GarfieldJL Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/01/vp-debate-moderator-pens-pro-obama-book/comments/ Apparently, she stands to gain financially if Obama wins on top of her being pro-Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Rider Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh my! somebody stands to gain from a politician winning! Quick, somebody tell Big Oil that the people have caught on to their secret! /sarcasm While I find that the INDEPENDENT groups that picked the moderator failed to see this, that hardly means much of anything so long as the manner in which she acts is fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 What is she going to do, call sudden death and then award it to Obama somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Web Rider, like it or not, there is a conflict of interest. Let's turn this around--if someone was writing a book about McCain and stood to gain a lot of money if McCain won the presidency, how would you feel? Everything I've heard about Ifill and her journalism skills has been positive, and I think it's highly likely she will go out of her way to be fair, but it doesn't change the fact that she benefits from an Obama win, and could subtly word things, even unintentionally, to try to give Biden an edge in the debate. She should at least have advised the McCain campaign up front about this, and perhaps even recused herself. If someone stands to gain substantially from a McCain win and they are moderating any of the official debates (not ones hosted by CNN or Fox, for instance), they likewise should recuse themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Rider Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Web Rider, like it or not, there is a conflict of interest. Let's turn this around--if someone was writing a book about McCain and stood to gain a lot of money if McCain won the presidency, how would you feel? I probably would have said the same thing. Maybe a little sharper though. I don't know why they didn't pick one of the more obvious newscasters that often do these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Have you tried to find someone who's centrist at PBS lately? They're either at one end of the spectrum or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommycat Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 sithy, how would you feel about Bill O'Reiley moderating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 sithy, how would you feel about Bill O'Reiley moderating? Turn off the TV like I always do when he's on. I'm not saying I agree with her being moderator, I'm just pointing out that she doesn't really have much to do except ask questions and keep them on topic. It's an issue, but I don't think it's too big of one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det. Bart Lasiter Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 sithy, how would you feel about Bill O'Reiley moderating?I would love to see that and see his head inflating like a balloon with rage as Biden speaks. To be honest though, it's a debate between Biden and Palin, and since Palin has the intelligence of the moose she kills and virtually no experience, I'm willing to bet that any sort of bias on the moderator's part won't make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommycat Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Well, questions can be structured with bias. Though I don't think it'll play a big part in this instance, it is definately a concern. I'm sure every Republican pundit will be analyzing every word out of her mouth to search for the slightest hint of negativity towards Palin or the Republican party in general. I mean if the questions hint at the failure of the current administration, that's going to look bad. The questions SHOULD be structured in this debate free of blaming the party. While I know you Bush bashers would love to see her ask a question leading off with "With the absolute dismal performance of President Bush in the economic crisis...." that would show her bias. It would also be a very nice tool for the Republicans to use to bash the Democrats with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfieldJL Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 I would love to see that and see his head inflating like a balloon with rage as Biden speaks. To be honest though, it's a debate between Biden and Palin, and since Palin has the intelligence of the moose she kills and virtually no experience, I'm willing to bet that any sort of bias on the moderator's part won't make a difference. Actually, he'd be busy telling Biden to quit giving him the runaround half the debate and actually answer the question already. Biden apparently loves to hear himself talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcesious Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 This shall prove to be an interesting VP debate to watch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfieldJL Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 This shall prove to be an interesting VP debate to watch... Question is how it will play out, on one hand the moderator is out to make Governor Palin look bad. On the other hand, Senator Biden has a tendency to say things that are particularly damaging (to himself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 In some ways this may put the Dems at a bit of a disadvantage. If Palin wins, she wins in spite of a moderator with a frank financial stake in an Obama win. If Palin loses, she loses not because she did poorly, but because Ifill tossed her biased questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfieldJL Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 In some ways this may put the Dems at a bit of a disadvantage. If Palin wins, she wins in spite of a moderator with a frank financial stake in an Obama win. If Palin loses, she loses not because she did poorly, but because Ifill tossed her biased questions. That's probably why McCain isn't making a big fuss about it, he's giving the liberal media just enough rope to hang themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Actually, he'd be busy telling Biden to quit giving him the runaround half the debate and actually answer the question already. Biden apparently loves to hear himself talk. Yes, Biden is the only politician to suffer from that affliction. If Bill O’Reiley was moderating the debate we wouldn’t hear much from either candidate, he seems to suffer from the same affliction as you accuse Biden to suffer from. Question is how it will play out, on one hand the moderator is out to make Governor Palin look bad. [/Quote] If find it very telling that most believe just because the moderator has a vested interest in Obama that she will be unfair to Palin. Many times in my life I have been placed in a judgment activity where I had friends, coworkers or family competing. In every case I was harder on the person I knew than the stranger because I did not want to appear bias towards the others. On the other hand, Senator Biden has a tendency to say things that are particularly damaging (to himself). Yea, Palin does not suffer from this either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfieldJL Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Yes, Biden is the only politician to suffer from that affliction. Yeah but Biden tends to be self-destructing when he does it. If Bill O’Reiley was moderating the debate we wouldn’t hear much from either candidate, he seems to suffer from the same affliction as you accuse Biden to suffer from. See his interviews with McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, he can let people talk, just he isn't big on people going into their talking points. When he asks a question he wants an answer. If find it very telling that most believe just because the moderator has a vested interest in Obama that she will be unfair to Palin. Many times in my life I have been placed in a judgment activity where I had friends, coworkers or family competing. In every case I was harder on the person I knew than the stranger because I did not want to appear bias towards the others. Problem is you don't potentially stand to make millions of dollars over this, she does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Tony Blair should moderate the debate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Problem is you don't potentially stand to make millions of dollars over this, she does. I guess that depends on how I value love, friendship and money. Personally, I value both my friends and my family over money, but I value my honor over either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Rider Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Question is how it will play out, on one hand the moderator is out to make Governor Palin look bad. On the other hand, Senator Biden has a tendency to say things that are particularly damaging (to himself). That's entirely speculation and hearsay on your part. You don't know any more that this woman is "out to get her" than we know that she isn't out to get Biden. maybe she's for Obama but she really hates Biden, he's not exactly the most popular figure in the democrats. In any case this is all just plain superstition, lets wait till after the debate to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk102 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Problem is you don't potentially stand to make millions of dollars over this, she does.The book will be coming out regardless of who wins the election and she will make millions anyway. IMO, News Hour with Jim Lehrer is a very fair PBS broadcast with in depth discussions about politics and policy from both sides. It's also a very calm forum that doesn't need to resort to shouting matches to talk through prickly issues. It's not surprising that Fox News is making a fuss over this as they are the antithesis of News Hour and the stones they're able to throw at its newscasters are few. Having watched Gwen Ifill over the years, I'm confident that her professionalism will allow her to keep her moderation neutral. I recall her being on the other side of the interview table last year giving her opinions about the Don Imus controversy. This was the first time I had heard from her about *her* opinion on anything. News Hour does not do editorials; it simply moderates the discussion of current events with a number of guests -- and it does this every weeknight without shouting matches, without tension between the moderator and the guests. There's a reason Lehrer and Ifill have been chosen as debate moderators many times in the past: they're some of the best in the business. Let's save the criticism of moderator bias for after the debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 It doesn't matter that you don't think her conflict of interest will effect her during the debate. She has a conflict of interest, she should recuse herself. It's common courtesy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yar-El Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 This is one of those moments when you say, "Tim! Tim Russet we need you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I prefer the idea of a cage match. Palin versus Biden, no holds barred. Winner takes the VP seat. The only downside is, if we threw McCain and Obama into the ring, Obama probably wouldn't fight, and McCain would have a heart attack before three minutes are up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Nihil Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I prefer the idea of a cage match. Palin versus Biden, no holds barred. Winner takes the VP seat. The only downside is, if we threw McCain and Obama into the ring, Obama probably wouldn't fight, and McCain would have a heart attack before three minutes are up. I agree McCain would have a heart attack. For the VP cage match I think Palin would win though. Biden is old like McCain and if your fighting someone with high heals, ouch, plus the phrase "hell have no furry like a woman scorned". Not to mention she hunts moose and did those snow machine races in such cold temperatures . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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