Howie Kurtz is on the job, offering his vapid observation that there is a controversy a-swirlin’, and the Malkin Brigade has upped the ante, as they are now outraged that one of the questioners was a FORMER CAIR intern. Apparently, in order to ask a Republican candidate a question, not only must your current occupation and allegiances pass the Malkin test, but your past affiliations as well.
Meanwhile, the rabble at CNN respond:
CNN also aired questions from supporters of Democratic candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama.
And that’s fine by the network, which is standing by its question selection process and lashing out at critics who say the debate demonstrated CNN’s liberal bias.
“We’re focused on the questions, not the questioners,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s political director.
“There were 5,000 questions sent in and we wanted to have the best questions. I think we found them,” he said, pointing out that the estimated 4.9 million viewers made it the most-watched presidential primary debate in cable history.
CNN’s decision to focus on the question, and not the questioner, makes me wonder if they have an anti-Latin bias, what with their outright rejection of argumentum ad hominem. It probably is pointless to note that Michelle initially had no problem with the questions, as she stated that “the questions were almost all coherent and well-framed.” Good questions clearly take a backseat to fake outrage.
And finally, the deep thinkers at Red State are demanding a do-over, complete with a virtual petition from the entire editorship:
1) Republican candidates for President should boycott CNN.
2) Republican viewers should boycott CNN until they fire Sam Feist, their political director; and David Bohrman, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of the debate.
3) One or more of the Republican candidates should demand a do over wherein we can have a substantive debate about substantive issues that exclude CNN’s agenda, which is clearly out of touch with the Republican party, and the drivel we saw from YouTube.
Though it is rare we take this additional step from a Directors post, we the undersigned contributors want to make sure our names are attached hereto:
{a long list of Red State Editors who you probably don’t know because they banned you from commenting the first time you went there and you said to hell with them and never went back}
It is always exciting to attach your name to calls for someone else’s job, especially when they have done nothing wrong. I salute the brave patriots at Red State for this act of courage. When Democrats and former CAIR interns are allowed to ask 4 of approximately 30 questions, it is a clear sign that there is something deeply flawed with the system. Someone needs to be fired for this outrage.
At any rate, we agree with one point being made by Red State- there should be a do-over. We suggest the rational network for this would be Pat Robertson’s CBN, and we suggest that it should be held at the only place a Republican can really feel safe these days- Guantanamo Bay (if Gitmo doesn’t work out, there is always Baghdad! After all, it is safer than Detroit.) . Those who wish to attend in the studio audience will be required to bring their voter registration card, sign a loyalty oath, and bring some proof of past commitment to the cause- a Peace Through Strength button from the 80’s, a highlighted copy of a Coulter text, Confederate Flag underwear, etc. Additionally, CBN can engage in a vigorous vetting of the candidate, and only quality questions from good honest Republicans will be asked. Questions like:
1.) Hillary, Satan, and Osama bin Laden are standing in front of you, and you only have one bullet. Who do you shoot?
2.) President Bush- great President, or Best President EVER.
I really think Red State is on to something, and feel free to help out with potential questions.
*** Update ***
3.) “Why do your Democratic counterparts insist on debasing the political process with crude insults? Please confine your answer to one candidate only—Hitlery Clinton, Barack Osama, or the Breck Girl?”
4.) When engaging in extramarital gay sex, do you have to wear a wetsuit? Two?
5.) “They’re both all-powerful deities, but who would win a fight between Ronald Reagan and Jesus Christ?”
*** Update ***
Red State and Human Events are moving the ball forward:
RedState and Human Events are happy to combine forces and offer the following.
We have a base of readers who represent the Republican wing of the Republican Party. You – and the Republican Party – deserve to face the questions posed by undecided Republicans, not Democratic activists. We will solicit and obtain YouTube videos from those people and vet each questioner to establish that they are – really – – undecided Republicans. We hope to include soldiers in the field in Iraq, Young Republicans, and others who still have not decided among you.
WOO! I hope they use some of our questions.
Egilsson
{a long list of Red State Editors who you probably don’t know because they banned you from commenting the first time you went there and you said to hell with them and never went back}
That’s exactly what happened to me! Man, that’s eerie…
They really are a weak-kneed bunch. Puffed with venom, hate and outrage, I don’t think there’s anything else under that plummage.
TR
“They’re both all-powerful deities, but who would win a fight between Ronald Reagan and Jesus Christ?”
TR
“Why do your Democratic counterparts insist on debasing the political process with crude insults? Please confine your answer to one candidate only — Hitlery Clinton, Barack Osama, or the Breck Girl?”
SpotWeld
Just out of curiosity, has anyone spotted any commetns that the appearance of apparently left-leaning questions might represent a dearth of quality submitted questions by those who are more on the right side of the politcal spectrum.
Also… um, was there this much analysis of the questioners of the Democratic YouTube debate? I’ll admit I may have let it go over my head.
Tom Shipley
“It probably is pointless to note that Michelle initially had no problem with the questions, as she stated that “the questions were almost all coherent and well-framed.”
That’s the funniest thing about this whole “controversy.” Initial reaction was that the debate went well and the questions were good. But then the red meat of a liberal media conspiracy was thrown the righty bloggers way, and they go into a frenzy without really looking at the reality of the situation — all the while, completely ignoring the substance of the debate (which, initially, they liked).
They regularly call these questioners plants, when there’s absolutely zero proof that these people are plants. They say CNN is bias against conservatives, when there’s zero proof that the vetting process for the questioners was any different than for the Democratic YouTube debate.
They just can’t help themselves when it comes to a good media bias conspiracy, facts be damned!
4tehlulz
Maybe this can be a rare moment of unity across the ideological spectrum. Both parties can boycott CNN — it’d be fun to see what happens to it.
The Briscoe Kid
There were complaints about one audience submitted question, but it was a completely cheeseball question that never should’ve been asked — a question about whether or not Hillary preferred diamonds or pearls.
The Other Steve
Redstate is funny this week. They’re in full meltdown mode.
No comments, but lot’s of posts.
Punchy
Shorter Red State: Even though Democrats make up 50% (or more) of the population, they should have 0% involvment in choosing the new President. Only Republicans and Republicans only can have any say in electing our new leader; anything short of that is clearly liberal bias.
demimondian
Before the debate, the Kossacks were going apeshit, thinking that CNN was going to water down the questions because of the complaints about gotchas during the Democratic debate. There certainly weren’t any gotchas — but, man, that was even worse.
I sometimes wonder if the reason for the media’s double standard about Dems is trust. They know we try to do our best, so they feel betrayed whenever we fail. By contrast, they know the Republican Party has become the party of bad faith, and they just accept that. Obviously, the Republicans are more than happy to keep that fact quiet, too.
chopper
my god, every day the right wing of the blog world gets more and more retarded.
4jkb4ia
A CAIR intern! Never!
Ironically, Rudy did a good job with that question within the limits of his world view. I would like to see Hillary asked that question.
John Cole
Silly moonbat. The question and answer don’t matter. what matters is WHO ASKED THE QUESTION.
Sheesh.
jenniebee
I really don’t understand what they’re complaining about. Nobody asked Rudy whether he prefers pearls or diamonds.
Jen
I have no idea how CNN will financially survive the impact of a RedState boycott….okay, I got nowhere to go with this. Let’s just say it is kind of like me hoping that Wal-Mart notices I don’t shop there.
Okay, here are my questions:
Currently, 36 states have a town named Clinton. In addition to Reagan and Bush, is there anyone else those towns should be renamed for?
Do you believe that global warming does not exist, or that it is good for us because fewer people will die of cold?
Which do you think helps our troops in Iraq more, a flag sticker or a magnetic yellow ribbon?
Dennis - SGMM
It’s passing strange to me to that it only took two terms of George Bush to institutionalize Republicans’ perceived right to softball questions from sycophantic audiences. Though they worship toughness they turn into shrieking schoolgirls at the thought that a Democrat’s question had actually been asked.
Other than “Have you stopped beating your wife?” there are no gotcha’ questions. Maybe the fact that their leading candidates have completely reversed their positions on most important issues has something to do with Repub sensitivity.
Do the Republicans actually believe that Vladimir Putin, Hu Jintao, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are going to treat them as gently? The first summit conference would likely end with the Republican President fleeing the room in tears because they were mean to him.
Jen
By the way, did you notice the Iraq-war-style shifting rationales for the outrage?
They were not Republicans! (Uh, so what, was there something wrong with the questions?)
But they didn’t disclose that they weren’t Republicans! (What’s to disclose, it wasn’t a requirement that they be Republican?)
But one of them was sort of affiliated with a campaign and that contradicted CNN’s own internal rules for the debate! (So, did that affect the question at all?)
But it just isn’t *fair* to make us talk to gay generals, you *know* how we feel about that, haven’t you seen the conservapedia page views?
4jkb4ia
I have a good Republican question.
How much do you think the USA should rely on Abu Mazen?
jenniebee
The political atmosphere has sadly become highly partisan of late. What do you do to stay strong in the face of constant, baseless Democratic venom?
Many liberals do not seem to be aware of how serious the threat of terrorism is to America. What would you do as President to bring the reality of the terrorist threat home to them?
Agaric
Ha! A do-over of a political debate? That’s like staging a do-over of a lottery drawing using the same winning numbers, but letting people change their choices on their cards.
Ugh
I love how the idiots at Redstate “want to make sure our names are attached hereto” and then the names include “Mark I.” and “streiff” and “blackhedd”, etc., which, you know, really add weight.
“Oh noes, ‘streiff’ appended his ‘name’ to a post, me surrender!”
gypsy howell
Hey now. No need to insult us former schoolgirls. Those are all grown men up there. Men with no balls, to be sure. But men nevertheless. Don’t foist them on us girls. We got enough problems.
caustics
Golly. Check out Jeff “Cole is a homophobe” Emanuel’s humorous poke at global AIDS victims. And they say wingnuts can’t do “teh funny”.
Cyrus
Trick question. A Republican who only has one bullet?
gypsy howell
Ick. One of them actually calls himself ‘blackhedd?’
Breyer
An editorial for the conservative Manchester(NH) Union Leader basically parroted the Malkin talking points, but the 2nd to last paragraph mentioned something interesting.
In other words, it’s OK if Republican plants sneak through a debate and asks a hostile question…it’s hard work! But if a librul sneaks through and asks a legitimate question, well that’s just laziness.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Clinton+News+Network%3a+CNN%27s+failure+to+disclose&articleId=4b900239-c51a-4abf-bdc3-ad8085245472
tBone
Fixed.
Questions:
1. The Democrat plan for immigration would allow thousands of gay Mexicans to stream across the border, get married in Massachussetts, and then detonate backpack nukes in the Heartland. Do you support or oppose this plan?
2. You are locked in a building where the power has gone out. In one room is a freezer full of imperiled snowflake babies. In the other room is a suspected terrorist. Your only tools are a car battery and a paper clip. Please describe how you would aggressively interrogate the terrorist while simultaneously restoring power to the freezer.
3. Do you or do you not support a constitutional amendment that would empower citizen journalists to inspect the countertops of suspected dissidents?
4. Do you think George W. Bush is the living embodiment of Christ, or merely the vessel for His Word?
libarbarian
The Republican party supports the surge!
The Republican party has always supported the surge!
Seriously, I had almost forgotten about that pile of horseshit they tried shoveling right up till they completely changed their mind, decided the insurgency was a serious problem, embraced the SuRgE, and wiped their mind of three years of blatant denial!
Ugh
Upon reading the Redstate post again, I move that the site be removed from the “mock” list and be placed in its own special category for abject stupidity and wrongness.
Not the Senator
The LA Times went back and took a look at the Democratic YouTube Debate and lo and behold, many of the questions were submitted by conservative “Plants”:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-youtube30nov30,1,6572347.story
I know it’s hard for folks on the Right to support free speech, just look at 7 years of Bush’s staged events that they had no trouble with, but maybe we should just expect our politicians of all stripes to be prepared to answer all legitimate questions.
Is there a problem with that?
Dreggas
I was thinking the same thing. 5000 questions and these were the best, the rest must have been from lunatics.
Dreggas
well shoot that’s easy, I’d hook the terrorist up with the paper clip run through his nose to the battery and using him as the conduit plug the freezer into his ass.
Pb
Wolf Blitzer worked for AIPAC. Yawn.
Notorious P.A.T.
{a long list of Red State Editors who you probably don’t know because they banned you from commenting the first time you went there and you said to hell with them and never went back}
John, you rule.
Fledermaus
This is obviously a trick question since the true republican answer is that “George W Bush is the bestest, greatest, most awesomest person to ever walk the face of the earth in all of history.”
Craig
These comments are funny since, if you are truthful with yourselves, you know the demo-blogosphere would be up in arms if people with Republican Party ties were exposed as “plants” after asking questions during a Demo debate!
It’s a partisan political blogosphere. We just live in it.
mitch
a long list of Red State Editors who you probably don’t know because they banned you from commenting the first time you went there and you said to hell with them and never went back}
Exactly what happened to me, too.
Pb
Craig,
See above. CNN already did it, the left yawned, you’re still a moron.
Svensker
How about these questions that were asked at the Dem debate: Will Democrats raise taxes like they always do? and My gun is my baby — will you try to take it away?
Those didn’t sound like your typical Dem questioner, but I don’t remember any outrage at all from Dems over those questions.
Face it — the Repubs have become like Rudy in Drag: fascists on the inside, frilly fainters on the outside. (Or is it the opposite? Hmmmm.)
Why am I soooooooo streeeeeeettttcccccchhhhhyyyyy?????
Dreggas
Why not start a new site john just call it “Banned State”?
mitch
Hey Craig, you’re right, let’s imagine if that actually happened. Guess we just had the decency not to break out the WAAAAHmbulance.
mitch
Sorry, busted link. Here you go.
You guys are seriously caricatures of yourselves.
Snarkilicious
Spelling fixed.
Chuck T
I really don’t get the whole issue here. We have primary debates wherein the whole damn country, Republican and Democrat, gets to watch these hopefuls answer questions that are going to damn well matter later (well, except the jewelry stuff. Last time I checked, the office didn’t come with shiny trinkets), because hell, sometimes, people CHANGE THEIR FUCKING AFFILIATION.
So, if a registered Democrat hears a bunch of stuff they like from one of the Republicans, and wants more info, they submit a question to this debate in the hopes that it changes their mind or keeps them in their party…. and people are pissed about this? Participatory democracy and involvement in government is making someone throw a hissy fit because they don’t like where the questions came from?
Fucking hell. In the words of Milk & Cheese: “Sometimes I wish I had a baseball bat the size of Rhode Island so I could beat the shit out of this stupid-ass planet.”
Jen
I have a job and kids and my video camera is busted, but if anyone wants to make video questions to submit, you may have my questions, royalty-free, owning all copyright thereto, and make that video with my encouragement and blessing. Really.
Tax Analyst
John, you’re really rolling today. Your thread post had me in hysterics from the very first question.
Seriously, the only way a rational person can deal with the Republicans these days is this type of ridicule. No matter how absurd and/or idiotic they act they go absolutely apeshit when someone points that out to them and insist they are being persecuted by some incredible “Lib’rul Media” conspiracy.
Anyone who merely points out that they have an inch-and-a-half of that condom-wrapped dildo sticking out of the ass end of their wetsuit is biased and unfair…even if you’re not saying that there’s anything wrong with it.
I mean, some of those things are REALLY big. It can’t be easy.
Tsulagi
Whoa, someone above needs to stay over in link class. Okay, here’s another burning question for the RedState Do-Over that would be of interest to younger Republicans…
Young Republican Chairmen. Should they be required to waken sleeping fellow YRs asking permission before fellating them, or do they have authority to seize opportunity?
andante
To The Mittster: “Are your shoulders just ‘wide’ or ‘manly wide’?”
Craig
Seriously Mitch, that’s your idea of a “planted” questioneer?
I particularly like the fact that when I pointed out that BOTH SIDES in the world of blogosphere politics scream about conspiracies, frauds and injustices made by their political opposition, but ignore or deflect similar examples of their own, I’m obviously a moron.
If people can’t see the political blogosphere as the shrill partisan sewage pit that it is, perhaps I’m more of an idiot savant!
SenderC
Oh noes, the questions were all written by Graeme Frost!!!
Pb
Craig,
Yeah, when you trot out the old “both sides do it” canard to equivocate and apologize for the WATBs of the right on this issue, it is pretty obvious that you’re a moron. Also, the fact that you had a few other people trying to toss you a clue and you still managed to ignore them all and come away bitter… well, I respect your decision to still be a moron nonetheless, it’s your personal choice, after all.
Craig
I’m not apologizing for anyone. I’m condeming all sides of the blogosphere for taking the same slanted approaches to events of the world, while calling out each other for doing it. It would be wonderful of some bloggers out there would call a spade a spade, regardless of who’s political agenda is benefited.
The blogosphere is a great opportunity wasted by crass partisanship.
Pb
Craig,
Thank you for restating your original falsehood yet again. All sides of the blogosphere did not take the same approach here, period. You’re simply wrong on this. And I’ll warn you up front: any further discussion of this with me will require actually going over the facts of the situation, so you might want to read through the past few threads on this and bone up. You might even find a few links to primary or secondary sources that go into yet further detail, no doubt some of them posted by me. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
Craig
While you’re waiting, you might want to re-read my last post. I’m talking much broader than this one issue in my comments about the blogosphere.
Pb
Craig,
Maybe you’re trying to backpedal now, but your first comment says otherwise, which is what I originally addressed, and indeed am still addressing. Would you like to actually defend that analysis, or admit your mistake? And, really, is doing a bit of even elementary research first (like, say, actually reading some of the comments and links on the subject) really that hard?
Craig
I moved on to the bigger picture, which you didn’t seem to follow.
But just for you, I’ll refer back to the smaller piece of the puzzle. If a Republican “plant” was later revealed to have been injected into a Democratic debate to ask a question, and the Democratic party and its sympathetic bloggers reacted in a “who cares” manner, then fine, I guess I missed it and and am truly apologetic for my mistake.
Zifnab
Republican Plant!
Republican Plant!
Omg! Super Mega Double Plus Republican Plant!
Pb
And finally… the highest rated diary on Daily Kos, the day after the Democratic YouTube debate: John Edwards Returns. But hey, sift through the site–total non-freakout.
Then again, John Edwards seemed to do pretty well in the Republican YouTube debate as well, so go figure…
Chuck Butcher
Gee, any questions about their thinking?
daniel rotter
Was there any requirement in the debate that the questioners be Republicans (that certainly seems to be implied by the quote regarding the joint effort by Red State and Human Events that John gave)? If this was the case, then it certainly seems that the conservative bloggers have a legitimate ax to grind against CNN; otherwise, as long as the questioners weren’t somehow employed by a Democratic presidential candidate, I don’t see how who was asking the question makes any difference.
daniel rotter
Awkard sentence construction alert! My above post should have read “…)that certainly seems to be implied by the quote that John gave regarding the joint effort by Red State and Human Events)?…”
Craig
I think its is mostly the circumstances around Kerr’s attendance at the debate, and his activist record, which was not offered up by him or vetted properly ahead of time by CNN, that many people take as evidence of manipulation of the process, at least by CNN if not others. Many, but certainly not all, on the conservative side don’t object to the question(s) per se.
What will it all mean six weeks from now, let alone six months from now? Not that much, really. But the political blogosphere is built on tempest in a teapot issues.
Pb
daniel rotter,
No. CNN was picking questions from the public, that was the entire concept.
daniel rotter
IMHO, CNN’s Campbell Brown labeling Moveon.org as “American insurgents” is much more an example of conservative bias than this episode is of liberal bias.
Psycheout
Well it turns out that perky Campbell Brown, who daniel rotter just mentioned, is a Romney plant anyway. Hey! Michelle Malkin stole this whole “plant” meme from me! I used it right after the Democrat debate a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I should sue!
Campbell Brown: Sleeping with the Enemy. (Her husband is Dan Senor, currently serving as an advisor to Mitt Romney.)
In my post I said:
My wish didn’t come true, but she wasn’t front and center in the GOP Debate.
With all these plants at CNN, it’s quite likely that they will eventually morph into a gardening channel.
moderate indy
Just one more example of the right squealing about how they are victims. Seriously, just like the the super anti-gay Repub turning out to be a homo, the right wing has spent the last 20 years blathering about how liberals always cry about being victims of this or that, all the while the Limbaugh/Hannitty/Malkins all spend their time staking out the victimhood for the right wing. Whether it’s the liberals trying to ruin Christmas or trying to turn your kids queer or taking your money from you to give to the less deserving, everything that comes from their mouth is about the right being victimized and oppressed by the evil libruls. The MSM is agianst us mantra has been the staple of that silly argument for 30 years now. Pathetic