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September 3, 2008Tucker Bounds & Campbell BrownReader gs was nice enough to locate this video of the brouhaha between Campbell Brown and the McCain Team’s Tucker Bounds. I’m sure it’s going to get lots of attention. My take: McCain either needs to get Bounds up to speed very quickly or cut him loose. He should have been ready for Brown’s questions, and he should have been ready for her rather obnoxious “Jane Curtain Weekend Update” tone (a little nasally, there, too). He clearly wasn’t. Her questions were fine; her tone was really pretty snotty, as were her expressions. As I wrote here in the comments section:
I mean…basic courtesy and respect is only professional. Campbell, with her “All right, Tucker…I’m just going to give it to ya, baby,” really did not manage that. Can you imagine how the press would hate it if, say, Dubya - with his penchant for such banter - had said such a thing to anyone? Let’s see how Palin does with her speech tonight, and how the press responds. She’s had a real baptism of fire, and one hopes she has not been watching much tv or reading much of the blogslime about her. If she stays cool and collected and does what she did last Friday (yes, she only came to national prominence 6 days ago) she should be fine. And let us admit: it will be remarkable and revealing - and almost miraculous, considering the onslaught of hate that has greeted her - if she does manage to repeat last Friday’s great performance. Then we’ll see how the press reacts, and whether their heads explode or they manage to be professional about her. http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/09/03/tucker-bounds-campbell-brown/trackback/ 11 Responses to “Tucker Bounds & Campbell Brown” |
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 am
[...] Tucker Bounds & Campbell Brown [...]
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:31 am
I have to disagree with you on this one. I don’t think it was a case of him not being ready and her questioning being fine, albeit snarky. It went well beyond snarky. He attempted three or four times to answer her question and each time she, rather rudely, cut across his speech as well as changed the question to drive for the answer that…
Surprise, surprise!….she was looking for! Not the actual answer to the actual original question, but the damning one she wanted! What a shock! Not!
What was shocking was the blatantness of it all. It was pretty obvious she was trying to push him into some kind of “gotcha” corner, and he refused to be cornered. Granted, he was using the “spin line” to answer, but that is how it’s done. The interviewer tries politely to trip up the interviewee, who politely sidesteps it. (Well, it use to be a polite dance). Campbell Brown DID go over the top on this, right from the get go. And the final shot was pure snark frustration at failing to get the trophy head she was after.
I think this push back by the McCain camp is necessary. Most of the time, the bias is veiled and handle-able, but the gloves were so far off on this interview that if they don’t object in some form, they might as well declare open season on all conservatives.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 am
This lacked responsibility from the McCain Campaign.
Bounds should be able to handle this better.
But I have an uneasy feeling about this Convention, after watching.
Something feels odd.
Maybe it is the way McCain’s Camp is managing things…
But admittedly, my respect for Senators is so deeply low, my cynical nature may be clouding my sense.
Hoping no one tries to sap the energy from Gov. Palin.
Perhaps my instincts are wrong.
However, it seems truly off…
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 am
I saw this interview as it happened and I almost threw something at the TV. Grow some, Bounds! This kind of attack journalism is *never* used against Obama supporters. In fact, on CCN this morning, they interviewed Bill Richardson and the reporter apologized for interrupting him! My television, once again, almost suffered my wrath.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I really don’t understand the right wing anymore. The only reason Democrats and the Press alike are hounding about Palin’s foreign experience and experience in general is because that was the right wing’s main argument against Obama - that he did not have experience. McCain is being completely hypocritical in Palin’s appointment, and the right wing is also in their acceptance of her.
It goes back to the age old saying: “Practice what you preach.”
The reason why the press is getting so heated about this is because their questions about Palin are not being answered directly - they turn around and talk about Obama instead of talking about Palin. And its not that McCain and his campaign do not know all there is to know about Palin. They know all they need to know about her. There is just nothing to tell. I’m sure that’s also the reason why the campaign won’t let her do any serious interviews - I don’t think “People” magazine is going to grill her about the issues that matter.
McCain should be glad that her teenage daugher is pregnant - if not for that, what would there be to say about Palin at this point in time?
Obama is not my favorite person in the world. But McCain has proven that he does not care about this country - he cares about being elected President so he can finally add that to his list of achievements, especially after mulitple failed attempts. I hope for his sake that he does not get elected. The mess he would inherit after the last 8 years would certainly do his already stressed heart in for good.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I disagree with most of you. I think Campbell did a good job at trying to get at the truth. Tucker did not have an answer to the question as to what command decision Palin had made in regard to the National Guard. He was trying to spin and there was nothing to spin. There was no answer, because she has made no command decisions with the Alaska National Guard.
[quite true. Bounds did poorly. But Brown did also, with her question open up the door to another: What command decision has Obama EVER made? What EXECUTIVE decision has he EVER made? - admin]
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
But we are forgetting that the interview was about her experience not Obamas. And Tucker was doing everything he could to change the subject. If you don’t have an answer say “I don’t know” and move on. Or say I will get back to you on that like McCain does. But to try to spin the way he did really made him look like a beginner.
[Hey, I'm not disagreeing with you. But if you're going to say, "it was about HER experience, not Obama's" then you're not being wholly fair. It is legitimate to question BOTH of their resumes. But I'll tell you what, I read someone today on the left denigrating John McCain's sufferings as a POW because - get this - "I'd care more if Bush weren't such a torturer!" Hmmm...but McCain is AGAINST torture. So what the hell does Bush have to do with it? THAT is a non-sequitor. It is not one to say, "fair game to question her resume; also to question his. And you'll excuse me, but I'm late for somethign and unlikely to engage you any further. Perhaps someone else will - admin]
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
No I am not saying it is not about both of them, but the interview was about Palin’s qualifications. And Tucker brought up the National Guard as experience. Here is a quote by the commander of the National Guard in Alaska.
The actual head of the Alaska National Guard just said that Palin has NO role in commanding the Guard in a military sense, and that SHE IS NOT EVEN BRIEFED on that. Not even briefed.
So except for local emergencies in Alaska, she did nothing, and I don’t remember reading about any emergencies in Alaska, and I keep a pretty good eye on Alaska since I am a former resident, and like to keep up on what takes place there.
I am not against her, just want the straight story. Not some spin.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Campbell Brown is right to ask specific questions and expect specific answers. I’ve noticed that when the reporter ask the questions to McCain’s representatives, they don’t answer the question but instead immediately accuse the reporter of attacking Palin because she is a woman or either they make a comment about Obama instead. I want the tough questions, not about her family affairs, but about her national and international experience and how she plans to handle the serious issues such as the economy, our international image, and the war, to be asked and I want these questions answered so that I feel that I am voting for the right person when I cast my vote.
These are serious times and this lady could be president…John McCain is 72 years old. Campbell, please continue to ask for specifics so I can make the right choice. John McCain, don’t huff and puff and cancel your interviews (the one he had with Larry King) but keep those interviews and please give us the answers that we need.
[And of course, "this election is so important that we need to know everything we can about all four members of the presidential tickets, so please tell us about Obama's past associates and tetchy relationships, and what executive and decision-making experience he has, so we can feel more comfortable. If McCain wins, Palin "might" end up president. If Obama wins, he "will" end up as president, so can we finally hear about his comprehensive energy plans, exactly who and what he plans to raise taxes on, etc?" - admin]
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
pmwebb1:
I agree 100% with what you said. Let’s get it all out…….On both sides. Then we will know.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
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