When talking points go wrong (Salon on Bachmann)

[kskiska]

Here's the problem with talking points, especially the ones coming from the right that paint Barack Obama as anti-American because of his associations with Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright: At some point, someone like Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) will be called upon to defend that message.

What Bachmann showed Friday, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, was that, really, those talking points were all she had. She didn't seem to understand the context, or really know what she was saying or why she was saying it. She just knew the words she was supposed to repeat.

Bachmann was also unlucky in that she was going up against Matthews, who has been persistently and successfully challenging these kinds of talking points on his show recently. In this case, he did a good job of exposing just how far this argument goes, especially by bringing up Sarah Palin's recent implication that some parts of the United States are anti-American. When Matthews pressed Bachmann on that subject, she wouldn't even comment on whether she believes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are pro or anti-American.

(segment of transcript)

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http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/?last_story=/politics/war_room/2008/10/17/bachmann/

[Roxy66]

1. Watched it live...was disgusted....donated to her Dem challenger...DONE!

[saltpoint]

2. Matthews wasn't very long into that interview when he knew he had a hit on his

hands, and that Bachmann was making a complete fool out of herself.

News interviewers dream of moments like this one. I agree that Bachmann didn't appear to have any idea what difficulty there might be in calling for a media-led investigation into potentially dangerous "liberals."

She kept smiling on through the entire interview, even as Matthews undid her reputation on national tv.

And El's coffers are all the more full for it.

[frogcycle]

3. yes he pretty much filleted her

I wish he'd wait just a bit longer after a question when the person is hesitating in answering though. He blurts out a followup, talks over them. He needs to learn to be just a little more patient, and he could be even better. There's a good chance he cut off a bad answer, let her think more while he was repeating the question. I know he wants to hammer them, and he does it well, but needs just a bit of restraint - a few more seconds here and there and people might actually hang themselves sooner and better

[saltpoint]

4. Yes. He's a bit quick to the fire when he could afford to hold back some

now and then.

I'm struck by how vapid Bachmann is. How could she be so dense to not know he was making her look so bad?

Norm Coleman, I hope, was watching the program. He's already in a very tight race. This can't help the GOP ticket up or down the ballot much.

[Name removed]

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[DearAbby]

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