[samtheman]

I thought North Star Writers Group was generally pretty good. Have they suddenly decided they love lefties and they hate anyone who asks tough questions of lefties?

[sr4402]

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

This is how the writer insults his audience. Those things would be nothing to some folks, and much to others, but it is not nothing to all folks.

This is why the MSM is in decline, because they repeatedly insult their audience.

[Neverforget01]

The entire first half of the debate consisted almost entirely of rehashes of the nonsense non-stories of the past month

Questions of character are non-stories. This is why the Dems didn't care that the President of the United States lied under oath. ABC did a great job. I was pleasantly surprised.

[Eurale]

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

Hmmm. Questions of character come to mind.

[Vio24]

LOL, oh my how the lefty slime whine when the shoe is on the other foot!! If it were a Republican debate the press would be applauding these same questions as being an important part of the process of the voters getting to know all about the candidate.

This show keeps getting better and better. This is all being brought about by the willingness of the liberals to get in bed with ANY group just for the votes it will get them. Now their chickens are all coming home to roost and the Dems have been presented with a bill for payment by all the special interest groups they have aligned with.

[Ramcat]

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.

Maybe it's coming to light that unsubstantial candidates are incapable of dealing with substantial policy issues?

[Neverforget01]

The second half of the debate was handled slightly better, even though the capital gains tax was discussed more than anything else

Imagine pressing the candidates on which taxes they plan to raise: like capital gains and payroll. Better to keep voters in the dark?

[Huck]

the nonsense non-stories of the past month – it was all-Wright, all-“bitter,” all-Bosnia sniper fire

This was the spin on PMSNBC last nite. I didn't see the debate, but I caught a little post debate coverage. These are not nonstories. They are, in card playing terms, tells. And they tell us that O and H are lefty loons.

[Nervous Tick]

>> the moderators, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, asked shamefully superficial and gotcha-oriented questions

“Journalists” are pure garbage. They are supposed to be the public’s cynical watchdog (and attack dog!) against government. Instead, not only are they in the tank for a particular agenda, the overwhelming majority of them are shallow, and dumb as a box of rocks.

Can’t wait for the (R) vs (D) debates. Not!!

If McCain has any sense (can’t get a clear read on that), he will insist on at least a couple debates “French style”: no duplicitous moderators in the tank for the Dems at all. The candidates face off across a table from each other and they ask EACH OTHER questions. No time limit for the answers, talk over each other all you want, the public is watching!

Not only would that debate style be more informative — it would be more entertaining.

[Malesherbes]

Drudge is headlining a Shales screed blaming Stephanopolos and Gibson for embarrassing BO. The BObots are now alarmed at ABC news.

[N. Theknow]

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

The author sounds bitter.

Must be a result of the new rifle range at his church.

Since both of them are running on the Wizard of Oz platform of promise them everything but give them nothing, it should be the first and foremost thing to see what is behind the curtain.

If they have to BS the little things, embellish their characters, spend half their time explaining what they "meant" to say and covering for their spouses' and acquaintances' lack of ethics; what does it matter how they would do anything else?

Questions about nothing sure showed a lot of something lacking in ZerObama and Hillliary.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, asked shamefully superficial and gotcha-oriented questions.

I sent ABC an E-mail to congratulate them. The best debate so far...

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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>>>>