Crybaby-in-Chief Trump has already begun whining about Chris Wallace and the presidential debate moderators chosen. But Democrats must be prepared for right-wing tropes to show up in Wallace's debate questions. UPDATED.
As The New York Times reported, the other moderators will be C-Span’s Steve Scully, on October 15, and NBC News’ Kristen Welker, on October 22. USA Today’s Susan Page will moderate the vice presidential debate on October 7.
It didn’t take long for the dishonest victimhood from the Crybaby Campaign to show up. Biden, on the other hand, has agreed to whomever was chosen. More from The Times:
Mr. Trump’s communications director, Tim Murtaugh, issued a statement on Wednesday claiming, without evidence, that “some” of the chosen moderators “can be identified as clear opponents of President Trump” and charging that Mr. Biden “will actually have a teammate onstage.”
Mr. Murtaugh did not say which of the moderators he was accusing of bias, and the Trump campaign did not clarify when asked for additional comment. He also wrote that the choices “are not the moderators we would have recommended if the campaign had been allowed to have any input.” In fact, the debate commission never allows campaigns to formally advise on the choices of moderators.
The Biden campaign also issued a statement, saying that the Democratic candidate “looks forward to participating in the debates set by the commission, regardless of who the independently chosen moderators are.”
The selection of Mr. Wallace may set off Mr. Trump, who has criticized the Fox News anchor’s coverage in the past, although the president also sat for an interview with him at the White House in July. Last week, at a rally in New Hampshire, Mr. Trump taunted Mr. Wallace for “a lack of talent” and compared the anchor unfavorably with his father, the “60 Minutes” legend Mike Wallace, who died in 2012.
In my view, Wallace is a better choice than Bret Baier or Martha MacCallum, despite the fact that, back when the network wanted to host a Democratic presidential primary debate, Fox said they “embody the ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism.” The fact is, they don’t.
Probably of all the Fox news-side talent, Wallace is the most independent. I actually don't think he's a bad choice at all. But don’t expect that Wallace will not show his roots. In other words, do expect questions on Fox News talking points such as Hunter Biden, China, Blacks Behaving Badly, and more.
For example, in the Fox News Sunday video below, Wallace disingenuously suggested that Joe Biden would shut the country down again if elected, thereby bolstering a false Trump attack. In reality, as Wallace’s own clip made clear, Biden was responding to a hypothetical posed, by an interviewer, with regard to Biden’s actual position of “following the science” on handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Wallace’s interview with Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives, because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus.
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS: So if the scientists say, shut it down?
BIDEN: I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe Biden's plan is not a solution to the virus, but rather it's a surrender to the virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: No, no leading scientist that I've seen is talking about shutting down the country again. So why would the vice president even raise that possibility?
[…]
WALLACE: Wait, wait -- no, I'm asking -- the question I'm asking -- the question I'm asking is a very specific one. It isn't about Trump's response, it's why is Joe Biden talking about shutting down the country again?
[…]
WALLACE: I'm asking, why would he talk about -- why would the -- why could the vice president talk about shutting down the economy again?
It’s too bad Bedingfield did not call out Wallace’s tactic. I suspect she wasn’t familiar with right-wing/Trump/Fox talking points.
Let’s hope the Biden camp understands what they’ll be facing on September 29.
You can watch that interview below, from the August 30, 2020 Fox News Sunday.
9/3/20 Update: CNN's Oliver Darcy made an interesting point: " Rewarding Fox News with the first debate feels like a slap in the face to all the news organizations with high ethical and journalistic standards that have stood up for truthful and honest reporting — despite the venomous attacks — in the Trump era."
Today’s revelations should cut him off at the knees electorally, but the hard core will remain loyal to the bitter (and it will be bitter) end.
Update: Berlusconi was hospitalised this morning. Although I do my best not to wish ill on anybody … well, almost … it does seem to be karma at work. Like Trump, he had made it a thing to appear without the unmanly mask.
I can’t help but think that the Republican convention will turn into a super spreader event.
I haven’t watch much of the Devil’s Channel lately, but he has no compunction about joining the Fiends on their breakfast abomination and lending his faux gravitas to whatever their bizarro slime-of-the-day happens to be.