1.) Where are the glasses and the frown?
2.) Where are the hardball questions?
Let’s face it. Charles Gibson did not do his job tonight. He had the first interview with Obama in over a month, and the toughest question he asked was, “If you lose, have you thought about November fifth and beyond?”
What a load of crap. Watch it for yourselves.
Softball:
GIBSON: When John McCain calls you, then, a redistributionist, do you take that as a complement or an insult or an accusation?
OBAMA: Well, I — I gather he means it as an insult. And I think it’s part of an old argument, an old language that doesn’t apply any more. I mean, I think there was a strong argument to be made when Ronald Reagan came in in 1980 that, marginal tax rates — the tax rates for the very wealthy were so punitive that people were going through all kinds of changes to avoid them.
After softball:
So what’d you mean when you told that plumber you wanted to spread the wealth?
OBAMA: Well, if you look at the tape, what I said was exactly what I said right now, which is that if people are doing very well, then there’s nothing wrong with us going back to these old tax rates in order to give tax relief to 95 percent of Americans who have been struggling even when the economy was growing.
After softball:
GIBSON: So there’s two scenarios. You can win. You can lose. So let’s start with win. Let’s talk about them, but let’s start with win. From the beginning, you said you wanted new politics. You wanted to work with Republicans. An overwhelming likelihood is, if you win, you would have a very strong majority of Democrats in both the House and Senate. You’ve said you want to work with Republicans. Why would you need to?
No followup to the non-answer to this question. If you find an answer to “Didn’t you break a promise” in there anywhere, I’ll give you a hundred bucks. Instead, Gibson thinks that it’s tough journalism to ignore the broken pledge and the reports of credit card fraud that Obama is using to collect donations, and concentrates instead on the big stuff: The names of the small donors.
GIBSON: You’re going to have a half an hour broadcast tonight on a number of the networks. And the expense is not inconsiderable to buy that much time.
OBAMA: Right.
GIBSON: Aren’t you able to buy it only because you broke a promise on campaign financing?
OBAMA: Well, look, there is no doubt that the amount of money that we’ve raised in this campaign has been extraordinary and surprised me as much as anybody — maybe more than anybody. What I would simply point to is that the way we have raised this money has been by expanding the pool of small donors in this country in an unprecedented way.
GIBSON: But you haven’t released their names.
OBAMA: We’ve got…
GIBSON: We don’t know who they are.
OBAMA: Well, look, the — a whole bunch of them were out here today. I mean, you’re looking the people who are giving 5, 10, $25. Ordinary folks who have gotten impassioned about this campaign in a way that is unprecedented. And that, really, is…
GIBSON: Shouldn’t we know the names of that list?
And Obama suddenly gets coy about being president before he’s president.
GIBSON: Should you win this thing, first priority as president-elect, what would you want to get out of the lame duck session of Congress?
OBAMA: Well, the lame duck session of Congress, I’m not going to be president. I’m going to be president-elect.
False modesty doesn’t suit you, Barry.
I sure hope the polls are lying. Because I’m not going to be able to watch the news for the next four years if they’re not.
What questions have not been asked, that you want to know the answer?
How about just answering the questions that have been asked? Like “Didn’t you break your pledge to the American people to accept public financing?”
Other questions: “Why did you stay in Rev. Wright’s church for 20 years, listening to his anti-American and anti-Semitic speeches, only to dump him when it began to look bad for your campaign?”
Also, “Why don’t you want the LA Times to release the tape of you honoring Rashid Khalidi five year ago?”
And how about just this one, the same one that he asked Sarah Palin: “Do you consider yourself experienced enough to be president? How? Be specific.”
I live in the deep blue city of Falls Church here in Northern Virginia, the MSM and Polls all but says Virginia is out of reach. I am scratching my head because have never seen so many Republican signs here. Many homes (mine included) have McCain/Palin signs right next to our Warner(D) for Senate signs, I AM A DEMOCRAT. My brother lives in the Bellwether County of Prince William, 7 out of 10 signs in his neighborhood are McCain/Palin, two of these also have Warner(D) signs next to them and one just changed their sign from Obama to McCain, HE IS ALSO A DEMOCRAT.
I have been voting since Carter in this State, I know the demographic changes and don’t need to hear it. My Account Manager, also a staunch Democrat from Massachusetts is voting for McCain, sure there are loud Obamabots, we are quieter. I was an angry voter in 2006 against the GOP, this time all anger will not go to the GOP, much will be a backlash at the MSM and there is no reason to add quite the level of Democratic bias to the polls since the 2004 vote model, especially at the Presidential level. These polls in Virginia are weighted for a constituency that just doesn’t exist, it is a fantasy.
I remember the post Watergate 1% loss for Carter in 1976, I voted for Carter and the current climate is not as hostile now as it was then. I also was here in the 1996 in Clinton’s 2% loss, I voted for Clinton and know Ross Perot made that difference. I voted for Carter in 1980, the economy was much worse then. My Republican friends are angry, the media better take off the blinders because their anger is at them and their bias. The Republican base is getting fired up and will turn out in Virginia, they our way more fired up than 2004. Republicans feel challenged and disrespected, most apathy towards McCain is gone. They are just as angry at the NY/DC Republican elitists and fired up about Sarah Palin and would love to shove her down their throats.
I am a Democrat and who also resents the disrespecting of a War Hero, I with other Democrats will join in to send them a message concerning them trying to force a candidate down our throats. These fruitcakes on the MSM have me watching Fox news for heavens sake… Fox news! The MSM are grossly overplaying their hand. I am a fairly well off person and I would stake half of what I own on a bet that Democrats will not win this State.
I hope you’re right, JSF. I just moved from Richmond to Chesterfield County, and from an Obama neighborhood to a McCain one.
We’ll see what happens on Tuesday. I’m hoping the polls are as biased as the media.
I think these polls are crazy. Indiana is also supposedly “up for grabs”. I heard a report tonight that one poll had the presidential race here neck and neck with Obama up by one. Another report had poll numbers for our race for governor showing the republican leading the democrat 54-40! And our republican gov. is Bush’s former budget director.
Bush won this state by double digits. I don’t care how many “voters” Acorn registered in Lake county (where Gary is) Obama is NOT winning this state.