“It would be wonderful,” an Olympian observer wrote on Friday
. . . to see President Obama grilled as the Republicans were Wednesday night in Michigan.What exactly will you cut in the entitlement programs? How will you solve the foreclosure crisis? And we’d like you to answer in 30 seconds while we look at you with the sweet-natured gaze of a cop at a crime scene.
Those who say the debates are hurting the Republicans may be right. There is a freak-show element. But seeing Republicans repeatedly walk through fire may in the end make them seem far more impressive than the Democrat who doesn’t have to. People notice the disparity. And this isn’t a bad time in history to see would-be leaders get nailed, and fight back up.
Reading this in the first two paragraphs to Peggy Noonan’s most recent column made me wonder when Democrats get the tough questions the “moderators” from the mainstream media address to Republicans.
Recall the contrast between the fawning interview then-CBS Anchor Katie Couric gave to the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2008 contrasted to the aggressive posture she adopted to his Republican counterpart, asking the latter tough (and leading) questions about her running mate’s advocacy of regulation, ignoring the former’s revelation of his historical ignorance.
Note how Barney Frank gets all flustered when people pose him tough questions, assuming right-wingers put a student up to ask about the career politician’s role in the financial crisis or walking off set when a CNBC reporter challenged him on his talking point, becoming belligerent when Bill O’Reilly reminded him how enthusiastically he promoted Fannie Mae?
In 2008, did reporters ask Barack Obama how he could have sat in the church of a hateful pastor for twenty years without once ever asking him about his multi-faceted bigotry? Or his radical associations? Or about the legislation he sponsored — and promoted — to forestall the financial crisis?
Peggy is right. The scrutiny will make the eventual Republican nominee a stronger contender against a failed incumbent. But, our media have, alas, not challenged said incumbent on his failures as they would a Republican on his record — and policies.
NB: Peggy’s piece is well worth your time, both for a warning she offers Republicans as well as for her paragraph on Herman Cain’s “guts.”
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/michele-bachmann-accuses-cbs-news-media-bias-050121770.html
“Okay let’s keep it loose though since she’s not going to get many questions and she’s nearly off the charts in the hopes that we can get someone else,” Dickerson replied, apparently unaware that Stewart was copied on the email.
“Let’s keep it loose…….in the hopes we can get someone else.”
Oh, my!
So the Liberal media thinks they can make and break who the Republican nominee will be.
Remember when the networks did this same thing during the various Olympics?
It doesn’t work.
Star-making is an imprecise art.
Cute though to see them try.
But, Dan, if they did that then Obama might not get elected, and we all know he has to be or the US is a bad racist country. Our media will save us from that because they know best.
1- It’s not just with Republicans vs. Democrats. Saturday Night Live had a skit that nailed it, back in the Democrat primary season: The moderator asks Hillary this complicated, in-depth question and gives her 30 seconds to answer; then he turns to Candidate Obama- and asks him if he’s comfortable enough or if he’d like another cushion for his chair.
Short version: They do it to each other, too. The media just plain likes to pick winners.
2- Sorry, but in my book Dame Peggy has a long way to go until she expiates her behavior. I’d settle for one of those yakuza things so we could call her “Ninefingers Peg”.
Is it written down somewhere that the liberal media morons have to be debate moderators?
TGC, that is a good question. Who would you have in mind? My two top picks would be George Will and Andrew Breightbart.
I’d vote for George Will. How about V.D. Hanson or R. Mead?
It has progressed way beyond just an imbalance between the hyper-scrutiny Republicans get versus the softball-treatment Democrats have come to expect. Now, the White House feels free to get in on the act when the MSM fails in its mission to act as impervious palace guards.
I’m referring to two different White House operatives contacting Sharyl Attkisson of CBS and essentially screaming at her because she’s actually doing her job by reporting on Fast and Furious. And Biden’s staff threatened Jason Mattera with some kind of ‘investigation’ because he had the audacity to ask Biden a question about his ludicrous statements linking the GOP’s refusal to support Stimulus 2.0 with fewer cops and ‘more rapes.’
Thus, it’s gotten SO BAD that the Democrats don’t even stop to consider whether there will be any media criticism or political fall out from their flagrant efforts to bully and intimidate journalists who ask them questions that they don’t like. It’s really shocking that at this point, they’ve grown so accustomed to a sycophantic media, they’ve abandoned even PRETENDING they respect the First Amendment.
The pre-primary candidates are up against the same media now that the survivors will be up against during the primaries and that the nominee will be up against.
Mark Twain noted that a man who sets out to carry a cat by the tail is getting useful information. So, then, are these candidates.
When it comes to the media and fairness, it is what it is. If you are engaged in “hope” and “change” concerning the media, then you are “stuck on stupid.”
Obama is going to be bestowed with an immaculate nomination. The media will deeply probe his choice of the shade of royal purple or emperor yellow, but they will ignore his bright red Marxist glow. Once again, it is what it is.
Mostly, Democrats and independents are not too interested in all this political nomination foreplay. The truth is that the media will accentuate the negative and eliminate the positive and trumpet the gaffe. That type of baptism by fire makes strong candidates.
Eisenhower noted: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” These candidates are having to prep constantly and to adapt to reality after the first salvo hits. Not a bad training regimen, when you consider it.
Obama will automatically receive the numbskull vote, so wooing it is nearly hopeless. It is a vote that is acquired through purchase or chicanery or pure demagoguery. We are really no good at that. But Obama is also the butt of his own disingenuousness and is therefore likely to suffer a decreased turn out from those who vote only when moved to do so.
It would not surprise me in the least if, come next fall, Obama has no interest in debates.