Palin Debate Preview II: The Wilhelm Scream

[Joanne98]

by Kagro X
Wed Oct 01, 2008 at 11:50:09 AM PDT
In my last take on the Palin debate preview, I discussed the widespread use by Republican candidates, particularly those trained by GOPAC, of interview and debating tactics designed to allow them to evade tough questions for which they're not intellectually prepared. That is, that when stuck, they'll often: 1) repeat back some of the words in the question to establish that they're "answering" it; 2) parry by steering the frame of their answers toward a talking point that bears some relation to the subect of the question; 3) spray some transitional buzzwords that help them segue from what they were asked to what they have prepared to say, and; 4) deliver the focus group-tested answer they originally planned, even if it's kind of a non-sequitur.

Normally, only the best-trained Republicans get the chance to demonstrate this technique on the national stage. Up-and-comers make use of the practice in local debates, with local media in the audience. And while the chances of being caught at it are just as great with local media as with national media, the professional inclination among journalists is simply not to insert themselves into the story by calling it out on their own, though they'll surely quote anyone who'll go on record to note it. Thus does such an obvious technique get by mostly unremarked upon.

And it is an obvious technique. It's obvious to even the casual observer, if you're willing to take mental note of it. But it's also forgettable enough that it usually just melts away. And as with most such situations, supporters hear what they want to hear, and opponents what they want. But to those who take the time to clearly note it, it's the "Wilhelm Scream" of politics. Once you've identified it and seen it in action, you'll never miss it again. And you'll laugh out loud when you hear it, again and again, from different candidates, in different states and different races. It becomes an inside joke among people who can identify it, just like the Wilhelm Scream itself:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/30/112442/907/802/615494