Comments on: The ABC Debate and the Danger to Democracy http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/ As The Media Watches The World, We Watch The Media Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:59:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Kim http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14419 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:24:40 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14419 The most important difference between the candidates is one's got a plan and the other "hopes" that someone will tell him what to do. The most important difference between the candidates is one’s got a plan and the other “hopes” that someone will tell him what to do.

]]> by: Kim http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14418 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:21:29 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14418 Haven't you people in Pennsylvania had a chance to watch the other 6-7 debates between Obama and Clinton that did ask the "important issue" questions in every one of those debates? Frankly, as I've seen all of them, I'm pretty tired of hearing the same questions and pat answers over and over again. I have heard all the rumours and I was interested in finding out how the candidates answered them. And more importantly how they acted when those sensitive questions were asked. Obama failed in my eyes, as he always does. It's about time someone in the media quit treating him with kid gloves! Besides, if Obama could be a racist, (His girls definately are if they sit in the pews every Sunday and are taught by Rev "Wrong".)then I sure think that is a VERY important issue! If McCain's pastor spoke to his church like a member of the KKK, he would be over and done so fast! Whay are Americans afraid or unwilling to see the truth about Obama? At least I know Hillary has the working class as a priority, she has the country's prosperity as a priority. I fear that Obama is going to hand America over to the Muslims. Look at the men he's called friend! Haven’t you people in Pennsylvania had a chance to watch the other 6-7 debates between Obama and Clinton that did ask the “important issue” questions in every one of those debates? Frankly, as I’ve seen all of them, I’m pretty tired of hearing the same questions and pat answers over and over again. I have heard all the rumours and I was interested in finding out how the candidates answered them. And more importantly how they acted when those sensitive questions were asked. Obama failed in my eyes, as he always does. It’s about time someone in the media quit treating him with kid gloves! Besides, if Obama could be a racist, (His girls definately are if they sit in the pews every Sunday and are taught by Rev “Wrong”.)then I sure think that is a VERY important issue! If McCain’s pastor spoke to his church like a member of the KKK, he would be over and done so fast! Whay are Americans afraid or unwilling to see the truth about Obama? At least I know Hillary has the working class as a priority, she has the country’s prosperity as a priority. I fear that Obama is going to hand America over to the Muslims. Look at the men he’s called friend!

]]> by: Dominick J. http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14358 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:18:08 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14358 George Stephanopolous is a joke and now we really know he has NO talent for getting to BIG questions answered. Nows the time he should lose his TV spot. When I want SNL I'll click my remote to get it. When I want the News and especially a good debate I should be able to click on a Real news channel. ABC you're a Joke and so is George Stephanopolous for going along with the farce! George Stephanopolous is a joke and now we really know he has NO talent for getting to BIG questions answered. Nows the time he should lose his TV spot.
When I want SNL I’ll click my remote to get it. When I want the News and especially a good debate I should be able to click on a Real news channel. ABC you’re a Joke and so is George Stephanopolous for going along with the farce!

]]> by: david cromwell http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14341 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:23:08 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14341 Were those fair questions for ABC to ask? Absolutely NOT. When has a little piece of tin on a jacket, :30 of a Pastor's 30 year career, the correct usage of the word "bitter" to describe middle class feelings, and even ducking and running from sniperfire become the standard for which we choose our President? Here's a question about human survival that could have been asked in that first 45 minutes. One third of the biomass of all the oceans on this planet is jelly fish. Leatherback sea turtles eat ONLY jelly fish, The long line fishing industry sets large "j" hooks every 10 meters on multiple 60 mile long steel cables off the back of their factory ships with glow in the dark crack/sticks placed at the "j" hooks to atract the last 5% of the big fish in the ocean. Leatherback sea turtles think the glow sticks are jelly fish. They swim over and get snagged by the "j" hooks and dragged until they drown. The leatherback will go extinct in the next 10 years. The jelly fish will then take over the oceans, and there will be no more fish left. As President what will you do to change this certainty? Why couldn't the ABCNews pond scum ask a question like that? It wouldn't have taken 45 minutes, and we would all have learned something about the candidates. Were those fair questions for ABC to ask? Absolutely NOT.
When has a little piece of tin on a jacket, :30 of a Pastor’s 30 year career, the correct usage of the word “bitter” to describe middle class feelings, and even ducking and running from sniperfire become the standard for which we choose our President?
Here’s a question about human survival that could have been asked in that first 45 minutes. One third of the biomass of all the oceans on this planet is jelly fish. Leatherback sea turtles eat ONLY jelly fish, The long line fishing industry sets large “j” hooks every 10 meters on multiple 60 mile long steel cables off the back of their factory ships with glow in the dark crack/sticks placed at the “j” hooks to atract the last 5% of the big fish in the ocean. Leatherback sea turtles think the glow sticks are jelly fish. They swim over and get snagged by the “j” hooks and dragged until they drown. The leatherback will go extinct in the next 10 years. The jelly fish will then take over the oceans, and there will be no more fish left. As President what will you do to change this certainty?
Why couldn’t the ABCNews pond scum ask a question like that? It wouldn’t have taken 45 minutes, and we would all have learned something about the candidates.

]]> by: Steven Holt http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14330 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:38:55 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14330 To only one extent is Mike right. These "personality" smear issues are nearly the only ones anyone in the corporatist media has discussed in the last few weeks of the campaign. Sadly, someone like our impressionable Mike has come to think they are therefore important indicators of leadership. He could not possibly be more wrong. I guess I would not be so bothered by this trivia if it was a remotely level playing field, but we never heard any questions asked on bathroom sex of McCain when his campaign chair for Florida tried to pay a cop to perform oral sex on him. That the corporate television news media and to an only slightly lesser extent the print media is wildly pro republican and does not acknowledge it, that it as the article states has completely trivialized and dumbed things down to he said she said trivial conflict and horserace coverage is a tragedy. Even worse, they keep opining that the policy differences between the two democratic candidates are so trivial that they are rarely even looked at. The problem is that these issues are difficult to summarize in six seconds if not six minutes, it is not that they don't exist, it is that they require some analysis. And it just seems that analysis is way too hard for Charlie Gibson. A man whose attempt to gotcha the candidates on capital gains taxes degenerated into repeated mutterings displaying his gross misunderstanding of the issue. To only one extent is Mike right. These “personality” smear issues are nearly the only ones anyone in the corporatist media has discussed in the last few weeks of the campaign. Sadly, someone like our impressionable Mike has come to think they are therefore important indicators of leadership. He could not possibly be more wrong. I guess I would not be so bothered by this trivia if it was a remotely level playing field, but we never heard any questions asked on bathroom sex of McCain when his campaign chair for Florida tried to pay a cop to perform oral sex on him.

That the corporate television news media and to an only slightly lesser extent the print media is wildly pro republican and does not acknowledge it, that it as the article states has completely trivialized and dumbed things down to he said she said trivial conflict and horserace coverage is a tragedy.

Even worse, they keep opining that the policy differences between the two democratic candidates are so trivial that they are rarely even looked at. The problem is that these issues are difficult to summarize in six seconds if not six minutes, it is not that they don’t exist, it is that they require some analysis. And it just seems that analysis is way too hard for Charlie Gibson. A man whose attempt to gotcha the candidates on capital gains taxes degenerated into repeated mutterings displaying his gross misunderstanding of the issue.

]]> by: Mike http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14320 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:27:51 +0000 http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2008/04/18/the-abc-debate-and-the-danger-to-democracy/#comment-14320 There was nothing wrong with the ABC debate. The questions that were asked were the questions that were on the mind of rest of America. If I were running for office and raciest David Duke was at my house, it is hard to believe that the media would not question me about it. The questions of the Senators rev were very fair. The rev is clearly a raciest. There was nothing wrong with the ABC debate. The questions that were asked were the questions that were on the mind of rest of America. If I were running for office and raciest David Duke was at my house, it is hard to believe that the media would not question me about it. The questions of the Senators rev were very fair. The rev is clearly a raciest.

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