If members of the Daily Kos community contact local and national press to ask for interviews with Governor Palin, maybe that will help increase the pressure on the media to push for an interview. A lot of questions have been asked about Governor Palin's political past, but she hasn't been given the opportunity to answer these questions. We genuinely want to know what she thinks about the bridges, troopergate, Alaskan Independence, and so forth. It is in the best interests of the American people to get to know BOTH people on the democratic and republican tickets before November's election.
Let's not push questions about the pregnancy of her daughter: it's not relevant. Instead, let's ask about her support for pregnant teens in the larger community. How would she support pregnant teenagers without health insurance? How would she support families with children with disabilities? What are her thoughts about how to maintain the quality of our armed forces and how best to support our veterans after their service? Alaska is so close to Russia, how does she think she would engage Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev in issues of national security? What about the situation in Georgia? How does Governor Palin propose to compete with the roaring dragon of China's economy? How does she think we can grow jobs in our stagnant economy?
Questions have been raised about Governor Palin's lack of experience with regard to the war in Iraq, health care, the mortgage crisis.
It is essential that the American electorate have a chance to see what Governor Palin thinks about these issues? She could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, with a President who is 72 years old, a melanoma survivor with a 15-16% chance of dying before the end of his first term (according to Social Security actuarial tables).
It is the duty of the American media to pursue these questions with any individual who has a chance to become a national leader. The media have doggedly pursued Senators Obama, McCain, and Biden. What do we know about Governor Palin?
We have seen what happens when the press fails to fulfill its obligations to ask the important questions.
I think we can be effective by contacting the national media representatives, with copies to the local affiliates, to ask for such interviews.
Either Governor Palin and her staff can agree to interviews or she can decline them. If she declines to share her thoughts with the American people, that will be telling, too.