Adios, Sayonnara, Ciao Washburn!
December 14, 2007 at 9:24 am
You know you’re in really sorry shape as a presidential debate moderator when another member of the press — a far more famous and powerful member — demands your resignation.
That’s where we stand today with Des Moines Register editor Carolyn Washburn — and the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank.
Milbank writes about yesterday’s Democratic debate:
“Tell us your New Year’s resolution for 2008,” Washburn proposed. Groans emanated from the media room down the hall. Hillary Clinton said she would exercise more. Barack Obama said he would be a better father. Richardson pledged to lose weight.
Here’s a resolution for Washburn: Try not to moderate any more presidential debates.
Ouch! When the U.S. Department of Journalism issues your pink slip, just lower your head in shame and quietly comply.
paul said,
December 14, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
When she asked the same questions to the dems, a day after they were asked to the gop field, it became clear that the woman was working with limited material.
Still… Dana Milbank critcizing another in the press? Frequent appearrances on Hardball and Olberman do not ‘a reality based pundit’ make.
Glass houses Dana, glass houses.
richard said,
December 14, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
I GAVE EARLY WARNING ON THIS!
ramona said,
December 14, 2007 @ 2:03 pm
“the woman was working with limited material”
So true, in so many ways.
Bob Hawkins said,
December 14, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
At least she didn’t ask, “If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?”
Er, did she?
The proposal said,
December 14, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
The solution to all these problems is to have experts in various fields ask the questions, not MSM hacks. Those experts could ask a series of questions about specific proposals from the candidates with the intent of pointing out the flaws in their plans. Something like this doesn’t have to be a big production: it could simply be uploaded to video sharing sites with a transcript provided.
Details at my name’s link.
Captian Dutch said,
December 14, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
Yeah, if anybody would know about making an ass of yourself on television, it would be somebody who wore an Elmer Fudd costume on a national prime time television program!!
Fat Man said,
December 14, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
From Fox News Special Report With Brit Hume on Wed evening after the Republican debate:
KRAUTHAMMER: … That was not just the worst debate of 2007, that was the worst debate in western history, and that includes the ancient Greeks. There was no record in any major European record of a debate this transcendently and crushingly dull. It was an astonishment.
The best line of the day was Fred [Thompson] in commenting after the debate, when he said the moderator was Nurse Ratched. This moderator had the candidates shackled, handcuffed, and gagged with these absurd 15-second responses, 30 second responses. It was like a quiz show.
And, as you said earlier in the show, she had taken the major issues of any interest — Iraq and immigration — off the table at the beginning and never asked about the NIE or Iran or proliferation or interrogation — anything on our minds today.
The only redeeming feature was Alan Keyes. Where was the guy?
HUME: The “Des Moines Register” had said within the last couple of hours it’s going to post on its Web site the criteria that it used in permitting Alan Keyes to come in to this debate but not allowing Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel in the debate among Democrats on Thursday.
KRAUTHAMMER: But he should be admitted entirely on his entertainment value. This is a man who has a capacity to work himself into a froth of righteous indignation that is indescribable, in under 20 seconds, from a standing start, to the point where I kept thinking, as a doctor, is there an EMT crew nearby. This man is going to explode on screen.
We’re not going to see him again, which is unfortunate, but the other candidates, given how bad a debate it was and how it was handled, nobody excelled, nobody lost, except for Thompson for that moment, and he also was sharp on several answers.
Denny said,
December 14, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
All so true, re: the obviously outclassed Ms. Washburn, but let’s take it another step. Why are we investing so much time, money and effort into states such as Iowa, NH and all the rest?
My prediction: no matter who succeeds in grabbing the White House brass ring, a whole-scale revamping of the primary system will be in place before 2012. Disasters such as the “Register’s” so-called Presidential debate (”raise your hands…” I was hoping Fred would come out from behind his podium and slap her!) shine light on the obvious question: why are we allowing places like Iowa and NH to shape our Presidential candidate fields?
william said,
December 14, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
You have to be a total idiot to ask someone to raise their hand to answer TWO questions. Do you believe climate changeis a crisis?; and, Is man causing it?
Murph said,
December 14, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
For those of you who don’t live in Iowa trust me - we endure this kind of nonsense every day. The Register use to be a decent paper - liberal but functionally sound. Today it’s a very sad joke and Ms Washburn is one of the guiding lights responsible for its demise.
Of course, if you met the idiot slob we have for a Governor you’d understand why the Register has to employ kindergarten level reporters to cover government - like Forest Gump said, “stupid is as stupid does.”
In Iowa, stupid has a full-time job working for the Des Moines Register.
Kelley Eidem said,
December 14, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
As awful as the Politboro-attired inquisitor was, let us not forget that four…count-em…four of the Republican candidates, Rudy, Mitt, Huck and McCain, imitated first graders by raising their hands before Fred Thompson put a stop to it.
Thank God there was a leader in the room.
alex said,
December 15, 2007 @ 1:38 am
if one nobody calls another nobody a nobody - what do we care?