Anderson Cooper: "Campaign operatives are people too" justifying hacks posing questions at debate.

News Busters ^ | November 29, 2007 - 07:24 ET | Mark Finkelstein

[joinedafterattack]

CNN's Anderson Cooper quipped in a recent interview with Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham that "campaign operatives are people too," justifying political hacks posing questions at debate forums.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2007/11/27/campaign-operatives-are-people-too-cnns-cooper-debate-questions

[joinedafterattack]

See bottom of News Busters page for quote and link

[Paladin2]

MSM “journalists” are ‘rat hacks too.

[Jeff Head]

Sorry CNN and Anderson...you flew the queer "operative" in, he wasa General in the military so it wasn't like he was simply any John Doe out there...and he just happens to turn out to be on a Hillary Clinton campaign steering committee for gays and lesbians. And to top it off, he has been a featured guest on CNN in the past.

It is simply not believable in the least that they knew nothing of this guy or that he just "happened" to be one of the "people" out of the 5000 questions that they selected.

The smell is so bad on this CNN that it overpowers any excuses you might make. All the more evidence IMHO, as with Dan Rather, that the MSM is corrupt and will go to almost any ends to subvert our election process for their own ends and for their own leanings as regards candidates.

[Badeye]

Maybe so, Andy Cooper, maybe so.

But I don’t think its coincidence your a well know gay news talker, and a old gay General just happened to get featured in the debate you were charged with moderating.

How long have you two been seeing each other, Andy?

[joinedafterattack]

Here is Anderson Coopers exact quote. Clearly he knew about all this in advance.

Mary Katharine Ham briefly chatted with CNN's Anderson Cooper and David Bohrman about tomorrow's CNN/YouTube debate and concerns about the agenda of questions that will be picked. For the whole thing, go here, but I just had to share this priceless gem (my emphasis in bold). First Ham's question, then Cooper's answer:

Q: There’s been a bit of scandal about the screening that CNN did on its “undecided voters” for the last Democratic debate. The diamonds-and-pearls question was attacked by the questioner herself. There were some allegations that several of the voters were in fact liberal activists on quite a few issues (and one Democratic Party operative). What’s the process for checking these YouTube questioners and their affiliations?

AC: “Well, campaign operatives are people, too. We don’t investigate the background of people asking questions…that’s not our job...

Story Continues Below Ad ↓ Ten days ago, NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard noted how CNN stocked the audience of a Democratic debate, and on November 20 I included video from Hot Air's Bryan Preston on how undecided voters at the Democratic debate were largely left-wing activists.

On Monday, NewsBusters contributor Brad Wilmouth documented how CNN has been highlighting left-wing YouTube questions in their promotional programming for the Wednesday debate:

If the preview shown on "CNN Sunday Morning" is any guide, Wednesday's CNN/YouTube Republican debate will likely be dominated by questions posed from the left, just as the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate also featured questions posed from the left. CNN correspondent Josh Levs showed clips of several sample questions, including a question from a gay Republican who charges "a vote for you is a vote against my family," a question from a woman concerned about "returning the civil liberties to the American people and stopping these outrageous attacks on our security and our privacy," and a question about CEO salaries increasing faster than the minimum wage. While Levs cautioned that he does not know whether any of the questions used in his piece will be chosen for the debate, none of the questions that appeared in the report were posed from a conservative point-of-view.

[rod1]

That has to be one of the worst defenses I have ever heard. Cooper should be fired for idiocy beyond the call of duty.

So what is Cooper’s position

on
NBC refs betting on basketball games?
on
Politician’s relative getting huge government no bid contracts?
on
McDonald’s store owner winning the biggest “Monopoly” game prize?

Hey they are people too. Who cares if they would reek of conflict of interest and make the whole thing crooked.

[kabar]

So where are the Rep operatives paticipating in the Dem debates?

[OSHA]

What do the Democrat and Republican debates have in common? They’re both full of Hillary plants.

[TNCMAXQ]

This event happened on the same day Glen Beck referred to Anderson as being very fair minded and a good guy. Glen thought Anderson was very fair with him during their interview. I wonder if Glen wants to revise his remarks today.

[Rennes Templar]

Terrorists are people too. Bring some on the next debate, Anderson.

[sageb1]

Maybe we could fly in an entire contingent of Clinton paramours.

[2ndDivisionVet]

BTW, does everyone here realize that Anderson Cooper is socialite/heiress Gloria Vanderbilt’s son?

[padre35]

Beck just repeated the same “One of the most fair people” stuff.

Ahh, popcorn is a poppin...

[Sax]

Ebenezer Cooper Scrooge, it's me Jacob Marley. Don't risk suffering the same fate that I did - damned to walk the earth in shame...

[KC_Conspirator]

Does anyone for a NY minute think that this is a mistake?

[sr4402]

The General wasn't the only Plant he was refering too: From the Michele Malkin Website: 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

[wastedyears]

My face got all bright when I heard what he accomplished... then when he said he was gay, my face certainly betrayed the horror.

[Moby Grape]

Well, Rush Limbaugh and Shaun Hanity are people too...why not let them ask the democrats some questions?

[kabar]

They are all Democrats.

[Moby Grape]

Now we know the REAL reason that the democrats didn’t want to attend a FOX NEWS debate...they can’t control the questions and those asking.