Diamonds And Pearls Are A Girl's Best Friend (But Maybe Not Her Question Of Choice)

Everyone is pretty much in agreement that last night's "Diamonds or Pearls?" query to Hillary Clinton at the CNN Democratic Debate in Las Vegas was a total clunker. Now from The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder comes word that the UNLV student who asked the question, Maria Luisa, had not, in fact, expected to ask that question, but had rather prepared a question about the proposed Yucca Mountain site for nuclear waste. Ambinder tracked the story to Luisa's MySpace page, which he excerpted as follows:

"Every single question asked during the debate by the audience had to be approved by CNN...I was asked to submit questions including "lighthearted/fun" questions. I submitted more than five questions on issues important to me. I did a policy memo on Yucca Mountain a year ago and was the finalist for the Truman Scholarship. For sure, I thought I would get to ask the Yucca question that was APPROVED by CNN days in advance. CNN ran out of time and used me to "close" the debate with the pearls/diamonds question."

Oh, ouch — it's almost worse knowing that someone actually gave the thumbs-up to "diamonds or pearls?" in advance. Here's the CNN response (also pillaged from Ambinder):

Sam Feist, the executive producer of the debate, said that the student was asked to choose another question because the candidates had already spent about ten minutes discussing Yucca Mountain.

"When her Yucca mountain question was asked, she was given the opportunity to ask another question, and my understand is that the [diamond v. pearls] questions was her other question," Feist said. "She probably was disappointed, but we spent a lot of time with a bunch of different candidates on Yucca Mountain, and we were at the end of the debate."

Our take: Luisa doesn't deny submitting the "diamonds or pearls" question, and could have refused in horror...though that's a pretty high standard for a kid to meet in the heat of the moment with a mike in your face and the chance to address the presidential candidates on national TV. It sucks that Luisa is taking heat right now (it's an obit-leader) but it sucks more that anyone at CNN actually THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD QUESTION TO ASK, EVER. Sheesh.

Meanwhile, Ambinder also notes that there are rumblings that the debate audience had a "pro-Clinton tilt"; as we (and others) have noted, CNN's postgame panel featured both James Carville (former Bill Clinton advisor and current Hillary Clinton supporter) and David Gergen, also a Clinton White House advisor (but, to be fair, also for Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush I. Even so, as a counselor to Clinton, it ought to have been noted — particularly when paired with the no-ifs-ands-or-buts-about-it Clintonite Carville). Our take: Did anyone see that postgame wrap-up? Urk. If comments like, "Hillary Clinton was rested and ready" were supposed to help his candidate, then Gergen's not all that much help. The other campaigns ought to be glad they weren't part of it.

"Diamond v. Pearl" Student Blasts CNN [The Atlantic]

Related:
Diamonds & Pearls [Prince]

Comments

[janicen]

There is so much ado about staged questions these days. Where was all of the concern about this when dubya staged an entire news conference and all of the media present went along with it? Now everyone is becoming unravelled because there are staged questions at campaign events and these stupid non-debate debates. Spare me the consternation. Bush has gotten a pass on every stunt he's pulled, but all we have to talk about is this nonsense.

[hydenorhare]

So Spitzer caves, Blitzer folds, and CNN itself acts as Hillary's plant.

Any doubt who the media's favorite candidate in this race is?

Hillary's got 2 reindeer named Spitzer and Blitzer and a big Santa named CNN.

They'll come in handy.

[PuffAndStuff]

It was kinda funny that Hillary couldn't decide on, or give a, straight answer on a 'x OR y' question, even one was unimportant like this diamond or pearls one.

Maybe she was pandering to the diamond-wearering people but also trying not to shut out all the pearl-wearers .... :)

[camcat]

I knew it! But how could she be so ignorant of the ant hill made of human beings who are paid nothing to mine a mineral that had little value until the end of the 19th century? She says she has experience on an international level yet she is bereft of the knowledge of the exploitation of those workers. That, to me, was a very ugly response. The "I want them both" answer with the feigned girly-glee turned my stomach. I'm suprised she didn't break into a rendition of "Pearl shaped or square shaped these rocks don't lose their shape....". I wish I could say, "I knew Marilyn Monroe, and YOU madame, are no Marilyn Monroe!

[ripples]

The primary debates sponsored by cable news channels are nothing more then a commercial excercise to promote controversy and story lines for the 24/7 news shows. Its all about money and ratings, the participants are nothing but pawns for corporate greed.

[BarryChamplain]

I've spent the entire evening (I know... DON'T say it! :-), researching all the aspects to this little tempest. Hold onto your hats for the REST of the story:

Are you familiar with what "diamonds and pearls" is all about? I wasn't. But you might want to look at this line, from the lyrics to "I Kissed A Girl" by Jill Sobule:


So I looked at you, you had guilt in your eyes
But it only lasted a little while
And then I felt your hand above my knee

And we laughed at the world
They can have their diamonds
And we'll have our pearls
I kissed a girl


It turns out that in that, um, idiom, "pearls" are clitorises.

So to review: CNN asks one Maria Luisa to submit a frivolous question for Hillary Clinton, at the end of her list of questions. So she figures, okay, no problem, baby, you got it. And her question, translated from the aforementioned idiom, means, "Do you prefer men or do you prefer women?"

Like I said... that one went by me, and all of us. You're maybe surprised that it went by Wolf Blitzer??

(Note: to my knowledge, as of now, Maria Luisa has not yet copped to having pulled this!)

[Zhonni]

I just knew the question did not quite make sense!

Why in the world will an undecided voter ask a candidate "diamonds or pearls" with all the other serious issues at hand?

Only when it is set up!

I have always maintained that CNN should never be mentioned in the same breath as FOX,now, I am not so sure. They definatly went down a couple of pecentage points in my book.

[MWinters]

You got to give the Hillary campaign credit for their amazing use of cynical campaign tactics. But the real troubling question is how and why CNN went along with it. The post-debate wrap-up was a joke - completely tilted toward Hillary. And there were obviously Clinton supporters planted in the audience in order to shout down any substantive policy arguments from Obama and Edwards.
If her campaign gets away with this, this country gets what it deserves.

[driven989]

Wouldn't it be awesome if Kucinich - the only person who makes sense, doesn't flip-flop, and has any sort of integrity - actually wins this election?!

Far-fetched fantasy - maybe, but all I can do is my part. I am voting for him. I am voting my conscience.

F_CK THE POLLS!

[tchristin]

CNN does seem to have a pro Hillary agenda. I watched the debate and I thought it was very poorly done. We Americans need to think for ourselves and stop listening and/or relying on pundits to tell us what to think. How can anyone be called the frontrunner, when not one primary has been held yet. Maybe CNN thinks we should not bother with elections but instead rely on their pundits and polls to tell us who will be our next President.

[ConcernAmerican]

Too much cheap shot against Hillary, damn if she does and damn if she don't. The bottom line is this, any leading candidate will be scrutinized, labeled, cuss by anyone who wanted their own candidate to be the frontrunner. Hillary is one tough lady, I like her, in fact I am VOTING FOR her. I was impressed with Obama at the start of the campaign, then he started fumbling; he lost my vote. Obama and Edwards will be smoked by Guillani or Romney without a doubt. I won't take that risk having another REPUKE in the WH. I have had enough of REPOOPLICANISM!

[gakabani]

CNN = Corrupted News Network

[May2002]

CNN is part of the corrupt establishment--another tool for Hillary's political ambition.

The mainstream media wants to decide their candidate for us.

I for one will definitely rebel against their desire.

No Hillary.

No another political dynasty.

We need a clean break from this Bush and Clinton corrupt system.

We want a new talent and fresh leader to lead us to move all these mess created by these Bush and Clinton connections.

No CNN too.

I am glad that I haven't watched any mainstream TV news any more.

I am simply sick and tired of them.

And also the Internet is geninuely a democratic way to get news.

No more filtered news by mainstream media.

No need to tolerate a host such as Wolf Blitzer.

[Lisette]

Diamonds or Pearls?
What kind of Hillary plant question is that?
We, the people take this election seriously. Hillary thinks she is at a Sorrity Party!
She is the biggest reason why real woman are not taken seriously. And just for the record, I want the names of all those "95 year old women" she talks to!!!! Yeah...right...

[kellygrrrl]

I apologize for my triviality, but what I really want to know is this:

What on earth did Hillary do to her skin?????

She appeared in the debate to not have a single line or pore on her face.

In the past she has appeared somewhat naturally close to her age, with the jowls and eye bags and droop ... but last night her skin looked like my 13 y/o daughter's.

She definitely does not appear to be "lifted" and botox cannot do that around your mouth, so I really would like to know who her "dermatologist" is.

Or is CNN so on her side that the gave her the "Liz Taylor lens" ????

WOW!