All I know is what I read in the newspapers. Last night I searched around the channels for the debate in a half-hearted way, because I have seen enough and heard enough politicking during this campaign to last a lifetime. I never found it. I thought that many of the stations would be carrying it, not just ABC, and I never touched down there. No great loss to me, because I would not have lasted through the entire debate anyway.
From the Guardian:
American television network ABC was accused of bias and triviality today in the wake of the latest debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
....
The network was also criticised for a perceived slant against Illinois senator Barack Obama, particularly because moderator George Stephanopoulos worked in President Bill Clinton's White House as an adviser and aide.
By mid-morning today, readers had left more than 12,300 comments on the ABC News website, most of them attacking the programme.
"This debate should have been shown on E! or MTV," wrote one viewer named Dave_Gee.
Wow! Folks are catching on to how really, really low the tee vee news media have sunk. They are all E! or MTV! As I was listening to the talking heads comment after the debate, I was thinking to myself, "How many ordinary voters on the street are even aware of the trivia that the moderators are pounding with such force?" I've seen snippets of the video, and Stephanopoulos and Gibson had some truly awful moments. They should be ashamed.
Editor and Publisher said:
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the health care and mortgage crises, the overall state of the economy and dozens of other pressing issues had to wait for their few moments in the sun as Obama was pressed to explain his recent "bitter" gaffe and relationship with Rev. Wright (seemingly a dead issue) and not wearing a flag pin while Clinton had to answer again for her Bosnia trip exaggerations.
"Bitter", the Rev. Wright, and A FLAG PIN! I weep. A FLAG PIN! And they gave that woman air time!
OK. Here's what I want. Clinton and Obama stop attacking each other RIGHT NOW, RIGHT THIS MINUTE! Tell us what you will do to begin to bring the country back from the seven years of pillage and destruction wrought by the Bush maladministration. Don't promise miracles, because the way back will be long and difficult. Tell us the truth. Begin to attack the disastrous policies of John McCain, for crying out loud. I didn't think it was possible to have a president worse than Bush, but I believe McCain could be just that. Only go into attack mode when you're talking about John McCain's plans for the country. Got it?
As for the tee vee media. I give up. The news shows are so far from the best of what we had in years past, that I doubt if there is a way back for them in my lifetime.
Preach it, Mimi.
ReplyDeleteMary Clara, thank you. I feel much better after writing that post.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts as well Meems.
ReplyDeleteLapel pin indeed.
Who cares?
Mimi,
ReplyDeleteI previously thought that a Democrat couldn't lose this year: Iraq, torture, failing economy, health care crisis,government spying, etc.
But that Hillary Clinton has changed my mind. She, and her chattering supporters(Bayh, Carville, Ferraro) make the Swift Boat defamers look like Mormons on mission.They have "eliticized" Obama, and I only regret that he didn't stick to his guns during Bittergate. I previously favored Obama, but said I'd vote for either Democrat vs. McWar. I'm so frustrated now that I think, for the first time ever, I'd sit-out a contest between Grandpa McCain and the amoral Sen. Clinton.Who cares what her positions are if she is a totally dreadful human being?
My daughter is a freshman in college in Bethlehem, PA, and newly registered to vote, so there will be at least one more Obama vote from non-urban Pennsylvania.
I will not watch ABC "news" again.
God's Peace.
I quit watching ABC and all the Disney channels back when they went ahead with that distorted and inaccurate "Path to 9/11."
ReplyDeleteMimi, you do great tirades. I hope they listen to you. If not, you may have to do more than give them a grandmotherly talking-to. Would hate to be on your bad side when the gris-gris gets goin' in the swamps.
Charlie Gibson sounded like he was angling for a job with the RNC. I also thought it was strange to have an ex-employee of a candidate's husband as a moderator. I'm tired of 'forums' posturing as 'debates' in any case.
ReplyDeleteWhat I understand to have happened was that another network did to Sen. Obama what MsNBC & NBC have been doing to Sen. Clinton since January.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm sick of trivialized campaign coverage and pretty disgusted with "all the above". Pointless campaigns seem to me to have begun with Nixon's Congressional campaigns and Reagen's Presidency, and I don't expect a sudden reversal of that any time soon.
I just want this to be over so I'll know which Dimocrat I must vote for this time.
Eileen, indeed!
ReplyDeleteI'm so frustrated now that I think, for the first time ever, I'd sit-out a contest between Grandpa McCain and the amoral Sen. Clinton.
John D, I hear you. I understand. But please, please don't sit it out.
Jim, from what I gather, there was no debate, not even anything approaching a debate. It was a farce.
Johnieb, yes, let's just have it over. And if we could find a way to have a shorter campaign period, that would be a boon to all of us. It's only April!
Paul, I may need to resort to gris-gris. Perhaps I should have done it way before now. It was the flag pin that did it.
Calling these events debates is like calling Mr. Nixon a saint. It is so far from reality that it does not even scare it.
ReplyDeleteI have long since stopped paying any attention to them.
FWIW
jimB
Instead of "close your eyes and think of England", it's "hold your nose and think of the Supreme Court". Vote Democratic No Matter What!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, the evening news on ABC was really weird. There were 140,000 sumthin' email, mostly complaining about the first 45 minutes of the 'debate' by the time evening 'news' came on. Gibson was reporting,but someone else told the story.
ReplyDeleteI'm ready for this to be over, too.
And that flag pin thing...FEH.
Preach, sista!
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned at Casa Caminante earlier today, I was in class so I didn't watch, and probably wouldn't have anyway. I was teaching Black Theology and Womanist Theology.
I did, however, watch Jon Stewart's take on the papal visit, and the abominable (fawning, superficial) media coverage of the papal visit.
But oh yes I am voting.
JimB, you have the right idea. Why do the moderators get to ask questions anyway? They're just grandstanding and showing off how well they play gotcha.
ReplyDeleteThe Supreme Court, yes, SusanKay, the Court!
Wow! 140,000 emails complaining. That's great!
Yo, Jane! Vote! Vote!
ME TOO!
ReplyDeleteRight on! If you want to vomit spend a little time watching the Fox News Channel. I get most of my news from the net and NPR. I fear the Dems will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like they did in '04.
ReplyDeleteLittle Church Guy, don't worry, I never watch Fox News. On the other hand, NPR is not what it used to be either. They now share at least one employee with Fox News - Juan Williams.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was "Faux News" not Fox News :-P
ReplyDeleteActually some of the news shows on Sunday morning are pretty good. SIR and i like to watch Chris Matthews, George Stephanopolous and the McLaughlin Group. He calls it "secular church"
60 minutes is still good.
But I have to concur ... doesn't seem like much news anymore only many channels of commentary.
I don't trust the press reports, either, especially about perceptions about these candidates, but I did manage to see enough of the debate to get how awful it was. My daughter and I were at a restaurant having a late dinner when I realized that the debate had already started so we finished and hurried back to the hotel to catch the debate (my recalling how in my youth the entire family used to watch debates and gavel-to-gavel coverage of political conventions during presidential election years). It wasn't simply the questions that were awful, it was the way that Hillary flat out refused to take the high road Obama kept paving for both of them. After her stupid talking points on the Rev. Wright "issue," the next round of questions were directed at her Bosnia gaffe, to which Obama handed her a pass on a silver platter, and then she soon brought up Obama's alleged ties to Farrakhan (sp?) and Hamas. I couldn't listen to it anymore after that and left the room to go have my nightly phone conversation with my husband (who was back home with the dog and blissfully ignoring the debate).
ReplyDeleteIf Hillary manages to steal the nomination from Obama, I, too, am seriously considering not voting or at least not voting for either the Democrat or Republican candidate. I do not believe Hilary will do much better than McCain in terms of ending the Iraqi war and, if elected, she will cause more damage to liberal-moderate political views and objectives in this country than anything else, including a McCain presidency. Yes, I worry deeply about the Supreme Court because the moderates are all just hanging on and need to retire soon, but I no longer view Hillary as acceptable at all.
[And this is the short version of my rant!]
RB, after his performance at the debate, I couldn't watch Stephanopoulas again. I'm afraid that I don't think highly of Chris Matthews, either. I used to watch "The McLaughlin Group", but not lately, so I don't know how they are now.
ReplyDeleteOne blogger described the round table on "Meet the Press" as "a poker game for mummies", which I heartily agree with.
Bill Moyers is the only one I can think of that I truly admire. I watch Keith Olbermann in the evenings, but the bosses make him cover so much fluff, that I usually drift away after 20 or 25 minutes.
Newspapers and the internet are my major sources of news.
Klady, thanks for your rant. "Tell us what you really think," comes to my mind and well as, "Don't hold back".
ReplyDeleteObama is acting as if he were already the candidate, which is very smart on his part. On the other hand, Clinton looks more and more desperate. I am impressed with Obama's ability to deflect the petty, low-road criticism, as he so graphically demonstrated in the video above.
Keep hammerin away at it Mimi!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw it was going to be Stephanopulos and Gibson, I said no way, and am glad I did. I concur heartily with the email to ABC that Paris Hilton could have done a better job of moderating.
To everyone, please vote!!! Hard to believe but McCain quite easily could turn out to be worse than George W.
Hi, Gerry from upstate NY. Welcome. I will keep hammering away. I can't help myself.
ReplyDeleteI will vote, and vote Democratic (Duh!) no matter what; the only question is how much bile I must choke back while thinking "the next Justice".
ReplyDeleteI watch and read very little directly about the campaigns, for health reasons, but I fail to see either side coming out clean in this. It's way too easy to claim purity with the left hand, and approve/ allow all kinds of evil with the right, especially in campaign appearances that are micro-managed and calibrated to the furthest possible extent. This applies to both, whether we want to acknowledge it of our candidate or not.
I feel somewhat lonely here, for I see no more virtue in Sen. Obama, and no less in Sen. Clinton, than in their counterpart. I do not expect much "change" of any sort no matter which of them wins. I believe we are all so desperate for anything positive that we pour our hopes into one or the other, which, to speak plainly, is damned foolishness.
Given the size and the tenacity of the evil we have swallowed under Dubya, and that none of the sorry criminal shits is going to the Hague in anyone's realistic expectation, I figure just to stop, or at least slow down the evil will be a major gain. And I see that happening, more or less effectively, with either candidate.
Done? Hell, I'm just warming up!
Johnieb, we must be guard against looking to any politician to be our savior. We must not expect miracles if a Democrat is elected, but only gradual improvements. We have sunk so low under the Bush maladministration, that the way back up will be long and hard.
ReplyDeleteNo one's hands are entirely clean on the Dem side, but I see in Clinton what looks like meanness to me that I don't like at all. If she is the nominee, I will vote for her, most surely. It's in her power to step away from the meanness now, and I wish that she would. I hear too many Democrats say that if she is the nominee, they will not vote for her under any circumstances. That worries me.
My 2 cents.