Posted on 06/11/2014 10:48:29 PM PDT by chessplayer
And while tea party groups and talk radio hosts are celebrating the downfall of a Republican member of Congress who came to symbolize the “establishment,” there are indications that this enthusiasm is misplaced.
In the wake of his victory, Brat joined MSNBC host Chuck Todd on Wednesday where he received a gentle grilling and was asked for his position on a variety of policy matters. Brat seemed entirely unprepared to have to speak on issues of substance. In fact, he suggested – perhaps (hopefully) jokingly – that he thought Todd invited him on the program merely to celebrate his victory.
“Where are you on the minimum wage?” Todd began, starting off with a question right in this economics expert’s wheelhouse.
Brat railed against unspecific distorting effects on the market before he was prompted to say whether or not he thought a minimum wage should even exist? “I don’t have a well-crafted response on that one,” Brat replied.
…Okay. So, how about foreign policy?
“Would you be in favor of arming the Syrian rebels?” Todd asked.
“Hey, Chuck, I thought we were just going to chat today about the celebratory aspect,” Brat replied. “I’d love to go through all this, but my mind is just, uh, I didn’t get much sleep.”
“I love the policy questions, I’m happy to do more, but I just wanted to talk about the victory here,” he continued.
Sure, sleep deprivation will dull anyone’s wit. But any competent Republican campaigner should be able to endure the rendition tactics depicted in Zero Dark Thirty and emerge aware of the fact that MSNBC is not the place insurgent tea partiers go for softballs.
Maybe Brat was, as he said, merely exhausted from a long night following his primary victory. However, as The Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow noted, “he’s going to have to get it together real quick now that he’s been thrust into the national spotlight.”
Yes, they were complex questions that needed to be answered carefully. The liberal MSM will do whatever is necessary to get a Rep to say something controversial and nail him.
In 2016 VA7 primary.
He was very smart not to say anything substantive.
*******************************************************************
Indeed....NEVER give them a single word they can distort and/or take out of context.
Rand Paul did the same stupid thing after he won his primary. And Rand Paul actually committed a gaff as I remember. So Brat did not do that bad, but to me it is a bad sign that he is as dumb as Rand Paul and went on MSNBC for any reason.
His only mistake was going on MSNBC in the first place.
We call this exercise an “NPG” No Possible Gain.
THIS is what he should recognize. He doesn’t have to be sharp as a tack to realize this. He SHOULD know that “gotcha” will be the name of the game. He MUST acquire some degree of media savvy. MUST. He could also simply keep his mouth shut, that would work fine and it would be a smarter decision.
So I will issue him a small demerit that I don’t hold against him at all for even agreeing to appear on MSNBC in the first place.
He is a smart guy. He will learn this lesson.
So what. I wouldn’t care if all Republicans did this.
Better response than spend the next 6 months trying to convince people that you really didn’t say you were a witch.
Remember for the most part “W” came across as a ‘gee, shucks, sort of ‘hick’ with his twang etc’.
That WAS the same W that acted very professional and adult when it came to handling 9-11.
When you got BO ‘talking’ about you, you have done something right.
Somebody give this boy some street smarts quick, before he goes onto the Bill Maher show, for a ‘five libs vs one conservative’ initiation. Don’t fritter away your good will by acting too gullible. Take it slow for the first year or two. You owe your constituents your time, not these rabblerousers.
“Adding insult to injury, far left amnesty activists stormed Eric Cantor’s election night headquarters after his loss to Dave Brat.
They raided the wrong headquarters.
Cantor lost.
That had to hurt.”
Under the circumstances, ducking questions like whether or not to arm the Syrian rebels was the best possible strategy.
If you’d been up all night, you might have answered questions punchdrunk too.
I’d agree it might not be the best followup on his big victory over Cantor. And, given the number of times we’ve been burned by TP candidates (albeit mostly at the Senate level) who weren’t ready for the media onslaught, there is naturally a concern when a guy stumbles out of the gate.
All that said, I don’t think one bad interview on MSNBC is likely to hurt him. He got through it without any major gaffes - i.e. no Todd Akin moment - and has plenty of time to prepare and polish his delivery, etc. In a week or two, this interview will be forgotten. Especially if he comes out strong in his next public interview.
That the putz is gone is victory enough.
Obama thought there were 57 states and flubbed many more important issues.
I have no doubt the man is with us in spirit and will forge excellent answers over the next few months.
When an MSNBC host asks if you will arm rebels (al-qaaaeda)in Syria, and you say you’re too tired to answer such a “hard” question, you’re not off to a good start.
Because it’s easy?
/S
Or he could have turned the question back on Todd:
.
“I understand you haven’t reformed your predilections for young boys.
Why haven’t you answered that charge?”
Excellent
My guess is that Brat was lied to and set up.
Todd is a slimeball. I would guess his people begged Brat to come on his show and promised it would just be congratulations on his upset win. Then Todd tries to trip him up and tells everyone in the MSM to report that Brat is stupid and can't answer questions.
Brat has to learn that MSM reporters are slimeballs. They will try to make him look bad and then define him as stupid.
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