Palin's (2008) Debate Answers Were 'Scripted'

[sabra]

Source: Sky News

The strategist behind John McCain's presidential campaign says Sarah Palin had to be coached so thoroughly before her TV debate her answers were almost 'scripted'.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Steve Schmidt, nicknamed The Bullet, says her preparations were going so badly in the days leading up to the debate with the vastly more experienced Joe Biden, the campaign was facing an "emergency" and a "crisis".

He told her: "These are the questions. Here's what he's going to say. Here's what your most effective response is. That we want to be able to come out of this debate saying you were on offence."

"If you hear 'A', you go ahead and say 'B', and so to that degree it was somewhat scripted," he admitted.

"The questions that we mocked and drilled in the practice debates were within a degree or two of the questions that (moderator) Gwen Ifell asked during the debate.

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Steve-Schmidt-John-McCains-Strategist-Says-Sarah-Palins-Answers-In-Joe-Biden-Debate-Were-Scripted/Article/201004415621088?lpos=Home_Second_Home_Page_Feature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15621088_Steve_Schmidt_John_McCa

[activa8tr]

1. This is surprising to whom??? You Betcha!

Sarah is incapable of original thinking, we all know that.

We know that she is a dumb azz. She gets all her fame and fortune from her body's looks. (Sort of like the oldest women's profession does.)

[left coaster]

3. +! nt

[left coaster]

6. Naw.. I'd say most of her fame and fortune comes from telling idiots what they want to hear.. nt

[lordcommander]

2. No Duh!!!

:eyes:

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. "Can I call ya 'Joe'?" and later, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" ... Yeah, total 'no duh' there.

[The_Commonist]

15. I'm still annoyed at Biden...

...for NOT saying "No Governor, I would prefer it if you call me Senator."

That would have changed the whole dynamic, she would have gotten totally flustered, and maybe we wouldn't STILL be dealing with her.

[sharp_stick]

18. Nah he handled her well.

he could have beat the shit out of her on National TV and it would have come back to haunt him with all sorts of Aw Shucks she's just a soccer Mom soundbytes.

He treated her with a lot more respect than she deserved and beat her pretty handily in the debate anyway.

Joe Biden has a lot of class, I don't think he wanted to be seen as someone that would jump all over Palin, she was pretty much burned out and only a draw for the crazies, much like now.

[Renegades of Funk]

24. Or She Could of

said "O NO YOU DIDN"T O'BIDEN"

[chelsea0011]

5. What is sad is that her idiotic responses were from a script.

[Love Bug]

7. Yet she was still incoherent

[UpInArms]

12. +1

:hi:

[ejpoeta]

8. no surprise.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. OMG! I'm so shocked! ...... NOT!

[Crowman1979]

10. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Really?

But she's just answered those questions brilliantly. :sarcasm: x1000

[onehandle]

11. Fake grifter quitter. nt

[No Elephants]

13. Did they tell her when to wink, too?

It was obvious in the debates when she refused repeatedly to answer the questions that were put to her. Ifill would ask about subject X and Sarah's "reply" would be about subject Y. That was supposedly Sarah taking charge, refusing to dance to Ifill's tune.

And still her answers were as shallow as could be.

My only question is, what are the McCain people up to, still re-hashing this stuff?

[Mike Daniels]

25. McCain will get blamed if Palin ever gets in office and screws the pooch big time

My guess is that to keep McCain from being forever remembered as the person who unleashed Palin on the US his people are going to do what they can to remind people of what a dimbulb Palin really is.

Frankly, I don't think she'll survive the Republican primary(if she runs) because I think the other candidates will do what they can to bloody her early. If she thinks that the topic of her quitting her governorship isn't going to come up she's going to be in for a shock.

[TlalocW]

14. So somewhere in the script...

There must have been a stage direction that said, "Pause. Wink like an idiot."

TlalocW

[No Elephants]

16. You betcha!

I was too lazy to retrieve that for my post, but you inspired me.

[Patsy Stone]

17. "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

I, for one, am not surprised. I'm sure everything she ever says is scripted -- maybe even in her own house.

[SpiralHawk]

19. Republicon Family Pharisee Values

as usual

[wellst0nev0ter]

20. File This Under "No Shit Sherlock"

even scripted, the answers made no sense and it didn't answer what was actually asked. I wish the media would stop playing along as if both parties actually have anything useful to say.

[driver8]

21. I was about to say the same thing! n/t

[Capt. America]

22. Isn't everyone's response "scripted" in these debates? Of course, Sarah plain and dumb probably

took it a step further and "scripted" the answers on her hand.

[TlalocW]

26. In a way yes and no

Everyone has the points that they want to try and make, yes, but you also have to have a solid enough knowledge base to be able to respond to what your opponent says. That's why (like the poster below mentions), Sarah decided to, "Go rogue," and declare she wasn't going to follow normal procedures and declared it a maverick move because she knew she couldn't hang with Biden.

TlalocW

[malaise]

23. I remember her saying at the beginning that

she would not be using debate format. We nearly fell through the floor laughing.