No Wonder Sharron Angle Is Adopting The Palin “Avoid The Media” Strategy

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle did a pretty good job of avoiding national media when she was in Washington earlier this week but she hasn’t been so lucky with the local media in Nevada:

LAS VEGAS – As Sharron Angle greeted supporters at Stoney’s Restaurant in Las Vegas, 8 News NOW Reporter Nathan Baca approached her to ask about her Social Security plan.

Her website calls for “transitioning out” Social Security and Medicare.

“Why do you want to eliminate (Social Security) for younger folks, because your plan calls for transitioning out,” Baca asked.

“You believe the Harry Reid lie,” Angle replied.

When asked to define “transitioning out”, Angle said, “Transition into a personalized account… personalized Social Security accounts that they can’t raid.”

The stock market, Baca countered, almost crashed in 2008, meaning millions of seniors would have had their savings accounts wiped out.

Angle replied, “Now, you’re putting words into my mouth from Harry Reid. I want you to be very clear on this. I’m here to save Social Security… Harry Reid is here to bankrupt Social Security.”

Baca then asked Angle about her quote calling for the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency. “Why do you want to eliminate the EPA when we’re in our worst environmental disaster in this country,” Baca asked.

Angle replied, “Where are you getting these questions? The issues are not about the EPA… The issues are homes here in Nevada… He is trying to make this a campaign about me. But, where’s Harry? Go ask him… Please go ask Harry about the EPA, and why they have failed.”

“And why you want to eliminate it,” Baca asked.

“Why they have failed to do what they needed to do in the Gulf,” Angle answered.

Angle walked away when asked about her website once advocating the United States’ withdrawal from the United Nations. She then gave a 20 minute interview to conservative radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock.

Video:

As much as she might like to make this race solely about Harry Reid, it’s fairly clear that Angle is going to have to answer questions about the positions she’s taken on her own campaign website or about the bizarre comment she was quoted making about “Second Amendment remedies.” Obviously, she doesn’t want to do that, which is why she seems to be adopting the same anti-media strategy that Sarah Palin adopted during the 2008 campaign after her disastrous interviews with Charles Gibson and Katie Couric.

The problem is that when a politician treats the news media covering their campaign like the enemy, that’s exactly how they can expect the news media to act. This race is going to be fun to watch.

FILED UNDER: 2010 Election, Congress, US Politics, , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. steve says:

    “The problem is that when a politician treats the news media covering their campaign like the enemy, that’s exactly how they can expect the news media to act.”

    Asking questions about what a person has posted on their own website is adversarial?

    Steve

  2. Yes, I sense a pattern: just try and make everything about Harry Reid. But, as you note, that isn’t an especially sustainable campaign strategy.

  3. Herb says:

    The “avoid the media” strategy is hints at a massive insecurity in their own views and their ability to convey them to a skeptical audience. I also think in some cases that it hints at some major insincerity.

    Palin is more insecure, I think, whereas Rand Paul is insincere. Angle seems to be a little bit of both.

  4. swift boater says:

    The “Palin” avoid the media strategy? Are you kidding? Don’t you mean the Teleprompter Reader in Chief avoid the media man?

    Shes right, with Social Security on average posting a NEGATIVE .8% in return (you die at 60, 40 years of input is now $255) and being used as a slush fund to raid by politicians; the EPA doing wonders in the Gulf and about to become the hammer for Cap and Tax; and the UN having turned into the Dictator’s Ball (stay there just to veto the insanity) she should take these questions. They seem like softballs.

  5. An Interested Party says:

    I seem to recall that there were some around here who were crowing that Angle is leading Reid in recent polls and also that there was supposedly no proof that she holds loony positions…I wonder how long these people will feel the same way as the next few months go on and she recieves more exposure…as for softballs, I do hope that other Republicans, as well as the party as a whole, decides to come out against Social Security, the EPA, and the UN….that should do wonders for their chances in November…

  6. TangoMan says:

    Asking questions about what a person has posted on their own website is adversarial?

    Reporters are supposed to be professional and somewhat intelligent, are they not? When the consumers of news already know that Harry Reid is distorting Angle’s positions and then the reporter asks Angle a question based on Reid’s distortion then the reporter is either an imbecile or a de facto Reid operative.

    So Steve, do you still beat your wife?

  7. reid says:

    Teleprompter Reader in Chief? What an absolutely idiotic meme.

  8. Pug says:

    They seem like softballs.

    They are. She could give answers at least as loony as yours.

  9. steve says:

    “So Steve, do you still beat your wife?”

    No, she’s bigger than I am. But, you avoid the point. If she posted on her site that she thought SS and Medicare should be ended, she should be able to explain that position and tell us why it will work. This is pretty standard libertarian stuff. Why not just answer the question?

    Steve

  10. Juneau: says:

    Only conservatives seem to have “disastrous interviews ” , liberals just have amusing “gaffes.”
    Hey, anybody checked the population of Guam lately? We want to make sure the island doesn’t tip over and capsize…

    Sharks or barracudas, either way you describe them the liberal media always has sharp teeth when it comes to interviewing conservative politicians. The pros have a difficult time handling it, much less the new “non-affiliated” conservative blood coming into the political races across the nation.

    I don’t know why it always seems worthy of comment that a conservative didn’t
    manage to thread the needle when fielding a loaded question. For some strange reason, liberals just aren’t worthy of getting the microscope treatment.

  11. Herb says:

    “For some strange reason, liberals just aren’t worthy of getting the microscope treatment.”

    Wow, Juneau. I ask, what evidence do you have that 8 News out of Las Vegas is part of the “liberal media?” I’m not that familiar with them, but being a local news outlet, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they’re probably…not sure now but stay with me…they’re probably more parochial than they are ideological.

    But if you’ve checked it out and it turns out that 8 News is a liberal propaganda machine out to embarrass Republican candidates for sport and profit, then maybe you’ve got something there.

    But if you’re operating out of the old “You were mean to a right winger, so you’re part of the liberal media,” well……….you’re doing it wrong.

  12. John says:

    “Only conservatives seem to have “disastrous interviews ” , liberals just have amusing “gaffes.””

    Two words – Alvin Greene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDb7l0AAvUY

  13. Juneau: says:

    Wow, Juneau. I ask, what evidence do you have that 8 News out of Las Vegas is part of the “liberal media?”

    I read the article. Show me anything out of the archives for 8 News where a reporter from this station asked such pointed and loaded questions of a liberal and I’ll take back my entire post above.

    As a description, someone else has already said it succinctly, so I’ll just include their comments here:

    “Really? Detail these types of gotcha questions being asked to Harry Reid.

    Every question is about abolishing something, of which she has no power to do if elected on her own.

    How about asking questions about issues that deal with Nevada? Crazy right?

    One question would be ok, but when every question is of this variety, it’s obvious the reporter has an agenda.”

  14. juneau: says:

    “Two words – Alvin Greene”

    I find it interesting that, as some sort of symbol of equality in treatment by the media, you pick an obvious kook like Alvin Greene. I mean, please. Unless you think that Angle is equivalent.? In which case that comparison speaks volumes of your position and – shall we say, somewhat biased – preconceptions.

    I don’t know enough about her to defend her and that’s not what my post is about. But I can agree in principle about at least one of her issues. But hey, don’t worry. The EPA is sure going to do wonders for us now that it has unlimited power to regulate the very molecules that air is made of, isn’t it? Not to mention doing this in a manner completely unfettered by having to worry about oversight by the citizens (i.e. unelected and unaccountable).

  15. wr says:

    Juneau — How is it a gotcha when a reporter asks a candidate about her stated positions? Is it because these positions are so extreme that the majority of voters would consider them insane? In that case, should reporters ignore them to be “fair”? Does the same fairness demand that reporters not ask candidates caught up in a sex scandal about their behavior? Should candidates only be asked the questions they feel like answering?

    If a candidate all but advocates the murder of her political opponents, I’ll say right now I don’t think it’s a “gotcha” to ask her about it. But then, maybe this is the one of her issues you agree with her “in principle” on.