- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Palin Takes Questions at a McCain Town Hall
Email
ShareSeptember 18, 2008 5:56 AM
ABC News' Brett Hovell and Imtiyaz Delawala report: At a joint McCain-Palin town hall meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday night, Gov. Sarah Palin took questions directly from voters for the first time, but rarely directly answered the questions posed to her or ventured from lines she often delivers on the campaign trail.
Palin jumped right in from the first question directed to her Republican running mate, Sen. John McCain, on how he would address the threat of radical Islam. After McCain gave a short response, Palin interrupted, asking, "John, John. Can I add something? I want to add something to that."
"Always," McCain replied, drawing cheers and applause from a crowd of 2,000 packed into a gym at Grand Rapids Community College.
"OK. May I add something, because sometimes my running mate is a bit too humble," Palin added, returning to a regular point she makes on the campaign trail. "We need to remember who it was who pushed for and supported and risked much for the strategy that is working in Iraq, and that is the surge. He is the one who pushed for it."
One female voter asked for Palin's response to discussion about her perceived lack of foreign policy experience, asking her to "please respond to that criticism and give us specific skills that you think you have, to bring to the White House, to rebut that or mitigate that concern."
But Palin did not list specific skills, instead giving a broad response while saying she would be happy to play "stump the candidate" on foreign policy issues.
"I think, because I am a Washington outsider, that opponents are going to be looking for a whole lot of things that they can criticize, and they can kind of beat the candidate here who chose me as his partner to kinda tear down the ticket," Palin responded. "But as for foreign policy, you know, I think I am prepared and I know that on Jan. 20, if we are so blessed as to be sworn into office as your president and vice president, certainly we'll be ready. I'll be ready. I have that confidence. I have that readiness, and if you want specifics with specific policy or countries, go ahead. You can ask, you can play 'stump the candidate' if you want to. But we are ready to serve."
When asked by a former Hillary Clinton supporter to give details and examples of her "strategies and plan for economic empowerment for women," Palin provided few specifics.
"Now, I was a product of Title IX, where legislation allowed that equal opportunity. Now, if we have to still keep going down that road to create more legislation, to get with it in the 21st century, to make sure that women do have equality, especially in the work place, then we're there, because we understand that, in this age, we have all got to be working together," Palin said. "But yup, equality for women, for all, that's going to be part of the agenda, and I thank you for that question."
McCain seemed happy to have Palin along for their first joint town hall, asking her to jump in on the conversation, notably on energy issues, which McCain's campaign has been promoting as Palin's strong suit. When asked by one voter how and where oil from offshore drilling could be secured, Palin cited her experience on energy issues in Alaska, saying she would work to make the resources that "belong to the people" available.
"It's a matter of Congress allowing these lands to be tapped -- the offshore drilling -- the allowance given there, also, for safe, reliable and ethical drilling of these resources," Palin said. "Yes, the oil companies have the leases, the right to develop; they also have a duty to develop when it's economic, when people are hurting, they need to tap those resources and get those sources flowing. That's part of the reform that we're going to usher in to D.C., and we did that up in Alaska."
But when asked how she would help keep any new domestic oil produced in the United States, Palin gave a less-than-well-articulated non-answer.
"Oil and coal? Of course, it's a fungible commodity and they don't flag, you know, the molecules, where it's going and where it's not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first," Palin said. "So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it's Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It's got to flow into our domestic markets first."
Despite the feeling of something new and unique for their first meeting, the event still had many of the hallmarks of a typical McCain town hall –- and he's had hundreds of them. He was asked about health care and social security, and thanked for his service in Vietnam. He asked veterans in the audience to stand, and they got a round of applause.
As if to pre-empt any question that might play up some of the differences between his positions and those of his running mate, McCain admitted at the beginning of the meeting that he and Palin didn't always agree.
"And by the way, you may figure out from time to time, Sarah and I don't agree on every issue," he said. "What do you expect of two mavericks?"
Indeed, later in the evening, a questioner asked Palin if she'd been able to convince McCain to support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in her home state of Alaska, a measure she supports and he opposes.
"I'm still working on it," she said to applause.
September 18, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (650)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Sarah Palin has a LOT more going for her than the TOP of the ticket for the Democrats. The media has been playing softball for more than a year with Obama but started playing hardball with Palin from day one after her name was announced by John McCain. There's been a media double-standard to say the least!
Posted by: petee | Sep 18, 2008 6:19:32 AM
I'll bet John is happy to have her along. Cindy, you c--t, you'd better keep an eye on those two.
Posted by: DavidDurham | Sep 18, 2008 6:20:21 AM
Anytime something unfavorable is heard about your candidate, "It is the media".
GOP SOP.
Posted by: DavidDurham | Sep 18, 2008 6:22:07 AM
Palin doesn't do herself a service by going out in public . She's making it more and more obvious she can't answer a question directly with facts because she doesn't know any. This woman's political intelligence is pathetic and combined with McCain's floundering, if they are elected, we are so doomed. If you think things are bad now, just wait... If they "are so blessed" ? I sincerely hope God has nothing to do with putting this disaster of a team on the ticket.
Posted by: counting crows | Sep 18, 2008 6:26:41 AM
Sure Petee,
Everyone in the entire media has been soft on Obama. And they've ben so mean to poor Ms Palin.
It couldn't be that we only had eight weeks until the election before ANYONE had ever heard of Palin and they wouldn't let her answer any questions until they could tell her what to say no could it?
The gullibility of the American public never ceases to amaze me.
"Well we screwed up the country in about everyway possible for eight years now, but trust us, now we're different. We're going to get those bad people (us) out of Washington. We're going to put an end to (our) corruption. And we have a plan (the same one that caused this mess) that will change (yes we stole this idea) the business in Washington is done."
McCain
"I can see a bank from my house. Being so close to a bank, I have the financial expertise necessary to help this nation;s economic distress."
Palin
Posted by: Truth Hurts the GOP | Sep 18, 2008 6:32:31 AM
"John, John can I answer this one. Our staff gave me some 'off the cuff' answers that I've been rehersing. This should be a perfect time to try one, don't you think?"
"But of course"
(Applause)
Posted by: Cue Card Please | Sep 18, 2008 6:35:52 AM
Tsk tsk tsk..............
Dear dear republicans...there's none so blind as those that will not see.
McBush and FailinPalin.
C'mon guys and gals, THIS time vote Obama/Biden and give America a chance to prosper once again.
Enough with Bush and McBush already.
Posted by: Ala | Sep 18, 2008 6:37:09 AM
Sarah Palin is ignorant of any political issue. I also happen to believe she is a pathological liar.
It's a no-brainer. Gotta be Obama/Biden 2008!
Posted by: RK | Sep 18, 2008 6:37:23 AM
But Palin did not list specific skills, instead giving a broad response while saying she would be happy to play "stump the candidate" on foreign policy issues.
==
she never does. Her lips move but she doesn't say anything.
Posted by: Gus | Sep 18, 2008 6:43:05 AM
petee - that old argument about the media beating up on Palin or whomever your candidate happens to be - fill in the blank - doesn't wash. No one with two eyes and two ears can dispute the fact that Obama was nearly crushed a number of times by the media over the course of this campaign. This is big time politics and this is no time to play protector of this down-home/droppin' the "g's" to prove she's one of us/self-professed hockey mom with lipstick. She wants to be vice-president, possibly, given McCain's age and health and other issues, president. We need to know who she is and what she stands for and what dirt she has shoveled.
No one is exempt. Suck it up.
Posted by: counting crows | Sep 18, 2008 6:47:32 AM
The last 10 or so paragraphs are repeated at the end of this article - and believe me, if Gov. Palin said nothing significant the first time, repeating it didn't help!
Posted by: copy editor please | Sep 18, 2008 6:47:46 AM
If you listen to her so-called answers to the question she never really answered any of them directly, but gives an answer devoid of any facts or sighs that she understands the issues call for in the question. All of her response we have heard before and they are DOUBLE TALK, that is saying nothing in a whole lot of words! Sarah Palin is obviously not ready to be vice president as she does not even have a basic foundamental understands of any of the issues she was asked. A poor choice for VP and showing a lack of judgement on John McCain's part. Folks, we can do a lot better than this sorry ticket! I'll vote for Obama-Biden both of which can aswer questions without double talk!
Posted by: Larry Taylor | Sep 18, 2008 6:49:50 AM
Look ahead to a WOMAN in the White House ! REPRESENTATION for the MAJORITY. God bless Sarah Palin.
Posted by: disillusioned2008 | Sep 18, 2008 6:50:45 AM
Media's working so hard for Mr. Obama's campaign.
Posted by: alex | Sep 18, 2008 6:51:21 AM
Face it, folks, you've nominated an empty dress for VP.
...idiots.
Posted by: 12_angry_men | Sep 18, 2008 6:52:48 AM
"Stump the Candidate"? We're not playing games here folks, we're trying to find someone that can guide us through challenging times and extremely complex issues. We should want to see candidates challenged so we can see how they react under pressure. Palin is simply not fit for the office she seeks.
Posted by: plantain11 | Sep 18, 2008 6:52:54 AM
Actually, it's not the mainstream press that's been tough on Palin. It's a few tabloids and bloggers. The press has pretty much given her a free ride, focusing on mooseburgers and lipstick, instead of foreign policy and sex education.
Posted by: Dave Morris | Sep 18, 2008 6:53:42 AM
The whole Palin experiment is now a mockery. When a campaign is terrified to let its candidate speak, it is an admission that she's nowhere close to ready. Even her one "answer" was an evasive non-answer.
Can you imagine Joe Biden hiding from anyone? Biden is ready to go head-to-head with the leaders of Iran, Iraq, Russia, China, Syria, and Pakistan today. Right now. Without a briefing. This whole Palin thing is an absolute joke.
Posted by: ElodieStClair | Sep 18, 2008 6:54:18 AM
Once again she answers nothing! Same rehearsed lines over and over. I find it hard to believe that anyone could think she is ready to be in the White HOuse. Mccain looks older and crankier every day and she sounds more ridiculous. I can't wait to see the "love fest" when she's on with Sean Hannity.
Posted by: leone | Sep 18, 2008 6:54:51 AM
Media's working so hard for Mr. Obama's campaign because he has the Most Influential Woman In Entertainment (O) behind him. All the money. All the power. And Chicago-style slash & burn politics.
Posted by: chicagopearl | Sep 18, 2008 6:55:10 AM
Post a comment
