All politicians have a basic stump speech that they stick to when campaigning on the road. However, when Sarah Palin gives her stump speech the Associated Press claims, in a story written by Sara Kugler, she is sticking to a "basic script" like some programmed robot (emphasis mine):
John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.
More than 40 million people tuned in last week to listen to the speech from Palin, the 44-year-old first-term governor whom McCain announced as his surprise vice presidential pick just days before. Since then, that basic script is all anyone has heard from her publicly, and her only interaction with the media was a brief conversation with a small group of reporters on her plane Monday — off the record at her handlers' insistence....Her public remarks essentially have been excerpts of her convention speech, delivered while introducing McCain at rallies.
And one of the complaints of the press is that Barack Obama rarely talks to reporters on his campaign plane whether on the record or off the record. Kugler then compares Palin unfavorably to Biden:
By comparison, her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, has been campaigning on his own, at times taking questions from audiences. In fact he split off to campaign separately from Barack Obama the day after Obama announced his selection. They rejoined at their party's convention and spent the following weekend campaigning together.
Biden's appearances have touched on a range of issues — in Florida he talked about U.S. support for Israel, in Pennsylvania it was economics and tax policy. He was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press" last Sunday.
Where Biden was not questioned about how he claimed the Bush administration would be investigated by an Obama administration only to completely deny he ever said such a thing later on Fox & Friends. And now the money quote from Kugler ...the stunning admission, which contradicts what she just wrote, that all candidates use a stock stump speech:
To be sure, all candidates running for office give the same remarks over and over — Barack Obama's stump speech has hardly changed throughout the campaign, and McCain has been telling familiar stories and jokes for months.
Um, so why when Palin uses a basic speech she somehow "sticks to a script" when everybody else campaigning is doing the same thing? After shooting down her own premise, Kugler then shifts gear to claim that Palin is shielded from the press:
But none of the candidates in this race has been so shielded from the media, so protected from any spontaneous situation, and Palin's unvarying remarks give the impression that she and her message are being tightly controlled. As before her convention speech, McCain's campaign is briefing Palin for her first TV interview.
Does Kugler even pay attention to the news? Sarah Palin has been subjected to an avalanche of criticism from the press over the tiniest of details. No wonder she would prefer to shield herself from unwarranted attacks such as this snarky sign-off by Kugler:
Another crowd favorite in her speech is that story about how she got rid of luxuries in the state Capitol, like a personal driver, chef and luxury jet."I put it on eBay," she says.Audiences love this part, but what Palin never adds is that the jet didn't sell on eBay despite numerous attempts. The state eventually hired an aircraft broker to unload it.
Palin never claimed the jet sold on eBay. However she did list it on the auction site just as she stated. With articles like this, it is no wonder that Palin would prefer to separate herself from the biased press.
—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
How typically narcissistic of the liberal press
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 07:55 ET by c5thenWhen Palin is chosen they go on an all-out no-holds-barred witch hunt to try and dig up something, anything, to discredit her, even going so far as printing and reporting netroot lies. Now they are surprised that they don't have unfettered access to her whanever they want?
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
See5then - Proof they don'e even watch their own MSM broadcasts
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:57 ET by JayTeeThe MSM must not watch their own channels ?
Their own reporting cannot be a mystery to them ? can it ? They can't be that stupid, can they ?
Sarah Palin must be smarter than the 5th graders at MSM.
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised
Who's the Robot?
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 16:53 ET by steve2526AP Presents Image of Robotic Sarah Palin Who 'Sticks to Script
I'm sorry, but the robot in this race is BHO:
Look at the left teleprompter......
wait 10 seconds......
look at the right teleprompter.....
wait 10 seconds.....
look straight ahead.....
Teleprompter not working.....
Does not compute, does not compute......
A member of the right-wing media
Her speech
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 07:57 ET by Adam_MEI do wish McCain's people would give her some new material to work with. I don't mind the fact that she avoids reporters for the time being since the plan appears to be a gradual unveiling to the press and public, starting with the ABC News interview on Thursday and Friday.
But 37 million people watched that convention speech. Countless others I'm certain have seen excerpts since then. She's a great speaker and can connect with voters. Give her something new to say.
As the posting states,
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:43 ET by SmartypantsAs the posting states, politicians on the campaign trail do not often speak off the cuff, and rarely change their message in the middle unless there is a politically expedient reason for doing so. Campaign speeches are repeated over and over, give that it is difficult to create a "new" message over and over again.
I understand this
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 09:03 ET by Adam_MEBut with Palin being such a big story and a major media attraction, networks like CNN are cutting away live to her appearances at rallies. And she's saying the exact same lines as she did a week ago.
I just wish they'd loosen the reigns a little bit. Let her be herself. I've seen clips of her in interviews. She's bright and articulate. This is not Obama sans teleprompter we're talking about here.
But I'll give the McCain camp the benefit of the doubt. Their handling of her so far has been brilliant. They've stood by and allowed the media and Obama to dig themselves into a hole and then unleashed Palin to bury them in it. I'm sure that will continue to be the strategy from this point forward.
"But with Palin being such
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 13:57 ET by ckc1227"But with Palin being such a big story and a major media attraction,
networks like CNN are cutting away live to her appearances at rallies.
And she's saying the exact same lines as she did a week ago."
Obama has been a big story for the last year, and he still says basically the same lines. I mean, how many times has he said "they're going to try and scare you by saying I'm different, I have a funny name, and I'm....black"?
By the way, McCain does it too. But most folks don't pay attention to every speech these people give, so when they finally do get to see one in person, it's mostly new to them.
Lastly, Palin's speech is working. That's why she keeps giving it.
Sounds to me like someone is upset
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 07:57 ET by True_SoldierThat they did not get picked to do the Palin interview.
Broken teleprompter
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:03 ET by ArcherBThe fact that her teleprompter broke in the middle of her speech at the convention pretty much proves that this article is pure bunk!
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Mona Charen has a theory
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:20 ET by motherbeltMona Charen has a theory about why the liberal media are so hostile to Palin.
She thinks it's Trig
I love her ending, which IMO is the money quote:
But for themselves, they would abort. And there stands Sarah, Trig
Palin in her arms, a beautiful ambassador for the path of humility,
duty, honor, and grace. It's no wonder she was in their crosshairs from
the get go.
wait....
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:36 ET by candanceObama refused to do a town hall with Hillary or McCain and took nearly six months to show up on BOR...but Palin is the coward.
The 'Digg' headline for (I
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:38 ET by dmntd1The 'Digg' headline for (I think) this article was along the lines of "Palin sticks to script of lies" or some such nonsense.
I wish the MSM would investigate Sen. BHO as in depth as they investigate Governor Palin. Then again, I expect the future VP to be fully vetted, and why waste your money on the losing ticket, right?
Fascism is a religious conception in which man is seen in his imminent relationship with a superior law and with an objective will that transcends the particular individual - Mussolini
Geez, all of Obama's interviewers are hand picked
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:38 ET by JayTeeMaybe these Reporters did NOT see the Democratic convention coverage by AP and Alphabet broadcasters ? ? you know, the applause in the Press boxes, the cheering of the press corp for Obama ? Certain conclusions could be drawn from that coverage.
Not talking to that "Group" of so called journalists shows some intelligence in my opinion......besides, recent trends by this same group of Obama's press corps have shown they are not "friendly" to her, her family, her message.
As for repeating talking points from the RNC convention, I LOVE to hear her say what the democrats don't say, over and over......Drill. That word is music to my ears, please repeat until successful, please repeat so Pelosi can hear you loud and clear, keep repeating it so the Price of Oil keeps dropping (and it is).
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised
"...until she's comfortable
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:42 ET by dr-go"...until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week."
Excellent judgement in light of the treatment from the media thus far.
The media is so full of
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 08:51 ET by kgThe media is so full of themselves. I guess they think Palin has never been interviewed. It is a wise choice to not appease the media when they act as childish as they have the last two weeks. When the the media grows up and acts their age they will be rewarded with an interview.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
Barak off prompter
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 09:10 ET by NorthCoasterYou've all seen and heard Barak off the prompter hmm, uhh, ahh.........
Tell me now who is a robot with a prompter? Barak presents wonderful Oratory when on a prompter,but he can't string two decent sentences together without one.
Gee, maybe she is giving
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 09:46 ET by moonjohnGee, maybe she is giving the “Best of Sarah” speech because that's what the people want to hear.
At least she's staying on message
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 09:46 ET by Iowa BoySen. Obama has been knocked off his message with the "lipstick on a pig" comment. He's spending precious campaign time to explain that it wasn't a personal swipe at Gov. Palin. Politics is not like football in one respect. In football, defense wins championships. In politics, once you go on the defensive, you're pretty much playing from behind. Well played by Sen McCain's people to pounce on this as quickly as they did.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Hard to Believe
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 09:56 ET by Secret ConservativeIt's kind of hard to believe that Sarah Palin has been the Republican candidate for Vice President for exactly 13 DAYS - not even a full two weeks - and the MSM is whining that she keeps making the same speech and hasn't been available for interviews???? With five kids (one an infant) and this campaign schedule, I'm surprised she's had time to wash her hair!
BHO has been campaigning for TWO YEARS and he is STILL making the same vapid speech full of "hope" and "change" and hot air - and they swoon over him. And God Forbid he goes off teleprompter, because then he's a disaster. Guy can't even tell a joke! But he's the Obamessiah. Yeah, right...
"It's kind of hard to
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 13:45 ET by ckc1227"It's kind of hard to believe that Sarah Palin has been the Republican
candidate for Vice President for exactly 13 DAYS - not even a full two
weeks - and the MSM is whining that she keeps making the same speech
and hasn't been available for interviews????"
And during one of those weeks she was a little busy preparing for that small, week long get together known as the Republican National Convention.
Go Easy On The MSM
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 23:38 ET by cocodrieThey are used to politicians saying whatever they believe the local audience wants to hear. They are not used to hearing someone say the same thing to all people at all times. At least Gov. Palin does not have to be "thoughtful" to remember what lies she told at the last stop since she speaks the truth.
Well Sara, we'll see how
Wed, 09/10/2008 - 23:44 ET by bigtimerWell Sara, we'll see how robotic Sarah is when she puts her hand on the Bible to be sworn in....
...ROFLMAO!
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh