Debate Commission dismisses Raddatz-Obama connection

Politico ^ | 10/10/12 | DYLAN BYERS

[Nachum]

The Commission on Presidential Debates is downplaying a new report by the conservative website 'The Daily Caller' about President Barack Obama's ties to Martha Raddatz, the moderator of tomorrow night's vice presidential debate.

The article, currently atop Drudge Report, notes that Obama worked on the Harvard Law Review with Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later appoint chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and was a guest at his 1991 wedding to Raddatz -- raising accusations that Raddatz has a conflict of interest heading into tomorrow's debate, despite the fact that Raddatz has long-since divorced Genachowski and remarried.

(Also on POLITICO: Paul Ryan spox: 'No concerns' about Raddatz)

"We selected Martha Raddatz because she is a terrific journalist and will be a terrific moderator and we're thrilled to have her," Peter Eyre, an adviser to the Commission, said in a statement. "The notion that that somehow affects her ability is not something we have given a moment's thought to."

Yesterday, well-ahead of the article's publication, ABC News released a statement calling the Daily Caller's line of inquiry "absurd."

"Martha Raddatz is known for her tough, fair reporting, which is why it was no surprise to her colleagues inside and outside ABC News that she was chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates for this assignment," an ABC News representative wrote. "Barack Obama was a law school classmate of Raddatz's ex-husband Julius Genachowski at Harvard. At the time Barack Obama was a student and president of the Law Review. He attended their wedding over two decades ago along with nearly the entire Law Review, many of whom went on to successful careers including some in the Bush administration. Raddatz and Mr. Genachowski divorced in 1997 and both are now remarried."

[FreedBird]

Biden and Obama get all the debate questions in advance, from now on.

[MamaDearest]

Any sign of impropriety by the moderator and millions of Americans will see it for themselves and it will not be retractable by the network that provided that moderator. We know what is fair and what is not. If they screw over Romney in favor of Obama, it will be blatantly obvious and it will only increase the popularity of Romney and cause Obama even more humiliation than he's already experienced.

If they think Americans aren't talking already that the network fix is in, they would be very seriously mistaken.

[MamaDearest]

I meant Ryan, not Romney. Getting ahead of myself here!

[FreedBird]

The problem is they may feed the debate questions to the Democrats in advance. They are all Democrats and the MSM is the Democrat Party at work on the minds of the people.

[Sallygal]

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=dS1N6bLriRc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdS1N6bLriRc

[EDINVA]

“... that somehow affects her ability ...”

It’s not her ABILITY raises questions. It’s her objectivity or neutrality that we’re concerned about.

[uncitizen]

right, becuz theirs is not just a working relationship, it’s a personal relationship! How can we ever believe this bioch isn’t going to be giving it to Obadguy

[GOPJ]

"We selected Martha Raddatz because she is a terrific journalist committed leftist and fellow traveler masquerading as a journalist who will smack Romney down while being down on her knees in front of the LightWorker and will be a terrific moderator and we're thrilled to have her." There, I fixed it.

You fixed it...