With respect to Hugh and Marc, after almost every one of these debates we at NR and elsewhere say “ABC lost. Big time.” and “Big loser: ABC News” – or CNN or MSNBC or whoever it is. And then ten days later (or, in this case, the following morning) there they all are again acquiescing in some condescending media bigfoot’s wish to spend 20 minutes discussing whether the Supreme Court has a right to ban diaphragms for transgendered adoptees or whatever hallucinogenic George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer were chugging down in the green room last night.
This country is broke, and the unprecedented scale of its brokeness is an existential threat. Yet, with the exception of Newt’s occasional flashes of contempt for the questioners, everyone else plays along with this absurd game. It’s not merely that the GOP is letting the left frame the contest but that a party willing to dignify this pitiful charade is sending a broader message about the likelihood of its mustering the determination to stand up to a Democrat-media establishment once in office and effect meaningful course correction.
I see Terence Jeffrey and Andy McCarthy are having a disagreement about the correct response to a question on gay adoption. The correct response is to take an unconstitutional federally-funded supersized condom, roll it over George Stephanopoulos’ head, and say, “That’s odd. I can no longer hear a word you’re saying. So let me throw in my two bits on impending multi-trillion-dollar ruin…”
That's one of your problems, Mark. You insist on looking at the big picture. I'm disappointed they didn't put the two Mormons on the spot by asking "Pepsi or Coke." Maybe next time...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh, and I've now learned that Romney claims to like vanilla coke, so maybe they could substitute "coffee or tea."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGreat suggestion, Mr. Steyn. The media is not the high school principal who should be allowed to establish the terms of the public debate in this country. It's high time Republicans stopped allowing their message to be held hostage to the media's dictates on what will be deemed important.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'd like to hear a candidate ask one of the "journalists" this question:
"Tell me why you are SOLELY concerned with the welfare of one particular group, which amounts to 3% of Americans, and why you HATE the other 97% with a purple passion."
Don't stop until the "journalist" gives a believable answer. Get personal. Step down from the podium and go face-to-face. Grab lapels. Repeat the question 3000 times if necessary. Talk real loud and slow if necessary. Push the "journalist" against the wall if necessary.
It would end the politician's career, but it would be the ONLY GOOD THING that ever appeared on national TV.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf the general campaign is allowed to be about atmospherics then Obama will win. If he is losing near the end, the atmospherics will shift from a contraception (or something) meme/delusion to the race card. Count on the race card at the end if O is truly worried.
Forget about the debt gazillions, too complicated. The public has been trained to focus on atmospherics. We have a People/Us magazine trained electorate.
Cutting through the fog? Who? Newt can't do this at the top. He can go to work on this as the vp candidate.
ABC did not lose. Nobody really loses in Spring Training. These debates have been spring training for the MSM as well as for the candidates.
The MSM truly is the Democratic Party. They have used the debates to hone their knives and select their most destructive memes.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI am all for modifying the NBC requirement so that Steyn can serve as President. He makes more sense that the whole lot combined.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou're just figuring out how hopelessly ineffective the GOP is at dealing with socialists? Well, who are the voters who belong to the party, and what ideology do they trumpet? Do you honestly believe the MSM is the only game in town? What was all that chatter about the MSM going down about then?
And then you blame the media?
Please.
I see no difference in what you term the MSM and its obvious mission to get a socialist elected, and NR's blatant attempt to foist a self-described progressive to enable the former should he fail.
But then you are conservatives, and your end result has always been to enable what you abhor. When you can go down swinging on principle then I may have some small bit of respect for you.
Until then, you are just propagating your own mythologies while pulling out the same shibboleths to comfort yourselves when reality smacks rears its ugly but inevitable head again.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThose willing to go down swinging have nonetheless gone down, and hence, you don't know who they are.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse>NR's blatant attempt to foist a self-described progressive
Don't conflate Steyn and NR. Believe it or not, NR is more than one person. As Mark has said, he has never expressed anything more than a "tepid indifference" to Mitt Romney.
Which is about where I sit too. Nonetheless I pray to God every day that he is the nominee, because otherwise Obama wins, and multi-trillion-dollar ruin is going to be very sudden.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt is depressing to think it, but it's clear that the ROC is run by fools and clowns. The GOP Candidate are all second or third tier offerings. The smart young talent like Rubio, Christie, Ryan and others are not tossing their hat into the center ring of what looks like a Bit Top Circus.
We are doomed folks. At least that is what I hear Mark Steyn implying.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"We are doomed folks. At least that is what I hear Mark Steyn implying."
Mark had "We're Doomed" tattooed across his shoulders and on the soles of his feet some years back.
If you don't catch "We're Doomed" from a Steyn political piece, you need to re-tune your reading comprehension.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe ability to distinguish between what is important and what isn't seems to have been completely lost in Washington.
That any candidate can make it all the way through any one of these "debates" without breaking down, screaming "THIS IS POINTLESS!", and running off the stage, is to my mind a sign that none of them remain in sufficient contact with reality and good sense to be qualified to be President.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFunny...the only candidate I heard mention the "unprecedented scale of brokeness", was not Newt, but Ron Paul, who you didn't mention, Mr. Steyn. People out here in the real world are aware of the fact that there is no difference between Obama and the candidates other than Paul.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is why the GOP will lose in a landslide. The RINOs want the media to pat them on the head and tell them what good little boys and girls they are. Until the RINOs grow a pair nothing will change.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLast night was the first time I cringed during during a GOP "beauty contest" as George Step-on-all-of-us persisted with his contraception torpedo. Then an appreciable number in the audience starting telling to stop already. After the contest ended, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as ABC ran a promo about how Step-on-all-of-us is going to be featured more and more and will be in the forefront of ABC's 2012 election coverage.
And still, the GOP wants to play with the Cobra.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo, why didn't- or doesn't- NR host a debate??????
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Steyn is wrong again.
Newt plays the anti-Media gimmick to placate our base. He has done this forever, often to hide his own weak offering.
But it was Romney who destroyed the old Clintonite named George with the excellent response about 'contraceptives'. Romney was very strong again.
Of course, we might not see Democratic Partisans able to play the game of stereotyping, exploiting social issues, without the presence of Mr. Santorum.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"offering" "fashion" ... It's tiring. I wish they would ban you. Hell, I wish they would get rid of comments altogether because of the lameness of those such as you.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseExcept that Mr Steyn is not wrong.
He rightly points out the idiocy of debating such irrelevant matters when the USA is on the brink of financial chaos.
And you respond by saying that Romney did really well in that debate..... That debate is irrelevant, it doesn't matter how well anyone does in it, what matters is waking up to the real matters of import.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseyou are right
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse