Posted on 09/03/2016 10:48:09 AM PDT by Kaslin
Every four years, Republican presidential candidates walk into a big trap: the debates. The supposedly non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates leans decidedly left. The co-chairs of the commission include an establishment Republican, former GOP Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., and a former Clinton Press Secretary, Mike McCurry. Neither of these gentlemen is a conservative, and both are probably privately supporting Hillary Clinton for president.
The group’s board of directors consists of liberals like former television anchorman Charlie Gibson, and so-called moderate Republicans like former U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and John Danforth. In fact, in an interview last December, Danforth lamented the conservative direction of the Republican Party and labeled Donald Trump “a self-proclaimed great man.” It is an outrage that the debate commission would keep on their board of directors someone who holds such anti-Trump views.
Clearly, the Commission on Presidential Debates is biased against any conservative like Trump. However, even a moderate like 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney faced unfair treatment. In the infamous encounter with moderator Candy Crowley, Romney was denied the opportunity to make a final statement, even though it was outlined in the rules. Crowley also supported President Obama in a dispute with Romney about the terrorist attack in Benghazi. Moderators are not supposed to take sides; they are supposed to be objective.
For the 2016 debates, the commission has once again chosen liberal moderators, with the exception of Chris Wallace of Fox News, who is a truly objective journalist. The liberals include Lester Holt of NBC, Anderson Cooper of CNN, and Elaine Quijano of CBS, and Martha Raddatz of ABC, who moderated a debate in 2012.
It should be noted that Republicans have long been skeptical of Raddatz since President Obama attended her wedding in 1991. Not surprisingly, she invited President Obama to her wedding. In addition, Raddatz’s husband was appointed by Obama to the FCC, so there should be no confusion about her allegiances. Her performance in the 2012 Vice Presidential debate was atrocious, as the incumbent Joe Biden was allowed to completely dominate his GOP opponent, Representative Paul Ryan, and interrupt frequently.
Elaine Quijano has used her position on CBS to advocate for illegal aliens and the threat of global warming. She claimed that this threat could cause a 10-foot increase in sea levels, which would put “much of South Florida underwater.” Since GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has been tough on the issue of illegal immigration and believes that global warming is a hoax, it is doubtful that a moderator who holds such opposing views will be fair and balanced.
Lester Holt surely leans left and his feelings were exposed after President Obama’s recent speech to the Democratic National Convention. He described it as “a powerful arc embracing hope and optimism.” Undoubtedly, Holt would never describe a Donald Trump speech in such a manner.
The other moderator, Anderson Cooper, is clearly another liberal. For years, he has advocated for gay rights and same sex marriage. For example, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Orlando Florida, Cooper interviewed Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. He used the opportunity to condemn her for opposing gay marriage, a view a liberal like Cooper believes is unacceptable.
With liberal moderators dominating the presidential debates, Hillary Clinton will surely have the advantage. This is no surprise to Trump, who knows the commission is biased against him. Back in July, he blasted the commission when it was announced that two of the debates were scheduled against NFL games. Trump tweeted to his followers that “As usual, Hillary and the Dems are trying to rig the debates so 2 are up against major NFL games.”
The commission claimed that the dates were set and could not be changed; however, if they wanted to avoid NFL games they could have scheduled the debates for Tuesday or Wednesday nights when there are no professional football games played. Instead, they chose to schedule at the same time, which will surely impact the audience for the debates.
Trump believes that the commission is trying to limit the viewing audience for the presidential debates as the DNC did in the primaries by scheduling debates on NFL game days. The DNC tactic was a ploy to help Hillary Clinton in her battle against Senator Bernie Sanders for the party’s nomination.
For these debates, despite the conflicts and the liberal moderators, there will be a significant viewing audience. Due to Trump’s personality and flair, there is tremendous interest in this year’s presidential race.
Hopefully, Trump will be given ample opportunities in the debates to present his ideas on how to move this country in a positive direction. The commission’s questionable scheduling and moderator selection notwithstanding, Trump should do well in these upcoming debates as long as he is treated fairly. Unfortunately, for a Republican presidential candidate, especially a maverick conservative like Donald Trump, to receive fair treatment in the presidential debates is far from guaranteed.
Hi, proust!
Ah, yes, but on the 7th, the “forum” is constructed to let Hillary Stand Alone, like she were Patton, with no competition, to orate on foreign policy, chapter and verse.
The plan is to overwhelmingly impress viewers with her genius, expertise and command.
Then comes TRUMP. Look out. TRUMP will be given a chair full of oatmeal to sit in and while he is caught drying out his pants, old Matt will be impaling him with foreign names and leaders and remote islands and countries none of us have ever heard of.
I say this, tongue and cheek.
You paint an ugly but true picture.
The campaigns, not the parties did the negotiating with the debate commssion.
Not far off from what I expect.
If liberals are announcing what the question drawn was, who would know. Liberals would change the question just as much as they change the rules. They are not moderators. They are purveyors. This is not a debate. It is an infomercial. And when thinking about it, it is probably the only place they could sell Hilary. She’s not sold in stores either.
red
If I were Trump I would insist on 4 debates. Two with liberal moderators and two with conservative moderators. Otherwise no debates.
I have no idea why TV moderators are used at all. I have no idea why TV is used.
And you know that not one of them will whisper a word about Hillary’s many, many scandals.
Greta Van Sustern or Laura Ingram
We know that he was ordered by his boss..Murdoch..to knock out Trump in the primary debates. How can he be called neutral?
Later....
Moderator: "Mr. Trump, explain why you married a former escort and how much her hourly rate was. Was she really a specialist in bondage and discipline, or just a run of the mill prostitute?"
Liberals control America, What the Devil do you expect?
I agree, Trump will make fools of them.
Just make the wear their “I’m with her” tee shirts and the audience will understand.
There’s an old quote attributed to Joe Stalin: “That which does not kill me strengthens me.”
In the last year President Trump has been put through the fires of Hell and only come out stronger. We must be of good heart, pray for him and America, and support him every way we can. He will crush the Witch and her flying monkey media accomplices, turning their evil against them.
Hillary: I don’t remember the question.
Trump doesn't need this crap. This time, Trump should state that any three of the following will be the debate moderators:
Rudy Giuliani
Laura Ingraham
Chris Christie
Newt Gingrich
.
Failure to agree to this will result in his refusal to attend the debates. Lest we forget, Trump has already set a precedent when he skipped one of the primary debates.
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