What was that total waste of prime time network television last night? No, I’m not talking about the brain cell killing American Idol, but about the alleged Democratic “debate” ABC aired last night. There’s 120 minutes of your life you’ll never get back.
Tom Shales writing for The Washington Post noted: “It was another step downward for network news — in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances. For the first 52 minutes of the two-hour, commercial-crammed show, Gibson and Stephanopoulos dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer news. Gibson sat there peering down at the candidates over glasses perched on the end of his nose, looking prosecutorial and at times portraying himself as a spokesman for the working class. The boyish Stephanopoulos . . . looked like an overly ambitious intern helping out at a subcommittee hearing, digging through notes for something smart-alecky and slimy. He came up with such tired tripe as a charge that Obama once associated with a nutty bomb-throwing anarchist. That was “40 years ago, when I was 8 years old,” Obama said with exasperation. No sooner was that said than Gibson brought up, yet again, the controversial ravings of the pastor at a church attended by Obama. “Charlie, I’ve discussed this,” he said, and indeed he has, ad infinitum. If he tried to avoid repeating himself when clarifying his position, the networks would accuse him of changing his story, or changing his tune, or some other baloney.”
Shales concludes with this zinger: “At the end, Gibson pompously thanked the candidates — or was he really patting himself on the back? — for “what I think has been a fascinating debate.” He’s entitled to his opinion, but the most fascinating aspect was waiting to see how low he and Stephanopoulos would go, and then being appalled at the answer.”
I kept waiting for Georgie or Charlie to ask the candidates which politican had the most impressive and/or most expensive haircut, or who do they think would win in a celebrity all-girl wrestling match: Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton?
I miss Peter Jennings.
We’ll discuss the dreadful debate on the program tonight!
–KBM
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