Posted on 10/10/2012 5:10:59 PM PDT by Nachum
The Commission on Presidential Debates is downplaying a new report by the conservative website 'The Daily Caller' about President Barack Obama's ties to Martha Raddatz, the moderator of tomorrow night's vice presidential debate.
The article, currently atop Drudge Report, notes that Obama worked on the Harvard Law Review with Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later appoint chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and was a guest at his 1991 wedding to Raddatz -- raising accusations that Raddatz has a conflict of interest heading into tomorrow's debate, despite the fact that Raddatz has long-since divorced Genachowski and remarried.
(Also on POLITICO: Paul Ryan spox: 'No concerns' about Raddatz)
"We selected Martha Raddatz because she is a terrific journalist and will be a terrific moderator and we're thrilled to have her," Peter Eyre, an adviser to the Commission, said in a statement. "The notion that that somehow affects her ability is not something we have given a moment's thought to."
Yesterday, well-ahead of the article's publication, ABC News released a statement calling the Daily Caller's line of inquiry "absurd."
"Martha Raddatz is known for her tough, fair reporting, which is why it was no surprise to her colleagues inside and outside ABC News that she was chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates for this assignment," an ABC News representative wrote. "Barack Obama was a law school classmate of Raddatz's ex-husband Julius Genachowski at Harvard. At the time Barack Obama was a student and president of the Law Review. He attended their wedding over two decades ago along with nearly the entire Law Review, many of whom went on to successful careers including some in the Bush administration. Raddatz and Mr. Genachowski divorced in 1997 and both are now remarried."
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
All we have to do is reverse this —if a Media person for the Right was moderating a debate and had been a guest at one of Romney’s kids’ wedding — no comment from the Left about that....naw....cuz they are so mature.
"We selected Martha Raddatz because she is a terrific journalist committed leftist and fellow traveller masquerading as a journalist who will smack Romney down while being down on her knees in front of the LightWorker and will be a terrific moderator and we're thrilled to have her." There, I fixed it.
Interesting way to phrase it - seems like they should be saying they have given thought to it, but have decided her past association will not affect her performance..
Instead, it sounds as though they're trying to convince everyone they didn't select her in order to throw the debate to Biden.
Kinda like a kid meeting their returning dad at the front door telling him they didn't break the kitchen window.
Classic “Nothing to see here, folks . . . move along.
LLS
If she gets out of line as I suspect she will.....I am sure Paul Ryan can put her in her place, by gently embarassing her. If I were her, I would just ask the questions....and then get out of the way!!! If she had an ounce of decency, honesty and fairness, she would have recused herself!!! The fact....that she did not do that, speaks volumes of how shallow she really is!!!
It speaks to how low the left will stoop to win this election.
We cannot allow them to.
Tell me why the RNC, or whomever, allows Liberals to moderate all of the debates.
The problem all the Debate “moderators” have is that they cannot protect 0bama/Biden past the point where they embarrass themselves by exposing their own partisan interests
At this point, I hope she stays. Before this revelation about her likely being a lefty Democrat (former husband Julius Genachowski was appointed head of FCC by radical leftist Ubama) she could have subtly sabotaged Ryan and boosted Biden. But now? She knows people will be looking at her performance as moderator very closely. She may even go a little harder on Biden just to show that she's "unbiased" and "fair".
At least now; they know we have caught them. It's out in the open now. This may force the moderator to be somewhat more honest.
I'm thinking that too!...should be relatively easy and a debate winner with many voters getting their 1st look at Ryan
Biden gets the debate questions in advance and someone helps him write his responses.
I emailed a handful of staff and Commission board members today asking them to either replace her or to disclose the conflict at the start of the debate... No surprise I haven’t gotten one response. But people should put pressure on them, this is not okay, we have more people in this world than her who can moderate a debate.
I'm thinking that too!...should be relatively easy and a debate winner with many voters getting their 1st look at Ryan
This debates commission couldn’t find a NoN-Biased moderator for what is going to become one of the most important series of debates in this early part of the 21st Century?
Here we have a Partisan Leftwing reporter who is married to a Partisan Cabinet member of the Obama Administration.
Changes need to be made and soon if we are to have a Fair debate.
Pure and simple the GOP didn’t do their homework. . .too much play along to get along. Again we are dealing with the WIMP FACTOR. New leadership needed . . . . Now!
Hmmm... and who has ties to the Debate Commission?
“Valerie Jarrett — who Ed Klein called ”Ground Zero in the Obama operation” — is the senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement.
She served on the board of the Joyce Foundation with Michael Brewer, the husband of Commission on Presidential Debates executive director Janet Brown, beginning in 2002.
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