Jump to content

CNN moderator criticized for question to Sanders


Auburn85

Recommended Posts

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/478340-cnn-moderator-criticized-for-question-to-sanders

 

Quote

 

A CNN debate moderator is coming under criticism for asking Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) what she thought when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reportedly told her that a woman could not win the presidential election, seconds after Sanders flatly denied he ever told Warren such a thing.

The different accounts from Sanders and Warren of the conversation at their December 2018 meeting was a highlight of Tuesday night’s debate.

CNN moderator Abby Phillip raised the issue about an hour into the two-hour debate, asking Sanders about CNN’s report of the conversation.

“Sen. Sanders, CNN reported yesterday, and Sen. Warren confirmed in a statement, that in 2018 you told her that you did not believe that a woman could win the election. Why did you say that?” Phillips asked Sanders.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I didn’t say it,” Sanders responded.

“I don’t want to waste a whole lot of time on this, because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want. Anybody knows me knows that it’s incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president of the United States," Sanders replied. “Go to YouTube today. There’s a video of me 30 years ago talking about how a woman could become president of the United States.”

“So Sen. Sanders, I do want to be clear here,” Phillip followed up, “you’re saying that you never told Sen. Warren that a woman could not win the election?”

“That is correct,” Sanders said.

Phillip then turned to Warren, who on Monday night released a statement that corroborated with CNN’s account of the meeting. In the statement, Warren said she had disagreed with Sanders on the subject of whether a woman could win the presidency.

“Sen. Warren, what did you think when Sen. Sanders told you a woman could not win the election?” Phillip asked Warren.

Warren responded with some initial comments that echoed her Monday statement.

“I disagreed. Bernie is my friend, and I am not here to try to fight with Bernie. But, look, this question about whether or not a woman can be president has been raised, and it's time for us to attack it head-on," Warren replied.

Critics of the exchange, including some members of the media, argued that it was unfair for Phillip to frame the question to Warren that presented as fact that Sanders had said a woman couldn’t win the White House.

The criticism came from media commentators such as NPR’s David Folfenflik and National Review's Rich Lowry.

 

Supporters of Sanders were also unhappy with the framing.

 

Sanders and Warren are in a tight four-way race ahead of the Iowa caucuses early next month with former Vice President Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites





The topic was a correct one to approach during the debate.  But I agree that the mod didn't frame the question well.  She framed it as an accusation when she easily could have said "is this report accurate and did you say those things"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

The topic was a correct one to approach during the debate.  But I agree that the mod didn't frame the question well.  She framed it as an accusation when she easily could have said "is this report accurate and did you say those things"?

The big one is the follow up with Warren indicating the moderator disregarded Burnie’s reply and asking Warren what she thought when Sanders told you a women couldn’t win the election.  It’s like asking a man “when did you stop beating your wife?”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-chris-cillizza-doubles-down-on-bernie-sanders-criticism-elizabeth-warren-is-on-the-record-saying-this-happened/

 

Quote

 

CNN’s Chris Cillizza Doubles Down on Bernie Sanders Criticism: ‘Elizabeth Warren is On the Record Saying This Happened’

During a Wednesday morning appearance on New Day, CNN Political Analyst Chris Cillizza did nothing to disabuse the widely held belief among Bernie Sanders’supporters that corporate media entities (such as CNN) have an aggressive bias against the Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful.

Cillizza listed Sanders as a loser of the last debate before the Iowa caucus and cited the controversial debate moment in which Sanders denied the claim made by Elizabeth Warren that he said during a private dinner in 2018 that a woman could not be elected president.

Sanders vehemently denied that claim and cited numerous examples of why it made no sense, though Warren’s follow up by moderator Abby Phillip completely ignored the denial and treated Warren’s claim as absolute truth which drew broad criticism from across the political spectrum. (Watch the exchange here.)

In Cillizza’s view, Sander’s denial didn’t strike the right tone. “I didn’t think his answer vis-a-vis Elizabeth Warren and what he said in that conversation was good,” he said, adding “He was dismissive. ‘I didn’t say it. Everybody knows I didn’t say it. We don’t need to talk about it.'”

Co-anchor Alisyn Camerota pushed back, asking “if he didn’t say it, what’s he supposed to say?”

A suddenly flummoxed Cillizza seemed to be caught off guard by this very basic question but seemed to echo the position of his CNN cohort Phillp by doubling down on Warren’s claim.

“Elizabeth Warren is on the record saying this happened,” he said, adding “I just think you have to handle it more delicately given their relationship, given where we are culturally to say, look. I respect what Senator Warren says,” before explaining that Sanders was a loser because his tone was off.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

It didn’t end with the moderator’s slanted questioning. It’s a narrative that continued on the network after the debate for days. 

Yes...It seems to have lit a fire under the Bernie Supporters...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...