Ill-prepared political candidates should avoid interviews with anyone except for protective media outlets. Sarah Palin’s ignominious media launch should have been an object lesson to aspiring politicians. In 2008, this ‘Grizzly Mama’ (or whatever bumptious nickname she embraced) revealed her profound incuriosity when Katie Couric asked her what “newspapers and magazines did you regularly read ... to stay informed and to understand the world?” Not ready for primetime answered,
“I’ve read most of them.” Adding, “Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.”
And the rest, as they say, was Tina Fey.
Palin showed some moxie on the campaign trail - and performed competently against Joe Biden in the VP debate. But this former journalism major (you can not make this stuff up) was forever haunted by her inability to name a news source. Sadly, aspiring conservative world-changers learned nothing from Palin’s fiasco.
Take Kari Lake. This Trump protégé is running for the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona. Like any candidate, she wants her name out there. However, as a conservative from the conspiracy wing of the party, she cannot risk interviews with the ‘lamestream’, ‘gotcha-questioning’, ‘Fake News!!!’, so she swims in friendly waters — OAN for example.
However, a month ago Lake interviewed with the Australian news program ‘60 Minutes’. Why? Who knows? Perhaps she thought it might give her a patina of international cred. Besides, it is flattering when you are a neophyte wannabe politician, to be courted by the foreign press. Whatever her reasons, she did it.
It did not go well.
Liam Bartlett interviewed Lake. I know nothing about Bartlett, except that as he is on an Australian national news program, I assume he has a talent for interviewing. He certainly has more ability to ask questions than Lake has to answer them. Which is odd, as Lake was a prominent newscaster in Arizona for 22 years. You would have thought she would have had some skills.
Here is a piece of their conversation,
Bartlett, “Your man Donald.”
Lake, “You have called our election the big lie.“
Bartlett, “Your man Donald brought it up. Your man Donald said.”
Lake, “Why would you say that, sir. ‘Your man Donald?”’
Bartlett, “Well he is. He has endorsed you personally. He said a few days ago that those people at the Capitol should be pardoned. They should all be pardoned. Do you think they should be pardoned?
Lake, “I am still amazed you say ‘your man Donald’. It is just so disrespectful.”
Bartlett, “Why would it be? He’s endorsed you. You have his personal endorsement.”
Lake, “It’s just a flippant attitude. It’s apparent you’ve come into this. It’s obvious you come into this interview and you don’t like President Trump. It’s obvious.
Bartlett, “Kari, do you think they should be pardoned?”
Lake, “I have no say in that. I am running for governor. This isn’t something a governor does. Trying to twist this interview and trying to make me look bad.”
Bartlett, “You’re a Republican. He’s the Republican leader.”
If Lake knew anything about Australia, she would know that the Australians, like the Irish, frequently refer to “your man so-and-so”. It is not in the least disrespectful. It is merely a statement of fact, indicating a relationship or affinity. As Bartlett pointed out, Trump has endorsed Lake. As for “Donald”, Trump has embraced “The Donald”. And everyone calls Hillary Clinton, ‘Hillary’.
And why is Lake surprised by Bartlett’s questions? She should have asked herself why a news program from the other side of the planet would want to interview a politician mostly unknown in her own country. Especially one called “60 Minutes”. She would have realized they were not there to ask about her plans for the Arizona state budget.
A now visibly flustered Lake mounted her high horse and trotted out the latest RW conspiracy theories on Australia. Which, for some reason, is now on the America Firsters shit-list.
Lake, “What I don’t like is that people are being held in jail without charge. It’s un-American. Maybe you get away with that stuff in Australis [sic] Australia. Perhaps in Australia, because you’ve given your rights away. You have melted down all of your guns. And you guys have no freedom, that you find that OK. But here in America, we do things differently. We have something called the US Constitution. and we have rights.”
Bartlett, “We would be better off having more guns here?”
Lake, “You absolutely would, sir. You absolutely would. I feel so sorry for the people in Australia - have no power. The only thing keeping us from being Australia right now is our second amendment. And we will never, ever, let that go. Mark my words. What we saw happening in Australia, where you have internment camps and people are being forced If they have encountered anyone with Covid to be locked into a quarantine camp, is the most horrifying thing I have ever seen a government do. If you can’t see that, I feel sorry for you.”
And Lake was done. Bartlett asked her to answer one more question. But Lake announced, having given her QAnon talking points speech, that she had something more important to do. And fled.
Australians watching this must have been confused about these internment camps. Mainly because there aren’t any. The Australian government once required returning Australians to quarantine for 14 days in a government facility. And that seems to be the root of QAnon’s internment camp conspiracy. Was it harsh? Maybe? But it was not an internment camp. And it had nothing to do with domestic COVID precautions. Let’s also note, Australia is a federation of six states which, together with two self-governing territories, have their own constitutions, parliaments, governments, and laws. And they are responsible for domestic COVID protocols.
As for freedoms, if Lake were to visit Australia, she would see a country with all the liberty of every other in the civilized country. As for guns, there are few Australians who would swap their murder rate for America’s. And there is no significant demand among Australians for US-style gun ownership.
But Lake would not know that, because at her core she, like most QAnon cultists, is grindingly dumb. And scared by her own shadow.