Anderson Cooper: "Campaign operatives are people too" justifying hacks posing questions at debate.

News Busters ^ | November 29, 2007 - 07:24 ET | Mark Finkelstein

[joinedafterattack]

CNN's Anderson Cooper quipped in a recent interview with Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham that "campaign operatives are people too," justifying political hacks posing questions at debate forums.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2007/11/27/campaign-operatives-are-people-too-cnns-cooper-debate-questions

[joinedafterattack]

See bottom of News Busters page for quote and link

[Paladin2]

MSM “journalists” are ‘rat hacks too.

[Jeff Head]

Sorry CNN and Anderson...you flew the queer "operative" in, he wasa General in the military so it wasn't like he was simply any John Doe out there...and he just happens to turn out to be on a Hillary Clinton campaign steering committee for gays and lesbians. And to top it off, he has been a featured guest on CNN in the past.

It is simply not believable in the least that they knew nothing of this guy or that he just "happened" to be one of the "people" out of the 5000 questions that they selected.

The smell is so bad on this CNN that it overpowers any excuses you might make. All the more evidence IMHO, as with Dan Rather, that the MSM is corrupt and will go to almost any ends to subvert our election process for their own ends and for their own leanings as regards candidates.

[Badeye]

Maybe so, Andy Cooper, maybe so.

But I don’t think its coincidence your a well know gay news talker, and a old gay General just happened to get featured in the debate you were charged with moderating.

How long have you two been seeing each other, Andy?

[joinedafterattack]

Here is Anderson Coopers exact quote. Clearly he knew about all this in advance.

Mary Katharine Ham briefly chatted with CNN's Anderson Cooper and David Bohrman about tomorrow's CNN/YouTube debate and concerns about the agenda of questions that will be picked. For the whole thing, go here, but I just had to share this priceless gem (my emphasis in bold). First Ham's question, then Cooper's answer:

Q: There’s been a bit of scandal about the screening that CNN did on its “undecided voters” for the last Democratic debate. The diamonds-and-pearls question was attacked by the questioner herself. There were some allegations that several of the voters were in fact liberal activists on quite a few issues (and one Democratic Party operative). What’s the process for checking these YouTube questioners and their affiliations?

AC: “Well, campaign operatives are people, too. We don’t investigate the background of people asking questions…that’s not our job...

Story Continues Below Ad ↓ Ten days ago, NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard noted how CNN stocked the audience of a Democratic debate, and on November 20 I included video from Hot Air's Bryan Preston on how undecided voters at the Democratic debate were largely left-wing activists.

On Monday, NewsBusters contributor Brad Wilmouth documented how CNN has been highlighting left-wing YouTube questions in their promotional programming for the Wednesday debate:

If the preview shown on "CNN Sunday Morning" is any guide, Wednesday's CNN/YouTube Republican debate will likely be dominated by questions posed from the left, just as the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate also featured questions posed from the left. CNN correspondent Josh Levs showed clips of several sample questions, including a question from a gay Republican who charges "a vote for you is a vote against my family," a question from a woman concerned about "returning the civil liberties to the American people and stopping these outrageous attacks on our security and our privacy," and a question about CEO salaries increasing faster than the minimum wage. While Levs cautioned that he does not know whether any of the questions used in his piece will be chosen for the debate, none of the questions that appeared in the report were posed from a conservative point-of-view.

[rod1]

That has to be one of the worst defenses I have ever heard. Cooper should be fired for idiocy beyond the call of duty.

So what is Cooper’s position

on
NBC refs betting on basketball games?
on
Politician’s relative getting huge government no bid contracts?
on
McDonald’s store owner winning the biggest “Monopoly” game prize?

Hey they are people too. Who cares if they would reek of conflict of interest and make the whole thing crooked.

[kabar]

So where are the Rep operatives paticipating in the Dem debates?

[OSHA]

What do the Democrat and Republican debates have in common? They’re both full of Hillary plants.

[TNCMAXQ]

This event happened on the same day Glen Beck referred to Anderson as being very fair minded and a good guy. Glen thought Anderson was very fair with him during their interview. I wonder if Glen wants to revise his remarks today.

[Rennes Templar]

Terrorists are people too. Bring some on the next debate, Anderson.

[sageb1]

Maybe we could fly in an entire contingent of Clinton paramours.

[2ndDivisionVet]

BTW, does everyone here realize that Anderson Cooper is socialite/heiress Gloria Vanderbilt’s son?

[padre35]

Beck just repeated the same “One of the most fair people” stuff.

Ahh, popcorn is a poppin...

[Sax]

Ebenezer Cooper Scrooge, it's me Jacob Marley. Don't risk suffering the same fate that I did - damned to walk the earth in shame...

[KC_Conspirator]

Does anyone for a NY minute think that this is a mistake?

[sr4402]

The General wasn't the only Plant he was refering too: From the Michele Malkin Website: Digging out more CNN/YouTube plants: Abortion questioner is declared Edwards supporter (and a slobbering Anderson Cooper fan); Log Cabin Republican questioner is declared Obama supporter; lead toy questioner is a prominent union activist for the Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers

[wastedyears]

My face got all bright when I heard what he accomplished... then when he said he was gay, my face certainly betrayed the horror.

[Impeach the Boy]

Well, Rush Limbaugh and Shaun Hanity are people too...why not let them ask the democrats some questions?

[kabar]

They are all Democrats.

[Impeach the Boy]

Now we know the REAL reason that the democrats didn’t want to attend a FOX NEWS debate...they can’t control the questions and those asking.

[Blue Turtle]

Thank GOD for the NEW MEDIA.

[Dante3]

Anderson Cooper makes yet another dumb statement.

[randog]

That has to be one of the worst defenses I have ever heard.

Yeah, but what else is he gonna say?

[Iron Munro]

Cooper: "Even undercover, scumbag, democrat party sodomists and gay debate moderators are people too. Wahhhhhhhh!!!!!"

[PGalt]

Democrat Crime Syndicate BUMP!

[weegee]

Sorry. No good. No Republican-vs-Democrat debate on CNN. Your network is already in the DNC’s pocket.

Enough of this collusion between the DNC and the media.

Your team will not steal this election.

[weegee]

This one is for all the marbles.

The Clinton lap dog media want the stick.

By any means necessary.

Elections are just a messy detail of life.

When the contestant on Twenty One had been given the questions in advance of the gameshow, it was a huge scandal. When Mrs. Bill Clinton is given her questions in advance of a debate it is a rigged debate in a rigged election.

And there is a media blackout (apart from talk radio and the blogs) that this crap is going on.

[bonehead4freedom]

The Republicans to a man should refuse to appear on CNN for any reason as they have the proof CNN (Clinton Needed NOW) is nothing but a 24/7 infomercial for team Hillary.Having CNN run a debate is like asking GM doing an objective review for Ford for a tv commercial.

[pandoraou812]

No I never knew that.

[nsmart]

“The smell is so bad on this CNN that it overpowers any excuses you might make. All the more evidence IMHO, as with Dan Rather, that the MSM is corrupt and will go to almost any ends to subvert our election process for their own ends and for their own leanings as regards candidates.”

This is especially true of Fox, CNN and NBC’s approach to Ron Paul. MSM has picked the candidates. Who are we to demand real debates?

[weegee]

Youtube is a liberal owned site (that has censored Michelle Malkin in the past from her own video blogs).

There were activist questions in the Democrat round.

This was a known setup. They should have politely refused to play their little game.

[andy58-in-nh]

So where are the Rep operatives paticipating in the Dem debates?

I fully plan on crashing the next Democrat debate as an on-line questioner. In fact, I'm going to insist that they use my artwork of the candidates....

[pandoraou812]

After you pointed that out I just had to read up on it. Is Andy gay too? I found this...

The bachelor head of a high-end fashion services boutique firm bid a fulsome $21,000 at a New York charity auction over the weekend to win a lunch with Anderson Cooper, one of television's hottest news personalities—in more ways than one. "Anderson is cute," British-born Oliver Pike, who heads NorthSix, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, told the New York Post after his winning bid.

Considered one of New York's most eligible, unmarrieds, Cooper, 39, has in the past fended off questions about his sexual orientation. "I just don't talk about my personal life," he has said in response to questions.

[ilgipper]

but only Democratic operatives, since they are apparently filling the room for both Democrat and Republican debates. GOP operatives are clearly not people..must be some form of space alien.

[CASchack]

[Falcon4.0]

That would be the “Republican Dirty Tricks Squad” and we can’t have that.

[Paladin2]

"..Glen Beck referred to Anderson as being very fair minded and a good guy gay........"

There, fixed the obvious typo.

[safetysign]

So the oh so gay Cooper Anderson gives General Gerbil the last word. Amazing!

[Iron Munro]

"Republicans to a man should refuse to appear on CNN"

ABSOLUTELY!!

Its time for republicans and conservatives to take control of their own destiny instead of being straight men and dupes for the liberal media.

Refuse to debate on CNN and MSNBC, stop paid advertisments and refuse interviews on both as well as any other left biased media outlet until they present an equal and fair handed program.

Candidates also need to take control of any debates they participate in.
Refuse to let leftist programmers and news readers set the agenda and tone.
Retain rights of refusal for format, moderators, question content, etc.

It works for Hillary.

[sauropod]

To top it all off, they had a ‘Rat hack (”strategist”) on the panel after the debate, and also, that smarmy former FR member Jeffrey Toobin.

How that guy gets to be on TV as some kind of subject matter expert is beyond me.

[Dionysius]

I guess irrelevant, gay dilitentes must be “people” as well — at least in CNN’s bizarre little universe.

[EternalVigilance]

To date, Republican "leaders" have given control over the public debate to the political directors of the networks. That's a fact.

I've complained plenty over the arbitrary exclusion of my candidate, Dr. Alan Keyes. After all, he is polling ahead of three of the candidates who were on the stage last night in Florida: Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter, and Tom Tancredo.

But, in some sense, I'm glad he wasn't part of this particular charade. Maybe it was the grace of God.

Alan Keyes will be in the Des Moines Register Iowa Presidential Debate on December 12. I'm told it will be covered live nationally by Fox, CNN and C-SPAN.

[Steely Tom]

When the contestant on Twenty One had been given the questions in advance of the gameshow, it was a huge scandal.

Man, weegee, that's great. That's the best point I've heard so far. And the game-show fix was a private matter, within a private corporation. The CNN plant was done as part of a national federal election campaign for the highest office in the land.

[pandoraou812]

Well Andy claims he also wants to get married & have children someday on another link. However he doesn’t say if it is a female he wants to marry. I think Anderson & Keith Olbermann would make a nice couple.

[bonehead4freedom]

Will our boys learn? Only time will tell!

[Presbyterian Reporter]

Freepers.

Be sure to send emails to all your friends to alert them to the latest Hillary/CNN scandal.

I just copied Michelle Malkins latest posting to an email and sent it to 75 of my friends.

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/29/digging-out-the-cnnyoutube-plants-abortion-questioner-is-edwards-supporter/

Please use the emails to get this news spread far and wide.

[Iron Munro]

"I've complained plenty over the arbitrary exclusion of my candidate, Dr. Alan Keyes."

Keyes is a man to admire but as a black with a great intellect who has left the liberal plantation he wouldn't/doesn't get fair treatment from the media either.
Liberals would vote for Osama Bin Laden or Hitler before they would vote for a black conservative.

[EternalVigilance]

Sure seems that way.