Posted on 01/24/2012 8:21:28 AM PST by Bigtigermike
Newt Gingrich insists his fans will not be silenced.
Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, on Tuesday morning threatened not participate in any future debates with audiences that have been instructed to be silent. That was the case on Monday, when Brian Williams of NBC News asked the audience of about 500 people who assembled for a debate in Tampa to hold their applause until the commercial breaks.
In an interview with the morning show “Fox and Friends,” Mr. Gingrich said NBC’s rules amounted to stifling free speech. In what has become a standard line of attack for his anti-establishment campaign, Mr. Gingrich blamed the media for trying to silence a dissenting point of view.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
You need to learn to read. I didn’t say I wanted audience reaction, just that last night’s debate was dead boring without it.
Frankly, I agree with all you said, except for the nasty language and bad attitude. Clean it up if you want to be taken seriously.
¨We, the People....¨
Sigh.
The fact of the matter is nothing really happened last night to deserve much applause.
All the chidding in the world wont keep an audience from responding if something amazing happens.
And since Newt is now in the lead, a dull debate where nothing much happens = Newt wins.
Romney has to make something happen, if nothing happens, Newt wins.
Mistake by Mr. Gingrich. His SC debate and subsequent win had nothing to do with the audience, it was the power of his words.
Gingrich/Santorum 2012
Santorum/Rubio 2018
Really not sure if this is a smart move. Now everybody else will start disallowing clapping so Gingrich won’t participate!
This could backfire on him. Calling for participation is fine, but to threaten to not debate is silly...
I was about to respond, read your comments and thought I wrote it myself.......
what conservatives need to know is the God given opportunity just handed to them.
Of over 7 billion on our planet, the only enemies of one Newt Gingrich reside in Congress and are from his own party.
Let that just sink in a minute
.......if ever there was a time to purge congress of those POS rinos it is now and it is NEWT.
Upon election Newt would have 3 years to battle and expose the country club swine all the while the united Tea Party front exampled by the likes of Tea Party Tribune, United West.org etc etc. would find, fund and front line candidates for conservative perusal.
As to a game plan, a measured known outcome, and saving conservatism,we have a God given plan
I call it providence
The applause is based on politics and policy that is being discussed. Newt isn’t just yawning and people start clapping.
I doubt there will be a fight between people. It’s just clapping.
“Sorry, Newt is wrong on this one. This isn’t a town meeting, its a Presidential debate. Now we are going to have every primary and general election debate be a clap fest with the candidates packing the audience. Yuck.”
Your point is very well taken.
But if it hadn’t been for “the cheering in South Carolina”, Newt might not have turned things around so decisively in the short time he had to do so. Like it or not, it was those who _watched_ the debate, heard the cheering, and perhaps had their logic jostled by it, who went to the polls and made the difference.
Newt has stated his thoughts on this quite well — that is, the media has no monopoly on free speech and the ability to express it.
By controlling audience response, guys like Brian Williams (and the guys behind him) are trying to control the atmosphere and tenor of the arguments. It’s like the old “Outer Limits” intro — “sit quietly, and WE will control what you see and hear.”
Newt shouldn’t have said he’d skip the debates, though. He should wait until the issue comes up again -IN- one of the debates, and then use it right then and there as a “teachable moment of truth” before the audience that is watching. To wit, the response should be something like “No, Mr. Williams, I will not accede to your demands that the audience not respond to the candidates, because for too long Americans have been told to take what government gives them and keep quiet about it!”
If the mainstream media is so out-of-joint that a conservative candidate could rouse a debate audience into cheering during a broadcast, perhaps they should only have future debates in a studio with only cameras, moderators and WITHOUT an “audience”.
Otherwise, I’d tell ‘em right on camera to go to hell.
Folks, cheer away!
Oh yeah, the media isn’t going to miss their chance.
Imagine how they would use it in a debate between Gingrich and Obama. Standing O for everything Obama says and a cricket chirping at everything Gingrich says.
>> bad move to demand an audience.. he is always bragging on himself as a superior debater.
The Media is trying to disrupt his momentum.
“I’ve got no interest in winners being chosen by applause meter.”
Then, obviously, you have no interest in most of the elections that have ever occurred in this country, for better or worse...
You are absolutely right - you understand art - too many on our side are literal-minded.
Then read a transcript?
Can we ban applause during tonight’s “presentation”?
Cheering is what we do in this Country if we approve, you can still vote for who you want.
That is a great idea.
Oh sure, it is better to let the MSM shape our opinions with their loaded questions without audience interruption. /sarcasm
Bad strategy. Go to the debate. Tell the audience to ignore the liberal journalists who are telling you what to do and what to think and stand back and listen to the roar.
We don’t need no more stinkin’ debates.
Newt understands that.
It would be to Newt’s advantage if there wasn’t another debate before the Florida Primary.
He is making this a free speech issue.
He is standing up to the MSM.
He is forcing Romney into an impossible choice.
If Romney sides with MSM, it only reinforces his image as an establishment empty suit. If he sides with Gingrich, he looks like a follower not a leader.
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