Share
News

CBS Comes Under Fire After Democratic Debate Devolves into Shouting Match

Share

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.

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.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

“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.”

Do you think the candidates were mostly to blame for the chaos in the debate?

“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.

Related:
Doctor Breaks Down Jayden Daniels' Elbow in Viral Pic that Has Fans Worried

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.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , ,
Share
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




Conversation