There have been a great number of debates this primary season. Some have been more interesting than others. Some have been soporific and a few have had some exciting moments. While there may be those who take issue with how some of these debates have been formatted, none of them have been truly ridiculous. That is, until now.
On December 27th the ION Television network (formerly PAX) will be hosting a debate. It’s being billed as the last major debate before the Iowa Caucuses. The ION network claims to reach 99 Million viewers. I’m not sure how many will actually tune in when they realize what is involved.
The debate is being sponsored by everyone’s favorite birther Donald “The Donald” Trump, and Newsmax, considered to be one of the premiere Republican-leaning/conservative media outlets. The fact that Trump is involved should be a warning sign that things are not going to be as … well, straight as some of the other debates. That’s when things go absolutely wacky, for lack of a better turn of phrase.
As with all the other debates to date, it has been deemed necessary to have the Main Stream Media involved, even in this, which seems to be a prime opportunity for unleashing the power of the alternative media. This might have been okay if the organizers had gone for some personalities who have some credit in more conservative circles, perhaps Jake Tapper or Andrew Malcolm.
As mentioned, the folks in charge went in a completely different direction. The head of the debate staff is one Eason Jordan. Now, that name might be somewhat familiar to some readers. He has received 4 Emmys, 2 Peabodys and is the first living person to receive the Livingstone Award’s “Special Citation For Outstanding Achievement.”
He also admitted to covering up Saddam Hussein’s atrocities in Iraq for the privilege of access to the regime.
Among Mr. Jordan’s other actions of note is the time he, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, accused the U.S. Military of intentionally targeting journalists during the 2nd Gulf War. This bit of high quality “journalism” caused Jordan to resign, in disgrace, from CNN.
It wasn’t only Saddam Hussein that this “journalist” had a man-crush on. As the head fixer at the international news desk, he cozied up to the brutal North Korean regime. A room full of kitchy CNN marketing swag aside, Jordan made sure to give equal credence to the propaganda of the Communist government as that of the aid workers, in reference to the ongoing famine in the country.
He has, like many on the left, had no problem carrying water for Fidel Castro.
All of these together should make one wonder what the heck is going on over at Newsmax. Haven’t there been enough debates where loyal Left-wing journos have taken pot shots at the Republican field in an effort to cause as much damage as possible to Obama’s potential opponent? Do we need another, this time, an own goal? The opportunity to get a substantive debate without gotcha questions was within the grasp of Newsmax and the ION network. It seems they’ve gone and squandered it for access. So I guess the team up with Eason Jordan kind of fits.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.