Move Along, No Bias To See Here

Geez ... is this not pathetic, or what? Gwen Ifill is moderating the VP debate.

In an imaginary world where liberal journalists are held to the same standards as everyone else, Ifill would be required to make a full disclosure at the start of the debate. She would be required to turn to the cameras and tell the national audience that she has a book coming out on January 20, 2009 – a date that just happens to coincide with the inauguration of the next president of the United States.

The title of Ifill’s book? “Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.”

Now don't go saying anything about this to anyone. She's liberal and they're both black. I'm afraid I'll be forced to delete any criticism. Can't have such racist filth on my blog, yanno.

Looks like John Edwards was right after all. There are two Americas. One has to play by the rules and the other obviously don't.

As an aside, I had to laugh when I saw Couric asked Palin what she reads recently. LOL Can you imagine her posing that question to a minority, the obvious inference being Palin isn't that intellgient?

Nah, I didn't think you could.

It's going to be an ugly month, I suspect.

Comments

[LOL]

THERE GONNA PUT US ALL IN REPARATIONS CAMP. GET MY SHOT GUN NED

[LOL]

but seriously now, the liberal journalisms line of attack is now asking people what newspapers or magazines they read? I mean uhh... vicious, right?

[mary]

LOL, it wasn't the question. Couric has the right to ask any question she wants and Sarah has the right to answer it with Sarah's answer not the answer that Couric wants to hear. Sarah graciously decided not to name names. Can you imagine if she had? She would then have been taken to task about those she named and about those she didn't name. That was another one of those damned if you do damned if you don't questions that the other team never gets. What upset me though is dear old Anderson harping on this, essentially saying that the Governor of Alaska doesn't read and is stupid. So, what else is new? Why should I expect anything else from Anderson? I think Sarah, thinking "gee this is a really dumb question, let me try and save Couric here", answered as though she thought the question was a jab at the backwards nature of Alaska so touted by the media. I mean Sarah tried to save Couric from the embarrassment of her questions, her lack of a depth of knowledge about anything and the fact that she is glaringly out of her league at night with the big players.

[SacTownMan]

You never know Dan! The debate the other night and the event at Saddleback were both well moderated.

I would hope that the MSM has realized that when Saturday Night Live made fun of their previous primary debate bias they need to at least try and take the middle ground this time around.

If she doesn't disclose the book connection at the start of the debate then she should drop out as the moderator, plain and simple!

Of course all of my points assume that there are those on the left that believe in doing the right thing but the past year has shown that to be a strong leap of faith!

[mary]

Speaking of the world of liberal journalists, I just wandered, via a google search, onto the gawker site and it seems that one of their bloggers has quite a mystery on his hands:

"Who Hired This Private Eye To Investigate Me?
by Hamilton Nolan
posted at 12:07 pm on Monday, September 29, 2008

Several weeks ago, a very random assortment of acquaintances in my hometown in Florida started telling me that they'd been approached by a private investigator asking questions about me. The PI's—a man and a woman—had told these people that they were doing a background investigation on me for a job I'd applied for. This was news to me, since I haven't applied for any jobs. So who hired a pair of Keystone Cops to go blundering around my hometown? Funny you should ask!"

http://gawker.com/5056258/who-hired-this-private-eye-to-investigate-me

[WileECoyote]

Did Ifill disclose her book to the McCain people when she was selected to be mod? If not, she should be removed, pure and simple. If she did, then perhaps McCain's people know something.
Maybe, just maybe, if Palin can do well in this debate given the obvious bias of the moderator and the experience of her opponent, it will produce a spike for McCain/Palin at a critical time. I have no doubt that McCain will equal or best Obama in their two debates. Maybe McCain's bunch is crazy like a fox on this. But it still stinks that she gets this chance in spite of her obvious personal interest in the result.

[Bandit]

Michelle Obama wasn't available to moderate.

[Jamie]

Dan,

No one has to "infer" that Palin is not intelligent. She proves it every time she opens her mouth. Couric really wasn't asking her any tough questions.

You can spin it any way you want to, but I've owned houseplants with higher IQs. Shame on McCain for this craven, pandering VP choice. "Country first?" Riiiight.

[Danny]

I can't imagine an intelligent person being bothered by a question directed toward Barack Obama about his recent reading material. Your claim that there would have been an uproar if Couric had asked the same question of a minority is based on the assumption that minorities are perceived as inherently unintelligent. Most intelligent people would not accept that repulsive assumption. But accusations like this are more representative of a bigger attempt to try and look for deeper motives in every question that is asked of Sarah Palin. Anyone paying attention would realize that the question was asked because the McCain/Palin team have consistently decried the press at every opportunity. Therefore, it was only reasonable for Couric to ask which press media Palin read. If Barack Obama touted his love of books, it would be perfectly reasonable (even if we accept your idiotic aforementioned assumption) to ask him what he's been reading.

[Fred Beloit]

I am one of those who deplore governments' support of certain television and radio networks. The result is often a far left propaganda machine; witness the BBC and the CBC along with PBS and NPR. They certainly have a right to express their opinions, but why don't I have the right to not pay them for it? Let them be financed by their own audiences.

[Scrapion]

Jamie, Lets see your accomplishments. Palin is a college graduate (not from a liberal brainwashing university), she has been appointed to a governors board, has been the Mayor of a city and is the governor of Alaska. Are you one of the elites (idiots) who make fun of GWB who has a degree from Harvard and one from Yale, has been a fighter pilot, business owner, Governor of Tx, and POTUS (two terms). Now list all of you accomplishments, being a life long rider of 'Welfare' and requiring 'special' favors from the government to get a phony or worthless degree in liberal arts is not an accomplishment but a sign of total failure.

[Fred Beloit]

By the way, and I hope this lie comes up in the debate somewhere, Palin never had any rape victim pay for a rape kit. Just another case of the trolls grasping at any straw to damage a candidate. The trolls really are dependably wrong.
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/274580.php

[willis]

For the left, the smear of choice is always intellect. It changes the subject, avoids a debate on policy or the issues, and, presumably, makes the attacker feel better about themselves. Not everyone does well in a test or an interview, regardless of intellect. There can be no better poster-child for this phenomenon than Scrappy Joe from Scranton, who not only is the unchallenged king of the gaffe, but fails the fact check over and over and over again. Does this make Joe, who has been in Congress longer than many of us have been alive, an idiot?

[mary]

Someone should ask Senator Obama that same question. Or the question on the books he reads. Besides re reading his own books, wonder if "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels ever comes up in the interview?

[mary]

Poor Katie:

"Still, the “CBS Evening News” gained only about 10 percent in audience from the previous week — and it was actually down from the same week the year before. The newscast averaged just under 6 million viewers for the week, up from 5.44 million the previous week. A year ago Ms. Couric’s program drew about 6.2 million viewers. (CBS was also a distant third last week behind ABC, which won with 8.07 million viewers, and NBC, with 7.98 million.)"

http://tinyurl.com/4lwrbq

[sand_dollar]

NO obamanation! NO Ifill!

[Fred Beloit]

Gee, what newspapers and magazines does Katie read, one wonders? I'm sure we would all be stunned by the answers (Borat: NOT).

[Lala]

Gov. Palin did an interview with Hugh Hewitt -

http://townhall.com/columnists/HughHewitt/2008/09/30/sarah_palin_i_know_what_americans_are_going_through?page=full&comments=true

[Lala]

Gov. Palin did an interview with Hugh Hewitt -

http://townhall.com/columnists/HughHewitt/2008/09/30/sarah_palin_i_know_what_americans_are_going_through?page=full&comments=true

[FedUp]

It will be interesting to see just how 'impartial' Ifill is. I'm betting Sarah can handle both her and Biden!

[Fred Beloit]

Lots Of Laughs writes: "but seriously now, the liberal journalisms line of attack is now asking people what newspapers or magazines they read? I mean uhh... vicious, right?"

Allow me, if you would be so kind, to venture this response: It isn't so much the questions asked of Palin that I find offensive, it is the contrast between the treatment Palin is getting and the treatment Biden gets. Last night on television Mara Liasson indicated that yes, Biden is a fool and a liar, but that's OK because he's been around a while and we all know him. Can you imagine the superficiality of this bodacious comment?

[Anon]

The thing that strikes me is no matter what her answer is, the reporters keep on repeating the question...she gave a general answer on what she reads, but for some reason,this isn't good enough, Katie has to ask her two more times...why is it SO important that America have a list of periodicals.

Answer: In order to find something to embarrass Palin with...some kind of gotcha moment. The press isn't doing this to any other candidates, they didn't even do this to Hillary..

But, from what I've seen, Palin isn't in a position to do well in the debate, every answer she has given so far has been interpreted in the worst possible way, and the debate will be the same, there is no way she could turn in a performance that wouldn't include some kind of small wording that could be seized on by the media to bludgeon her with.

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

Gee, I wonder how the McCain camp could have figured out that Ifill wrote a book with the word "Obama" in the title:

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Politics-Race-Age-Obama/dp/038552501X

Oh, that's right. They don't use the internet.

Why do you idiots always get your panties in a bind over books, movies, etc. you haven't even read or seen? It couldn't be because Lady Palin of the Mooseburgers has proven herself to be a total light-weight? Go ahead, ask Obama what materials he's read. I bet you'll get an answer a bit different than "all of them." I realize that a totaly incurious idiot, with absolutely no knowledge of the world is your perfect candidate, but most of us have had our fill of absolutely-certain cretins with loony superstitious beliefs.

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

She said in her interview with Couric that her worldview is informed by what she's read. "What have you read?" is a perfectly reasonable question. She couldn't even say the WSJ? Are you kidding?

[seekeronos]

"--- Does this make Joe, who has been in Congress longer than many of us have been alive, an idiot? ---"

Better question perhaps: Does this make the the voters in Delaware, particularly the Baby Boomers who keep sending this clown back to the Senate, knowing what sort of astute fellow he is... as well as the Gen X'ers and Gen Y'ers who vote for him without digging or asking questions about his record...

Does re-electing the same bonehead five or six times to a lifetime political office reflect well upon what might be seen as the wisdom of a great big whole heap of idiots?

No offense to any Delawareans here, but I got to wonder... why do y'all keep voting him in?

Aside from Wilmington, which of course houses America's largest collection of PO boxes for credit card corporations and other businesses of questionable repute, it doesn't seem to me that you have a huge coastal liberal stronghold city to keep flush with welfare checks or the like: in the few times I've ever been through DE, it's a "blink and you might miss it" experience.

[seekeronos]

"--- but most of us have had our fill of absolutely-certain cretins with loony superstitious beliefs. ---"

I do detect some bias against "people of faith" there, my friend.

I thought that having bias against people of faith was a hate crime for you lot.

Oh, wait. I forgot. It's only a hate crime if it is any religious faith except for Christianity.

Oh well, carry on then, my hate-filled friend.

[Fred Beloit]

Totally: "Why do you idiots always get your panties in a bind over books, movies, etc. you haven't even read or seen?"
It's never been about a book, Totally. It is about this:
ONE, polls tell us 90% of African-Americans favor Obama for Pres.
PLUS ONE, Almost all on-air people on public television are lefties.
EQUALS TWO: Gwen favors Obama.
QED

[LOL]

"Can you imagine if she had? She would then have been taken to task about those she named and about those she didn't name."

What is she so afraid of? I'm sorry but if you're terrified of the scrutiny about what newspapers and magazines you read, you aren't ready to be fucking president.

[Brian Gunn]

"I had to laugh when I saw Couric asked Palin what she reads recently. LOL Can you imagine her posing that question to a minority, the obvious inference being Palin isn't that intellgient?"

Nice try, Dan, but Obama has been asked numerous times what he reads. We know from journalists, for example, that Obama is an avid fan of Philip Roth and E.L. Doctorow, of Melville, Niebuhr, Nietzsche, etc. This isn't a black/white thing or a male/female thing or a young/old thing -- ALL politicians running for serious office are asked periodically what kinds of books, papers, and periodicals they read. (You can find McCain's answer to that same question if you do a little Googling and Nexis searching.) I don't know what's funnier: the fact that Palin flubbed even this softball or the fact that you thought the question itself was somehow out of line.

[LOL]

AND SHES BLACK YOU CAN"T LET ANOTHER FUCKING NIGRA ON THE STAGE!!!

jeezus the paranoia about Ifil, the lack of confidence in palin, and the stupidity of this board (asking a minority what they read would be considered racist? are you seriously that dumb?)... it's just mind boggling how dumb you guys are.

Did you even see the debates in 2004? Ifil moderated those. ANd guess what she was still on PBS then. And she was still black. She hosts a show every week on PBS called Washington Week in Review. It's about politics. Any of you neanderthals watched any of that show before hurling your "SHES A BIASED NIGRA" bullcrap all over the place?

No of course not, you saw drudge report this morning. And you saw her picture there, and you freaked out. You are racists.

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

"I do detect some bias against "people of faith" there, my friend."

No, you detect dubiousness about a person who believes that we are doing "god's will in Iraq," and that god chose her to be the gov. of Alaska, and that god believes there should be a natural gas pipeline. Loony. Don't need any more loony politicians who are clueless about the world.

"I thought that having bias against people of faith was a hate crime for you lot."

You thought wrong. Argue against "hate crimes" with someone who advocates hate crime legislation.

"Oh, wait. I forgot. It's only a hate crime if it is any religious faith except for Christianity.

Oh well, carry on then, my hate-filled friend."

You poor, oppressed victim!

[LOL]

And Obama has tied McCain in North Carolina. NORTH CAROLINA.

You guys are finished. Your idiotic movement is finished. Welcome to the dust bin. Good riddance.

[mary]

LOL, I don't think she is afraid of anything. Actually the interview reminded me of 7th grade when the leader of the "popular girls" decides to try to embarrass the leader of the "intelligent nerd group". Only nowadays we all realize that the popular kids usually end up working for the intelligent nerd group.

I'm way more interested in all the little postings popping up on the Yahoo finance boards about Hillary coming back.

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

"ONE, polls tell us 90% of African-Americans favor Obama for Pres."

Gotcha. Because Ifil is black she must necessarily be predisposed toward favoring Obama solely because he is black. Because as we all know, black people are a monolith. The fact that Ifil has been on television, moderated debates, and interviewed countless public officials, is wholly meaningless. SHE'S BLACK!!!! BIAS!!!

I wonder why black folks aren't persuaded by wingnutism.

"PLUS ONE, Almost all on-air people on public television are lefties."

Prove it. I know Rush told you, but prove it.

"EQUALS TWO: Gwen favors Obama.

QED"

Prove it. Find me a statement or action on Ifil's part that demonstrates that she can not fairly moderate this debate. That she wrote a book with Obama's name in the title is proof of one thing: she wrote a book with Obama's name in the title. You losers are so terrified about Failin' Palin's ineptitude that you are trembling at the prospect of her answering questions. Any questions. Especially from a black woman.

QED

[mary]

THC, are you really going there? So, Ifill is a black woman, okay. So what else is your problem? Look, don't you think it would be better if she just recused herself and had someone else moderate? To me all these pseudo journalists sound the same anyway.

[Totally Heterosexual Conservative]

"Going there?" Fred brought it up as an issue. I was addressing Fred's justification.

Why should she recuse herself if she is not incapable of fairly moderating the debate? You have nothing other than a book you haven't read, with Obama's name in the title, and like Fred pointed out - she's black. To you "pseudo journalists" sound the same because they ask questions you don't like. "Bias" is anything other than towing the winger line.

[mary]

Look TLC you can read my comment after the first debate about what I thought of the questions that were asked.

I would like them to ask substantive questions. Questions that Americans are asking in their family room. I'm not seeing that. To me "pseudo journalists" sound the same because they are boring and they don't do their homework. I want to see them ask a question that makes both candidates audibly gasp.

[Fred Beloit]

LOL: "Did you even see the debates in 2004? Ifil moderated those. ANd guess what she was still on PBS then. And she was still black. She hosts a show every week on PBS called Washington Week in Review. It's about politics. Any of you neanderthals watched any of that show before hurling your "SHES A BIASED NIGRA" bullcrap all over the place?

My my, LOL, don't be such an emotional A--H--- that you can't think straight. Gwen's race is only a factor because it seems 90% of African-Americans favor Obama. In 2004 Gwen moderated for two white guys. She is a lefty so she probably favored Kerry. That is factor "Plus One". In this case there is an additional factor, well two additional factors really. The 90% factor and the she will probably sell more books if Obama wins factor. How would you like it if Rush Limbaugh or Fred Barnes were to be "moderator"? Now calm down for goodness sake and stop calling people you don't even know racists and neanderthals.

[willis]

"The influence of a man has never yet grown great without his blind pupils." (Nietzsche's Human, all too Human)

Everyone who attends a liberal arts institution, whether one of the "elete" institutions or not, reads Nietzsche. Few are fans. Small wonder Obama is one of these. In my opinion history is a better teacher than the musing of philosophers, especially those who harbor disdain for faith and traditional morality. History records that the last Democrat President inspired a resurgence in Republicanism not seen since, well, the previous Democrat President Jimmy Carter.

[SacTownMan]

Ah. The hatred in our lingering trolls is strong today!

LOL and THC Abuser are a couple of leftist tools. They would be peeing themselves if Sean Hannity was moderating this debate but it's fine for Ifill who "worships" the ground the god king Xerxes walks on!

Then we have Little Gunn that pops in with his DNC talking points right on que!

Palin is supposed to be dumb but I guess we just give Biden a pass on that TV clip from 1929 with President Roosevelt! Or what about being "shot at" in Baghdad, it was a critical mistake for Clinton but Uncle Joey gets another pass.

Or how about his helicopter being "forced down" in Afganistan by a snowstorm. What about voting to not invade Kuwait to drive out the Iraqi's.

Or the divide Iraq into three regions idea, the diss on Pakistani's, you can't go into a AM/Pm without running into them you know.
He plaugerizes in college, and repeats it stealing a speech from an English politician. This incident helped to make him #2 on the All time plaugerist list. Lies about his law school grades and has clips on you tube showing him drunk off of his ass but J-me and the other trolls thinks that Palin is dumb.

UnFreakingBelievable!!

[syn]

Listen up Jamie

Suck on my stiletto heels and enjoy it, sexist twit.

[mary]

I'm going to watch the VP debate but I am seriously considering not watching any more of the presidential debates as my time is too precious to waste on an hour and a half of boring discourse.

[Fred Beloit]

What I dislike about you, Totally, is that you always lie or exaggerate to make a point. You wrote: "Because Ifil is black she must necessarily be predisposed toward favoring Obama solely because he is black." No one, nobody here said that. I said there was a 90% chance she favors Obama, as shown by polls, combined with the fact she is a lefty like most of the public television on-air folks. CAN YOU COUNT TO TWO? Now in addition we learn she will publish a book in which Obama will be one of the subjects. CAN YOU COUNT TO THREE?

[Fred Beloit]

Syn, you are beginning to interest my lecherous, but not racist nor neanderthalic, self.

[Lala]

I'd like to see Thomas Sowell as the moderator.

Anyway, speaking of media bias -

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2008/10/01/latimes-conservatives-should-stop-complaining-about-media-they-have-killed-truth/

[Philip McDaniel]

“…I've owned houseplants with higher IQs.” You know, I was grocery shopping this morning and saw an interesting cauliflower in the vegetable section that rather reminded me of your intellectual capacity, Jamie.

[SacTownMan]

"Listen up Jamie

Suck on my stiletto heels and enjoy it, sexist twit."

Syn,

The "dude" with the girls name might just like a little B&D action. Please don't encourage the trolls.

And Fred you should be ashamed of yourself, you little pervert!

[Philip McDaniel]

“…you aren't ready to be fucking president.” On the other hand, she might just be throwing out answers to piss-off people like you. I’ve done it myself when I come in contact with one of you moronic lefties.

[mary]

jaime, you remind me of Jamie Gorelick. What happened to her? In the last election cycle she was all over the tube as a guest. Was she replaced by Donna Brasil?

[Fred Beloit]

"...you little pervert!"
How dare you, Sac. I am not little.

"I'd like to see Thomas Sowell as the moderator."
That's a great idea, Lala. I'd pay to see that.

"Jaime, you remind me of Jamie Gorelick. What happened to her?"
When last seen, mary, she was sucking money from one of these --Fan/Fred-- through a straw the size of the Holland Tunnel.
http://volokh.com/posts/1216060102.shtml