ABC's Stephanopoulos Defends Contraception Question, Ties in 'Bet' With Diane Sawyer
By Brad Wilmouth | January 12, 2012 | 02:16
Appearing as a guest on Wednesday's The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, ABC's George Stephanopoulos responded to host Stephen Colbert's question of why he - as debate co-moderator last Saturday - asked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney about whether states have the constitutional power to ban contraceptives, as he argued that the question revolved around the "right to privacy."
He then suggested that a bet with co-moderator Diane Sawyer motivated him to be so persistent in asking Romney followup questions on the subject. After Colbert asked what it felt like when Romney called it a "silly thing" for Stephanopoulos to ask such a hypothetical question, the ABC anchor responded:
At that moment, I am thinking, "I really want to win this bet."
After Colbert asked him what the bet was, he tied in Sawyer:
Diane Sawyer bet me I couldn't get Mitt Romney to say, "Contraceptives are working just fine." I won.
Below are video and a transcript of the relevant portion of the Wednesday, January 11, The Colbert Report on Comedy Central:
STEPHEN COLBERT: So is it difficult to be a member of the press in front of a Republican audience? Okay, and I'll give you a specific example. You got into a section there where you were talking about contraception. You were asking questions about contraception.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The right to privacy, contraception, right.
COLBERT: Why was it so important? Why were you talking about contraception so much? Don't get me wrong, any guy sitting next to Diane Sawyer for that long at least thinks about it, but why did you make it part about the debate?
STEPHANOPOULOS: It was about the right the privacy. One of the candidates had said he believes that the states have the right to ban contraception. I was asking Mitt Romney the same question.
COLBERT: Okay, let's watch how that played out. This is just a little snippet of it.
STEPHANOPOULOS AT DEBATE: Governor Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception? Or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?
MITT ROMNEY: The idea of you putting forward things that states might want to do that no state wants to do and asking me whether they could do it or not is kind of a silly thing, I think.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)
COLBERT: Okay, okay. He's basically saying you're a silly little child, and the audience is going, "We hate him, too!" What does it feel like at that moment?
STEPHANOPOULOS: At that moment, I am thinking, "I really want to win this bet."
COLBERT: What was the bet?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Diane Sawyer bet me I couldn't get Mitt Romney to say, "Contraceptions are working just fine."
COLBERT: Really?
STEPHANOPOULOS: I won.
(STEPHANOPOULOS AND AUDIENCE LAUGH)
COLBERT: You got him to say, "Contraceptives are working just fine."
STEPHANOPOULOS: Right.
COLBERT: Even though, from the number of children he has, he has no idea how they work.
(STEPHANOPOULOS AND AUDIENCE LAUGH)
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Comments
⇒ Yes, folks
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 3:55am.
Yes, folks. This is what passes for thoughtful dialogue.
Indeed. This was never a
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 6:41am.
Indeed. This was never a serious effort to "moderate" a debate. They saw it as an opportunity to attack and ridicule. One wonders what else they conspired beforehand to do.
And the fact that George isn't even embarrassed to admit that he pursued a line of questioning on a bet, and in an attempt to get a particular response from Romney, indicates just how corrupt the state of "journalism" is in this country.
Once a Democrat operative, always a Democrat operative.
Save the tough questions for later
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 6:12am.
Please don't go hard on the R candidates like you were with Obama and ask, oh, 'What's your favorite flavor ice cream?'.
⇒ My personal favorite
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 6:54am.
Jeff Zeleny;
(Mr. President) During these first 100 days, what has surprised you the most about this office? Enchanted you the most from serving in this office
STEPHANOPOULOS aka The DNC butt-boy
Submitted by CT on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 6:39am.
ABC's little Georgie Stephanopoulos return to Sunday morning political TV was a move to get the unmodulated DNC talking points delivered without conscious.
Re: Your tagline
Submitted by misterbee241 on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 9:39am.
The Obmination of Desolation.
With apologies to the Prophet Daniel.
The Bet
Submitted by NewLife56 on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 6:42am.
This is the problem, the MSM thinks all this is a joke, you have men on stage that are running for POTUS, and these bozo's think it's a joke to play with.
Gas @ 4.00 a gallon again and going up, food prices way up, Iran on the brink, 8.5% un-employment, almost 16 trillion in debt.
Obama is the joke and sadly, were the ones paying the price for it.
This unethical behavior might
Submitted by Optionyout on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:12am.
This unethical behavior might even push ABC over the line.
So Tell Me George?
Submitted by Bourbeau on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:29am.
When will you be going on Bill O'Reilly to defend your stupidity? Secondly, what exactly was the bet you had with Diane when you hosted the debates for Clinton and Obama? And lastly, what's it feel like to be short shit in real life?
The right to privacy is always an important issue worthy of being discussed, but not for thirty minutes in a Presidential debate. But what's more important is the GOP and future Republican candidates have to stand up and tell the likes of NBC, CBS and ABC to go pound sand; they must demand a say in who the moderators would be and, under no circumstances, should they allow a politcial operative, wired to the White House, on the panel. That means you George; and for the record, you owed the audience a disclaimer as to your 'wired' status, even if it would obviousl to a corpse.
Journalist?
Submitted by tomaspain on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:39am.
I am still waiting for objective journalists to say something about the bias of Stephanopoulos. They remind me of the teachers union in New York City "rubber" rooms. No matter how bad these people are, the union keeps them from getting dismissed. ABC and Stephanopoulos should be ashamed as should any honest journalist for not speaking out.
I guess it's still possible
Submitted by Franksam on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:50am.
Colbert thinks he might need contraceptives if he were to sit next to Diane Sawyer. She was born in 1945 and is getting a little long in the tooth, IMO. He might be confusing 'contraceptives' with 'prophylactics'. Perhaps Steph can ask Diane if she is still fecund the next time they have a bet going.
The moron makes a bet
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:59am.
And that justifies him throwing away his objectivity? Wow, that is one shallow libtard
Stephanopoulos is a joke. He
Submitted by allouchsit on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:14am.
Stephanopoulos is a joke. He asks the worst question ever in a national debate purely on a bet and then goes on a comedy show to explain his idiocy and expects people to consider him a serious journalist? The man should be fired and ABC should apologize to the entire nation. I'm done with ABC.
He's not a joke.
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:38am.
He's the punch line of a joke.
He was simply given a show and so, I guess, "deemed" a journalist. Luke Russert has better credentials than Stephanopolous; at least he went to journalism school.
All George has ever done is work as a politial hack, a Democrat operative.
You know, just like he's doing now.
And he is still a Democrat
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:53am.
And he is still a Democrat operative. He never stopped being one.
I wish sometimes that whenever a blogger at NB describes Stephey they say "ABC anchor and Democrat strategist" or something like that.
...and of course the liberal
Submitted by Kevpot on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 11:18am.
...and of course the liberal audience thought it was just wonderful. Then Colbert dutifully forwards the meme that conservative audiences are 'hating'.
Steph just lost any shred of credibility he might have had. Now, anytime he asks an asinine question of a candidate, they can just respond with, "are you serious, or is this another one of your childish bets?".
All GOP politicians
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:16am.
should decline any interviews with ABC based on this. If they would stick together maybe, just maybe, the rest of America would take notice.
He's a political hack. That's it.
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:59am.
He has no schooling or training doing anything else.
The bet is made up bullsh*t. He was trying to get abortion into play without saying abortion.
It will be instructive to contrast the next GOP debate held by FoxNews with this circus held by ABC.
Part time Congress with term limits! - No more professional politicians. Let's start rebuilding the Republic!
I am waiting for the Comedy Central or HBO Debate...
Submitted by MightyMouth on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 9:27am.
I have no idea how the GOP has missed the opportunity to have Colbert, Stewart and Maher 'moderate' a debate. Come on RNC get your act together!
Too bad
Submitted by misterbee241 on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 9:31am.
they didnt examine Obama's radical views on abortion as they are doing with Mitt's views on contraceptives. Or his radical views on everything else for that matter.
Petty little wussy liberal
Submitted by Bill Brasky on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 12:44pm.
Too bad your mother didn't use contraception George.
Idiot
Submitted by angelann1 on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 12:51pm.
He asked the question because of a bet? He should be fired !!!