Westside Today: How would you rate the media’s coverage of the campaign? Who has done the best job? What was the worst flub along the way?
Arianna Huffington: I’m not exactly impartial, but I’m very pleased with the job HuffPost has done. Elsewhere, I think Ben Smith at Politico, Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic, and Jake Tapper at ABC have all provided don’t miss coverage. And the Daily Show has been on fire. Worst flubs: The horrendous Democratic debate on ABC, where Gibson and Stephanopoulos channeled Hannity and O’Reilly.The endless coverage of the “lipstick on a pig†nonsense did not do the cable channels proud. Fox calling Michelle “baby mama†and accusing the Obamas of exchanging a “terrorist fist jab†was another low point.
Tony Blankley: We’ve seen the most one-sided coverage (for Obama) in modern times. Flub? How about Obama, in two years of campaigning, has not been grilled as to his foreign policy knowledge as much as Palin was in her one ABC interview.
Matt Miller: Jon Stewart has used parody and subversive humor in a way that really connects – and which leads to keen insights. He is not held hostage by the “stenographer†role many in the media have adopted.
WT: If Barack Obama could go back and do anything over, what would you suggest?
Arianna Huffington: Not tell Bill O’Reilly that the surge had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
Tony Blankley: Pick Hillary for VP rather than Biden.
Matt Miller: Well, ideally he’d have been a two-term governor and never met Jeremiah Wright before deciding to run! That said, I think what he has achieved is remarkable.
WT: If McCain got a do-over, what should he have done differently?
Arianna Huffington: He’d have to go back over the last eight years and refuse to give in to the GOP’s right wing, as he’s done time after time, abandoning his core principles in the pursuit of the White House.
Tony Blankley: Avoid gaffes like “100 years in Iraq†and saying the fundamentals of economy are sound.
Matt Miller: Learn some economics. For example, he says he’s an economic conservative, but his fiscal proposals are a recipe for bankruptcy.
WT: What have each of these candidates done particularly well, in your opinion?
Arianna Huffington: Obama: He’s kept his head while those around him were losing theirs. And he’s stayed true to his core message of change and hope. Biden: Assuage the fears of working class white voters. McCain: Distracted the media (aka “his base†), keeping them focused on the ludicrous non-story of the day (see “Obama wants to teach sex ed to kindergarteners†) instead of his complicity in the last eight years of Republican rule. Palin: Gave one hell of an acceptance speech. Continued to defy expectations. Connected with the voters on a visceral level. Cloaked her radical, neocon agenda in a folksy manner.
Tony Blankley: Obama reads a speech well on a tele-prompter; McCain doesn’t do anything particularly well as a candidate (as opposed to his ability to actually be President.)
Matt Miller: Obama has engaged today’s youth, his message is hopeful. He could be a truly transformational president. McCain has somehow maintained his “maverick†brand even though it’s not justified. He has also distanced himself from the Republican party, which is a real achievement.
WT: Which candidate do you think will win, and why?
Arianna Huffington: Obama. Because, in the end, 82 percent of Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction and they will realize that McCain wants to keep on the same road that’s leading us over a cliff.
Tony Blankley: It is impossible to know.
Matt Miller: I hope it’s Obama but I’ m very concerned some people won’t vote for him because he’s a black man, which could be decisive in such a close race. It will be a nail-biter.
WT: What is your most important piece of advice for the new president, whoever wins?
Arianna Huffington: Get some sleep.Don’t be afraid to unplug and recharge now and then. Lack of sleep often leads to very bad decisions. And get us out of Iraq.
Tony Blankley: Don’t keep any foolish campaign promises. Re-assess policy based on reality – not your pre-conceived ideas.
Matt Miller: Read my new book, “The Tyranny of Dead Ideas†(it comes out January 6) and then make it assigned reading for your staff.
