H
Harry Dope
Guest
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton prepared for a battle with her Democratic
rivals at the CNN-sponsored debate on Thursday night. She did not have much
to fear from the postdebate round table.
Among the experts trotted out by CNN to comment was James Carville, a
Democratic strategist and CNN commentator who is also a close friend of Mrs.
Clinton and a contributor to her campaign.
Mr. Carville's presence aroused the fury of rivals and bloggers. They called
it a conflict of interest and criticized CNN.
"Would it kill CNN to disclose that James Carville is a partisan Clinton
supporter when talking about the presidential race?" Markos Moulitsas wrote
on his liberal blog, Daily Kos. Mr. Moulitsas drew hundreds of comments.
Tom Reynolds, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is
also seeking the Democratic nomination, said: "What you saw last night
lacked full disclosure. The average viewer out in middle America may not
know the inside-the-Beltway connection."
A CNN executive conceded that the cable channel should have more fully
disclosed Mr. Carville's past and that it was discussing how to handle such
situations.
The criticisms were among a series against CNN for how it managed the
debate, a two-hour event in Las Vegas that ran nearly 15 minutes late.
Viewers criticized segments like the opening, when candidates bounded onto
the stage in a style reminiscent of a sports event.
Voters and commentators wrote online about how the audience cheered and
booed, the way the CNN hosts reframed audience questions and whether it was
correct to demand yes-or-no answers to complex questions.
Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, a student who asked Mrs. Clinton whether she
preferred diamonds or pearls (Mrs. Clinton answered "both"), said she had
prepared a list of more serious questions but had been directed by CNN to
ask her trivial question.
CNN said the debate was the most watched in this campaign, drawing more than
four million viewers.
Viewers directed most of their criticism at the commentary. The channel has
been ridiculed by conservative groups as the Clinton News Network, partly
because its commentators include Mr. Carville and Paul Begala, an adviser to
President Bill Clinton.
Mr. Carville said in a phone interview that he did not have a role in Mrs.
Clinton's campaign and that he had "never been paid a nickel by her."
He also said he considered her a close personal friend, had contributed to
her presidential effort, had friends working for her campaign, planned to
vote for her in the Virginia primary and spoke to Mr. Clinton regularly.
He also sent a fund-raising e-mail message last spring on Mrs. Clinton's
behalf, Newsday reported in February.
"Let's show these attack dogs what we're made of," he wrote. "Our 'One Week,
One Million' campaign will send a clear message: Hillary won't back down,
and we've got her back."
"I am close to them," Mr. Carville said of the Clintons yesterday. "I hold
them in great affection and I'm a maxed-out contributor."
CNN executives said they routinely reminded viewers of Mr. Carville's
affiliation in his segments. On Thursday, Anderson Cooper, the CNN host who
moderated the round table, said, "I should point out David Gergen was an
adviser in the Bill Clinton White House, as, of course, was James Carville."
That was not enough for Jonathan Klein, the CNN president who said in an
interview that the disclosure fell short.
"He's not on the Hillary payroll, but he's on the Hillary bandwagon, and
that should be disclosed as much as we can," Mr. Klein said. "I wasn't
comfortable with it myself as I watched it.
"He has disclosed all of this previously and repeatedly on our air," he
continued. "He happened not to last night, and it's an unfortunate
omission."
--
Quote Of The Week
"The Clintons Are A Terminally Unethical And Vulgar Couple, And They?ve
Betrayed Everyone Who Has Ever Believed In Them." - Bob Herbert, Columnist
NY Times Clinton
rivals at the CNN-sponsored debate on Thursday night. She did not have much
to fear from the postdebate round table.
Among the experts trotted out by CNN to comment was James Carville, a
Democratic strategist and CNN commentator who is also a close friend of Mrs.
Clinton and a contributor to her campaign.
Mr. Carville's presence aroused the fury of rivals and bloggers. They called
it a conflict of interest and criticized CNN.
"Would it kill CNN to disclose that James Carville is a partisan Clinton
supporter when talking about the presidential race?" Markos Moulitsas wrote
on his liberal blog, Daily Kos. Mr. Moulitsas drew hundreds of comments.
Tom Reynolds, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is
also seeking the Democratic nomination, said: "What you saw last night
lacked full disclosure. The average viewer out in middle America may not
know the inside-the-Beltway connection."
A CNN executive conceded that the cable channel should have more fully
disclosed Mr. Carville's past and that it was discussing how to handle such
situations.
The criticisms were among a series against CNN for how it managed the
debate, a two-hour event in Las Vegas that ran nearly 15 minutes late.
Viewers criticized segments like the opening, when candidates bounded onto
the stage in a style reminiscent of a sports event.
Voters and commentators wrote online about how the audience cheered and
booed, the way the CNN hosts reframed audience questions and whether it was
correct to demand yes-or-no answers to complex questions.
Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, a student who asked Mrs. Clinton whether she
preferred diamonds or pearls (Mrs. Clinton answered "both"), said she had
prepared a list of more serious questions but had been directed by CNN to
ask her trivial question.
CNN said the debate was the most watched in this campaign, drawing more than
four million viewers.
Viewers directed most of their criticism at the commentary. The channel has
been ridiculed by conservative groups as the Clinton News Network, partly
because its commentators include Mr. Carville and Paul Begala, an adviser to
President Bill Clinton.
Mr. Carville said in a phone interview that he did not have a role in Mrs.
Clinton's campaign and that he had "never been paid a nickel by her."
He also said he considered her a close personal friend, had contributed to
her presidential effort, had friends working for her campaign, planned to
vote for her in the Virginia primary and spoke to Mr. Clinton regularly.
He also sent a fund-raising e-mail message last spring on Mrs. Clinton's
behalf, Newsday reported in February.
"Let's show these attack dogs what we're made of," he wrote. "Our 'One Week,
One Million' campaign will send a clear message: Hillary won't back down,
and we've got her back."
"I am close to them," Mr. Carville said of the Clintons yesterday. "I hold
them in great affection and I'm a maxed-out contributor."
CNN executives said they routinely reminded viewers of Mr. Carville's
affiliation in his segments. On Thursday, Anderson Cooper, the CNN host who
moderated the round table, said, "I should point out David Gergen was an
adviser in the Bill Clinton White House, as, of course, was James Carville."
That was not enough for Jonathan Klein, the CNN president who said in an
interview that the disclosure fell short.
"He's not on the Hillary payroll, but he's on the Hillary bandwagon, and
that should be disclosed as much as we can," Mr. Klein said. "I wasn't
comfortable with it myself as I watched it.
"He has disclosed all of this previously and repeatedly on our air," he
continued. "He happened not to last night, and it's an unfortunate
omission."
--
Quote Of The Week
"The Clintons Are A Terminally Unethical And Vulgar Couple, And They?ve
Betrayed Everyone Who Has Ever Believed In Them." - Bob Herbert, Columnist
NY Times Clinton
