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Were the questions posed at the Philadelphia Democratic debate legitimate?

Posted by aaron • Read more • Permalink

31 Quotes



Mostly no

Frank Rich
Op-Ed Columnist, NY Times

“I can’t remember a debate in which the only memorable moment was the audience’s heckling of a moderator. Then again, I can’t remember a debate that became such an instant national gag, earning reviews more appropriate to a slasher movie...than a civic event held in Philadelphia.”


Bill Maher
TV Host / Social,Political Commentator

“They touched on all the important issues that are facing Americans today: bitterness, flag pins, preachers, sixties radicals, imaginary Bosnian snipers, cookies...I don’t want to say Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were awful, but today the FCC fined ABC for allowing “boobs” on the air. ”


John Gruber
Blogger, Daring Fireball

“ABC Decides Top Issues Facing Americans Are Verbal Gaffes, Flag Pins and '60s Radicals". That about sums it up.”


Matthew Yglesias
Blogger, Think Progress

“I thought last night's debate sucked...”


Jeffrey Feldman
Blogger, Frameshop

“Last night this violent framing took on a new and disturbing dimension when George Stephanopoulos, co-moderator of ABC's candidate debate, asked a series of questions insinuating that Barack Obama may be politically aligned with a radical group called The Weatherman Underground...”


Matt Cooper

“They should have just thrown in a "when-did-you-leave-Al-Qaeda" question, too.”


Jerry and Joe Long

“Back in the days of our radio show, our standard name for the media was one taken from Jerry Lewis..."pimps and whores". After last night, it's obvious we were too kind.”


Mary Mapes

“ABC - God love you for breaking the torture debate in the White House story -- but why on earth didn't you ask the candidates about it -- or about much else that mattered?”


Steve Young
Columnist, LA Daily News

“It took fifty-two minutes before debate moderator, Charlie Gibson, decided to ask an actual policy question. The fifty-one minutes prior were filled with questions concerning verbal gaffes, personal associations and whether each candidate would select each candidate as their Vice President.”


Steven G. Brant
Social Scientist / Founder, Trimtab Mgmt. Systems

“Last night, we witnessed the television journalism equivalent to FEMA's response to the Katrina disaster. And the faster we realize that's what happened, the faster we'll be able to save the socioeconomic fabric of our society.”


Cenk Uygur
Radio show host

“It took 52 minutes into the debate before the ABC "News" folks asked a single question on the issues. They were a parody of themselves. It was embarrassing to watch.”


Charles Blow
Columnist, The New York Times

“The questioning at Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate has been roundly panned, and rightfully so. The moderators spent about 40 minutes on a trite list of recriminations apparently intended to bait the candidates into a “Jerry Springer”-like brawl.”


Greg Mitchell

“In perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years, ABC News hosts Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos focused mainly on trivial issues as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in Philadelphia.”


Robert J. Elisberg

“It was a tabloid debate with tabloid questions.”


Joseph A. Palermo

“It's a symptom of the malaise of our times when ABC News during a Democratic presidential debate forces us to discuss a candidate's relations, when he was 8 years old, to a Chicago legal activist...”


Bob Cesca
Blogger

“50 minutes without a single substantive question. Fifty.”


Jason Linkins
Editor of 'Eat the Press' Blog, Huffington Post

“All of these questions have been beaten to a pulp, grim death. And neither candidate really had anything new to add to the responses they've already offered time and time again. ”


Barbara 'BarbinMd' Morrill
Ph.D of Psychology / Assoc. Editor, Daily Kos

“To anyone with a functioning brain, the performance by ABC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos at last night's Democratic debate was nothing less than an embarrassment. ”


Dana Houle

“The questioning in tonight's debate--—mostly straight out of 1988—was an abomination.”


Eric Alterman

“we got a combination of trivial personal gossip and right-wing talking points, as if the anchors had been scripted by the bastard child of Liz Smith and Grover Norquist. ”


Marty Kaplan

“The first ten people in the phone book could do a better job of asking candidates questions that voters care about.”


Mostly yes

David Brooks
Senior Political Journalist / Author

“I understand the complaints, but I thought the questions were excellent. The journalist’s job is to make politicians uncomfortable, to explore evasions, contradictions and vulnerabilities. Almost every question tonight did that.”


Michelle Malkin
Columnist / Conservative Blogger

“How dare the ABC moderators ask questions about topics that are, you know, topical? How dare they ask questions that–gasp!–conservatives are asking.”


Michelle Malkin
Columnist / Conservative Blogger

“How dare they explore questions of character, truthfulness, and judgment? [...]Don’t you know you’re supposed to just let the candidates bloviate about Compassion or Global Warming or Diversity or some other MSM-designated Important Issue?”


David Brooks
Senior Political Journalist / Author

“Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News are taking a lot of heat for spending so much time asking about Jeremiah Wright and the “bitter” comments. But the fact is that voters want a president who basically shares their values and life experiences.”


Adam Nagourney
Journalist

“If nothing else, the ABC moderators gave Mr. Obama a hint of his general election campaign — and Democratic voters, trying to figure out who their strongest candidate might be, a hint of how he might weather such attacks.”


Adam Nagourney
Journalist

“Yet while such questions may sound inconsequential to many Democrats...there are no small number of Americans to whom these are potentially disturbing questions, particularly if left unanswered or taken out of context. ”


John Fund

“Given that Mrs. Clinton has been subjected to far tougher treatment than Mr. Obama in many debates, the sudden fury directed at ABC is best explained as anger that a prosecutorial tone was suddenly directed at a media darling.”


Julian E. Zelizer
Professor of Public Affairs, Princeton

“But until we have a better political system and a more attentive electorate, we are not in a position to dismiss the type of debate that we had last night. We got the debate we deserve.”


James Taranto

“Let the record show that this journalist thought the Ayers question was a good one and that Obama's evasive answer was revealing.”


Dorothy Rabinowitz
Conservative Journalist / Editor, WSJ

“The uproar is the latest confirmation of the special place Mr. Obama holds in the hearts of a good part of the media, a status ensured by their shared political sympathies and his star power. ”


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