Moderate This!

The Presidential debate commission announces the debate moderators.

PBS's Jim Lehrer will host the first presidential debate on Oct. 3 in Denver, Colo. CNN's Candy Crowley will host the second, town-hall debate on October 16 in Hempstead, N.Y. CBS's Bob Schieffer will host the third debate on Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.

ABC's Martha Raddatz will host the vice presidential debate on Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky.

I love the first comment at Politico:

Debate moderators were chosen for diversity - a network liberal, a cable liberal, a PBS liberal and a female liberal.

Yup. But as newsies go, these are about as centrist as could be expected, since both sides have to agree on each choice.

Comments

[Danube of Thought]

I'd say our side needs some new negotiators.

[narciso]

What did Ford say, 'you can get the Model A, in any color, as long as it is Black'

[narciso]

I wasn't familiar with Radditz's particular contribution,

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2012/08/13/presidential-and-vp-debate-moderators-announced-bad-news-for-gop/

[Ignatz]

Hate to go OT so soon and I've never heard anything this Taylor Swift chick has sung nor had I ever heard of Connor Kennedy but why the hell would any woman get involved with that tribe of drunken, drug addled misogynist pygmies and recidivist pukes?

[Porchlight]

Why is our side agreeing to these twits? Can Obama and Biden really not stand up to say, Brit Hume?

[matt]

I would venture to say that the choice of moderators is immoderate....

[narciso]

Well it's those staunch GOPers like Danforth,
Fahrenkopf, who was last GOP chair when I started college, and other exemplars who surrender totally, I mean came to a fruitfull
decision,

[Granny Jan]

I'm not sure a conservative moderator would work. They would go out of their way to be fair to Obama. You've seen that before.

I have the funniest video up today: Ryan vs Obama. Warning: I'm not politically correct.

Click name to see.

[maryrose]

Ultimately Romney will have to go all"Newt Gingrich" on these dopey moderators and call their bluff. Obama did it with Hillary when he deemed her to be"likeable enough".

[DebinNC]

That's awesome and hilarious, GJ! Can't decide which bit made me lol more.

Here's a direct link.

[Jane - talk is cheap!]

That's great granny Jan.

[Granny Jan]

Thanks DebinNC. I have to thank IowaHawk for the "math" idea.

Just a note...When you see ads on my videos it's because I used a copyrighted song. I'm not a You Tube partner and don't earn $ on the videos.

[Janet]

Wonderful video, Granny Jan!

[Captain Hate]

why the hell would any woman get involved with that tribe of drunken, drug addled misogynist pygmies and recidivist pukes?

A musician doing something professionally and personally self destructive? The deuce you say!!

[matt]

so if the music industry is so hard to make money in these days and the cost of touring is so high and people simply download songs without paying, how does a 22 year old afford not one, not two, but three multi million dollar homes?

[Porchlight]

matt, the ones that make it big do make some big bucks. Taylor Swift is pretty huge these days.

Kennedys are scumbags. But they seem to have power over attractive, naive young women.

Music OT: If anyone is watching Billy Ray Cyrus play during the Houston Texans home opener on Sept. 9, the banjo player will be my brother-in-law. Actually the whole backing band will be friends of ours. Long, funny story.

[Ignatz]

Wiki says her earnings were $18, $45, $45 and $57 million the last four years.

--A musician doing something professionally and personally self destructive? The deuce you say!!--

I had heard she had some sense about her. Perhaps not.

[Sara]

GrannyJan: Still laughing.

[DebinNC]

Obama was trying to buy votes in Iowa today, but the response was underwhelmed to negative. When he can't sell pork, he's in trouble, but the msm photographers are doing their part to shield him by using tight shots and hiding the non-crowd and their frowny faces.

[Porchlight]

Thanks for the link, DebinNC. Lead off pghs:

CHICAGO - President Barack Obama made few new fans among ailing hog farmers and cattle ranchers in the United States on Monday with his plan to boost their incomes by buying $170 million worth of meat -- equivalent to about 10 hours' worth of the nation's output last week. Obama unveiled the plan on a campaign trip to farm state Iowa on Monday as record-high feed costs force cattle ranchers and hog farmers to cull their herds.

About 40 percent of this year's U.S. corn crop, the world's largest, will be used to produce ethanol -- more than the amount used to feed the country's livestock herds.

But he failed to address producers' biggest complaint: that the U.S. mandate to use 40 percent of this year's corn crop to produce ethanol threatens their livelihood.

This ethanol bullsh*t has got to stop. Norman Borlaug would weep for his home state. If Iowa goes for Obama I will be so depressed.

[narciso]

'the horror, the horrot' and I'm only half joking;

http://minx.cc/?post=331890

[Porchlight]

Here's an example of the photo framing DebinNC is talking about:

Pathetic.

[maryrose]

Chuck Grassley seems to think Iowa could go Romney's way. All Obammy did today was complain that the Porkulus{literally ]Farm Bill was not passed before congressional break. He's got a lot of nerve talking about people goldbricking.

[maryrose]

No one is sitting in the bleachers in that picture. Where are the crowds and the Golden Greek Columns"?

[Danube of Thought]

Connor and Taylor: rich white couple.

A prize to the first person who finds them described that way in the press.

[Jane - talk is cheap!]

Taylor Swift has always been a really great role model. I suspect she had a lobotomy.

[centralcal]

Great Granny Jan. My favorite: Math v. Wrath

[Jane - talk is cheap!]

All Obammy did today was complain that the Porkulus{literally ]Farm Bill was not passed before congressional break. He's got a lot of nerve talking about people goldbricking.

It passed the House. Harry Reid refused to allow it to come to a vote in the Senate.

[Danube of Thought]

Hey, Granny Jan--Bravo Zulu!

(What is SCOAMF?)

[Janet]

Dennis Miller once said Harry Reid sounded like a stuck caulking gun. LUN
Too true.

[bgates]

I'd say our side needs some new negotiators.

That's hardly fair. I'm pretty sure our side has the exact same negotiators as the other side.

[MarkO]

It passed the House. Harry Reid refused to allow it to come to a vote in the Senate.

One has to wonder if he even knows what happened? That's just stupid and I only said he was just not that smart.

[Porchlight]

DoT,

Stuttering Clusterf*ck Of A Miserable Failure.

Google the unasterisked version for the full effect.

[MarkO]

Damn. I thought I knew what MF was.

[centralcal]

Exactly, bgates. And I am pretty sure the list of MFM names they get to choose from are: (1) bad, (2) truly awful, and (3) worse than #1 or #2.

[narciso]

Sometimes it's a noun, sometimes a adjective,
MarkO

[Granny Jan]

Thanks, everyone. I think SCOAMF originated at Ace's. My husband told me that clusterf*ck is a military term. It's the mother-of-all SNAFUs.

[Porchlight]

Naturally the NYT ignores the chilly reception for Obama and focuses on how Obama 'came out swinging' against Ryan.

Axelrod makes no secret of their plan to do the same thing to Ryan that they did to Palin:

Mr. Obama’s political adviser, David Axelrod, told CBS’s “This Morning” that while Mr. Ryan was “a genial fellow,” he believed his selection was similar to John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin four years ago, a choice that initially generated much excitement. Mr. Axelrod warned darkly that Mr. Ryan favored policies that would gut Medicare and put a greater burden on the less fortunate.

Gutting Medicare. The nerve.

[Danube of Thought]

Don't forget the venerated FUBAR.

Porch, it seems crystal clear that Billy Ray's daughter is pure-bred 100% low-rent white-trash slut. Any insight on whether this troubles the fellow?

[Porchlight]

Sorry, my last comment referred to Obama's Iowa appearance. Here's the NYT link:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/obama-takes-aim-at-ryan-in-iowa/

[Soylent Red]

Posted by: MarkO | August 13, 2012 at 08:51 PM

Obama is that too. Although I prefer the pejorative abbreviated "CS", not only because it has more power than the overused "MF", but as a nod to Reggie Love.

Yup. But as newsies go, these are about as centrist as could be expected, since both sides have to agree on each choice.

I think RR know what they're in for and will be prepped to handle them.

One of the key positive things is that there is little to nothing of substance which cannot be reversed onto the SCOAMF, producing a tasty sound bite. That which is of no substance can be pointed out as such (the way Newt did it), and then the conversation is wide open. Example:

"I think it is ridiculous that you are asking about the obviously false rumors I am part of a Nazi Death Cult, when Barack Obama has stolen $700M from Medicare."

[Soylent Red]

My husband told me that clusterf*ck is a military term. It's the mother-of-all SNAFUs.

Clusterf*ck has been around since at least the 1980s, because I used it in high school.

My military compatriots like the term "goatf*ck", which comes with a hand signal and sound effects.

[Porchlight]

DoT, I had hopes she'd avoid going that direction but unfortunately, no luck. Don't know the guy but if I could guess I'd say he isn't thrilled about it. But that's what happens more often than not when you launch your daughter into show biz.

[Captain Hate]

Taylor Swift has always been a really great role model. I suspect she had a lobotomy.

She's a very good song writer and performer; I know that because the right people aim snarky comments at her. Life on the road isn't a good way to grow up normally and when it comes to abnormal, nobody does it better than the Kennedys.

[dublindave]

Swiss Mitt being picked apart like warm bread on a National stage has me salivating but it's not going to be a game changer.

The Ryan/Biden debate will decide the outcome of this election. Ryan's a knife wielding intellectual who knows his way around his own positions better than anyone, could be a potential minefield for Joe.

[matt]

They say Jesse Jackson Jr. has bipolar disorder. Having inadvertently become somewhat knowledgeable about this illness, I am still trying to reconcile why he was in rehab down in Phoenix for several weeks and is now under extended medical treatment at Mayo.

Drug and alcohol abuse have terrible effect on bipolar patients and the meds which are used to treat the condition. If he was whiffing Coke, that probably means serious alcohol and maybe pot abuse. Then come the downs, and they are hellish. So I can understand the rehab.

The medical, though is a bit more tricky. If they are trying to stabilize his dosage and he is still admitted, that may indicate other issues which go hand in hand such as schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder.

As far as I know BPD cannot be treated with drugs. But if he does have one of those terrible cocktails of mental illness I feel sorry for him but he really shouldn't be in office any longer.

I am not sure if it is Chicago politics in the way or family matters but he will need long term help regardless and to stay on his meds, which is perhaps the most difficult part of it.

Public life today is a green curtain behind which we really have no idea of the truth with so many people. That's why we cherish people like Reagan whose actions and words matched so well. Teddy Kennedy could whore and debauch with impunity and be clean as fresh snow in the press.

Somewhere there is a balance between the public and the private, but it has been so distorted for political gain today it is tough to tell.

[Captain Hate]

DoT, I had dinner Saturday night with somebody who was at the Fillmore East the night that the Allman Brothers recorded their classic live album; although he was there for the set after the earlier one which was recorded. He was also at Watkins Glen when the ABB, the Band and Grateful Dead performed.

I made the appropriate gestures of respect and personal lack of worthiness to be in his presence.

[Sara]

If you have an iPad, the You Decide 2012 map app is fun to play around with. It is the same that you see Karl Rove and Joe Trippi use, but you can make your own predictions and even Tweet or FB them, if you are brave.

I have Romney at 335 and Obama at 203 and I'm not so sure that Calif. isn't in play which could bump that up even higher. I want to see some of the polls between now and just after the Convention though to be sure I'm correct.

Download it, it's FREE.

[narciso]

Cool Captain, ABB? I guess I need the Rosetta.

[DebinNC]

That NYT pic focusing on Obama's tush is creepy. Their polls must show gay voters are wavering.

[Danube of Thought]

"But that's what happens more often than not when you launch your daughter into show biz."

Particularly if you're sporting a world-class mullet at the time.

You were touched by greatness, CH, however remotely.

[DrJ]

ABB?

Allman Brothers Band.

[xbradtc]

Some of you Pesky fans may not know he was also a Naval Aviator...

http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/red-sox-great-and-u-s-navy-aviator-johnny-pesky-dead-at-92/

[flodigarry]

Porchlight -

President Droopy Drawers

[Danube of Thought]

"The Ryan/Biden debate will decide the outcome of this election."

Runaway winner as the dumbest statement made here this calendar year. But at least he senses the gestalt: these two yokels and all their associated trash are going to be run out of town in disgrace, and our gloating is going to be merciless.

[Captain Hate]

I stumped narc; maybe I *am* worthy

[narciso]

I should have used context clues,

[Jane - talk is cheap!]

SCOAMF,

I missed the definition. Sometimes I think I'm trying to read Swahili around here.

Electric shock is the treatment of choice for bi-polar syndrome.

[Clarice]

Excellent , gj. Allen Simpson and some other half dead best man are the Republican representatives on the committee which picked these moderators. I think we oughta raise holy hell and Romney and Ryan ought to challenged BO and Biden to an unmoderated Oxford style debate on the economy. Period.

[xbradtc]

That's a fine idea, Clarice, but I'm more for a "to the death" cage match.

[Clarice]

Gateway Pundit

FAIL. Obama Slams Paul Ryan For Not Passing Farm Bill That He Passed 2 Weeks Ago (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Monday, August 13, 2012, 5:41 PM

Of course, the liberal media will completely ignore this latest gaffe from President Boy Genius.

Obama blasted Paul Ryan for not passing a farm bill to help suffering farmers in Iowa.
Um… Paul Ryan and House Republicans passed the farm bill two weeks ago.
Via Special Report:

[Jane - talk is cheap!]

Stuttering Clusterf*ck Of A Miserable Failure.

Nevermind. I found it. Thanks Porch.

[Porchlight]

Particularly if you're sporting a world-class mullet at the time.

I liked his acting on Hannah Montana and she was/is a pretty good little comic actress, too. But mullet or no mullet, show biz is no place for parents to raise kids if you want them to grow up anywhere close to normal. The sad thing is that the whole Hanna Montana show was about a dad trying to bring up his pop star daughter in a normal fashion.

[jimmyk]

Paul Ryan and House Republicans passed the farm bill two weeks ago.

While it's fun to gloat at yet another Obama gaffe, for some reason that sentence is not very consoling. The only farm bill I'd like to see is the one that ends all subsidies and eliminates the Department of Agriculture.

[centralcal]

I was forced (rather easily) to watch Hannah Montana when my granddaughters were regular visitors (meaning, younger). Didn't like her much then, but her show was wholesome enough.

What a trashy tramp she evolved into. Taylor Swift was completely unknown to me, and the g-d's were just really getting into music and loved her. So, natch, I had to figure out who she was. She seemed quite the role model (as Jane said) and I really hope she doesn't screw up her young adult life at the altar of Kennedy adoration.

[Ignatz]

--But at least he senses the gestalt: these two yokels and all their associated trash are going to be run out of town in disgrace, and our gloating is going to be merciless.--

Heh.

[Sue]

She dated John Mayer. She dated a Jonas brother. Her songs are about guys she has dated. The Kennedy kid will make for a good song someday.

[bgates]

OT, a discussion of Little Big Horn @ Althouse led me to the description of the battle at the National Park Service website. Tell me if there's a word that jumps out at you:

The village was largely intact and from accounts had been surprised by the approaching cavalry contingents. Fortunately the warrior fighting force was able to concentrate overwhelming numbers against a now divided Regiment and defeat it in detail.

[Sue]

Billy Ray Cyrus spends a lot of time doing things for the troops. I think her mother is the one who had an affair and created the mess you see.

[Clarice]

bgates, Fortunately it's easy to see which side the Parl Service is on.

[Jim Ryan]

bgates, do you recall which word Katie Couric used when describing Saddam possibly fleeing to Syria to escape our troops? "Hopefully." She wanted to know whether we could "confirm reports he was taken to Tikrit, and then Mosul, and then hopefully to Syria."

[xbradtc]

Eh, Miley rebelled against her good girl image. It happens.

[centralcal]

Yep, fortunately.

[MarkO]

Katie Couric, insipid.

[Jim Ryan]

Way the heck OT: Go watch Emma (with Romola Garai) on youtube. Talk about a great show!

[Dave (in MA)]

ABB? I guess I need the Rosetta.

I thought you were from Florida?

[xbradtc]

ABB? I guess I need the Rosetta.

One of the girls left ABBA?

[Clarice]

Zimmerman's lawyer filing write of prohibition in US Cir Ct for 5th Circuit challenging trial judge's refusal to recuse himself from the case.

[Ignatz]

--Fortunately the warrior fighting force was able to concentrate overwhelming numbers against a now divided Regiment and defeat it in detail.

Posted by: bgates | August 13, 2012 at 10:05 PM --

Jeebus. Dare I go see what they have to say about the USS Arizona monument?

[Clarice]

Correction: Write filed in the5th District Court of Appeal of Fla.

[Porchlight]

Word is that Billy Ray is on the outs with the NFL because they always want him to play halftime and he always wants to sing the National Anthem. I'd be amazed if he votes anything other than GOP.

[Captain Hate]

The Kennedy kid will make for a good song someday.

Considering the Kennedy history of dealing with women by raping (**allegedly**) them, turning them into alkies, murdering and giving them lobotomies, she should emerge from this, if she's lucky, with a song book like a work by Dostoevsky set to music.

[Dave (in MA)]

They broke up that year in intra-band turmoil that had band members and their entourage testifying against one another on drug charges.
I'd like to think they were related.

[Carol Herman]

Do you know how hostile the press was to Reagan? Didn't matter. He understood THE VISUALS!

His eyes twinkled. He had a sense of humor. And, if you pressed yourselves real hard, you'd remember how grating it was to hear Sam Donaldson's shouts above the roar of the helicopter.

Doesn't matter WHO is "moderating."

It starts with Jim Lehrer. An experienced hand. Very low key.

There isn't a question out there, now, that should upset the apple cart.

Oh ... And, if there's an imbalance in the types of questions that get tossed?

You're looking at a BLOOM on the Internet. Drudge would have a field day!

How come no Gwen Ifil?

While the two male moderators are old enough to be on life supports.

[Clarice]

More on the Zimmerman case from AP:

"The attorney for the man who shot and killed unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin said Monday he'll seek to get the case dismissed using a traditional self-defense argument and not the state's "stand your ground" statute. Mark O'Mara, who is defending George Zimmerman against a second-degree murder charge in the fatal February shooting, said the traditional self-defense approach is appropriate because the facts suggest his client couldn't retreat from a beating Martin was giving him."

[Porchlight]

President Droopy Drawers

flodigarry, I noticed that too. Seems to be losing weight if that's possible. Must be nervous about something.

[Captain Hate]

They broke up that year in intra-band turmoil that had band members and their entourage testifying against one another on drug charges.
I'd like to think they were related.

I remember that; Gregg ratted out a lot of their road crew, whom most people liked (maybe because of all the blow they moved), which created quite a bit of bad feelings. I think that's when he was married to Cher so it's not like his brain was working otherwise.

[Danube of Thought]

I think Greg Allman sings blues better than any white man I've ever heard. I forgive them for supporting Carter; they were extremely young Georgia boys. Besides, if I couldn't divorce the musicians from their politics I'd be listening to Pat Boone.

[DrJ]

In other news,

Eastman Kodak Co. delayed disclosing the outcome of its patent auction, a few minutes before a deadline to select winning bidders, the company said Monday afternoon.

Kodak said Monday it extended "the timeline for announcing the outcome of the patent auction in light of continuing discussions with bidders."

Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, had been required to select winning bidders for the auction of 1,100 digital patents by 5 p.m. Monday under terms of court-approved bidding procedures. Kodak hoped to sell its entire patent portfolio when the auction began Wednesday, but bids started coming in all different shapes and sizes, with a range of offers and increased complexity, people familiar with the process said late last week.

...

Bids late last week came in significantly below $500 million, the people said. Kodak at one point earlier this year said the patents were worth between $2.2 billion and $2.6 billion.

The low bids suggest Kodak will have to work harder to pay an array of creditors and reorganize under Chapter 11 protection. The company must repay banks including Citigroup Inc. that provided a $950 million bankruptcy loan and bondholders owed roughly $750 million, among others.

Toast. Very sad.

[Dave (in MA)]

I think that's when he was married to Cher

I've always thought that a person's reaction to mentioning that serves as a good rorschach for people's musical taste. "What was (s)he thinking"? It can also be used to confirm whether a blip on the gaydar is positive or not.

[Dave (in MA)]

DoT, they weren't THAT young. Allman was about 30 and Betts was a few years older. I agree about his vocals, but right now he has competition for the best singer in the band with Warren Haynes.

[Captain Hate]

Btw since we've gone OT into music and stuff, has anybody read any books by Bruce Wagner? The WSJ really raved about his new book, "Dead Stars", a couple weeks ago and indicated that his previous work was very good as well.

[Ralph L]

Clusterf*ck has been around since at least the 1980s
I first heard it when Gunny Clinton said it in "Heartbreak Ridge"--mid 80's? Probably authentic noncom slang.

[Danube of Thought]

I was intrigued by that ASJ review of Wagner but have not explored further.

[dublindave]

When Ryan asked at the Iowa fair why he hadn't passed a farm bill designed to help farmers suffering the economic hardships of the current drought, he replied "I just want to enjoy the fair".

Can we get that in an ad by tomorrow thank you! Plus the 'Democrats are a cancer that must be purged from society' interview with Beck.

What makes Mitt incompetent is his inability to sense the context within which his utterances are being delivered. Ryan stopped doing town halls last year because he was being heckled to death.

Have we got a dud on our hands?

[dublindave]

sorry...when Ryan was asked.....

[boris]

Still Trollin' and Stumblin' Dave?

[Danube of Thought]

Betts, Haynes, Allman. "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad." Gives me goosebumps on the forearms every time. LUN

[boris]

Back in the day we had a singer who could sing pretty close to Greg and we used to do the first eponymous Allman album as a set.

[Some guy]

his inability to sense the context within which his utterances are being delivered.

Just say'n