Helicopter Parenting on the Campaign Trail

Recently Sarah Palin expressed a view on Pakistan that contradicted McCain's stand. In the world according to McCain, when the "gotcha journalists" recognized this gaffe by Palin they should have ignored the event.

Ooops. I guess the reporters didn't read "The World According to McCain." Oh well... Palin shouldn't worry, we all make a few mistakes. And last time I checked Palin was over forty and she should be old enough to not require her parents (or McCain) to bail her out. 

Why did McCain, the over-protective parent figure, tag along on the interview? Instead of letting Palin explain herself in the interview with Couric on Monday, evidently McCain felt he needed to tag along just in case she needed help. What does this rescue by McCain say about his opinion of Palin's competence and how she handles herself on foreign policy or any policy?

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A joint interview with Palin and McCain is fine with me as long as they both bring something to the interview. However, in Monday's joint interview with Katie Couric, McCain appeared to be like the helicopter parent who goes to the principal's office in a weak attempt to blame others and excuse Palin's bad behavior.

In this case, McCain felt he needed to set the record straight and rescue Palin because evidently she couldn't handle the interview situation on her own. (Was he thinking about her recent train wreck of an interview with Couric?)

According to McCain, the problem is not Palin's sound byte. The "real" problem is: Gotcha journalism. 

Hmmm. I thought that was something a high profile politician should know how to handle. Couldn't Palin clarify her statement to Couric without her helicopter parent?

SNL: Sarah and Katie

Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live to impersonate Sarah Palin over the weekend .  The skit featured in the video below mocks the recent interview with Katie Couric and Palin's unusual responses to questions about the United Nations, foreign policy, her comments about Russia, and the economic bailout.

Did Palin Really Say That?

Sarah Palin is new to the media interview routine. McCain handlers shielded her from interviews for weeks after her VP announcement. Just last week, I asked readers "Why?"

Palin seems like she could speak for herself. Her speech at the RNC was a success according to her supporters. Yet, she wasn't hitting the interview circuit to pump up the McCain campaign.

Well, now we know why. Her train wreck interview with Charlie Gibson should have been the signal of the trouble to come. But I thought that was just because it was her first big interview.

Katie Couric's interview with Palin is filled with memorable moments, just not the kind for someone suited for high office:

• When Couric asked Palin for examples of McCain supporting financial regulation, Palin seemed flustered because she can't think of any. Couric: "I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation. Palin:  "I'll try to find some and bring them to you." (See video clip below.)
• When Couric asked Palin about the state of our economy, Palin says we "might be headed for another Great Depression." (So comforting to hear from a future leader.)
• When asked about the conflict in Gaza and what will happen if the goal of democracy doesn't produce the desired outcome? It's one of the vexing foreign policy qestions of the day that even freshman congressman know how to answer. Palin's answer was so strange that I'm not sure if Palin even knows where Gaza is or what happened in Gaza? Palin tells Couric, "Yeah, well especially in that region, though, we have to protect those who seek democracy and support those who seek protections for the people who live there. What we're seeing in the last couple of days here in New York is a President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, who would come on our soil and express such disdain for one of our closest allies and friends, Isreal ... and we're hearing the evil that he speaks and if hearing him doesn't allow Americans to commit more solidly to protecting the friends and allies that we need, expecially there in the Mideast, then nothing will." Hmmm. I'm not sure I know what she meant there... This interview doesn't say much for her foreign policy insight. But, at least she can see Russia from her backyard.

Palin Eyewear Has Special Powers

When I first saw Sarah Palin on the news I noticed her glasses were just like mine. If my glasses weren't so expensive to replace, I'd be running to Lens Crafters right now.

Anyway, I thought Conan O'Brien's glasses-themed joke last week was so appropriate:

"Experts say that since Sarah Palin became vice-presidential nominee, there's been a spike in the sale of her style of eyeglasses. With Palin's glasses, you can see everything, except what the helll your teenage daughter's up to!"

Economic Meltdown

No brilliant plans yet. Only a 700 billion dollar rescue package by the federal government to bail out the financial industry.

In case you haven't noticed...

"We have a big problem," said President Bush when an earlier agreement dissolved amid political fighting on Thursday.

Oh yeah, and he had some more encouraging words according to the  NY Times, "If money isn't loosened up this sucker could go down," President Bush declared when the bailout package fell apart.

Can anything else go wrong? Can't imagine why the Republicans and Democrats are arguing over this one.

Do you think all the finger pointing has anything to do with upcoming election? Hmmm... If we brought a bunch of cute little puppies to romp around Capital Hill, would that help make anyone smile and maybe help end the partisan finger-pointing?

Oh yeah, we're talking about 700 billion dollars. 

So what were Obama and McCain doing during the negotiations? Obama wants a bipartisan solution. We still don't know what McCain's position is. In fact, it appears that McCain was silent during the meetings.

Earlier this week Bill Clinton shared his advice on the economy on The Daily Show. Check out the  full episode here.

Is Silence Golden?

The election is just around the corner. Campaign ads monopolize the airwaves. I expected to see the news filled with candidate interviews and photo ops, but this year the McCain team has taken a quieter approach.  

They aren't talking. Really.

And reporters are getting frustrated. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

Check out the YouTube video of frustrated reporters. Thanks for the tip from The Huffington Post.

McCain's not talking. And Sarah Palin has ruffled more than a few feathers by refusing to talk to reporters too. The campaign has restricted journalist access to her meetings and events. Makes me wonder just what is going on. At the United Nations conference, journalists threatened to boycott her events unless they're allowed more access. What is the McCain team hiding? Are they worried what she might say? Does she need more time to prepare for it? Ask any high schooler and they could tell Palin just how to cram for a test like the UN meeting.

Palin, the small-town mayor turned governor, has accomplished a great deal recently.  She seems like she would be able to handle herself just fine. All the secrecy just seems plain odd. What exactly does the McCain team think reporters would witness?

Oh yeah... She does need to brush up on her American History trivia. Shouldn't be too tough. Even my kids can do it. I think you can even quiz yourself online. (I suppose this cram session would work, that is unless you expect a VP to know more than a typical high school student. I'm thinking I have slightly higher expectations--our Prez and VP should be able to hold forth free form and discuss almost any question intelligently.)

But back to the issue at hand: Meeting foreign leaders. We all know Palin has never met a foreign head of state before. This fact didn't seem to bother her, in fact she told ABC news recently that although had never met another foreign leader, "I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer I just gave you.

Hmmm. Sure sounds believable, but it's not! In fact, Spiro Agnew (former governor of Maryland) who served as VP under Nixon (1969-1973) is the most recent VP with no experieince meeting a foreign head of state before taking office.

The McCain campaign gave in and finally agreed to let a CNN reporter in the UN meetings. And at the UN on Tuesday Palin met two foreign heads of state. 

What was all the fuss about?

Better Not Get Really Sick If You Vote For McCain

No one wants to get sick. But it happens. If you vote for McCain, let's hope you stay healthy or only get moderately sick. But good luck if you have a pre-existing condition like cancer, arthritis, or severe food allergies. If you vote for McCain, then you better be rich enough to buy private health insurance.

McCain's solution to the health care crisis: tax rebates. Wow! Talk about blind faith in the free market. His plan might work for some of us, but what happens to the poorest people who won't benefit from a $5000 family tax rebate because they don't pay $5000 in taxes? Since administrative costs can dramatically increase on the open market, private health insurance could end up being more expensive and less generous according to the WSJ.com.

McCain wants more competition between private health insurers. He wants to bring down the cost of health care by having individuals/families shop for their own insurance. McCain would give direct refundable tax credits to individuals to offset the cost of buying private insurance. But inorder to keep the costs down for the insurance companies, the "human price" of moving to private insurance will be that some people with pre-existing conditions like cancer would be denied insurance by private insurance companies. Corporations would be less likely to offer health insurance benefits because McCain's plan would eliminate the current tax exclusion for health care benefits. McCain has mentioned some plan requiring individual states develop plans to help those with pre-existing conditions, but I haven't seen the details on this. Makes me wonder if under his plan, those under-insured people will then be forced to move just to find the best state health care.

Obama would increase federal regulations while still giving consumers more options like private insurance. His plan would set up a new national health plan to cover everyone so no one would fall between the cracks. To help pay for it he would tax large corporations that do not provide health insurance. Obama's plan would include private insurance plans with increased federal regulation to ensure coverage to everyone, at consistent prices and include those with pre-existing conditions. Private insurance plans under Obama's plan would feel the pressure to offer the same generous benefits as the government-run plan. The cons? This would lead to higher premiums for private insurance. How would the uninsured fare under Obama's plan? Much better. Sometimes children--the most vulnerable--are the ones who lack appropriate care because under current plans they are not insured. By mandating health coverage for all children, Obama's health plan would improve the health care of children. Obama's plan is expected to reduce the number of unisured people by 18 million in the first year according to the Tax Policy Center.

It's ironic that under McCain's health plan, McCain himself would not be covered. Under his plan insurance companies do not have to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions like melanoma and breast cancer. 

Elizabeth Edwards forcefully denounced the McCain health care proposal during yesterday's House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing.

"Sen. McCain and I have something in common, and that is neither one of us would be insured under his health care plan...If you're 55 with cancer...good luck to you," said Elizabeth Edwards during the hearing according to The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report.

To read a detailed comparison of the McCain and Obama health care plans, check out this link in the WSJ.com

Elizabeth Edwards talks health care on Capital Hill during a House subcommittee hearing on health care reform.

Do We Need a Reflective President and VP?

According to the New York Times, Sarah Palin says she doesn't blink when she confronts a problem. Do we need a reflective President and VP?  Do we need someone who can hold forth free form and answer almost any question intelligently? 

Check out what John McWhorter, seen below on the left, of the Manhattan Institute and Glenn Loury of Brown University say about the importance of a president's intelligence

Bloggingheads TV: Palin's IQ Test

Mom-icans vs. Mom-ocrats

Some have said that when McCain added a woman to the ticket, things got interesting. Perhaps. But I'm not so sure that Sarah Palin will be the one breaking that infamous glass ceiling. At first glance she seems to have all the qualifications: She's governor and a mom with five kids. That's got to count for something. She's married to a guy who appears to have stepped down from his career goals just to help her achieve the VP spot. She's gutsy and tough. She's a pretty good shot. Even downing dozens of wolves from a plane. (Definitely not a sport I support.) She is a regular mom attending her kids events. She told her supporters that hockey moms are like pitbulls--just add some lipstick. Impressive images for all those mom-icans, but the mom-ocrats beg to differ.

Palin's leadership profile:

• Foreign diplomacy skills are a must for a VP, but Palin has never met with foreign leaders. 
• Does she have any foreign experience? Well, Palin has exaggerated that point a bit. She has visited three countries to meet with the Alaska National Guard: Ireland, Germany and Kuwait. However she didn't really visit Ireland as she has said, her plane only had a refueling stopover. She also has said she went to Iraq, but her trip to Iraq meant she went to a checkpoint at a Kuwait-Iraq border.
• Palin's famous "I told Congress thanks, but no thanks to that bridge to nowhere" was more than just an exaggeration. In fact, congress killed off the earmark first. (And initially Palin supported the bridge when she ran for governor.) She is not a tough reformer of earmarks as the campaign claims.
• Not all politicians possess integrity. The trouble is that you have to earn it. Which makes me wonder, is is okay for Palin to ask her town librarian just how she would feel about removing controversial books?

Thanks, But No Thanks

One of the amazing things about words is that you can pick ones that multi-task. And sometimes even when your words suggest an idea that is so compelling, they really mean something entirely different.

When referring to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere, what exactly did Sarah Palin mean when she boldly told Congress "Thanks, but no thanks for that Bridge to Nowhere."?

Palin has been called a maverick. She is being packaged as a politician who is not a flip flopper and is not afraid to speak her mind. So why was Palin for the Bridge to Nowhere and why did she flip flop and decide to be against the Bridge to Nowhere? 

Like I said, words can multi-task. Makes me think of a wooden puppet with humble beginnings who dreamed of one day becoming a real VP...... Check out Ann Telnaes cartoon in this Washington Post link.

Bristol's Decision: She Had a Choice

Semantics  matters...

I don't always get bogged down with semantics, but some quotes are just so telling. We are still getting to know Sarah Palin and recently she said a lot about her views without really saying much. She got me thinking, what is the deal with "choice?" Do you still have a choice if you are anti-choice? 

Here's the deal: I'm still trying to figure out why Republican vice-presidential running mate Sarah Palin said in the statement she released on Monday: "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents."

Her decision?

Since Sarah Palin said her daughter Bristol made the decision to keep the baby doesn't that mean she believed that Bristol actually had the right to make a "choice" in the matter?

Since Sarah Palin is Anti-Choice (or Pro-Life) then why did her seventeen-year-old daughter have a choice?

Just like McCain, Sarah Palin opposes a woman's right to choose. Palin has also stated that she opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest. Palin is a member of the anti-choice group Feminists for Life.