I seem to have a knack of watching The View when a ‘major’ storm erupts over Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Today it was when Hasselbeck was asked why Sarah Palin would make a good President.

Just in care you may be unaware, here is some information about the recent dustup. You should never discuss politics or religion with friends. At some point, emotions will get heated and people are going to have to put their backs to the wall and defend someone or some concept they may not have a full understanding of. Hasselbeck is a full on Republican in a sea of liberals and moderates. I like that she’s on the show when she can give rational counterpoints to discussions, but this Presidential election, and maybe it was always there and the election brought things into sharp focus, she has appeared more as a mouthpiece for the right wing.

There were some things that happened during the Hasselbeck/O’Donnell, considering O’Donnell’s attitude, which made Hasselbeck look like the good person against O’Donnell. Essentially, O’Donnell was incredibly passionate about her view and was willing to dismiss and shout down Hasselbeck, while Hasselbeck would give a tepid response back, until near the end of the O’Donnell era when Hasselbeck did seem to have a backbone and could match her toe to toe. However, in that instance it was less about politics than it was about personalities. Their disputes occurred about the war, but O’Donnell in her attacks went after Hasselbeck, which is why the tide turned on O’Donnell.

In this new dustup, it’s the same discussion many of us are having about who would be best to lead our country. Hasselbeck is trying to defend the position of a Presidential candidate who is part of the party which has led to many of the negative issues we face today. When she does defend McCain, she stands on better footing because like it or not, the man has a record we can compare to, a paper trail that is extensive. When she tries to defend Sarah Palin, that’s where Hasselbeck, and many who try to defend Palin, get into trouble.

Sarah Palin and Elisabeth HasselbeckComing up to the debate, Palin has given interviews to CBS News that has been frightening, and I don’t use the term lightly. One or two gaffes can be looked over but time after time she makes statements that are so obviously rehearsed or demonstrates she doesn’t understand the question it is impossible to imagine this person might have her finger on the nuclear trigger. Hell, forget the nuclear bomb, how about handling the current economic crisis? This could be more devastating than any threat a foreign government could do to us and from the interviews given I just can’t see Palin being able to handle this.

This is the person Hasselbeck tried defending today and in listening to her, it was as if she was channeling Palin, because her response to a simple question was a non-answer. Here is a small transcript of the exchange between Barbara Walters and Hasselbeck:

Walters: Every day, let me say this, I’m so glad you’re on the program. We love you on the program.
Hasselbeck: Thanks, Barbara.
Walters: You are the counterpoint. But every single day, you never ever say, maybe there’s another point. So this is your chance. ...Tell us now, why you think Sarah Palin would make a very good president.
Hasselbeck: Well, since I’ve been studying for this pop quiz forever, tell me why Barack Obama is qualified to be president. ... Give me three tangible things he has done to prove that he can be president of the United States.
Walters: We’re not talking about Obama. We’re talking about Sarah Palin.
Hasselbeck: She has been running the state of Alaska.
Walters: OK.
Hasselbeck: She is an expert in terms of energy. She has been in charge of a National Guard in time of war.
(Walters makes a "so-so" hand gesture.)
Hasselbeck: She has been. She’s actually governed.

When given a chance to defend Palin, her first response was to change the subject, then when she didn’t get out of that she fell back to talking points.

Before this exchange, all the other hosts were commenting on the comments Palin made on Joe Biden’s age. It’s ironic because the comments Palin made were out of line, and in trying to explain her comment to Couric, she tried to play it off as a joke then dig a bigger hole for herself by stating she represented change and Biden was the old, experienced Washing insider. Hmm, she jokes about Biden being old, even though he’s about ten years younger than HER running mate then she presents herself as an agent of change, exactly the theme of the Obama campaign.

Hasselbeck, for some inexplicable reason, tried defending Palin’s view, which eventually led to the Walter’s exchange. Hasselbeck, like Palin, thinks she HAS to defend lockstep the position of the party. Whoopie Goldberg, rightly has stated in the past and again today, that none of the people running for office are prepared to be President. It’s something you have on the job training for. Hasselbeck was so clueless that she took one step down the road of ‘why do you all always pick on Republicans’ path, which got Joy Behar a bit upset and the heated debate was on.

Watching this I couldn’t help but be fearful of what a McCain/Palin or, heaven forbid, a Palin administration might be. It might be harsh to say Hasselbeck exemplifies what Palin’s temperament might be, but after watching the interviews Palin has given and Hasselbeck’s similar reaction to questions she doesn’t like, I’m fearful Hasselbeck is far too much like Palin to be ignored.

 

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck: A Vision of Sarah Palin - Oct 01, 2008
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