Posted on 10/01/2008 12:54:14 PM PDT by Red Steel
The wingers are in full ref-gaming mode today, hammering away at the idea that PBS' Gwen Ifill can't possibly be a fair moderator for the Biden-Palin debate because she will be releasing a book this January that's apparently pro-Obama.
But a few moments ago, John McCain said on Fox News that he has no problem with her moderating at all...
"I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional, and I think she will do a totally objective job, because she is a highly-respected professional," McCain said.
The McCain campaign has apparently been saying they didn't know about Ifill's book. But as Michael Calderone notes, the book has been public for quite some time now.
At bottom, though, debating whether there's any merit in the attack on Ifill is beside the point, because as this is really just a transparent game, of course. The criticism is about trying to spook the moderators into going easy on Palin -- a "time-honored form of pre-debate spin," as Ben Smith put it.
What's more, as a Republican operative points out to me in a moment of candor, the existence of the book is potentially helpful to McCain, because it gives McCain supporters a way of retroactively cushioning the blow for Palin, should she pull yet another homina homina homina in response to any Ifill question, as is her wont.
"If I were an Obama supporter, i would see this as a bigger problem for me than for Palin," the GOP operative tells me. "Now any line of questioning can be dismissed as the product of an obviously biased moderator."
Get it?
My God, it's the headline on Drudge. Drudge gets tens of millions of hits per day, millions of whom are Democrats.
Drudge's headlines are more commanding than ANY newspaper in America.
Maybe on election night they will say he gave a god concession speech.
same here
Do you really think that her career will suffer if she plays dirty as a moderator considering the fact that her target audience is made up of rabid left wingers? On the contrary, being unprofessional towards Palin will only make her more popular amongst her audience; she couldn't care less about her reputation with people who are normal (i.e., not far left wing lunatics).
I agree. McCain's response puts Ifill on notice. Gwen now has to be squeaky clean in her handling of the debate.
To his credit, McCain is not a victim. Let's not act like victims on FR. The Dem's have that turf covered.
A perfect response.
Consider that it’s too late, they could get someone worse, they’ve prepped for this moderator’s style, all eyes will be on her and ears will be tuned for bias now...if she’s biased THAT will be the talk of the debate.
If you hadn’t been here so long, some of the self appointed sages would be calling you a whiner or worse.
That's my take on his statement as well.
“I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional, and I think she will do a totally objective job, because she is a highly-respected professional,” McCain said.
Pull your hear out of your a$$ McCain! You should know that Gwen Awful gave Obama the question list weeks ago!!
If Gwen Ifil had any integrity, if she had any ethics, she would recognize her blatant conflict of interest and asked to be removed as moderator.
But Gwen Ifil doesn't care if she has a conflict of interest.
Gwen Ifil cares about two things: Getting Obama elected and selling copies of her book.
So, we've pretty much established that this woman has no integrity.
And you say you expect her to be impartial?
Can you explain to me why?
Mr. McCain...you’re neurological exam was scheduled last week. We see you were a “no-show”. Would you like to reschedule anytime soon?
How can people be so blind? The major problem is not that Ifell is a liberal and is in the tank for Obama, this actually works at least publicly for McCain since people will be aware of and looking for the bias.
More potentially troubling and in my opinion very probable is that Ifell will find a way to get the questions to Obama before hand. It is easily done and would give him a great advantage.
In any case the debates, if the viewership numbers on the first one were any indication, are not that important to many people. Given the numbers who watched the final nights of the Campaigns I wonder if mnay minds weren’t made up then. Traditionally debates never swung an election for more then a day or 2.
Easy for McCain to say, since Sarah will be the victim...
This may be key."
Not so much if she asks both candidates the same exact questions.
John Hostettler of Indiana was just on Neil Cavuto’s show, arguing that Ifill should recuse herself because she has a financial interest in the outcome of the election, with respect to her book. The book sales will tank, of course, if McCain/Palin win the election.
Typical pubbie reaction..bend over and________. Bush never fought back and now McCain is too much above the fray. It makes no sense to keep sending the GOP bucks. May as well be losers with money in our pockets than losers with no money.
Exactly! The media will now be on the defensive—for once. Given the fact that any reporter acceptable to His Holiness will be biased in Obama’s favor, it is better to have an exposed partisan.
So that’s not only a political and racial bias, it’s also a fame and money bias.
Recuse?
What do you think a judge would have to do?
Please, no one needs to explain bias. If it exists it is evident.
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