CBS Comes Under Fire After Democratic Debate Devolves into Shouting Match
CBS and its debate moderators were criticized after decorum quickly withered and died during Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, with the audience and the candidates contributing equally to the chaos.
We’re not even a half-hour in and the #DemDebate is totally out of control. Moderators getting trampled. pic.twitter.com/HoEdJUE1H7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2020
In calling the debate’s moderators among the losers of the South Carolina debate, Aaron Blake, writing in The Washington Post, noted that the debate was a mess.
“There were two big problems here. One was that this was a complete free-for-all for much of the debate, with candidates talking over one another and with no one enforcing the rules,” Blake wrote.
“Playing loose can work when it means the candidates actually debate, but many times on Tuesday night, they were just allowed to talk past the moderators and game the system,” he said.
“Second — speaking of gaming the system — was that the booing and cheering were out of control. There’s a reason many debates prohibit outward shows of support or dissent: because it encourages people to stock the room and play to the cameras.
“We don’t yet know whether that’s what happened Tuesday, but [former New York Mayor Mike] Bloomberg’s supporters were especially vocal, and [Vermont Sen. Bernie] Sanders found himself booed a surprising amount given he’s competing for a win in South Carolina.”
At The New York Times, James Poniewozik wrote, “The Democratic Party had a unified message in its 10th debate of the 2020 primary, and that message was: [LOUD CROSSTALK]. Sorry if you couldn’t quite make that out! But the seven candidates in Charleston, S.C., had a lot they wanted to say to the voters. And to one another. And more specifically, over one another.”
“A debate does not lose control of itself. It’s a team effort, and the dubious MVPs of this one were the CBS moderators, led by Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King, who got flat-out mugged,” Poniewozik wrote, later adding that “when a fight turns into a stampede, moderators need to make the debate coherent for the audience or guide it with productive questions. CBS’s crew wasn’t equipped to do either.”
Twitter was not merciful to CBS or its moderators.
can’t say anyone’s winning this debate, but CBS is losing
— Philip Gourevitch (@PGourevitch) February 26, 2020
These moderators need to get this under control. This is way worse than any bad day @TheView hot topics table. At least Whoopi has the bell… #DemDebate2020
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 26, 2020
Maybe CBS’s plan here is to run a debate so poorly, all the candidates on stage at least look more competent than CBS
If so, mission accomplished
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) February 26, 2020
Dear Madam Moderators: throw your shoes down.
Get control.#democraticdebates #DemDebate
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) February 26, 2020
Does CBS have a buzzer or something to organize this??? What’s going on?
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) February 26, 2020
what tree would you be? CBS should not be allowed any more debates
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) February 26, 2020
The Democrat debate was dreadful. CBS News is to blame. Inane questions by inept moderators who allowed chaos to reign for 2 agonizing hours. Sadly, viewers were the losers in this wreckage. And can someone tell the candidates to stop waving their hands like first-graders?
— Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) February 26, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden tried to battle back against what he seemed to think was a rigged system, according to The Hill.
“I am not out of time. You spoke over time, and I’m going to talk,” he said at one point, later commenting, “Can we just speak up when we want to? Is that the idea?”
Biden’s frustration showed after King told him, “I promise, Mr. Vice President, we are going to get to you.”
“You keep promising me that, but you never get to me,” Biden said in reply.
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