NYT Editorial Board: A Debate Disaster Waiting to Happen

[DonViejo]

There was not much of a contest in Wednesday night’s forum with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Mrs. Clinton answered the questions of the moderator, Matt Lauer, in coherent sentences, often with specific details. Mr. Trump alternated between rambling statements and grandiose boasts when he wasn’t lying.

Mr. Lauer largely neglected to ask penetrating questions, call out falsehoods or insist on answers when it was obvious that Mr. Trump’s responses had drifted off.

If the moderators of the coming debates do not figure out a better way to get the candidates to speak accurately about their records and policies — especially Mr. Trump, who seems to feel he can skate by unchallenged with his own version of reality while Mrs. Clinton is grilled and entangled in the fine points of domestic and foreign policy — then they will have done the country a grave disservice.

Whether or not one agrees with her positions, Mrs. Clinton, formerly secretary of state and once a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, showed a firm understanding of the complex issues facing the country. Mr. Trump reveled in his ignorance about global affairs and his belief that leading the world’s most powerful nation is no harder than running his business empire, which has included at least four bankruptcies.

-snip-

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/opinion/a-debate-disaster-waiting-to-happen.html?emc=edit_th_20160909&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=57435284&_r=0

[EricMaundry]

1. A gutless TV news media that fights for its tiny market share

... by kowtowing to the candidate favored by a majority of its middle aged male viewing audience.

[EV_Ares]

2. What was so disgusting was Lauer basically bullying Clinton & being sexist & being a coward to

Trump. Maybe he was afraid Trump would tweet about him if he challenged him on anything.

[mucifer]

3. maybe trump payed him off

[EV_Ares]

4. Really, something like that could be the case. Personally, I just think Lauer is a coward & a bully

To me, that is what he showed that night.

[greymattermom]

5. Trump promised him something

but won't do it. No payment to his foundation, no free vacation. HA HA he got Trumped.

[GWC58]

28. Trumped

Of being hosed, or stiffed.

[spooky3]

9. A perfect summary of the problem. And I would add

That many white female girlfriends and wives of that sexist, misogynist population you described also share the views, having internalized the culture.

[bettyellen]

21. I have to believe he is so disgusting that women are reaching a tipping point....

But afraid to say so. Shit some of my most vocal friends are sick of the pushback they still get from BOBs - even people who say they are voting for Hillary are being assholes. The anger they have internalized for some reason is frightening sometimes.

[SticksnStones]

6. And yet I heard hosts on MSNBC claim Trump won the night

Because she was defensive and he was in his element, answering questions rapid fire, just like he likes.

We are through the looking glass, clear to the other side having tea, awaiting the Mad Hatter.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. The television media will NOT change their formula

It is a winning one for them and the minute they deviate, the vast holdings of RW talk radio across hundreds and hundreds of stations, will be set loose against them, forcing the tv cowards to scurry back into their Trump-humping corners.

Trump spent years and years playing to and masterfully manipulating the television media, and he is "good" for their business, and they are "good" for his. The 2 are in an inextricable symbiotic relationship.

[burfman]

8. "Everyone should order their pizza now for the debates in September" - Tom Brokaw

Personally I don't know if I should look away or watch......................

[PatrickforO]

11. Yeah, my wife wants to watch for sure, but I'm not sure I'll be able

to stomach them, particularly if the cowardly capitalist-shill moderators won't even fact check, even though that's their job.

[pangaia]

12. Brokaw is out of his freakin' mind.

Who would want to watch this shit?

YOU watch it Tommy, not me.

[eShirl]

10. white male bizniz tycoons are held to the lowest standard of anyone

money talks, bullshit walks, and Trump is a walking bullshit machine with a money veneer

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. So true!

[spooky3]

23. "Affirmative action" for the privileged is still around

[LynnTTT]

13. Facts, details and specifics

The moderators need to have the guts to say: No touting of my personality and we will correct you on every lie.

[Scarsdale]

18. Fox

Chris Wallace is moderating the final "debate". He already stated that he will NOT check any statement for falsehoods. He means tRump's of course, not Hillary's. She will be questioned on EVERY statement she makes. Wallace is a disgrace to his late father, Mike.

[hibbing]

22. I can't remember what debate it was..

But in some convoluted question, (straight from Hannity I might mention) he said something to the effect of "Under you tax proposal a firefighter and a teacher would get a tax increase because their income would be over 250K" The people in the audience with any sense laughed.


Peace

[chillfactor]

26. I had great respect or Mike Wallace....

too bad his son turned out to be a disgrace to the journalist profession.

[Mary Mac]

39. Chris Wallace has made a deal with the devil. I

Nt

[jalan48]

14. These Q & A sessions are not debates.

A debate would be where the candidates are given a specific topic to discuss and question one another rather than having a moderator do it.

[beachbumbob]

15. Gutless media moderators will let trump go unfettered..but is that a bad thing?

Really..the more trump goes off the worse he looks to voters who votes matter....let trump do his crazy....makes him look so unfit

[Eleanors38]

32. Trouble here is the approach you suggest is one taken by default by Democrats since Swiftboating...

The approach hopes that displays of strength are passive and rather dependent. At a MINIMUM, Clinton cedes control of the terms of debate in favor of some sort of political faith. I would suggest in a time when faith is a bad joke, this will allow the opposition into the wheel house. Democrats already have an unenviable reputation for being silent, meek, detached, and curiously aloof. That's why the Party is in the poor fix it is in now.

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. Matt Lauer took debate moderating to a new low. n/t

[Bucky]

27. Maybe he didn't want to be called out for bleeding from his eyeballs

or wherever

[Saviolo]

17. If only we could get the debate from The Newsroom:

I'd watch that if some newspeople were really willing to ask some serious questions and hold the candidates to them, especially Trump. Sure he says what he thinks, but his brain isn't doing a lot of thinking, so he just says the same three things over and over about how great he is and how great he's going to make things. Hold his feet to the fire for a second or two, and he'll be yelping in pain!

[ffr]

20. And we will have done a dis-service if we don't get up off our dead asses

and GOTV!!! Knock on doors, work phone banks, talk to your neighbors who agree with you, but don't ever vote, about having a stake in our nation's future.

[niyad]

37. I truly hope that they all damned well choke on those words.

[EricMaundry]

24. What, me worry?

[Native]

25. It would have been nice if they had pilloried Wallace for refusing to fact-check the candidates.

[The Wizard]

29. Tramp suggested stealing resources as if it was OK (NT)

[Thinkingabout]

30. I liked the advice from Mark Cuban on MJ, look at Trump and laugh.

[Eleanors38]

31. MSM knows it can bully Democrats with no retribution. As for the GOPers...

MSM must tread cautiously. The Repubelicans have smashed-mouthed Demos for years with little response, only more RW broadcasts and outlets. MSM can push Clinton around all day, but to go after tRump means more RW bitch-slapping and threats of more buy-outs in a time when the innertubes are displacing MSM.

Expect more of the same.

[bucolic_frolic]

33. Ain't it obvious by now

that the New World Order is being forced upon us

and media are being used or bribed to help carry out that agenda?

[kentuck]

34. Ouch !!

https://www.facebook.com/politicalhumor/photos/a.188100032345.127560.60447222345/10154468613447346/?type=3&theater

[Auggie]

35. Not disaster. The debates will be bullshit.

Moderators and media outlets will target Clinton on Benghazi and emails because it suits the agendas of their corporate owners and their own yellow sensationalism. Meanwhile, they'll toss Trump softball after softball. Heck, there haven't been decent debates since Gore/Bush. We've seen it for years in the Repukes and Dems primaries. Stay tuned -- much more (of the same) to come.

[niyad]

36. this damned sentence pisses me off :

If the moderators of the coming debates do not figure out a better way to get the candidates to speak accurately about their records and policies". . . as if HRC has been engaging in the same bs as der drumpfenfuhrer.

come on, nyt, we know you are a bunch of sexist bigots, butg TRY not to be so obvious all the time, please. . .

[Doitnow]

38. I hold the media entirely responsible for the mess

of an election contest that this is going to be. They did their utmost to promote a miserable Republican candidate by giving him enormous free tv time to spout his hateful, dangerous and stupid opinions in hopes of gaining ratings---to the detriment of the public. The time he has been given has only benefited Trump and the media have been either fools to fall for the sensationalism or have consciously enabled this monster to advance as he has and it will probably continue till election day. Media, do you know how to get rid of Trump? IGNORE HIM, like you ignored Bernie Sanders for a whole year as he and his message gained in popularity in the primaries, and you blathered on and on with the 16 or so Republican candidates who were always around 2-6 percent in the polls. You deliberately ignored a good man with a good message and great favorability and now we have the mess of the possibility of Trump being president. And we, the public have to bear the consequences. You, the media, are a disgrace to this nation.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

40. Trump humpers make the worst interviewers

[mdbl]

41. Didn't even watch

Lauer is a corporate stooge who is more into infotainment than reality. I wasn't going to subject myself to more yellow journalism. Fux news does that enough that I can smell it without even watching.

[Divine Discontent]

42. she hopefully will not back down for a second when bullied in the debates by moderators who may not

have her or our country's best interests in mind. I want her to be rational, and even if he goes off screaming, not to match him, but still maintain how ridiculous he is as a candidate, and how unqualified he is to be POTUS because he can't answer anything without saying "the best", "it'll be great" etc...

They need to demand he answer questions WITHOUT saying any of that BS!

[LiberalLovinLug]

43. "If the moderators of the coming debates do not figure out a better way..."

Emphasis on If

That a major news entity has to actually use the word "if" in that statement about their peers holding both candidates to an equal scrutiny....is troubling in that they frame it as something that is out of their control, like if its going to rain that day or not.

And IF they haven't been equal so far, why the hell would we expect them to start now if its such a elusory concept?