Gwen Ifill & Fighting the Smears
This may come as a shock to some, but even journalists have personal lives and hold political opinions. Their job is to set those opinions aside and be objective when reporting on an issue. No one has ever impugned Gwen Ifill’s integrity in any serious way, mostly because her most recent position is with the uber-wonky Lehrer Report, which is quite literally the antithesis of the garbage available on the more popular cable news nets.
The fact that Gwen Ifill is penning a book about modern-day African-American candidates and politicians is no surprise, as I’m sure PBS doesn’t pay megabucks and Ifill is looking to supplement her income with a scholarly book about a topic of interest to her. The book isn’t an Obama love letter, but is called “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” It’s a legitimate topic, and Ifill is a professional.
It takes idiot troglodytes such as Matt Drudge and Michelle Malkin to allege that this is somehow evidence of Ifill’s bias in favor of Obama, and that she is a biased individual who shouldn’t moderate tonight’s VP debate – a debate in which Obama isn’t participating. The book itself? It’s been known about since July, and Ifill was agreed-to as the moderator on August 6th.
Obviously, if this was – let’s say – Kerry vs. Bush, the Con media would be going ballistic with calls for Ifill to step down, and chances are that Kerry would have tried to appease the Cons by trying to get Ifill to do just that. The only win in that scenario would have been Bush and the Cons.
Obama, to his credit, doesn’t ask “how high” when the Con media cries “jump”, and is benefiting from that. By ignoring a controversy that doesn’t exist, it comes back around to McCain, who is forced not to look like a petty whiner and says Ifill is just fine, thanks very much.
No one has suggested that Ifill will be tougher on Palin than Biden, and there’s no evidence whatsoever that there is even the appearance of impropriety with respect to her selection as a moderator, and the issue of her book.
The Republicans are to be commended for doing their best to pre-emptively diminish expectations for Palin, right down to working the refs. At this point, all Palin has to do is show up and not crumble.
I suspect that the debate tonight, as eager as everyone is to rubberneck the car wreck, will be anticlimactic, with no clear winner and no big gaffes. Palin will do just fine giving unchallenged, non-responsive answers to questions and repeating the talking points she’s been cramming for weeks. Biden will do just fine because he knows a lot about a lot of stuff and he’ll be respectful and not demeaning towards Palin.
-
Advertisement
-
Latest
-
BfloBlog
Latest: Don Luce Open Thread: Sabres at Senators -
Paul Wolf
Latest: Positive News! -
Alan Bedenko
Latest: Not All Information is Good Information -
Sports Road Trip
Latest: Profiling OKC’s Ford Center – USRT roadie Day 2 -
Chris Smith
Latest: Economic Development 2.0 -
Brian Castner
Latest: Al Gore as Skeptic -
Tom Schuh
Latest: Hometown News at Noon: Fri 11/20/09 -
The Goose's Roost
Latest: I Blame the Spotlight Guy -
Christina Abt
Latest: Question of the Day.....Jim Kelly for Coach??? -
Marc Odien
Latest: Calls for Parks Usage Input from Community Groups
-
Advertisement
You need to log in to vote
The blog owner requires users to be logged in to be able to vote for this post.
Alternatively, if you do not have an account yet you can create one here.
Powered by Vote It Up
Just out of curiousity, how much input does the moderator have in the actual questions? Is there any oversight by the debate committee?
Humanist, I am not questioning Gwen Ifill’s word regarding a publishing date, I was questioning your assertion because it was not cited. Did you read that somewhere or see her make a statement on the news?
LC, while watching last week’s debate, Jim Lehrer stated at the beginning that he chose all the questions and they were only known to him.
@Mike in WNY – here you go:
“She [Ifill] said it was the publisher, not herself, who set the Inauguration Day release date. It will be released then whether Obama wins or loses.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26978194/
BP – I respect you mn, but you are grasping at some straws here
Ifill is a journalist? Really? Deep down do you think so? Do you think there is a chance she is biased? The title is longer, but it includes “the age of Obama”. Does that seem, oh I don’t know, a little flattering? Is there anyone out there who feels like we moved from Aquarius to Obama?
And people who look under their beds and see a media bias in favor of the GOP: Please.
Again, be honest with yourself and ask yourself this question – who do you think Ifill will vote for? Couric? Gibson? Brokaw? Matthews? Lehrer?
Other than Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, what person that reaches millions of TV viewers do you think will be voting for McCain?
Boy, the bias was absolutely breathtaking wasn’t it? /sarcasm
Jeez, what a bunch of balkanized ninnies you all are revealed to be in these arguments.
Gwen Ifill’s a sneaky bastard. She had the most subtle display of anti-McCain, pro-Obama bias by not asking a single follow-up to Gov. McFolksy and remaining as mute as Helen Keller when that bespectacled oaf said to her face that she wouldn’t answer her questions. Diabolical!
MEDIA BIAS ROBS AMERICANS OF THE TRUTH
The media’s continual bias in favor of Obama is not only disgusing, it’s against everything that America, a Free Press, and Freedom of Speech stands for. To suggest that there is no media bias in favor of Obama not only robs Americans of the truth, it insults the intelligence of the American people.
TALK IS CHEAP … CHECK OBAMA’S RECORD !!!
A candidate’s track record, and associations are always a legitimate issue when running for President. Let’s take a look at the qualifications, judgement, and experience of Obama, who is running for President. Obama had 25 years to fulfill the potential he displayed as a rising start at Harvard Law School … and, how did he live up to that potential? … He chose to align himself with anti-American racist, Jeremiah Wright for TWENTY YEARS … along with Ferrahkan, Rezko, Ayers, and others. As a community organizer, he registered thousands of voters in Chicago … then, when he ran for the state legislature, he took away their votes, by disqualifying his opponent (a black woman) on a technicality. As a U.S. Senator, he voted present 160 times … he never called a meeting on the Afghanistan committee he chaired (although he NOW says we must shift all our military from Iraq to Afghanistan). He claimed Foreign Policy experience from a 9 day whirlwind photo op to 6 countries. And, he spent almost half of his tenure neglecting his responsibilities as a U.S. Senator, so he could run for President. Senator McCain served America honorably for 22 years in the military. He proved his love for America, as well as his honor, integrity and character, by refusing early release as a P.O.W., even while being tortured. He served America as a ‘contributing’ U.S. Senator, working across the aisle, for 20 years. If Obama’s Twentyfive year track record shows he lacks judgement, and can’t be trusted, who cares what he says about Health Care and the Economy! What Obama never learned is Character. He simply can’t be trusted … ask Jeremiah Wright, a friend of 20 years, who Obama betrayed for personal ambition … and, you Obama supporters really think he won’t betray you If he gets elected??? If he gets elected, you Obama supporters will be facing a HUGE disillusionment !!!
Hey Howard – Try decaf.