A dispassionate look at the NBC Republican debate moderators' questions reveals that they were not themselves dispassionate, which they have a professional duty to be.
NBC's Brian Williams and Politico's John Harris put on a clinic in liberal bias and journalistic unprofessionalism as they fired loaded, sanctimonious questions at the debate participants.
Debate moderators have no business injecting themselves into the debate or editorializing on the fly as these two did, to their disgrace. They have a duty not to take sides, which these two did, either with particular Republicans against the others or in favor of their political dreamboat, Barack Obama.
It wasn't just one or two inappropriately framed questions; it was a continuous barrage, punctuated with patronizing commentary revealing the inquisitors' unconcealed contempt for all things conservative. One can only imagine the opposition research -- er, conscientious preparation -- their staff must have done for them. Let's look at some of Williams' gems.
Williams reminded Texas Gov. Rick Perry that he brags about his economic record and then said: "Texas ranks last among those who have completed high school. There are only eight other states with more living in poverty. No other state has more working at or below the minimum wage. So, is that the kind of answer all Americans are looking for?" Williams might as well have said: "You tout your record, but we both know it stinks. What business do you have lying to the American people? Actually, what business do you have running for president at all, you Texas cowboy hayseed? In fact, why don't you just resign as Texas governor?"
Of course, I'm actually understating the case, as Williams went on to ask Perry, essentially, whether he's proud of the fact that Texas has executed 234 death row inmates under his watch. But Williams was really aghast at the audience applause for that statistic, obviously inferring that Perry and the Neanderthal conservatives in the audience sadistically relish executions. "What do you make of that dynamic that just happened here? The mention of the execution of 234 people drew applause." asked an incredulous Williams.
Williams next lectured Perry with this declarative predicate to another question: "You can't have much of a workforce without a basis of education. As you know, your state ranks among the worst in the country in high-school graduation rates ... yet you recently signed a budget cut for billions in education funding." The implied liberal presupposition was that the only way to improve education is to throw government money at it. Never mind the tyranny of the National Education Association's liberal curriculum, the prevailing atmosphere of political correctness that is often at war with classroom discipline, or alternative conservative solutions, such as school choice and vouchers. The purpose of the question was not to elicit an answer from Perry, but to indelibly taint him as anti-education and anti-children -- you know, your typical conservative.
Indeed, Williams similarly turned his scolding tone on Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, basically asking them, separately, whether they care at all about the poor. Why don't these libs quit beating around the bush and ask what they really mean, "Why do you conservatives choose to be heartless?"
And don't miss Williams' bizarre question to Perry about how he would address the problem that white households have 20 times the median wealth of black households in the United States.
Wait; who is president now? Who was in charge of both houses of Congress from January 2007 until early this year? Would they ever ask Obama questions like these?
Don't make me laugh. Don't you know that Obama is incapable of implementing policies that could exacerbate black poverty or that in the exceedingly unlikely case that he did, he couldn't be blamed because he had the finest of intentions?
You're not supposed to know that Obama, under the radar, furtively reversed welfare reform, which both parties agreed had, among other things, reduced black illegitimacy and black childhood poverty. You might be ill-advised holding your breath waiting for Williams to ask Obama why he reversed a policy that was helping blacks.
I'd like to get Williams and Harris on the witness stand and turn some of their questions back on them. "Lib inquisitors, are you aware that under Obama's leadership, we are one foot away from national financial collapse, that our economy is in shambles, that unemployment remains disastrous even after Obama spent nearly $1 trillion to create jobs and that he now wants to spend some $300 billion more? Is this the kind of answer (SET ITAL) you're (END ITAL) looking for?"
I don't know about you, but I've about had it with rebukes from the very people who are enabling the destruction of America. It makes about as much sense as a serial rapist's lecturing a nun on the benefits of abstinence.
