Palin At Debate Refuses To Answer Question

A strange moment in the debate, where Sarah Palin refuses to answer if her ticket would have to pull back on some campaign promises in light of the financial crisis.

Ifill: "As Vice President, there's nothing you've promised as a candidate that you would take off the table because of this financial issue?"

Palin: "There is not, and how long have I been at this? Like five weeks?"

Comments

[necer65]

The one thing about Palin that impressed me was that she had a much better attitude than McCain did during the Presidential debate. Both Palin and Biden were cordial to each other and respectful. McCain showed zero respect for Obama. I liked that Palin and Biden spoke with each others families at the end. Palin may not be ready to be VP, but she can sure teach McCain how to act respectful and less angry.

[BuckeyeGal]

Not what I saw.
Palin delivered more of the same snarky condescension we've been subjected to since the Clinton administration. The hostility was barely concealed. "There you go again, Joe." "I may not answer the way you want me to . . ." "They didn't get your joke." "I have no Achilles heel (paraphrased)" blah, blah, blah.
Yet her supporters frame legitimate criticism of her fitness for office as sexist. If she can't stand the heat, she should get the h#ll out of the kitchen!!

[OneAngryDwarf]

She aped like three "Reaganisms" all of which bombed. It was pathetic that the Repub's were drawing back into the playbook. Reagan had style and knew how to deliver a line, Palin just looked like a very bad copy of a copy.

[mredder4]

Amazing, that she brought up what Joe Biden couldn not, without sounding too aggressive. Palin herself had two quotes mentioning her inexperience and her inability to answer questions, all from her own lips. What a windfall.

I don't put too much stock in that CNN debate dial, but I couldn't help but notice how much more time Biden spent with a positive reaction. Palin brought a lot of the politics of fear, trying to scare people with her and McCain's "nightmare scenarios", and I think a lot of it fell flat. Biden brought experience and ideas and facts, and it was in fact Palin who brought more of the same. Some outsider.

[loax]

That is the point Gov. Palin. You have been at it for 5 WEEKS. We do NOT want someone that has been here only five Weeks to be the VP. How can you claim on one hand you have been at this ONLY five weeks, but in the next breath claim that you are ready to be VP? You have no logic in that argument!

[thepalinator]

What happened to all her experience in Alaska? And if we're going by the yardstick of how long the campaign's been going on, Joe Biden's been "at it" one week more than her. One thing's for sure, she's been "at" the business of being snide and sarcastic with a perma-smile for YEARS!

[mema01]

don't forget that smile is tatooed on. Don't let her fool you she is the "queen of mean".

[ebanks84]

First of all, I believe the republicans tried to set us up with the Katie Couric videos. They did that on purpose to make us feel she would be more dumb than she was.

But, Palin has lost the campaign for McCain because she has allowed the public to see her real self and that self is just as e.v.i.l as McCain is. There is no difference between them. They love to attack, tell lies, be mean, have no grip on the truth, and are annoying as all heck. Neither one can say anything nice about their opponents ever. So, what does that tell you?

It tells you that you have two people who have no LOVE between them to share with others. They are selfish, cold, rude, disrespectful, liars, con artists, and outright bullsh__tters. Why would Americans want them to lead us?

That is the question we all need to answer!

[thepalinator]

I still say that she could not have faked the Couric interviews. Now the question is, will she give more interviews? McCain's people say she will. We'll see. A press conference would probably be her undoing, so that will never happen.

[ScoutandBuckGoodDogs]

She was just way more rehearssed for the "debate" which wasn't debate at all. She just regurgitated what she'd memorized.

[ScoutandBuckGoodDogs]

excuse that extra *s*

[marytny]

What she say? I couldn't figure it. She talked so fast.
Was she paid by the word?

I think she said she was middle class? 2 houses, boat, plane....
She gave me a headache

[imfedup]

Net worth of over a mill . . . .

[longislandlol]

More cheneyesque than cheney himself

[mema01]

That was Chaney last night with a Palin costume on.

[Dynamohum]

And infinitely more scary than Cheney.

[Connie Hawkins]

i truly hope that Brokaw or Bob Schieffer bring up this issue when they moderate the next debates.

if they don't, then they're just proving themselves to be deserved fodder for the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

[GQB]

what issue?

[Connie Hawkins]

Every day that the press doesn't get a chance to ask Palin (the CANDIDATE FOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, for god's sake!) questions in a open, non-scripted forum — EVERY DAY that happens, the press should make that their lead story of the campaign coverage:

"Once again, today, Governor Palin refused to talk with reporters who are regularly covering her campaign."

Honestly, anything less is an abdication of their constitutional responsibilities.

No wonder she feels like she can stand up during her (one and only) national debate and flat-out tell the press (played last night by Gwen Ifill) that she's not going to answer there questions. because she knows that no one in the main stream media — certainly not Gwen Ifill (as she proved last night) is going to say anything like: "Well, this is a debate, and the way debates work is that you're asked questions and expected to answer them."

And then, if she were doing her job, Ifill should have asked her what Palin thought were a candidate's and office holder's obligations to the press.

And if Palin spouted junk about how she wanted to speak directly to the people, rather than go through "the media," Ifill should have asked her to explain how not going through the media wasn't simply a way of avoiding being asked tough questions.

Even a first year journalism school student would know enough to do that.

[quinn52]

Exactly right.

Ifill, whom I have admired, was a disappointment last night. When somebody arrives at a debate and qualifies her participation by saying, "I may not answer the questions posed," it is the moderator's job to reply, "Well, I may insist that you do."

Neither Mrs. Palin nor any other candidate for high office should be allowed to refuse to be questioned. This alone disqualifies her. The press has an obligation to expose this Palin candidacy for what it is- embarrassing drivel.

[mema01]

I can't help but keep asking myself, "what kind of role model is this woman"?. Whay would we say to our children if they told a teacher that they would not answer a question? On every level she is a disgrace.

[KiwisCanFly]

Oh, man," Palin said, "it's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider and someone just not used to the way you guys operate...­you're one who says, you know, as so many politicians do, 'I was for it before I was against it,' or vice versa."

Immediately, I thought of her 'thanks but no thanks" repeated spiel on the stump and in her RNC acceptance speech.

She's oblivious in her commentary.

[obamasOHangel]

Perfect match for her running mate.

[mervr1]

Five weeks and Republicans and McCain believe she is ready to be VP or God forbid President. She has no simplistic or concrete knowledge of the complex issues facing this country. By trying to evade the moderator's questions by throwing out answers irrelevant of the question asked just goes to show you who the real Sarah Palin is and how true the Couric interviews really were. If she hadn't been prepped or had a slew of talking points in front of her, last night would have been tragic.

[KennaP]

doncha know, I'll get back at ya on that (wink) after I look that up for ya (wink)

[BarackDaVote]

"There is not, and how long have I been at this? Like five weeks?"

^^^^^^^^Hall Of Fame (Shame) Statement ^^^^^^^

[quinn52]

Sarah Palin proved one thing only in this debate - she can spew memorized lines with complete disregard for or incomprehension of the question at hand. Any high school forensics league debater could have done a better job. This woman tries to substitute cute for substantive. She is uneducated, vacuous, silly and impertinent.

[amaycatbaker]

She seemed dismissive, mean and smug to me.

[afgail]

In Palin's defense, she has a learning disablity. She is incapabe of understanding a verbal question and possibly written ones as well, Even simple ones. She refused to answer any questions she was asked first, She only answered the questions Biden had answered first. This fundamental problem is why she did so miserably in the Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric interviews PALIN DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE QUESTIONS.

[pleasethinkwomen]

With all due respect, I consider your comment an insult to those who do struggle with learning disabilities. This is not a learning disability we're seeing here folks, this is dim intellect.

[Susej]

Interpreting body language and facial expressions:
winking and tossing back an forth = improvising and acting cute
straight face and wide open eyes = reciting the lines she memorized during the rehearsal.
If she were applying for a job at hooters I say "you're hired!"
But if the vice-presidency that she's seeking, then I say "Thanks but no thanks!"

[Zeya]

Doggone it! Why can't the cynics admit that Mcain's marionette a memorization master!