Biden Is No Stranger To The Media
(MAUMEE, OHIO) - As of today, Barack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, has done over 80 interviews with local and national media since the Democrats held their national convention late last month.
Among them, he has appeared on NBC's "Meet The Press", held two press conferences with national reporters, and yesterday alone, he was interviewed on five network morning shows.
Meanwhile, John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, this week sat down for her second televised interview since being picked by McCain, talking to Fox News's Sean Hannity. She also spoke with People magazine.
Last week, Palin sat down for her first chat with a national interviewer, conducting three in-depth interviews with ABC News' Charlie Gibson. Next week, she will talk to CBS News' Katie Couric.
The Obama campaign pointed out the disparity between Biden's and Palin's media accessibility again this morning.
"Seems that keeping your vice presidential pick in a secure undisclosed location is a Republican tradition that hasn't ended with Dick Cheney, I just didn't know it extended to the media," said Biden's press secretary David Wade.
"I reckon that right now a whole generation of journalists who take public accountability seriously are pulling out their collective hair."
McCain spokesman Maria Comella addressed the gap, telling CBS News, "Governor Palin is going to be on the campaign trail speaking to voters directly across the country about the issues that are most important to Americans like cutting taxes, drilling off shore to prices are more affordable at the pump, and doing away with wasteful spending."
Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg thinks both Palin and Biden are sticking to comfortable arenas for themselves.
"Biden's probably very comfortable with the media, he's been talking to them for thirty years now. Palin is likely less comfortable and the McCain campaign assumes that major goal of the media is the 'gotcha question' and their attitude is, why should we do that?"
"They spend all this time talking about how the media is against her, so why would you sit her down and have her talk in an interview when she can go out and talk to Republican crowds who love her and agree with her?"