All day off and on I have been listening to, reading, and watching media. Everybody gets that Biden was a disaster and that criminal Trump, as usual, endlessly lied and didn’t answer any of the questions he was asked. But, except for Heather Digby Parton, what I haven’t seen is what stood out for me: the complete failure of Jake Tapper, and Dana Bash to behave like competent journalists. They made it obvious they are pseudo-journalist commentators, little more than talking heads. They knew Trump was lying, they knew he wasn’t answering the questions, but they just kept on as if nothing of consequence was going on. It was incompetent and it demonstrated CNN is not a reliable news network anymore.
Moderators and CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty
In a scathing appraisal of how the two moderators of the first 2024 presidential debate let Donald Trump run wild with a firehose of lies, one critic stated the pair is responsible for letting the former president hoodwink viewers who aren’t fully immersed in politics on a daily basis.
In her column for Salon, political observer Heather “Digby” Parton wrote that “State of the Union” anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash failed as journalists by letting Trump make a mockery of the debate by lying with impunity, and not calling him out on it before a huge television audience.
Candidly noting that Biden did poorly in the debate, Parton added, “As much as Biden blew the debate and missed his opportunity to dispel the concerns about his age, Donald Trump blew it too. He may have appeared more vigorous but […]
The so called “debate” was one of the best encapsulations of the corrupt system that I have seen to date. A for profit corporation mediating a presidential election, for two candidates who aren’t even official nominees yet, while excluding any other voices ( ignore that 10 percent), but most importantly excluding voters. No need for voters to be in the room and have a direct reaction, they aren’t necessary to the process anymore. We used to have orators debate in front of hundreds or thousands, but no more. The “moderators” were the shills for the corporation, nothing more. Journalists have learned a hard lesson with the imprisonment of Julian Assange – raise the wrong issues to your own peril.
I started hearing of the panic of Democrats regarding Biden’s performance. I laughed and laughed. Why? Because the Democrats did this to themselves. At least you can give the Republican credit. They held debates and primary elections to find an alternate. The Democrats refused. No competition or debate was allowed. One choice only. And now the alternative? Does Biden get dumped at the convention? Not giving the voters a chance to weigh in? Oh, its so delightful to watch. No more cigar smoke filled back filled rooms picking a candidate, but back room deals nevertheless (because cigars aren’t allowed), and the actual voters be damned.
Object to this process dear voter? Well, in the immortal words of Hillary Clinton “Get over your self. Those are the two choices”Watch for yourself dear voter:
The subtext is clear. We have a world wide empire to run. You’re lucky the empire gives you two choices. Want better for yourself and your family? Think outside the box. Both the Democrats and Republican are bad for your health.
John B Alexander
on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 12:46 pm
The commentary is wrong. The role of Jake Tapper and Dana Bash was to function as moderators NOT as journalists. Those were the rules established by both sides. It was up to Biden to do the fact checking. Tapper and Bash were NOT interviewing Trump, merely asking questions and controlling the time allotted for the responses. It was Biden’s advisors that set the parameters. They also failed to adequately prepare him even though they had a solid week to do so. Trump lied continuously. Biden should have been prepared to address those lies. The fault lies with Biden and his advisors, not CNN.
Stephan Schwartz
on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 9:14 pm
I understand your view, John, but they could have simply asked. Why aren’t you answering the question.
Terri Quint
on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 5:42 pm
I think you didn’t read where it was stated that there would be NO FACT-CHECKING during the debate. They weren’t supposed to reply to their comments.
Stephan Schwartz
on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 11:42 pm
Terri —
I will tell you the same thing I told John Alexander. All they had to do is say, again and again, “You didn’t answer my question, would you like to try again?” It would have become humiliating, and Trump is very sensitive to humiliation and it would have unmanned him, and become obvious to the viewers.
The so called “debate” was one of the best encapsulations of the corrupt system that I have seen to date. A for profit corporation mediating a presidential election, for two candidates who aren’t even official nominees yet, while excluding any other voices ( ignore that 10 percent), but most importantly excluding voters. No need for voters to be in the room and have a direct reaction, they aren’t necessary to the process anymore. We used to have orators debate in front of hundreds or thousands, but no more. The “moderators” were the shills for the corporation, nothing more. Journalists have learned a hard lesson with the imprisonment of Julian Assange – raise the wrong issues to your own peril.
I started hearing of the panic of Democrats regarding Biden’s performance. I laughed and laughed. Why? Because the Democrats did this to themselves. At least you can give the Republican credit. They held debates and primary elections to find an alternate. The Democrats refused. No competition or debate was allowed. One choice only. And now the alternative? Does Biden get dumped at the convention? Not giving the voters a chance to weigh in? Oh, its so delightful to watch. No more cigar smoke filled back filled rooms picking a candidate, but back room deals nevertheless (because cigars aren’t allowed), and the actual voters be damned.
Object to this process dear voter? Well, in the immortal words of Hillary Clinton “Get over your self. Those are the two choices”Watch for yourself dear voter:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/04/03/hillary-clinton-fallon-interview-biden-trump-stephen-a-smith-nn-vpx.cnn
The subtext is clear. We have a world wide empire to run. You’re lucky the empire gives you two choices. Want better for yourself and your family? Think outside the box. Both the Democrats and Republican are bad for your health.
The commentary is wrong. The role of Jake Tapper and Dana Bash was to function as moderators NOT as journalists. Those were the rules established by both sides. It was up to Biden to do the fact checking. Tapper and Bash were NOT interviewing Trump, merely asking questions and controlling the time allotted for the responses. It was Biden’s advisors that set the parameters. They also failed to adequately prepare him even though they had a solid week to do so. Trump lied continuously. Biden should have been prepared to address those lies. The fault lies with Biden and his advisors, not CNN.
I understand your view, John, but they could have simply asked. Why aren’t you answering the question.
I think you didn’t read where it was stated that there would be NO FACT-CHECKING during the debate. They weren’t supposed to reply to their comments.
Terri —
I will tell you the same thing I told John Alexander. All they had to do is say, again and again, “You didn’t answer my question, would you like to try again?” It would have become humiliating, and Trump is very sensitive to humiliation and it would have unmanned him, and become obvious to the viewers.