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  • Questiongate

    Clinton Camp Admits To Planting Questions

    Eloise Harper Reports: The Clinton campaign has admitted to planting questions in Iowa. They have confirmed that a campaign staffer approached a student to ask Sen. Clinton a question about global warming during a campaign stop at a biodiesel plant in Newton, Iowa, on Nov. 6.

    The story was first reported by Patrick Caldwell, a junior at Grinnell College and the features editor of The Scarlet and Black college newspaper. He reported that student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff was approached by the campaign to ask a question. She told the reporter that "they wanted a question from a college student." She also said that she "noted that staffers prompted Clinton to call on her and another who had been approached before the event, although Clinton used her discretion to select questions and called on people who had not been prepped beforehand. Some of the questions asked were confusing and clearly off-message."

    Clinton Campaign spokesperson Mo Elleithee tells ABC News that "on this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Sen. Clinton's energy plan at a forum. However, Sen. Clinton did not know which questioners she was calling on during the event. This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again."

    The staffer still remains with the Clinton campaign and they would not reveal his or her name. The campaign did not comment on whether this is the only time they have planted questions among audience members.

    Last month Clinton got into a tough exchange with Iowan Randall Rolph at an event in New Hampton, Iowa. She accused him of being a plant from another campaign and the two engaged in a heated back and forth. The exchange prompted extended media coverage.
    Political Radar: Clinton Camp Admits To Planting Questions
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    offtopic: Oh for ****s sack could you please stop call any politicsl "scandal" or whatever might bring some ratings for the show that breaks it first whatevergate?

    ontopic: Uhm I though that has pretty much become standard in your country to have always some guys you can trust at to ask the right questions at the conferences..wasn't there something about an FEMA-"press"-conference which was completly staged?

    Comment


    • #3
      I think this is what happens when you start an election campaign more than a year in advance. You get some pretty weak scandals to fill the airtime.
      at

      Comment


      • #4
        I think this show just how low the threshold is set for a Clinton 'scandal'. I recall a thread on here not long ago about her giving away their cat after she & Bill left the White House. What next? poor table manners?

        Compared to the first 40 years of life of the current incumbent, Hilary's life is one of the most remarkable good behaviour. As to tactics, I haven't seen anything so far that is any worse than the standard for US politics (that is no compliment, believe me).

        If this is the best her critics can do, she is a shoo in for the White House.
        sigpic

        Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
          I think this show just how low the threshold is set for a Clinton 'scandal'. I recall a thread on here not long ago about her giving away their cat after she & Bill left the White House. What next? poor table manners?

          Compared to the first 40 years of life of the current incumbent, Hilary's life is one of the most remarkable good behaviour. As to tactics, I haven't seen anything so far that is any worse than the standard for US politics (that is no compliment, believe me).

          If this is the best her critics can do, she is a shoo in for the White House.
          Did you hear about her campaign hiring a guy who was convicted of stealing classified papers as advisor?

          Did you hear about how she could not give a simple answer to a simple question on giving documents to people who snuck into this country?

          Did you hear about how her husband is delaying the release of documents from his presidency beyond the normal time line just to not give anything to her opposition?

          Just because you weren't watching doesn't mean there aren't better scandals.
          "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Tarek Morgen View Post
            offtopic: Oh for ****s sack could you please stop call any politicsl "scandal" or whatever might bring some ratings for the show that breaks it first whatevergate?

            ontopic: Uhm I though that has pretty much become standard in your country to have always some guys you can trust at to ask the right questions at the conferences..wasn't there something about an FEMA-"press"-conference which was completly staged?
            No, it's not 'standard'. It's extraordinary, and it's rank manipulation through dishonesty. FEMA didn't get away with it, and the fact that Hillary tried it - apparently TWICE - tells me she's not exactly a 'shoo-in' for the White House, either. It's amateurish, and a mistake that I certainly didn't see coming from what I had thought was a MUCH better machine.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
              I think this show just how low the threshold is set for a Clinton 'scandal'. I recall a thread on here not long ago about her giving away their cat after she & Bill left the White House. What next? poor table manners?

              Compared to the first 40 years of life of the current incumbent, Hilary's life is one of the most remarkable good behaviour. As to tactics, I haven't seen anything so far that is any worse than the standard for US politics (that is no compliment, believe me).

              If this is the best her critics can do, she is a shoo in for the White House.
              It isn't the best her critics can do. You aren't paying very close attention, it would seem.

              Whitewater
              Cattle futures
              Rose Law Firm records
              Travel office memos
              Bimbo erurptions
              Campaign financing, foreign influence of, three seperate times
              ...and many other indications of character flaws ranging from being a serial liar to a cynical manipulator of friends, family, colleagues and, well, EVERYbody.

              Your ignorance is encyclopedic.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Bluesman View Post
                It isn't the best her critics can do. You aren't paying very close attention, it would seem.

                Whitewater
                Cattle futures
                Rose Law Firm records
                Travel office memos
                Bimbo erurptions
                Campaign financing, foreign influence of, three seperate times
                ...and many other indications of character flaws ranging from being a serial liar to a cynical manipulator of friends, family, colleagues and, well, EVERYbody.

                Your ignorance is encyclopedic.

                And your self-importance is operatic (I'm thinkng Wagner).

                Given your concern for the personal standards of the candidates I look forward to you starting a thread on Giuliani. Perhaps you could bring up his acrimonious divorces and his relationship with Placa & Kerik. Indeed, outside a few days in September 2001 Giuliani has established a pattern of not being able to work with others. You might mention this too.

                Any or all of these points seem more worthy of a thread than Hilary's pet cat or planted questions at a photo-op, don't you think?. ;)

                Still, that would presume that Hilary is to be judged by the same standard as everyone else in the race. I look forward to watching Republicans descend into the sort of petty viciousness that was such a disaster for them against Bill Clinton. My bet is that they just won't be able to help themselves.:))
                sigpic

                Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

                Comment


                • #9
                  Bigfella-

                  The topic isn't Rudy. It's Hillary.

                  -dale

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    And your self-importance is operatic (I'm thinkng Wagner).
                    That's projection, what you're doing right there.

                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    Given your concern for the personal standards of the candidates I look forward to you starting a thread on Giuliani.
                    Well, keep waiting; I have no intention of starting a Rudy thread.

                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    Perhaps you could bring up his acrimonious divorces and his relationship with Placa & Kerik.
                    Perhaps you could go pound sand.

                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    Indeed, outside a few days in September 2001 Giuliani has established a pattern of not being able to work with others. You might mention this too.
                    Why should I? You just covered it. Perhaps there's some other irrelevant factoids you'd care to sling against the wall in this Hillary thread.

                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    Any or all of these points seem more worthy of a thread than Hilary's pet cat or planted questions at a photo-op, don't you think?. ;)
                    Well, NO, but you obviously do. Perhaps the reason that's so is your inablity to freaking focus on the topic, Big'un.

                    Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                    Still, that would presume that Hilary is to be judged by the same standard as everyone else in the race. I look forward to watching Republicans descend into the sort of petty viciousness that was such a disaster for them against Bill Clinton. My bet is that they just won't be able to help themselves.:))
                    Try to grok this: we ARE discussing Hillary's ability to measure up to a standard, but not one set by any other specific given candidate, just a measure of what's acceptable. You, apparently, believe that faking up questions to deliver a pre-canned answer while pulling off a charade that it was a good-faith question and a stand-up answer to it is okay, and given your stated political proclivities, that doesn't surprise ANYbody that's reading this.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Big fella is right. This sort of thing is a normal modus operandi. Look at Bush's "town meetings", and the recent fema debacle for just two confirmations. Also the Rumsfeld "talking-turkey-with-the-troops" which while the story was the press feeding a question to the soldier, I thought the larger story was that no such question was supposed to have been asked. We may not hear of it alot, but I'd say that is more a matter of disinterest and not getting caught than anything else. I'm gratified that the press is taking an interest in this type of deception.

                      I do think this is overall a stupid thing to designate a "scandal", though. Getting a reporter or an aide to ask a certain question merely allows the candidate to expouse on his policies. A better use of newspaper space or air-time would be for them to dig into the candidates responses and perhaps altering the questions' premises.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        A stage managed political gathering. Whatever next? Won't someone think of the chidren!

                        Wring hands. Fret.
                        at

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Tarek Morgen View Post
                          Uhm I though that has pretty much become standard in your country to have always some guys you can trust at to ask the right questions at the conferences..wasn't there something about an FEMA-"press"-conference which was completly staged?
                          Yes, a FEMA press conference was staged, the resulting actions~

                          DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff immediately called for disciplinary action. John P. Philbin director of public affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was told to step down. The agency's press secretary, Aaron Walker, resigned at the behest of FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison. The entire external affairs staff is being reorganized and retrained over the incident.

                          How does this compare to the response of the Clinton campaign?

                          Planted questions may or may not be part and parcel to the politics of the US, I haven’t heard of any other presidential candidate doing so, and if it were common I would have to believe we would have heard of others, but I would be naive to believe it has never happened, but when someone is caught, it is in no way viewed as "standard practice" by the American people (other than blind loyalist, who would be the first calling for disciplinary action against their adversaries if the shoe were on the other foot). Things like this are expected to cause heads to roll. To treat it as business as usual is at the detriment of her campaign.

                          Unfortunatly times like these call for the candidate to act in a way that is expected from all political powerhouse's, fire a scapegoat and show all that you have the tenacity be a leader : )
                          Last edited by Donnie; 12 Nov 07,, 17:17. Reason: grammer : )
                          Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
                          Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
                          Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
                          Listen to the words long written down
                          When the man comes around- Johnny Cash

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Dwarven Pirate View Post
                            Big fella is right. This sort of thing is a normal modus operandi.
                            No, they're not accepted as normal

                            Originally posted by Dwarven Pirate View Post
                            Look at Bush's "town meetings".
                            They are a theatrical production to be sure, they are set up in a way that is beneficial to the president, it allows only presidential supporters in, they are screened, questions are suggested, and are sometimes rehearsed. It’s a forum way of presenting the presidents agenda rather then just a straight out address, its not so much scripted as it is conducted. I believe it is deceptive and I hope future Presidents lose this type of forum. These of course are not people planted in a public crowd, a crowd that feels they are being represented. Believe me, the people who attend the "town meetings know exactly what they are there for.

                            As I recall the left often criticizes Bush for these "meetings" but now have no contempt at all for Hilary's actions. I'm baffled.

                            Originally posted by Dwarven Pirate View Post
                            and the recent fema debacle.
                            Again, as expected when things like this happen, heads rolled.

                            Originally posted by Dwarven Pirate View Post
                            Also the Rumsfeld "talking-turkey-with-the-troops" which while the story was the press feeding a question to the soldier, I thought the larger story was that no such question was supposed to have been asked.
                            The stipulation was that Rumsfeld would only take questions from soldiers, not reporters, this was not a press conference, it was a "town hall" chat with the armed service personnel. A member of the press planted questions in the crowed, this is completely opposite of what you have with Hilary, and not even comparable.

                            Originally posted by Dwarven Pirate View Post
                            We may not hear of it a lot.
                            Because if we did, it would be scandalous.
                            Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
                            Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
                            Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
                            Listen to the words long written down
                            When the man comes around- Johnny Cash

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Storm-in-a-teacup-gate.

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