Re: Tonight's show

On Oct 18, 12:06 pm, Sally <SallyDr...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 17, 1:21 pm, "dsik...@xxxxxxxxx" <dsik...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



On Oct 17, 7:52 am, Sally <SallyDr...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Balance was off on the McCain appearance. Dave tipped over too far in
the ego department, I thought. A presidential candidate is not to be
placed on his griddle over a bad decision. He really doesn't come from
a political or journalistic background, nor does he have the right to
slap the hands of those who are running after they've apologized and
humbled themselves. Gotta watch that.

He "doesn't have the right?" Sally, with all due respect, that comment
is idiotic. McCain is running for President and is responsible to 300
million of us, all of whom have the right to know what he's thinking,
what he's done, and why he did it -- same with Obama. Yeah, Dave got
tough, but McCain's been through a lot worse.

I agree that maybe the Liddy question was irrelevant, but I'd still
like to hear his thoughts about Sarah Palin's connection to the Alaska
Independence Party, Todd Palin's unelected role in the running of
Alaska, and the head of McCain's transition team who did lobbying work
for Saddam Hussein. That last has much more relevance to me than
Obama's tenuous relationship with Bill Ayers.

--Dave Sikula

Dake,

When I said Dave "didn't have the right," I didn't mean he didn't have
the right to drag the whole situation out and examine it with McCain
right there. No, for that I applaud him. What I object to was his
overdoing it, IMO. When the candidate says, "I screwed up," a map is
shown for laughs, with a bus yet, when the candidate goes along with a
clear apology and almost genuflects an apology, I think that is
enough.

But Dave didn't stop there. He made more remarks. There's a fine line
between eliciting an apology and explanation and then keeping your
foot on the candidate's neck. Maybe we'll agree to respectfully
disagree on the amount of time Dave spent on McCain's transgression. I
would say McCain wasn't politically savvy in his dealings with The
Late Show. His gaffe was brought home by Dave, but it also brought up
Dave's ratings. Do you think that that played a part in the whole
thing? Dave may have seen an opportunity to get the audience to tune
in. That's a self-seeking move, too, just as McCain's was. Didn't the
Donz say Dave's ratings were higher than usual with McCain's belated
appearance?

Just wondering about being calculating in politics and show biz, and
how it can backfire or at least look bad. I think, to sum up, that to
continue the whipping after the person acknowledges his mistake
multiple times is sadistic. You must put down the whip after the 3rd
apology, okay? Dave had the right to be angry, but not to prolong it
ad nauseum.

Sally

Here's how I read it. McCain figured that saying "I screwed up" would
be his Hugh Grant moment, instantly absolving him. That's not enough
for me, and I don't think it was enough for Dave. Yet, the sycophantic
audience responded well to the line, and Dave felt pressured to
forgive more quickly than he wanted. At the same time, Dave couldn't
really drill down into a replay of the situation -- "We saw you with
Katie Couric when you should have been here. Why weren't you here?"
That would be petulant, obvious, unfunny, and possibly turn the
audience against Dave. So Dave took a second general swipe at McCain
and McCain said he screwed up again, adding "What more can I say?"
That was code for, "I am apologizing, and everyone expects you to move
on now."

My problem was that it *wasn't* an apology, and McCain stonewalled any
honest discussion of that night. It's all quite silly, but I do
understand Dave's frustration with McCain's facile tactic.

I would have advised McCain to say something like, "Dave, I'm sorry I
stood you up. When a presidential campaign is at a critical moment,
everyone involved has an opinion about what should be done, where a
candidate should appear, and what should be said. That night was
mismanaged for sure and I don't blame you for, um, letting me know
about it every day since then. I'm sorry I wasn't here, not just
because I put you in a jam, but mainly because I always enjoy our
discussions of important issues. I'm glad to finally be sitting here
tonight, and I'm looking forward to our talk."

Brad
.

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  • Re: Tonights show
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  • Re: Tonights show
    ... McCain is running for President and is responsible to 300 ... the right to drag the whole situation out and examine it with McCain ... clear apology and almost genuflects an apology, ... disagree on the amount of time Dave spent on McCain's transgression. ...
    (alt.fan.letterman)
  • Re: Tonights show
    ... A presidential candidate is not to be ... When I said Dave "didn't have the right," I didn't mean he didn't have ... the right to drag the whole situation out and examine it with McCain ... clear apology and almost genuflects an apology, ...
    (alt.fan.letterman)