Obama vs. Hillary in Philly: The Big Loser is ABC

North Star Writers Group ^ | April 17, 2008 | Stephen Silver

[Invisigoth]

PHILADELPHIA – At the gleaming new National Constitution Center here in Philadelphia, I attended Wednesday night’s presidential debate. It was the 21st Democratic debate of the cycle – held in the same building where Barack Obama delivered his famous “race” speech last month. The actual debate was held in a tiny, tiny room where I once saw a very affecting presentation about the Declaration of Independence. On posts and press passes alike, the event is billed as “Clinton vs. Obama,” as though it were a prize fight or something.

And as though the campaign hadn’t been trivialized enough, the story of the night was that the moderators, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, asked shamefully superficial and gotcha-oriented questions, which did not even begin to reach substantial policy issues until the debate was nearly an hour old.

The entire first half of the debate consisted almost entirely of rehashes of the nonsense non-stories of the past month – it was all-Wright, all-“bitter,” all-Bosnia sniper fire, all flag pin all the time. If policy or issues were discussed at all in the debate’s first 45 minutes, it came from the candidates, not the moderators. This was the first debate since those stories broke, so I knew they’d be brought up. But I had no idea that half the debate would be devoted to questions about nothing.

[Grampa Dave]

Silver is a prime example of left wing dogma protection versus real reporting and why the Dinosaur MSM is dying as well as Hussein Obama's run for the president is gasping its last breath.

" Crackerquiddick Gate " is a Wright-size problem!!

You can't win a general election with a coalition of America hating African- Americans and America hating white liberal elitist billionaires/millionaires, who buy brie, Chardonnay, and Hussein Obama/Samma.

For an inside look at the real Hussein Obama and his elite hate America backers at San Francisco where Hussein Obama made his elitist remarks,

Go here to see the thread with all The Pictures posted and Here to see another thread about this meeting of elite left wing America haters.

There are some very interesting pictures and comments re the actual meeting on those threads.

"Hussein Obama’s big mouth, small brain, condescending, America-hating, grandkid-baby-terminating, born-alive-infant-abandoning, America-hating-wife, kooky-moonbat-America-hating-pastor, racially-divisive, race-baiting, crotch-saluting, America-flag-disrespecting ... chickens ... coming home to roost ...!"

[Biblebelter]

Hillary didn’t help matters, at one point even bringing up Louis Farrakhan and Hamas, out of context

Obviously, when you are a Barry butt boy like this writer, there is no context to bring up the fact that Barry is cozy with those who would like to this nation brought down.

[Arrowhead1952]

even when they did ask anything about policy the pat answer was “ Don’t ask for specifics just believe us when we say we will be better than Bush”. I mean come on!! Do they have to start every answer with bush or the current administration.

I watched parts of the debate and I noticed that too. Bush policy this or Bush policy that and every Bush policy is WRONG. I think neither of those two could ever answer a single question without placing blame on anyone other than Bush and Cheney. There will be many dim voters who won't have a clue in Nov when they walk into the voting booth and his name is missing from the ballot.

[techcor]

But I had no idea that half the debate would be devoted to questions about nothing.

Yeah, didn't they get the memo from the Democratic party? They were suppose to ask questions about what underwear they were wearing or what tree they would like to be or diamonds or pearls. /s

[jpsb]

BUMP!

[Arrowhead1952]

Dang Grampa Dave, I am liking your collections more and more every day. Keep up the good work.

[Huck]

Yea, the template for this one is pretty obvious. How dare they?! This is trivial! What about the issues??!

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks.

Obama makes it harder each day to pick out the best of so many great cartoons, pictures and quotes. So the collage gets edited and changed on a regular basis.

[McGruff]

Boy this is just a profanity removed topic from DU.

If they couldn't handle Charlie Gibson's reasonable questions they should bail out now.

[lakeman]

That’s where McCain will win in the booth. Dingbats can’t find GW’s name on the ballot so they won’t know who to vote against. LOL. We know 50% of the donks don’t like Hillary and 50% don’t like Obama. McCain will get the lever pull regardless of how many times the donks claim he’s just 4 more years of Bush. That’s why they say it because the only way they will get the independents vote is to claim he’s Bush reincarnated. It is hysterical.

[Bender2]

Re: And even after the March and April non-scandals were rehashed yet again, we got an argument over “issues” like the flag pin and William Ayers – the sort of stuff that only right-wing bloggers and e-mail forwarders care about. That’s right, the Weather Underground received nearly 10 minutes of discussion time in the first network debate of the year.

It was quite refreshing when Obama responded to yet another of the ridiculous questions by saying that “I hope we don’t get so obsessed with gaffes that we fail to see the truth” – that this is a crucial time in our country’s history. Amen to that. Hillary didn’t help matters, at one point even bringing up Louis Farrakhan and Hamas, out of context, in a monologue sure to be quoted all week long by Fox News.

Well, I guess after this hissy fit by 'fair & balanced' Stephen Silver... we here at Free Republic might as well pack it up and go back to clinging to Dungeons & Dragons and tinfoil hats.

[Dante3]

Stupid questions; not a word about immigration and open borders - unless I missed it. Hillary has an annoying habit of inappropriate laugh and going bug-eyed.

[Arrowhead1952]

If they couldn't handle Charlie Gibson's reasonable questions they should bail out now.

Just in case you haven't seen the DUFU edition by PJ-Comix today, you should look at it - the DUmmies are placing blame on ABC, Gibson, and Stephanpolous.

DUmmie FUnnies 04-17-08 ("WOW, What a MELTDOWN!!!")

[Arrowhead1952]

DUmmie FUnnies 04-17-08 ("WOW, What a MELTDOWN!!!")

[tanuki]

If they’re talking about you, they are afraid of you. Rule one of the lib handbook.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Did this writer plagiarize from Shales...see this:

In Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC

********************EXCERPT*********************

By Tom Shales
Thursday, April 17, 2008; C01

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

For the first 52 minutes of the two-hour, commercial-crammed show, Gibson and Stephanopoulos dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer news. Some were barely news to begin with.

The fact is, cable networks CNN and MSNBC both did better jobs with earlier candidate debates. Also, neither of those cable networks, if memory serves, rushed to a commercial break just five minutes into the proceedings, after giving each candidate a tiny, token moment to make an opening statement. Cable news is indeed taking over from network news, and merely by being competent.

Gibson sat there peering down at the candidates over glasses perched on the end of his nose, looking prosecutorial and at times portraying himself as a spokesman for the working class. Blunderingly he addressed an early question, about whether each would be willing to serve as the other's running mate, "to both of you," which is simple ineptitude or bad manners. It was his job to indicate which candidate should answer first. When, understandably, both waited politely for the other to talk, Gibson said snidely, "Don't all speak at once."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This Writer is a LOON>>>>

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Make sure your Hard disk is big enough to Save EVERY LAST ONE of these...if you need more space ...Frys had a special last week for a 750 Gig for $129 I think.

Right now they have a Maxtor 500 Gig for $79.99

[blackie]

Dungeons & Dragons and tinfoil hats would make a great song lyric.