Last night’s Republican Debate on MSNBC (Sept 7, 2011) was a disgrace. I had a night class so I wasn’t able to watch it live, but MSNBC put the debate up on it’s website, which currently is blowing up the headline, “Analysis: Romney and Perry Make it Look Like a 2-Man Race.” Really?
MSNBC is pretending like they had nothing to do with the manner of the programmed debate or the questions that were asked. Pundits are acting as if candidates could somehow earn attention during the debate and alter the line of questioning, as if the order of questioning wasn’t contrived.
ABC’s Amy Walter and her editors should be ashamed of themselves for not even mentioning Ron Paul, the candidate who clearly has won across the board in online polls. The only folks who are saying “no” are a minority of poll participants and the establishment media. Just take a look at this one, that one, this one and that one (query: who won republican debate 2011, first two pages on Google). Rick Perry’s earned as low as third place in some polls, but hasn’t won any that I’ve come across. Romney’s landed second, but still no win online.
Are we to let a clearly dishonest media establishment decide for us who will challenge President Barack Obama in 2012? Do we lack the self respect required to opt out of voting in an election that contains at least one candidate no one really wanted on the ballot in the first place? Am I wasting my breath? Probably.
Like Thom Hartmann said on the radio a few weeks ago, most Americans are low information voters. They’ll go with whom they’re given, not with whom they’d want if they actually paid closed attention to politics.