From: jkelly@IASTATE.EDU (John E Kelly)
Subject: Re: Presidential Debate II: Carol Simpson's Attitude
Keywords: Presidential, Debate
Reply-To: jkelly@IASTATE.EDU (John E Kelly)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 23:51:52 GMT

In article <1992Oct16.170533@IASTATE.EDU>, hshams@IASTATE.EDU (Habib Shams)
writes:
> I don't know if you guys noticed it or not, I found that Carol Simpon's 
> conduct as a moderator during the Thursday night debate was at times anything
> but objective and impartial.
> 
> Case in point:
> 
> 1. "THE EDUCATION PRESIDENT....."
> 
> When the focus of the debate was on education policy, and a question had
> been asked by an auidence member, Ms. Simpson responded by saying something 
> to the effect that, would the "education President" like to answer first? 
> 
> Comment: George Bush has been critized with this particular phrase by both
> the media and Gov. Clinton throughout the campaign.  Therefore, I feel that 
> the use of this phrase by the moderator smell of partisanism and shows an 
> overt lack of objectivity.
> 
> 2.  "HOW HAS THE RECESSION AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY...?"
> 
> Neither Ross Perot nor Gov. Clinton was redirected by the moderator, Ms
Simpson,
> when they strayed off the subject(i.e. how the recession has affected their
> lives on a personal level) and started going off on the tangent of their
> standard stump speaches.  However, in the case of the President the issue of 
> personal experience with the economic downturn was reemphasised by the
> moderator.
> 
> Comment:  This was a blatent example of how the moderator was trying to pin
the
> President down on a subject that she had allowed the other two canidates to
get
> away from the specifics of the question.
> 
> 3.  "HAVEN'T YOU AND SENATOR GORE HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IRAQ ...?"
> 
> When an audience member asked a general question about foriegn policy the
> moderator asked Govenor Clinton something to the effect that hadn't he and
> Al Gore had some comments about the Gulf War and Saddam Hussain.
> 
> Comment:  The question from the audience was not about the Gulf War and 
> Saddam Hussain and it should have been left up to Govenor Clinton to address
> the issue in the manner he saw fit.  
> 
> I am not a big Bush fan. However, I believe that these debates should be free
of
> any kind of partisan attitudes/politics.
> 
> America, go vote on November 3rd!


I feel that these are all valid points.  This is exactly what Bush refers to
when he talks about the "Media Elite".  The media, both print and electronic but
especially electronic, have somehow got it in their heads that THEY know what's
best for the country and that they have to be the guideing light through these
times of murkiness and despair for all us "little" people.  Talk about the
arrogance of Congress, this pales in comparison to that of the liberal media
establishment.  They seem to relish in exercising the power that they wield to
further whatever their agenda may be.  From the start of the campaign, during
the primaries, it was clear that the media had annoited Clinton as their chosen
son and they did everything in their power to cast shadows upon any challengers.
Tsongas was too much like THE DUKE, Brown was too strange...  And now we have 
Ms. Simpson prompting Govenor Clinton to attack Bush on his perported  coddling
of Saddam Hussain.  To his credit he didn't take the bait (more than likely
forgot)  but be that as it may she had NO RIGHT to try to manipulate and direct
the debate into an area SHE saw fit.

This is in the very least shoddy journalism, ( I know that's an oxymoron but it
is appropriate), and at worst it smacks of overt partisanism, which 
should be kept out of these debates.  The same thing goes for her "education
President" comment.  It's just another example of the double standard the media
loves to apply to itself.  It's unpresidental and immature for Quayle
to say "Inhale Al" but it's O.K. for her to say "the education President" thing.

Hopefully the moderator of the debate Monday will rise above Ms. Simpson's 
level of professionalism.  It won't take much.


Annoy the media re-elect Bush!