It is things like this that make me love the Internet. This week, MSNBC's intrepid Norah O'Donnell, with the help of a team of producers and researchers, bravely confronted a 17-year-old girl in line for a Palin book signing about the ideological consistency of her t-shirt.
The young woman is, predictably, getting a bunch of flak from liberals who are under the impression that throwing a 17-year-old slightly off her game in her first live TV appearance is a great political score for them. From the right side, Norah O'Donnell has been the one receiving flak. The video is below:
But now, O'Donnell's interview subject is responding in her own blog post, noting the behind-the-scenes machinations, her own understandably flustered state, and O'Donnell's factual inaccuracies. Unsurprisingly, she comes out looking sympathetic, sweet, and smart. Read the whole thing, if you've got the time, and if you've only got a minute, click through for the very last paragraph, which is a winner.
I was first approached by a New York Times writer who wrote what my shirt said and then asked me a couple questions. She asked me what it was I liked about Sarah Palin. I said, "As a young female she is someone I can look up to, before her the only prominent female in politics I had known about was Hilary Clinton, whom I respect don't get me wrong, I respect her but when you don't agree with someone it's hard to really look up to them. I like how Sarah Palin will speak her mind, regardless of what the media will say about it."
After that I just stood in line eagerly waiting for Sarah Palin to arrive. I then see Norah O'Donnell approach a man all decked out in Palin garb. She asked him a few questions (camera not rolling) then said she'd like to have a woman in the shot. She asked a woman who refused then pointed at me and said "Hey talk to her" So I walked over. I knew I was walking into hot water with MSNBC- thought I was prepared….Seconds later I met her… One of the many faces of liberal media bias.
She asked me my name and then before going on air asked me why I liked Sarah Palin, I repeated what I told the NYT reporter. Norah didn't seem to like that much. So what did she do? I mean she couldn't ask me that question on television, heaven forbid her not have a biting response.. I noticed her look down at my shirt then, she turned around blackberry in hand spoke to a man, thumbs tapping the blackberry (I don't remember if she called or not, she may have. But she was on her blackberry), then jotted down a quick note. Little did I know that note would be used against me...
O'Donnell asked the man identified as Joe in the video the same question she asked him on-air, so he was prepared, before she moved onto the young woman, whom she proceeded to debate on the history of bailout politics:
She had me read my shirt and then proceeded to ask me "Did you know Sarah Palin supported the bailout" to be 100% honest I was like, are you kidding me? She is trying to use my shirt against me...
Immediately after the interview I said to my dad "Oh man, I have so many great responses now about my shirt" I could have said, well my shirt doesn't say anything about Sarah Palin supporting the bailout or "Hey Norah, have you read the book? She talks about how during her debate prep she was handed a list of note cards that had questions and ‘non-answers'" Of course they told Sarah Palin to support everything McCain did. Call me crazy but it would have looked pretty bad had Sarah Palin been against something John McCain was against while they were running together.
The teenager also claims a factual inaccuracy on O'Donnell's part:
Norah also claims I told her I voted (on her twitter). That is not true. She never asked my age or if I voted. I'm 17 I couldn't have voted…and I don't live in an ACORN district so I didn't have a chance to even register illegally.
Good on her. Click through for the whole, entertaining account, or to leave her a message of support.
