CNN Anchor Gasps When Student That Got Viral Picture With Obama Won't Say She's Voting For Him
Unless you happened to sleep all week, you probably saw the story of a Colorada University student getting her picture taken with President Obama at a bar in Boulder.
Even funnier than the photo that went viral on the internet was CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield gasping on Thursday's Early Start when the co-ed in question wouldn't say she was voting for the current White House resident (video follows with transcript and commentary):
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CO-ANCHOR: A college student sitting at a bar with friends, a pretty normal day in most college towns, but then, the president of the United States walks in. That is what happened to University of Colorado junior, Madalyn Starkey, on Tuesday when President Obama made an unscheduled stop at a local student hangout, The Sink, in Boulder.
Madalyn took a picture with the president, posted it on Twitter, and you know what happened. It went viral. So, Madalyn Starkey is joining us this morning. Good morning to you, Madeline. Did you expect this craziness when you posted the picture?
MADALYN STARKEY, STUDENT WHO TOOK PHOTO WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA: Not at all. It was ridiculous.
SAMBOLIN: And I'm curious as to what you and the president talked about.
STARKEY: Really, we didn't talk about a whole lot. He like went around to everyone's table, shaking hands, saying hey, like introducing himself. And I just get like so star struck when I see famous people. And so, I literally was just like, ah, can I get a picture with you?
And he was like, yes, for sure. Stand up. And so, we did that. And then, after that, I was just like, well, you smell good. And that was pretty much the whole conversation I had with President Obama.
SAMBOLIN: You told the president that he smells good?
STARKEY: Uh-huh.
SAMBOLIN: What did he say when you said that?
STARKEY: He just kind looked at me awkwardly and was like, yes, thanks, and then, he moved on.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: So, listen, were you expecting the president to walk into the bar? How did that happen?
STARKEY: Oh, not at all. Everyone was at a line waiting for his speech. Me and my boyfriend went to The Sink for dinner. We couldn't decide between The Sink and like two other restaurants. We were like, ah, we'll go to the sink. We've been here three times the past week might as well again. And so, we went there.
And then, yes, the secret service men just came in and they're like, attention, the president is coming. If you don't want to meet him, you should leave now, or, you know, like medal wanted (ph) down, and so, we just sat on the down and waited for him, and it was crazy. It was like, this can't be real.
SAMBOLIN: Did you believe when they said that he was coming that he was or did you think it was a joke?
STARKEY: At first, I kind of thought it was a joke, but then, we saw like all the secret service guys and started taking like all the knives and silverware out of the place. And so, we were like, this is serious.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CO-ANCHOR: Wow!
SAMBOLIN: That's a pretty cool picture to have, and I hear you were razzing somebody on Twitter about it.
STARKEY: About like the -- oh, that was -- yes. He's a senior in high school. And I wanted him to take me to prom, and he didn't. So --
(LAUGHTER)
SAMBOLIN: I love that. I love that you just said -- hey, listen, did you have any thoughts about the president prior to meeting him that what have changed after spending at least brief time with him?
STARKEY: No. I've always known that he's like a really nice, charismatic guy. So, I mean, yes, he definitely showed that when he was in the place. He's shaking everyone's hands and taking pictures and signing autographs. And so, yes, he's a wonderful dude.
SAMBOLIN: A wonderful dude. Well, Madalyn Starkey, you're a pretty, wonderful dudette also. Ashleigh wants to know if you're voting for him.
STARKEY: I'm not going to say over TV. Sorry.
BANFIELD: Wow!
SAMBOLIN: With a photo like that, I don't know. That speaks volumes, huh? But very cool.
STARKEY: I just don't want to get any prejudice and bias in this one.
SAMBOLIN: I appreciate that. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Thanks for getting up nice and early with us. And good luck to you in school, as well.
STARKEY: Well, thank you. Nice meeting you.
SAMBOLIN: Nice meeting you.
"I just don't want to get any prejudice and bias in this one."
Imagine that. Wouldn't it be nice if so-called journalist Banfield felt that way and managed to keep her bias hidden?
If a likely 20-year-old college student can do it, why can't a 44-year-old Emmy Award-winning newscaster who's been in the business since 1988 - before Starkey was even born?
That asked, I'd love to play poker with Banfield. She most have tells even a novice could spot before the cards are dealt!
(H/T NB reader Jayne)
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Comments
Indeed
Submitted by Jonah Johansen on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:33am.
New York Film Critic Pauline Kael after Reagan's landslide 49 state re-election-
"I don't know how he won, no one I know voted for him"
Very funny. And this after
Submitted by kg on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:38am.
Very funny. And this after she got a full 15 minutes of fame on MSNBC.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
Well like...
Submitted by mcherr on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:46am.
"We were like, ah, we'll go to the sink. "
We like everything.
How fitting
Submitted by BuffNBone on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 3:13pm.
POTUS goes to the sink while the country is going down the drain.
I've had my fill of "like" and "y'know" lately
Submitted by WhoIsJohnGalt on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 9:04am.
We're looking at colleges with our son, and I want to choke some of these kids that give the presentations. Horrible, HORRIBLE language skills.
By the way, The Sink, I take it from her explanation of where she and her boyfriend ate, is a restaurant. Three times in one week. But college is too expensive, right? I can't remember when I ate out three times in one week, and I'm a self-sufficient adult supporting a family.
John Galt
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 9:54am.
When the (now) hubby and I were in college it was a big deal to get a two for one coupon for Burger King. About once a month we'd go "out to eat" at BK.
I don't know what colleges your visiting but at one we looked at there was trash all over one of the classrooms they took us in.
Thanks for the insight, Ashliegh.
Submitted by almostacowboy on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:49am.
Now we know how much prog/libs think a vote for Obamugabe is worth - a photo op.
News you can use?
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:51am.
My fears have been put at ease by the knowledge that my President smells good.
Kudos to Ms. Starkey for withholding her voting preference; why should she tell these clowns anything?
But the dude was
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 11:35am.
But the dude was like...........awkward, you know............like, maybe he wished my boyfriend would've told him that instead.
We already knew that, Gal.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 11:42am.
Don't you remember when Champ Biden said that "he's clean, and articulate?" What he actually meant was, "he's clean and articulate, especially for a black guy."
I love it when the current generation of "journalist" info-babes will vote for someone just because they could get a photo op, but the college coed has a much more mature and rational reason to say who she might vote for.
I wonder if when the Secret Service came in and announced to the bar that the President was coming, asked if any of the coeds wanted to go back to their hotel and party after the visit?
Coeds and cocaine for the
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:25pm.
Coeds and cocaine for the Secret Service guys, crackheads and crack for Boy Baraka!!!
Ripped straight from Mad Magazine
Submitted by needle on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:53am.
"Scenes We'd Like to See"
Much more often!
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.
GOP fall slogan: Students-->6 Trillion in new federal debt
Submitted by merly1 on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:58am.
and half of you cant find jobs, or are underemployed. Have you gotten you money's worth
from President Obama?
My kid is graduates next month from college, and is no fan of the debt-ridden President.
The younger generation are very smart people
Submitted by I hate marxists on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:59am.
I think that they're a lot smarter than that marxist gives them credit for. They're not the useful idiots that the left thinks they are. You younger folks your future is now in your hands. Listen to both sides of the stories and don't drink the cool aid. be yourselves and think for yourselves and remember that when a person gives you money or buys you a meal it's a one time occurance.However when a person gives you a chance at a job you feed yourself forever.
If Bush walked into the restaurant...
Submitted by averageschmoe on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 11:18am.
Here are questions asked by the CNN anchors if it is President Bush in the restaurant 4 years ago. "He smelled good? He was actually NICE to you people? Did you ask him why he won't do anything about student loans while he continues to give tax breaks to the rich? " Would you consider voting for him now even though he is a Republican and he is very UNPOPULAR?"
Hmmm, I must have been asleep all this time
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 11:38am.
First time I'd seen that picture. She looks like a dog would if meeting Baraka near a kitchen or a butcher shop.
Baraka means blessing in
Submitted by GreenTea on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 7:32am.
Baraka means blessing in Hebrew, Arabic and Arabic-influenced languages.
In ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 10:29am.
"American", (h/t Jer), the derivative 'Barack', means an odiferous presence in the Oval Office.
MD
Pretty smart girl
Submitted by David Kramer on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 12:23pm.
With the way the lefties are, she might get.........
Why are these CNN people
Submitted by rbosque on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 12:27pm.
Why are these CNN people surprised to learn people won't vote for Obama after he's wrecked our economy? Seriously? Only an absolute idiot would vote for that bastard.
That's the problem
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 12:46pm.
There are still damn too many of them idiots!
-Jon
Why would she want to give out her voting preference?
Submitted by Lipton on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 12:45pm.
She will one day be looking for a job. CNN shoudn't have asked her that question. It is one thing to ask people who are established in successful careers, but a college student should not have been put on the spot like that.
Her lack of...............
Submitted by BEGRUNT on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 1:01pm.
endorsement, is very telling!
"A nation can suffer it's fool's, but cannot survive the traitor"
Cicero
the expression on her face was pretty cool too.
Submitted by Lipton on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 2:52pm.
Still disturbed that they put her on the spot like that.
Disturbing
Submitted by CoolShades on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 1:20pm.
What I found most disturbing was the manufactured guilt the MSM, liberals and the Democratic Party has established upon our young people. Towards the end of the interview, Ms. Starkey was reluctant to disclose who she was going to vote for in fear of being perceived as racist. This is most troubling and something the Republican Party needs to address: That it isn't racist not to vote for President Obama. I don't think these liberal network anchors were laughing directly at Ms. Starkey, but they just might have done so if it was September or October.
I love her face in that pic
Submitted by Antisocial-ism on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 2:54pm.
I love her face in that pic it says...Oh MY God! He smells like menthols and man love.
After November 6th.
Submitted by BuffNBone on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 3:12pm.
Sounds like we have the great start for an AXE commercial.
I don't like to be mean...
Submitted by StarAZ on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 2:57pm.
But isn't this sort of a nothingburger?
The anchors sounded to me
Submitted by Pewah on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 3:03pm.
The anchors sounded to me like the hosts on home shopping channels. They rhetorically ask people if they like their merchandise when they call in and you can just tell that their minds have moved on before the person can even utter an answer. These people at CNN are SO in the tank for Obama again that they hadn't even given a neutral or negative response to that question a single thought. That was the source of their surprised responses.
Her Thoughts
Submitted by NewLife56 on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 4:37pm.
What she was really thinking was
"No, I'm not voting for him, and if I said that here on your Obama Loving Network you would make fun of me, yes its cool to have a picture taken with a President, it would be for any one of us, but that doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to vote a failure back in"
Yeah and imagine all the
Submitted by GreenTea on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 7:36am.
Yeah and imagine all the hate/hell she would have received on twitter from some of the loyal CNN viewers
Starkey: "...and it was
Submitted by GregE on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 9:48pm.
Starkey: "...and it was crazy. It was like, this can't be real."
I think the same thing every time I hear him speak. I think there is NO WAY the nation whose first president was George Washington, and which has the amazing Constitution we have, and that defeated the most powerful military power in the world in order to earn her freedom, and went from nothing to the greatest nation on earth in what amounts to lightning speed, could possibly have elected a Marxist minded president. No, it cannot be real............yet it is.
Gasping in November
Submitted by Netstatter on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 10:07pm.
If Ashley Banfield gasped now, in surprise that Ms. Starkey wouldn't say over TV who she was voting for (by implication "not Obama"), then she'll be hyperventilating come this November.
There will be a lot of gasping going on in the Lamestream Media this coming November as all of their preconceived ideas about this election go "poof" and they see Obama loose in a landslide.