The Biden Presidency 2023

Quote: ams288

Can’t imagine why that question struck a nerve with ol Duffy!

/s

I think AZDuffman has a fair point on this one. It's a question that is asked for the exclusive purpose of painting the individual being asked in a negative light, just by the implication that it's a question that needs to be asked.

The fact is, MSM was not always fair to Trump; I simply don't usually mind because they are ostensibly separate from the Government (at least, in theory) and I also happen to hate Trump. But, is there any question that the reporting (and questions) are often biased against Trump? Absolutely not.

Quote: Tanko

Dumb post. Listen to the video.

If someone is a liar, I call them a liar.

What he posted is a lie.

Trump never 'cozied' up to white supremacisrts and never said there were fine people on the side of the white supremacists.

What he posted is his interpretation of what Trump meant to convey. You can't rightly call someone a liar for interpreting something differently than you do. The only way you could prove your accusation is to somehow demonstrate that he couldn't have interpreted it that way.

Quote: Mission146

I think AZDuffman has a fair point on this one. It's a question that is asked for the exclusive purpose of painting the individual being asked in a negative light, just by the implication that it's a question that needs to be asked.

Correct. It is along the lines of the reporter who asked Bush43 to name the leaders of four random nations off the cuff. Though even worse as it was playing the race card. Or when the moderator allowed an audience question to Bush43 "name 3 mistakes you have made in office."

Quote:

The fact is, MSM was not always fair to Trump; I simply don't usually mind because they are ostensibly separate from the Government (at least, in theory) and I also happen to hate Trump. But, is there any question that the reporting (and questions) are often biased against Trump? Absolutely not.

Separate from government and separate from the Democrat Party are two different things. the GOP has rightly said they are done with debates until the format/rules are changed to get rid of this bias. The Brits do this better as over there news outlets are open about coming from one side or the other. In the USA most outlets are from the left but act like they are from the center.

Quote: AZDuffman

Correct. It is along the lines of the reporter who asked Bush43 to name the leaders of four random nations off the cuff. Though even worse as it was playing the race card. Or when the moderator allowed an audience question to Bush43 "name 3 mistakes you have made in office."

I agree with the first example and disagree with the second. I consider the second to be a perfectly fair question because someone in that sort of position has almost certainly made some kind of mistake, and having done, should be able to admit to it. If a leader is incapable of admitting that he has flaws, and has made mistakes, then he shouldn't be leading.

That said, it's not a question that should be asked selectively; it's a question that should be asked of anyone running for anything who has held prior office.

Quote:

Separate from government and separate from the Democrat Party are two different things. the GOP has rightly said they are done with debates until the format/rules are changed to get rid of this bias. The Brits do this better as over there news outlets are open about coming from one side or the other. In the USA most outlets are from the left but act like they are from the center.

I mean, the DNC, strictly speaking, is not Government. The media, Constitutionally-speaking, can be in league with whomever it wants to be in league with. Of course, you end up with toady stations for the left and toady stations for the right, then people like me, who mostly ignore all of them because I do not consider what they are doing to even be journalism. Naturally, they don't give two s4!+$ about people like me.

The GOP is in league with Trump, specifically. It took them long enough. The GOP doesn't want debates because Trump doesn't want debates. If Trump wins, though I hope he dies before he ever gets the chance, then it will prove that he didn't need debates to win. He might not. You figure some 45% are voting for him regardless of who he is up against...so he needs...what? Maybe 3% of everybody else to have at least a 50/50 shot at winning via Electoral College again?

If nothing else, the debates would hurt him. Especially now with all of the charges and stuff. There would probably be questions that he literally could not, or at least should not, answer. Of course, the GOP can't say, "We don't want debates because we don't want Trump to be asked questions that hadn't received prior approval," so they just say they want rule changes.

Quote: Mission146

I think AZDuffman has a fair point on this one. It's a question that is asked for the exclusive purpose of painting the individual being asked in a negative light, just by the implication that it's a question that needs to be asked.

The fact is, MSM was not always fair to Trump; I simply don't usually mind because they are ostensibly separate from the Government (at least, in theory) and I also happen to hate Trump. But, is there any question that the reporting (and questions) are often biased against Trump? Absolutely not.

. All politicians deserve the hardest questions. Trick questions. Whatever! If they're not smart enough to handle it, too f****** bad.

Why do you want to give them a weak pass like that?

Each candidate his their strengths and weaknesses. Bush43's was he was perceived as unintelligent and inexperienced to the point of ignorance about world affairs. So the interview questions were to test that assumption. When other candidates get interviewed, they get interviewed based on their perceived strengths and weaknesses. Biden, for exampled, will be asked about inflation, his age and he war in Ukraine and the Afghan evacuation. John Kerry was Swiftboated, even though he had an exemplary service record. During the 2008 election Biden was asked straight up if he agreed with Communist ideology. Each reported gets to choose which questions they ask each candidate, and a good reporter will individually tailor some of those questions to the candidate, each candidate will just have to deal with being asked questions be an inquisitive and perhaps unfriendly press. And if that means gotcha questions, so be it.

The Brits don't have 1st Amendment, and their press is somewhat more regulated in a way the US would never ever accept.

Quote: rxwine

. All politicians deserve the hardest questions. Trick questions. Whatever! If they're not smart enough to handle it, too f****** bad.

Why do you want to give them a weak pass like that?

This is a yes/no question RX, 'have you quit beating your lovers'.

If you were a politician regardless of how you answer the question it gets air play and set the picture of abuse in the listeners minds. As we have seen countless times on this forum those that don't like the politician frame it in their mind and conversations as, well he 'claimed' he didn't abuse anyone.

Quote: rxwine

. All politicians deserve the hardest questions. Trick questions. Whatever! If they're not smart enough to handle it, too f****** bad.

Why do you want to give them a weak pass like that?

I've already explained my reasoning for why that was a BS question.

Any question that's so abjectly ridiculous that the only real answer is an obvious, 'Yes,' or, 'No,' shouldn't be asked. That's not a hard question; it's a ridiculous question. "Do you disavow white supremacy?", or whatever. The hell is he going to say, "I love white supremacy."? Of course he isn't going to say that. The point of asking a question, as a reporter, is the fact that you, purportedly, don't know the answer to it. If you want to only ask questions that you already know the answer to just to make someone look bad, then become a trial lawyer instead.

Here's a more appropriate question, "There are groups out there, Mr. Trump (or President, whatever the case) with suspected white supremacist ideologies who claim to be your supporters, what would you say to those groups?"

Crucially, it's a fair question because it doesn't paint Trump as anything, by itself. It just makes claims about certain groups that exist, what those groups may believe and that those groups, if they exist, claim to support him. It's a hard question. Trump is now being asked to say something to those groups (or deny knowing they exist---which most will perceive as a lie) which then means he is now speaking directly to groups who are linked to white supremacy.

What would be a savvy way for Trump to answer? This is entry level and just off the top of my head, but I'm also not a politician, "I obviously don't advocate for white supremacist ideals in any way whatsoever and believe that every American is equal under our flag and under our Constitution. While I understand the political issues of the day can be very polarizing, especially with the Socialist far left extremists out there and their crazy ideas that would radically transform this country for the worse (this is derisive and on-brand), it's important that all groups should want what is best for America, and for all Americans, regardless of the race of those Americans. I also truly do not believe there are very many people actually like that. That being said, there are many reasons that groups might support me, so I would say that I welcome those individuals and groups with open arms if only they would agree that we love and respect all Americans."

Quote: Mission146

I've already explained my reasoning for why that was a BS question.

Any question that's so abjectly ridiculous that the only real answer is an obvious, 'Yes,' or, 'No,' shouldn't be asked. That's not a hard question; it's a ridiculous question. "Do you disavow white supremacy?", or whatever. The hell is he going to say, "I love white supremacy."? Of course he isn't going to say that. The point of asking a question, as a reporter, is the fact that you, purportedly, don't know the answer to it. If you want to only ask questions that you already know the answer to just to make someone look bad, then become a trial lawyer instead.

Here's a more appropriate question, "There are groups out there, Mr. Trump (or President, whatever the case) with suspected white supremacist ideologies who claim to be your supporters, what would you say to those groups?"

Crucially, it's a fair question because it doesn't paint Trump as anything, by itself. It just makes claims about certain groups that exist, what those groups may believe and that those groups, if they exist, claim to support him. It's a hard question. Trump is now being asked to say something to those groups (or deny knowing they exist---which most will perceive as a lie) which then means he is now speaking directly to groups who are linked to white supremacy.

What would be a savvy way for Trump to answer? This is entry level and just off the top of my head, but I'm also not a politician, "I obviously don't advocate for white supremacist ideals in any way whatsoever and believe that every American is equal under our flag and under our Constitution. While I understand the political issues of the day can be very polarizing, especially with the Socialist far left extremists out there and their crazy ideas that would radically transform this country for the worse (this is derisive and on-brand), it's important that all groups should want what is best for America, and for all Americans, regardless of the race of those Americans. I also truly do not believe there are very many people actually like that. That being said, there are many reasons that groups might support me, so I would say that I welcome those individuals and groups with open arms if only they would agree that we love and respect all Americans."

An audience member could ask that question and politician needs to be able to handle it. Period. It's not just up to reporters to only ask questions. They are running for office. It's not the press that only gets to throw questions at them. That's my response for Kenarman as well.

Be able to handle bad questions or go home and quit running for office.

Quote: rxwine

An audience member could ask that question and politician needs to be able to handle it. Period. It's not just up to reporters to only ask questions. They are running for office. It's not the press that only gets to throw questions at them. That's my response for Kenarman was as well.

Be able to handle bad questions or go home and quit running for office.

Did an audience member, who was not a deliberate plant, ask that question? If so, that would be relevant. I agree that audience members, who are not plants, should be allowed to ask whatever they wish. However, if a reporter asked that question, then they are neither a reporter or journalist...or weren't acting as such, in a respectable way, in that moment. If a debate moderator asked a question like that, then the moderator's bias is immediate, apparent and they should be disqualified from continued moderation of that debate.