Caroline Kennedy says "you know" over 400 times in three interviews

[BeyondGeography]

Caroline Kennedy no whiz with words
BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Caroline Kennedy, you know, might need, you know, a speech coach, um, if she, you know, wants, um, to be a senator.

Um, you know?

Kennedy, who gave a flurry of media interviews on Friday and Saturday, revealed some cringing verbal tics that showed her inexperience as a speaker, experts told the Daily News.

In a 30-minute session with The News on Saturday, Kennedy punctuated her answers with "you know" more than 200 times. "Um" was fairly constant, too.

Transcripts of her interviews with other media outlets showed the same problem. She said "you know" at least 130 times to The New York Times and more than 80 times on New York 1.

When The News asked if President Bush's tax cuts on the wealthy should be repealed immediately, Kennedy replied:

"Well, you know, that's something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed."

More at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/12/29/2008-12-29_caroline_kennedy_no_whiz_with_words-1.html

Ridicule from the tabloids will make it easier for Paterson to turn elsewhere.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. But, did what she say make any sense or was it all fungible? n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. talking points lite, unfortunately for her.

someone compared her content with sarah palin's and it was not pretty.

[ColbertWatcher]

10. Her speech pattern may seem like Palin's, but I doubt the content was.

You know, what with Putin rearing his head and all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NGXlsqPL2A

[eowyn_of_rohan]

49. you are right

The content may not have been profound or original but it was logical and her delivery was sincere. I have a hard time myself with "stage fright" and freeze up when a microphone is put in my face. I get the feeling this happens to Caroline... she has always been a private person, and seems more cerebral, like her mother.

[Muttocracy]

55. she stayed vague mostly; audio and story on NYT here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/nyregion/28kennedy.html?_r=1

[Dennis Donovan]

2. And Obama says "uh" a lot...

That didn't stop him from being a senator and, now, POTUS.

[cali]

4. I heard one of her interviews. It was not impressive. and there's

really no comparison between her communitcation skills and Obama's.

I wish it hadn't been as bad as it was, but truly, it was painful.

[Dennis Donovan]

33. She's still getting her footing as a public figure...

...after being a private citizen, despite the celebrity-obsessed media, for so long.

[marshall]

37. But he at least made sense

Flaws in speaking style can be excused when the content of what is said is worthy of attention.

[SoCalDem]

83. and he says "yeeohh" instead of y'know"

I think he's trying to stop doing it, because as the campaign wore on, he said it less and less..

the most enlightening thing ANYONE can do , is to listen to themselves speaking...It's an eye opener...or to read a court transcript.. I love public speaking, and have never had anyone get up and leave, and have been elected to everything I have ever been nominated for, but when my boys read my court testimony from when i was robbed at gunpoint, we all howled with laughter.. that court reporter put every "uh", "um", "cough"...etc into it..:)

[Mugweed]

5. Many people could benefit from a few Toastmasters sessions

Er, um, you know, like: These can make any cogent and poignant statement sound moronic.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Four "you knows" in one sentence

I don't know, it's like, you know, um, hopeless.

[Kahuna]

7. Well! That's interesting to know!

:banghead:

[Swamp Rat]

8. Rudy Giuliani said "9/11" a brazillion times per campaign speech

[Octafish]

84. And George Bush said ''Saddam Hussein'' and ''9-11'' in the same sentence a brazillion times.

The no good so-and-so.



Know your BFEE: Hitler’s Bankers Shaped Vietnam War

¿Como handas, Compay Galan? ¿Todos bien? ¡Feliz Navidad y prospero ano nuevo, Herman'!

[Swamp Rat]

88. He's a bad little monkey

¡Todo bien aquí, amigo, y feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo para tí también! :hi:

[Octafish]

89. And his Poppy only said "deluded gunman" and "the conspiracy theorists" once.

Tio, why is that?



Poppy, at the moment he mentioned "deluded gunman assassinated President Kennedy."

Poppy Bush brought up the assassination at President Ford's funeral and chuckled.

[billyoc]

9. I say "The Daily News is a worthless piece of shit"

a lot.

[cali]

11. It is. But the interview with Caroline that I heard, was cringe inducing.

[Captain Hilts]

21. It's actually the most progressive paper in NYC. Too bad Lars Erik Nelson died. nt

[shadowknows69]

12. If Patterson plans on making policy based on tabloids he should be impeached.

[BeyondGeography]

13. I like Paterson...he is far better than that

The point to be made here is that if he is inclined to look elsewhere, this is the type of coverage, since it is supported by facts, that will come in handy.

[NashVegas]

52. Key Word - IF - He Is Inclined to Look Elsewhere

It's obvious there are people who want their own crony in that seat or have their own reasons why they don't want Kennedy in the seat, and those reasons have nothing whatsoever to do with her qualifications, and everything to do with looking out for their own political power/career.

IF those who have their own ideas about who they want in the US senate have greater ability to hamper Paterson's election to the governor's chair than Obama has ability to help Paterson hang onto that chair, Kennedy will not get the seat.

[BeyondGeography]

57. An astute reading

And, as Obama has shown little interest in playing quid pro quo-style games with his presidency at the state level, Caroline's candidacy is most likely left to stand on its own shrinking merits.

[NashVegas]

59. Then We Should Be Able To Assume Your Opposition to CK Getting the Seat

Has more to do with those you would like to reward, politically, than her qualifications.

Yes?

[BeyondGeography]

61. Nope...if I thought she was a lock to win in 2010 and 2012, she could mangle the English language

as much as she wants. Paterson's concerns, which I think you have pegged pretty well, are probably not mine.

This seat needs to stay in our hands and, as a New Yorker, I'm not comfortable with her ability to rise above our famous, intra-mural Democratic party backstabbing, gutter campaigning from the Rudy G's and the Peter Kings of the world and the kind of coverage we're seeing in this article. People who routinely compare her to Hillary and Obama need to think it through. Hillary had the brand and the toughness and a lifetime of hands-on political engagement. Obama had 12 years of legislative experience, obvious charisma and his own, self-made brand. So far, Caroline only has the brand, and she's devaluing it with her poorly conceived candidacy rollout and performances like this.

[NashVegas]

62. Thank You For This Response

It's worth any 35 snark posts.

[NashVegas]

54. Agreed

[lpbk2713]

14. I've noticed that about Hannity.

Ya know?

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Teddy Kennedy Says "Uh" A Whole Lot

A local fringe-right raging head on the radio used to play a game called "the wizard of uhs". He'd play a clip of Teddy, and callers would guess the actual number of times he'd said "uh" in the clip.

[Captain Hilts]

23. Ted really is the "uh" champ, isn't he?

[acmavm]

16. At least she doesn't wink and say "say it isn't so Joe, you betcha'.

[Vinca]

17. Pity most of the POS media covering her does the exact same thing.

There was a guy reporting this story on MSNBC yesterday and I wish I had counted his "you knows." Caroline Kennedy has become - for whatever reason - the media victim of the week. I guess if a woman becomes inspired and wants to get involved after her kids are grown, she'd better stay home and bake her cookies since, apparently, a Constitutional scholar is unqualified to even open her yap about becoming a member of the government.

[Nye Bevan]

18. She is absolutely not ready for prime time

and I strongly hope Gov Paterson picks someone who is actually qualified and coherent. I don't want a Democratic Sarah Palin in the Senate.

[BayjanDem]

27. Is she that bad?

Or is she just a bad speaker in interviews?

[ladjf]

19. I heard the press conference and her repeated use of "you know"

was distracting. It made her appear to be an inept speaker.

[Captain Hilts]

20. Then they should put all the "ums" and "you knows" in everybody's interviews.

Trying to portray her as stupid just doesn't work.

[WinkyDink]

22. How others speak is irelevant to HER annoying speech habits.

[Captain Hilts]

24. The press focusing on style over substance. What's new?

[TheCowsCameHome]

25. You know, this really doesn't help her cause any.

[wizstars]

26. "I mean, you know, it's, like, fersure, you know?" n/t

I absolutely cringe when I hear speaking like that. It's a sign to me of intellectual laziness. I certainly would avoid hiring someone who spoke like that.

[Blarch]

28. She is about to get tagged 'Valley Girl'

[Captain Hilts]

29. A shame. It's always been said she's the smartest of her generation of Ks. nt

[TexasObserver]

30. LOOK, you know, Obama is always saying LOOK.

Any word or phrase repeated unnecessarily for connective tissue is annoying as hell.

You know.

[Lex]

41. I noticed that. I wish he'd stop that.

nt

[TexasObserver]

53. Yes, it's a bad habit.

This is where I wish he had done some trial work. When you take a lot of depositions in a law career, you get to see all your bad habits in print. My first year, I would chronically say "OK" in response to the answer by the witness to a question. Read yourself saying "OK" a few hundred times in one sitting, and you realize how friggin annoying that is.

Nothing cures one of bad speech habits like reading one's foibles over and over, and knowing everyone reading it is equally annoyed.

LOOK, it's annoying even when a wonderful guy like Obama says it.

[treestar]

63. But not that often

I don't mind "look" actually.

It's a matter of how often - everyone does it.

[fed_up_mother]

71. He may start an answer with "Look" but he doesn't say it dozens of times

[onetiredmom]

80. I listen to TV on my radio at work

and noticed that at one recent press conference, PE Obama said "uh" at least 30+ times. I know because I started counting after I kept hearing it for several minutes. Being able to only hear a person speak, not looking at them on the TV screen, really makes you listen to what is being said. I hope that is something that he works out as he gets more familiar with being in the constant spotlight.

[TexasObserver]

82. "UH" is another bad habit he needs to lose.

He's a very gifted speaker, but when he's responding to questions, he tends to open his mouth and fill dead air with sounds like "uh" or words like "look," instead of simply skipping that and holding his tongue for an extra second.

It's a habit, and like most bad habits, it can be broken with practice.

[Odin2005]

31. Yawn. use of filler words like "like" and "ya-know" is very common in people under 50.

:eyes:

[BeyondGeography]

40. Yawn. She's, like, um, 52.

Anyway, I like that...people get to sound like dipshits until they're 50 now. :thumbsup:

[NashVegas]

32. Why Does Mort Zuckerman Hate Caroline Kennedy?

NY Daily News is leading the charge to keep Kennedy out of that senate seat.

[Outlier]

36. why her?????

Is there no other better qualified democrat in new york to appoint to the seat. Caroline Kennedy hasn't even been that good of a democrat considering her high profile and limited work in the party.

HRC won a primary and did the debates and took the heat to be the junior carpetbagging senator from new york. So did Bobby Kennedy. They of course were much more qualified through their life experience and general intelligence to take the post.

Caroline Kennedy has done nothing for the party or in her life in general to be granted such a wonderful opportunity. That's the down side of being a trust fund baby, it's fun and easy, but you'll always be a trust fund baby, unless you actually make an effort to do something, which she hasn't.

let's put an end to the kennedy aristocracy, and let someone who has had some skin in the game be given the post.

[NashVegas]

44. 'scuse Me? Caroline Kennedy Did a HUGE, Whopping Favor for the Party

By using her saved-up-for-a-lifetime political capital and popular goodwill to direct voters towards Barack Obama by officially passing the "Kennedy torch."

Scream about dynasties all you want, but few Democrats had any complaints about dynasty when she wrote that essay endorsement, and few Democrats had anything negative to say about dynasty when she and Teddy went on stage, on national television.

There are several states with governors now in the process of replacing their Democratic senators, and only one where there is a popular, national outcry against one of the possible contenders.

Load. Of. Shit.

And it's just as out of place and out of line as were the calls for Hillary Clinton to drop her campaign and forfeit to Obama before the convention.

[bottomtheweaver]

66. I believe you are correct. She really did a lot.

She hit the hustings here in California and many other places and even made commercials comparing Obama to her father.

[Captain Hilts]

74. I wish that comparison hadn't been made for a world of reasons...

including the fact that I think Obama has it all over JFK in every category.

Then, there's the assassination stuff.

People prize JFK for all the wrong reasons. I'm not into stoking that myth.

But I think she's very smart and could make it to the senate on her own in 2010.

[Mike Daniels]

51. If she was Caroline Davis DU wouldn't even be having this discussion...

because all things being equal, Caroline Davis most likely wouldn't even be under consideration for the NY Senate seat.

That people continue to support this woman over better qualified candidates strictly because of her last name is a testimony to the Pavlovian hold the name "Kenndy" unexplainably continues to hold over certain elements of this country.

[NashVegas]

58. If She Was Caroline Davis

No one would be shitting their pants about having to run against her in the future. And I suspect that, more than anything, is the kernal of truth at the heart of the anti-CK propaganda.

[undeterred]

34. I noticed the same thing when I listened to her.

She's a poor extemporaneous speaker.

[NashVegas]

48. Most People *Are* Horrible Off the Cuff

Most people will never get in front of a room and have questions thrown at them, let alone in areas beyond their concentrated expertise.

Experience teaches you the trick of stalling well. Next time you watch a press conference, take note of when Obama or Bush or whomever first responds with some witty quip. Those 3-5 seconds are well used to get their real response in order, so they can sound more confident.

[undeterred]

68. Absolutely.

I taught for a couple of years- but before that I was the kind of student who didn't speak much in class. I dreaded getting up in front of people. The only way to get over it is to do it a lot.

I'm sure Caroline has a lot of experience giving prepared remarks, but speaking "off the cuff" is harder for most people. The process of candidacy generally gets people over this- but she hasn't gone through it yet. When a candidate is running for office they answer the same questions again and again and if all goes well they get very good at it

[ShortnFiery]

35. I don't understand how she passed her law exams?!?

If this woman is super intelligent, it's not apparent to me. :shrug:

[marshall]

38. JFK Jr. had to take the test three or four times before he passed

Maybe Caroline did too, but she wasn't under media scrutiny at the time so no one knew.

[kskiska]

43. She passed the NY bar exam on the first try.

http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=28852

[Cha]

85. Thanks for that..maybe that shut

up the gossip.

[Octafish]

90. Caroline is one smart lawyer, one great mom and one good American.

I'd bet she'd make one good Senator, advancing the liberal and progressive agendas. We need more who believe in justice at home and peace in the world.

[Cha]

91. Yes, we do and may the best

person get appointed. I personally like Caroline for the job.

All that's on DU seems to be the negative links so I'll put this out here from Al Giordano, one of her strongest supporters on the blogoshpere..

<snips><need to scroll down to the 28th>

"Another interview was with the New York Times.

The reporters, Nicholas Confessore and David M. Halbfinger, didn't succeed - as the Daily News, AP and even little ol' NY1 local cable news - in crafting questions that would similarly have made news. And so they blamed the interviewee for the mediocre performance of the interviewers:

she still seemed less like a candidate than an idea of one: forceful but vague, largely undefined and seemingly determined to remain that way.

Finally getting their shot at the big interview they didn't ask about Iraq withdrawal timelines or financial stimulus packages or how she'd be independent from other politicians in the state or the Bill of Rights. Instead, the Timesmen went with fluffy and meaningless questions, for which Kennedy, with humor, put them in their deserved place:

when asked Saturday morning to describe the moment she decided to seek the Senate seat, Ms. Kennedy seemed irritated by the question and said she couldn't recall.

"Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman's magazine or something?" she asked the reporters. "I thought you were the crack political team."

I don't know about the rest of you, but I would like to see more politicians who wouldn't cower in fear of arrogant and often clueless NY Times reporters.

If you read the entire interview, it's a textbook case in big media botching a story. The reporters began the interview by asking her to criticize her former brother cousin in law! The next question asks her to criticize other Democrats. (Kennedy didn't take the bait, and in fact praised US Reps John Hall and Carolyn McCarthy for having, like her, "unconventional backgrounds.")

Here's a doozy from early in the Times interview ("DH" is David Halbfinger):

DH: Do you think you would be the best for the job of the people who are out there?

CK: Well, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I would be the best. (Laughter) Do you think you're the best for your job? I assume you do. Uh, yeah.

Soonafter that, Halbfinger went all "PUMA" on her, asking another stupid question that is of zero interest to 99 percent of New Yorkers because it's not about the issues or how a senator can help them:.."

<much more>
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/

[eowyn_of_rohan]

46. Does passing law exams require you be a great public speaker?

If you take out all the "you knows", the content was not so bad. Some people are very intelligent but not so good at conveying their ideas and thoughts verbally, on the spot. Some communicate better through other means (eg., writing) and venues (eg., group discussions) when they have more time to organize their ideas before presenting them.

[ShortnFiery]

50. Similar arguments were made on behalf of George W. Bush in 2000 when my brother

was trying to get me to vote for him. :wow:

She doesn't have what it takes and most of us know it by now. If she gets the job it will be nepotism, i.e., no legislative experience and poor communicator. Two Strikes?

[eowyn_of_rohan]

56. She HARDLY sounds like bu$h

and they are coming from verrry different places politically and morally. I hope she gets a chance.

[Cetacea]

79. Not sure how nervousness reflects intelligence,or lack of n/t

:shrug:

[YOY]

39. Kind of sad.

n/t

[Lex]

42. I was glad to see that Obama overcame his nervousness with interviews & she will too.

It's just a by-product of being new to the national scene.

[AngryAmish]

45. Verbal tics are a hard thing to fight

You have to see a verbatim transcript of yourself to figure out that you are looking the fool.

Appearances count. When one has verbal tics like this it is use as a mental spacing technique when you are trying to figure out what to say. You may know what you want to say but finding the exact words is hard.

The trick is to use pauses. It makes you look more thoughtful.

[Shrek]

47. Reminds me of a great YouTube clip

Like, you know?

[earth mom]

60. Of course the rat bastard rethugs are going to pick her apart. They hate the Kennedys.

Fuck them! :grr:

[bottomtheweaver]

64. Lame. Up next: Kennedy in-law Ahnuld is a notorious thespian!

And let's not even talk about Peter Lawford, mmmmm let's. :9

p.s. the point is that this is the lamest swiftboating I've ever seen, and if they actually do get into the Hollywood stuff, and it wouldn't surprise me, all it means is that Caroline herself is as clean as a whistle.

[all.of.me]

65. Senator Clinton is also big on the 'you know's also.

Not that big, but still, it was very noticeable and bugged me.....

[LanternWaste]

67. The vast majority of people...

The vast majority of people I know do the same thing. Not just "y'know", but also "it's like", "cool", "'dis", and a host of other fillers and colloquialisms... especially when faced with scenarios, questions, and particulars that take more time to think about than to say aloud.

[robertpaulsen]

69. Well that settles it. She's just not qualified.

:eyes:

[fed_up_mother]

70. I don't see how she will ever win election

The "you-knows" aren't the worst problem. Her complete lack of charisma and complete lack of portraying any enthusiasm is the killer, imo. She has to be one of the most boring candidates the democratic party could put up.

In the beginning, I was rather neutral, and I thought that her qualifications were decent enough, and that she had name recognition. Now, I understand why she's never run for office. How boring can one person be?

[Cetacea]

73. Maybe some Wasilla meth would make her more exciting

It wasn't a stump speech. It was an interview.

[fed_up_mother]

75. Some people could make reading the phone book sound interesting.

Unfortunately, CK is not one of them. Furthermore, I did see her address a crowd (on tv) when she first starting touring the state. Again, absolutely no charisma or charm. Nothing to grab the voter other than the name recognition.

Look (to use Obama's term :) ), some people have bad speaking habits, but still manage to sound interesting. Unfortunately, CK is not one of them. For instance, when Obama was just starting to campaign on the national scene and at his worst, you could still see the earnestness in his face. Despite his "looks" and "ummms" you wanted to listen more closely to what he had to say.

[Cetacea]

78. Good points. It might help if she'd speak more loudly.

Though I am not sure if it would help. I have a lot of admiration for her and feel that she might be more effective behind the scenes, as in the past.

I do think this coverage is unfair just the same. Imagine if the media printed every pause, "look", and "uh" in their coverage of Obama.

[bottomtheweaver]

72. I've seen her give at least three flawless performances

at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 conventions. 2004 was dynamite, better than Teddy's frankly, although unfortunately I haven't been able to find any video links.

Anyway, she just got into this a few weeks ago, and most politicians hem and haw when they first hit the stump, and the press is usually decent enough to edit their remarks into soundbytes instead running around like circus monkeys with a shit bucket.

[Alexander]

76. Whatever. Many of us do that without realizing it.

Is that really the best reason to keep her out of the Senate seat?

[AtomicKitten]

77. Anybody counting the ands and buts? How about the therefores?

I want a thorough accounting of all words she uttered before passing judgment on her.

[Forkboy]

81. Anyone who even cares about her saying "you know" is a fucking idiot.

Get a life folks.

[EconomicLiberal]

86. Can she see Russia from her own house?

[MzNov]

87. She's a tried and true LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE

and a Constitutional expert.

and we could be assured (as much as we can be) that her votes would make the Left happy. Not a fact that would make the old DLC Senate club members comfortable. Even better. IMHO she would be the female version of Russ Feingold. My gawd, she would actually read the bills.