Gwen Ifill - VP Debate Moderator

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2008
Gwen Ifill - VP Debate Moderator
106
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 1:15am

Debate moderators were chosen in August.   If McCain camp had a problem with Ifill as moderator, they've had a looooong time to object.   No, Ifill will be one of many excuses they can use when Palin bombs.


Re: Gwen Ifill's book, one needs to look no further than the conservative Washington Times, which published an article about said book on JULY 23rd, long before either potential Veep had been selected. I do not know when Ifill was chosen to moderate this debate, but the fact of the matter is that any idiot in McCain's camp could have googled Gwen Ifill and received this information and had they thought it a "conflict of interest" requested another moderator two months ago.


To those saying the debate has been "fixed", well - um - the debate hasn't even taken place yet.  Hmmm, apparently you don't have much confidence in Sarah Palin.  You shoul dbe cheering her on instead of preparing for failure.


tsk tsk


 




 


 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:10pm

>>The only people preparing Sarah Palin for failure are the democrats.

If you mean that the only people expecting her to fail, you're mistaken. The big news is that several prominent Republicans/conservatives have expressed their concern that she is not up for the job.

If you mean that the Democrats are actively helping her to fail, I'm not following you.

Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:17pm

>>Ann Coulter has written 3 or 4 best selling books, a frequent TV guest, and syndicated columnist. Is that what Ifill is aspiring too? Anyway as a moderator, what would be the difference.

It doesn't take a journalist to write a best-selling book or be a frequent TV guest or a syndicated columnist. It does take a certain amount of training and experience and ethics to be a trusted journalist. Coulter has shown a distinct lack of ethics; she is neither truthful or fair in her books. It's disheartening to hear that she is being confused with true journalism.

Coulter is an admitted conservative. There is no question where her loyalties lie. There's nothing wrong with that, but she absolutely could not be trusted as a moderator. If she's okay with you as a moderator, how about Bill Mahr instead? I would put both of them in the same category.

Even McCain has said that despite her book (and that she did not disclose it), Ifill is a reputable and trustworthy journalist. You've jumped the shark with this line of reasoning.

Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:22pm

"The only people preparing Sarah Palin for failure are the democrats."


She's taking care of that quite nicely on her own.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2006
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:35pm

I don't think there is any 'right or wrong' answer here -- it's how one interprets what is presented here. The fact of the matter is, the Commission has decided that Ifill's selection as moderator was the appropriate choice. Journalists write for a living -- this is their right & quite reasonably follows in that occupation. Also, journalism & politics, in particular, are not 'objective,' by definition!

By the broad interpretation of a 'conflict of interest' -- no one could be considered exempt from some affiliation of some sort that would label them as having a 'conflicted' interest!

I believe you misunderstood my reference to this being the VP debate vs. a P debate, in regards to Ifill as moderator. My point is that, in my mind, it would be a potential conflict of interest if Obama was one of the debate participants of the debate that Ifill were moderating. While McCain & Obama will probably be nearby during the debate -- the debate participants tonight are Palen & Biden. My comment had nothing to do w/the VP debate not carrying weight vs. the P debate.

I read that thread you referred to about the 2004 Cheney/Edwards debate -- since every question cannot be posed equally to each candidate (due to not having comparable experience or relevance), trying to measure their relative 'fairness' to each other is rather difficult. I believe she posed questions appropriate to the respective candidate's background & involvement (business, political & personal). I don't see her posing very complicated foreign policy questions to Palin -- but we'll see. Part of the moderator's job in these debates is to clarify misconceptions or incomplete ideas that the candidate's themselves may have put out there. The debate is supposed to help the voter get a clearer picture of the candidates' strengths & weaknesses by posing hypothetical situations to give them the opportunity to show the voters how they might handle scenarios that they may be faced with, upon election.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:37pm
eleeel you have just proven my point,
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2006
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:38pm

Thanks for agreeing with me, janetlz! I just responded back to Alicia, so enough said on this topic!

Look forward to the post-debate discussion!

later, hB

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:46pm

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2008
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 7:53pm

>>eleeel you have just proven my point, there is a conflict of interest confidence and concern.

I do agree that there is a perceived conflict of interest, and I've stated that in various ways in this and other threads on the topic. I do however find it to be a complete stretch to compare Coulter and Ifill. Perhaps you meant to be hyperbolic? If so, I missed the sarcasm. My fault.

>>Would it have been better if Ifill was writing a glowing book of John Mc Cain.

In all honesty, I would not be concerned about that with Gwen Ifill. I trust her as a journalist. Writing a book that honestly reports what great people McCain or Obama or anyone else is is not the problem. But simply the existence of the book does not mean she is biased - no matter who the book is about.

Besides, it has not be adequately established that her book is in fact a glowing account of Obama's political experience. It may be; it may not be.

>>Most of todays media are in the tank for Obama, and have no integrity, and willing to write "Yellow Journalism".

That's a common statement (especially including the phrase "in the tank"). I don't agree,.

Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 10:37pm

Sorry, I didn't save any links from the articles I read on line.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Thu, 10-02-2008 - 10:44pm

Time will tell.

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