Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Lehrer on Defensive Over Biased Questioning
News Max.com ^ | October 1, 2004 | News Max Staff

Posted on 10/01/2004 12:31:54 PM PDT by yoe

PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.

PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.

"I don't know what in the world you're talking about," Lehrer told radio host Don Imus, in his only post-debate interview.

"I would argue that my questions were right down the middle. There were some hardball questions for each candidate. There were some softball questions for each candidate. But for the most part they were just terrific."

The bias complaint, said Lehrer, was more of a commentary on his critics than a valid criticism of his own debate performance.

Still, some observers noted that Lehrer's questions largely focused on negative aspects of Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq - while avoiding Sen. Kerry's waffling on the issue, not to mention the top Democrat's long record of opposing measures to strengthen U.S. intelligence and national security.

At one point Lehrer claimed that over ten thousand U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, before quickly revising that number to 1,052.

At the end of the debate, the PBS anchorman shook Sen. Kerry's hand - with some debate watchers claiming he gave the top Democrat a knowing wink.

In 1999, the president of Lehrer's network had to resign after admitting that 53 PBS affiliates had been sharing their donor lists with the Democratic National Committee for years.

In 1997, then-White House aide George Stephanopoulos revealed that President Clinton's reelection team thought it was a major coup when Lehrer was chosen to host one of the presidential debates, boasting that "our moderator" had been picked.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: danscam; firstdebate; jimlehrer; lehrergate; napalminthemorning; pbs; rathergate
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-105 next last
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Yep, true, that's a doozy and I'm glad we got it! :-)

But all I'm saying is, what do we gain by this? We were already leading. We got another doozy out of Kerry, but we already had a lot of doozies, and all the networks are chortling this morning about how Kerry won (even though that's a lie). They wouldn't have it to chortle about at all if there hadn't been a debate. I just keep coming back to this: It's an unneccesary risk for the home team, I think, that's all. But I'm old school.

41 posted on 10/01/2004 1:05:34 PM PDT by LibWhacker (It is the black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate

Right and Lehrer's next question referred to Kerry's previous answer several time. Of course it was just a coincidence. There was no advance knowledge exchanged.


42 posted on 10/01/2004 1:05:52 PM PDT by jimthewiz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate

I think Kerry did a better job of knowing how they would be asked. He would have answered "Are people dying for a mistake" better if he knew them in advance.


43 posted on 10/01/2004 1:05:52 PM PDT by dubyain04jebin08and12
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate

I AGREE 100% SKERRY WAS TOO PREPARED FOR THE QUESTIONS. HE HAD AN IDEA OF THE QUESTIONS BEFORE RESPONDING JUST BY THE LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HIS HEAD BOBING UP AND DOWN. REMEMBER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DEBATE SKERRY SAID "I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THAT LATER" REGARDING A HOMELAND SECURITY. THAT'S A FUNNY THING TO SAY UNLESS IT'S A SLIP! BEING FROM MASS. I KNOW HOW THIS CLOWN WORKS. GWB STILL HAD A BAD NIGHT BUT THERE WILL BE OTHERS.


44 posted on 10/01/2004 1:07:54 PM PDT by biggiant1 (Eye for an Eye)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: agrace

Yes, he wrote the questions. But when you're reading them aloud from paper, it's not hard to see how he made a simple mistake. He also noticed his mistake right away, so he didn't "get it wrong". It sounded like a simple misstatement that was corrected immediately after it came out of his mouth, so I don't get what the big deal is.

NewsMax is trying to stretch this and say that he "claimed over 10,000 soldiers died", when he said "10,052 - excuse me, 1,052." I noticed the mistake, but thought nothing of it. It happens.


45 posted on 10/01/2004 1:09:23 PM PDT by Quick1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: jimthewiz

I could have sworn at the end of the debate that Lehrer did wink at Kerry, at first I thought I was seeing things but it was caught right on camera.


46 posted on 10/01/2004 1:12:25 PM PDT by LegalEagle61
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Quick1

"Come on, he never "claimed" that 10,052 soldiers had died in Iraq. It was a simple misstatement that he corrected IMMEDIATELY. It's easy to see that he thought there was an extra 0 in there when he read the question."

Not buying that. A sixth grader can read a four-digit number easily, and so can Lehrer. Just plant a little seed that some people will glom on to.


47 posted on 10/01/2004 1:12:46 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: biggiant1
I AGREE 100% SKERRY WAS TOO PREPARED FOR THE QUESTIONS. HE HAD AN IDEA OF THE QUESTIONS BEFORE RESPONDING JUST BY THE LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HIS HEAD BOBING UP AND DOWN.

You've obviously never participated on the debate team. Standard practice. And the fact that he was "prepared" for the questions? I would hope he was prepared for about 1,000 other questions, as well. He SHOULD have an idea of what kinds of questions are going to be asked, otherwise he should be firing his prep staff.

REMEMBER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DEBATE SKERRY SAID "I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THAT LATER" REGARDING A HOMELAND SECURITY. THAT'S A FUNNY THING TO SAY UNLESS IT'S A SLIP!

Uh, the topic was Foreign Policy and Homeland Security. Of course it's going to be talked about later.

By the way, I think your caps lock key is stuck. You don't need to yell.
48 posted on 10/01/2004 1:12:55 PM PDT by Quick1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: yoe
with some debate watchers claiming he gave the top Democrat a knowing wink

I saw that! It happened at the end, he waited until Theresa had come up on stage so he could congratulate them both (Thereas + Lurch) and, then, as he walked off the stage, Kerry told him thanks and Leher winked at him!

49 posted on 10/01/2004 1:13:16 PM PDT by Steven W.
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yoe

When you are as liberal as these guys you don't know what biased is, it skews your brain.


50 posted on 10/01/2004 1:14:01 PM PDT by tiki (Win one against the Flipper)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MayflowerMadam

Oh please. Really grasping at straws here to blame someone for last night. If the Twins lose, I can say they lost without needing to justify it. No need to dwell on it for longer than a few minutes before it's time to start thinking about the next game.

Go read a chapter of your favorite book, and see if you read every word precisely.


51 posted on 10/01/2004 1:16:28 PM PDT by Quick1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: MayflowerMadam
Not buying that. A sixth grader can read a four-digit number easily, and so can Lehrer.

Bingo! I'm with you. Lehrer is way too old to have been dumbed down by the social rejects of the NEA.

Funny how these "innocent" mistakes never go the other way.

52 posted on 10/01/2004 1:19:07 PM PDT by LibWhacker (It is the black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: yoe

That last sentence said it all. Get rid of Lehrer.


53 posted on 10/01/2004 1:21:22 PM PDT by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker

Go write down 20 questions. Come back two days later and see if you read them all precisely.

Seriously people, get a grip. This is like football fans crying that the refs jobbed them after a loss. Pathetic, and not up to FR standards. We're better than this.


54 posted on 10/01/2004 1:22:17 PM PDT by Quick1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: yoe
I like to stay away from conspiracy theories. If there was a wink, I'm not going to read into it too much.

I thought the questions were bland and not very challenging to either candidate.

Like the author in this article states though, there was nothing on comparing the records or past decisions. Nothing on Israel and Palestine.

I was actually looking forward to this being a broad foreign policy debate. I thought in that format Bush would have "surprised" the average Joe with his handle on all the issues as well as his consistent doctrine and philosophy.

EVERYONE has been saying that when they talk about IRAQ, it is bad for Bush (because of the casualties, be-headings and the MSM general portrayal of chaos). So yes, focusing this whole debate on Iraq only ***could*** have been a conscious decision by the moderator...

...but I doubt it. No harm done though. The worst thing that we'll see is some of the Bush supporters being a little depressed and Kerry voters being woken up a bit. That won't last... voters may vote on style over substance or substance over style, but the MAJORITY of the electorate will not elect a man with ABSOLUTELY ZERO SUBSTANCE. And that is what we have in John Kerry.
55 posted on 10/01/2004 1:23:44 PM PDT by freestyle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Quick1
You make excellent points but You don't find it odd that he didn't even take a breath to gather his thought's.

Cap's stuck "yelling", no wonder my ear's are ringing. It's the Red Sox fans crying due to the fact they came in second again.
56 posted on 10/01/2004 1:25:02 PM PDT by biggiant1 (Eye for an Eye)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: stockpirate

Yes, and yes! I think the same thing. He was too ready with alot of information at his manicured fingertips.


57 posted on 10/01/2004 1:28:17 PM PDT by georgia peach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Quick1
Don't know about you, but I WOULD N E V E R say "ten thousand fifty two" while looking at '1,052.' You'd have to be an idiot.
58 posted on 10/01/2004 1:28:54 PM PDT by LibWhacker (It is the black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker
Good for you. But he did. It's done.

NOW STOP CRYING.

I've had about enough of the babies in here crying about something so stupid and inane. I'm done for a while. You're all pissing me off. Let me know when you grow up.
59 posted on 10/01/2004 1:33:26 PM PDT by Quick1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: yoe

Lehrer's politics couldn't be more obvious if he was wearing a Kerry/Edwards tee shirt. The guy is a lefty as are all of his pals on PBS.


60 posted on 10/01/2004 1:38:16 PM PDT by hgro (<i>)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-105 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson