted by spork_incident (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 5:38 PM PDT.
she has not developed the art of evading the question. Some may find her efforts to answer without political evasion an endearing quality.
And no doubt when Palin has to sit down and negotiate with a foreign diplomat he will find her lack of preparedness "endearing" as well.
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I was actually very impressed with Katie Couric. She knew from memory about the poll data which contradicted Palin's statement that Americans were looking to McCain for answers. She was very persistent in her question about what John McCain had done in his 26 years.
The Palin pick was supposed to appeal to women, but between The View and Couric, women are proving to be McCain/Palin's strongest critics.
Some may find her efforts to answer without political evasion an endearing quality.
Glad to know she's endeared herself to you for her inability to answer a simple question. If the decline in her favorability ratings is any indication, the general public seems to prefer competence. But they must be partisan. Tool.
And see what Hilzoy has to say (at the mashington Monthly) about Palin's answer to Couric's question about temporarily banning foreclosures:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_09/014870.php
Some may find her efforts to answer without political evasion an endearing quality.
"Endearing." Now there's a term often used to praise male presidential candidates. John McCain himself, for instance. I'm always hearing about how endearing he is. "Eendearing John" is practically his sobriquet.
I think Obama's campaign should suggest that if McCain is adamant about staying in Washington until the bailout bill is completed, then the VP debate should be held this Friday. Palin is a governor and Biden will follow Obama's lead in the senate, so both are like totally available.
Unfortunately, even McCain couldn't of answered that question, so I can't really blame her.
As a Palin supporter, I am starting to get pretty discouraged.
Quite frankly, she sucks as a VP candidate. She just isn't 2nd string material. If you see her interviews as a Governor, she is a lot more comfortable. Having to parrot the views of McCain must be trying. Her answers are looking to canned, and it detracts from her strong points.
Then again, it could be worse... she could of pulled a Biden.
Submitted by charlotte (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 7:17 PM PDT.
Katie - 3
Sarah - 0
And yeah, Katie is so clearly an anti-feminist. Uh huh.
I find it sad and disheartening that in this day and age we as women are tearing each other down when we should be building each other up.
This is not the sisterhood I grew up with, the support and friendships women had to offer one another has seemed to have disappeared.
What a shame that there are those who find some sort of satisfaction, get some kind of pleasure out of the belittlement of another.
I say its high time we encouraged our daughters and granddaughters to stand up for one another, to build each other up, support one another, and never ever derive satisfaction out of your sisters shortcomings or failures. We are all human beings here, lets start acting like it.
The MSM should be first in line.
Brian wrote: . On the other hand, she now could come forward with a list and explain that she had not memorized his record and did not realize it was so strong.
The reason she comes off so badly in this exchange is not because she failed to "memorize" John McCain's extensive record on financial industry reforms over the last 25 years, but because there is nothing to memorize. The list would consist of one word: bupkiss. McCain, even after surviving his first banking scandal, paid attention to really only two things: wars and campaign finance. Not much else interested him. The only thing Palin is to blame for here is assuming that Couric came to work wanting to talk about how cute her kids were or something instead of the serious issues facing the country.
Submitted by mg (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 7:44 PM PDT.
This isn't what she said: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.
This is: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring 'em to yah.
With a winning, friendly grin, and a cheerful tone. She's just like regular folk, see, none of that pretentious diction stuff for her, no siree. That's for them elitist Democrats.
In years past, that was enough -- Republicans didn't need answers, just words spoken in the right tone, with the proper lack of grammar and diction. And in years past, journalists didn't repeat questions in reply to weak answers. Things have changed.
"What a shame that there are those who find some sort of satisfaction, get some kind of pleasure out of the belittlement of another."
So speaks the voice of the permanent wuss minority. How's about singing a few bars of "Kumbaya" while we all laugh along?
I am almost at full-on, balls-to-the-wall pity for Palin at this point. Watching her with Couric is embarrassing. Cringe-worthy. And though politically I would like to delight in her failings, you can see that she is not a stupid person but a person merely way out of her league. She has got to be crying in her pillow nightly.
Imagine how much of her intrinsic arrogance is being sucked out of her by the daily Rove machine study sessions, the inevitably poor interviews, the drop from convention time stardom to an almost universally accepted laughingstock. It has to be deeply and personally humiliating. I think even a few weeks ago with the Gibson interview, you could still see the arrogance and the pride at work, causing me to feel zilch in the way of compassion for her. But in this interview, her voice showed a new, nervous waver as she fumbled woodenly through her answers. In that last moment when she promises to get some info to Couric, she gives one of those smiles that seems to be a plea for mercy. She seemed disheartened and helpless. No snark, I did feel a little bit sorry for her.
Typical "gotcha" interview. If anyone was asked two weeks ago what the "Bush Doctrine" is, they wouldn't know. Doctrine on WHAT SUBJECT??? "Bush Doctrine" does not have a meaning like the "Monroe Doctrine" does. Yet, people want to act all superior. Same thing in this instance. Ask Joe Biden what he himself has done and watch him stammer. Then ask him what Obama has done. The specific cited (a warning two years ago about the two-headed monster of Fannie-Freddie) is a FAR CRY MORE than Obama bin Biden can claim.
She seemed disheartened and helpless. No snark, I did feel a little bit sorry for her.
Why? She is governor of a state. Her fortune is now made -- after this, she can go out on the wingnut welfare circuit and make millions for doing nothing more than crying about how mean the liberal media are. She has trivialized vital issues. Her very presence in it has trivialized this campaign, and the presidency and vice presidency by inference. She has enthusiastically agreed to be a part of the nastiest, most dishonest national campaign in modern history. Nobody forced her to sign on to all this, when it was clear she wasn't ready; nobody is forcing her to stick it out, when it's even more clear she isn't ready. One week ago this entirely unqualified woman stood a 50-50 chance of a better than 50-50 chance that she would be president within the next nine years. Feel sorry for her? Not in the slightest. I feel sorry for the country, and even sorrier if the Reps pull this out and win, putting her anywhere near the levers of power. I got better things to do than feel sorry for Barracuda Palin. Like worry about a McCain win.
Too bad Sarah didn't have the self-perception to understand that she'd be out of her league before she accepted McCain's offer to be his running mate.
I feel no pity for her at all, just disgust that her presence on the National and World stage makes a laughingstock of my Country.
NOTE TO KEVIN: I think we're all going to need some extra-special kitty pics this Friday.
Wow, Jessica W., that last sentence really reinforced the maturity and reasoning in your 'argument'. It did, however, help to harden me to Palin's patheticness, as it reminded me of how important it is for the country not to fall into the hands of people who would have folks like you on their side.
mg and stinky: Don't get me wrong. I'm not crying in my beer for her nor am I hard at work with an old coffee tin, construction paper and a set of Crayola markers to make a donation container to put out at convenience stores on her behalf. I know what's at stake, I recognize her faults and understand all the reasons that I don't want that ticket to win. It was just a brief, sentimental and likely stupid moment of something a little like compassion. I'm through now. Thanks for the tug back in the right direction.
Typical "gotcha" interview.
Have you noticed that every interview with Palin is a "gotch" interview? Know why? Because being asked questions isn't fair if you are a fucking know nothing.
"Gotcha" my ass. Get a grip, this woman isn't qualified to be the Mayor of Moosehump, never mind Vice-President of the United States.
Actually Jessica, anyone I could have answered that question because I have been paying attention to current events and listening to the lefty NPR. I may not know major details, but I knew that it a could mean 1) preventive war--not preemptive war; and 2) spreading democracy as a tool to defeat terrorism.
So yeah, fail. I don't blame Palin, I blame McCain. He was the one who had his nose up in the air about "mayors" and "governors" during the Repub debate because they didn't have enough national security experience/knowledge and he felt that it was crucial at this point in American history, but then he goes and picks someone with even less knowledge then those two.
Sorry, not buying it. That was the crux of his campaign--experience, experience, experience, and now that people are calling him on it, he wants to dodge legitimate criticism. That is not leadership, it is cowardice and political cunning.
I watched that Couric-Palin interview, and it was not at all endearing, it was embarrasing. Palin has zero political skills, she doesn't come within a mile of being able to answer a mildly difficult political question.
As much as we deride pols for being "dishonest" (after all, the way they get elected and re-elected is by telling us what we want to hear) We should understand that the great majority of them on the national level are very good at what they do. Palin really has no ability to answer a question unless a script has been written for her. And, as hard as it is to believe, she's even worse by far than W at this. It really doesn't matter how much they prep her for the debates, she will fail because she has no skill at answering real questions.
Asking the potential president of the United States about the Bush Doctrine, her own party's foreign policy is not a "gotcha" question. The question was asked during the primary debates to all candidates. Did she not watch the debates? Does she not pay attention, as a "rising Republican star" to her own party's policies and platforms? And to not be able to answer coherently why she believes McCain is such a "maverick" reformer and how his record supports it is also egregious. It's their whole platform! Reformers! Mavericks! So tell us about McCain's record on reform! This is no time to be giving her a break and taking it easy on her. The "Barracuda" should be able to answer these questions.
If that interview was before McCain tried to postpone the VP debate, then I now completely understand. She bombed, BIG TIME! Look at her face--the smug ecstasy she was displaying is gone. I few times in my life I've gotten in over my head and I recognize that moment of realization in her face. She KNOWS she is in trouble now, which means the screw-ups will multiply. Painful.
Everyone keeps commenting on the exchange in which Couric asks Palin about McCain's record as a Wall Street reformer, but the best moment in the interview is when Couric asks her about Davis and his ties to Freddie Mac, at one point Palin all but abandons English grammar. The 2nd best moment for me is when she uses the finger in the wind gesture to describe Obama's testing the winds, it was like watching an outtake from Waiting for Guffman.
The question we now have to ask is whether this is the worst run campaign we've ever seen. A couple of weeks ago, I was afraid the McCain campaign had pulled themselves together and was starting to run your standard take no prisoners Republican campaign but now... I keep expecting to see McCain driving a tank around announcing that he's decided to drop Palin and name Sergeant Shriver as his new running mate.
Submitted by Jassalasca Jape (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 11:07 PM PDT.
AnotherBruce,
And, as hard as it is to believe, she's even worse by far than W at this.
I don't know why that would be. W just bullshat his way through Harvard Business School. SHP bullshat her way through Hawaii Pacific College, North Idaho College, Matanuska-Susitna College and the University of Idaho. She's had more experience.
Wow. I just watched this on the CBS site. How embarrassing. It's OK to not be a perfect speaker, but for this job you are expected to have at least some smarts. She answered every question with generalities and talking points. You could see the fear in her eyes and hear it in her voice. At times it seems she didn't understand the question. It looked like she heard the question then rifled through her memory looking for something the handlers told her recently that came close to answering the question.
I'll bet she wants nothing more than to go back to Alaska and hope that things would go back to the way they were before McCain blew up her life.
Submitted by zrants (not verified) on Thu Sep. 25, 2008 1:59 AM PDT.
Bailing out of the bailout debate does have a certain ring to it. And while you're at it bail out the sinking financial markets and blame the greedy CEOs for the mess Congress and the Administration let them make of things.
Here's the link:
More inaccuracy from the right, Eric Blair. The deregulation of standards for lending and other financial practices is what led us into this. Deregulation = less government presence.
And there is a "u" in Couric, Eric, just like there is a "you" in stupid.
The Republican tactic is to underfund and under-mind a part of its governance and then when it fails, as any underfunded and, subsequently, unmanaged endeavor will do, to say that the program itself should be cut. That's one of the tactics they've used in my life time to drive our environmental and our educational systems into the ground.
