Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Newt Gingrich: Brian Williams 'Wrong' To Silence GOP Debate Crowd

Newt Gingrich hit out at NBC's Brian Williams on Tuesday morning, criticizing the moderator of Monday night's debate for keeping the forum's audience quiet.

The crowd, which has been one of the stars of the never-ending series of GOP debates for months, was notably muted on Monday, under strict instructions from Williams not to interfere. Perhaps he was thinking of the last time he hosted a debate, when audience members cheered after he questioned Rick Perry about the number of executions his state had carried out.

While there were some moments of scattered applause on Monday, the candidates were mostly sending their zingers into dead air -- and Gingrich, who loves to play to the audience, was robbed of another standing ovation from the crowd.

Speaking on Tuesday's "Fox and Friends," Gingrich said that NBC and Williams had made a bad choice.

"I wish in retrospect I had protested when Brian Williams took them out of it because I think it's wrong," he said. "And I think he took them out of it because the media is terrified that they're going to side with the candidates against the media."

Gingrich added that, in upcoming debates, he was "simply not going to allow" the moderators to silence the audience.

"The media doesn't control free speech," he said.

UPDATE: CNN, which has held some of the most raucous debates of all the networks, told HuffPost's Michael Calderone that the reaction to NBC's debate rules has not changed its plans about the forum it is hosting on Thursday night.

"As we have done in the past, CNN will ask the audience to be respectful of the candidates," the network said in a statement. "We have always said that if audience reaction such as shouting or booing interferes with the debate or with the candidates’ answers, we will ask the audience to refrain."

Original Article
Source: Huff 
Author: Jack Mirkinson 

1 comment:

  1. Dub, flub and flubdub: Newt Gingrich has gone too far and responsible Republicans interested in a discussion of the issues facing our country have discovered how to negate Newt Gingrich’s capacity to provoke the lynch-mob instincts of a few members of the debate audiences and sidetrack meaningful display of the candidates’ leadership abilities.

    When the cowardly inclined cannot get their hot air pumped into a blowtorch by jeering toadies, they are quickly looked upon as a loathsome inconsequential that is easily avoided. And the harsh voices of echoed support also fade away as rapidly as do the would-be sources that can no longer hide in a thinning throng.

    Once discredited because of his own conduct, Speaker of House Newt’s closest henchmen soon mumbled in total disinterest, “Newt who?”

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