This week in politics – the media descends further into the gutter

I was really bummed that I would not be home to watch the debate though of course I thoroughly enjoyed going to the Padres game. I did record it was planning to watch it this weekend, but apparently I need to be prepared to get even more disgusted with the media. Or perhaps just not waste my time. Here are a few reactions from the DailyKos front page writers as the debate was going on, and then in some post debate analysis:

BarbinMD:

We’re nearly an hour into this debate and so far Gibson and Stephanopoulos are really hitting the burning issues that affect millions of Americans: Do you agree with Mario Cuomo? Bittergate, bittergate, bittergate. Reverand Wright; is he as patriotic as you? What really happened in Bosnia? Why don’t you love the flag?

Thank God they aren’t getting sidelined by things like Iraq, torture, FISA, health care, the mortgage crisis, gasoline prices, the environment…

smintheus:

Suddenly, only fifty minutes into this 90 minute debate, a question is posed about an actual thing. Not just a thing, but a big thing. Iraq. Just goes to show that when candidates (here, Obama) smack journalists down for talking nonsense, they get all prickly and start doing real journalism.

MissLaura:

It took 52 minutes to get to a question about Iraq. Took 64 minutes to the economy, and then in John McCain’s terms.

These are the top two issues cited in poll after poll, but ABC doesn’t think they’re important enough to ask the presidential candidates on, or will let a Republican frame the debate. It’s flat shameful.

BarbinMD gives up entirely and just heads for your funny bone because it is so inane:

I had chicken for dinner. It was really good. I really need to catch up on some laundry tonight. I’m kind of sad that Pricilla Presley was voted off of Dancing With The Stars last night. My daughter decided on a college today. I love ice cream.

I wonder if ABC will schedule a debate for me to discuss these things on national television.

And the classic Hunteriffic rant I will post below to save space:

After the first forty minutes of last night’s Democratic debate, it was clear we were watching something historic. Not historic in a good way, mind you, but historic in the sense of being something so deeply embarrassing to the nation that it will be pointed to, in future books and documentary works, as a prime example of the collapse of the American media into utter and complete substanceless, into self-celebrated vapidity, and into a now-complete inability or unwillingness to cover the most important affairs of the nation to any but the most shallow of depths.

Hunter has many more fabulous words that describe just how stupid the debate was. Of course, none of the *other* tv media outlets are covering this because, well, that would be dissing their own, and let’s be realistic and understand that it just *happened* to be ABC’s turn on this one. It would be so hopeful to say that the other networks would not have been nearly as sensational in their questioning, but we know that is not necessarily true. Although, no previous debates have been *this* horrid. Now, I chose quotes from Daily Kos because I love those writers and I thought they summed it up well, but just about every blog is talking about it in similar ways. Comments on ABC.com are numbering over 1400 and are largely critical in the same manner. Any of the sites that had a live debate open thread going was filled with reader’s commenting on the line of questioning. No matter who the reader supported, the overwhelming topic was “How dumb do they think we are?” Print media of all political slants are piling on. So, I guess there IS hope? Do you think the TV talking heads will get the message that they just completely blew it? 10 million people apparently tuned in. Ugh.

Oh, and note to ABC: if you are GOING to be so gutter-ball in your questions, do me a favor and AT LEAST do some follow up or some research or something (why do I expect ANYTHING?!). You see, they brought up the issue of the lack of a flag lapel pin to Obama (again???) and yet……HILLARY WAS NOT WEARING ONE AND THEY NEVER ASKED HER ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and note to Obama – go ahead and point that out next time. I know you are trying to keep things somewhat above that garbage pit of campaign tactics, but I think that there have now been enough people NOT wearing one asking YOU why you don’t that it would be OK to throw it back at them. Gaa!