Blader
Straitjacket
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 Offlinevagazzling vajayjays since 1876!!
 
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Re: [Politics/Religion] Palin FTL pt. 23874
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2008, 07:00:23 AM » |
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I watched Oberman last night. I never watch that show, not because I'm anti-Oberman, but mostly because I can't really (under) stand the cadance. But I watched last night, and he basically did a progress/summary report on the Palin-McGrommits campaign.
And it struck me that this has really become quite surreal.
This all started with the McGrommits campaign limiting Palin's access, engendering a modest bout of ill will from the media. You don't purposefully cut the 4th estate out of political campaigns, you actually exploit them to advantage, cheap exposure, sound bites and all. With this one move, McGrommits loses any hope for the duration that they'd be able to control the spin game.
I have to applaud CBS.
They have brilliantly achieved full effect by releasing this interview one physically painful non sequitur at a time. I'm impressed by the way they briefly cut back to the quizzical look on Katie's face during each of these rounds of Palin's nonsensical spew. It has great effect, reinforcing what the audience must be thinking by saying, "Don't worry, as you can see, Katie is a bit confused by this, too." They obviously knew they had a bomb on their hands. I do believe they've done constitutional democracy a service, though it doesn't make up for letting themselves be walked over roughshod by Zchaanee for 7 straight years. But it is a start at redemption.
Still, Katie Couric's reputation will soon morph into that of the hated Dan Rather. As that begins, remind yourself that all she did was ask, "What newspapers do you read?"
OK, ok, you're right. I admit. That actually was a trick question. It really was "gotcha" journalism. I'll explain: Just like a lawyer, Katie had a reasonably good idea of the sort of answers she could expect from her questions. She and her producers no doubt did their homework. They sized Palin up and correctly understood her vapidity. This was a softball game, but the teams were stacked. Palin never had a chance. Cue the campaign mismanagement theme song.
Tonight will be the last night ever that we see Palin allowed to run off of a prepared script. There is a sense that this is a dangerous moment in the Obama campaign, that they must not appear too harsh on the woman. I no longer share that point of few. Palin will be largely uninterpretable, not only because of her lifetime of incuriousity, but also because her biggest problem is the good old "moose in the headlights" reaction. It is a part of her physiology...she just can't help herself from seizing up.
In fact, I wouldn't at all be surprised at all to see McGrommits run onto the stage to rescue his fair maiden and take command of the debate. In a sort of Pythonesque moment, I can see him stepping out there, and in a British accent saying, "All right! There you are! This is silly! That's enough! Turn that camera off, good man! You there, douse those lights."
After tonight, for the next four weeks, they'll run the 'liberal MSM ambush' play the way the Cornhuskers used to pound the ball off tackle. That is about their only hope.
Only problem with that is the campaign's other Achilles heal, McGrommits, will still have to speak publicly, and off script, over the next five weeks. Which isn't a good thing, either. After he beat the living *feces* out of that newspaper lady in Des Moines the other day, all of the media is beyond being pretty mad at him, they all want a piece of him, too.
My prediction is, during a fit of uncontrollable madness sometime between now and November, McGrommits grabs a suitcase from one of his aides and attempts to use it to launch a full scale nuclear strike on Russia as a way to illustrate his leadership and decisiveness in front of an obviously skeptical audience. When it finally dawns on him that he didn't grab "the football", but, in fact, a stylish yet affordable LL Bean tote full of position paper drafts and pröñography, he falls to the stage from a crippling stroke.
Huckabee is mobilized to serve simultaneously as his and Palin's replacement, but the undecided's look at the pictures and worry about the weight he's been gaining. Medical records are finally released, confirming their suspicions that Huckabee is pregnant, and is nothing more than a figurehead. DNA testing confirms he is an incubation vessel, who is carrying the spawn of the Dark Lord Xzainey.
The Negro wins by acclamation, but his administrative agenda is winged from the outset by the mess he inherited. History judges his term as "the janitor presidency" and, not unremarkably, The Base finds this to be a fitting judgment, saying, "We tried to tell you."
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