See TV Interview with Joe Biden that Obama Campaign says is Out of Bounds

by Albert Milliron | October 24, 2008 at 07:48 am

1535 views | 4 Recommendations | 21 comments

Orlando TV station WFTV will get no more contact with the Obama campaign following a tough interview with Vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden. The campaign told Orlando channel 9 that the line of questioning was out of line. See Video

WFTV-Channel 9's Barbara West conducted a satellite interview with Sen. Joe Biden on Thursday. She asked about ACORN's controversial voter registration and Sen. Barack Obama's comment about spreading the wealth.

Biden, Obama's running mate, evidently disliked West's line of questioning. The Obama campaign canceled an interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."

Here's a link to the interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/17790025/index.html.

WFTV news director Bob Jordan said, "When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it. They usually give you five minutes."

Jordan said political campaigns in general pick and choose the stations they like. And stations often pose softball questions during the satellite interviews.

"Mr. Biden didn't like the questions," Jordan said. "We choose not to ask softball questions."

Jordan added, "I'm crying foul on this one."

What did you think of the interview?

Reader Comments

UPDATE: Reader C.J. Burch emails: "He got a straighter run than Palin has. No one edited his answers. No one used false quotes against him. No one edited the video tape. No one took him out of context. No one pissed and moaned about his wardrobe or his hair plugs. No one has asked to see his kid's birth ceritifcate. Thin skinned much, Obama campaign?" Note that they're only getting these questions from local TV. There was a time when network folks laughed at softball local TV coverage, but in this election we've seen more hard coverage of Obama et al. from local media.

ANOTHER UPDATE: David Bernstein is sidin' with Biden. And TigerHawk calls the questions "obnoxious to the point of being ineffective." He also comments: "Second, journalists ask equally obnoxious, left-wing conspiracy-oriented questions of Republicans all the time. The effect is different, though, because we are used to seeing aggressive questioning in that direction."

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michelp (not verified)

at 21:23 on October 24th, 2008

Hey Joe--want some cheese to go with that whine? Toughen up, nancy-boy. Should Obama get elected, his adoring media will turn on him the first week. Just ask Bill Clinton.

It's refreshing to see a journalist who is not intimidated by the Obama thugs and actually does her job. There's a first time for everything.

master_jim2008

at 22:34 on October 24th, 2008

Here we go again, with a not verified commenter who's less than tactful in what he says

Albert Milliron

at 12:23 on October 25th, 2008

Tact should be practiced by all of us on NP. Especially those who have been here a while. I think all of us, when a story is important to us, should take a deep breath before we post anything.

René

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 21:54 on October 24th, 2008

politisite, I like this story. It's good stuff.

master_jim2008

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 22:32 on October 24th, 2008

politisite, I like this story. It's good stuff.

I wrote to Barbara West and reamed her a new one, told her she's 6 shades of stupid for asking those questions and if she was put up to asking those, she should start blabbing about who wrote them and asked her to recite them. They're pretty stupid too for telling her to do it

Albert Milliron

at 12:27 on October 25th, 2008

Thanks for your comments Jim. I am sure you also wrote to NBC when they ambushed Palin. CNN misquoted an article while interviewing her and they only one I see complaining about it is Greta Van Susteran from FOX who used to be at CNN.

Kurt the Carpenter (not verified)

at 08:33 on October 26th, 2008

And good ole Joe couldn't up with better answers than "Is this a real question?" or "Is this a joke?". Pretty thin skin for a VP candidate. Typical Dem skirting the question.

Fat Vegetarian (not verified)

at 05:29 on October 25th, 2008

Barbara? Thank you.

Just Curious (not verified)

at 17:50 on October 25th, 2008

So where is the video now? Why was it removed from your website for others to view?

Veronica G (not verified)

at 04:24 on October 26th, 2008

LOL. The only people who will find this "interviewer" and her questions credible are mouth breathers who would screw up baking a pre-made cake. Dear, oh dear. For my own sanity I have to believe that you guys aren't serious about this stuff and are just playing some cosmic Andy Kaufmanesque joke for your own twisted amusement, right? Right? C'mon! I'm on to you!

crash bandicoot (not verified)

at 06:20 on October 26th, 2008

I want to see the whole interview. I just sen it on fox, and want to see for myself the whole interview, and now its gone???? Geee i guess the freedom of press is out the window now and hussien isnt in office yet.

Albert Milliron

at 13:24 on October 26th, 2008

The video is in the article. Click the link and you will have no problem seeing it. No one took it down. It was very popular and the server was having a bit of difficulty

eyes wide open (not verified)

at 07:17 on October 26th, 2008

What a crock, Obama said he would "spread the wealth around" and they get their undies in a wad when they are questioned about the statement? I wish I could find ONE person that could give me a good reason to vote for Obama. So far no one has been able to do that without their comments being picked apart by confirmed FACTS.

Kurt the Carpenter (not verified)

at 08:28 on October 26th, 2008

Hear hear!! The only real answer I can get from Obama supporters is for "change". Well there's good change and there's bad change. Guess which one it'll be...

Get Bush out (not verified)

at 11:27 on October 27th, 2008

Hey Kurt, I'm sure Obama's change would be better than the one we've been dealing with for the past 8 yrs.

oliver (not verified)

at 09:03 on October 26th, 2008

This interview was full of right wing (conservative ) blunder.The interviewer was clearly trying to imply that Obama is a communist and was using the personal attack ad hominen fallacy .The journalist cearly had a political agenda as she tried to create an unfavorable impression of obama so that she can poison the minds of people.

Dawn in Michigan (not verified)

at 11:00 on October 26th, 2008

West did not ask one positive question. I think Joe did great. Made her look like the far right winger she is. Palin was asked several positive questions in interviews like What is the job of the vp. Is that over the top to expect her to know that. Comparing that interview with west to Palin interviews is crazy. McCain cancelled appearances on cnn because one of their interviewers was trying to get a straight answer out of tucker. I can't wait til this election is over. I am so sick of the right wingers being so negative calling Obama everything. Americans are sick of it and not falling for it this time.

Amy Koelln (not verified)

at 13:44 on October 26th, 2008

This was one of the best interviews I've ever seen. Ms. West asked a series of tough questions that many voters have on their mind. It amazes me that the Obama campaign is upset and the reaction from the campaign only further shows how unprepared both Obama and Biden are to serve in office as our Pres. and VP. As a Pres./VP you can't run from tough situations if the questions (or decisions) are hard and you can't censure hostile nations. The campaign may be able to hand pick the news stations they want now to suit their political needs but if elected Obama/Biden won't be able to hand pick the problems that will come to test their administration. Better hold on tight, it's going to be a long hard 4 years if Obama wins.

Geo the plumber (not verified)

at 13:43 on October 27th, 2008

Biden's response to this littany of right-wing drivel was dead-on. When the interviewer, obviously untrained in objective reporting, asks questions by way of quoting marx, she reveals unthinking attachment to GOP ideals. Not a real reporter, just another partisan twit. It will be tough to pull us out of 8 years of the Bush-era domestic malaise and international quagmire, but Obama has the clearest vision to accomplish this.

huntman58 (not verified)

at 18:52 on October 26th, 2008

It's fianly about time the Obama camp was asked some thing other then how dose Obama dance and all the other soft ball queastion they have been asked. I have felt that almoast all of the major net works have had Obama's campain write and give them the questions they wanted asked. This still was softball when you compair it to how Palin has been ambushed and queastioned by the same press. Obama has not one time been vetted any were close to the same degree that Palin has been and yet he was and still is as little know to the american people . The Obama camp being so scared of PAlin has made sure we know Palin in as bad of a light as possable but has use the same people to keep every thing about him closed out. Obama and Biden make love to! what scares the heck out of me is how the masses of this once great country seam to hacve shut off there gray matter and just buy into the simple none answears and no explanations that are given for any thing asked of the Obama camp. the few times that a hard ball gets threw makes you wonder if he wins is this how he will also be when the people ask the hard ball question of him? well we can hope that in the next day or two maybe the main stream press will finaly wake up and break ooff there love afair with Obama and start doing thre job asking the hardball things and reporting with out biases but tell then I refuse to partake of any of there none worth watching news with biases and no truth! What I find funny is this Woman was Peter Jennings helper and she learned the ropes from him when the main stream news meadia realy did report and asked the questions unlike todays love fest or coruption of the news by there self serving intrest and there love of money that they think Obam some how will bring to them!