Mary Katharine Ham briefly chatted with CNN's Anderson Cooper and David Bohrman about tomorrow's CNN/YouTube debate and concerns about the agenda of questions that will be picked. For the whole thing, go here, but I just had to share this priceless gem (my emphasis in bold). First Ham's question, then Cooper's answer:
Q: There’s been a bit of scandal about the screening that CNN did on its “undecided voters” for the last Democratic debate. The diamonds-and-pearls question was attacked by the questioner herself. There were some allegations that several of the voters were in fact liberal activists on quite a few issues (and one Democratic Party operative). What’s the process for checking these YouTube questioners and their affiliations?
AC: “Well, campaign operatives are people, too. We don’t investigate the background of people asking questions…that’s not our job...
Ten days ago, NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard noted how CNN stocked the audience of a Democratic debate, and on November 20 I included video from Hot Air's Bryan Preston on how undecided voters at the Democratic debate were largely left-wing activists.
On Monday, NewsBusters contributor Brad Wilmouth documented how CNN has been highlighting left-wing YouTube questions in their promotional programming for the Wednesday debate:
If the preview shown on "CNN Sunday Morning" is any guide, Wednesday's CNN/YouTube Republican debate will likely be dominated by questions posed from the left, just as the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate also featured questions posed from the left. CNN correspondent Josh Levs showed clips of several sample questions, including a question from a gay Republican who charges "a vote for you is a vote against my family," a question from a woman concerned about "returning the civil liberties to the American people and stopping these outrageous attacks on our security and our privacy," and a question about CEO salaries increasing faster than the minimum wage. While Levs cautioned that he does not know whether any of the questions used in his piece will be chosen for the debate, none of the questions that appeared in the report were posed from a conservative point-of-view.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
“Well, campaign
November 27, 2007 - 13:11 ET by fitzfong“Well, campaign operatives are people, too. We don’t investigate the background of people asking questions…that’s not our job...
Yes, you pretty boy, empty suit, campaign operatives are people, too. And judging by your last YouTube debate, so are snowmen.
Sooo you don't mind if...
November 27, 2007 - 13:47 ET by inquiringmindSooo you don't mind if the first round of questions are submitted by conservatives?
Snowmen are people too, pretty funny!!
'No story here' , move on.
November 27, 2007 - 13:46 ET by kgThere is no story here.
For anyone to expect a reporter to look into the Clinton Machine's tactics and dealings is naive. It hasn't happened before and will not happen now. Anyone expects for different results this time is crazy.
Don't let the facts get in the way of the story.
They may not investigate the "background"
November 27, 2007 - 13:47 ET by c5thenof any people asking questions. But they certaintly only allow people whom they know the political ideology of to ask questions at their events. Ever wonder why they don't get surprised by a conservative asking an unplanted question?
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Fred08.com
Debates are a joke
November 27, 2007 - 14:09 ET by orlandocajunEverything (especially in the Democrat debates) is so scripted, that there is no meaningful information to be gained about the ideology of the candidates. The few times that a real question was asked, they all had the "deer in the headlights" stare into the cameras and were so tough-twisted with their non-answers it was shameful. Only Joe Biden actually stands for something and at least gives honest answers even if he is a Liberal. Hillary and Obama want to come accross as liberal/moderates and it's not working. They will get demolished in a debate with the Republican candidate as long as CNN is not asking questions like, "what's your favorite color"?
CNN's idea of "balance" is
November 27, 2007 - 14:26 ET by TECNN's idea of "balance" is to have leftist kooks ask "questions" of the Democrat party candidates and to have leftist kooks ask "questions" of the Republican party candidates.
Liar
November 27, 2007 - 15:25 ET by Jerry MackI am always amazed that Anderson Cooper and others can look directly at a camera and lie. Maybe he wants us to believe that we cannot believe the obvious.
It Just Occured
November 27, 2007 - 16:10 ET by dwillmoreLooking into the background of the questioners might not be his job, but picking the questions is. Doesn't this point out the liberal bias inherent in the media?
Thinking about the Clinton machine. Which is meaner and more successfull, the Clinton machine or the evil Nixon machine?
The Balance of Power Rests in the Question
November 27, 2007 - 21:21 ET by jonathanandersonOne simple question transferred the balance of power - dominion over the earth and the ability to subdue it - from Man to the enemy of Man.
"Yea, hath God said, 'Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' "
Genesis 3:1-4
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, 'Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' " [at this point Eve should have quoted Genesis 2:16-17 and ended the conversation]
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden" : [she left out a key word ... freely]
3 "But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it [she added these words], lest [she changed 'surely' to 'lest'] ye die.' "
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die!" :
One simple question ended Man's dominion and transferred all of his power to the one who asked the question.
Democrats and liberals use this same luciferian technique to try to garner political power to themselves today.