Peggy Noonan: "It's over."
Republican Strategists Caught on Live Microphone
Once they think the microphone is off, their true feelings about Sarah Palin are revealed.By Jill Kuraitis, 9-03-08
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A YouTube video widely circulating on the internet today shows Republican campaign strategists Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan talking with Chuck Todd, NBC News political director, on MSNBC, broadcast from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Thinking the microphone was off, Murphy, who was chief strategist for Mitt Romney and has advised many Republicans including John McCain, and Peggy Noonan, longtime conservative speechwriter and commentator, discussed McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate, and it’s clear they’re not happy about it.
Transcript:
Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we’ll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We’ll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she’s the right woman for the job Up next, one man who’s already convinced and he’ll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman.
(cut away)
Peggy Noonan: Yeah.
Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys—this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it’s not gonna work. And --
Peggy Noonan: It’s over.
Murphy: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.
Chuck Todd: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.
Peggy Noonan: Saw Kay this morning.
Chuck Todd: Yeah, she’s never looked comfortable about this --
Mike Murphy: They’re all bummed out.
Chuck Todd: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?
Peggy Noonan: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this—excuse me-- political bullshit about narratives --
Chuck Todd: Yeah they went to a narrative.
Mike Murphy: I totally agree.
Peggy Noonan: Every time the Republicans do that, because that’s not where they live and it’s not what they’re good at, they blow it.
Mike Murphy: You know what’s really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.
Chuck Todd: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.
Mike Murphy: Yeah.
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Comments
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'd like to see Palin stick around as long as possible because she is such a drag on the GOP ticket, except among the fringe-dwellers. On the other hand, if McCain would win (and hey, who thought Bush would win in 2004), she has a very high statistical chance of assuming the presidency, and that oughta scare the crap out of most of us.
I don't care about her family values. I care that she has no national nor international experience, and that she has been associated with a secessionist movement that apparently had ties to militia groups. Essentially, this is like McCain naming Helen Chenoweth as his running mate.
It was right-winger Dr. Laura.
The video is at the Jed Report:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/08/flying-blind.html