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NBC GOP Debate Clapping Ban trampled Freedom of Speech
Examiner ^ | January 24, 2012 | Kevin Fobbs

Posted on 01/24/2012 3:36:47 PM PST by Kfobbs

Conservatives should use their freedom of choice and boycott Brian Williams' NBC Nightly News show, for his flagrant attempt to muzzle freedom of speech at Monday night’s GOP presidential debate on NBC. It is clear Brian is on the wrong side of the U.S. Constitution and the wrong side of history!

Do you remember the New Hampshire moment that then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan had when a ...Brian Williams’ type debate moderator attempted to shut him up? Reagan dressed down the moderator Jon Breen 32 years ago, years ago with an emphatic political game changing response "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!”

Brian Williams was this year’s equivalent of Mr. Breen from 1980. And you might expect this type of behavior from...

(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: floridagopdebate; freedomofspeech; mittromney; newtgingrich
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1 posted on 01/24/2012 3:37:02 PM PST by Kfobbs
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To: Kfobbs

The three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in the 2008 cycle had a “no applause” rule.


2 posted on 01/24/2012 3:42:36 PM PST by FewsOrange
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To: Kfobbs

Seems to me that some of the previous debates had similar rules in place in various forms.

Crying that it infringes on free speech rights debases the constitution. After all, is it a free speech infringement to expect quiet in a movie theatre?


3 posted on 01/24/2012 3:42:59 PM PST by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Kfobbs

Who’s Brian Williams? Never heard of him.


4 posted on 01/24/2012 3:44:33 PM PST by Jacquerie (No court will save us from ourselves.)
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To: FewsOrange

Exactly, its not uncommon to ask an audience to hold their applause to the end.


5 posted on 01/24/2012 3:44:42 PM PST by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Kfobbs
This has nothing to do with freedom of speech.
It has everything to do with freedom of choice.
6 posted on 01/24/2012 3:46:55 PM PST by evad (STOP SPENDING, STOP SPENDING, STOP SPENDING. It's the SPENDING Stupid)
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To: Kfobbs
By "freedom of speech", I assume you are referring to the 1st Amendment. If I remember correctly, it says "CONGRESS shall make no law..."

Has someone passed a bill I don't know about regarding applause during Presidential Debates?

This is about as silly as the folks who claim that FR violates their freedom of speech because they enforce their own standards on their private property.

7 posted on 01/24/2012 3:51:45 PM PST by PalmettoMason (South Carolinians need to start choosing a primary challenger to Nikki Haley NOW!!!!!!!)
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To: FewsOrange
The three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in the 2008 cycle had a “no applause” rule.

Those debates were under the authority of a non-partisan debate commission.

You need to appreciate the subletly.

There is NO debate commission here.

These are Republican Party debates and should be under the auspices of the Republican Party not the media.

NBC is an avowed enemy of the rank in file of the Republican Party, whether they are the avowed enemy of the Republican Party elite and its surrogate Mitt Romney is a matter of debate.

Newt is more than willing to accept the judgement of a non-partisan debate commission which is historical.

He is not willing to subjugate himself to the dictates of the likes of an enemy of the electorate such as NBC.

8 posted on 01/24/2012 3:55:53 PM PST by Biblebelter
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To: Kfobbs

What’re they gonna do if the audience cheers? Pull the plug and put on an old Cheers rerun?


9 posted on 01/24/2012 3:56:43 PM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

Exactly, I think it is up to the Conservatives to cheer even if they threaten to remove us from the debates.


10 posted on 01/24/2012 3:58:11 PM PST by GraceG
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To: cripplecreek

Defy arbitrary authority.


11 posted on 01/24/2012 3:58:58 PM PST by DManA
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To: FewsOrange

“The three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in the 2008 cycle had a “no applause” rule.”

To hell with their rules. They don’t obey the rule of law or the Constitution.

Why should we play by their rules when they don’t obey our rules?

Next debate, stomp the feet, boo the slimey press, cheer, clap, wave signs and give these elite pigs the one-finger salute.

As Jim Rob says: We’ re in a revolution. Let’s act like it.


12 posted on 01/24/2012 4:01:05 PM PST by sergeantdave
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To: Kfobbs

Boycott Brian Williams by all means, but don’t confuse this with a freedom of speech issue. Nor should you confuse why Ronald Reagan was right, but Newt Gingrich is not about this particular matter.

Ronald Reagan’s campaign funded the event at which he made that statement, so he was perfectly correct and came up with a great line. Speaker Gingrich did not, to my knowledge, pay for the NBC debate. (If I’m wrong, please correct me!).

So Presidential candidate Reagan was asserting his right to control his property, while Newt was trying to assert the right to control someone else’s property. I understand why, but it’s still a mistake. I hope he rethinks this line of complaint. I would say “You don’t like the debate format? Don’t participate, or do what President Reagan did - fund your own debate.”


13 posted on 01/24/2012 4:03:55 PM PST by sometime lurker
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To: Kfobbs

I decree that applause during tonight’s State of the Union speech by Barry be banned.


14 posted on 01/24/2012 4:09:49 PM PST by COUNTrecount (Barry...above his poi grade.)
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To: Kfobbs
I dont get it. If a bunch of us were there and we all stood up and clapped for Newt, what the hell are they going to do, shoot us??? How in the hell did and audience let them get away with this. I everyone did it they are not about to kick every one out of the building.
15 posted on 01/24/2012 4:12:26 PM PST by fish hawk (Tebow or Rodman, who would I like to introduce my grandson to? MMmmmmmm)
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To: sometime lurker
while Newt was trying to assert the right to control someone else’s property.

Property is a quite curious use of language.

The Miss Universe Pageant is property of Donald Trump because he bought it with cold hard cash.

Are you saying that Republican Party debate is property of NBC?

How much did they pay for the Republican Party debate?

How drew up the bill of sale?

It seems to me that these debates are the property of the rank in file members of the Republican Party.

If those rights were sold, a lot of Republicans would like to see the bill of sale.

The fact is that debates represent a quid quo pro.

But media clowns like NBC should not be able to DICTATE the rules to Republicans.

The Republican Party elite has been taking orders from the media elites for too long, an OLD Newt is not willing to subjugate himself to the likes of the clowns who run NBC.

16 posted on 01/24/2012 4:16:58 PM PST by Biblebelter
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To: FewsOrange
The three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in the 2008 cycle had a “no applause” rule.

I'm for a "Tar and Feather" rule, where the audience chases the moderator down and lays it on thick, then covers him with feathers and runs him out of the building to the tune of a small drum.

17 posted on 01/24/2012 4:16:57 PM PST by Rome2000 (OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM)
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To: Kfobbs

If they want to debate, then debate without sound effects. If they want a cheering audience then go on the campaign trail.


18 posted on 01/24/2012 4:17:37 PM PST by Hattie
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To: sometime lurker

To hell with the elitist rules. They don’t obey our rules, and we shouldn’t obey their rules.

We’re not playing chess with sophisticated gentlemen. This is war.


19 posted on 01/24/2012 4:18:51 PM PST by sergeantdave
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To: fish hawk

Again, why do the GOP debates have a liberal, left winger, Democrat run the debates? Name one Democratic debate where a Conservative was the moderator? I don’t believe there was one, ever.

Can’t help but feel we all are being played especially afrer reading Andrea Mitchell comments about how the elite GOP will replace Newt if he is the winner...

And if Newt wins the Presidential election, will the GOP elitists sabotage his Presidental years? How ugly can all this really get?


20 posted on 01/24/2012 4:19:18 PM PST by Engedi (Hec)
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