Washington Post: In Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC

[Bigleaf]

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

Gibson sat there peering down at the candidates over glasses perched on the end of his nose, looking prosecutorial and at times portraying himself as a spokesman for the working class. Blunderingly he addressed an early question, about whether each would be willing to serve as the other's running mate, "to both of you," which is simple ineptitude or bad manners. It was his job to indicate which candidate should answer first. When, understandably, both waited politely for the other to talk, Gibson said snidely, "Don't all speak at once."

The boyish Stephanopoulos, who has done wonders with the network's Sunday morning hour, "This Week" (as, indeed, has Gibson with the nightly "World News"), looked like an overly ambitious intern helping out at a subcommittee hearing, digging through notes for something smart-alecky and slimy. He came up with such tired tripe as a charge that Obama once associated with a nutty bomb-throwing anarchist. That was "40 years ago, when I was 8 years old," Obama said with exasperation.

Obama was right on the money when he complained about the campaign being bogged down in media-driven inanities and obsessiveness over any misstatement a candidate might make along the way, whether in a speech or while being eavesdropped upon by the opposition. The tactic has been to "take one statement and beat it to death," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041700013.html

[crispini]

1. Wow! WaPo. That's amazing. nt

[Muttocracy]

6. Maybe this will piss off the GOP if they think it could be done to McCain in the fall. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

47. Yeah, I know.

Last place I'd look for sanity in this mess. Hey, but there it is. Kinda disconcerting, actually, like finding out that the basic principles of life have been suspended & up is suddenly sideways.

[Catherina]

2. Gibson and Stephanopoulos were ridiculous. Good article. n/t

[seabeyond]

3. appreciate. n/t

[ORDem]

4. ABC is getting almost universally trounced in the MSM. n/t

:eyes:

[beyondromantic]

14. You call one opinion columnist plus the Puffington Host the "MSM"?

Wow.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TahitiNut]

23. I tried but the lines are busy.

:rofl:

[Jazzgirl]

31. I'm one step away from an alert.

[stillcool]

21. An opinion columnist who writes for...

the Washington Post is the media. Better than any talking head on the television screen, because he actually writes his own material. For some print media is still preferable to what is viewed on the television screen, especially when the televised media relies on the reporting by the print media.

[Pacifist Patriot]

59. Time Magazine slammed ABC for the debate. Pretty soundly too.

Good grief. No less than Faux News chimed in on the poor performance turned in by the network and the moderators. Ouch! The travesty made it over the pond to The Guardian in the UK as well. I'd say they got a trouncing by their colleagues.

[Barrymores Ghost]

64. Here, let me help you.....

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/An_open_letter_to_Charlie_Gibson_and_George_Stephanapoulos.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/17/uselections2008.usa

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13073

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003790556

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/usa/2008/04/worst_debate_ever.html

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5195

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/04/analysis_obama_1.html

Hell, even the Nation Review chimed in:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OGNmMmQyOThkMjRhYjBjMmVlMzcwMmEyYjFlNjhkNDY=

[Thepricebreaker]

5. It was more of Obama punching bag night.. I can't believe it....

[IndianaGreen]

7. Excellent piece by Shales

so far, only the neocon NY Times has lauded ABC debate.

[FrenchieCat]

8. It was so obvious....and since millions who support OBama were watching.....

It ain't like we didn't see what we saw with our lying eyes.

[rocktivity]

9. YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!

A towel and a cigarette, please...

:smoke:
rocknation

[ooglymoogly]

55. That deserves a LOL

[DearAbby]

10. It's everywhere...ABC recieved low marks

tonight in this debate, with their stupid questions. Rudeness. Did any of you hear anything about what our candidates feel about torture, renditions, if they would shut down Gitmo. Did any of you hear about what our candidates planned to do with the failing economy...how better to help those who are really struggling? How about Global warming? Anything??

Everywhere I have looked, Our candidates are given good marks for struggling through the worst presidential debate in history. The ones who lost tonight, were US, the American people.

[wryter2000]

50. Absolutely

It was a disgrace no matter which candidate you support.

[mhoran]

60. Indeed

The MSM has too often functioned as a tool of the Rethugs.

[TragedyandHope]

11. For once, I think we have a consensus

[quantass]

12. I see WP saw the farse

[beyondromantic]

15. WP? You mean Tom Shales n/t

[OzarkDem]

32. They lost all credibility in the Plame incident

They may have one or two good columnists, but otherwise they're 100% right wing shills.

[beyondromantic]

13. MIsleading title. You make it sound as if the Washington Post as a whole thinks this way

This is an opinion column

[bookman]

17. What else would it be?

Of course it is an opinion. And I concur with it. ABC served no purpose for either candidate to clarify their positions on issues.

It's about time Americans became concerned with issues.

[Tarheel_Dem]

18. boy, you're on a real marathon tonight aren't you? welcome back...

[stillcool]

20. The Washington Post ..

"thinks as a whole"? No wonder why the media in this country is so fucked up.

[Hamlette]

19. the best line in the article

At the end, Gibson pompously thanked the candidates -- or was he really patting himself on the back? -- for "what I think has been a fascinating debate." He's entitled to his opinion, but the most fascinating aspect was waiting to see how low he and Stephanopoulos would go, and then being appalled at the answer.

[hisownpetard]

41. Yup. A total embarassment, that was.

[JBoy]

22. Argghhh! I fucking hate the Charlie Gibson "looking over his glasses" look.

I want to jump through the TV and smack him.

[catgirl]

39. I've never liked him

He has that condescending tone.

[Barking Spider]

48. Same reason I sometimes want to beat Sen. Schumer senseless.

[kwenu]

24. WaPo is correct. ABC earned the boos honestly on this one.

[IamyourTVandIownyou]

25. ..and the co-sponsors.. the National Constitution Center..

From Transcript:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/DemocraticDebate/Story?id=4670271&page=1

GIBSON: ABC News is pleased to sponsor the debate, along with the National Constitutional Center.

--

Geez, I wonder who is on THEIR Board of Trustees????

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/about_us/BoardofTrustees/index.shtml

Unbelievable. Who co-sponsored this debate again?

lol.

[Skidmore]

30. Just, wow! I read their membership list and the only thing that comes

to mind is that the corrupt entrenched Clinton-Bush cabals are fight for one last gasp of air before they finally go under. Amazing. I hope KO points this sponsorship out today.

Still standing with Obama. The people stand an honest chance for change.

[OzarkDem]

33. Jimmy Carter - he endorsed Obama

:shrug:

[intheflow]

34. But the fact that both Clintons serve on the Board of this organization

makes it a conflict of interest for the NCC to have co-sponsored the debate. At the very least, it opens Clinton up to charges of a kind of political inside trading. :(

[Tesha]

35. Actually, he didn't. But what's a small matter of fact, ehh?

(Yes, he hinted strongly that he would be behind Obama.
But he has never committed publicly to either candidate..)

Tesha

[democrattotheend]

52. Carter has not endorsed Obama

He has hinted at his preference but has not endorsed.

[DrZeeLit]

67. not yet...although didn't JC say his family members are supporting BO? n/t

[beltanefauve]

51. Holy shit!

Good find!

[ooglymoogly]

56. great catch....this debate will go down in the annals of infamy.

[SunsetDreams]

26. Yep pretty much everyone except ABC and Fox, and Hillary

approve of this sham of an attack. It definitely wasn't a debate.

[Scurrilous]

27. K & R

:thumbsup:

[MBS]

28. this summarizes my feelings to a T

Thanks for posting this.
I thought that Gibson and Stephanopoulos were AWFUL.

[chyjo]

29. message : We don't need monday night Football

and we trash Barack Obama. I smell a dying network!

[Stephanie]

36. Oh wow, you beat me to it by many hours...

K&R

[Orsino]

37. ABC won. WaPo is a loser here.

ABC got to shape the debate in the eyes of millions. WaPo can only echo them the day after.

[Hardrada]

53. Sure that many watched it? Or watched it all the way through?

I am a political enthusiast and I only watched about two minutes since I had better things to do. The news piece can get a big audience with bloggers etc.

[mhoran]

61. ABC is irrelevant

They just haven't figured it out yet. They're so, like, 2007.

[City Lights]

38. I'm still in shock that the boyish Snufflesuckass suckled at the Hannity teat

to come up with debate questions.

[myrna minx]

40. Gibson also huffed and bristled at the thought of raising capital gains tax,

a tax I'm sure would effect him directly, but not most Americans. :eyes: Yeah Charlie, most Americans who are having a difficult time choosing between filling up their tanks, paying for prescription drugs, paying their heat bill and buying food are on the edge of their seats, worrying about the plight of the rich people who have to pay capital gains taxes. :puke: That debate was a total farce.

[rniel]

42. I've had it

I don't often write to a company and complain. I'm not that type of guy, but where can I make a comment on that ridiculous debate? anyone know?

[rniel]

44. WHO TO EMAIL

Please anyone!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

43. " All I know is ..first, you've got to get mad !"

" You've got to say, I'm a human being, god dammit. My life has value !!"

"I'M mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore !!! "

Some things never change.

Until we get mad and determined enough.

[mcollier]

46. There you go Dixiegrrrl

Give ABCNEWS.com a piece of your valuable mind... Assholes Behind Clinton = ABC

[leaningprog]

45. ABC shows Desperate Housewives to be their world view

Last night was a clear picture of the Disney and ABC mentality.
What is good journalism when the people want spectacle, fear
mongering, and infotainment until they swell like ticks full
of blood and pop?

They should stay in their wheelhouse, and deliver gossip shows
and medical shows were the doctors can't keep their gonads from
running their lives.

They should do an expose on how Disney sold a bunch of kids
on Hannah Montana and then skewered their folks for a thousand
bucks a seat to get them in the show.

If anyone knows who Gibson and Stephanopoulos shill for within
the ABC organization, of if it is a slime for hire by the network
for outside operatives, I would love to know.

[wryter2000]

49. Nice words

"Despicable, blunderingly (more than a little purple, but still apt), snidely, smart-alecky and slimy, tripe"

Good for this author.

[Beregond2]

54. Why is a

"style" columnist writing about this?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

57. I don't think it's just ABC

Most of the debates I've watched during this long campaign season have had absolutely moronic questions that have predominated, seemingly intended to elicit sensationalist answers that have nothing to do with the hard issues that concern most voters. But ABC's two questioners may have been the worst yet.

[ooglymoogly]

58. This "debate" should be called the Punches and Obama puppet show

Wherein the evil three Punches beat on professor Obama with big sticks.

[vincenzoesq]

62. I think Hilary wrote the questions.

She was awfully smug, and her timing was too tight. She didn't seem the least bit agitated at the silliness of the questions.

[L0oniX]

63. I wonder what the Nielsen ratings for ABC will show after that funkinstein debate

[Duder]

65. I liked this suggestion...

'Here's an interesting example of exactly what I mean. The keisters of Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos should be right properly smarting today. Now, we know that these guys are unlikely to change much of anything following Shales' withering critique. But just think what could happen if it were Shales' job to keep this up? Think what could happen if the Post backed this up with an editorial about the news values, editorial judgment, and ethics of ABC News.

(Yes, there are many media columnists. Howard Kurtz for example. But I'm not talking about general media criticism. I'm talking about focused and sustained coverage of specific news orgs by competing news orgs and backed up by the voice of the news org.)

I'm not a big fan of news competition for stories. That era is really dead now thanks to television and the internet. But I think news organizations could, and ought to, compete over news values, editorial judgment, and ethics. Rub the competition's nose in its mistakes. Rip them a new one. And do a better job yourself.' --Andrew R. Cline, Ph.D.

[Coexist]

66. kick

[Major Hogwash]

68. Sure hope they sold a lot of those lapel flag pins today.

I will never wear one.