Debate moderators announced! Hooray! Charles Gibson isn’t one of them
August 5th, 2008 at 11:56am Pat Cunningham
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Jim Lehrer (above), Gwen Ifill, Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer have been NAMED respective moderators of the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates.
Well, at least the mix doesn’t include the insufferable likes of Charles Gibson or Chris Matthews.
Still, the debates would be much better if the candidates would simply square-off against each other, set their own agendas and ask questions themselves. A moderator would be needed only to make introductions and perhaps break up the clinches.
That way, we could better judge the abilities of the candidates to handle themselves in frank exchanges.
But, no. Show-business sensibilities must be observed.
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10 Comments Add your own
1. Menlp Bob | August 5th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Yeah, we wouldn’t want any difficult questions would we.
2. Milton Waddams | August 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
The problem with using media personalities is that the questions they ask are about what they report on. Focus on real issues affecting Americans, not popularity type stuff.
3. Orlando Clay | August 5th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
WHHAAAAATTTT? No moderators from the “fair and balanced” pool of “talent” at the Bush Propaganda Ministry (aka Fox News)?
4. Pat Cunningham | August 5th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Bob: Difficult questions are fine. It’s stupid questions we can do without, like stuff about flag pins and crap like that. But apparently, that kind of thing appeals to you. You seem to have admired Gibson’s riduculous performance during one of the Democratic debates, when it took him and little Georgie 40 minutes to get around to questions on the real issues.
5. Kaus | August 5th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Did you notice however, that Obama started wearing his flag pin after that episode….apparently that question had an impact.
The flag pin must have brought some common sense to ‘Bama…he started believing in off shore oil drilling, and a softer stance on a time line for Iraq. Besides, Rev. Wright would never be caught dead wearing a flag pin.
6. Pat Cunningham | August 5th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Kaus: You keep on riding that Rev. Wright hobby-horse, if it amuses you, which apparently it does. Meanwhile, we grown-ups will move on to issues that actually matter to Americans who face bigger problems than the question of who wears flag-pins and who doesn’t. By the way, how goes your never-ending campaign against Marxists? Have you spotted any under your bed lately?
7. Mike Carroll | August 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Jim Lehrer (PBS) Gwen Ifill(PBS), Tom Brokaw (NBC) and Bob Schieffer (CBS). Now that was thinking outside the box.Lets get 4 representatives of the MSM. They are always so even handed and fair.
Tongue planted firmly in cheek.
8. Menlo Bob | August 5th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Of course you define stupid questions differently than most. For you it was stupid because it made Obama look stupid.
9. Pat Cunningham | August 5th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
No, Bob. The questions made Gibson and Stephanopoulos look stupid. In no other debate was the morning-after reaction from even independent news media so negative. Do you even remember this debate? Charlie and George spent the better part of the first hour belaboring irrelevant crap, but they never found time for any questions on health care, the environment, federal spending, Iran or various other issues of true importance to the American people. Nobody wants a debate in which the questions are all softballs, but should anybody want one in which the questions are tantamount to this: Yes or no, do you still beat your wife? I suppose you’d like a question posed to Obama about terrorist fist-bumps. Or whether he loves America as much as you do? Or whether he’s really a Christian. Meanwhile, the rest of us want questions about stuff that affects our daily lives. And Charlie Gibson has demonstrated that he isn’t up to the job.
10. Menlo Bob | August 6th, 2008 at 10:09 am
The Democrats have demonstrated that they fear tough questions and signal a belief that they approve of their debate moderators intention not to test them. Why else refuse to accept a debate on Fox News.
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