Posted on 10/03/2008 12:02:36 PM PDT by WilliamReading
There was one player on the stage in St. Louis on Thursday night that really failed to meet the standard of professionalism and national leadership: moderator Gwen Ifill. Her questions often failed the first journalistic test: they failed to press the candidates to take or defend a stand, instead of letting them unload their talking points. One came across as just plain incoherent: "Governor, on another issue, interventionism, nuclear weapons. What should be the trigger, or should there be a trigger, when nuclear weapons use is ever put into play?" That unfairly put Gov. Palin into a stumbling mode as she tried to figure out: what on Earth was bumbling Ifill trying to say?
While she offered a pile of liberal-tilting questions, Ifill offered Biden only one question from the right, about raising taxes on people making over $250,000 a year: "Why isn’t that class warfare?" Sadly, she didn’t let the sharp question stand. In the next sentence, before Biden could answer, she then went on to slam McCain’s health-care tax proposal as possibly "taking things out on the poor."
But the worst, most politician-indulging questions came at the end. This was the most distasteful question of the night: how would you abandon your running mate’s legacy if he croaked?
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I think Conservatives and Republicans need to get over this.
I watched debate and I think Ifill was fine. In fact, for a known partisan, I think she was better than almost anyone else in MSM.
Ifill was much less professional and unbiased than Jim Lehrer in the first debate.
It has been estimated that Gwen Ifill will net $500,000 from her new book on Obama, but only if Obama is elected President. The book will be a dud if McCain is voted in.
Ifill didn’t even have the common decency to inform the television audience of her conflict of interest regarding her Obama book.
Ifill could have been worse.
Who recommended that she wear that awful looking green blazer?
Is she trying to make ‘the Worst Dressed’ list?
Couple of points, a question about Cheney’s view of the vice presidency was biased b/c Cheney is unpopular as was his legislative/ executive stand.
The question before or after that was how your admin will differ from the prez if he dies and you take over. I think that was aimed at McCain’s age.
Also, questions about “which promises are you not going to keep” are idiotic.
I thought she did well. Sarah was so good I really didnt even notice Ms. Ifill
Gwen is a liberal, so to phrase a question in conservative terms is probably not in her pay grade. But she did try to be neutral and I have to give her credit for that.
I do wish people like Gwen would at least sit down with a conservative friend (if she has any) and seek ways to phrase things that will not have such a leftist perspective.
Gwen Ifill was guilty of not giving full disclosure. Easily the worst moderated debate since Chris Mathews was “moderating” the Republican debates in the primary season.
I felt she was a non-factor as far as the outcome of the debate. That said, she was not very good either. At one point, she asked both candidates different questions at the same time.
N00b, are you trying to make Freerepublic look right-wing nutty? Your posts have a certain smell to them ...
Ifill to Biden following debate, “You did GREAT!!”
(The list of questions he had access prior to the debate were probably quite helpful.)
Palin missed many golden opportunities to say she was a champion against corruption and conflicts of interest! Ifill would have been siting there condemned for her own conflict as would Obama, Biden and the Dems for conflict of interest in the Fanny Freddy debacle.
Laher was fair and Ifell was awful.
Pray for W, McCuda and Our Troops
She gave Gov Palin a great opportunity to shine: indeed, the Governor was excellent in the face of tough questions.
In terms of permance, would give Biden an A-, Palin a B++, and Ifill a C-.
In terms of performance, would give Biden an A-, Palin a B++, and Ifill a C-.
Re: But the worst, most politician-indulging questions came at the end. This was the most distasteful question of the night: how would you abandon your running mate’s legacy if he croaked?
I think that was a fair question. It is asked at almost all of the VP debates I can remember.
When Jim Lehrer asked "what will you need to cut", Barack Obama "answered" it by listing a large number of areas where he wanted to increase spending. When Ifill asked Biden what he would cut, Joe pretty much answered the same way.
We just spent $805B, and the Dems see no reason to cut back anywhere.
I agree with you on the two obviously biased questions.
On the other hand, the ‘which promises are you not going to keep’ was actually a question biased in the opposite direction. For any with ears to hear, Biden flubbed it, giving ‘slowing down increased foreign aid’ and the only cut, then giving a laundry-list of expensive programs Obama proposes to implement, fiscal crisis or not. Except on national security, only Obama’s campaign promises cost money (including his tax increases, since we still seem to be on the descending slope of the Laffer curve).
Palin should have pounced, and replied that the nation’s security was too important to make cuts, and that other than that, the campaign promises on the GOP side would save money.
Biden would have had something to say about tax cuts, and she could have reminded him that both Reagan and JFK’s tax cuts increased government revenue.
A missed opportunity that.
I heard that too! She obviously thought her microphone was turned off. It would've been good to hear what few conservative pundits we have on Fox at least raise this oopsie event.
(The list of questions he had access prior to the debate were probably quite helpful.)
I agree with you there too. I'd bet money he had at least a summary of the questions prior to the debate.
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