Posted on 11/29/2007 6:49:11 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The YouTube/CNN debate that Republican presidential candidates tried to boycott proved as hostile as they feared last night in St. Petersburg, Florida.
CNN---sarcastically called the “Clinton News Network” -- allowed a member of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s gay steering committee to ask Republican candidates if military personnel were “professional” enough to work with gay troops. The question came from the gay retired brigadier general Keith Kerr.
The story quickly ended up on the Drudge Report with this post from Townhall editor Jonathan Garthwaite.
Not only was Kerr’s Youtube submission aired, but he was introduced to the candidates and the audience on television and given a long opportunity to follow-up. CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked Kerr, “Do you feel you got an answer to your question?”
Kerr replied, “With all due respect, I did not get an answer from the candidates.” Then, Kerr gave a small lecture: “American men and women in the military are professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. For 42 years, I wore the army uniform on active duty, in the Reserve, and also for the state of California. I revealed I was a gay man after I retired. Today, ‘don't ask/don't tell’ is destructive to our military policy. Every day, the Department of Defense discharges two people, not for misconduct, not for the unit cohesion.”
CNN later apologized for the incident. "We regret this incident. CNN would not have used the general's question had we known that he was connected to any presidential candidates,” said David Bohrman, CNN senior vice president and executive producer of the debate.
In a CNN interview on Thursday morning, Kerr denied he was used as a “plant” by the Clinton campaign at the Republican debate. He said he is only listed as a member of Clinton’s gay steering committee and his appearance was a “private initiative of my own.”
In the last CNN/YouTube Democratic debate that aired November 15, Hillary Clinton was asked if she prefers “diamonds or pearls” and other questions focused on so-called “mommy issues” like healthcare and education.
None of the Republican candidates were asked any questions about education, healthcare or energy policy.
Most of the questions, handpicked from user submissions by debate organizers, focused on issues that have caused rancor within the GOP, like illegal immigration, abortion and religion. One question asked the candidates if they believed “every word” contained in the Bible.
The lightest-hearted question of the night was the last one. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked why he rooted for the Red Sox in the last World Series.
Here’s a list below of all of the questions asked in Wednesday’s debate in the order asked:
This is Ernie Nardi from Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York, with a question for the ex-Mayor Giuliani. Under your administration, as well as others, New York City was operated as a sanctuary city, aiding and abetting illegal aliens. I would like to know, if you become president of the United States, will you continue to aid and abet the flight of illegal aliens into this country?
There are thousands of people in Canada and Mexico waiting to come to America legally. They want to become American citizens. They want to be part of the American dream. Yet, there are those in the Senate that want to grant amnesty for those that come here illegally.Will you pledge tonight, if elected president, to veto any immigration bill that involves amnesty for those that have come here illegally?
Hammered by competition with imports, our family- owned business struggles each year to find seasonal workers. We've been working with a seasonal guest-worker program, the H2B program, bringing in and sending home workers every year. But with Congress failing to enact a comprehensive immigration and guest worker bill, I want to know whether I'll have a job next year. What are you going to do to keep these guest workers coming to the U.S. to save our business?
Governor Huckabee, while governor of Arkansas, you gave illegal aliens a discount for college in Arkansas by allow them to pay lower in-state tuition rates. However, we have thousands of military members currently serving our country in Iraq with children at home. If these children chose to move to Arkansas to attend college, they would have to pay three times the tuition rate that illegal aliens pay. Would you support a federal law which would require any state that gives these tuition rates to illegal aliens to give the same rates to the children of our military members?
This question is for Ron Paul. I've met a lot of your supporters online, but I've noticed that a good number of them seem to buy into this conspiracy theory regarding the Council of Foreign Relations, and some plan to make a North American union by merging the United States with Canada and Mexico. These supporters of yours seem to think that you also believe in this theory. So my question to you is: Do you really believe in all this, or are people just putting words in your mouth?
My name is Sarah Lederach. I'm 18 years old. I'm from Scarsdale, Pennsylvania. And I'm a student at Penn State University. Often, I've heard both politicians and voters express their concern with providing a better future for their children. A concern of my generation is the trillions of dollars of national debt and what kind of responsibility we will have for that in the future. My question for you all is, if elected, what measures will you take to tackle the national debt and control spending?
I am Emily and I am from Los Angeles. The Republican Party once stood for limited government, which meant reduce federal spending because it cost less and we spent less.
However, over the past decade, real discretionary federal spending has in fact increased 40 percent, more than half of which has been non-defense related. So my question is: What are the names of the top three federal programs you would reduce in size in order to decrease
My name is Ronald Lanham from Mobile, Alabama. And I want you to tell me, do you support the elimination of the federal income tax in favor of a national retail sales tax, also known as the fair tax?
President Bush made a commitment when he ran for president in 2000 an 2004 that he would oppose and veto any tax increase that Congress sent him. My question to each of the candidates is: Would you promise to the people watching this right now, that you will oppose and veto any efforts to raise taxes as long as you're president?
Mmmmmm, nothing says delicious like cheap corn subsidized by the American taxpayer. For a lot of Americans, however, a bitter taste is left in their mouth when they learned about how the U.S. taxpayer bankrolls billions of dollars in farm subsidies that mostly go to large item business interests. I'm curious which candidate could label themselves fiscally responsible, will endorse the elimination of farm subsidies if they are elected president in 2008.
This is to Mayor Giuliani. Politico broke a story a few hours ago questioning your accounting of taxpayer dollars as mayor. They say that as mayor, the report says you took trips to the Hamptons and expensed the cost of your police detail to obscure city offices. One, is that true? And, if so, was it appropriate?
My name is LeeAnn Anderson and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and these are my kids Evan and May. Maya is from China and we adopted him to give her a better life. We never dreamed that she would that she'd be exposed to lead after leaving China, and now we find trains like this that are covered with lead in our home. My question for the candidates are, what are you going to do to make sure that these kind of toys don't make their way into our homes and that we have safe toys that are made in America again and we keep jobs in America?
I'm Jay Fox, lifetime member of the NRA. Now, I am from a small town and as in any small time, we like our big guns. My question to you is: What is your opinion of gun control? And don't worry, you can answer however you like.
Mr. Giuliani, at a recent NRA convention, you stated that it's every American's right to be secure. Yet, on March 21 of the year 2000, The Boston Globe quoted you as saying, "Anyone wanting to own a gun should have to pass a written exam." Considering the Constitution grants us the right to bear arms as a means of protection, why do you believe that citizens should be required to pass an exam in order to exercise their right to protect themselves and their families?
I’m Eric Bentson from Phoenix, Arizona. Got a quick question for all you candidates. Any of you all want to tell us about your gun collection, roughly how many you own, what your favorite make, model and caliber is, if any of them require a tax stamp?
Hi, this is me and my son Prentiss. We're from Atlanta. I want to ask you guys a question (inaudible) every year. But what about the war going on in our country, black on black crime? Two hundred to 400 black men die yearly in one city alone. What are you going to do about that war? It feels like the (inaudible) is right outside.
Hi. My name is Journey. I'm from Texas. And this question is for all pro-life candidates. In the event that abortion becomes illegal and a woman obtains an abortion anyway, what should she be charged with, and what should her punishment be? What about the doctor who performs the abortion?
Hello, my name is AJ. I'm from Millstone, New Jersey. I would all of the candidates to give an answer on this. If hypothetically, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the Congress passed a federal ban on all abortions and it came to your desk, would you sign it? Yes or no? continued...
Why doesn’t CNN just let the Clintons moderate the Republican debates?
“Today, ‘don’t ask/don’t tell’ is destructive to our military policy. Every day, the Department of Defense discharges two people, not for misconduct, not for the unit cohesion.” “ Maybe he should ask Hillary about that. Wasn’t it her husband that was President when this was introduced?
Don’t give them any ideas.
I got the impression that the Hillary people planted all the questions.
mark
At the time it was speculate “SHE” either was gay and wanted the “establishment” to deal with gays in the Military or “SHE” wanted to destroy the Military OR Both.
I recall it was the FIRST thing on the new administration’s “THINGS TO DO” list, which shocked most Americans as to weren’t there more important issues to address in our Country.
All the Republicans didn’t shirk from these questions.
So all around CNN lost and hopefully the Democrats as well.
The new question for Pro-Lifers to answer was raised last night in the abortion penalty question.
After Roe v Wade is appealed, the former precedent laws kick in. The abortionist is punished and the penalty for the woman seeking and obtaining an abortion is the same:
She has already imposed upon herself an irrevocable life sentence of loss and grief.
It would be only fair to allow the Republicans to take one free shot at Hillary on national TV.
You mean they don’t do that already?
If you take the long view, and your a Conservative, you should be very happy this happened with the old gay general last night folks.
Its leading the top of every newscast today, except at CNN of course.
which means every voter watching the news just got reminded of the uglier aspects of the Clinton era.
Think about it. Could any of us have scripted a better way to remind one and all, across the political spectrum, what ‘Clinton Fatigue’ actually means?
I don’t think so.
They did...last night! They just didn't have the Clintons on stage.
Or, if you want to comment to CNN about their biased reporting...and promotion of the homosexual agenda, click below.....
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2
No thanks.
Does it strike anybody besides me a bit coincidental that, of all the people in the audience, Kerr was given a chance to ask a question and speak his mind???
RUSH LIMBAUGH a natural to moderate next Republican Debate!! Let’s get these candidates jump-started!!
Thanks I used your link.
The circus that took place last night is why I will not watch anymore presidential debates until they go over to Foxnews. That channel conducts debates is the serious manner they are to be conductive. I watched 10 minutes last night and it was enough for me. CNN is toast.
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