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

[in4success]

there's a friggin' surprise..­. we all called that one, didn't we? it was supposed to echo the "boxers or briefs" thing -- that was my reflexive interp.

you'd think she did a shitload better than she did in the debate overall if you were watching MSNBC, CNN or FOXNEWS since early this morning.

don't think the corporations are shilling for her, do ya?

riiiiight.

[lornejl]

Scripted, and rehearsed debates, no one could have forseen this !

[xrayman]

Another misleading Huffpo headline. It sounds like it is connected to the planted questions, but it is nothing of the sort.

[rbrooks]

What a shocker.
Hillary loved that question, and her answer smelled rehearsed, tested and focus-grouped - ten bucks says her campaign suggested it to CNN. Going for the nice light touch to end the evening, y'know, with the charming, jolly, and feminine Hillary.

[shades3]

Stop calling these carefully choreographed and scripted displays "DEBATES."
These performances are nothing more than phoney, ratings grabs, assuming anyone is still watching by the completion of them.

A debate, as many of us remember, though the possible questions to be asked are carefully chosen and researched by both sides, are nothing like these charades.
These are so timidly posed and answered that we learn next to nothing about any of the candidates' views on issues which are crucial.

Have a real debate, with questions not pre-selected and answered truthfully and robustly and the sky would fall......­.......or maybe we'd learn something about the candidates.
Never happen. But, we can dream.

[falco]

A little "mini-version" of the PROBLEM,REACTION, SOLUTION paradigm used by not only presidential campaigns but by governments worldwide.

[racetoinfinity]

Hillary's "....throw­ing mud....lik­e the Republicans" retort to Edwards accusing her of being corrupt and serving big corporate interests (you know the guys who have taken over the country the last so many years along with the necon Exec. branch) was specious and calculatedly evasive.

The Rethuglicans are not, and will not accuse her of that. They are up to their NOSES in it, whist dear Hill is just up to her NECK in the "filth".

[Rubiconski]

Sen Clinton is an opportunist of the highest order. She is too busy projecting herself to be a CENTRIST. This has been THE tragedy of the democratic party. They want to prove that they are in the center.

One is either for the war or against it, approves torture or opposes it, balance the budget or keep the country in a hole. I could go on and on.

Sen Clinton indirectly is saying to Republicans, "My fellow Republicans, I am so much like you. Look at how I voted."

Republican's know that this is the weakness of the democrats and they are bound to exploit it in general election.

Hillary is unelectable.

[cariintexas]

huffblow, it''s not that the dems are afraid to go on fox. they just don't want rudolph guiliani to be in charge of the questions. by the way where are your brave republicans? are they afraid to come out and face all the american people at once? all they do is run around speaking to small groups, telling everyone something different

[sonofdy1]

How the hell will we get honest answers if the questions are all pre-approved, pre-digested pap from only frendly questioners? This goes for both parties. Again I say if they can't handle hostile reporters, how can they handle hostile forgien leaders? Where are the real leaders? So far none of the candidates are impressing me.

[gardengoddess]

Why oh why did Ted Turner ever agree to sell CNN? It was such a good media outlet while he was in control. Now? CNN is becoming FUX Jr!

[seamunky]

CNN MADE HER ask, what? did they hold a gun to her head?

[heath]

Do not learn to accept this as normal, because that is what is trying to happen here.

Many of us were outraged when dubya started selectively addressing we Americans, and then it kind of normalized. Now the Dems seem to think its okay to completely script their presence as well.

We need politicians who do not hesitate to throw down(debate-wise) with anyone who offers a proper challenge. Our leaders should be able to defend themselves in ANY context. Its very unfortunate that we are bred to expect much, much less.

[cognate]

The American political process has been turned into Kabuki theater. The candidates are preselected by moneyed special interest groups, some of which also own much of the mainstream media.
The candidates make obeisance to these groups months before the formal start of the campaign season. The promise to uphold the special interests, to the detriment of the country as a whole.

The flow of the debates is managed by this media.

Remember when Wolf Blitzer shouted ad nauseam "Would you bomb Iran" of the Republican candidates?

And yet there is hope because of the Internet and principled and brave politicians like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.

Let's put a stop to the charade.

[Rubiconski]

CNN = CLINTON NEWS NETWORK

WOLF BLITZER = FORMER AIPAC LOBBYIST

WELCOME TO THE JEWNITED STATES OF ISRAEL!