Criticizing the panel tonight for asking tough questions is just absurd, and I’m somewhat disappointed in FReepers who wanted this to be some softball contest.
We’re trying to pick a strong nominee, for crying out loud. Sweetness and light, pantywaist questions, and handling politicians with kid gloves won’t get rid of Barack Obama next year.
This was, hands-down, the best debate I’ve seen in a long time — and I watch them all. I thought FOX did a good job.
Anyone running for POTUS needs to be able to answer anything thrown at him.
Yes, Newt, that means you. The whining about “gotcha” questions just came off to the astute watcher as sniveling. You are not running for dogcatcher.
Gingrich is good for the race, but he needs to drop the attitude. His answers to other questions were excellent.
The founding fathers would be appalled at the stupid sound-bite politics debate moderators and format. The media (esp. Foxnews) should promote real statesmanship and scholarship....
The lane stream media is simply a liberal propaganda machine.
I would be pleased if the panels just asked INTELLIGENT questions!
“I’m somewhat disappointed in FReepers who wanted this to be some softball contest.”
I don’t think anyone wanted a softball contest - God knows that’s ALL BHO has ever gotten from the MSM. But to me, asking about losing campaign staffers (over the years, other candidates have gone through campaign difficulties of all types), submitting to spouses, or questions about moats and religion that were either taken out of context to begin with or misquoted, just wasted precious time (that was too short anyway) rather than ask all the candidates an equal amount of substantive questions on their policies and how they’d differ from BHO as president.
They definitely gave too much play to Ron Paul (also letting him talk overtime after just denying Santorum the same courtesy), and I think it was for entertainment purposes, along with his fans yelling and loudly jeering at opponents throughout, with no admonition from the panel whatsoever, only smirks. It was often disruptive and just plain wrong.
I had no problem with Bret Baier, he’s a professional. But Chris Wallace is another story. On Fox News Sunday, his bias always shows - against conservatives. Hume or Goldberg, both outstanding news veterans, would’ve done a much better job. Byron York’s biblical/marital question to Bachmann, dredging up something out of context that she said years before, was snarky as well - on a couple of levels.
In each case, however, the audience made their thoughts known.