I posted this in the comments section and several people asked me to make a diary so I will do my best.
The McCain hissy fit with the press continues. The campaign now has stated that Palin will only be appearing in scripted speeches and appearances. The feedback from her speech was mixed and most voters want to hear more of her positions, how her positions qualify her for VP, and how her positions support McCain.
According to Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether Sarah Palin can answer specific questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show -- the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on the campaign trail and in campaign ads.
Wallace's bash-the-media exercise has its merits as a campaign tactic. It certainly rallies the base. But the base won't lift McCain to 50% in November. More importantly, in her smug dismissal of the media's role in asking questions of the candidates, Wallace was really showing contempt not for reporters, but for voters. I bet there are a lot of undecided voters out there who were intrigued by Sarah Palin last night, but who don't yet know enough about her -- what she believes, what she knows -- to be comfortable with the idea of her as vice president of the United States. It's important to them to know if Palin can handle herself in an environment that isn't controlled and sanitized by campaign image makers and message mavens. Maybe she can, maybe she can't. As far as Wallace is concerned, it's none of their -- or your -- business.
People need to hear Palin unscripted and determine for themselves if she is ready for the Vice Presidency. Is this an elitist, contemptible way to treat voters? Is she ready to go head to head with terrorists or Putin if she isn't ready to go on Fox News?
No Questions