The Biased Gwen Ifill to Moderate VP Debate
The moderator of Thursday’s vice presidential debate between Democrat Sen. Joe Biden and GOP Gov. Sarah Palin is writing a book, to come out about the time the next president takes the oath of office, to “shed new light” on Democratic candidate Barack Obama and other “emerging young African American politicians” who are “forging a bold new path to political power.”
Gwen Ifill, of the Public Broadcasting Service program called “Washington Week,” is promoting “The Breakthrough,” in which she argues the “Black political structure” of the civil rights movement is giving way to men and women who have benefited from those struggles over racial equality.
This charade of the liberal media being “unbiased” is a big joke.
I have no problem with Gwen Ifill moderating this debate. But then let Rush Limbaugh do the next Presidential debate in two weeks.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 30, 2008 at 2241 hrs
No, let Coulter be co-host with Ifill. It would be fun watching all the lefty heads explode at just the thought of her anywhere near a debate.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 30, 2008 at 2331 hrs
The moderator isn’t the issue in this debate, for either side. As bad as Palin’s been, (and face it, she has been absolutely awful when responding to questions, even the lobs from Hannity) I wouldn’t put it past Biden and his plus sized ego to say something or act in a way that completely overshadows her ineptitude.
Biden should stick to the script. Hammer the talking points and avoid any attempt to show how smart he is, but he won’t, because he can’t. Palin can’t keep out of her own way, it is on Biden to let her trip herself up.
To quote TO, get your popcorn ready.
BTW - This isn’t a question on Palin’s intelligence for me, at least not in this respect. She just looks like someone who isn’t ready for the limelight. She is best off the cuff, but she seems terrified to go there. She looks like she sees a trap behind every question. She wouldn’t even give Couric the name of a publication she reads, depite being asked three times. It isn’t that she doesn’t read newspapers, she was just paranoid that the question had an angle to make her look bad that she hadn’t anticipated. She needs to relax.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 30, 2008 at 2336 hrs
horse-sh*t the moderator isn’t the issue
have you watched obama on larry king
have you watched obama on bill o’reilly
are you a moron
soft balls vs. 98 mph sliders
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0159 hrs
This isn’t an interview on a cable news network with some giant ego asking the questions. This is part of the presidential debates, with negotiated times and formats. It isn’t like after Palin is asked a question on Middle East policy the following question to Biden will ask his position on puppies.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0720 hrs
I’m stealing this line, but in her opening remarks Palin needs to congratulate Gwen on her new book. Do something bold and put an end to this “balanced media” nonsense once and for all.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0747 hrs
Democratic Assembly candidate doesn’t even know how many people live in the city she wants to represent….
PENNY BERNARD SCHABER: WRONG FOR APPLETON
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGavDjoCYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGavDjoCYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGavDjoCYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGavDjoCYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aGavDjoCYQPosted by Wrong for Appleton on October 01, 2008 at 0817 hrs
So she wrote a book about how black politicians are finding greater political success a couple of generations after the civil rights movement. So what? Should she not include Barack Obama in a book like that, arguably the most successful black politician ever?
You’re finding excuses to lose.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0849 hrs
I trust she includes Clarence Thomas, Michael Steele, JC Watts and Condolezza Rice in her book. But I’m not holding my breath.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0900 hrs
Considering the moderator in this debate is the one who gets to write the question, there is a very good chance she will abuse her position. Considering she is a liberal journalist, I’d rather doubt she has much intergity.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0915 hrs
Oh, I’m sure she’ll be fair. She’ll ask Biden what he thinks about the dresses that Michelle has been wearing to rallies. Then she’ll ask Palin to point at the exact locations in Russia where nuclear missiles are located. Biden will be asked if he thinks his train ride to work everyday is fast enough. Palin will be asked to explain and contrast 19th century America to the 21st century America.
Yeah, she’ll be totally fair.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0936 hrs
JC Watts? Are you kidding me?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0937 hrs
No, I’m not. By your reaction, a black, conservative politician such as JC Watts is not worthy of any modicum of success.
Clearly, you are a racist.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0951 hrs
Biases are like accents—everyone’s got them but think theirs is normal and everyone else’s are strange.
Come on Owen—judge Ifill on how she actually moderates on Thursday instead of pre-judging how she’ll do based on her book’s topic or the fact she works for PBS. Then honestly assess if someone like Hannity would have done better, or what he would have asked that she didn’t.
Jim Lehrer also works for PBS. Was he unfair to McCain on Friday?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 0954 hrs
I thought Lehrer was great, but that does negate the fact that knowing the moderator’s biases is worthwhile.
Posted by Owen on October 01, 2008 at 1010 hrs
BTW, interesting that you don’t want me to speculate on how Ifill will do but do want me to speculate on how Hannity might do.
Posted by Owen on October 01, 2008 at 1012 hrs
that does negate the fact that knowing the moderator’s biases is worthwhile.
Just like on a blog, right Owen?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1020 hrs
Exactly. My biases are well known and on display.
Posted by Owen on October 01, 2008 at 1022 hrs
Owen, do you believe that Ifill is some sort of liberal equivalent of Hannity?
This whining is ridiculous. The McCain campaign signed off on Ifill as a moderator after her upcoming book had already been announced. If they were uncomfortable because of Ifill’s “bias”, they should have picked somebody else to moderate.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1033 hrs
Are the liberals around here getting dumber or just louder?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1036 hrs
Louder
The mere mention of Sarah Palin makes them apoplectic. And Gwen Ifill’s opinion of Gov Palin was made very clear in her visible reaction to the Gov’s acceptance speech and the RNC.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1041 hrs
judge Ifill on how she actually moderates on Thursday
Ifill has been partisan and derisive on live national TV once already when reporting on Palin. After watching Corey Hart chase outside balls all season with RISP, you don’t expect him to take the walk with bases loaded. And lo, you’re not surprised when he strikes out in three pitches. Likewise with Ifill.
Posted by HeatherRadish on October 01, 2008 at 1042 hrs
Dang, Mr. Pants, can’t I be both dumber and louder?
The negative reaction to Governor Palin certainly isn’t limited to liberals. Let’s not pretend that there’s not a fairly substantial movement afoot among conservatives to get her to step down from the ticket.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1113 hrs
Speaking of louder and dumber, many are saying the Biden should go…even Biden himself.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1115 hrs
Are you kidding me steve-o? Ifill and Hannity are not even in the same class. Hannity has to actually have results(ratings) and turn a profit. Ifill needs to fleece the taxpayer and beg for money from listeners periodically throughout the year.
Posted by fishaddict on October 01, 2008 at 1119 hrs
There shouldn’t be a moderator. They should be asking each other questions.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1136 hrs
Well, Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson turn a bigger profit than my hometown symphony, but I’d wager on the latter being far better musicians.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1145 hrs
I agree with BVBB. Calling this a debate is a stretch, it is a simultaneous interview.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1146 hrs
BTW, interesting that you don’t want me to speculate on how Ifill will do but do want me to speculate on how Hannity might do.
Touche. But only in contrast to how Ifill actually performs. I should have said, ask yourself what you would have done in her place.
I thought Lehrer was great, but that does negate the fact that knowing the moderator’s biases is worthwhile.
My biases are well known and on display.
I’m not saying people in the media aren’t biased, nor am I saying that we shouldn’t look for biases in their coverage, nor am I saying that some people’s biases aren’t well-known. I’m merely suggesting we not put the cart before the horse. Judge Ifill on the job she actually DOES, and not on the job you THINK she’ll do. I’ll be doing the same.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1148 hrs
I may be alone on this, but I actually think that a moderator with a percieved bias is actually better for Palin. She needs to hit home runs to pull the undecided over to the Republican side. Let the moderator throw some softballs at Biden, most of the undecided will be less then impressed. But if Palin can maintain her poise and come off as a strong personality, she may go a long way towards proving she is ready for the VP position.
Like I said, I may be the only one who thinks this, but that’s my $0.02Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1152 hrs
If Obama is elected President, that’s all you’ll have…$0.02
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1200 hrs
Lefty,
Palin’s teleprompter broke down at the convention so she winged the speech from memory and did a terrific job. Obama is the one who can’t talk intelligently without his teleprompter. Uh, uh, um, uh…. Then we have Sen. (stand up Chuck) Biden, who is a mess. He will be fun to watch.Bring him on, and we’ll see who the victor is.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1248 hrs
1) Gwen is good friends with Condi Rice. She has been over at her house a number of time.
2) This book was in the works a long time ago. McCain campaign—who were in favor of Ifill during debate negotiations—could have googled up the info. But this isn’t the first time this pack hasn’t done their research when if comes to picking a woman.
Is this the way they are going to run the White House?
Besides, you could have God as a moderator and Palin’s deficiencies would be res ipsa loquitur.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1327 hrs
Palin’s teleprompter broke down at the convention so she winged the speech from memory and did a terrific job.
The teleprompter myth has been well debunked at this point.
Obama is the one who can’t talk intelligently without his teleprompter.
A verbal crutch, as annoying as all of Obama’s um’s and uh’s may be, is a far cry from what Palin has projected in the Gibson and Couric interviews. You might question the basis from which Obama argues his position from. But failing to give coherent answers on difficult subjects, and flat out ducking questions about things as inconsequential as what newspaper she reads, is something entirely different.
She’s been awful off script. I’m sure Obama wants Biden to lay low and let her hang herself. I’m willing to bet there isn’t a conservative on here who thinks Biden can do anything like that, and I would agree.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1347 hrs
I may be alone on this, but I actually think that a moderator with a percieved bias is actually better for Palin.
Not alone. I think that’s a very accurate observation. Sort of along the lines of lower expectations leading to lower threshold for success.
Whether Ifill is biased one way or the other is not, I’d suggest, as important as whether she acts as though she is not. Believe it or not, reporters take that task close to heart, and to fail in that endeavor would be considered a failure by her peers. We’ll just have to wait and see how she performs.
I don’t think it’s impossible to be fair. I think Rick Warren did a pretty good job at disguising his bias, and he didn’t even have a professional imperative with which to reconcile.
And keep in mind that we lefties see the media you call liberal as conservative. That puts them somewhere in between. Perhaps they are doing their job.
jimspice
Posted by jimspice on October 01, 2008 at 1416 hrs
OBAMA MEDIA BIAS ... NOW, OBAMA DEBATE BIAS !!!
The nation already is skeptical about the fairness and objectivity of the mainstream media regarding election coverage ... so, why in the world is Gwen Ifill the debate moderator, when she is writing a book about Obama ... especially since her book sales would increase if Obama/Biden win? The moderator in a debate ... especially one of this importance and magnitude ... should be seen as completely fair, objective and above reproach. This is a terrible choice, and could easily have been remedied by choosing from hundreds of other more objective potential moderators. I can imagine the outcry if Michelle Malkin, or Ann Coulter was chosen as the moderator for the first Vice Presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. FURTHER MORE ... Everyone knows that Roland Martin is in the tank for Obama ... and regarding his call for Palin to either ‘put up, or shut up’ ... for millions of Americans, we still feel that Obama never adequately explained why he chose to spend TWENTY YEARS, yes TWENTY YEARS, in Jeremiah Wright’s anti-American, racist, black liberation church, which gave a life time achievement award to Louis Farrakhan, and Obama only quit the church due to public outrage and personal ambition.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1426 hrs
I can imagine the outcry if Michelle Malkin, or Ann Coulter
If Ifill is the equivalent of these two, I’ll be nice, women then who pray tell would be an objective moderator in your head Howie?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1538 hrs
Did anyone even read the description of the book? It is about the new generation of black politicians. It is not a book about Obama, except on the periphery. It would be similar to someone writing a book about politicians who fought in Vietnam. Of course McCain would be mentioned and very likely have his name in the title since he is the most prominent.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1654 hrs
I don’t have a problem with Ifill moderating - having seen her in action, especially on PBS over the years, I think this is Drudge-inspired hysteria at its best.
You need to proffer a lot more hard evidence of her actual bias before I’d convict. Drudge’s links are weak sauce. Beyond his tidbits, this is largely a factor of people being unable to divorce liberal politics from blacks - and, given the bloc-voting statistics, it’s no wonder why.
But Ifill’s an individual.
Here’s my take (and there’s more in the comments that follow it, too):
Posted by Brad V on October 01, 2008 at 1711 hrs
It would be similar to Vietnam vet writing a book about politicians who fought in Vietnam.
At least McCain has taken the high road and stated that Ifill should have our confidence as a respected journalist that can reliably do a good job.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1714 hrs
I challenge anyone to assert that her book would do no better if Obama wins than if he loses.
There is no conceivable way she can be objective, and she shouldn’t have agreed to participate given this clear conflict of interest.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 1715 hrs
What a joke.
First of all GOP partisan hacks should be happy that you’re being given a convenient talking point and an easy excuse if Palin does poorly. Because et’s face it, unless Ms. Ifill asks nothing but “How did you manage to have the cutest children on earth and still be the greatest Governor in history” repeatedly, you clowns are going to complain about the questions no matter what.
However, in all likelihood Ms. Ifill is going to ask fair, tough questions of both sides and leave her personal bias behind. If her questions are anything but, people like me who are not partisan hacks will see right through it.
Remember all the boasting you hacks did when the Dems refused to have a debate hosted by Fox because it made them look cowardly (And it did)? Your whining and bitching now doesn’t seem much different.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 01, 2008 at 2053 hrs
There is no doubt that Barack Obama has created a rush of excitement and higher political expectations in our society due to his candidacy. It is equally doubtless that Gwen Ifill is the personification of rock solid journalism, and for the GOP to spin their mischievious bile in an attempt to discredit Ifill as a moderator is just reprehensible. Perhaps instead of showing their shoot from the hip mentality, conservatives might want to watch Ifill on NewsHour and better understand the world. They will then discover Ifill to be a top notch journalist.
In the end this is all an attempt to buffer ‘out of her element’ Sarah Palin, and show that she was just not treated ‘fairly’ in the debate.
I can hear it now.
“Why did that nasty dark skinned lady use such big words?”
Posted by Gregory on October 01, 2008 at 2318 hrs
I recommend everyone watches the promotional video for Ifill’s new book that was filmed prior to this controversy:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1755855/the_breakthrough_gwen_ifill/
It is pretty clear what the book is about.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on October 02, 2008 at 0818 hrs
Gwen Ifill talked about how effective Gov. Palin was in her speech. How she won over the crowd, and how it would be hard for John McCain to top that. And folks around here want us to focus on her facial expressions as if they are what really true, not the ACTUAL WORDS SHE SPOKE?!? This reminds me of gossipy 8th grade girls. “OMG! Did you see the way she looked away when she said hi to me. Like, she is so stuck up. What a bitch!”
Get over it. Please don’t compare journalists to talk show hosts. That degrades the work of all journalists and also serves to make Rush and Ann look even more stupid.Talk show hosts, and many bloggers, for that matter, do what they do because they aren’t willing to put their writing through the rigor of the journalistic process. The question is not whether someone has ideas of their own (read bias), but whether they can be professional enough to sequester those beliefs and perfom accurately and fairly. Ifill has earned her stripes. Both campaigns recognize that. Next topic.
Posted by Mike on October 02, 2008 at 1021 hrs
Yeah it is clear what the book is all about.
Posted by San Antonio Attorney on October 03, 2008 at 1135 hrs
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