Meet The Press: Gwen Ifill Has "Another Job" As Moderator Than To Get Candidates To Answer Her Questions
By Nicole Belle Sunday Oct 05, 2008 2:06pm
There's a whole lot of rationalizing going on in media circles over the laughable and admitted stump-speech-disguised-as-a-Vice-Presidential-debate last week. Moderator Gwen Ifill apparently thinks that if the candidates themselves weren't worried about staying on topic or engaging one another, it wasn't her job to make them do so.
The understanding was that we were going to have a debate. And one of the interesting things about debates, that people forget -- especially with this one, there was so much obsession about Sarah Palin -- is that there are two people on stage. And their job – you know this, you’re doing this Tuesday night – are to debate each other. The moderator’s job is to control their debate. If they have decided, as Joe Biden decided, that he was going to debate John McCain and she decided she was going to give a stump speech to the American people, there’s very little a moderator can do, other than say, “No, no, no, listen, I ask the questions! Please, please answer!” So I guess I knew going in that they all had their goals for that debate.
I was taken, going in, it can now be said, by how many of the questions that people volunteered to me were all about her. There was 99%, I would say, was all about her. 99% of the analysis afterward were about her. It was as if Joe Biden wasn’t part of this deal. And if she wasn’t challenged on the things she said that were not completely correct, or if she wasn’t challenged on changing the subject and answering the questions, by her competitor, I had another job to do at the table.
By her own admission, Ifill recognizes that it's the moderator's job to control the debate--and says that Palin "blew her off"--but since neither of the candidates called out the other for not following the debate rules, she has "another job at the table". Um, huh?
Why bother having a moderator at that point, Ifill? What other job was monopolizing your time?
Transcripts below the fold:
BROKAW: When she said and you asked her a question and she completely ignored it.
IFILL: More than ignored it…
BROKAW: More than ignored it…
IFILL: She blew me off, I think is the technical term.
BROKAW: “I’m just going to talk to the American people.” Tell us about what happened beforehand, about what the rules were and what the understanding you thought you had with the candidates would be under…
IFILL: The understanding was that we were going to have a debate. And one of the interesting things about debates, that people forget -- especially with this one, there was so much obsession about Sarah Palin -- is that there are two people on stage. And their job – you know this, you’re doing this Tuesday night – are to debate each other. The moderator’s job is to control their debate. If they have decided, as Joe Biden decided, that he was going to debate John McCain and she decided she was going to give a stump speech to the American people, there’s very little a moderator can do, other than say, “No, no, no, listen, I ask the questions! Please, please answer!” So I guess I knew going in that they all had their goals for that debate.
I was taken, going in, it can now be said, by how many of the questions that people volunteered to me were all about her. There was 99%, I would say, was all about her. 99% of the analysis afterward were about her. It was as if Joe Biden wasn’t part of this deal. And if she wasn’t challenged on the things she said that were not completely correct, or if she wasn’t challenged on changing the subject and answering the questions, by her competitor, I had another job to do at the table. So I …you know, they both came out there with their jobs to do…many of the American people who are not as obsessed by the idea of Sarah Palin on the stage by herself, as a lot of us were, looked at that and thought, “let’s weigh these two,” which is what you do in debates.
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Could there be another outcome?
You have mainstream media tools, in prime time, on mainstream media media
networks. Of course it was a crock.
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Take a look at the Canadian Leaders debate that happened the same night.
There were FIVE -- that's right -- FIVE candidates in the debate for who is going to be Prime Minister.
The moderator was sharp and made sure the debate flowed effortlessly. The candidates were polite and obeyed the rules and it turned out to be one of the best debates in Canadian history, IMO.
I encourage Americans to watch this and look at how some of the same issues were dealt with in 1 hour and a half. Such diversity of ideas! And imagine the likes of Bush or Palin in this ensemble. They would be CRUSHED.
The Canadian Leaders Debate (English)
And guess what? All of these candidates had to debate in French the previous night.
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Ifell did a horrific job, she lost total control and that debate was the one moment in time when the campaign couldn't keep her sequestered. We had one shot to give voters an eyeful of the real Sara, and Gwen, you really blew it. What other job did you have to do? I'd have kept a dinner bell on my podium and rung it every time either one of them got off topic. If Sara is going to act like a child, treat her like a child. One or two rings is all it would take for either candidate to get the picture.
Now, the McCain campaign has her locked away in a secret undisclosed location alongside Cheney, where she will remain, safely out of reach of those who would ask her real questions. Gwen, you owe it to the country to come clean. Give an interview and tell the public that you blew it, and here's why. There would be some measure of redemption in that.
Admit it, Gwen. You screwed the pooch and now you're trying to blame everyone but yourself. Geez!
Whatever she did she was going to catch it from the other side. If she stopped Palin every 2 seconds to get her back on subject she would have been "unfair".
Gwen should of been a bit more effective initially regarding enlightening Palin about the rules of the debate. She didn't have to been rude just tell her to answer the questions.
Letting Palin step on the rules and give out a stump speech was just BS.
That was no debate at least regarding Palin and just unbelievable it was allowed.
Agreed. One stern statement regarding the AGREED format and rules, and requesting Gov. Palin to abide by those terms would have put her in one of two positions. Palin would have to 1) conduct herself accordingly; or 2) put her unchallenged statement of not caring what the rules were that she agreed to into perfect clarity.... rules don't matter to her OR her running mate.
It's s
It's simply mind-boggling how many progressives are rationalizing the pathetic job Ifill did "moderating" the VP debate.
But at least Palin Admitted a Candidate is Not Viable at Five Weeks
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=3739
That was a debate? There was a moderator? What Bizarro land is this?
If you preside over a debate you're a moderator. If someone doesn't answer the question a moderator poses than what is the purpose of the debate/discussion or the moderator for that matter?
It is the job of the moderator only to control the quality of the discussion.
You know that no matter WHAT Ifell or Biden said they were going to be criticized. If they questioned Palin the republicans would have whined about the biased moderator and Biden would be branded an old meany. It was a no win situation for them.
The job of the moderator is not to avoid being called names. The job of the moderator is to keep the debate on track and make sure the answers fit the questions.
I am no fan of sycophants like Gwen Ifill but I do agree that Joe Biden did not take the fight to Palin and let her get away with spewing pure crap. However, that is exactly what Joe had to do to avoid giving the Right and media material to spin negatively against the Democratic ticket. Not engaging Palin was Biden's strategy just as not answering questions was Palin's strategy. They both did very well. Gwen was simply Ifull.
here is what happened
ifill was indeed cowed by the right wing attacks on her book and her character
so she bent over backwards to make herself be "fair and balanced"
she is right...biden was debating mccain....but as the policies come from the top of the ticket, that isnt against the rules
palin chose not to answer questions and deliver a stump speech...we didnt need to have a debate for that
i just hope that ifill really doesnt believe that she did her job
However, it seems to me that part of the blame also goes to the candidates themselves. You had two different candidates that had two contests in mind when they showed up. Biden wanted to debate, but seemed to want to debate McCain more than Palin. Palin, apparently didn't want to debate anyone. In fact, it looked like she was more out to win the Miss Congeniality award than anything else.
Well, even though sad she didn't do her job, at least she adds to the chorus of people criticizing Palin.
No, I think she did a really good moderating. Her job was to lob a question up and let the two people on stage talk between themselves. Her job is also to make sure everyone gets roughly an equal share of speaking time. You can't complain about her not being too overbearing, that would have detracted from the actual debate. Though it wasn't much of a debate, it's not her fault. It's America's fault for not being intelligent enough to know what an actual debate looks like, and what bullshit looks like. You can hold their hand and point out every little thing, but most people just don't get it.
Also, I hateeeee this new site design, it's terrible.
Ifill's analysis is spot on. The moderator's role is minimal... a time keeper... a subject chooser.
It is the candidates' job to address each other and to have a discussion... and their failing if they do not.
No moderator can force that, or even make candidates look foolish for not doing it.
After all what is a moderator? A nobody. A familiar face. A borrowed news reader. A time keeper. A reminder person to ensure the big topics aren't forgotten.
Give the woman a break. If she'd done anything differently, she'd catch it in the neck from both sides; liberals angry she wasn't more aggressive, conservatives for pushing a biased agenda.
I, too, wish Ifill had called Palin on it, told her this was a debate on the questions being presented, the question had been chosen by those who wanted to know her views on that specific subject, so would she please have the courtesy to answer it. As it was, the candidates defined their own 'debate' - Biden stuck doing a solo act because Palin flat-out refused to play by the rules like a spoiled brat.
Personally, I'd like to see three moderators a la American Idol, glaring over the top of great big X's on their podiums that light up as each moderator gets more frustrated with the candidate's performance until the last buzzer goes and the candidate then has to STFU. More entertaining, and closer to what Joe Six-Pack understands anyway. I rather doubt Palin would survive long under that sort of pressure. Even playing the flute... man, even Condi has more musical talent.
Based on Ifill's comments, I understand she thought Biden was guilty of it as well. I would have no problem with her calling Biden out too.
She was moderating the debate. She did say at one point early on "okay, you didn't answer my question." and I think she should have continued to do so. This wasn't a press conference. It was a debate and as the moderator, she was responsible for steering the content as such.
I don't think that's too high a standard. And if the Republicans had started crying "foul", we would have had her back. They were crying foul anyway. She would have lost nothing to ask the participants to respect the debate rules.
Sooner or later these so called journalists are going have to get past the equivocation and call out the side that is lying, obfuscating or stonewalling. That happens to be the GOP right now. Pretending both sides are playing by the same rules is a lie. If Gwen Ifill believes both sides are behaving equally she is either an idiot or a liar. Wasn't it Campbell Brown who just called out the media for this? Who would have thunk it? Out of the mouths of babes.
gwen did not create a false equivalence. she simply stated the facts that each party had their agenda for the debate.
I've always respected Ifill's thoughtful commentary in other settings. That being said, the moment Palin said she wasn't going to answer the questions, Ifill could have and should have corrected her, to the extent of threatening to charge McCain/Palin for air time for airing her stump speech
gwen was in a no-win situation. but, of course, she's the easiest to blame. everyone who wants to blame her can ask themselves why she should waste debate time trying to control the behavior of other adults.
they each did what they wanted to do. how is that Ifill's fault?
that's why the left loses. they whine and attack each other while getting fleeced and having their votes stolen.
too petulant +
too unfocused
for their own good
Ifill presided over this debate. She was the moderator and it is her job to keep all parties in line.
The purpose of this debate was to find out the expertise of each of these candidates by answering questions. The voters need to see if they are both capable of giving an intelligent answer. Ifill failed to keep Palin on topic and let her do the stump speech thing. How can anybody possibly come up with an accurate assessment of Palin's views if some lousy stump speech is pawned out as an "intelligent answer" under the so-called umbrella of a debate?
Ifill let the voting public down. She did not do her job.
you?
I was thinking the same thing. If these naysayers were in her shoes, they would also have a hard time moderating.
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Formally and proudly known as "The Very Bitter Ceci Hussein"--until we can change our on-screen names.
As Paul Begala justifiably points out - the "guilt by association" game is a game which ultimately puts the final nail in McCain's coffin.
John McCain was a member of the Anti-Defamation League of 1981, a radical right wing extremist hate group along with John Singlaub.....
Let the games begin! Unforutnately, this is not one McCain will win.
Bring on the skeletons!! Just in time for Halloween!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/05/bega...
Although this is off-subject of the conversation I feel it is approriate to point out that John McCain was not part of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). John McCain was instead on the board of the U.S. Council for World Freedom, a group that in 1981 (when Johnny Mac was on the board) ADL said of its parent organization "has increasingly become a gathering place, a forum, a point of contact for extremists, racists and anti-Semites."
The chairman of the U.S. Council for World Freedom was John Singlaub, a founding member of the CIA, who worked with the Contra's in Iran and was a member of the World Anti-Communism League (the parent organization), which was referred to as "largely a collection of Nazis, Fascists, anti-Semites, sellers of forgeries, vicious racialists, and corrupt self-seekers."
McCain knew what he was doing when he called Ifill out on her book ...what, 2 days before the "debates". She was so gun-shy of looking partisan she virtually did nothing. Although...as moderator--what are you allowed to do? Could Gwen have walked over to Palin and cuffed her in the head and said "Play fair or this is over"?
That's what I think she was.
It's called "policing your own" and Gwen Ifill placed the american public in the position of "bad crop" when Sixpack decided to write her own rules. America was watching and they, in turn, became the immediate judge and jury which is why this unprecedented shift and new pattern has been evolving in Obama's favor following the Veep debate.
Not only did this uncensored format permit Joe Biden to rise above everyone's expectations in terms of his seriousness about these dire times but his obvious depth and breadth of wisdom & experience came shiining through. Class act!
In contrast, this airhead spewed revulsive inane quips and cutsey-tootsey no-brainers which infuriated the american people. She had nothing of substance to add to the discussion so she was caught reading her "cue cards". Pathetic and a total contrast to the classy performance of Joe Biden.
Having said that, one would think that McDesperado would "get a clue"?? Now he's using his personal attack dog to try to smear Obama which ultimately makes no points with the people because it's already been proven to be inaccurate - and it scores the double whammy against his ticket for even lowering themselves to gutter standards - something the people are patently rejecting this time.
The days of the Bush/McCain "fear and smear" campaign is over. People want real answers about how we're going to get out of the mess which the Republicans have created for each of us.
Obama/Biden - Two presidents for the price of one!
McKeating/Sarah Sidekick - Together they can't even make up one president.
At least you saw through it!
Not many have. Unfiltered Palin vs. Unfiltered Biden was the real story and maybe it was important that Ifill not become the story or even part of it.
Apparently there are too many WATBs around here ignoring the debate results and getting mad at Ifill for not deliberately trying to make Palin look bad.
Ifill did mention that six weeks ago, Palin had no idea what the VP does. Palin then tried her own snarky comeback, which fell like a lead baloon, but I actually saw the whole debate. I wonder how many of the whiners did.
McDesperado and his Gutter Gal - says it all!
- He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
- The Book of Army Management says: On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.
- Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.
- The host thus forming a single united body, is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art of handling large masses of men.
Sun Tzu: The Art of War
On several occasions Biden should have said with a smile, "Well I will actually answer your original question Gwen..."
It was probably hard for Joe to remember the original question, because Palin would bable and ramble on off subject for so long. Many times, I did not remember what the original question was. I don't even believe Gwen knew, because Palin was so far out in left field. Talking to somebody name Joe Six-Pack and Ms. Hockey Mom.
The question asking "What would be your Achilles' heel?", did not compute with Palin.
That was the low point of the debate. At least THAT deserved some clarification so Palin could understand WTF the question was.
Paul Begala, who authored a book on McCain, and interviewed folks extensively knows plenty he could launch against McPappy right now.
This one particular association is especially troubling - John Singlaub (Iran Control) and the Anti-Defamation League of 1981 - a hate-filled group McCain was part of which was racist and anti-semitic.
Let's start digging, folks. McCain will be covered in his own dirt before the week is out.
Here's the link to McCain's affiliation with this ultra-radical hate group - The Anti Defamation League of 1981 and John Singlaub of Iran Contra fame.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/05/bega...
I don't know that I ever thought I'd be defending Gwen Ifil, but in this case it's hard not to.
Let's face it, if Ifil had been a tough moderator and tried to force Palin to directly address questions, she (Ifil) would have become the story. The Right Wing noise machine would have deafening after the debate. Even with Ifil's performance, such as it was, they still claimed she was biased. Had she been tough on Palin -- and to get any answers out of Palin Ifil would have had to have been harder on Palin than on Bidenk, in the post debate coverage, Palin's abysmal performance would have been lost in the uproar over Ifil.
Allowing things to play out as they did, it was apparently obvious to all but the brain dead that Palin didn't answer any question she didn't want to answer. For Wingers, that was good news, but they were never going to be persuaded that Palin lost no matter what she did or didn't do.
Everyone else was free to judge Palin on the merits. More people thought she lost than won, though a distressing number thought she tied, but remember we're dealing with the American electorate -- not the smartest bunch around.
Wasting time criticizing Ifil, is just that, a waste of time.
thank you
If Gwen Ifill actually moderated the VP debate, the McCain campaign would have attacked her heavily. In fact, they had already begun to try to attack her.
Let's be honest. We all know Caribou Barbie couldn't answer a question directly without dancing around the issue in her "folksy" way with a wink and then answering her own made-up question. She's the only person in the debate who wouldn't answer questions. Then, if you do follow up, she still dances around the issue. We saw it when she was interviewed by Charles Gibson and we saw it again when she was interviewed twice by Katie Couric. Sarah Palin can NOT answer questions. If she's not answering questions, she's repeating already debunked lies.
It's one thing when someone misunderstands or misstates the facts. You can be corrected there. It's a completely different issue when you're confronted with someone who never answers questions, doesn't know anything, and willingly lies. You can't correct that because the problem is mental. Gwen Ifill is a moderator, not a psychiatrist.
If Caribou Barbie, in her arrogance and self-importance, wants to continue to make herself look like a fool on a world stage, what right does Gwen Ifill have to stop her?
Ifill's permission for Miss Moosey to show her a$$ was the best strategy Gwen could have used. It permitted the american people to become judge and jury and to cry "foul" by her amateurish attempt to not answer the questions and her snarky, disgusting theatre. People were ready to barf on her by the time the debate ended and the polls reflected it the very next day.
The fact that the GOP spinmeisters (who can't give a hoot about their personal reputation and integrity at this point) applaud her for "defrauding the american people as she so obviously did" speaks volumes about how out of touch with middle america these fools actually are. Many Republican pundits careers are swirling around the toilet bowl right now as they attempt to "polish a turd" which is an impossible feat without getting feces on yourself in the process.
As for Ifill - I commend her highly. If she'd attempted to play "bad cop" it would give McCain room to criticize. The fact that Miss Moosey ran roughshod and had no regard or respect for the rules of the debate made the american people suspect of her and repulsed by her simultaneously.
It didn't take days for people to conclude that she'd made a jacka$$ of herself and lost the debate; she lost it when she showed contempt for the rules of the game. It's over for her and her political career and she's become a "national laughinstock" at this point.
Anyone catch Moosey "Booties" today in CA? She's looking more like a hooker with each passing day. Combine the wink and the knee-high spiked heel boots with McSleazy's "hhehh" "hhehh" and they're beginning to look like a duo of incestuous perverts.
One has to wonder about their affiliation with this Alaska Secessionist Movement which is anti-american.
Until 2004 First Dude was a card-carrying member and in 2006 as Governor, Moosey Hipboots sent in her video message to this group telling them to "keep up the good work".
I'd call this pretty radical extremist anti-US, wouldn't you?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/3/94...
At first it shocked me that she allowed Palin to go on flapping her lips and refusing to answer the questions. It did become very obvious that Palin didn't have the answers so she tried to control the "debate" by talking about anything and everything she had crammed up on. Her smiles and little winks showed her for what she is, along with the fact that she can't talk like anyone who is educated. She honestly seems to be so trashy. Add that screech and damned only idiots would vote for her and McLiar.
Initially we were angry that it appeared that the airhead refused to play by the rules. Then we became the "judge and jury" and dissed Palin because of it without having any bobbleheads tell us what we should think. Essentially, each american took on the mantle of "debate moderator". It also allowed everyone to witness blabbermouth's airheaded responses, memorized talking points, and downright reading from her note cards which people found repulsive.
It also provided an arena for Joe Biden to look like "everyone's hero". It worked magically for the Obama/Biden ticket and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I think Ifill gave us all a better glimpse of who these candidates actually are and how they will tackle the issues on their own. Biden was there to debate. He knew the issues and had his ideas ready. Palin on the hand was there to entertain and nothing more. What we saw at the debates is probably how those candidates will deal with the issues and how they will deal with other leaders. Biden clearly showed that he is up to the task with a no non-sense approach. He is there to do business. Palin is a joke and will still be taken that way by major foreign leaders.
Palin made it very clear that she wasn't interested in answering questions. I guess Ifill was afraid that if she pressed Palin, the wingnuts would attack her.
Gwen Ifill is a very talented, intelligent woman who weighed the consequences of reining in Miss Blabbermouth. She also gave her enough rope to hang herself as people became infuriated with her incessant disregard for the rules and her returning to her area of expertise (??) - energy???? each time. I think Ifill's performance was flawless, indeed.
She turned over the job of policing the debate to the american people which was counter-productive to the McCain campaign. It worked magnificently.
The polls immediately following the debate reflected that the people had already drawn "their own" conclusions and they dumped on Palin, big time.
Frank Rich hits the nail on the head. McCain's Invasive Melanoma, Stage 3B makes the Palin selection akin to a total meltdown of the government of this country. Physicians are calling for release of his "full medical history" not 3 hours of unnumbered pages to a group of journalists but actual "medical doctors" who can then put their professional careers on the line when they draw their conclusions.
At best, McCain has less than 2 years to live; at worst, what we're seeing with his level of mental confusion actually may mean that his melanoma has metastasized to the brain or brain stem.
The people deserve the truth. It's high time our mainstream media begin to do the "people's bidding" if they want to remain relevant at all to the people.
Right now, we know that our major five cable channels have realized billions of dollars in tax breaks from Bush - McCain plans to continue this tax break so it's no wonder they're being silenced.
If they continue to fail the people, soon there will be no news programs worth watching and the people will rely strictly on the internet for factual, honest news. So, all the tax breaks in the world won't matter a hoot if the people aren't buying their level of incompetence......or the products and services of their "co-conspiratorial sponsors".
Great job the MSM has done. We pay for cable or satelite connections and they collect fees for the advertising, all to be able to dumb us down.
I agree with others that Ifill just let Moose Girl show the world what a phoney,folksie,cutesie fake she really is. All the polls added together for average showed,she lost. If she had 'won', anyone who would change their vote because of her should really re-do the 8th grade.
I absolutley hate what you've done to the site!
I am not too thrilled myself! Liked the old site much better.
Here is what is odd about this one. Both parties are involved in massive negotiations over the rules of the debate including who gets to ask the questions. If the GOP didn't want Ifill because of her "predjudice" (what, reverse racism or some bullshit?) then they could have said they didn't want her during those negotiations.
Instead they choose to attack her integrity in public, calling foul before the fact. Total crap, but it obviously had an effect considering her comments on MTP and lack of presence during the "debate".
So how was this a "win" for the radical right? I'm not sure I follow since every poll is not even close about who actually won the debate. McCain filthied the water prior to the debate to the point where if Gwen became "bad cop" she would play right into McSleazy's hands. She sat back and permitted Palin to make a total sideshow of herself and show everyone just how shallow and inadequate she actually is.
Masterful, downright masterful on Gwen's decision to permit Moosey Blabbermouth slit her own throat.
It makes me wonder how a Vice President or even President Palin would handle the pressure placed upon her by various issues or by foreign leaders. We always see the PR related handshakes between leaders afterwards but what is she going to do when she is in a closed door meeting with a pissed off foreign leader who is giving her an earfull? My guess is she will break or give in and it will all be at the expense of the American people.
I don't have that concern with Biden. I think Biden will hold his own in a meeting like that. He knows those leaders and knows how dirty international politics can be. Biden is by far the best person for the VP slot between the two.
I wish I could have read Gwen's mine when Sarah Palin dodged her question and did flip her off. Republican voters who support Gov. Palin are showing they have no sense at all. Sarah thought she had sit Senator Biden up with those words can I call you Joe. It showed how unprofessional she is and just how she would be as a VP. But what put her in the out box was the fact she didn't know what a VP's job is and she would follow in the steps of Dick Cheney even giving the Oil Companies their big profits. Biden did his best to educate Palin but it was over her head as all she wanted to do is give a shout out to a 3rd grade class. Gwen must be still laughing as Palin made the Debate a comdey show and not the seriousness it is.
Oh, my understanding, Mr. Broken, was that if I were to chime in and try to keep her on course when she blew me off, that the Republicans with Rabies crown would come after me so hard that my book would fail, my job would be at risk, and I'd be deemed a leftist liberal media elite. If I'm right, Mr. Broken, I think you would have helped them out in that regard.
Hello? Phew man tough posting here.
I mean 2+2 is 5 right?
You got to love Tech "we interrupt this business to go haywire"
LOL . . Ha ha
2+2, 2x2 and 2 to the second power all come to the same answer.
It must be, because it didn't verify you or me.
Gwen Ifill states that "The understanding was that we were going to have a debate." She should have continued that train of thought by stating that the debates were limited to representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties while excluding third party and independent and socialist candidates. But by admitting that obvious truth she also would have affirmed that the fix was in by those who control the debates since those people had formerly been highly connected with the Democratic and Republican parties. Until these debates include a broader spectrum of those views that are held in the United States, these debates will always be seen as a chimera, a fraud, an illusion and a sham to the American people.
I respectfully disagree with you - Ifill's decision to "let mousey blab herself into oblivion" showed just how "unfiltered" this debate actually was. Sadly, Moosey slobbered all over herself and really showed americans her a$$ but that's hardly any moderator's fault.
With McCain's posturing pre-debate anything Ifill would have done to attempt to control it would have resulted in a cry of "foul".
Ifill did the next best thing - allowed Moosey to tell all of us that she wasn't going to play by the rules (remind you of Bush any??) and then went on smearing herself with ridiculously inane glittering generalities. She did not have one tangible plan or creative idea to give to the american people so she lost the debate for herself and the election for her Grandpappy "Hhehh" McKeating.
After being set up with "can I call you Joe" and that "there you go again, Joe" was used by Palin, Biden should have thrown that Mr. Nice Guy attitude out and went after her. He's got 30 days to make up for that mistake and he needs to start yesterday.
New format is to far to the left. Of the monitor, that is.
Actually the quote was, "Say it ain't so Joe."
I thought she sounded snotty when Biden talked about the mcgramp's energy policy of drill, drill, drill, which is pretty accurate, and corrected him by saying the chant at campaign stops was drill baby drill, even though he wasn't referring to the campaign stops. This is also although if he had said baby, he'd be called sexist.
I would agree that Ifill cannot MAKE them answer the question. Trying to do that will result in them saying, "But I AM!" What's the point? IN Palin's distorted brain, she WAS answering the question.
She has all the gravitas of a hat-check girl.
She "knows her place" all too well...
But of course they all do...Read Lewis Lapham's 'critical eulogy' of the Potato-head in Harper's a couple of months ago...August I think...Lapham correctly named Russert as a "head-waiter" to the class he interviewed. If so, and it's pretty clearly so, then Ifill is the gorl; who tells you the specials...
>>"Why bother having a moderator at that point, Ifill? What other job was monopolizing your time?"<<
Her job, as debate moderator -- not interviewer, is not to save a candidate from him/herself. if the candidate wishes to present her/himself as one who evades questions and provides rehearsed campaign points then that is what the people will take away from the debate. And that is what she should let us see -- that in an agreed-upon debate this person refuses to respond to questions, is evasive and performing as rehearsed.
When you're trying to sell a book why not sell your soul? I hope you find comfort in that when this country falls deeper into an abyss and more innocent people die. Admit it, dumbass, in your zeal to appear neutral you gave the advantage to Palin and the republican party. When someone like Katie Couric looks more journalistic than you it is time to turn in your press credentials and join the happy hour crowd with Jeff Gannon.
I think Ifill did a good job. She was going to be attacked one way or the other, she knew it, and so went completely neutral - to the point she could have been replaced by a computer, yeah, but so what? Now Palin lost the debate (as every poll clearly shows), people think she's (Palin) a joke and the repubs have no defense for this (I hang around conservative blogs sometimes - they were, really, really planning to blame Palin's loss on Ifill). Best possible outcome - no way for them to spin (well, much). Besides that, I don't watch her usual show, but I liked her style. The wry "you both agree, wonderful, let's move on" after the gay marriage question loosened me up enough that I didn't change the channel after all.
p.s.
that should be "ps, I like the new site! Though I obviously still have to get used to it so I don't accidently post my reply without finishing it.
On last Friday's Washington Week in Review, Ifill at the end made a crytic reference to two big stories this week (presumably the bank bail-out and the vp debate), and then where she was briefly the story, and the show faded out with her chuckling.
And not like Snidley Whiplash.
cryptic
Shara started the campaign with the "Can I call you Joe" ploy to set Biden up for her prepared barbs. The way she treated Ifill was the same attempt to bring her into the narrative of the debate. By not challenging the governor Ifll did give her enough rope to hang herself.
Now if McCain tries the same gambit, I don't if he will be allowed to get away with it. The old fool me once.................
I saw this today and was floored by Ifill's comments....although I have to admit that I was a bit peeved that Biden didn't call Palin out on the stage for not sticking to the debate guidelines that were pre-set. She was not supposed to address him directly.....but she did. She did not answer so many of the questions asked of her...and Biden should have stopped and said "Please answer the question....because America would like to know your position."
But he didn't have to! And if he had, it could have backfired - repubs were just wating for something they could point to and say "Biden bullied her" or "Ifill set her up". His strategy of "never mind Palin at all, just focus on McCain and Obama" was, IMO, the best course. And it worked - every undecided poll I've seen thinks Biden won, Palin lost (usually by a pretty large margin of about 20 pts, too).
Ifill evidently had a newly broken ankle. Everyone who has ever broken a bone will understand she was probably on pain meds.
Ifill's job was to moderate the debate, not judge it.
At one point she did tell both of them that neither one was answering her question, but in the 45 minutes I saw before palin's voice gave me a headache, Ifill never singled anyone out for that reason. You know there were republitards ready for each time she called out only their candidate.
Agreed. The headache part too. They haven't played the "poor Sarah card" for weeks, for nothing.
Ifill was a footstool. Plain and simple.
----->much to the relief of her handlers, palin didn't reply that condi recommended some shops in nyc and she plans go with her girls to try some of those achilles' heels on.
Or do you mean CHILI'S? Me n'duh Firs' Dood eat there ever' week.
Did you all notice though, how Sarah Palin kept looking down at her notes and kept reading from them......yet Tina Fey never had to??!!!
I guess it shows the difference between an amateur and a professional!!!!
(Tina Fey being the professional!!0
I think most people were disappointed it wasn't a lot of yelling and screaming, and Palin crying her eyes out.
As it was, Biden looked great, and Palin still looks like a laughing stock. I think the more people think about it, they'll realize, once the Palin-didn't-fumble-like-with-Katie-Couric aspect of it, she came off looking really very very bad.
Palin: "I'm not going to answer that question, cuz my notes got mixed up on the way over, so *wink* I'm going to talk about energy, yet again. To all you *wink* Joe-six-packs out there *wink* *wink*...
Ifill would be damned by both sides if she said anything.
Back in teh day, Gwen had a short-lived program on PBS called "Flashpoint" (if I recollect correctly). After teh first episode I sent her a six-word comment: "Brent Gumble - What were you thinking?"
T'sbin downhill since then. Sorry, Gwen - I knew you in back in the day. (:>
eeesh~! (:>
Let's not forget she was awful the last go round as well. Let's hope we've seen the last of her as moderator. Where was Couric when we needed her?
I long for the days when Sam Donaldson would hound candidates and Presidents with follow-up questions so that they could not get away with ignoring the question to stay to a scripted message. Hell, even Katie Couric would have been a stronger moderator than Ifill.
Why not just hire an intern to give the question or just have someone flash the questions on the screen? Why bother with a high profile personality? Anyone can read questions.
So what she's basically saying is that she could have been replaced by a fifth grader with cue cards. That's the conclusion I came to also.
The job of the moderator is to ask the questions keep the dialogue flowing, certainly not to make judgments as to whether the question was answered. Those judgments are to be made by the audience.
Please- I love this site much- and your salient contributions.... Please- I'm sorry- don't hate me!!
Why would I hate you? How are you not behaving?
Well, clearly, Ifill's other job was to sit back and enjoy the show lest she displease the audience by taking center stage with her barrage of questions.
At work I've proposed a "Sarah Palin Day."
Colleagues will be required, when answering in the affirmative, to say, "you betcha" instead of "yes."
Punishments and inducements have yet to be determined.
While Gwen Ifill's performance was less than impressive, one way of looking at it for me is that Palin did nothing to really help herself in the debate. She ignored the questions, rattled off non-sequitur talking points, played cute and played to the base, exasperating and infuriating practically everyone else with more than two brain cells to rub together.
And... Gwen Ifill didn't do anything to stop her or divert her. The expression that comes to mind for me is "Give em 'enough rope and they'll hang themselves." I think perhaps Ifill, recognizing that she was being set up as a fall guy (so to speak) if she tried too hard to control and manage the debate to Palin's disadvantage, just decided to...give her enough rope.
Gwen Ifil's job was to ask the questions and seek an answer, which she did, repeatedly. If people didn't answer, she went back and asked again, then she gave it up. She wasn't going to go get burning hot tongs out of a brazier and then pull their tongues out of their mouths, get real.
She let Biden choose to answer the questions and Caribou Barbi chose not to, so she lost. Que sera, sera.
Gwen Ifill did not go back and follow up with Sarah avoiding questions. I think all of the does she have a conflict of interest pre-emptive jabs worked. I think it shut her down....she did not follow up
Saturday Night Live followed up far better than Gwenn Ifil. There were four questions that Sarah did not even come close to answering. Sarah Palin even announced that she was not going to follow the questions. And she did not.
Wondering if Ifil was intimidated by the claims that she would be partisan.
There were a couple questions I might have wanted Ifill to push both of them to go back and answer the question as asked (Biden did it some too), but generally I think it is the moderator's job to get out of the way and let the voters figure out if this person gave us an answere or tried to piss on our collective legs. We're adults. If Palin didn't answer, that's not Ifill's fault. Do you think she didn't pronounce the question correctly? Palin heard the question, had 90 seconds, and if she answered a question about Indiana by talking about Israel, then our voting electorate is warned they've got a dangerous idiot.
At the end of the debate, Palin talked about not haveing a "filter," so now as we look at her total lack of candor in the debate she can't blame anyone.
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