Hannity’s unfortunate role in the Democratic debate

April 17, 2008

When I first started noticing blog headlines about far-right Fox News personality Sean Hannity feeding George Stephanopoulos questions for last night’s debate, I thought it was a metaphorical point. As in, “Some of the questions were so bad, they may as well have come from Sean Hannity.”

I came to realize, though, that the concern was literal. Jason Linkins explained:

The unseen influence of Fox News wormed its way into tonight’s nominally ABC-hosted debate, when Senator Barack Obama was asked to account for his tenuous connections to former Weather Underground leader William Ayers, who famously began a New York Times article with this statement: ”I don’t regret setting bombs…I feel we didn’t do enough.”

The question was posed by George Stephanopoulos, who neither conceived of the question himself, nor disclosed the primary source of his donated inquiry: Fox News talking head Sean Hannity. […]

Hannity asked George what kinds of questions they’ll be asking at the debate tomorrow and they discussed a few things. When Hannity asked about the first question below about Ayers and whether George had plans to ask such a question, George replied, “Well, I’m taking notes now Sean.” It did actually sound like he was pausing to take notes.

First, when Hannity is feeding Stephanopoulos ideas for debate questions, you know there’s a problem. Second, for what it’s worth, Obama actually had a pretty compelling response to Hannity’s question.

From the transcript:

“This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who’s a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He’s not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

“And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn’t make much sense, George.

“The fact is, is that I’m also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.

“Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn’s statements? Because I certainly don’t agree with those either.

“So this kind of game, in which anybody who I know, regardless of how flimsy the relationship is, is somehow — somehow their ideas could be attributed to me — I think the American people are smarter than that. They’re not going to suggest somehow that that is reflective of my views, because it obviously isn’t.”

Regrettably, Clinton decided to go after Obama on the point anyway, including a rather dubious connection to 9/11, prompting Obama to note that it was Bill Clinton who “pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me serving on a board with somebody for actions that he did 40 years ago.”

It sure beats a substantive discussion about issues that matter, doesn’t it? Thank goodness Stephanopoulos relied on Hannity for advice.

Stephanopoulos you are a little, little man. This entire debate was a joke. And any notion of a joint ticket in November is clearly out the door.

  • Mr. South Side Shuffle had to answer a question about his close association with radical leftists and he chose to smear Hillary by bringing up the entirely irrelevant matter of Bill Clinton pardoning the Weather Underground! Mr. Duck and Weave should be ashamed of himself for reducing Senator Clinton to an extension of her husband, as men are always trying to do to women. Women know better than to make someone responsible for her husband’s actions, but we are still waiting for an explanation from Senator Shady as to why Ayres did what he did.

  • i guess you’re some elitist sitting on a pile of money, laughing at our cannon fodder, hence your attachment to non-issues.

  • “So this kind of game, in which anybody who I know, regardless of how flimsy the relationship is, is somehow — somehow their ideas could be attributed to me — I think the American people are smarter than that.”

    Eloquently put. It is just a game to distract the candidates and have them focus on swatting flies rather than talking about the agenda. Barack is more a man than I for I would have been dropping the F bomb on Chuck and George by this point. But both Barack and Hillary should drop the civility and tell the “moderators” of these debates that these questions are bullshit.

  • benjoya

    IFP is satire. Sometimes sly, sometimes over the top. This one’s quite nice, loudly excoriating anyone who connects Hillary to anything done by Bill while demanding Obama explain his non-relationship with Ayres.

  • Because really, the most important quality in any elected official is how much they will wave the flag, and how much they will say they “love America.”

    Wev.

  • Insane Fake Professor – but it’s OK for her to be an extension of her husband when it suits her? If his is guilty by association, what about her?

  • Here’s my problem with all those gotcha questions: What has Obama done that suggests he doesn’t love his country — compared to all the things he’s done and said that indicate he does? What has he done that would cause one to think he agrees with Wright’s rants, or Farrakan or Ayers? Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

    Here’s my problem with Clinton’s responses (until I turned the TV off): she now has license to say anything by saying ‘republicans are going to question (fill in blank) about Obama.’ Clever, but disingenuous and downright scummy.

  • WHy are we allowing the media and Hillary to set everything up in a Republican frame? Just because the Republicans will focus on certain stupid issues, doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for our democracy! I’m tired of Hillary acting like the Republican in the race, she’s just despicable. In that debate, there was only one person who took the high road time and again and that was Obama. He was the only one willing to focus on the issues that really matter to Americans but Hillary and the two Inquisitors were willing to wallow in the gutter. It is time to stand up to the Republicans and Fox news and take back the discussion to what issues that matter. It is time to get away from the Republican talking frame and set the discussion up in a Democratic frame.

  • One more time, slowly.

    Insane Fake Professor is satire. A spoof. Sarcasm. A mockery of Mary.

    You might as well write an angry letter to Stephen Colbert while you’re at it.

  • I think the American people are smarter than that.

    We don’t need an elitist telling us how smart American people is.

  • Bill Clinton’s pardons (which will no doubt be eclipsed by the Shrub’s) were more embarrassing than Monica. I’m glad Obama reminded us of them. At times I wish he were less of a gentleman.

  • Thanks TR, I will call them.

    I can’t improve on Josh Marshall’s words: “unmitigated travesty.”

    And SHAME on Clinton for propogating wingnut lies on Obama (payroll tax-hiker, I would have walked out on Wright, etc ). Shame, shame, shame.

  • Other reviews:

    Josh Marshall: “Wall to Wall Ugly”
    Washington Post: “The Clear Loser Is ABC”
    Greg Mitchell: “Shameful”
    Will Bunch: “Horrible Night”
    Guardian: “The Dumbest Debate?”

  • So a Rhodes scholar who served as an advisor for the Clinton administration needed an NYU dropout/blowhard to give him questions to ask the Democratic presidential candidates?

    Working in television really rots the brain, doesn’t it?

  • @2, Insane Fake Professor said: “Women know better than to make someone responsible for her husband’s actions, but we are still waiting for an explanation from Senator Shady as to why Ayres did what he did.”

    Thought experiment: change the nouns referring to humans to indefinite pronouns, and let’s see what happens to the logic:

    “People know better than to make somebody responsible for someone else’s actions, but we are still waiting for an explanation from somebody as to why someone else did what they did.”

    In other words, I’m responsible for what you say? Oh please….

  • …oops! Sorry that I thought that the Insane Professor was even remotely serious, didn’t read far enough… my bad… maybe eye spik too much of zis French langage, pardonez moi mes amis…

  • I have to admit that I now read the comment threads on this site exclusively for IFP’s goodness. Never fails to improve my day.

  • I may be a minority of one, but I believe Obama’s relationship to Ayers is relevant to his electibility. He speaks as if he has no relationship with Ayers, but there are credible reports to the contrary. Why doesn’t he dismiss those reports? He is to the left of Hillary and that scares me and should also scare anyone else who seriously considers issues before voting. How can he not raise taxes and do all the government spending he is promising? How can he flatly promise to withdraw troops from Iraq without qualifying that promise to factor in circumstances that might be in place that we don’t know of yet? These issues bother me. I don’t like anyone running, actually; and I don’t think I’m alone.

  • The voice of Sean Hannity is a distraction on the entire country. I’m sure he had the advantage of a good education. But that is where choice comes in: you can either use your education to advance the public good, or to trash whomever your corporate masters tell you to trash. Sean, a bit of LOGIC would be a great help.

    I appreciate the fact that Obama is able to meet with, mingle with, sit on boards with. . . .persons with whom he does not agree. Even with people who have a questionable history. This is what the Presidency is all about. I trust Obama to be patriotic, relevant and strong when he carries this burden for the country. Obama, and his wife Michelle, and their two daughters will make our Country proud!

  • Sean Hannity will stop at nothing to furthur his own agenda-the conservative one.
    He has procured for himself more input into the affairs of this nation with tv, radio, books and has more exposure and voice than 99% of the humans on the planet.Yet that is not enough for him. He has the absolute arrogance to tinker with what should be propaganda free venue-a Presidential debate. The question perhaps would have come up anyway, but it is Hannity’s intent that shows him for what he is -one who, entrusted with a precious, prominent voice in a democracy, will use it to furthur his own agenda and fatten his own wallet. Distortion, triviality, halftruths–all this from one who claims to be a Christian and wraps himself in the flag.

    • Comments are closed.