Tonight's Debate Moderator Not Quite So Neutral...

[Mr No Name]

Ifill is writing a book entitled "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama"  She is releasing it on January 20, 2009.  It seems to me that she has a vested stake in this election, particularly with a title like that... I mean, if Osamabama wins, she has hit the lottery... If he loses, she just did a book edition of "Dewey Defeats Truman!"

Another PBS Moderator???  How in the hell can you get much more left wing?

[Anaxogoras]

The New Hour is the only television news I can stand to watch.  It so far and away better than any crap you see on cable it makes me choke to watch MSNBC, Fox or CNN.  I'm very happy to have another PBS moderator.

[mg1942]

Honestly, this is an extreme non-issue that has been 'revealed' as a basic set-up in case Palin bombs badly. Then conservative journalists/analysts will come forward and say that Ifil was "too" liberal, and that she set out to attack Palin, when in reality Ifil is extremely well known for being polite, thoughtful, and considerate, even to those she disagrees with.

[mg1942]

I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think she will do a totally objective job," said McCain, "because she is a highly respected professional.

It was in the news before the McCain campaign even agreed to the debate conditions. It's just a controversy because both McCain's and Palin's poll numbers have been dropping.

Just more crap to feed to base and an excuse if Palin bombs.

[mg1942]

Her publisher sets the release date. It'll be released on that day even if Obama loses.

Ifill said Obama's story, which she has yet to write, is only a small part of the book, which discusses how politics in the black community have changed since the civil rights era. Among those subjects is Colin Powell, secretary of state in the Bush administration.


In its online description of the book, Doubleday says that Ifill:

Surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.

[Bronk]

Her publisher sets the release date. It'll be released on that day even if Obama loses.

Sooo will she sell more or less books if Obama wins? How much does she stand to gain monetarily if she sells more books?
See a pattern yet?

[Hangtime]

damn, the guy with the vermin in his sig seems to really like this liberal witch.

I wonder if his vermin association has infected his media bias filters?

[mg1942]

Read this again.

Ifill said Obama's story, which she has yet to write, is only a small part of the book, which discusses how politics in the black community have changed since the civil rights era.

Like I said, it's a non-issue being blown out of proportions...

[Hangtime]

hmmm.. a thread with 8 posts.. 2 of 'em mine, 4 of 'em yours.

The vermin doth protest too much, methinks.

[Bronk]

Read this again.

Ifill said Obama's story, which she has yet to write, is only a small part of the book, which discusses how politics in the black community have changed since the civil rights era.

Like I said, it's a non-issue being blown out of proportions...

Soo again if we have a black man elected president, will she sell more or less books? How much does she stand to gain if she sells more books?
Same dance just to a slightly different tune.

[Mr No Name]

One only needs to look at the TITLE:  "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama"

Sure, you can't judge a book by its' cover... but it does give ya a hint and a half!

[Hangtime]

so does that fat cat and the vermin sig block.

[mg1942]

Why not wait until after the debate to talk about how she did as a moderator? It's going to start real soon, and it's not like it's about to get called off now... It'll be easy to judge how she did after we've actually, you know, seen her in action.

[bj229r]

I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think she will do a totally objective job," said McCain, "because she is a highly respected professional.

It was in the news before the McCain campaign even agreed to the debate conditions. It's just a controversy because both McCain's and Palin's poll numbers have been dropping.

Just more crap to feed to base and an excuse if Palin bombs.

That was in the news AFTERwards---she didn't disclose to the debate committee that she had a book coming out on election day that would sell TONS if Obama got elected--McCain's people knew nothing of it, NOW they are pissed

[bj229r]

Why not wait until after the debate to talk about how she did as a moderator? It's going to start real soon, and it's not like it's about to get called off now... It'll be easy to judge how she did after we've actually, you know, seen her in action.

You didn't comment on this before, so I'll post it again. There are SUBTLE things a moderator can do to tip a debate, as she tried to do in 2004 with Cheney and Edwards

For example, she pressed Cheney to attack Democratic nominee John Edwards personally: “President Bush has derided John Kerry for putting a trial lawyer on the ticket. You yourself have said that lawsuits are partly to blame for higher medical costs. Are you willing to say that John Edwards, sitting here, has been part of the problem?”

Ifill then turned around and asked the Democrat if he was feeling pained at the attack she had just requested: “Senator Edwards, new question to you, same topic. Do you feel personally attacked when Vice President Cheney talks about liability reform and tort reform and the president talks about having a trial lawyer on the ticket?”

The PBS host also pressed Cheney with a Tim Russert-style question on Iran: “Mr. Vice President, in June of 2000 when you were still CEO of Halliburton, you said that U.S. businesses should be allowed to do business with Iran because, quote, ‘Unilateral sanctions almost never work.’ After four years as Vice President now, and with Iran having been declared by your administration as part of the ‘Axis of Evil,’ do you still believe that we should lift sanctions on Iran?” Cheney said no, and that in 2000, he was talking about unilateral sanctions, not universal sanctions. Some viewers were put off after the Edwards counterattack, when Cheney said “I can respond, Gwen, but it's going to take more than 30 seconds,” and she said “Well, that's all you've got.” She said Democrats loved it (“they thought I was being snippy”), but she said that wasn’t her intent.

When Ifill turned to Edwards for a question on Israel policy, there wasn’t an equally tough question for him. She said the U.S. seemed sadly “absent” under Bush: “Today, a senior member of Islamic Jihad was killed in Gaza. There have been suicide bombings, targeted assassinations, mortar attacks, all of this continuing at a time when the United States seems absent in the peace-making process. What would your administration do?”
Ifill’s toughest question to Edwards underlined that he had the least governmental experience of any vice-presidential nominee since 1976. She also pressed Edwards from the left on Kerry’s promise not to raise taxes and their opposition to gay marriage. But her last question seemed designed to aid Kerry: “Senator Kerry changed his mind about whether to vote to authorize the President to go to war. President Bush changed his mind about whether a Homeland Security department was a good idea or a 9/11 Commission was a good idea. What's wrong with a little flip-flop every now and then?”

http://www.mrc.org/realitycheck/2008/fax20081001.asp