Rick Perry slow dances with the birthers....sigh!

[MomentsofSanity]

I was unaware it's a major issue. The polling I've just seen indicates it isn't.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/28/birther-polls-unite-obama_n_855135.html



Yes, I call it a lack of preparedness. If someone asks a candidate a 'yes or no' type question where either answer is going to cause problems (e.g., have you stopped beating your wife) they should be able to finesse their way around it or blow it off. He did neither.

Because it was, as you describe, a no-win type question that is utterly irrelevant in terms of presidential policy it was 'gotcha journalism'.

Fern

Wait? Not a major issue? Sorry was reviewing your post history on the subject and got quite confused. Sure seemed to be an issue for you.

 

[woolfe9999]

I was unaware it's a major issue. The polling I've just seen indicates it isn't.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/28/birther-polls-unite-obama_n_855135.html



Yes, I call it a lack of preparedness. If someone asks a candidate a 'yes or no' type question where either answer is going to cause problems (e.g., have you stopped beating your wife) they should be able to finesse their way around it or blow it off. He did neither.

Because it was, as you describe, a no-win type question that is utterly irrelevant in terms of presidential policy it was 'gotcha journalism'.

Fern

Your poll summary shows anywhere from 31-45% of republicans believing Obama was born outside the US. Since Perry is running in a primary in which only republicans vote, I'd hardly call it a minor issue.

Nor was this a no win question, nor was it a loaded "when did you stop beating your wife" question. It's only a "no win" quesiton if you view it politically. One answer plays to the base but alienates the center and the other does the opposite. So what? Why not just tell the truth? You're saying a candidate when asked a politically difficult question "should be able to finesse their way around it or blow it off?" Actually it isn't all that complicated. Either he believes Obama was born outside the U.S., doesn't believe it, or perhaps it is one or the other with some qualifications. Either way, he of course has given the issue some thought prior to the question and hence he should have no trouble giving an honest answer.

I personally think that journalists should ask candidates tough questions. They should ask Romney about the 20 different issues he's flipflopped on and Obama about his broken campaign promises as well. If they don't ask these kinds of questions, they're useless.

- wolf

 

[JohnnyGage]

How is it 'gotcha' journalism when he repeatedly endorsed that exact position? As best I can tell, the new definition of 'gotcha' journalism is any time someone asks a question that a Republican candidate gives a dumb answer to.

You may have a small point. Although at the same time, why are they asking this question? In Parade Magazine? Not exactly a bastian of hard hitting journalism. In fact, there have been a couple of essay's published by candidate and President Obama.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://...QQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNGRYKBf_ckGZE6mgp-yOxnJYrNSpg

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25479276/ns/politics-decision_08/t/obama-faith-ne-another-americans/

Now I realize that the second link is from MSNBC, but they are posting an essay from then Candidate Obama in Parade. For some reason I can't seem to find an interview with Barack Obama. Anyway my point is this, if Parade want's to be a hard hitting news outlet then fine, ask all the candidates and the incumbant the hard hitting questions--but lets not go after some and print the opponents essays and then try to act like they are a bipartisan. When it's probably not the case. Besides, he did answer the question just not to the reporters liking. It even seems like he's screwing with her. In the end it won't matter, after the Mitt Romney debate schenanegans Perry has long fight ahead to be the nominee.

 

[JohnnyGage]

Your poll summary shows anywhere from 31-45% of republicans believing Obama was born outside the US. Since Perry is running in a primary in which only republicans vote, I'd hardly call it a minor issue.

Nor was this a no win question, nor was it a loaded "when did you stop beating your wife" question. It's only a "no win" quesiton if you view it politically. One answer plays to the base but alienates the center and the other does the opposite. So what? Why not just tell the truth? You're saying a candidate when asked a politically difficult question "should be able to finesse their way around it or blow it off?" Actually it isn't all that complicated. Either he believes Obama was born outside the U.S., doesn't believe it, or perhaps it is one or the other with some qualifications. Either way, he of course has given the issue some thought prior to the question and hence he should have no trouble giving an honest answer.

I personally think that journalists should ask candidates tough questions. They should ask Romney about the 20 different issues he's flipflopped on and Obama about his broken campaign promises as well. If they don't ask these kinds of questions, they're useless.

- wolf

While looking around for a well reasoned retort, I found this article from Realclearpolitics.com

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/08/03/each_party_has_its_fanatics_97748.html

The very last paragraph is very interesting. Here you go:

"A few years ago, an Emory psychologist scanned the brains of self-described partisans. Partisans were able to notice the hypocritical statements of the opposing candidate but not the inconsistencies of their preferred candidate. Ideology, it was determined, showed effects similar to drug addiction."

There are more than a few posters here that match that description. I refuse to name names!

 

[fskimospy]

You may have a small point. Although at the same time, why are they asking this question? In Parade Magazine? Not exactly a bastian of hard hitting journalism. In fact, there have been a couple of essay's published by candidate and President Obama.

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://...QQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNGRYKBf_ckGZE6mgp-yOxnJYrNSpg

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25479276/ns/politics-decision_08/t/obama-faith-ne-another-americans/

Now I realize that the second link is from MSNBC, but they are posting an essay from then Candidate Obama in Parade. For some reason I can't seem to find an interview with Barack Obama. Anyway my point is this, if Parade want's to be a hard hitting news outlet then fine, ask all the candidates and the incumbant the hard hitting questions--but lets not go after some and print the opponents essays and then try to act like they are a bipartisan. When it's probably not the case. Besides, he did answer the question just not to the reporters liking. It even seems like he's screwing with her. In the end it won't matter, after the Mitt Romney debate schenanegans Perry has long fight ahead to be the nominee.

How do you know they were able to secure an interview with him, or that it worked for their publishing schedule? I don't think they are required to interview every candidate to interview one, that's silly. They are merely required to treat each candidate that they interview fairly. I haven't read the Perry interview, but this question did not seem to be at all unfair.

As for your other post, I've read that study before and it's very interesting, and I helped a professor with similar fMRI work when I was in undergrad. My professor's contention (which seems pretty spot on to me) is that thinking about politics is like riding a bike. The brain gets used to working in a particular way when confronted with a political issue, and you default to that mode of thinking. (guy I don't like said something? SUSPICION! guy I like said something? AGREE!)

fMRI is still a really really inexact science, but I think the general ideas it gives us about how people think are really interesting.

 

[Engineer]

Perry - No doubt - Obama is American citizen.

 

[JohnnyGage]

I wasn't sure about the schedules and all, just thought for sure that Obama would've done an interview for the 2008 campaign.

All I ask is that they are treated fairly and everyone gets a tough questions. They can go on Matthews and Hannity(respectively) for the 'hand jobs'

 

[Lanyap]

Perry - No doubt - Obama is American citizen.

lol, the media keeps asking him about it.

"It's fun to poke him a little bit," Perry said

I think he's talking about HomerJS.

 

[Engineer]

lol, the media keeps asking him about it.



I think he's talking about HomerJS.

Unless something happens, Perry is toast. He has stepped in dog shit and tracked it all over the carpet with no way to clean it up before his wife (the voting public) comes home.