th<\/sup> century to find excerpts than more than likely destroyed a candidate\u2019s grand plan for higher office. If only the Lincoln-Douglas debates of the 1850s had been recorded.<\/p>\nHowever, more recent highlights can be found every day on the national news talk shows, in on-line and print news outlets and on everyone\u2019s favorite; YouTube.<\/p>\n
During the GOP presidential debates a couple of weeks ago in Ames, Iowa, Michelle Bachmann was asked by a moderator from the Washington Examiner it she would be submissive to her husband. She gave as succinct and politically correct response. Bachmann endured a similar line of questioning on NBC\u2019s Meet The Press, when David Gregory once again tried to catch Bachmann off guard.<\/p>\n
Did Bachmann provide the correct answer to the question? That depends on whom you ask. Some said if boasted her candidacy while others said she ruined her chances for the White House. The reality is, it probably didn\u2019t make much difference one way or the other.<\/p>\n
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich scolded debate moderator Chris Wallace when Wallace made reference to Gingrich\u2019s campaign being in a \u201cmess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gingrich countered, saying, \u201dI wish you would put aside the \u2018gotcha\u2019 questions,\u201d as he went on to compare his campaign to Ronald Reagan\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Remember in the 1988 presidential race when former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis was photographed riding in a tank wearing an army helmet that was about five sizes too large? Maybe Dukakis was five sizes too small, but nonetheless, it hurt his image as being strong on defense.<\/p>\n
But not to fear; President George H.W. Bush\u2019s infamous comment, \u201cRead my lips, no new taxes,\u201d cost him a second term in the White House after it was played a gazillion times.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo \u2018gotcha\u2019 moments in Palin emails,\u201d read an article on National Public Radio\u2019s (NPR) website in June of this year.<\/p>\n
In July The New York Times ran a story about American Bridge 21st<\/sup> Century, a Democratic organization whose mission it is to record every word that comes out of the mouths of GOP candidates, just looking for that one moment \u2013 that one lapse in judgment that could send their campaign spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n\u201cOur obligation here is to get these guys on the record with what they really believe so they can\u2019t walk away from their record,\u201d said the group\u2019s president, Rodell Mollineau, in The New York Times interview.<\/p>\n
Of course anyone with a cell phone camera can catch a candidate off-guard.<\/p>\n
Such an impromptu gaffe ended the presidential hopes of former Virginia Senator George Allen, who when addressing a young man filming him in hopes of capturing a \u201cgotcha\u201d moment, succeeded when Allen, with microphone in had, turned toward the camera and said, \u201cThis fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He\u2019s with my opponent. He\u2019s following us around everywhere. And it\u2019s just great. We\u2019re going to places all over Virginia and he\u2019s having it on film and its great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he\u2019s never been there and probably will never come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The term \u201cMacaca\u201d was associated with racial overtones and although Allen later issued an apology, the damage was done.<\/p>\n
Mitt Romney, while speaking before the Iowa caucuses, was attacked by protesters asking him about his plans to tax corporations. The shouting match soon turned into a debate on whether corporations are made up of people or if the products they produce and services they provide are sent down by the same magical force that allowed Joseph Smith to receive his vision for what is now known as the Mormon faith. Again, nothing gained, nothing lost.<\/p>\n
From now until November of 2012 there will be plenty to see from most every candidate. Only time and the voters will tell if any such moments will have any impact before Election Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Running for elected office and working in the trenches of political campaigns is not for the faint of heart. Opposition groups and individuals who oppose an elected official or candidate will sometimes do anything to discredit their opponent by catching them off-guard and using their response or actions against them. They have come to be known as \u201cgotcha\u201d moments and they can ruin careers. \u201cGotcha moments,\u201d have been around since the beginning of time. As recorded in the New Testament, the Pharisees tried many times to pin Jesus into a corner by asking questions that, regardless of the answer, would make Him look bad. For example, should people pay taxes or should they be allowed to stone the woman caught in adultery. But it never worked \u2013 Jesus always gave the perfect answer. Unfortunately, not all politicians are so lucky.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-paul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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They have come to be known as \u201cgotcha\u201d moments and they can ruin careers. \u201cGotcha moments,\u201d have been around since the beginning of time. As recorded in the New Testament, the Pharisees tried many times to pin Jesus into a corner by asking questions that, regardless of the answer, would make Him look bad. For example, should people pay taxes or should they be allowed to stone the woman caught in adultery. But it never worked \u2013 Jesus always gave the perfect answer. 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