No one is happier than I am that Fox News is out there. The “Fair and Balanced” network is a necessary and vitally important (to our democracy) counterweight to the hysterical leftism that has infested all of the rest of the DC Media. Let us not, though, pretend that the first Republican debate hosted by Fox News was anywhere near as informative or issues-based as what we saw on the Fox Business Network (FBN) last night.
I have nothing but the highest regard for CNN’s Jake Tapper. Let us not, though, pretend that the CNN debate was anywhere near as informative or issues-based as what we saw on FBN last night.
As far as the third debate on CNBC, a debate forever-defined by moderator John J. Harwood’s smug face, smugger questions, and outright lies — don’t get me started.
Tuesday night’s FBN debate was absolutely superb. Even more than the candidates, the voters won. For the first time in four debates, the moderators forced our candidates to focus on issues — which, surprisingly enough, is what they want to focus on!
Actual issues were discussed. Not phony issues like Fantasy Football. Not personality issues like are you “comic book candidate.” Not phony clashes brought on by tattletaling: “So-and-so said this about YOU!”
Now, I have no doubt that FBN’s Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo — two proven professionals — would have been a major improvement over CNBC, regardless. Granted, having Hillary Clinton moderate a debate would have been an improvement over CNBC. Just compare, though, the first Fox News debate to what we saw last night. I was pretty much alone in defending the first Fox News debate, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind to how much better the FBN debate was. Obviously, everyone was under orders last night to stick to the issues and not gin up a food fight.
Thank God.
In other words, with all of the DC Media’s phony noise finally muted, the FBN debate not only focused on issues important to the American people, the fact that it was issue-oriented is the impression we are left with today. For those of us still trying to make up our minds, and according to polls that is most of us, this is hugely important.
Hopefully, this will be the format going forward.
What does it say, though, about how broken the media is that it took a full-fledged revolt from the Republican candidates to make last night possible? What does it say about how broken our media is that last night — a night filled with informative, respectful, sharp, tough, relevant questions — was an outlier and not the norm?
After the GOP’s CNBC revolt, our defensive, thin-skinned DC Media crybabied that the pushack was all a political ploy; that it was whining as a way to get soft questions. That was a lie and the DC Media knew it was a lie. When you are trying to knock out more than a dozen competitors, the last thing you want are easy questions.
Last night’s questions were plenty tough, and at times quite pointed. More than once, Bartiromo and Cavuto used follow-ups to pin the candidates down on tricky issues like bank bailouts. And without the moderators tattletaleing, the candidates still managed to go at each other once in a while.
And when it was all over, despite some very tough questions and bruising give-and-takes, the candidates praised the debate and the moderators. All they wanted was a debate similar in tone and focus to what Democrats enjoy. And until last night, that was too much for a Republican to ask for.
But what did we really learn last night? What we learned is that in order for Republicans to enjoy a normal, professional, adult, mature, issues-focused debate, our guys had to threaten a full-fledged revolt, which tells us more about just what a biased, lying, garbage fire the DC Media is.
We also learned that the era of the DC Media being able to bully and intimidate Republicans is coming to an end.
Our guys are no longer afraid of these biased Hillary Clinton cheerleaders. Even better, our guys have learned how to effectively pushback.
The DC Media has no clothes.
Let us gather together now to point and laugh.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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