Is it possible for radio “shock jocks” to get through to a major party presidential ticket candidate, pretend to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy and then take the hoax conversation right up to the “reveal” (where the hoodwinked “mark” is told the truth)? Yes: Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin got “pranked” by the Canadian comedy duo known as “The Masked Avengers.”
What’s interesting is there were no signs that Palin’s handlers picked up any red flags at all. And even in the conversation, when it seemed to take a weird turn…it continued. Listen to it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/27491253#27491253" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
The Canadian Press frames what happened this way:
In an over-the-top accent, one half of a notorious Quebec comedy duo claims to be the president of France as he describes sex with his famous wife, the joy of killing animals and Hustler magazine’s latest Sarah Palin porno spoof.
At the other end of the line? An oblivious Sarah Palin.
The Masked Avengers, a radio pairing notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state, notched its latest victory Saturday when it released a recording of a six-minute call with Palin, who thought she was talking with Nicolas Sarkozy.
Throughout the call, which was making the rounds in U.S. political circles by day’s end Saturday, Palin and the pranksters discuss politics, pundits, and the perils of going hunting with Vice-President Dick Cheney.
“We have such great respect for you, John McCain and I, we love you,” Palin gushes, evidently unaware she’s speaking to an infamous Quebec comedian named Marc-Antoine Audette.
At one point, Palin even comes close to confirming her intention to one day run for president, when Audette slyly remarks he can see her taking over the big desk in the Oval office.
“Maybe in eight years,” she replies with a nervous chuckle.
Over the course of the interview, Palin doesn’t seem to realize she’s being tricked until Audette comes clean near the end of the call.
Meanwhile, The Politco reports that Palin’s camp has issued a statement as the hoax call has spread like wildfire on the Internet:
“Gov. Palin received a phone call on Saturday from a French Canadian talk show host claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy,” emailed spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. “Gov. Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C’est la vie.”
Palin didn’t say anything particularly compromising in the call, and indeed, wouldn’t take the bait when “Sarkozy” said he saw her as a president.
“Maybe in eight years,” she said.
It’s unclear whether she suspected it was a prank as the call grew increasingly absurd.
It won’t impact the election. It won’t make Palin’s image any worse. And Palin stayed on-message — a message that will be given free publicity as this clip is played. So, in the end, it’s a wash. Even if the soap was artificial…
ADISORY TO CANDIDATES’ STAFF: The faces behind voices may not be what you think and assertions need to be checked out. Soon you may have Roy D. Mercer on the line…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.