Another Brilliant Masterstroke by the McCain Campaign

We got some negative feedback on the ABC News Charlie Gibson interview of Sarah Palin.  Some thought the questioning was too harsh, one viewer even writing he felt it indicated some sort of 'liberal bias' by Gibson against Palin.  It made me wonder where he was when Gibson was criticized for his aggressive questioning of Barack Obama during a Democratic debate a few months ago.

Gibson was tough, but I get the feeling the McCain camp wanted it that way ... just another masterstroke it what's been a series of them lately beginning with the Palin pick itself.

First, there was the choice of Gibson to interview Palin in the first place.  The McCain people clearly thought Palin's first post-convention interview had to be with one of the big three network anchors.  Gibson, who had moderated several debates during the campaign season, was the obvious choice.  He has a reputation as a veteran journalist who isn't afraid to ask biting questions even if he knows they may anger some who are watching.  If you are looking for the biggest 'heavyweight' interviewer, Gibson was the clear pick.

Then, there was the amount of time alloted and the lack of pre-conditions.  Gibson was granted three in-depth interviews over two days and he could ask whatever he wanted.  Talk about pressure!

Why would the McCain campaign put such a national newcomer in front of ABC's Charlie Gibson for two full days?  One word ... 'confidence.'  The McCain camp knows that for the relatively inexperienced Palin to impress, she has to show confidence and they have to show their confidence in her.  It worked.

Palin did trip up a few times.  There is no way you can cram on U.S. foreign policy for a week and come up with all the right answers.  She was at times unsteady and had a habit of repeating certain 'talking point' phrases over and over again, but overall, Palin was poised, energetic, very real and ... confident!  I'm not sure she won any new fans, but that wasn't the point.  The point was she proved she does belong on the national stage.

The analogy I used with one viewer was the Boise State Bronco football team.  BSU had good seasons before the Fiesta Bowl year and went undefeated in the season leading up to that amazing bowl game, but it wasn't until they defeated a nationally known powerhouse in Oklahoma that the Broncos captured the nation's imagination and earned its respect.  BSU is now regarded as amongst the top football programs in the country because they confidentally took on a tough test in the Sooners and suceeded.

Palin's willingness to take on a tough test in her Charlie Gibson interview is no different.  Had she shied away from such an exchange or done her first interview with more of 'lightweight,' it wouldn't have mattered what she said.  People would view the choice itself as that of someone who herself is not confident she is ready for the tremendous challenge of being a heartbeat from the Presidency.  Palin's ability to take Gibson's questions head-on showed the kind of mental toughness and confidence needed for her to succeed.

In past blogs, I have lamented how others who found themselves in the glare of controversy have tried to manipulate the process rather than take on tough questions.  Larry Craig comes to mind after his arrest in a Minneapolis Airport bathrooom sex sting.  From the staging of the first post-arrest interview in his home (family pictures strategically placed behind him) to the use of soft camera filters to the positioning of his wife beside him to the choice of the interviewers themselves, Craig appeared to be trying more to push an image rather than answer tough questions.  It backfired, doing little to change his tarnished image here in Idaho or nationwide because people saw it for what it was.

Palin on the other hand took on the most aggressive national questioner she could find and passed her first big test.  There will be more tests, but after what she endured with Charlie Gibson, it is easy to see why national confidence in her continues to grow.

Comments

[Joan E. Harman]

I fail to find many "masterstrokes" in the McCain campaign when you really take a good look at how he has in fact campaigned. If Palin really wanted to get her bearings as to how she could hold her own, she should have come uncoached to "The Daily Show" and got the sort of tough questions that only Jon Stewart can dish out. McCain rolls her out as some sort of prize merchandise. But, for anyone who wants to kick the tires, how much there, there does Palin have? And if McCain wants to keep "protecting her" from what he invents as nastiness coming from the "other side," we could be looking at a pretty car but that has no engine. Not a masterstroke, sorry.

[Sisyphus]

This is a joke right?

"here is no way you can cram on U.S. foreign policy for a week and come up with all the right answers. She was at times unsteady and had a habit of repeating certain 'talking point' phrases over and over again, but overall, Palin was poised, energetic, very real and ... confident! I'm not sure she won any new fans, but that wasn't the point. The point was she proved she does belong on the national stage."

Cram for one week and you too can be VP. You're saying she's ready for the national stage after cramming for one week. God help us.

[The REAL John Doe]

The Broncos analogy just doesn't work Scott. Except if you use Obama resembling them...sleek...fast, poised to beat the "big boys" like when BSU beat Oklahoma. Now that I think of it,the Bush administration really resembles the Vandals. Dated, bloated and just plain useless. And with McCain and Palin it'll be more of the same Republican "business as usual". But it's true she did answer pretty well, better than McCain would have I imagine. I like Mrs. Harman's idea noted above...the Daily Show-now that would take some serious guts!

[Name]

Looks to be a conflict of interest to me. Your network broadcasts a puff piece interview and you crow GOP talking points while plugging your network. So much for unbiased reporting...

[The REAL John Doe]

It's how the world works kid, get used to it!