NBC GOP Debate Clapping Ban trampled Freedom of Speech

Examiner ^ | January 24, 2012 | Kevin Fobbs

[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...

[Interesting Times]

The real problem isn’t that NBC ordered the crowd not to applaud; it’s that the crowd complied.

[CAluvdubya]

I think it’s stupid. I don’t get why the audience went for it. The debates are for their (our) benefit.

[jonrick46]

I would start making fake coughing sounds when I detected BS. Can you imagine if the entire audience broke out coughing? That would generate a real impact. You can’t be held responsible if you need to cough; especially if a candidate starts feeding you BS.

[Tex-Con-Man]

Applause at a presidential debate disallowed by a network twit isn't a violation of free speech.

Next time write something less stupid.

[fish hawk]

And on top of all that, they keep telling me that all the national polls show that Conservatives out number the Liberals by a large margin. How can that be when everything is coming up Liberal??? Either the polls are lying or we conservatives are gutless.

[goat granny]

Unless No applause is a law, who says the audience has to agree to it....rebel against “no free speech” in our audience...

[military cop]

Exactly. Who is that guy?

I don’t know of anyone watches that program anyway.

RLTW

[sometime lurker]

The debate was hosted by NBC. I may be wrong, but that sounds like NBC paid for the equipment used. A much better future plan is for the Republican party to host the debate itself, in which case no media could dictate the rules. I’d be for that!

[sometime lurker]

Fine. Go to war with NBC with my full agreement. Encourage the audience to do as they like and I’ll clap, too. But don’t claim that their decision on how to run a debate with their equipment is a Constitutional violation. It isn’t.

[Biblebelter]

The debate was hosted by NBC. I may be wrong, but that sounds like NBC paid for the equipment used. A much better future plan is for the Republican party to host the debate itself, in which case no media could dictate the rules. I’d be for that!

The quid pro quo is that NBC provides the hardware and the Republican Party provides the programming content which is the debate.

Politicians like the clowns who run the Republican Party do not have enough brains to multitask and stage a debate. They got their hands full just operating a political party.

I do find it humorous that you are defending and siding with the clowns running BIG OPPRESSIVE CORPORATE MEDIA over the small pathetic dweebs running the Republican Party elite. I always side with the little guys which in this case is pea brains in the Republican Party elite not the LEFT WING TREACHEROUS MOGULS running corporate media.

[sometime lurker]

I’m not “siding” with NBC, I’m pointing out that it is not a Constitutional free speech issue for those who provide the equipment to set the rules as to how it is used.

Are you maintaining it is a Constitutional free speech issue? Or merely that you don’t like what was done, in which case we agree.