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

[Dartanyon]

Hillary, Hillary, Hillary! What are we goning to do wit cha'?

35 years of experience? 35 years? Oh honey, puhleeze!

Let's see:

1. married to a two term Arkansas governor.
2. married to a two term U.S. president.
3. 7 years in the Congress as a senator.

And how exactly does this give Le Hill "35 years experience" on her balance sheet?

Hillary's claim is as specious as her meritless, empty attacks of on Barack Obama.

Who the hell does she think she is attacking a kindergarten kid for daring to dream to be president one day? Or suggest Obama's not "ready to sit in the front of the bus with the rest of the candidates running for president?"

It's no surprise the people of Iowa have had Le Hill up to their you-know-whats. The final straw was sending a supplicant out to try to smear Obama's drug use.

I guess it's OK that her husband is addicted to dumb interns, with big breasts and small brains.

That's different, right Sen. Clinton?

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

David Gregory is a neoconservative...So is Campbell Brown..
Wolf Blitzer
Sanjay Gupta
Anderson Cooper.
Geraldo Rivera.
Sean Hannity.
Maybe Tim Russert.

Did I forget anyone?

[willowbarcelona]

"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."

Has Mrs. Clinton no idea what her recent "hard work" comments remind voters of? George Bush's "it's hard, it's hard work" comments re Iraq.

Too, it's not possible to whine and pout one's way into the presidency just because one feels one has worked hard all of one's life and now deserves recognition for it. Plenty of Americans work hard their whole lives with little or no recognition, which is why basing one's electoral inevitability on a lifetime of working hard doesn't resonate with voters at all.

Anyone on the planet could advise Mrs. Clinton more effectively than the crowd she has surrounding her. She is politics as usual, and the times do require change--so much so that voters are willing to, gasp!, "roll the dice" and vote for Senator Obama and overlook his "inexperience," just as voters overlooked Mrs. Clinton's husband's "inexperience" in 1992.

[Clairefran]

I watched the interview this morning on the Today Show. I was actually amazed at how courteous Senator Clinton was to Mr. Gregory. Mr. Gregory kept repeating the question as to what did her husband mean by his quote about Obama. Mr. Gregory, ask President Clinton.
Hats off to Senator Clinton for actually sitting and being interviewed by Mr. Gregory. Isn't this the same Mr. Gregory that was seen rapping and dancing with Karl Rove??? Senator Clinton was nothing but nice to this baffoon. I will continue to turn the channel anytime Gregory is on television. Just wish I would have done that this morning. Gregory has NO creditibility. A joke!

[JMEB]

How exactly should she have answered that question? How *could* she have answered that and not have Hillary-bashers absolutely verklempt?

I can understand reporters (after ratings) and other campaign managers like Joe Trippi (after the interests of their candidates) pressuring her to do that, but why are normal citizens eating that sort of framed question up?

[Rove]

Looks like Hillary Derangement syndrome stage 4 at the Huff-blow blog.

[ruffmama]

Edwards/Obama '08

[MadamRoma]

David is a hypocrite of the first order, he has kissed so much White House butt it has affected his brain, what little he had. What a waste of oxygen.

[gwr72]

Poor HRC supporters. They think if Hillary wins the nomination, the republicans will just roll over and play dead. The Clintons are the perfect targets for the repugs. And if think they aren't going to point out her inconsistencies through the democratic nomination process, and the Clinton administration, you are living in dream land. I am a life long democrat having voted for every democrat since Stevenson. I voted for Bill Clinton twice. I will vote for HRC, but would rather have something besides a Clinton. Both the Bushes and the Clintons just old recycliable.

[ChristopherLib]

Well Jason welcome to Ariana's great "bitchslap Hillary anytime we have an opportunity" club. I see you're fitting in just fine.

[MNmommy]

This is David Gregory of MS/NBC we're talking about right? Did anyone expect that he wouldn't go after Senator Clinton? He was on Matthews' & Carlson's shows every night last week eyerolling and registering disgust with the Clinton campaign.

Oh look! Tweety is eviscerating Clinton again tonight, SHOCKER I'm telling you.

On another note, inSannity is talking about stopping the "Stop Hillary Express" and starting to go after Obama. (Though he's still spewing all kinds of vitriol at the Clinton's.)

Any liberal/progressive/Democrat that reiterates this trash is seriously into cannibalism.

[booker52]

None of these folks running for office will answer a straight question. I really don't think if it isn't on their list of rout responses they are at a dead loss.

[RobertSeattle]

Q: Senator Clinton, What is pi to 10 digits?

A: I'm going to let the voters decide that.

[retiredPhDMD]

As a life-long Democrat, I say, ANYBODY BUT HILLARY! Her so-called experience does not amount to anything of value, she appears to be totally free of conviction and is running a very mean campaign. I will roll my dice with Obama but could live with any one of the Democratic field, Edwards, Biden, Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich, Uncle Tom Cobley and all, but not Ms Clinton.

[mamazboy]

The real question here is why is this mediocre "Democratic" Dem-hater Jason Linkins writing for HuffPo? Where did he even come from? His resume is woefully thin. Aren't there any standards at HuffPo these days? First it was his trashing of Lawrence O'Donnell for soundly and sensibly going after the idiot Mitt. Now he's Hillary bashing. Jason, we get enough of this shit from the Repubs without taking it from yet another clueless fake-Dem. Fire this fool!