David Gregory Does Battle With Talking-Point Dispensing Robot

Earlier this morning, the Hillary Clinton campaign decided that they'd save a little money and use today's morning news shows to mount a lengthy campaign commercial, chock-a-block with all the new focus-tested sentences that have been the centerpiece of her campaign ever since its "Well, Okay, Then, We're About 'Change' Now, Too" Reboot. It was a perfect plan.
Unfortunately, this required her to confront the Today Show's David Gregory, who inconveniently decided to start "asking questions", and "holding" her campaign "accountable" to statements they had made.

GREGORY: So, Senator, if people look at the last six weeks and they might question how Hillary Clinton responds to a crisis or how she handles pressure and they might point to the fact that you complained about the all boys network of presidential politics in the wake of the Philadelphia debate, they would see your husband complaining about media coverage of you, they'd see your campaign raise the past drug issue and use by Barack Obama or questioned him for his ambition, and they might say, well, this is really what we don't like about politics. Is that fair?
CLINTON: Well, i don't think that's at all an accurate representation of my campaign. You know, campaigns are like life. You know, some days are perfect. Some days aren't. But what really matters is where you're headed, what you do when you suffer some kind of, you know, problem, how you put yourself back on track and, you know, I've been doing this a long time.
GREGORY: I'm sorry. You said that was unfair. You dispute those were how you handled things in the wake of hitting that rough patch?
CLINTON: I'm going to let voters decide that, not the press. I'm going to let voters make up their minds. what I see happening here and across the country is voters are responding very positively to my campaign. I'm a proven leader. That's what The Des Moines Register said, what a lot of my supporters say.

Right! Silly David Gregory! As they say: Post Des Moines Register, ergo propter Des Moines Register! Still, Gregory pressed on something one of Clinton's "supporters" has said.

GREGORY: Let's talk about a key issue you raise on the campaign trail, that's your experience. It was your husband, the former president, that said Barack Obama as president would be "rolling the dice" with america's future. Assuming you agree with that, let's be clear. an Obama presidency is a risk to what? America's national security, America's economic health? What precisely?
CLINTON: Well, i would ask people to read the Des Moines Register editorial. Basically what they said is we need a proven leader. We have tough times.
GREGORY: What does it mean? We know what The Register said.
CLINTON: I think that's one of the principal cases for my candidacy. If you want to know what changes I'll make, look at the changes I've already made. Everybody talks about change. Everybody talks about change in this campaign. Some people think you get change by demanding it. Some think you get it by hoping for it. I think you get it by doing really hard work. That's what I've done.
GREGORY: Senator Clinton, you're not answering the question. Your husband said it would be "rolling the dice" for America's future if he were elected. What's the risk to America if Barack Obama is the president?
CLINTON: [Pause] You know, he not only said that, but the Des Moines Register editorial implied that.

Wow! It's a good thing the Des Moines Register didn't come out in favor of Clinton jumping into the Dale Maffit Reservoir!
Anyway, Gregory, growing tired of this battle of wits, attempted to shift the discussion. But Hillary hadn't yet finished dispensing platitudes.

GREGORY: So you're choosing not to answer that question. let me ask you another issue --
CLINTON: No, I'm -- no, wait a minute. I'm making the case for my candidacy. I'm very happy that I have -- I have strong supporters and I have editorial support. Well, you know, I think that voters will have to judge us, and that's what I welcome. I invite people to do that.

Right. Scrutiny is welcome, so long as it leads to an endorsement. Otherwise: DOES NOT COMPUTE!
(Watch the video.)

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1344596469 http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

Comments

[rh654]

HOW DARE GREGORY QUESTION THE CHOSEN ONE.

Doesn't he know that Hillary was the wife of a President?

DEAR GOD - HILLARY CAN'T ANSWER ANYTHING?!?

She is NOT a leader, she is a politician - we've just had too many years of Politicians - we need a leader.

[williamg]

Why can't she ever give a straight answer? This Hillary and Bill dynamic is just neurotic. Now they are pulling all the Republican smears they can think of on Obama. What happened to the "Politics of personal destruction"? If Obama can beat this Clinton sleaze machine she can beat the Republican sleaze machine. He already beat the Daley machine.

[Ifeomamn]

POLITICS of PERSONAL DESTRUCTION THAT IS THE CLINTONS. THE CLINTONS DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS.
DEMOCRATS WAKE UP.....

[VOTER]

Hillary was fine in the interview.

It is Gregory who needs to go home.

Let' s see him "get tough" with Bush. Oh that isn't

possible. He and his family are Bush Friends.

Don't ever quote Gregory. It is embarrassing to do so.

[Tator]

Wow. A MSM person actually asked Hillary a question then followed up to her non answers. This should be marked in history as the rarest of events.

[Maxstar212]

I seem to watch NBC and MSNBC all the time. Probably because I love politics and they do a lot of it. Most of them really hate Hillary. (Not Obermann, the only liberal there.) That NBC debate was a set up. They asked everyone to say something negative of clinton. it was bizarre.

I would be happy with Clinton or Biden or Dodd or Edwards or Kucinich or even Gravel (who really told the truth on the stage), but I would never vote for Obama. I don't trust someone brought up in fascist Jakarta as my President (and I know I am not alone). MSNBC is owned by GE, the countries largest arms manufacturers. If Obama gets nominated, it will be easy for the Republicans to win. The Republicans will spend more money on arms from GE and boost GE's stock price. tim russert and that plastic commentator or nightly news will make a lot of money for their bosses.

[TiffShelton]

Hillaryites, why is the HRC campaign reinventing her message?

She is no longer the candidate of experience, but is now the candidate of change.

I thought experience trumped, change? I suspect it has something to do with Bill’s initial run for the WH.

[ergoth]

gregory will forever be linked with rove as his dancing stooge. he jumped the fucking shark that night and all his bullshit questioning of any politician is just an attempt to regain whatever credibility he think he might have had.

sorry stretch, no one takes you seriously. but i bet you're a laugh at georgetown soiree's when you do your impressions.

[Pimpdaddybrown]

Hillary is going down. get used to it. Obama all the way.

[leftLibertarian]

Hillary Clinton: The FemBot Politician.

[luckyoldson]

When did the Huffington Post become the offical Hillary bashing site?

EVERY SINGLE DAY we get some kind of hideous blaring headline about how horrible either she or Bill are.

If Huffington is endorsing someone...­why not just come out with it and git it over with.

The one today is absolutely ridiculous. Gregory, just like the other 2,000 interviewers of Hillary over the past year or more are merely looking for ANYTHING that will throw the candidate off balance...­and she was just fine during the entire interview.

This is nothing but Huffington doing her best to thrust her own personality and site into the fray.

[raker]

I saw the opposite. I saw Gregory ask the same question over and over, pressing for a shallow answer to a shallow question, but he NEVER EVER pressed Bush or any of his spokeshenchmen on any issue. Coal in David Gregory's stocking, GE lackey that he is.

All this gratuitous beating up on Hillary, whom I don't like, has me rethinking the not-liking-Hillary thing. David Gregory I despise now and forever.

[NABNYC]

What is Hillary's experience? She's the one who decided to run on that platform, but she refuses to tell us. Here's the question: she's 60 years old. What has she done during those 60 years that she thinks qualifies her to be president?

She went to law school, worked in a large law firm representing real developers and S&L swindlers. She got married and had one child. Her husband got into politics. She spent the next 30 years, off and on, being a politician's wife. Like Nancy Reagan. Or Laura Bush.

In her employment, she dedicated her efforts to making money for herself. In his post white house years, Bill Clinton has done nothing but suck up to rich people soliciting money for himself for vague reasons which we all know really means give him money for Hillary's campaign. Then when she's president, she'll do what the corporations tell her to do.

As Senator, her record is a joke. She supports war and more war. She supports Joe Lieberman, the biggest traitor in decades to the Democratic party, but another war-lover. She wants to throw Americans in prison for burning a flag. She supports unrestricted government spying on citizens, and more wars of aggression.

During her years as a senator, Hilly Clinton has done absolutely nothing for either women or children, although she proclaims to the world "You know my record of support for women and children." What? She goes to some charitable event once/year and write a relatively small contribution?

Hillary Clinton is a Republican. Don't vote for her.

[juliewolves]

I've dismissed Gregory as a reliabe journalist since I saw the video of him kissing up and singing back-up to Carl Rove's pathetic imitation of a rapper.
And the real agent for change in the Democratic Primary is John Edwards. He's got the specific plans and programs developed. No waiting around for a Freidman or Chairman of the Fed to show up at the White House and tell him to gut the middle class.

[AngFL]

Jason, I respectfully disagree. Getting ready for work this morning and since Howard is on Holiday break, the TV was on and I heard the whole interview live. David Gregory is a hot head, not a journalist. I found his whole approach like a bully raising his voice and looking for a verbal fight.
I am not a Hilary supporter, more than anything - I am an undecided Democrat who only votes Democrat and I am waiting to make my decision. When the media behaves in this manner it only brings attention to themselves and we know, they are some real issues out there to discuss. Matter of fact, Meredith interviewed McCain and what did you think of that sweet, soft spoken approach she took to McCain. She did slide a curve ball at the end with the "hot temper" question and wether it is fair, blah, blah, blah. The real question is - what is fair? And why are journalists asking the candidates what is fair about the way they are covered by the media? It's mind numbing don't you think?