While Sarah Palin has been kept under wraps since the RNC, John McCain has given many interviews to large and small media outlets all over the country. He's using the same false talking points in almost all of them. KARE-11, our local NBC affiliate in Minneapolis-St Paul, gave an interview to one of our local anchors, Rick Kupchella, which was broadcast at 6pm and 10pm tonight. Here is the link to the transcript.
Rick
Senator, what do you say, you yourself, I've heard and read your advisors and some of their statements, I'm just curious to know what you say yourself to those who argue you undercut one of your best arguments going into this whole thing on experience by choosing Palin.
Sen. McCain
She has more experience than Senator Obama for one. She was working as a mayor while he was a quote community organizer.*(see notes below) She knows the issues, and more importantly, she's right on the issues and he's wrong on the issues. She's shown good judgement whether it be about the surge in Iraq or a number of other issues while he's shown the wrong judgement. He still refuses to acknowledge that he was wrong when he said the surge would fail, it's remarkable. He said Iran was a tiny irritant when Russia invaded Georgia. Senator Obama said, "Well, they're both sort of morally equivalent here." She has the right judgement, I don't think there's any doubt about that and he has the wrong judgement.
Rick
Do you see bringing multiple parties into play in your own administration as president?
Sen. McCain
Oh yeah, definitely I'll have Democrats and people who can serve and are dedicated and can serve this country. We have to stop this partisan rancur. I've reached across the aisle and worked with Democrats on a variety of issues. Senator Obama never has worked across the aisle and he's never taken-on his own party.
I commented at the on-line transcript (as SpicerDoc) and also e-mailed Kupchella directly. Here is his response:
I appreciate your note.
And while I try to know everything I can in real time – didn’t catch this when he said it.
I’ve put together a detailed ‘fact check’ on this statement – and am having it put online now.
Thank you for taking the time to write me – and being engaged.
It’s meaningful.
-rk
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From: ER Doc
Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 6:59 PM
To: Kupchella, Rick
Subject: McCain interview
Excuse me, but didn't you just allow McCain to lie about Obama? In your interview, McCain said Palin was a mayor at the time when Obama was a community organizer. That is a lie! (although it makes for a good sound bite.) Obama was a community organizer for a Catholic-sponsored organization in Chicago for three years; his first real job out of college. At that time, Palin was still a college student (five schools in six years...)
When Palin was mayor of a town of six thousand, Obama was an Illinois state senator, representing over 200,000 people, and also a Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law at the prestigious University of Chicago Law School. Please do not allow things like this to happen. McCain has long stopped his "Straight Talk"; he is now a flat-out liar.
Thanks for your attention,
ER Doc
I responded:
Mr Kupchella,
Thanks for the response. I hope the fact-check is going to go on the air, as well. If you track other recent McCain interviews on-line, you will find that he got in exactly the same false talking points (Palin's experience vs Obama, and "Obama's never worked across the aisle" with almost everyone who's interviewed him since the convention.
Update: Unfortunately, the "Fact-check" didn't make it on the air at 10pm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised!