Ifill: Palin "Blew Me Off"

On "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, vice presidential debate moderator Gwen Ifill said Palin "more than ignored" some of her questions -- she "blew me off." She added that Palin decided to "give a stump speech" instead of a debate, and that there's "little a moderator can do" to stop that. Watch:

Comments

[ChangeNow]

Gwen Ifil's performance as "moderator" was pathetic. She made no effort to mderate anything - all she did was recite questions. The university should get their money back, since they could have gotten a similar performance from any english-speaking freshman. I can only guess that she was scared of the bias accusations, and that her performance proved that such accusations work.

[not one of the sheep]

I guess Palin didn't realize that her job was to kiss Iliffs butt. Good call ChangeNow.

[Lurker50]

Answering the questions of the moderator WAS her job. Moose breath couldn't do that.

[happycat]

I agree with you 100%. Gwen Ifill was a horrible moderator. She let Palin walk all over her out of intimidation. She should have removed herself as moderator days before. Palin got away with avoiding questions and spewing inaccuracies. It was a travesty of the system.

[Hunterswine]

It is down right frightening to me, that we as a society are willing to accept this ignorant uneducated person as a viable political leader! We have become like "deer caught in the headlights"! It's an insult to this country, it's an insult to the vice-presidency and it's an insult to the american people!

[Rambler-bd]

I agree with you totally, but unfortunately the vast majority of the US electorate consists of people who would find it difficult to even locate Washinton DC on a map. I'm afraid you get the government you deserve!

[amities]

It's also unfortunate that very few politicians have the balls to talk to the people honestly. And the few that are honest, don't get media coverage ... I guess this is what happens when the major news outlets are owned by a handful of people.

[Halsey]

Why does no one ask her HOW she is an expert in "energy" ..which Sarah constantly espouses... She governed Alaska (for 5 minutes)..it has oil ...ergo.she's an expert?

I drive a car...does that make me a mechanical engineer? I rent an apt...does that make me an expert on construction permits?

No one asks her how long from potential "find" to survey to instaling drills to shipping to refining..how LONG it takes to get oil from point A into my gas tank....

oh.maybe that would be awful gotcha journalism...

[omac112211]

America has a VP that is unwilling, and reluctant to speak to the American people and 'assumes' the VP role is more 'powerful' than it actually is.
It would be 'scary' to have another VP in the same mold!

[Ojamas]

I agree Gwen let Palin get away easy, but can you imagine if she had pinned Sarah-dipity to the wall? The howls from the right wing about her book deal and bias toward Obama would have been deafening. She probably was the wrong person to moderate given those circumstances, but we vote for the top of the ticket anyway. If you think Palin looked good, there's nothing Gwen could have done to convince you otherwise. You're simply "out of touch." If you like Obama, make doubly sure you're registered to vote, take a friend with you, and get some Ojamas. http://www.ojamas.us

[sparkal]

People that have been subjected to racism knows the games people play. There is a such thing as institutional racism and it was played on Gwen and Obama in each debate. I.E, in the first debate McCain never looked at Obama as if to say he was a nobody. In the second debate PAlin never looked at Gwen Ifil. She took on that debate like a true supremacist--setting the rules and showing the Republican base that she won't answer to a Black person. All of this is subliminal people and the Republicans are good at playing to fears and old ways of racism. Our country is headed ina a sad direction if we choose "fear" over what we know is right.

[Audrey85]

I totally agree! They have yet to put forth a plan on this economy, he talks tough about the war and haven't we already been there and done that with the terrorist taken that threat from Bush and raising it, It is a shame that they are now launching a shock and awe campaign on Obama to scare the American people in the name of winning at all costs not his famous line of country first when he really means "me" first. I know I've had enough of the lies, fears, smears and I am listening to my credit, my job, my wallet, my health care, this shrinking economy, the respect or lack there of for the most powerful nation in the country AND I'm VOTING FOR the REAL CHANGE TICKET OBAMA-BIDEN, not the copy cats. Copying George W. Bush tactics against, Gore, against John Kerry, and love her but Hillary's tactics in the primaries and yes copying even Obama himself. Enough!!! Since when does a separatist trump a man with a real plan!?!

[mysterygirl18]

Gwen was in a tough spot but then again, I ask why is no one in the media challenging this woman? She is an empty shell with no class and someone with the potential to be very, very dangerous.

http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople

[azeb]

McCain's preemptive war against Gwen has worked ,she has done a terrible job.

[exdubyafan]

I guessed working the refs (Gwen) before the game works. She was absolutely unqualified to be a moderator. The bailout vote was less than 24 hours, and she didn't ask Pailin why McCain voted for a bill that is full of earmarks? Gwen should have stayed home and use her sprained ankle as an excuse. A buzzer that goes off every two minutes would have work just as good since Pailin was not going to answer to the questions, but to speak "directly to the american people".

[Cheryl19]

Palin calls herself a maverick but by blowing off Ifill's debate questions she was just plain rude. Her avoidance of the questions was intentional and she outwardly expressed that she was going to answer things her own way. For the past eight years we've been under the leadership of another maverick, George W. Bush. We all know where his arrogant, go it alone and do things my way, attitude lead us. Enough for mavericks! Nov. 4th, let's vote for a disciplined, critical thinking, team leader, Barack Obama!

[darlingdem]

Gwen did a terrible job of moderating the debate. Yes, the format restricted her to some degree, but she could have done a better job of holding Palin's feet to the fire and making her answer the questions.

I think the repubs were successful in "working the ref" in advance of the debate...making Gwen afraid to not let Palin do whatever the heck she wanted to do...i.e. ignoring questions and sticking to her talking points/stump speech.

[Roschelle]

The New political party - the uncommitted. One commentor offered the opinion that the uncommitted are those who chose to vote for Nader, Barr or McKinney and referred to republican or democratic voters as non-thinkers.

http://roschellenelson.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-political-party-uncommitted.html

[Voter777]

Palin seems to feel that she is above the law and above the rules, not a good sign!

[lippy33]

Gwen stunk as a moderator, it's just that simple. She could have taken control but she didn't. this debate did absolutely nothing for Gwen's reputation at all. I wish she had stepped aside so someone else could've done a better job asking follow ups and having people abide by the rules--or at least shame them when they don't.

[iChoose]

I agree. Gwen should have excused herself or stuck to the principles and forced a debate.

[RStone]

Gwen should have disclosed her book deal earlier. it limited her performance.

http://www.boppoll.com

Obama '08

[StellaZ]

Sarah Palin disrespected Gwen Ifill. Period. Her handlers agreed to a format. Ms. Ifill spent her time carefully preparing questions for the debate and Sarah Palin deliberately and in a calculated way dismissed Gwen Ifill.

The McCain camp set up the conditions for Sarah's disdainful conduct by trying to villify the moderator hours prior to the debate. They played to the biases of those in their base who would have enjoyed and reveled in observing a successful, intelligent, African-Woman ignored in her role in this debate.

That is what I will take from this debate and this entire campaign. The desperate last gasps of tried and true race-baiting that prayerfully will truly soon be part of that 'past' Sarah loved talking about. And her enthusiastic willingness to participate in such dreadful tactics will forever taint her. She should know better - she is married to someone who's own mixed race background is denigrated in her beloved state of Alaska by her small-town constituents.

Sarah, Sarah, WWJD? Not this, trust me.

[NotMcCain]

Why is Palin getting away with her babbling? Those weren't answers at all.

Someone should transcribe her response to the "Achilles heel" question. Even if you discount the actual question, she chooses to talk about her experience for 90 seconds.

I not only couldn't follow her after the first few sentences, I think she was absolutely rambling about whatever popped into her head just to fill time. It was every bit as bad as the answer to Couric that Fey mocked.

A transcript is needed for this woman. She makes no sense and yet she speaks with such personality and conviction that mid-way through I can barely even remember the question.

[DBoyRodriguez]

For the sake of America, if you think you are objective enough, please visit this site and find out who Obama really is:

http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/fashion-shows/

[TheGeicoCaveman]

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[MidwestMomma]

But it's not about Obama..it's about us. Obama is just the organizer of this grassroots movement. This is about the American people joining together to move is country forward.

[chromodynamics]

I think I found out about who you are, DBoyRodriguez, than who you think Obama really is. If faded memories, misquotes, disputed family history, policy changes, and removing statements out of context so as to commit liable is all you got, then you have nothing at all. This is nothing but the desperate lamentation of defeated Ditto-Heads.

Nice try but no cigar.

[shothot]

It is truly amazing the amount of negative energy and less than thought provoking issues you expended to say what.. You are one "sick cookie". Without the fanfare of dissecting the obsurb, Is it possible Obama's father was herding goats at ages 9 or 10 or whatever? Get a life!! Terrorism, failing economy, healthcare, Iraq and Afghanistan war with thousands of lives lost and this is your mindset. Heaven help us!!

[Formeralaskangal]

Oh, DBoy is that really you again Elisabeth Hasslebeck?

Quit trollin girl and get back to bed. You know you're gonna need your energy later in the morning so you have the strength to shout and shake as you once again come unhinged (kind of like McCain, but with lipstick on ;;; wink wink) when Joy and Whoopi challenge you to talk about the real issues of the campaign.