Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Debate

I was hoping last night's Pennsylvania debate between Obama and Clinton would definitively settle the Pennsylvania primary. A home run by Obama and a poor performance by Clinton might have shifted enough voters to end this fiasco after next Tuesday's vote. At the very least, the candidate could have staked out their positions on various critical issues, giving voters a clear choice between them. Sadly, it sounds like the debate was a complete debacle due to the incompetence of ABC News.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the health care and mortgage crises, the overall state of the economy and dozens of other pressing issues had to wait for their few moments in the sun as Obama was pressed to explain his recent "bitter" gaffe and relationship with Rev. Wright (seemingly a dead issue) and not wearing a flag pin -- while Clinton had to answer again for her Bosnia trip exaggerations. . . .

. . . More time was spent on all of this than segments on getting out of Iraq and keeping people from losing their homes and -- you name it.
What's more, one of the two questioners from ABC News was George Stephanopolous, a former official of the Clinton Administration. Who the heck thought that wasn't a conflict of interest?!?

Most of the news media just sucks these days.

3 comments:

Eric Haas said...

Meanwhile, McCain continues to gain ground.

Secular Transhumanist said...

"Who the heck thought that wasn't a conflict of interest?!?"

ABC, apparently, when they hired him, oh, 6 years ago or so.

Because a former Clintonista would have absolutely no conflict of interest hosting ABC's Sunday morning news program, right? Guaranteed to give the Republicans a fair shake.

Ipecac said...

I don't have any problem with networks hiring former govt officials of either party who may have unique insights. And since the Clinton Administration was over when they hired Stephanopolous (was it only six years ago he was hired?), it's not that problematic. Recently FOX News hired Karl Rove.

The conflict of interest comes in when he is moderating a debate involving the wife of his former boss. That's a problem.

(As an aside, if you think the media has been unfair to the Republicans over the last eight years, you're mental. They've practically bent over for the administration.)