Wednesday night's GOP primary debate on CNBC received poor reviews, mostly due to the fact that the moderators were terrible and asked terrible questions. Most of the candidates responded by trashing the media, which elicited raucous cheers from the audience.
Not everyone was pleased to see the CNBC moderators subjected to such flagrant assaults on their profession. Members of the media, for example, cried foul:
Wow, GOP really hating on @CNBC for the tough, impertinent questions. Guess what, guys, that's the media's job. We do it to Dems as well.
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianAP) October 29, 2015
CNBC moderator John Harwood reacted with grace and maturity:
moderating GOP debate in 2015 enriched my understanding of challenges @SpeakerBoehner has faced and @RepPaulRyan will face — John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 29, 2015
Polling shows that members of the media are seen as less trustworthy than bankers and auto mechanics, and about the same as lawyers. Attacking them will surely backfire.
During the debate, Ben Carson was asked about his questionable associations with a dietary supplement firm, while Marco Rubio was probed about his personal finances. If these subjects are fair game, and if journalists actually intend to "do it to Dems as well," Hillary Clinton should be worried.
The next Democratic debate is Iowa on November 14, hosted by CBS. Here are a few suggestions for "tough, impertinent questions" for moderator John Dickinson to ask.
1. Madam Secretary, you recently described the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which you supported and your husband signed into law in 1996, as a "defensive action" designed to stall the "political momentum to amend the Constitution" to formally define marriage as between one man and one woman. BuzzFeed reporter Chris Geidner, who has won awards for his coverage of the LGBT beat, thoroughly examined the records of DOMA-related White House discussions at the time, and found no evidence for your claim. Are you trying to rewrite history?
2. Madam Secretary, after struggling to make ends meet upon leaving the White House, you and your husband have amassed an eight-figure fortune. The two of you have earned a combined $230 million since 2001. That's Mitt Romney money. However, according to an investigation of publicly available records of your finances, there is about $50 million of the $230 million that is simply unaccounted for. Financial experts are stumped. Can you explain?
3. Madam Secretary, throughout your political careers, both you and your husband have associated with an impressive array of dubious individuals. Allow me to list a few examples:
- Your political ally and campaign bundler Jon Corzine oversaw the collapse of a $1.6 billion financial firm and was subsequently sued by the federal government for mishandling funds.
- Your former law partner, Webb Hubbell, pled guilty to federal corruption charges in 1994 and served time in prison.
- You campaign donor, Hassan Nemazee, is serving a 12-year sentence for defrauding banks out of nearly $300 million.
- Your campaign bundler, Sant Chatwal, pled guilty to federal charges of witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions.
- Sheldon Silver, the former New York state assembly speaker who was an early backer of your 2000 Senate campaign, was arrested earlier this year for taking bribes.
- Your husband has on several occasions flown on a private jet affectionately nicknamed the "Lolita Express." The owner of said jet, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, is a convicted pedophile who owns a private island known as "Orgy Island."
- Your husband has also traveled frequently with Ron Burkle, his former adviser and campaign fundraiser, aboard a private jet affectionately nicknamed "Air Fuck One."
What's up with that? Does this raise questions about your judgement?
4. Madam Secretary, your campaign has suggested that one your greatest accomplishments as secretary of state was agreeing to serve in the administration of "the man who defeated [you]." You served in the position until early 2013. However, President Obama wanted you to continue serving as his secretary of state for another year. But you didn't. You chose to quit your job, and spent the next couple of years making millions of dollars by giving speeches to corporations and special interests groups. Did you need the money? And what does this say about your commitment to service? One of your early campaign ads includes the following statement: "When your president calls, you serve." Why didn't you answer the president's call?
5. Family members of the victims of the Benghazi attack have called you a "serial liar," and claim that in private conversations you blamed the attack on a YouTube video, even though emails indicate you knew that to be false. Are you calling the families of dead heroes liars?