CNN Shows MSNBC How a Debate is Done

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I’ve never been shy about my opinions regardless my relationship with any entity, and I’m not about to start now. I was proud to have been associated with last night’s debate, proud because it felt to me truly representative of, and inclusive to, the tea party movement.

I admit, I had some reservations about how the marquee would be perceived. There is a fair amount of wariness from the grassroots towards CNN. There is also a lot of back and forth discussion on the merits of the Tea Party Express and its grassroots claim, some even from yours truly. While I ultimately believe that there’s no worth in criticizing a group that is on your side with the issues, I was anxious to see how the tea party would be represented last night. CNN and the Tea Party Express did the movement right in having actual grassroots Americans themselves ask questions of the candidates.

Debate watch parties were linked by satellite across the country. It was a great pleasure to watch tea partiers stand in front of the camera and question the presidential candidates themselves. I thought they were well-represented throughout the debate and I personally know that those in charge of event seating for CNN worked very hard to accommodate as many actual grassroots folks — not donors, not campaign workers, retired operatives, or random picks — but actual grassroots attendees as possible.

I also know that CNN took a lot of heat for even having this debate, from both sides. Progressives were angry that CNN dared to present diverse voices and attractive programming; some conservatives were angry that CNN, a network they felt had been hostile to the movement, was co-hosting a debate and using the tea party name. Some were angry because they felt that the partnering tea party entity wasn’t reflective of the actual grassroots movement. Regardless the thoughts going in to tonight’s debate, I’ve yet to meet a single person who did not believe that the debate was unfair or unsuccessful — and I ran into grassroots galore at the debate.

We’ve grown accustomed to the MSNBC treatment: a far left network hosts a debate where the moderators are at odds with the candidates instead of forcing the candidates to go at their own records and the records of others; afterwards the entirely far-left panel of the far left network’s on air talent mock the debate participants and skew the issues. Last night’s debate made MSNBC’s previous effort a tacky, JV affair in comparison.

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I admit it. I was wrong! It was by far the best debate of all of them. We were all pleasantly surprised.

The one complaint I have on the CNN/Tea Party debate: Wolf Blitzer should have allowed more than one candidate to answer the questions posed by Tea Party members. Other than that it was a well managed debate.