Uproar grows over Gwen Ifill, debate moderator and Obama book author

(UPDATE ADDED BELOW)

As if enough delicious edginess already didn't surround Thursday's Sarah Palin/Joe Biden debate, conservative consternation is rising over concerns that moderator Gwen Ifill brings an inherent self-interest favoring the Democratic ticket to the table.

News reports about a broken ankle suffered by the PBS newswoman served to spotlight a political book she's written that's due to publish on inauguration day. Its title: "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama."

The Amazon.com blurb touting the book says Ifill "surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power."

Presumably, an Obama victory in November would improve the book's marketability. By the same token, as can be attested by scores of D.C.-based journalists who have put their reporting and observations into book form, it's the rare political tome that even comes close to best-selling status.

Those raising questions about Ifill's objectivity include well-known conservative blogger Michelle Malkin. In a Tuesday night posting that includes her column on the matter, she relates that "tons of readers" have recommended that Palin "open her debate remarks by congratulating Ifill on her book and asking her to tell everyone the title."

Now that would get the proceedings off to a roaring start.

(UPDATE: John McCain just told Fox News that he has no problem with Ifill moderating the debate. "I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think she will do a totally objective job, because she is a highly respected professional," he said.)

-- Don Frederick

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Comments

[Vic Arpeggio]

"Most likely Biden's had the questions for at least a week by now."

Most likely Palin thinks that this is part of the swimsuit competition from 1984. The words "Palin Supporter" are replacing "dunce" on cone-shaped hats in old-timey schools across the country right now.

[Jennifer]

OMG! How obnoxious can the LA Times get? It has NOTHING but criticism for John McCain and Sarah Palin. It has not printed a single negative item about "Yada Yada Yada Obama"; the man who says nothing, but votes "present" on over 100 issues while in office. I know, I live in LA and take the paper, but not anymore.
Now we have a clip and a picture of St. Obama preaching to his cult, the Obomatrons, with "change". California will go BO, but the majority of thinking Americans, who respect character and integrity will vote McCain. God willing, we won't have to see Rev. Wright swearing in Obama, but we will have a true leader, President John McCain.

[Jennifer]

Why don't you just have Oprah do the interview? It would be as "neutral". What a bunch of losers.

[Dave]

UPROAR? UPROAR GROWS? Come on. LATimes, you are hyping this. One conservative columnist? Might she have an axe to grind? Likely. Are any objective parties concerned? Haven't heard of any. John McCain says Ifell will be fine. LATimes: relax!

[steve rodriguez]

Hey Sarah the left hates and fears you more than they do Bin Laden! You stand for family, God and love of country!
God bless you Sarah Palin!!!!

[Erin]

It's amazing to me how many Obamacrats blindly follow the leader!!! Pied Piper is more like it.
Sarah Palin and the excitement she has brought to this race has the pants scared off of all of them and they are trying to find whatever they can to put her and John McCain in a bad light. It's amazing to me that they can point out her lack of experience for VP but don't even see that their "Leader" has less.
Let's not forget what happens when we have a Dem. Pres. -the senate changes and the Republicans have a chance to get something done. BTW, the only reason the economy looked good while Billary was wreaking havoc.
Want to throw youtube videos around? Try this one on for size...
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMouthPeace

[A. Nelson]

It really matters not who the moderator of the 2008 vice presidential debate is. A black woman, especially one who is writing a book about the evolution (oops, sorry, I forgot that I can't use that word if Palin becomes VP) of African American participation in US government, will be labeled an "Obama supporter." A white female moderator may be accused of a feminist bias towards Palin. A conservative-leaning white man might be a toss-up - on the one hand, he may feel a woman's place is in the home and not in the upper echelons of government, and/or two, an African-American man is not qualified to serve as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the country because, well, just because. Pathetic.

Debate moderators are supposed to ask provocative questions. It is our job to determine who best handles the issues that they are asked to address.

[Zebra]

At least Palin as actually DONE something for her constituants. Obama is my senator from Illinois and he has done absolutely NOTHING for this state. As soon as he was elected, he started running for President. What a loser. He's all hot air and he just makes the lefties swoon.

Since all the lefties are in favor of socialism, I recommend taxing all Democrats at a 75% tax rate, so they can pay for all those socialist programs they want. I'm sure they won't mind.

[sobe]

Nobody expects Sarah to be a foreign policy genius. If she doesn't have foreign policy experience, she should just say so.
Back when Jesse Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota, the thing that got him elected was that he wasn't afraid to tell the truth about his views and experience. This was such a breath of fresh air, compared to the stuffed shirts he was running against, that he swept to victory in spite of ZERO experience in government and politics.
Sarah should just tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may.

[Robert Nurse]

"How can this be happening? Why would it EVER be OK to put an open supporter of Obama in charge of moderating the Palen/Biden debate?"

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Does the name Katherine Harris ring any bells? Not to mention Shawn Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, etc., etc. All even handed and unabashedly neutral voices. You people need to get over yourselves.

[David Ferguson]

I even knew Gwen Ifill was writing this book. She is not as studiously neutral as Jim Lier say, but she's as good as they get. Do people even watch Washington Week or the News Hour? And that's the overall point. She is a professional and one of our countries best journalists. Being the best moderator she can is her goal. To think otherwise is to be ignorant of her career. McCain has been interviewed by her dozens of times. That's why he doesn't have a problem with her. The thing I love about Ifill is that some of the question she asks at first I'm like 'what the hell is she talking about?' but then I think about it and I realize that's an interesting way of looking at it. Growing up as a Black Woman in America just gives you a different perspective and allows a creative mind like Ifill's to think of questions that wouldn't otherwise get asked.

[Mike M.]

I want to know WHY the debate commision did not know about Ifill's upcoming book. THEY are the ones who are supposed to vet the moderators and clearly did not do so in this case. I want to KNOW what their excuse is? So my question to them is, "DID GWEN IFILL LIE TO YOU?" The cynical godless radical left has no morality at all and thinks any lie they can get away with is ok simply because they got away with it. The idea of honesty scares the hell outof them - and scaring that out of them makes them very uncomfortable!

[Charlie]

I think Gwen Ifel will be a responsible journalist and not let her political opinions interfere with her moderation.

On the other hand, I'd love to see the reaction from Democrats if the next presidential debate were to be moderated with someone whose book would be released on inaguratino day with the title: "he Breakthrough: Politics and Gender in the Age of Palin".

If you are a Democrat, ponder that for a moment and see if you would be happy with that situation.

[Matt]

Wow. Just read through all of these comments and ask yourself these questions:

1. Which is the sexist, bigoted side in our political system?
2. Who are the angry, hateful people in our country?
3. Who is willing to stoop to any level of personal attack to accomplish poltiical goals?

From the examples in these comments, the answer to each question is undoubtedly "The American Left".

[Sacto Joe]

Posted by: Drew Harris
"I thought this was a whole bit of nothing until I actually heard Ifill respond to the controversy. She played the race card--would they ever question a white journalist about this?...."

This is not Gwen playing the race card, you dolt - this is the race card being played against Gwen!

This is bigotry raising it's ugly head once more in this campaign.

There is NO MERIT to these complaints against Gwen. ZERO. NADA.

Ergo, this is all about trying to fabricate a bias that is based on appearance alone.

Sounds like bigotry to me!

Gwen, you hang in there! You have EVERY RIGHT to be the moderator in this debate!

signed, Sacto Joe, a 62 year old white man

[my little stand]

I can't believe how blind Americans have become to media bias. I posted this earlier on another site, but it fits so well here, I'll do it again:
If McCain doesn’t win, it won’t be because Obama won. It will be the MSM that won. And the American people will have lost. It’s almost as if the MSM thinks of this as their own personal video game, and they intend to win at all costs.

In September, a Rasmussen poll found that 69% of Americans were aware that news anchors were pushing their own personal candidate, and 5 to 1 were for Obama. Now, a supposedly neutral debate moderator has written a book about one of the candidates, and she’s going to be allowed to continue. It’s wouldn’t happen if she were conservative and she had written about McCain. But, then again, she wouldn’t be the moderator, would she. When was the last time a conservative was a moderator in an important debate.

I don’t wish to push conservatism or liberalism. I just want, for once, that it to be a fair shake for all sides, and for the American people to get truth and not yellow journalism and propaganda.

But hey, it worked for Adolf Hitler. And look what it did to the German people.

And now Obama has his own TV channel. Yep, it's the truth. It's channel 73 on Dish. Talk about a bully pulpit!!!!!

Wake up, America. You're being conned.

[my little stand]

I can't believe how blind Americans have become to media bias.
If McCain doesn’t win, it won’t be because Obama won. It will be the MSM that won. And the American people will have lost. It’s almost as if the MSM thinks of this as their own personal video game, and they intend to win at all costs.

In September, a Rasmussen poll found that 69% of Americans were aware that news anchors were pushing their own personal candidate, and 5 to 1 were for Obama. Now, a supposedly neutral debate moderator has written a book about one of the candidates, and she’s going to be allowed to continue. It’s wouldn’t happen if she were conservative and she had written about McCain. But, then again, she wouldn’t be the moderator, would she. When was the last time a conservative was a moderator in an important debate.

I don’t wish to push conservatism or liberalism. I just want, for once, for it to be a fair shake for all sides, and for the American people to get truth and not yellow journalism and propaganda.

But hey, it worked for Adolf Hitler. And look what it did to the German people.

And, by the way, Obama now has his very own TV channel. Yep, Channel 73 on Dish TV. Talk about a bully pulpit!

[michael]

.....NEWS FLASH......BOTH PARTIES AGREED TO THE MODERATORS AND THE DEBATE SUBJECTS.......YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT BIAS WHEN HIS/HER PARTIES KNOWLINGLY AGREED BEFORE HAND......AS FAR AS MALKIN IS CONCERNED, YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT ELITISM WHEN YOU LIVE A MORE OPULENT LIFESTYLE THEN PEOPLE YOU PRETEND TO REPRESENT. OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, SHE DOESN'T WANT TO PAY TAXES, SHE WANTS YOU TO PAY HER LOOPHOLE TAXES INSTEAD.

[Ed Dupas]

I am hearing about what a great job Gwen Ifill did as moderator of last night's debate. I agree that she professional and mostly detatched in her handling of the candidates, but am I the only one who noticed that her choice of questions was not so detatched. She lobbed underhand a couple of over the plate pitches into Joe Biden's strengths (which are many), but did not offer any to Gov. Palin's strengths, which are energy and her ideas on the unborn. Sarah had to change the subject to talk about the U.S. non-energy shortage.

[Dee Wolfe]

Herman[n] Goering never said it, Gregory. It was Hans Johnst : "whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my Browning!" I guess an education's all the harder to come by when one already thinks he knows everything.