CNN's Moos ridiculed proposed GOP YouTube debate questions, but ignored "diamonds or pearls" question CNN chose for Dem debate
SUMMARY: CNN's Jeanne Moos characterized some of the questions submitted by YouTube users for the upcoming
CNN/YouTube Republican debate as "stunningly superficial,"
"shockingly sophomoric," "completely incomprehensible,"
and "totally irrelevant." But Moos didn't mention the
question that concluded CNN's broadcast of the November 15 Democratic
presidential debate in Las Vegas,
in which Sen. Hillary Clinton was asked if she preferred "diamonds or
pearls." The person asking the question later wrote that CNN insisted she ask the question instead
of a different one about the Yucca
Mountain nuclear waste
repository.
Less than two weeks after CNN concluded its Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas with an audience member asking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) whether she preferred "diamonds or pearls," CNN national news correspondent Jeanne Moos characterized some of the questions submitted by YouTube users for the upcoming CNN/YouTube Republican debate as "stunningly superficial," "shockingly sophomoric," "completely incomprehensible," and "totally irrelevant."
During her "Moost Unusual" segment on the November 26 edition of The Situation Room, Moos presented several videotaped questions submitted for the November 28 CNN/YouTube Republican debate. Moos explained, "We combed the 5,000 or so entries for questions that are stunningly superficial." In the clip that followed, an unidentified male asked, "Do any of you wear toupees?" Other questions highlighted by Moos included: "If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" "Did you see The Simpsons movie? And if so, did you like it? and "If you could be any kitchen appliance, what would you be?"
But while Moos highlighted such "superficial" and "irrelevant" questions, at no point in the segment did she mention the question that concluded CNN's broadcast of the November 15 Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. One questioner said, "And my question is for Senator Clinton. This is a fun question for you. Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?" As The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder first reported, the questioner, Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, wrote on her MySpace page that she had originally prepared two questions, but CNN insisted she "ask the frilly question instead of a pre-approved query about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository."
In a November 16 post on the New York Times political blog The Caucus, Jodi Kantor further reported:
David Bohrman, Washington bureau chief and senior vice president of CNN, defended the network's decision. "I thought it would be a nice way to end because we had had a couple of hours of tension," he said, pointing out that Ms. Parra-Sandoval had written the question herself. "Not every question has to deal with life or death."
CNN later issued a statement in response to Parra-Sandoval's comments:
As a service to our viewers and the candidates, the audience questioners were encouraged not to ask questions about topics that had already been addressed during the debate. The questions, including both Yucca Mountain and the diamonds/pearls question, were entirely the questioner's own.
Yucca had already been discussed, so with less than two minutes left in the debate, CNN asked the student if she'd like to ask her "diamonds or pearls" question. The student agreed to ask her question, and it seemed like a light-hearted way to end the two-hour debate.
From the November 26 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:
BLITZER: The Republican presidential candidates are getting ready for Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate. And our CNN producers, among others, are poring over the thousands of online entries from people hoping their questions will make the cut. Jeanne Moos takes a "Moost Unusual" look at some of the submissions.
[begin video clip]
MOOS: Remember when Mitt Romney had doubts about doing a YouTube debate because he didn't think it was dignified to take questions from a snowman? Well, how about questions from a devil? Or an Elvis wannabe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I might look like a joke to you, but this is no joking matter.
MOOS: Or a ninja?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry, I'm just filing my nails.
MOOS: But don't worry, Mitt, CNN producers are unlikely to subject you to the chicken lady for V.P. Or the singing snake. In fact, we can almost guarantee the candidates they won't have to say yes or no to questions like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're really drunk, would you hook up with Ann Coulter? You know, maybe you just won the election. This is the after party.
MOOS: We combed the 5,000 or so entries for questions that are stunningly superficial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do any of you wear toupees? That's fake hair.
MOOS: Shockingly sophomoric.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it to save the world?
MOOS: Completely incomprehensible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does it feel like to be a funky fresh pimp-nizzle?
MOOS: And totally irrelevant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see The Simpsons movie? And if so, did you like it?
MOOS: Watch enough of these YouTube debate questions, and you'll fear for the future of the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Frankenstein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, this is me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am the ghost of Richard Nixon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, America. It's me, Christopher Walken.
MOOS: An impersonator gave Rudy a hard time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you keep bringing up 9/11 in all of your speeches?
MOOS: Rudy in particular ...
GIULIANI: Hello, dear.
MOOS: ... seemed to get a lot of jokey questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my girlfriend. Yes, dear. Mr. Giuliani, I was wondering if you had any response to the idea that your call at the NRA speech was staged.
MOOS: Of course, comedy teams like Red State Update got into the act.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So my question to you is this -- what in the hell are we doing? Is this the best we've got? Look around up there. It's like a wax museum of failure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think it may someday be possible for humans to see, hear and send images and sounds back and forth to each other's brains without using a telephone, by just thinking back and forth?
MOOS: From rambling to concise...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe every word of this book?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you could be any kitchen appliance, what would you be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever been in a fist fight?
MOOS: Save it for the debate. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
[end video clip]
BLITZER: Leave it to Jeanne Moos and leave it to all those YouTube guys out there. Remember, the debate Wednesday night, right here on CNN.
"stunningly superficial," "shockingly sophomoric," "completely incomprehensible," and "totally irrelevant"
Apparently this is the first time Moos has been exposed to the internet.
I see MMFA's point, but Moos is a feature reporter and her pieces are designed to be pretty light, unserious and funny. It is probably the last place to expect a serious disection of an issue.
Moss is not a serious reporter similar to Jon Stewart and Colbert.
Minus the being funny component.
Apples and oranges.
Moos is still a reporter (features are just light news) and has to adhere to some standards, whereas Colbert and Stewart are more like news analysis people. It is probably fairer to compare Stewart and Colbert with Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Gibson, but Colbert and Stewart are much much smarter, wickedly funny and more creative.
A seathing mass of unrestrained humanity. Who ordered this?
Whats your call diamonds or pearls?
It's interesting, I had a chance to hear the entire question the Nixon impersonator asked and it was a good one about executive power. No wonder rightward leaning CNN didn't play the whole thing.
Gee, all of a sudden, when it comes to the Republican debate, there's something wrong with internet questions. Nice to see they're looking out for the candidates here....Last summer, all I heard was puffery from them about how great the YouTube thing was going to be-- for the Dems!
Their bias is overwhelming. Just unbelievable. Making fun of the questioners-- to evade the questions, clearly!
From the headline, I thought this item was going to be about questions actually selected for the youtube debate.These are random ones chosen as the worst.
I can't wait to see the responses from the Repoops to the questions that ultimately make the cut.After all of that whining about the Dems not being able to answer any question conceivable with a "yes" or "no",I hope they finally get some tough ones and maybe even some really stoopid ones.
If the public had a chance to vote on the questions they wanted asked it would be good, they way it is now sucks. The elites who control the media don't want teh public to pick the questions.
CNN senior vice president David Bohrman is a clown!
It is a disgrace that CNN picks the videos! This is the kind of question they don't want asked:
Giuliani 9/11 QuestionI guess the CNN reporter never watches TV news or reads msm print media. There has been lots of attention to hair, clothes, cleavage etc so why would they be surprised about the hairpiece question? There have been discussions about who would you prefer to have by your side at 3am on a NY subway, so why the surprise about the fist fight question? Most of these questions, or at least some are a reflection of the lazy, insipid coverage the press has provided us. Many of these questions are more intelligent than the average Beck or Carlson drivel polluting our brains every day!
"Totally irrelevant"? Take a look at the front page of CNN right now. The top headlines include a story on the winner of Dancing with the Stars, a Faberge egg selling for $16.5 million, a boy who sleeps with a snake, a skier getting into a crash and sustaining a cut to his buttock, singer Usher becoming a father, and a story man in South Korea being killed when his phone exploded.
SEE VIDEO: The CNN political team chooses the videos, not you.
Look at 10Questions.com, they let people vote and the top ten questions the people picked were not "crazy."
But Moos didn't mention the question that concluded CNN's broadcast of the November 15 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, which was whether Sen. Hillary Clinton preferred "diamonds or pearls."
That's because that question, and all the others, came from a Team Hitlery and CNN strategy session.
Team Hitlery probably threaten the poor girl with bodily harm if she did not ask the question like she was ordered to do.
The Stranger, do you have any supporting evidence to go along with your valuable insight?
"Hitlery"?
Back to the drawing board. That does not have nearly the flow of "Her Thighness" or "Hillary Rotten Clinton".
Yeah, I'm sure the Hillary camp wanted the world to see her as being pro-diamond instead of pro-pearl. Good thing they threatened people to get that amazing question out. What an amazing plan. (that's sarcasm by the way)
I think CNN wanted that question to make Hillary look elitist and wealthy, and therefore out of touch with the average joe, but you're probably right, the "Hitlery" camp must have planted that oh-so-important question.
WHOOSH
That's the sound of the wind blowing thru Brian in FL's ears.
The point, Skippy, is that Team Hitlery planted as many silly innocuous questions as possible so that the Pig in a Pant Suit would not be forced to actually state her position on issues of substance.
Oh, I see. She decided to run for President because she secretly did not want to state her positions on any issue. The "diamonds and pearl" question was all part of the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy by "Team Hitlery".
You're not delusional at all.
It is impossible to get the Pig in a Pant Suit to answer any questions. Remember the illegal immigrant ID issue?
Remember how she wouldn't answer the question regarding support for Isreal if they attacked Iran's nuclear bomb plants?
Remember how she refused to answer questions about Social Security?
Remember how she refused to answer questions about tax hikes?
Remember how she flip flopped on her Iraq war position?
Remember how she refuses to answer questions about Billy Jeff Bubba's serial infidelity and serial sexual offenses?
..but diamonds or pearls..she's all over that one
Personally, I think Ms. Moos, CNN and the "sophomoric" questions noted are a tad, uh, a LARGE tad too erudite for the people who have posted comments regarding this story. THIS is media matters audience? THIS sounds more like left wing Glenn Beckery ... except "Hitlery, Her Royal Thighness, Hillary Rotten Clinton", that's Glenn his own self. Leave "sophomorish-ness" to the right, they have perfected it. State facts, be able to back them up ... it beats the right every time. Most people, left to their own devices, will always rally around reasoned truth in the end. Let's not leave them wanting when they arrive.
CNN's Moos ridiculed proposed GOP YouTube debate questions, but ignored "diamonds or pearls" question CNN chose for Dem debate
And before that MMFA ignored Blitzer's lack of a follow-up, in light of the media hysteria, to Hillary's monosyllabic answer to the question of driver's licenses for undocumented workers.
And then Foser glossed over the plants for Hillary in the prior debates.
I tried to watch some of the debate, but they spent so long on abortion, that I couldn't. With all of the things going on in this country and the rest of the world, they are still stuck on this issue, which is a private issue.
Which one of the questioners were flown in for the democrat debate and it not be known by CNN that they worked for Thompson's campaign?