ZOMG! CNN let people other than Republicans ask questions during the debate last night! And some of them have even declared support for DHIMMOCRATS! Take it away, Michelle:
Update: More plant excavation…Abortion questioner is a declared Edwards’ supporter… and the Log Cabin Republican questioner is a declared Obama supporter…and lead toy questioner is a union activist for the John Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers.
Oh NOES!!!!!!!
Despite earlier stating that “the questions were almost all coherent and well-framed,” we now have a full fledged SCANDAL because not everyone who asked a question at the debate had taken the Virginia GOP Loyalty Oath!
Seriously- I can’t even parody these lunatics anymore. I’ll just leave you with this- it sure is fun watching the group that excoriated Hillary Clinton for planting friendly questioners in her appearances COMPLETELY freak out because CNN refused to make sure all the questioners in the debate last night were friendly to Republicans.
Although, if you think about it, I guess they have to bitch about the media. We all saw their candidates last night. I wouldn’t want to talk about them this morning, either. It makes complete sense that they have worked themselves into a lather about this latest “scandal.”
*** Update ***
And yes, this is the same Michelle Malkin who just the other day wrote the following (without a hint of self-awareness):
If it isn’t cartoons or Western fast-food joints or Valentine’s day cards or beauty pageants or books or speeches or Playboy magazines or soccer balls that have the Religion of Perpetual Outrage up in arms, it’s something else. It’s always something. You can never assuage the unassuageable. You can never anticipate what pretext they’ll use next to claim “insult” and demand submission. Today, it’s teddy bears. Yes, teddy bears.
From here on out, Michelle Malkin will be known as “Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage.” Think of her as a wingnut goddess.
fuddmain
It they can’t handle questions from Democrats, how can they handle the terrorists?
T. Scheisskopf
But! But! But! Didn’t Bill “Double Down on Hypocrisy” Bennett say, during the post-mortem, that the Gay Log Cabin Republican Brigadier General was a Hillary plant?
Lawdy, this is getting all too confusing.
Maybe he was a Hillary plant. And an Obama plant. Mabe he’s a…DOUBLE AGENT! (cue ominous music)
To the secret decoder rings! And drink Ovaltine!
KCinDC
I’d think people trying to decide between the various candidates would want to see how they hold up under hostile questioning. Isn’t that a better indication of their campaigning skills than how they answer softballs? Well, maybe not for Republicans, if they’re able to screen audiences and maintain the bubble sufficiently.
Dennis - SGMM
Hmmm, did any Republicans submit questions during the Dems’ CNN YouTube debate? Or were they just too modest, and justifiably so, about their party affiliation to mention it?
Seems the Repubs have have developed an absolute hatred of Free Speech.
Jen
It’s just bizarre, isn’t it? I can’t even wrap my mind around why in their minds it’s just not playing fair unless the questioners are Republicans. The election is for President of the United States, not President of the Wingnuts. You have to deal with all of us. I’m kind of stealing this analogy that I heard somewhere, but it really is like they’re the fainting ladies out of the 18th century, clutching their smelling salts or something.
4tehlulz
How 9/10 of you. Didn’t you know that 9/11 changed everything?
Cyrus
Well, they can’t waterboard Democrats.
cleek
this is, of course, a textbook example of an ad hominem attack. the questions were valid… right up until the wingnuts learned who asked them.
Psycheout
I’m pretty sure the Grover Norquist was posed by a Republican. But many of the rest, I’m not too sure about.
And of course the complaint is not that oh noes someone other than a Republican asked the question. How honest of you to portray it that way. It’s just that many of the questions were framed with liberal talking points.
The questions, and how they were posed and how they were framed and even the subject matter was liberal.
Where’s the questions from soldiers who support the war about not cutting and running? Where’s the questions from grateful Iraqi’s grateful to no longer be under the brutal oppression of Saddam? Where’s the questions from tearful children no longer allowed to pray to their G-d in school? Where’s the questions from grandmothers not allowed to hang Christmas decorations because of HUD rules that forbid religious expression?
Well, CNN wasn’t interested in that. Instead they were looking for weirdos waving the Bible like a scary piece of kryptonite, nutballs in love with their guns asking superficial questions, a question about the Confederate flag, for heaven’s sake! A question about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell by a man who CNN has interviewed before (back in 2003) and who worked for Kerry in 2004 and is part of Clinton’s steering committee now!
Doesn’t any of that strike you as just a little bit odd? Don’t any real Republicans have questions to ask? Yes, but CNN was more interested in fitting their own frame over the debate.
The Dems were too afraid to go on FoxNews. The Reps sack up and go on CNN and look what happens: ambushed by liberals posing as conservatives. How principled!
Perhaps the GOP should just boycott CNN from here on out. They’re obviously not interested in objectivity.
The Other Steve
Again, given the sampling of a few hundred of the 4,000+ questions that were submitted.
I think Grover Norquist was the only Republican smart enough to videotape himself.
cleek
it’s funny that wingnut are concerned about how the mix of questions reflects on the GOP as a whole. it’s as if they’ve never read any wingnut blogs or magazines, or listened to any wingnut talk radio.
it’s almost like they want to pretend their base isn’t a bunch of bible-thumping, gun-toting, flat-earthers, torture-lovin, racist, homophobes.
Jen
Yes, the GOP should boycott CNN because they didn’t get “questions” from soldiers about cutting and running. They didn’t get “questions” from Happy Iraqis, who might I mention are probably not voting in the American election. Question: Do you or do you not think that the Democrats are a bunch of p#*&#ies, would that be the “question”? “Just how awesome is Jesus?”, that could be another question.
Please add that to your list of things to boycott, with all the stores that say Happy Holidays, or doctors who treat Graeme Frost, or wherever you keep the Bible-sized list of crap you can’t handle on its own terms.
Y’all, help me flesh out the list of preferred questions for wingnuts and other stuff they should cripple the American economy by boycotting.
The Other Steve
Court TV is becoming True TV!
This is important news folks, the era of OJ Simpson is over!
Jim
Psycheout, you’re ignoring, perhaps deliberately, the main point. Until she knew the General was a Democrat, Michelle was very happy with how the debate was handled, she thought the questions were oh so very fair and intelligent. However, once she found out about Kelly, all of a sudden the spittle started flying from her mouth, and she sees all sorts of conspiracies (oddly, never addressing the question of whether or not the question asked by Kelly was unfair in any way shape or form). Give me a break. And she had the audacity to be whining about CNN as some liberal vanguard on Glenn Beck’s show this morning. Yes, that Glenn Beck, the conservative twit who happens to have a show on…CNN Headline News. What utter and complete assholes these people are.
Psycheout
Moe Lane:
Heh, indeed.
horatius
Man. People like PsycheOut are too stupid not to accidentally kill themselves mowing the lawn. So, I don’t think what he says deserves anything but the most condescending of chuckles.
Wilfred
I’ve seen and heard enough of these screamfests to immediately ask this question: “What is it that they don’t want people to talk about?”
My guess here it was the Bible question. That’s probably the most telling one of all, regardless of who made it.
The outrage is just narrative control.
Svensker
(Just by the by, that should be “where are the questions” — subject/very agreement.)
Crying child: I liked it when everyone in our public school was forced to pray. Now I can only bow my head and pray silently over my own little lunch sack. How long do I have to put up with this?
Grateful Iraqi: How come some mean Americans don’t want their kids to die so I can have the chance to be tortured by Shia militias instead of by Saddam?
Sweet fragile old grandmother: I usually get called a Welfare Queen by the Repubs, but now that HUD won’t let me put Christmas decorations in the hall, I’m their heroine. Will I go back to being a Welfare Queen after Christmas?
Are these (or should I say, is these) the questions you had in mind?
Psycheout
Henry Hyde has died. :-(
Evinfuilt
“Were you surprised how cool you are to the rest of us?”
– submitted by Psycheout for Youtube debate
Crazy C
Psycheout, you mean that guy wasn’t a perfect example of the republican base? He was specifically asking if the King James Version of the Bible is literally true – it’s the question the Jack Chick wing wanted asked, and it is the only thing they care about.
I really wanted a question of “Democrats: Ignorant Fools or Traitors”, but that probably wouldn’t have been a fair question, would it?
Jen
True, trying to use logic or reason on wingnuts is, well, it’s completely futile. You just have to hope that lawnmower prevents them from getting to the voting booth somehow. But it’s fun sometimes just to run with what they say, I mean the possibilities for mockery are just endless. It really only gets frustrating when they do such a good job of oblivious self-parodying, like pretending that gun-toters, Bible-thumpers, and Confederate-flag-wavers aren’t “real” Republicans instead of, um, their BASE.
Svensker, I like your questions!
Dracula
Malkin is HOTTTTT when she’s angry.
Tsulagi
Exactly. Then forget the question, or how as Michelle said Romney face planted on one, the real burning issue to focus on is what kind of countertops those questioners have.
To which the Sisters of Perpetual Victimhood always seek strength. Here’s one at RedState tearing up at how they were reamed by the retired gay one-star general…
Oh, poor dear, I hope he has an adequate supply of tissues. If not, hopefully his fellow sisters can pitch in.
You’re right, you just can’t parody these guys at the quality level they cluelessly and naturally provide by themselves.
Bombadil
Keep up the good work, Psycehout. Trying out your material here is a master-stroke. You have enough people here convinced you’re real, you’re almost ready to take your show on the road. Your note at 10:17 is one of your best.
theRisingJurist
It is a little disingenuous when those asking the question aren’t really interested in the answer. If they’ve already made up their mind, they’re really looking for more of a “Gotcha!” moment with their video.
But if the candidates are worth their salt, they should be able to field any questions with ease. Some did better than others in this regard last night (I’m looking at you Mitt, you stammering bottle of hair gel). Besides, many of those questions needed to be answered, and would never be asked by a Republican.
libarbarian
Its a real shame that you can’t tell the difference between “liberal bias” and “the absence of blatant right-wing bias”.
Question: “What kinds of rabid flesh-eating animals would you put in the moat on the Mexican side of the border fence?”
Question: “What legal penalties do you support for those who refuse to accept Jesus as our lord and savior?”
Question: “Why do you think Democrats hate America?”
Mike
The questions are still valid. For those of you with reading comprehension problems, the issue is that CNN failed to disclose the political leanings of the questioners.
What makes this issue so ironic and so funny is that the Democrats made the termination of their Fox News debate into a public spectacle centered around the notion that Fox News reporters were “biased” and would ask “unfair” questions. Yet the Republicans had no problem fielding questions from YouTube and CNN.
Now you tell me, which party has candidates more prepared to answer antagonizing questions?
chopper
Question: “Hi, I’m Jeff Gannon with Talon News…”
Jen
WHY is this something to DISCLOSE? These are voters! They are asking questions of political candidates who are trying to get people to vote for them! Because they are not going to vote for those political candidates they is a conflict of interest, or something secretive or scandalous that should be DISCLOSED? (Warning: the following video was made by a John Edwards supporter! *GASP*) If there isn’t anything unfair in the question, then there ISN’T ANYTHING UNFAIR ABOUT IT.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
Didn’t Mitt Romney refuse to commit to an upcoming FOX Debate because of their blatant support of Rudy Giuliani?
Dreggas
You know, I didn’t watch and from what I am gathering I am glad I didn’t but I kinda feel sorry for the people at CNN that had to filter these questions and select the ones for the debate. I mean really, is there enough bleach to wash away the imprints left on ones brain from this stuff?
cleek
what a load of crap. either the question stands on its own and lets the candidates tell us something interesting about themselves, or it doesn’t.
James F. Elliott
Where’s the questions from grandmothers not allowed to hang Christmas decorations because of HUD rules that forbid religious expression?
Wait… WHAT? Psycheout, are you off your meds?
Paul L.
Yet you praise for Glenn Greenwald for doing the same thing.
OxyCon
There’s only one reason why Stalkin Malkin and crew are attacking the CNN/Youtube debate, and that is because they saw how sh*tty the Repub candidates look and are trying to find cover for them.
It can’t be that the Repub candidates all suck so bad, there must be a conspiracy!
The Other Steve
My prediction: John McCain is going to be the Republican nominee.
RobR
Kinda hard to rock the YouTube without electricity…
The Other Steve
What’s this got to do with the Duke Lacrosse players?
Jen
Gosh, let’s see what Greenwald’s on about today…senators should disclose their lobbying ties to the telecom industry….Time should report things factually and accurately…yeah, that’s pretty much on par with the War on Thanksgiving and the War On Posters of Conservatives…
Tom Hilton
Does anyone recall the Gun Guy from the Democratic YouTube debate? I’m pretty sure he was a Republican.
Media Matters has a whole list of gotcha questions that were asked at the Democratic YouTube debate. Guess we need to track those folks down and figure out if they’re Republicans. It’s what Malkin would do.
KCinDC
James, he’s talking about a story from — wait for it — WorldNetDaily. Considering the source, I think I’d wait a bit before getting worked up about it.
Dreggas
Repeat out loud: I am we tod did, I am sofa king we tod did.
KCinDC
And this differs from questions from Tim Russert or Wolf Blitzer how?
Dreggas
It’s the
AmericanA-Malkin way.James F. Elliott
KCinDC, I kind of figured it was one of those chain email things. Guess I wasn’t far wrong. It was supposed to be a more sarcastically inflected “WHAT?”
Jen
By that logic, someone who is a Romney supporter who asks Giuliani a question is being disingenous.
Just because you aren’t going to vote for someone doesn’t mean you aren’t interested in the answer, and it doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out there who hasn’t made up their mind for whom that might be a useful question. If it’s a fair question, then it doesn’t matter who asks it. If it’s not a fair question, then a decent candidate should still be able to field it, and a talented one can field it to their advantage.
Cyrus
As others said, if the question is fair, who the questioner is doesn’t matter. But also, explain how you want this disclosed. I haven’t watched these YouTube debates, but aren’t they a matter of people posting videos in which they identify themselves however they choose? If so, there’s absolutely no way to find out if people are insufficiently loyal to the Republican Party. What do you want CNN to do, track down the IP addresses of questioners and see which candidates they have made contributions to? (Made contributions to and volunteered for and spoken in favor of in the past and…) Only accept questions from people who submit proof of membership in the Republican Party? What?
KCinDC
Cyrus, clearly questioners should preface their videos with a recitation of the Republican Party’s loyalty oath.
jcricket
No, it’s not almost like that. It’s exactly like that.
Republican success demands they maintain the illusion that Republicans represent “the common man”. Remember, actual Republican economic policies (for the last 30 years) screw over everyone but ultra-rich whities. Republican social policies are strictly designed for the right-wing white evangelicals (not even Mormons or Catholics need apply). If people start realizing this, Republicans is completely doomed.
So Republicans depend on the increasingly unsteady alliance between all the people you mentioned and, more importantly, “undecided and independents”. All those soccer moms, suburban or ex-urbanites, etc. aren’t going to vote for the “skull fuck a terrorist while giving the rich a free ride and fucking over the planet” party. It’s why Republicans speak in code all the time (coded racial appeals, biblical phrases, etc.).
If you look at the right-wing blogosphere as a “canary”, it appears the alliance isn’t holding anymore. That the crazies are demanding their “due” and the moderates, independents and undecided are being forced out of the party.
So, maybe secretly, the right-wing blogspheric bigwigs (Malkin, Glenn,e tc.), are desperately trying to blame other people in advance of a tidal-wave of electoral losses in 2008.
jcricket
This has been another episode of Logic 101 (the ad hominem fallacy edition). Republicans really need to pay more attention in college.
rawshark
Wingnuts are blaming everyone but the candidates because the candidates looked bad last night? Shocking!
Svensker
This goes back to my Great Idea — have everyone tattooed with their Party Registration Number, and have a giant gov’t database with that info tied into SSN#s, tax info, etc. That way, we’ll ALWAYS KNOW what liberal biases people who ask mean questions have. It would sure make the Free Speech Zones easier to control, and screening presidential speech audiences would be a snap. Candidates and politicians — not to mention Dear Leader III — would NEVER have to encounter an opinion that they didn’t already hold.
Jen
Well, if you can stomach the Malkin stuff, evidently the disloyalty was to be ferreted about by looking at everyone’s other YouTube videos. Yes, CNN was not just supposed to watch the videos submitted and pick some out, they needed to investigate and screen the submitters. Yes, that really does seem to be their position.
Jim Miller
I don’t want to spoil your party, but CNN has apologized for using General Kerr.
And it is not too hard to understand why they apologized — if you set aside your dislike of Malkin for a bit and think. Under the rules set by CNN, the questions were supposed to come from voters who were not associated with any of the campaigns. That would rule out Kerr, and perhaps several other questioners.
But perhaps you think that CNN should not follow its own rules, should not keep the promises it made to the Republican candidates. If so, I would be interested to read your argument on that question.
Danon
What are the odds that the gun-loving, rifle-cradler in the Democratic YouTube debate was NOT a Democratic voter?
But I guess someone could make the argument that in his case, CNN deliberately picked a non-Democratic voter who would appear insane to many people…whereas they picked a pleasant young woman to ask about abortion. On the other hand, gun owners (rightfully, in some cases) treat their guns like their babies…whereas, by definition, you really can’t hold that level of affection towards your abortion.
Danon
aw damn, someone already mentioned the gun lover.
Tom Hilton
Because they’re pathetic fucking wimps who quail at the very thought of a wingnut virtual mob coming after them.
pseudonymous in nc
You can’t win with these people. You get the sterotypical NRA member asking the stereotypical NRA question, but, um, the NRA actively encourages this kind of approach to Second Amendment issues. And, y’know, the GOP candidates lined up to kiss Wayne LaPierre’s rifle-butt and spout the usual platitudes at the NRA convention. Is OLOPO saying that there aren’t lots of Republicans who pet their semi-automatic rifles? Because I’ve met a fair few. Heck, I’ve shot targets with a few.
This is where Malkin’s faux-outrage falls down: you can’t complain about stereotyping when your base is so worn down that… well, that it drives away John and others like him.
I’d have preferred it if someone very much out of the NRA demographic — say, a young black guy — had asked about his right to pack heat in DC. Now that would have been an interesting intersection of ideology and personality. But if I were a young black man, I’d probably not want to YouTube myself with a gun, regardless of whether I possessed it legally.
It’s simple enough: you can’t say that CNN represented the GOP as a party of xenophobes, gun owners and Dixie-flag fetishists when, let’s face it, the candidates are generally courting — or at least, not pisssing off — xenophobes, gun owners and Dixie-flag fetishists.
Jen
Jim Miller. This is from Malkin, after she finds out about General Kerr. “I take back my compliment of CNN.” They have no issues with the questions. Then they find out some of them are not loyal Republicans. One of them, according to a six month old press release, was on some steering committee for Hillary’s campaign. THEN the high horse. So the issue is that CNN is violating its own policies now? The argument that if the question is valid, the questioner doesn’t matter just can’t be debated so this is all about CNN violating internal policies? It’s absolutely ludicrous.
I don’t give a damn if CNN follows its own rules, it’s their rules that they made up! I care whether it makes any damn difference whether they followed their rules — *was there anything unfair about the question? If there wasn’t anything unfair about the question, then it doesn’t freaking matter.*
horatius
Rules for questioning candidates. 3 minutes for answering. 1 and half minute rebuttals. What the fuck is this?
Anybody remember last elections debates? It’s such a travesty. Our leaders should be made to squirm in front of the public regardless of their affiliation. They get a free ride when they commit crimes anyway. Why should they be given any more comfort than they are already used to?
Bubblegum Tate
They can’t–too busy resisting the liberal indoctrination and holding affirmative action bake sales.
(: Tom :)
From here on out, Michelle Malkin will be known as “Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage.” Think of her as a wingnut goddess.
I believe either Kaye Grogan or Debbie Schlussel already hold that title. L’il Stalkin’ Malkin has been known as Our Lady of The Concentration Camps ever since her book justifying the american camps for the japanese in WWII came out.
Phoenix Woman
Here, John, have a drink. The bar is open. We’ve got single-malt, decent tequila, and lots and lots of gin. The limes are in the fridge.
CJ
I think you all know why CNN looks bad here.
It’s the age-old problem of debate questions constantly coming from the left, even when the debate is supposed to be helping right-of-center voters decide who to support in the primary.
They’re not “lunatics” for pointing this out. Keep in mind, the Democrats refused to even debate on Fox. Too biased. CNN’s credibility took a shot, and the left’s weak reaction, displayed here, isn’t helping.
pharniel
well, when it’s 3rd and forever you start trying out the gadget plays
John Cole
What if they blurred out the faces of every questioner and modifiedtheir voice so no one knew who the questioners were. Pretend they did. Which questions, without knowing who was asking them, were unfair? What questions should they have asked in their place. Feel free to use the list above:
there was nothing wrong with the
John Cole
What if they blurred out the faces of every questioner and modifiedtheir voice so no one knew who the questioners were. Pretend they did. Which questions, without knowing who was asking them, were unfair? What questions should they have asked in their place. Feel free to use the list above:
There was nothing wrong with the questions. Malkin, herself, thought they were good, until she found out WHO asked them.
You people are insane.
jcricket
I wonder if this explains the decline in the right-wing blogosphere’s abilities (see Ben Domenech for one great example). Too much home not enough schooling? Too much time burning books to read them?
You think, having seen that one twice before (McCarthyism, Republican claims about Vietnam) Democrats would learn. But I’m not getting my hopes up about that.
jcricket
Yep. Up is down. Black is white. Cognitive dissonance is the order of the day for conservatives who can’t get over the changing world.
You obviously were hiding the medication they gave out under your tongue or something, because you managed to avoid catching the crazies.
The only thing that lingers with you appears to be a residual Cindy-Sheehan aversion. Rest assured, you’ll post something like “Score one for Cindy Sheehan & Michael Moore” soon enough.
CJ
John Cole: “There was nothing wrong with the questions. Malkin, herself, thought they were good, until she found out WHO asked them. You people are insane.”
Alrighty then.
As I said, you all know CNN looks bad here. You all know that. Gays in the military? Yeah, Republican voters are really struggling with that one. Ask any GOP voter and that will be a top issue they would want to ask a candidate for president. Yup. You got me there. We’re insane.
Psycheout
When you start calling people names, you’ve already lost the argument, moonbat.
Oh, oops.
Mike
“Media Matters has a whole list of gotcha questions that were asked at the Democratic YouTube debate. Guess we need to track those folks down and figure out if they’re Republicans. It’s what Malkin would do.”
I wouldn’t worry about that Tom. If they were Republicans, HillaryMatters would have already flooded your mailbox with ACTION ALERTS!!!
“Under the rules set by CNN, the questions were supposed to come from voters who were not associated with any of the campaigns.”
Thank you Jim. My point exactly, and the reason why so many conservatives cried “foul”.
“If there wasn’t anything unfair about the question, then it doesn’t freaking matter.”
Okay Jen, I’ll keep my eye out for a rescheduled Fox News debate for the Democratic presidential candidates. After all, it doesn’t freaking matter, right?
shano
I think it would be interesting if they asked the same set of questions to both the Republican and Democratic candidates. (because we are having so many debates anyway this election cycle)
Did someone say gays in the military is not a GOP issue? sheesh. The GOP has been the leader in denying the GLBT groups any rights at all.
The military ‘let go’ 30 military personel who were ARAB TRANSLATORS. A much needed skill these days in the military. Yea, the question was very important.
TenguPhule
We have to put up with retarded Russert, Mike.
We have to put up with questions about diamonds or pearls.
Why are you complaining? Your nuts get the good questions.
The Democrats get the nut questions asked by very serious people who are a bunch of fucking prom queens squealing about ‘Teh Clenis’.
chazaroo
I assume we all realize these pathetic, racist, intolerant, xenophobe, homophobe, paranoic, assholes are losers. However, they are wounded animals (rabid dogs comes to mind), and are very desperate, they need constant surrveilance, grab them by the nose and kick their disgusting asses out of our country.
chazaroo
How about, Mr. Huckabee (or any of these religous pimps) “We all know Jesus was murdered by the existing authorities, and died temporalarily, and now he is alive, what would he think of capital punishment today?”
chazaroo
I think Jesus would say, “As long as we kill niggers, spics, dotheads, and camel jokeys and forgive christians, it’s okay with me.”
chazaroo
Or maybe the political Jesus would say “You want to make an omelet, ya gotta break a few eggs.”