Andrea Mitchell Confronts McCain's Campaign Manager On 'Celebrity' Ad

My, it's funny how things change. Just scant months ago, the crowds Obama was drawing on the stump were being dismissed as something for which the candidate could not claim credit. Remember that crowd in Oregon? That was the work of the mighty indie rock band the Decemberists! Now, suddenly, Obama is being credited with having, in the words of the McCain campaign, "great global recognition with a global fan base." Which is obviously a total disaster, because Real American Leaders visit der Fudge Hauses and knock over cans of applesauce to the delight of tens of people, like comical railyard tramps.

Anyway, Andrea Mitchell had the opportunity to ask Rick Davis about this new "Obama as celebrity" tack that the McCain camp has devised and my, did she do battle. Again and again, she pressed Davis to defend the ad, pointing out that a comparison to a political figure would be more apt than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Davis basically responded by prattling, "Can you not deny that Obama is a celebrity?! I can't believe that anyone would think otherwise." And then he said, "You've never seen John McCain take a presidential campaign overseas," banking, I guess, on no one remembering McCain's trips to Colombia and Canada (his trips to Iraq and Europe were taxpayer-funded, although he still held a campaign fundraiser in London). And then it became an argument over McCain's plan to increase offshore drilling, for the psychological benefit of this Nation of Whiners of ours.

Mitchell wasn't having any of it, and deployed McCain intimate John Weaver's arch-criticism of McCain's tactics. And then Davis impugned Obama further on his decision to not visit the troops in Europe, on the grounds that the troops would have enjoyed the visit. So...Obama's "celebrity," in that case, is valuable?

Naturally, none of this made sense, and as Davis went on and on and on about Obama's criticism of McCain (again, how things have changed - way back when it was Obama getting derided for being naive about the tough environment of presidential politics), and Mitchell had to repeatedly correct him, and the whole thing is definitely worth a watch, but the bottom line is this: the McCain campaign spent their money on a silly ad and have now spent two days talking about what a celebrity Obama is and how popular he is, all the while kidding themselves into thinking that they've actually been talking about "the issues that Americans care about."

"I'm happy to talk about the substantive issues the next time I'm on your program," said Davis. Because there's no time like the later!

[WATCH -- starts about 2 minutes in.]

Comments

[Kire]

I wish I could put this video on repeat, so I could listen to it as I drift off into blissful, peaceful sleep. I get visions of bunnies and lambs when I hear this guy talk.

[AlexChaihorsky]

But I also want to comment on the author of this article - Jason Linkins. He gave it a title "Andrea Mitchell CONFRONTS McCain's Campaign Manager..."... Ha-ha!

Hey, Linkins, we understand you wanna make friends with rich and famous in your profession, but try to keep at least some dignity in the process!
Mitchell looked like a scared Soviet rural journalist who happen to accidentally step on a toe of a local Communist Party boss! Not even she never CONFRONTED the guy, the only words she managed to insert into his ramble was an apology for calling McCain "bitter".
Some "Free Press" we are having here, nowadays, folks... As a former Soviet citizen I have to tell you - at least there these "journalists" had been known to be blacklisted, arrested and persecuted by the Party dogs, there was something to be fearful of. Here now they just do it to be on the part list by rich and richer.
Andrea is a terrible interviewer, but she is a grown woman, decent person and an honest, if timid journalist. She does not need to be handled as a teenage girl whose feelings the author is afraid to hurt.

[Penny123]

Barack Obama was responding to this smear video posted on June 27,2008 by John McCain.com. on You Tube. How is it possible that John McCain can say that Barack Obama was playing the race card ? Barack Obama did not mention his distaste for this video until August, two months later, when gave his speech on economics. When Barack Obama said he had a funny name, he's young, and he does not look like the other presidents on a dollar bill, he was just letting John McCain know he was aware that he had posted this video on the web. John McCain became furious. When he talked to the reporters, he said that Barack was trying to use the race card. He is such a liar. See the video for your self and don't forget to check out the date. There are other videos posted from John McCain.com on that same page that are just as terrible. Use the back button.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU&feature=email


This is the same tactic McCain used with the Rev Wright videos. Barack Obama should sue them all, MSM and John McCain for defamation of character and slander. I know Baracl won't though because he is an honorable man. The type of man we want to represent us as President of the United States.

[allonfla]

Sorry, I don't see any fire here. She did not seem willing to push back.

[AlexChaihorsky]

Jeez...! Can MSNBC find hungrier people for such interviews? Mitchell was hibernating ever since she married Alan Greenspan...

[OsamaBushLadin]

I wish to God this who re and her traitor husband would end up in the a fiery crash. The damage they done to this country is unestimatable.

[Querent]

First law of politics: Republicans always lie.

Steve Rich lied? Surprise!

[c1ee]

LOL listening to that spin from that guy makes me question my sanity. He's placing the blame of his own campaign's quote about Obama's trivial eating and exercise habits squarely back to that woman! And she just took it! I wish it was Olbermann in that interview, he would have wiped the floor with him.

[qdog112]

What a waste. This was an interview? He may as well just read his talking points straight off the white paper - oh, he did.

Let's see this guy on video. All I ever hear is his voice. I wanna see his lying face. Andrea was a setup guy for Davis. She needs some work. Let Rachel get a hold to this idiot.

[Proud Lowellian]

Are you kidding me, with every softball question came an answer that sounds like one of my 5 years old Granddaufgters rationalizations on why she shouldn't brush her teeth. Childlike, rambling, and adversion to the question as well as the truth. It was unbelieveable...almost as unbelieveable as the inability of Andrea Mitchell to control the situation, weakly attempting respond to this lunitics ramblings, which he paid no attention to what so ever, continueing to talk right over Ms. Mitchell. So much for Andrea and her hard hitting style. She's sounding very much like someone that wouldn't pick up a phone to call the cops when an assult is happening right in front of her. The more I hear from her, the more she sounds like a straight man for the Republican National Comittee.

[kid5rivers2]

He could wriggle as much as he wants, Emsee's goose is cooked. Only that it shall be eaten jut before the Thanksgiving turkey is.

[ShantWhite]

Dear God,

I know you had a plan.....but how I wish Tim Russert were still here.

[mrmetoo]

He doesn't listen, he thinks what he is saying is gospel truth, he didn't bother to hear the hostess out. Is this a preview of what the Mc Cain administration is going to look like? I actually have a feeling McCain personally doesn't like these ads but he obviously takes advice from people like this so there you go.

[Nofoolhere]

A POWERFUL DEMONSTRATION OF RIGHT WING DEBATE TACTICS IN ACTION.
(As taught at Jerry Falwell"s Liberty University debate courses.)

I hope it is clear how Rick Davis is the perfect role model for the right wing Republican corporate bully. He rudely interrupts, refusing Mitchell to complete her questions. Then he filibusters over and behind her attempts to question or comment, refusing to allow her role to direct the interview.

This is a vivid example of a most typical, outrageous, disgusting, anti-intellectual display employed by the political right. It is an embarrassing indicator, the mark of any disingenuous con who, devoid of rational integrity, cannot tolerate being exposed to logic and rational fact based debates.

Before the midpoint of the interview, after being REPEATEDLY shouldered aside by Davis's abusive rant, I yearned for Mitchell to scream, "SHUT THE F**K UP!!!"

But then, that is why I am not a media journalist. Please Andrea, you and your colleagues, please stop this crap when it happens, because it happens all the time. You"ll hear the cheers from all over the country.

[MalamuteMan]

Yes, it is a good example of Rovian tactics... But virtually every point he made was so implausible it was pathetic... Don't worry anyone that would fall for that BS would NOT be watching Andrea Mitchell, and even if they were, they were already McCain fans before they saw it.

Yes... the number of people in this country that STILL that fall for that kind of propaganda is appalling, but I think you should give Americans more credit... more and more are seeing this for what it is... NONSENSE!

[doug108]

She was terrible. He ate her for lunch.

Davis spends 5 minutes talking about how Obama is just a celebrity. The implication, of course, is that Obama is just an empty gasbag. Then Davis says the soldiers at Landstuhl would have loved to have had a visit from Obama. The obvious question to ask is why they would have liked that. She doesn't ask it. She had an opportunity to box him in and she missed it

[MalamuteMan]

Certainly she COULD have skewered him more vigorously, but to say he ate her for lunch is way off the mark! The only thing he had for lunch was his foot!!!

[doug108]

She was outmatched from beginning to end. This is the head of a presidential campaign coming into the home stretch, and she looked like she went into that interview expecting to have a civil conversation with him. He took control of that interview from the first time he opened his mouth, and he didn't let go until he signed off. He even got her to apologize for using the word bitter.

Did you watch the video?

[Roll451]

She was not terrible although she did let Rick go on for too long. Her disdain for what he was saying became more and more apparent as the interview went on.

Today she had Margaret Carlson on who gave a favorable commentary to Obama regarding the race card issue. I think she's turned off to McCain which could be very helpful because NBC nightly news uses her reports.

[uhappytoo]

She was not good in that interview. She repeatedly allowed Davis to talk over her, although her frustration was clear. Still, Davis was allowed so much time making the interview so one sided that it works well as a McCain ad, not a leveling of the contest. Especially in that Mitchell never made him respond directly to her critical comments about the use of two airheads in the ad.