EDITOR’S NOTE: We asked two of our writers to cover the ‘Conservative Late Night Wars’ – not between Jay and Dave, but between Sarah and Mitt. Armed with double espressos, here’s what happened.
By Javier E. David and Don E. Smith Jr.
DON SMITH: Greetings, we are trying a “roundtable discussion via e-mail” with Tuesday night’s Mitt Romney appearance on “The Later Show” with David Letterman on CBS while Sarah Palin appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.
JAVIER DAVID: You could call it the battle between the Head Cheerleader and the Mutual Fund Manager.
DON SMITH: That works! Both are expected front runners in the 2012 election for the Republicans going up against President Barack Hussein Obama (hmm, hmm, hmm).
Javier, how would call the match up?
JAVIER DAVID: Tuesday’s late-night talk show circuit could almost be characterized as the political equivalent of HBO Boxing After Dark, as two heavyweight Republican contenders went mano-a-mano (or rather couch-to-couch) on competing networks.
Early returns indicate that Sarah Palin – the indefatigable former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential nominee (not to mention best-selling author), won the match-up handily. Yet the impeccably-coiffed former Massachusetts governor, appearing on CBS’s “Late Night with David Letterman” and currently on a widely-publicized tour for his new book, No Apology, Mitt Romney demonstrated some well-choreographed footwork, and even landed a few choice jabs of his own.
DON SMITH: I was going to add that for almost two years, Sarah Palin, has been the butt of jokes and thanks to her appearance on “The Tonight Show”, she was able to turn that around.
As Leno said in his introduction, “Either they love my next guest or they don’t…”
JAVIER DAVID: Yeah!
The contrasts between the two potential rivals could hardly be starker. I thought, Palin’s affable charm and crowd-pleasing humor can’t be denied. The former governor showed up comfortably yet stylishly dressed in jeans – thankfully she left the running shorts at home – and put her star-power on full-display for Leno’s audience (alas, a much hoped-for televised tete-a-tete between Palin and flamboyant “American Idol” rocker Adam Lambert did not come to pass). If the rousing applause she got from the audience was any indication, Palin’s charm offensive certainly paid dividends.
DON SMITH: Let me add something to that: Palin, for whatever reason, has probably probably the most maligned Republican since President George W. Bush, and Bush was treated with the same “whipping boy” status that former Vice President Dan Quayle was given. But Palin is capitaliznig on what these two gentlemen did not have - her “franchise” status.
In fact, back in January, I bought a special “collectors issue” write up on Palin I found at a CVS and Boom! Comics released a publication called Repuglicans! with a distorted view of Palin on the cover. But something that Leno and the people behind the “collectors issue” capitalized on is that Palin echoes a huge segment of America that is maligned by the current media. In fact, this is something she touched on last night.
Javier, how would you contrast this with Romney?
JAVIER DAVID: Well, Romney, on the other hand, appeared more the management consultant than relaxed talk-show couch fixture in his expensive-looking banker’s suit and tie. While he shouldn’t give up his day-job (come to think of it, does he even have one anymore?) for stand-up comedy, the former 2008 presidential nominee brandished a quick-wit and propensity for one-liners for the Letterman audience. Romney also regaled them with tales of his humble upbringing that included an anecdote about a tricked-out car he drove in college.
But like the encyclopedia salesman who struggles to get a rise from stone-faced clients, Romney sometimes tried too hard to be crowd-pleasing, in a way that makes his critics raise questions about his sincerity. His good-natured humor is sometimes strained in ways that fall short of the mark. Romney tickled the audience’s funny bone with a self-deprecating joke that a rap artist with whom he had an altercation on an airplane “broke my hair” – but prompted a wry reply from Letterman moments later when he stretched the joke near its breaking point, quipping he wanted to claim the rapper on his income taxes.
DON SMITH: Palin had some good one-liners too, but she did not touch on policy issues as much as I would like. But she did mention the liberal media.
“I want to build trust,” said Palin regarding her signing on to be a commentator with Fox News. She said that viewers no longer trust the newspapers and news broadcasts because of the need to insert their own commentary on the world, politics and Hollywood and hide it in the guise of “news.”
Not counting her stand up performance (I say this as a Palin fan, but she is not a stand up comedian), she was met with at least five resounding applauses in her 10 minutes she was being interviewed by Leno.
Probably the most resounding applause was met when she asked, “I wish my kids were left alone.”
JAVIER DAVID: Yeah, but regarding Romney, if nothing else, he’s demonstrated his penchant for policy matters and a well-earned reputation for economic savvy. He appeared in his comfort zone when holding forth on topics ranging from the troubled auto sector to the Tea Party Movement. Romney also showed his gallantry by calling Palin “terrific” – even if he couldn’t resist the urge to fire off one more one liner about her status as a pistol-packing mama.
Palin was effervescent, funny, and exuded a girl-next-door earthiness that eludes most politicians; that said, her remarks were light on policy specifics.
DON SMITH: Exactly! Actually, I thought the funniest parts were Palin giving it back to Leno.
“C’mon,” to paraphrase her. “You’ve been in the news in recent weeks.” Leno gave a self-depricating-Rodney-Dangerfield-like grin.
In fact later, he asked, “So are you going to be talk show?” And she joked back “The Tonight Show seems to go through hosts a lot!”
Leno gave the same smirk.
If there was one area I thought needed work, was it semed Palin and Leno just discussed the tabloid stories. I was actually hoping they would get into ideas about energy indepence, healthcare and the economy. Instead, it was Leno saying, “About you writing on the hand…”
Granted she had a great line calling it a “poor man’s teleprompter” but I get the feeling people are going to view her just as a tabloid headline and not the leader I know her to be. And I did not think her stand up act helped cultivate the image.
Though it did show she can remember anything and not need a teleprompter to speak to kids. (Follow the link: http://www.floppingaces.net/wp-content/uploads/610zxvsdx.jpg ).
JAVIER DAVID: I have to admit Romney reminded you of the guy who manages your retirement account, but came across as confident, encyclopedic and in complete mastery of details.
DON SMITH: As a Palin fan, I’d give this a “fair” rating, but I think she needs to get someplace where she can give a speech for all of America to see. Let’s see her for the leader we know she is and not the tabloid joke that everyone else has made her out to be.
Your final thoughts?
JAVIER DAVID: Romney/Palin 2012, anyone?
DON SMITH: Works for me! Let’s just wait and see what is out there!
