Here’s what is bothering me...Fox’s treatment of Trump, and Megyn’s attitude toward Trump, are a big story but not the ENTIRE story of the poor job of moderation. All three Fox people were horrible, and pretty much towards everybody in one way or another. Either by gotcha questions or rarely asking them a question.
“Either by gotcha questions or rarely asking them a question.”
Let’s just say by not focusing on the issues. That neglect was horrible.
Sure was. Morning Joe said that Priebus wanted to change the debate formats so they could showcase Republicans and discuss serious issues like terrorism, the economy, trade, etc. And not gotcha questions like birth control and war on woman.
And yet FOX News starts off with, “Why did you call Rosie O’Donnell a fat pig?”
Worse, however, Kelly essentially made Scott Walker unelectable in the general with the abortion question. “Doesn’t that take you too outside the mainstream?” You don’t think that will be looped if Walker is the nominee, with a reboot of the War On Women?
So pathetic.
FoxNews was in a mode of "testing" the candidates with questions designed to get them to demonstrate how they might handle the media memes they will likely face from the MSM in a general election battle. It was in that respect intended as a legitimate and possibly even constructive tack on behalf of the eventual GOP nominee, albeit unevenly executed.
IMO, Megyn Kelly is a hard feminist. She takes personal offense to the kind of treatment Trump shows to women on his shows. I'm betting she insisted on the ambush at the beginning of the debate. Hence she let personal animus get in the way of objectivity and her sense of fairness. Getting Baier to do it was a means of obscuring that agenda. It was unprofessional and pushed my estimation of Baier down several notches. He seems otherwise a fine and dedicated reporter.
I would not have minded them pinning him down but I regret it was not on policy. Kelly claims her question was an important vetting feature for him but we all get it on character, we need the info on questions of policy.
I agree. The God question really ticked me off.
Yes, it was an awful missed opportunity... a stage filled with the best of our candidates, where we could have learned much of their (often differing) perspectives, plans, and policies.... and we get gotz out of it...
Problem is that for the Donald’s knowledge level every question is a “gotcha”
That’s exactly right.