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Lester Holt Learns His Lauer Lesson
Townhall.com ^ | September 28, 2016 | Brent Bozell

Posted on 09/28/2016 6:46:26 AM PDT by Kaslin

Washington Post reporter Callum Borchers should win some kind of award for the worst pre-debate spin. He tried to defend NBC anchor and presidential debate host Lester Holt: "It turns out Holt is actually a registered Republican. Trump still might find things to complain about Monday night, but a case for partisan bias against him will be tough to make."

Right after the debate, despite all evidence, the Post's Chris Cillizza doubled down, saying: "Want a testament to how well Holt did? I guarantee you no one is talking about him tomorrow. That's a win."

That is precisely as the press would want this. But that's not what America saw. Holt's performance was a partisan disgrace. Holt asked Donald Trump about his taxes, and then challenged him on his answer. He asked Trump about stop-and-frisk policies, and then challenged him, stating it was ruled unconstitutional, which it wasn't, thus conjuring visions of the Candy Crowley Ghost of Flubbing Debate Moderators Past. He asked Trump about the birther issue, and then challenged him on his answer. He asked him about Iraq, and then interrupted and challenged him five different times.

What about Hillary Clinton? There was not one single challenge to anything she said, not one tough question about any policy or any controversy, be it Benghazi, the Clinton Foundation, her medical records or her emails -- unless you want to count when Holt politely suggested: "(Trump) also raised the issue of your emails. Do you want to respond to that?"

The Rasmussen Reports poll that came out just before the debate showed that based on the historical record, 46 percent of Americans believe most moderators will tilt the debates in favor of Clinton. Only 6 percent think they will try to help Trump. That's an 8-to-1 landslide.

Holt confirmed the wisdom of the American people.

It became obvious that Holt internalized all the howls of outrage from the liberal media against Matt Lauer for being even-handed with the candidates at the commander-in-chief forum earlier in the month. Editorials were written by anguished staff of both The New York Times and the Washington Post. He might have even heard Jimmy Kimmel rant at "The Apprentice" creator Mark Burnett while hosting the Emmy Awards. He said, "Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don't have to watch reality shows anymore because we're living in one."

Holt's colleagues -- and Clinton's campaign -- said very publicly that he must go after Trump as a clear and present danger to America. That's exactly what he did.

On the morning after this one-sided assault, Holt's colleagues in the liberal media projected an image of him as mellow and reserved, and therefore nonpartisan. The New York Times headline was "Lester Holt Opted for Restraint." Reporter Michael Grynbaum began the column saying, "Call him the minimalist moderator." He described how Holt "opted to lie low" and "was silent for minutes at a time," and then reported that The New Yorker had published a liberal parody called "CNN Launches Manhunt After Lester Holt Vanishes From Debate."

To stick to its "minimalist moderator" spin, the Times chose to ignore most of the debate. Weeks before, Grynbaum wrote an anguished piece after the Lauer forum called "Matt Lauer Fields Storm of Criticism Over Clinton-Trump Forum." He even quoted tweets that mangled the facts, such as one from political commentator Norman Ornstein, which said: "Lauer interrupted Clinton's answers repeatedly to move on. Not once for Trump." In fact, Lauer interrupted Trump 13 times and Clinton seven times.

The only similarity in the stories is that Grynbaum failed to locate an actual conservative or Republican critique of either NBC journalist. That's because the liberal media can't help but slant everything in favor of the left. It's no wonder most Americans no longer trust them.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: bho2016; bozell; debates; molesterdolt
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To: bgill

Oh they know, they just don’t care.


21 posted on 09/28/2016 7:08:23 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: ArtDodger

How many elections have you won?


22 posted on 09/28/2016 7:10:02 AM PDT by bray (I'm Deplorable)
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To: polymuser

And when she got applause the first time, Trump should have immediately asked “Do I have any supporters here?” and got his applause, then told Lester to please do his job and control the audience.


Oh, GOOD one!


23 posted on 09/28/2016 7:11:05 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Today is your life. What are you going to do with it?)
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To: Kaslin

Just saw a clip of Trump ... I guess it was at the Florida rally, making the point that the “only weapon” Hillary Clinton has is the MEDIA ... and she wouldn’t be where she is today without them.

I love it .... and it’s accurate. He doesn’t have to call Lester the Republican Molester out by name .... anyone with a brain (that leaves out libs like Mika B, et all) saw what Lester did and how Trump was ambushed. Trump is letting surrogates go after Lester & he’s focusing on campaigning. Podesta was out there saying if you’re complaining about the moderator, you lost the debate ... trying to spin. Well, Trump isn’t complaining, but he’s still punching the media in general & using their bias against them & Hilly. Americans, for the most part, like a “fair” fight & Monday night was not fair & is being recognized as such. Backlash is happening in the form of $18 mill in donations to Trump after the debate, 10K plus waiting for him at rally in FL, etc..


24 posted on 09/28/2016 7:11:30 AM PDT by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for. The God I worship died for me. [Franklin Graham])
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To: bgill

This is standard operating procedure for them (MSM) .... I don’t believe they think there is any lesson to learn here other than Republicans are suckers and stupid to let this keep happening to them at debates.

Fool me once, shame on you ... fool me twice, shame on me.

AND

Insanity(/stupidity) is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results.


25 posted on 09/28/2016 7:16:57 AM PDT by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for. The God I worship died for me. [Franklin Graham])
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To: bray

Irrelevant. I come here to read the opinions of others and express a few of my own. Enjoying this given right in what’s left of our free country as long as it lasts.


26 posted on 09/28/2016 7:17:36 AM PDT by ArtDodger
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To: Kaslin

But he is such a clean afro-american.

I didn’t coin that phrase. Proper attribution must be given to VP plugs.

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,”


27 posted on 09/28/2016 7:18:10 AM PDT by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: ArtDodger
...as long as it lasts.

Roger that.

28 posted on 09/28/2016 7:19:45 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough!)
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To: polymuser
It's the sham Commission on Presidential debates. That's what needs to get fixed. Presidential Debates Commission
29 posted on 09/28/2016 7:20:05 AM PDT by Jack Black (Dispossession is an obliteration of memory, of place, and of identity)
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To: Sequoyah101

And he looks so intelligent with those glasses and his posture and his voice quality and and and...


30 posted on 09/28/2016 7:21:31 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough!)
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To: Kaslin

One thing they got right in the article, was that Holt was silent for minutes at a time. That was when he was letting Hillary talk on, ad nauseum, about stuff. I cannot believe her time was limited to 2 minutes at a pop.


31 posted on 09/28/2016 7:23:08 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: bray
He did not win the debate and came off totally unprepared but he did win the voters because Hillary is so hated. That in fact is the most amazing thing about this debate in all the debates I have seen since I was forced to watch Carter in elementary school.

My mother who has been a dem most of her life thought the whole debate was horrible and was worried how he was coming off but she was pulling for him because the Clinton's and dems are so corrupt at the moment.

He needs to prepare for the next debate. It is rigged, Hillary will have the questions beforehand and have her pat little replies memorized or her notes ready.

32 posted on 09/28/2016 7:23:30 AM PDT by Lady Heron
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To: Jack Black

Presidential Debates Commission - Leadership

Co-Chairmen

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Michael D. McCurry

Honorary Co-Chairmen

Gerald R. Ford*
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan*

Co-Chairman Emeritus

Paul G. Kirk, Jr.

Board of Directors
Howard G. Buffett
John C. Danforth
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.
Charles Gibson
John Griffen
Jane Harman
Antonia Hernandez
Reverend John I. Jenkins
Jim Lehrer
Newton N. Minow
Richard D. Parsons
Dorothy S. Ridings
Olympia Snowe
Shirley M. Tilghman

Executive Director

Janet H. Brown

* Deceased


33 posted on 09/28/2016 7:24:03 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough!)
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To: Kaslin

Before he moved to New York Holt spent 14 years as the NBC Anchor in Chicago, does anyone think he’s not a fully paid-up propagandist presstitute...?


34 posted on 09/28/2016 7:27:04 AM PDT by Geronimo (Voting for Hillary is the political equivalent of coprophagia...)
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To: Jack Black

American Thinker article on the Commission on Presidential Debates:

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/09/the_commission_on_presidential_debates_is_it_really_non_partisan.html


35 posted on 09/28/2016 7:27:12 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough!)
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To: ArtDodger

In my opinion, Trump succeeded in what was the primary visual of this debate watched by millions of people, to look Presidential and being able to take the heat. He was restrained, he came off as passionate and sincere versus Hillary who was arrogant in her holier-than-thou attitude. He will be a different person at the next debate.


36 posted on 09/28/2016 7:28:42 AM PDT by etabeta
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To: ArtDodger
What matters is whether Trump has learned his lesson and does some debate prep next time...

Well, it is kind of hard to prep when one doesn't know the questions or topics before hand.

Hillary could prep because she did know. Her answers were too scripted and pat. Like she was either reading them or had memorized them.

Remember, she didn't hang around to answer question from the press. Why? Because she didn't know what she would be asked and that would cause her to freeze up.

37 posted on 09/28/2016 7:30:13 AM PDT by Parmy (II don't know how to past the images.)
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To: NEMDF
One thing they got right in the article, was that Holt was silent for minutes at a time. That was when he was letting Hillary talk on, ad nauseum, about stuff. I cannot believe her time was limited to 2 minutes at a pop.

Yup. Holt allowed Hitlery to leisurely filibuster her fat caboose off.

38 posted on 09/28/2016 7:30:51 AM PDT by HangUpNow
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To: petercooper

“Holt/Clinton- stronger together.”

That Youtube clip needs to go viral. How do we fix the corrupt political establishment and media in this country without going after the perps?


39 posted on 09/28/2016 7:34:25 AM PDT by Navin Johnson
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To: petercooper

So true. Hillary should drop Creepy Kaine and make Holt her running mate. Holt embarrassed himself and served to the demands of his white liberal masters. As a person of color myself I look at these lefties of color like Holt, and I think of them as the true sellouts and Uncle Toms of non-white America. As a conservative I can support my side, but also take them to task when they’re wrong, and brother have they been wrong a ton for the post decade. The point being I can think for myself. A person of color who votes Democrat is submitting to group thought and accepting whatever they’re told to do.


40 posted on 09/28/2016 7:37:59 AM PDT by dowcaet (.)
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