Should CNN be allowed to host any more debates?

[chemisttree]

CNN does it again...

Clinton supporter questions GOP candidates in YouTube debate.

Kerr, who served as a brigadier general in the reserves, is a member of a gay and lesbian steering committee for Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton...

David McMillan, a screenwriter from Los Angeles who asked the candidates why they thought the vast majority of African Americans don't vote Republican, has pictures of himself on his Web site attending a fundraiser for Barack Obama as well as several parodies bashing current and former Bush administration officials Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales...

One woman who identified herself as Journey from Texas, and who has a Web page in which she goes by the name Paperserenade asked the candidates about whether they would prosecute women and doctors if abortion were made illegal and the practice continued. After the debate, she posted a Web video wearing a John Edwards '08 T-shirt...

Another questioner, Leeann Anderson, asked about the danger of lead toys from China. Anderson, an activist on the issue, is reportedly an assistant to Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers of America. The union endorsed Edwards earlier this month, and Anderson's question is posted on the steelworkers' YouTube page next to a picture of Edwards...

Anderson Cooper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28CCf4cEDpI" that Kerr was listed as a member of a steering committee for Hillary Clinton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trxZAN1W-ms" scoffed at the idea that CNN didn't know that Kerr was a member of Hillary's campaign.

http://newsbusters.org/people/keith-kerr"

In the greatest of ironies, after Democrats refused to participate in debates sponsored by Fox News due to its supposed partiality, CNN has now shown itself in back-to-back debates to be as biased as biased can be.

 

[kach22i]

Pretty weird that they just let any old American ask questions like that. Maybe they should screen them and plant fake reporters like the Whitehouse has been doing for years.

I'm just laughing, maybe the Dem's finally learned something from Karl Rove.

 

[russ_watters]

It isn't terribly surprising that the candidates would plant questioners in their debates - all of their rallys are staged anyway, why not the debates too? What is disturbing (but unfortunately also not too surprising) is that CNN seems to condone it, or at least, play the willing patsie.

But "allowed" just simply isn't a relevant question - CNN can do what they want here and the candidates can do what they want if CNN let's them. Unless CNN actively/openly endorses a candidate, they are not breaking the law, so there is no one to stop allowing them to do this.

 

[edward]

CNN is using the same playing field for both parties. Both Democrats and Republicans have had the youtube questions.

 

[russ_watters]

Well, no - the implication being made here is that both the Democratic and Republican debates have democratic plants asking the questions. Whether it does work both ways, I can't rule out - you can't get both sides of the story from a single blog - but the blogs linked show just that.

 

[ShawnD]

This brings up an interesting question. Instead of trying to suppress plants, why not make it part of the debate? Aside from the usual questions, both parties could have maybe 5 people each ask any question to any candidate. Some democrat question could be towards Hillary and be something like "is it true that you'll <positive things>" then Hillary has her own little circle jerk a minute. Then some republican question could be directed at Hillary and be "what do you plan to do about <all kinds of things that she has no plan on fixing>"

It's not really slanted if the questions are valid. Why do black people vote democrat? Why do hard core christians vote republican? If <candidate> intends to <strategy> how will they fix <problem> that happens as a result of that strategy? These are valid questions that people want answered.

 

[chemisttree]

I would agree that after the nominating conventions that the final two candidates should answer questions from both sides. These debates are really aimed at their own respective party supporters and should have questions that their own supporters want answered.

By the way, what Republican supporters asked questions in the Democratic debate... I must have missed it.

 

[phoenixy]

By the way, what Republican supporters asked questions in the Democratic debate... I must have missed it.

* I'd like to know, if the Democrats come into office, are my taxes going to rise like usually they do when a Democrat gets into office?

* To all the candidates: Tell me your position on gun control, as myself and other Americans really want to know if our babies are safe. This is my baby, purchased under the 1994 gun ban.

Don't you think if we pulled out now that it would open it up for Iran and Syria, God knows who -- Russia -- how do we pull out now? And isn't it our responsibility to get these people up on their feet? I mean, do you leave a newborn baby to take care of himself? How do we pull out now?

How do you expect to win in a country where probably a pretty large chunk of the people voting disagree with that statement and might very well be offended by it? I'd like to know if you plan to defend that statement, or if you're just going to flip-flop. Thanks.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200711270007

I'm not sure if if it's the right place for the gay general to ask his question. He is not going to get a straight(pun) answer from these weasels.

 

[ShawnD]

The first and third questions you quoted seem valid. Will you raise taxes, and how do you plan to pull out? The second is just retarded; did he actually refer to his gun as "my baby"? The fourth sounds like an emotional response from somebody who served, regardless of which party they side with. It always hurts to be told that your friends died in vain.

 

[phoenixy]

The first and third questions you quoted seem valid. Will you raise taxes, and how do you plan to pull out? The second is just retarded; did he actually refer to his gun as "my baby"? The fourth sounds like an emotional response from somebody who served, regardless of which party they side with. It always hurts to be told that your friends died in vain.

Any question is valid. However they are not asked by dems during the dems debate.

 

[chemisttree]

Any question is valid. However they are not asked by dems during the dems debate.

I don't know how you get that. Not true that 'any question is valid.' It does appear that republicans asked some questions during the first Dem debate, however. It does seem that the first two questions were asked by Republican-leaning people.
The second two are a little hard to discern... could be either party. The (Hillary Clinton brainchild) Media Matters site listed several others that were clearly not Republican regarding same-sex marriage and sexism as it relates to foriegn relations. These were characterized by the site as being Republican 'gotchas'. I don't think the two lesbians in Brooklyn (who asked the question about same sex marriage) were Republicans!

Hmmm, where else have I heard the term 'gotcha' in the debates?

 

[russ_watters]

It's not really slanted if the questions are valid.

Well, yeah it is. The whole point of opening the floor to questions is to have them unscripted so you can get [relatively] candid answers. If they are going to be scripted, why not just cut them out completely and let the candidates have the time to make a 2 minute speech? There isn't any fundamental difference except in appearance.

 

[ShawnD]

You're absolutely right, but I was thinking more in terms of republicans planting questions in a democrat debate. If republicans are doing it, their purpose is to make somebody look bad, but if you think about it, you can only make yourself look bad. The worst a republican can do is ask a question where the candidate's answer is unpopular, but whose fault is that? Either that or the candidate will have no answer, because they don't know the answer. Again, is that the fault of the candidate, or the person asking the question?

 

[russ_watters]

You're absolutely right, but I was thinking more in terms of republicans planting questions in a democrat debate. If republicans are doing it, their purpose is to make somebody look bad, but if you think about it, you can only make yourself look bad. The worst a republican can do is ask a question where the candidate's answer is unpopular, but whose fault is that? Either that or the candidate will have no answer, because they don't know the answer. Again, is that the fault of the candidate, or the person asking the question?

"The answer"? You seem to be saying here that the questions have right and wrong answers - and that Republicans are always wrong and Democrats are always right. You do realize that about half of the US population is conservative and a Republican plant asking Hillary Clinton "You are a baby killing hippie, aren't you?" might right a lot of bells.

But maybe I misunderstood - could you explain why a mean-spirited or pointed question couldn't make a Democratic candidate look bad?

 

[chemisttree]

I think the point of the debates is to determine who among the field best represents the party's goals in the election. I don't think that Democrats are going to use a stance on gun control to determine that. Definitely that question didn't deserve to be asked at the Democrat debate. The same goes for the question of gays in the military asked in the Republican debate. I don't know of any Republicans that are using that as a guide for choosing any of the candidates.

Some of these questions should have obviously been weeded out but CNN allowed them. A little background check wouldn't have hurt either. A Harry Reid staffer isn't what I would call an 'undecided' voter...

 

[ShawnD]

But maybe I misunderstood - could you explain why a mean-spirited or pointed question couldn't make a Democratic candidate look bad?

Of course.

Question: I'd like to know, if the Democrats come into office, are my taxes going to rise like usually they do when a Democrat gets into office?

Answer: I have no intention of raising taxes. I plan to balance the budget by reducing government spending, and eliminating republican-created pork projects whenever possible.


If that isn't their real answer, and they really do intend to raise taxes, the people have a right to know this. Or stand there like an idiot saying "uh..." to indicate that that no thought was put into the budget at all, in which case the republican plant did a good job at making the candidate look like the idiot he or she is.

 

[kach22i]

I watched some of the Republican debate and caught the part with the gay former general asking questions. He was in the audience and took the mic several times, putting the candidates on the spot.

This really was a political statement on his part.

I say this in the context that the "issue" regarding the policy of "don't ask, don't tell" is a common theme among the republicans running for president.

If this were the Democratic debate and a "plant" asked about abortion I think I would of been a little upset about the planned disruption.

The line was crossed, but not in an overly disruptive way - this time.

 

[chemisttree]

But the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was crafted and signed into law by Bill Clinton.

 

[rjbig2000]

They should have let the YouTube community pick the questions by voting on them. I believe they would eliminated the stupid stuff and posed only the valid questions people really wanted asked. All the candidates should have to answer each question. That way we get to see each of their opinions on the issues. By allowing directed questions it makes it so someone can ask a question to one candidate just to make them look bad

 

[kach22i]

They should have let the YouTube community pick the questions by voting on them. I believe they would eliminated the stupid stuff and posed only the valid questions people really wanted asked. All the candidates should have to answer each question. That way we get to see each of their opinions on the issues. By allowing directed questions it makes it so someone can ask a question to one candidate just to make them look bad

Yep, sounds too much like Democracy, can't have that here.

Kiss and tell...prior to that it was kiss and get kicked out.

Progress is not progress if all stands still.

 

[chemisttree]

It keeps getting sicker...

Earlier this year, Mark Strauss posed a question in the Democratic Debate. CNN asked him to pose another for the upcoming Republican Debate as well.

Davenport, Iowa -- A Quad City voter is making national headlines tonight. Mark Strauss of Davenport was one of 3,000 voters to submit a question through YouTube for Monday night's Democratic presidential debate.

And CNN has already contacted him about editing a different question for the Republican presidential debate in September.

Mark Strauss says he never heard of YouTube until he found out about posting questions for the debate. He's video was one of 37 that was shown. And it was about Alzheimers.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=6834524&nav=7k8p

From the Huffington Post the day after the Democratic Youtube Debate...

CNN didn't just "pick the questions." They identified contributors and in some cases worked with them to shape the video. Mark Strauss from Davenport, Iowa, asked what the candidates intend to do about healthcare for the elderly. He told OffTheBus that "CNN called him and requested that he re-shoot the question and keep it to twenty-seven seconds."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-bus-reporter/no-sport-of-kings-how-th_b_57656.html

In the Republican Debate he asked Ron Paul if he would please not let america down and run as an independent. Apparently CNN asked him to pose this question... Mark Strauss says he supports Ron Paul but only if his support doesn't help the Republicans.http://www.my-america.biz/my-america_007.htm

One of the most powerful pieces of video submitted to YouTube was about Alzheimer's disease. It was sent in by Mark Strauss, a middle-aged GE manufacturer's representative, who lives in an upscale neighborhood in Davenport, Iowa.

On the video, Mark and his older brother, Joel, are feeding their mother, who is in the last stages of Alzheimer's. And that is the tableau from which he asked the presidential candidates: what are they going to do now -- not 20 years from now -- to get ready for the influx of aging Baby Boomers in the health care system. Televisually, it's the opposite of wonkish.

Mark sent several video questions to YouTube. CNN contacted him about a re-shoot but never asked him if he was a supporter of any of the candidates, or if was planning on voting or caucusing for them come January.

Strauss says, "I'm not a Democrat or a Republican. I'm an American." He's not keen on any of the Democratic candidates at this point though he admits to liking Bill Richardson, "even if he doesn't have a chance." Beyond health care, he is concerned about "our trillion dollar debt financed by the Chinese." He once told former Governor Mitt Romney exactly that when Romney came to Strauss's door last October on a pre-presidential campaign door knocking expedition.

"After I told him that we needed a political solution to the Iraq War, including getting the UN involved and Romney told me the UN is a joke, I told him to get off my property."

(also from the Huffington Post article)