I found myself quite upset as Clinton and Obama squared off in the final Democratic debate of this very long primary season. Yes, Hillary correctly alluded to SNL to tell us about the unfair questioning system that the mediators had been leveling at her as she said that Barack should get a pillow. And I agree with her to some extent. However, a little more sinister than the media’s favoritism of Obama in this debate was how Tim Russert and Brian Williams inserted themselves into the fray. Williams struck me as pretty much out of line. Here are two blocks from the beginning of the debate. The full transcript can be found at the NY Times:
SEN. CLINTON: And Senator Obama’s plan does not cover everyone. It would leave, give or take, 15 million people out. So we should have a good debate that uses accurate information, not false, misleading, and discredited information, especially on something as important as whether or not we will achieve quality, affordable health care for everyone. That’s my goal. That’s what I’m fighting for, and I’m going to stand up for that.
MR. WILLIAMS: On the topic of accurate information, and to that end, one of the things that has happened over the past 36 hours — a photo went out the website The Drudge Report, showing Senator Obama in the native garb of a nation he was visiting, as you have done in a host country on a trip overseas.
Williams goes on to accuse Clinton of smearing Obama. Now, it seemed to me that Hillary leveled a challenge at Barack, but before he had a chance to say anything, Brian Williams chimed in to cut her down. And then he did it again:
MR. OBAMA: But I think it’s very important to understand the context of this, and that is that Senator Clinton has — her campaign, at least — has constantly sent out negative attacks on us, e-mail, robocalls, flyers, television ads, radio calls.
And, you know, we haven’t whined about it because I understand that’s the nature of these campaigns, but to suggest somehow that our mailing is somehow different from the kinds of approaches that Senator Clinton has taken throughout this campaign I think is simply not accurate.
MR. WILLIAMS: And Senator Clinton, on this subject —
SEN. CLINTON: But I have to — I have to respond to that because this is not just any issue, and certainly we’ve had a vigorous back and forth on both sides of our campaign.
This time, Clinton cut off Williams but he was about to chime in, backing up Obama’s rebuttal. I beleive that The Daily Show implied as much in an interview with Williams following the debate that week.
Mike Gravel, John Edwards, and others have called this a “Celebrity Campaign.” But this instance of manipulation seemed to be even more inapproapriate, that the mediators would actually join the fray, so to speak, and not let the candidates directly debate. The fact that Williams responded twice (and to begin the debate) is, to say the least, douchbaggery.
We’re not trying to decide if we should vote for Brian Williams or Tim Russert. But they already know that… (?)
...Is Good News 