Posted on 10/03/2012 11:39:15 PM PDT by Second Amendment First
Colorado presidential debate: Media piles on moderator Jim Lehrer By: Mackenzie Weinger October 4, 2012 01:18 AM EDT
The loser of Wednesday night’s debate, according to many pundits and political commentators?
Moderator Jim Lehrer.
Lehrer, the executive editor of PBS Newshour, sat behind the desk for the 12th time in the history of televised presidential debates on Wednesday night — and drew some of the most blistering reviews of his career. The consensus: Lehrer did not control the debate, failed to enforce the time limits, did not press the candidates enough and generally was steamrolled by the presidential candidates, Mitt Romney in particular.
(Also on POLITICO: Lehrer: The master of moderation)
Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace criticized Lehrer for seeming to “lose some control” of the candidates, and questioned whether his questions sometimes helped President Barack Obama.
“Jim Lehrer, a man for whom I have tremendous esteem, seemed to lose control of the debate, occasionally,” Wallace said. “He seemed to just simply throw something out there to keep the conversation going, sometimes it seemed to be helping Obama, like saying, ‘Well, gee, so you are for a balanced approach of tax cuts and spending — tax increases and spending cuts,’ and that really seemed to lose some control.”
On MSNBC, Chris Matthews knocked Lehrer for not being aggressive, saying, “I thought the moderator did not moderate.”
“He didn’t follow up,” Matthews said. “Today, moderators are expected to be aggressive, they’re going to ask a question, they throw it out there, they don’t just say a topic. They ask a question.”
Also on MSNBC, The Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman blasted Lehrer as “practically useless.”
“Jim Lehrer was practically useless as the moderator,” Fineman said. “It was criminal negligence not to follow up on the question — ‘Mr. Romney, specifically what tax loopholes or deductions do you want to get rid of?’ He didn’t ask it.”
CNN contributor James Carville said Lehrer “let those guys freelance and go back and forth,” and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow noted that “Lehrer — to the extent that he tried to assert himself — got rolled over by Romney again and again and again.”
Before the debate, NBC’s Ted Koppel defended Lehrer’s role as debate moderator, telling POLITICO that “the pressing in a debate needs to come from the adversary: It’s up to the candidates to say to one another, ‘I heard Jim’s question and you’re not answering it.’ This is not about whether we want Jim Lehrer to be president.”
And The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple backed Lehrer afterward, writing that the moderator “deserves a nod” for the “excellent” debate.
“He moderated the thing, after all,” Wemple wrote. “Much of the vitriol headed his way grinds at his inability to enforce time limits, which are arbitrary and dumb anyhow.”
“Lerher’s real problem was that, for one night, he hads [sic] to play stand-in for the entire American media. And if there’s one thing the American public enjoys, it’s bashing the American media, no matter how it performs,” he added.
But many of Lehrer’s fellow TV hosts tweeted throughout the evening, saying they wished Lehrer would make his presence known. “This isn’t a debate, it’s just a polite exchange of views,” CNN’s Piers Morgan wrote. “Come on Jim, get in there and rev things up a bit.” David Gregory of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” meanwhile, noted it “would be great to have more follow up to pin down their views.”
Some were more stark with their assessment of Lehrer: NBC’s Today show weatherman Al Roker tweeted, “I hope Jim Lehrer gets the license plate of the truck that drove over him in this debate.”
Many on Twitter commented on Lehrer’s inability to control Romney, with Aaron Blake from The Washington Post’s The Fix blog writing, “Romney is totally overpowering Lehrer.” Comedian Bill Maher called for Lehrer to push back against Romney, tweeting, “Hey Lehrer, you’re the f—-ing ref, stop letting the Mittbot bully you - he can’t fire YOU.” That wasn’t the only foul-mouthed tweet of the evening, with The New Republic editor Franklin Foer writing, “Biggest p—— of the night: Obama or Lehrer? I’m one of the few undecideds.”
Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas dubbed the moderator “tonight’s Clint Eastwood,” and Commentary magazine editor John Podhoretz tweeted that Lehrer “may be the worst moderator in the history of moderation.” But Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein offered a more sympathetic take, tweeting, “I feel badly for Jim Lehrer tonight.”
The Huffington Post’s Sabrina Siddiqui summed up the media’s take on Twitter: “Tonight’s loser: Jim Lehrer.”
© 2012 POLITICO LLC
Wait, a moderate is supposed to be aggressive?
Translation: Lehrer did not rig it for Obama.
For the first time, in a long time the Presidential Debates, a moderator actually sounded fair.
So the libs are ticked that he didnt help Obama out more.
Duh!
Matthews sounded like he was going to start crying and kicking the ground.
I didn’t see the debate, but honestly, if Romney doesn’t let Lehrer “control the debate,” who’s going to stop him? What is Lehrer supposed to do? They’re not going to cut the cameras, turn out the lights. Why should Romney listen to a nobody like Jim Lehrer?
Romney apparently knew that he had to fight both the media and Obama in this debate. He took care of the former by simply ignoring it. The ‘debate moderator’ has no power. He’s irrelevant.
I think he really was trying to be fair, which is why the left is so annoyed. And obama was very annoyed when interrupted on his “professorial” remarks demanding 5 more seconds, and more.
Yet, throughout the last four years, will any of the aforementioned Media ask thorough follow up questions of this President, “have more follow up to pin down their views”.
The Obots have to find someone to blame, other then their
Marxist messiah.
So now we know what the game plan will be in the VP and the next two presidential debates.
I hope Romney and Ryan are up to having to fight off both democratic candidates and the moderators.
Stupid writing, He says ‘MSM’ and then quotes all those committed Obama supporters.
MSNBC is not the MSM, it is the Dem channel.
Over at MSNBC there was also plenty of criticism of Obama for being weak and praising of R for winning, and yes cursing him for ‘lying’.. Not fitting the Koolaid formula.
As usual, Barry isn’t the blame for his poor performance. Now, its the moderator. These fools have caused this with their molly coddling Obama. They have no one to blame but themselves for carrying his water for the past 5 years.
No, he just Failed to rig it for Obama. He did try, but he didn't expect Romney to bring a Gun to a Knife fight.
I think Obama might just make old Jim Lehrer the new Ambassador to Libya.
Massachusetts moderate manhandles moderator.
You really know Romney won the debate when the libs can’t even credibly claim that Romney lost. They refuse to admit Obama lost, so they have no choice but to blame the moderator.
This was a totally open debate format. As Lehrer explained it, they were supposed to have 15 minutes to discuss issues freely without questions. It’s not Lehrer’s fault that Obama couldn’t compete on a level playing field.
It’s just too obvious that the leftist “news” people are mad that Lehrer didn’t help Zero take Romney down.
No, he just Failed to rig it for Obama. He did try, but he didn't expect Romney to bring a Gun to a Knife fight.
I think Obama might just make old Jim Lehrer the new Ambassador to Libya.
The liberal media is despicable.
If this debate had gone the other way, the media would just declare the entire race over and anoint Obama for a second term instead of attacking the moderator.
While for the moment the consensus is that Romney won, he certainly did just stomp on the Moderator. Given the past complaints that Romney has acted like a bully, tonight’s performance will merely confirm this opinion in the minds of some. The question that needs to be answered is whether the Romney take no prisoners style is what would successfully run the government and international relations.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.