Posted on 11/29/2007 5:49:19 AM PST by jdm
I am surprised that Morrissey is so far off the mark on this one.
First, this was not a debate. It was the political version of the Jerry Springer show.
Second, I believe that the Democrat candidates suggested the candidates, not CNN. I’m pretty sure that CNN allowed the Democrat candidates to pick the questioners for the Democrat debate, also. Obama gave it away when he thanked the woman for her union service, when no mention of her service was made in the introduction.
Third, I think that the fix was in for this sham since the first candidate refused to appear on FOX. That candidate was John Edwards, not Hillary.
I see it as just an exercise. These stupid non-debates are nothing but entertainment to most people, and such a huge bore to others that they don't bother to watch.
Come primary and election time, I doubt that many, if any, will remember anything from these tv staged "debates."
ANDERSON COOPER needs to be BOMBARDED with COMPLAINTS!!! He PICKED these videos!! CALL AND WRITE ANDERSON COOPER!
CNN cared, too ... but Morrissey is correct. These are questions that the Republican candidate will get, and they need to be able to answer them.
Captain Ed also BELIEVED Hillary when she said she returned all the HSU Money!! Ed is GULLIBLE when it comes to the left.
We need to DEMAND that ANDERSON COOPER APOLOGIZE PUBLICLY!
Yes, they knew. This wasn’t journalistic incompetence, it was quite deliberate.
That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying get some people in there who don't have agendas to ask questions. How is it that 90% of the questions came from people with a liberal background? Just by chance? LOL!
Leadership is like an old Harley Davidson Motorcycle. You have to kick it to get it to start.
Where the Capt’s stumbles (IMO) is CNN also had the premise that these were totally randomaly selected youtube videos, submitted by just “Normal Folks” who wanted their questions answered.
Cooper could have selected videos made by “just normal” folks without political affiliations to any campaign.
Instead, they chose “known quantities” while under the guise of “random Selection of”.
The same thing occured during the Democrat Nevada debate, instead of “Normal” they chose “campaign affiliated”.
That reeks of intellectual dishonesty and outright fraud on the viewers.
From the Malkin site:
Digging out more CNN/YouTube plants: Abortion questioner is declared Edwards supporter (and a slobbering Anderson Cooper fan); Log Cabin Republican questioner is declared Obama supporter; lead toy questioner is a prominent union activist for the Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers
Seems to me the story of the day should be that Republicans are willing to brave hostile territory, but Democrats fear the “fair and balanced”.
Except for “Lou Dobbs Tonight”, we never invite CNN into our living room. This travesty just confirms it.
Anyone predict an apology from CNN?
Plant life should be as rich and as varied as animal life ping.
Have to say I agree with you on the Captain Ed being GULLIBLE when it comes to the left. I had that thought before...he sort of sets off my Lib-dar like Anderson Cooper hits the Gay-dar!
Keith Kerr is also NOT an Army General.
He was given an honorary but not federally recognized promotion as a retirement ceremony honor.
He was NEVER a federally recognized Army general. He can not even legally use the title outside the state of California.
The issue isn't whether or not the questions were reasonable. The issue is the clearly activist nature of a puported institution of the "news" media allowing the members of one party to plant questioners at its own primary debates and then allowing members of that same party to plant questioners at the opposition party's primary debates. This clearly indicates an agenda on the part of this purported institution of the "news" media.
“This isn’t tit for tat. It’s all one way.”
Amen. The GOP should say that they’ll go back on CNN when the Dems appear on Fox. That would make the point that CNN is considered a biased source, just as the msm scorns Fox as slanted. It’s that moat/beam-in-the-eye thing that Jesus talks about.
It would be fun to have the League of Women Voters host debates as they did in the old days. All participants got equal treatment and all questions were legitimate.
Unfortunately for the GOP neocons, however, Ron Paul would get real questions, not setups. Did you all note how Thompson picked up quickly on abortion laws being a State issue. They were lucky, Paul and OB, got the question first. And the Highway that is a ‘conspiracy’, the GOP platform in Texas has a plank against it.
No, that just gets him and CNN attention they simply don’t deserve.
I agree. I usually like Morrissey's blog, but it's not a question of whether or not the questions were fair. Morrissey has no idea what the questions would have been if the process had been done fairly. Fairly drawn questions might have put the candidates in a better light than the phony questions that were asked. Does Morrissey believe that the Dems would be comfortable with Republicans choosing questioners for the next Dem debate? Somehow I doubt it.
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