Critic: ABC "Clear Loser" Of Pennsylvania Debate

Washington Post:

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

For the first 52 minutes of the two-hour, commercial-crammed show, Gibson and Stephanopoulos dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer news. Some were barely news to begin with.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[JonGee]

Gibson and Stephanopoulos are guilty of the worst kind of pseudo-journalism. Rather than serve as surrogates for the American people, they played the roles of right-wing pit bulls.
Think about it, more time was spent on the discussion of why Obama chooses not to wear a lapel pin flag than was spent discussing the price of oil or the state of our schools. Of course, Obama’s response to the flag pin question was nothing short of brilliant:

“This is the kind of manufactured issue...distracts us from what should be my job when I’m commander in chief, which is going to be figuring out how we get our troops out of Iraq and how we actually make our economy better for the American people.”

The questioning was designed to paint Barack Obama as a closeted radical who not only hates America and white people, but every acquaintance he’s ever had despises America.

The implication, of course, is that with a president like Barack Obama, white people would be wise to pack up their belongings and move to Canada.

The live audience was smart enough to ring down a chorus of boos on the hosts, especially Gibson.

Gibson’s reply: ”The crowd is turning on me. The crowd is turning on me.”

Of course, he was saying it was a huge smile on his face as if it were some kind of enormous joke.

In fact, that’s exactly what it was.
blogezine.com

[bluelovingit]

Where was Hillary's Lapel Pin??? Not that it mattered 8 times the cameras panned to Chelsea Clinton what a fixed attempt to distract voters. Hillary continues to think we are not paying attention.

[scristanti]

you are so right, why was the camera always going to chelsea, that was so obvious, and I also thought when they asked that question about the lapel question, where is hillary's, she can wear one just as well as he. this was definately a debate for hillary, stephonopolous I heard was on sean hannity's radio show and hannity told him what to ask, and steph. said he was taking notes, and we all know hannity has been going after obama with a vegeance. I think obama needs to fight harder, this was said on morning joe on msnbc by russert or chris matthews, they said hillary is good for going after the kill fighting dirty, where obama wants to get away from that kind of politics, but then he may lose if he does not fight back. clearly abc is in the tank for hillary, shame on gibson and stephonopolous!!!!!

[sherbug]

That is my question. Why doesn't Hillary have to wear a lapel pin? Why didn't Gibson have on a lapel pin? Why don't we all have on lapel pins? This patriotic b.s. is merely a distraction. If they can paint you as a big bad left of liberal, terrorist loving, white flag waiving, Jew hating, nose in the air elitist, then you're finished. Meanwhile, our country is owned by Communist China and Bill Clinton and Mark Penn are back slapping with the Columbians on this CAFTA deal so we will have yet another foreign country with a more than passing interest in our economy.

The real elite don't want that disturbed and they fear Obama would be the ants at the picnic. So they decided to gang bang him at this so called debate just before the election.

[NoMoreDrama]

I think Obama's association with Kevin Bacon and elitist hollywood values needs to be explored some more before it erupts in the General Election. Also Clinton's ties to Kevin Bacon and his crappy band need to be exposed as the threat to our nation that it is. And McCain can't claim immunity on the national security crisis that is Kevin Bacon's relationship with him, Cindy and his entire campaign. The media really needs to get to the bottom of the Global Hollywood Elitist Caliphate that Kevin Bacon and his legion of 6 billion associates want to impose on the U.S. I predict, that the General Election will be won or lost, depending on what REALLY is in Kevin Bacon's trash. Be afraid.

[willo]

They can't be blamed, they were just following orders. You have to realize, that if they asked any real questions or got any real answers from the candidates, they would all be without jobs or worse..

[DesertLight]

If their ratings continue to go in the direction they are right now, they won't have a job anyway. So, what is the difference?

[FogBelter]

It didn't work at Nuremberg, it won't work here.

[Justtellthetruth]

If I simply said "Hannopolous and "Pin head" would it adequately sum things up?

[toby25]

ABC did an excellent job with the debates. Maybe the bling faith filled Obama followers want to keep having Wolf Blitzer and Chris Matthews look lovingly into Obama's eyes and ask him softball questions. This was the best debate yet. They asked both Obama and Clinton tough questions that are on many voters minds.

[NC4Obama]

maybe on the minds of voters with mental issues.

[tompoe]

Why would anyone participate in a national election debate hosted by a network that does not permit free distribution for all to discuss and share? They think they're maximizing profits? This is not about money for private pockets. It's about electing our government representatives. Obama and Clinton need to be reminded that there's some of us in the middle of the cornfields in Iowa that can't get ABC channels clearly.

[Fleisch]

Actually, I have no faith whatsoever in bling. I don't really care for ostentatious jewelry at all.

[Jocalo]

hee hee hee

[Syco]

So a debate with meaningless question is good by your definition?

[maggieb]

Syco, so a debate that puts your boy on the defensive, is a bad debate? Obama had his balls handed to him, about time.

[2351]

I can see why you say that it was the best debate. This has to mean that you weren't looking for anything intellectual. You would have been better off reading the national enquirer. There was nothing intellectual about that debate and then you had George S. repeating some dialogue that he got from a racist, Sean Hannity. ABC should fire George S for allowing Sean Hannity to interject his trash into the debate.

[Sportswoman]

I have already voiced my displeasure with ABC. I believe the DNC should sue for fraud. That was no debate or I'm Denzel washington.
Here are numbers to call:
ABC
212-456-5800
818-460-7477
George Stephanopolous
212-458-7777
(probably already disconnected)

[DesertLight]

Can anyone summarize anything the Obama said? Talk about double-talk. How about his tax plan? he started out with taxing everyone over 75K then after Hillary got through raising the bar, he changed it to 200K. This guy is scary.

[srtjsrtj]

Thes two yahoos should be fired by ABC and ABC should apologize to the American public for insulting our intelligence. These two were insulting always cutting Sen. Obama off in the middle of a response and only ask him negative questions. No Columbia, No consulting for China's internet group as reported by the Untied Press International regarding Chinese Censorship, no $109M while calling Sen. Obama an Elitist, and even Hillary herself acknowledged her Significant Baggage but no one asked any questions about the SIGNIFICANT Baggage that ALL AMERICA knows Sen. Clinton carries and for some crazy reason she actually thinks the Republicans are not going to use it against her before she get out of the blocks. What a dreamer. VETTED< yes she is and for all the wrong reasons.

[DesertLight]

Yeah, it looked strangely like the nonsense that the Republicans get from the MSM during their debates. Trivial issues in order to minimize and chance they would have. How does it feel?

[Pharos]

It's interesting that I agree the questions were rather poor, but I have no interest in any of the questions you suggested. I interested in specifics on the economy and health care. I'm not even interested in Iraq because they both have similar plans and the details would change once they got into office.

[srtjsrtj]

Actually Sen. Clinton was the one unfamiliar with her own husband's colition set up to handled the social security problem she had no idea that they raised the retirement age and employer taxes, amazingly she chose to go to break rather than respond. Interesting. She apparently thought that Sen. Obama was not aware of the President Clinton pardon for the two "under ground folk" or she would not have been throwing stones about someone who lived in sen. obama's neighbors and did something wrong when Sen. Obama was 8 years old. Sen. Obama can't talk to anyone, and hes' blamed for someone's actions when he was just a little bot 8 yrs old. This kind of media coverage is just out of line and we the American people will not accept it. ABC is not better than the ENquirer. Perhaps these two yahoos should stick to what they know best and it's not moderating a debate.

[Kansas Evans]

I think I can answer your question and alleviate your fear.

Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts lapse on people making for than $200-250K.
He wants no taxes on seniors making $50K or less.
He willing to consider raising the pay roll tax cap to keep Social Security solvent.

I guess you're talking about the idea of no taxes for families making $75K or less. But, "he started out with taxing everyone over 75K," then said he'd let the Bush tax cuts lapse on poeple making more than $200-250K. So, there's no double talk. There's paying NO taxes ($75K or less), paying SOME taxes ($75K - $199K), than paying SOME MORE (more than $200K). It's a progressive tax plan.

I hope I made sense.

[Fabienne]

Kansas Evans, you probably made too much sense for the Clinton supporters. Expect them to ignore what you've written as they don't like facts.

[SShaw490]

ABC has become the TMZ of network "news".

[rich3324]

Ouch! Don't sugar coat it Tom, what did you really think of ABC debate?

[bilbob]

I think people have forgotten what the previous debates were like. This was just more of the same inane and trivial waste of airtime.

[DesertLight]

I didn't forget and you got that right. The only clear winner last night was McCain. The loser was clearly George Bush.

[DesertLight]

Did anyone really expect anything more from ABC than what they provided?

[vincealy]

George Stephanopoulos, a former member of the Clinton White House was despicable. It shows the lack of ethics that must have been required to work in the Clinton White House. The tone and substance of the questions so biased. Slanted question after slanted question to Obama . George 's girl Hillary let off the hook on Bosnia , no tape of the events no tape of her comments no follow up. No question about the money Hillary and Bill pocketed supporting the Columbia trade deal. Sen . Obama has been compared to JFK last night Stephanopoulos sought to destroy the character of Sen. Obama . ABC and Disney sham on you

[kaypic]

What a farce!! Why is everyone so woried about Obama not wearing a flag pin. As Hillary wears nothing but pants, why not ask her, where the heck is her flag pin!!! I have voted for Obama from day one that he ran in my state of Illinois and god willing he will be our next president. OBAMA/08

[2351]

This whole thing about the lapel pin is such a silly issue. It is not what one wears that says who they are as a person, it is about what is on the inside. That lapel pin thing is so childish and shallow. It is sad that such shallow issues have a place in something this important. It is definitely "silly season". Anyone that would vote on a candidate based on whether or not they wear a lapel pin indicate some kind of disconnect. This is just pure shallow thinking and will be a shallow vote.

[marignymitch]

I wrote a flaming e-mail to ABC just minutes after the spectacle went off the air. I recommend doing the same. It probably won't change campaign reporting a jot, but I felt better afterward. The future (if any) of this country is at stake and the mods are focusing on Bosnian tarmacs and lapel pins. Irresponsible and embarrassing!

[Durango]

Contrast that despicable performance with Jon Stewar'ts interview of the former Justice Department lawyer Tuesday night.

Stewart has more intelligence and class than all of the news personalities combined. And funnier to boot.

Why are hacks like Gibson and Stephanopolis allowed to stay employed? What other job could you show full scale incompetence and remain on the payroll?

What is WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY??

Land of Lincoln and Washington and Jefferson MY ASS!!!

[Hotshortie]

I think they should have to take a test and then be on Jeopardy!!!

That would eliminated GW Bush from running!!!

LOL
Land of Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson MY ASS!!! LOL