Thanks to Comcast, I'm forced to watch ABC, CBS or NBC news because Fox is the only available cable news outlet covered in the Basic Plan. Such a deal.
So, this morning I'm watching Today on NBC. Actually I'm listening out of one ear because since I quit smoking I no longer light up first thing in the morning. Instead I have email with my coffee.
Jan Brewer gets my full attention when I hear her sounds of silence.
TRANSCRIPT:
(CURRY)>>> i think it's probably happened to all of us who appear on TV at one time or another. that red light goes on, the camera gets in front of your face and all of a sudden, you just go blank.
(LAUER)>> i can identify with that. it happened to the governor of arizona, jan brewer, the other night during a live debate. let's take a look. (video appears after transcript)
(BREWER)>> arizona has been brought back from its abyss. we have cut the budget. we have balanceded t the budget and we are moving forward. we have done everything that we could possibly do. we have, uh -- did what was right for arizona. i will tell you that i have -- really, did the very best that anyone could do.
(CURRY)>> awkward.
(LAUER)>> yes, one of those moments that once you get in the middle of it, it only gets worse, because your mind is racing so fast to try to figure out what you wanted to say. now you've just completely lost your place.
(CURRY)>> because you're embarrassed and it compounds it. she calls it the longest 16 seconds of her life. and then she said, i'm human. i'm human. that's what she said afterwards.
(LAUER)>> debates are pressure packed, too. they're very intense events. you can understand --
(CURRY)>> ever happened to you?
(LAUER)>>yeah, maybe not. i don't know about 16 seconds.
(CURRY)>> no, never.
(LAUER)>> it's definitely happened, no question.
(CURRY>> it's happened to me. anyway, back after your local news.
I don't know that I think Curry and Lauer are totally happy with having to perform this charade. True, anyone of us who has spoken before large crowds or has been interviewed by the media have had momentary lapses. We're all human, after all.
Maybe Brewer should polish up her performance by making more appearances that aren't scripted. Maybe if she had focused more on content and less on platitudes, she might have did a better job of defending her man's inhumanity to man law. Maybe if she were human, none of this would have happened in the first place.
Interesting that there's been no outcry or mocking from the right over this.
The 16-second blackout was certainly odd and awkward. What was more telling about Madame "Show Me Your Papers" Brewer was later, when the press pressured her to fess up about her headless bodies in the desert lie. She refused to answer and walked away.
ReplyDeleteLying is standard operating procedure for Republican pols. You can always tell when they're doing it because their lips are moving. But walking away from reporters in a huff seems to be a new, tea-party twist.
BTW, George W. Bush often handled unwelcome questions from reporters about a lie, or about something that made no sense, in a different way. Bush would repeat the lie, louder, as if he was addressing a child who was being difficult.
This approach seemed to work for Bush and his 23 percenters, considering that he got his Iraq invasion, stupid tax cuts and still managed to get re-elected.
SW: I don't think she's as savvy/smooth as Bush even and she trips up over her lies because of it. Had she looked directly looked at the camera, laughed - as opposed to giggling - and exclaimed, "Well damn, I forgot what I was going to say," that would have been human.
ReplyDeleteAt least most Democratic men have the smarts to promote intelligent women.
Help!!! I've lost my script and I don't know what to say.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I thought it was a refreshing 16 seconds. Flapper shut! Now if we could find the same formula for S. Moosemouth, I would be a happy man.
ReplyDeleteHilarious and SO embarrassing, poor thing. Wasn't it notes she was TRYING to read from? She had a brain freeze which I have had too (old age I guess) but what she said before the freeze made no sense at all. It was just a bunch of drivel, she couldn't name one thing she actually accomplished!
ReplyDeleteJC: Have to have cataract surgery & lens implants, so vision causing a few probs. When I first read this I thought you wrote you'd lost your scalp!!!
ReplyDeletej: LOL. How about tossing a big creamy pie in the moosemouth's face.
Sue: No doubt those were notes. 16 seconds is a lot of time not to be able to collect yourself. No wonder she doesn't want to be interviewed by the press.
She's obviously a very managed product.
I really hate it when my computer freezes up, I bet the good governor is running on Windows Vista.
ReplyDeleteBeech: LOL. Wonder who's punching her buttons.
ReplyDeleteI just read that she's backed off the headless bodies. She "mispoke."
ReplyDeleteI had cataract surgery on both eyes last year. Easy surgery and I have never seen better. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteOkay I make fun of everybody and everything.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like Brewer. All that aside, I really think this woman is ill. So does Melissa.
We think she has the onslaught of Parkinson. I'm not being my acerbic self here. I don't like her but I don't wish her sickness. Watch her and tell me what you guys think.
Hi Leslie!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head (but for many of these public officiate's across the board too) as far as "less focus on platitude's", our political rep's in general to me, are far too plastic. When I meeet folk's like this in public, since there are many even in daily society, I actually go blank in disbelief that they are actually thinking that they are thinking. :)
I havent kept up too much with the ole gal recently since this publicized piece, but I disagree with many back awhile ago who said this woman was a nazi and racist. Half these type's dont even know what a nazi or racist is, or have even sat down face to face to talk with real racist's or neo nazi's, is what's so odd, and their lack of knowledge in history, is almost an insult to try to even debate or discuss anything with these type's. I said in my posting "Why?" the proposed new policies of Arizona "could not" work ... even in detail ... yet I hardly could find anyone in any posting's, that actually pointed out "reason's" as to why it couldnt work, or even stating any fact's about current federal law's, etc for that matter, even figure's, case histories, etc. There are actually federal law's that cover damn near everything they proposed and enacted ... all they done was shoot themselves in the foot politically(GOP) and financially (excessive and lengthy litigation)
I cant really feel sorry for any of these folk's much ... because it is a matter of "free will" and "choice" ... they put themselves into these position's ... trying to be leader's, who in these time's frankly most couldnt lead a pack of sewer rodent's out of a sewer ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... we live in a pop culture society, of weakness, frailty, hypocrisy and dellusioned. We would give the "Congressional Medal of Honour" thees day's to a fictional character, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. :)
Nothing against Ms.Brewer personally ... but she is not a "leader" ... in any stretch of the word, just basically like most politician's of today across the board ... who dont even think (we have to pay extra to hire advisory crew's to think for them, ... which multiplies our expenses for these, and is fiscal irresponsibility), and are in no way in touch with reality or even those they try to represent. But ... I dont dislike her at all, I basically think for myself. I mean ... how can I dislike or despise a loser or incompetent person that clearly herded masses embrace and support?
JC: Have been wanting to do this for a long time. Am having garage sale next month to raise money for what insurance doesn't pay. Irony is that it's high end sewing machines and a boatload of quilting fabrics and supplies, etc., because I haven't been able to see well enough to sew. After the surgery I'll be able to see but won't have the equipment!
ReplyDeleteTim: I'd go for Alzheimer's. Plus, when some people come under a lot of stress - especially those who aren't equipped to handle ANY - they have momentary memory lapses. She is, not always due to her own creation, under enormous stresses and I think we're seeing signs that they're taking their toll. I would not be surprised if she had a mental breakdown.
Brewer is obviously being yanked around like a puppet by the rabid power mongers. If she had any brains or integrity, she would have refused to play into their hands. Something is going to blow here which will prove once and for all that she is a pawn of a very devious group of people. Where is a good investigative reporter when you need one?
RC: "how can I dislike or despise a loser or incompetent person that clearly herded masses embrace and support?"
You can't. I wonder how the right-wing nuts would react if Democrats started showing sympathy - not support - just sympathy toward her.
I used to teach Speechcraft at a Toastmasters club. One of the keys to successful speaking is to tell the truth. It's far easier to adlib during a brain freeze when memorizing lies to tell is not an issue.
ReplyDeleteTC: You can't argue with truth. Good point.
ReplyDelete