newsflash: a woman will once again moderate a presidential debate (first time in TWENTY YEARS)

[niyad]

NEWSFLASH: A Woman Will Finally Moderate A Presidential Debate Again

August 13, 2012 by Rebecca Nelson · Leave a Comment
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After a 20-year absence, a woman will finally take the moderator’s seat in a U.S. presidential debate. CNN’s Candy Crowley, chief political correspondent and anchor of “State of the Union With Candy Crowley,” is the first woman since 1992 to take on the role. Martha Raddatz, senior foreign affairs correspondent for ABC News, will moderate the vice presidential debate.

Crowley and Raddatz will make history: For the first time, the moderators of the four debates (three presidential, one vice presidential) are split evenly by gender, with men moderating the second two presidential. Crowley will take her turn on Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., in a town hall debate focused on foreign and domestic issues. Jim Lehrer of PBS’ “Newshour” will moderated the first debate in Denver on Oct. 3 and Bob Schieffer of CBS’ “Face the Nation” will moderate the third debate on Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla. The VP debate, with Raddatz at the moderator’s mic, will be held Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky.

Carole Simpson of ABC News moderated the 1992 presidential debate among George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and H. Ross Perot, the last time a woman filled the role.

In June, three high school sophomores from Montclair, N.J., launched a campaign on Change.org petitioning the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) to appoint a woman moderator for one of the debates, garnering more than 120,000 signatures. They had learned about the lack of women debate moderators in their high school civics class. Today, petition organizers Elena Tsemberis, Emma Axelrod and Sammi Siegel expressed their happiness on their Change.org homepage, with Tsemberis stressing the importance of the issue beyond partisan politics:

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http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/08/13/newsflash-a-woman-will-finally-moderate-a-presidential-debate-again/

[joshcryer]

1. Candy Crowley?

Ugh.

[grantcart]

19. ugh, ugh

[elleng]

2. bfd. crowley.

VP debate gets the GOOD ONE, Martha Raddatz.

[Purveyor]

3. What? She stopped covering the Dole campaign... eom

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Didn't Gwen Ifill moderate a debate in 2012?

Maybe it was a VP Debate - I remember a SNL skit wherein the Sarah Palin character spieled talking points instead of answers to questions........

[lovemydog]

15. Yes, she moderated VP debates in 2008 and 2004

Than SNL skit was hilarious, with Queen Latifah playing Gwen Ifill

[Lint Head]

5. Is Candy Crowley related to Aleister Crowley?

[Politicalboi]

6. Candy Crowley

John Candy in drag. LOL!

[bluestateguy]

7. Raddatz is OK, but Candy Crowley makes me sick

nt

[Kalidurga]

8. Don't care...

Don't get why it's an issue.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. Bad news - it's Bush head cheerleader Crowley

and I see the rightwingers like Limbaugh and Drudge are already working the refs by saying she's too lib'rul to moderate.
They're hoping to convince her to wingnut it up for the debate.

[Princess Turandot]

11. I still recall her euphoria when the Ken Starr report on the Clinton investigation was released...

sitting at a computer screen looking for/reading aloud references to Monica Lewinsky.

A dreadful choice.

[dsteve01]

10. Where can I

protest Crowley? Like on a written survey or something? Maybe get a more legit moderator?

STEPHEN HAWKING ALL UP IN THIS DEBATE SESSION

(Homeboys)

I would settle for Neil Degrasse Tyson, too.

[lillypaddle]

12. She sucks n/t

[MIDNITERIDER1438]

13. Like Ed said......

Get 'em to ask the tax return question or they're all wusses !

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

14. she is horrible

[Blaukraut]

16. I'd rather have an unbiased male moderator than Crowley

Besides, Crowley is not a woman, she is a female Republican. That particular subset of our species can only be assigned a gender in theory.

[tallahasseedem]

17. Crowley was a horrible choice...

I made it clear a couple of days ago through my twitter account to her. I'm thinking she doesn't care much, LOL!

[hamsterjill]

18. My dream moderator?

Christiane Amanpour. I would love to see her moderate a presidential debate. She's highly intelligent and well informed on world issues.

I realize they are probably looking for moderators more focused on U.S. politics that matters of the world, but Christiane has an overall sense of understanding, and I think she'd be great in a debate.