Maddow Forum ups and downs

[thesquanderer]

5. In a way, that's a cup-half-full vs. cup-half-empty scenario

A common complaint is that politicians often use that ploy of barely answering the question they are asked, and then using it as a launching point for what they really want to talk about instead... typically, the related (if you're lucky) areas where they will come off better than if they actually focussed primarily on the exact question at hand. Looked at that way, it's a negative; looked at as "broadening the discussion," it's looked at as a positive! But they all do it, to some extent or another.