If you were allowed two questions to somone running for President of the United States, what would they be?
If you answered:
What is the most expensive haircut you have ever gotten?
And:
Since you announced on Imus, and Imus is now off the air, where will you announce you are dropping out of the race?
[rough paraphrases]
Then you are apparently fully qualified to be a columnist with the Connecticut Post!
The above questions were asked by ConnPost’s Ken Dixon of Senator and Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd at his press availability at the JJB dinner on Friday night. After the second, a women standing on the fringes of the circle of press, who I think was with a Public Access show and whose partner asked an actual question about veteran benefits, muttered something along the lines of “Typical Fox News question” (the Fox News cameraman looked to be by himself and Ken Dixon was holding his microphone along with his own recorder). Mr. Dixon then interrupted Senator Dodd to let the woman know that he was not, in fact, a Fox News reporter. Great. Can the Senator finish his answer now?
Forget for a second the lack of respect afforded the senior Senator from Connecticut in questioning him about a haircut and the outlet he would choose to drop out since his entry outlet has been disgraced. How about the lack of respect for us, citizens, the people who want to be able to make an informed choice when we vote in the Presidential primaries and the general election? Don’t we deserve better?
I can only speak for me, but how much the candidates paid for a haircut is beneath how regular their bowl movements are on my list of things that are important in this race (don’t even get me started on MoDo. A whole column about a haircut? Really?). We have troops in the middle of two wars in the Middle East, 47,000,000 Americans have no health insurance, the Earth is a huge carbon greenhouse, surpluses have been transformed in to deficts as far as the eye can see, and the Attorney General may or may not have been firing US Attorneys based on their ‘bushiness’, but Mr. Senator, how much do you pay to cut your hair. If Alexander Hamilton could have seen the future, the ninth paragraph of Federalist 84 might have read like this instead:
I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and in the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed constitution, but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers which are not granted; and on this very account, would afford a colourable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why for instance, should it be said, that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?
Also, they will only be asking about haircuts anyway, so why bother?
To the second question, has any politician ever answered any variation of “when are you dropping out of the race”? Aside from being inherently insulting (the guy is running for President, love him or hate him, think he should drop out or stay in, can he have a little respect for sticking his neck out there and running for something?), the question is always inane, because they don’t answer it. Ever.
Try to imagine the reaction if, having gotten press credentials, a blogger asked two questions like that. We would be hearing about how the cheeto-eating, pajama-clad, basement-dwelling losers have no business near politicians until the end of time. Or maybe there would be calls for another blogger ethics conference.
68 responses so far ↓
I wouldn’t mind a $400 haircut, it’s something we should all aspire to.
We would be hearing about how the cheeto-eating, pajama-clad, basement-dwelling losers have no business near politicians until the end of time.
Sounds like what they think of bloggers already. You forgot that part about how we all live in our parents’ basements though.
Nice work Gabe.
I don’t have much hair, so I go to Super Cuts – anyone can buzz a head on the 1 setting.
…ct media reporters are the worst and most biased in the country…they are laughable and merit no repsect…they are cowards who hide behind a desk and a pen???? not really a noble profession in my view
Haircuts? I just don’t bother.
Let’s face it, though, the MSM has been focusing on hair issues for years. It’s easy, and for some reason some people find it interesting.
Well part of the problem is that these “journalists” (and I use that term loosely) have to print the “McNews” because people don’t seem to be interested in the nitty gritty details, and Heaven forbid we have a politician that will ever answer a question directly about any issue of importance anyway.
So asking a real inane question about haircuts is safe although stupid – but the readers in general love that kind of trash and would rather pay attention to that then perhaps… how Mr. Dodd would handle certain foreign policy issues.
That is primarily why people keep voting these people into office… they have absolutely no clue what these people’s politics are really all about.. but gee whiz doesn’t the hair cut look pretty.
The people who comment regularly and visit this blog are the anomalies … regular everyday people don’t give a whit about what is typically discussed here.. they care more about what rehab Britney is in this week. It’s really a sad state of affairs for this country.
Dodd does have nice hair, though. I wonder who does it???
Dixon’s behavior was inexcusable, and it made his employer, the Connecticut Post look very, very bad. (like on the level of the Rep-Am.)
Both the questions Ken asked were more about interjecting himself into Dodd’s presser, — than they were about Dodd or things his readers might be interested in.
..the ct post as whole doesnt need anyone to make it look bad…it already is…the journalists are par for the course…
TBCT- the Rep-Am and CT Post are the only 2 editorial boards that aren’t dominated by anti-war liberals/progressives… whatever you call yourselves these days… therefore you can’t control their coverage. Your spin is very predictable.
If I recall correctly the Rep-Am ran a nice editorial about Ken Krayeske’s arrest. Otherwise, I think of them as a rag along the lines of the NY Post. They lack the Post’s sense of humor though.
Oh please… and you think the Courant is wonderful??? They are so incredibly biased, and also print the McNews.. they are really no better. probably one of the many reasons why print news is “tanking”.
I rest my case.
No I don’t think the Courant is wonderful. They do provide the most consistent political coverage in the state though.
I don’t think we’re at the point where we’ve developed two completely separate partisan medias–although we’re getting a lot closer than we used to be.
Frankly, a lot of the MSM is not biased towards a political party or cause, but towards whatever will generate the most ratings and amass the biggest audience. That’s why it’s good to get information from more than one source or type of source–and why citizen media is vital.
That’s true. I’m far more concerned about sensationalism than political bias.
Which is really what I was getting at – it wasn’t so much that the questions were biased, it was the inanity of them. I actually got dumber just from being there…
Ummm… I’m not sure why Ken Dixon asked the haircut question, but if I had to guess it was a joke and he was referring to the recent John Edwards “controversy” with his $400 haircuts…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/17/ap/politics/main2695697.shtml
I’m posting the link because it sounds like a few people here didn’t hear about it.
I think Dixon was just trying to be funny, he wasn’t serious…
Perhaps he could have been funny *after* the brief press availability. Gabe is right. Can you imagine if a blogger had asked those questions?
Ken Dixon wanted to be THE STORY instead of a reporter covering a story.If the dipshit was there as a reporter he proved he’s not worthy of even that lowly title and if he was there as a columnist he shouldn’t have been.
Columnist seek and are granted interviews,they don’t pretend to be reporters.
By the way,
The question was MUCH WORSE than Gabe presented it. Fox 61 has the video so maybe someone could retrieve it so we can let the schmuck hang himself with his own arrogance,stupidity and gall.
Honestly– I do not think the hair question is a real problem, if anything I see the potential for this to be an easy lay up question for Dodd where he could have made a smart and funny answer that might have been picked up by the national media as a foil to the Edwards foible from last week.
If anything, I think by asking Dodd such non-issue questions CT reporters are trying to give the guy a bit of a pass and let him be funny and endearing rather than grilling him on stuff. The one thing Dodd needs is for people to just know who he IS not know where he stands on the issues.
Finally– I do not totally agree with giving bloggers press credentials. Sure, there are some sights I read regularly that are pretty great if not better than the local papers (this site is one of them), but the vast majority are no better than Fox News, with blatant agendas and bias. While I think Fox News is a joke which I don’t think should be taken seriously, I think the answer is to discredit Fox News rather than have a legion of biased outlets out there with press credentials.
Journalist Ken Dixon on Kraeyske:
Hey Bites,
I told Dixon he was a schmuck to his face and I’d do the exact same thing to you if you weren’t hiding your true identity.
I’ll defend any columnist right to have any view no matter whether they agree with me or not but this idiot was so obviously out of line I was astonished the other so called journaists didn’t call him on it.
The MSMs behavior embarassed the 1st amendment over the last 10 yrs and just when I thought they might have found their spine they showed that gutlessness is still their #1 attribute.
There are about 20 things I could think of to ask a presidential candidate if I’m doing an interview that Dixon couldn’t be bothered with. Fucking hack.
Suddenly my questions don’t sound so stupid.
Dude,
If you don’t think ABC,NBC,CBS ,the NYT,NYpost,USA today and every other news organization have their own “agenda” I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.
Bloggers aren’t getting credentialed because they’re not bias they’re getting credentialed because it’s in the candidates interest.Get use to it.
Genghis, almost all of the MSM is biased in favor of the Democratic Party.
Now I’m aware that I should pay more attention to the Connecticut Post — thanks to the above comments.
A question about boxer shorts vs. briefs was very useful for one politician, I recall. Does Dodd wear boxers or briefs? We all want to know. Chris, can you tell us?
Given that Edwards says that there are two Americas, he purchases a new mansion, and he spends $400 for a haircut (more than once), perhaps Dodd could have appeared to connect better with the average person than does Edwards — if he’d just answer the question and have some fun with it. Dodd could make some progress by clarifying what a nitwit Edwards is … which America is Edwards a part of? Yo, Chris Dodd, when you’re tossed a softball question, why not hit it out of the park? Why do you choose to not swing instead? Do you want to win or do you just want to talk with the grandkids and everyone you come across about that time that you ran for president of the United States of America, leader of the free world? What are your real intentions, Chris Dodd?
“Bloggers aren’t getting credentialed because they’re not bias they’re getting credentialed because it’s in the candidates interest”
I am not sure what you are trying to say here….
Sorry- I have had some experience working with bloggers on both for my campaign and against it. The vast majority of you are simply not journalists as much as you may wish to believe you ask “hard hitting” questions. You are concerned citizens with a mouthpiece, which while an excellent improvement for our democracy, does not make you journalists.
It is true that NYT, WSJ, etc. all have biases, but I can tell you that with the exception of one or two blogs the difference in the quality and standards of the guys getting paid to do this stuff is much higher. This isn’t to say that all blogs are not worthy of being called press– I think this blog for example does a good job, but the vast majority are little more than a grass roots extention of various political campaigns, written not my amatuer jouranlists, but by zealous activists with a great deal of time to devote to something.
The reality is that these (read: the biased ones I am referring to- not the more objective ones such as this) blogs have a niche readership and little effect on the ultimate outcome of most elections anyways.
Look,
Heres the problem.Ken Dixon, and his fellow lightweight Ray Hackett, need to choose whether they want to be a Reporter or a columnist because THEY CAN”T BE BOTH.
If their employers don’t think their opinions are worthy of full time pay they why should we allow their obvious bias to contaminate our news.The fact they’re trying to masquarade as both is disgusting.
I’m now a fan of Dixon and Hackett — I need to pay attention to these guys. Thanks, Dixon and Hackett — you’re doing a great job.
“Reporter or a columnist because THEY CAN”T BE BOTH.”
Sort of like most bloggers….
Bloggers aren’t journalists and most of us don’t want to be. But blogs are a form of media and it’s in the interest of candidates and political parties to credential them.
I don’t pretend to be unbiased. Read any post by me on this site and you’ll know where I’m coming from. My goal isn’t to convince you that I’m objective. But I do hope that readers trust that my information is correct, even if they don’t agree with my political perspective.
“I don’t think we’re at the point where we’ve developed two completely separate partisan medias–although we’re getting a lot closer than we used to be.”
I agree with you GC – although I don’t necessarily think that being closer to it is necessarily a bad thing. If we can’t have an objective media – which it is pretty clear we cannot – better to have many different types of subjective reporting. Think about it – prior to cable we were at the mercy of whatever left-wing ideology the major networks wanted to promote. A lack of competition bred laziness and an insitutional liberal bias in the media. Now that it is being challenged (media policing the media) I think it is better. Once there are a few more conservative organizations to counter the left ward leanings of the majority cable news networks I think we’ll be in business.
And Gabe, this is kind of a chicken and egg problem – is it the media’s fault for asking “dumb” questions or do they not bother because the answers are so canned, from both sides, that it won’t matter? Every candidate speaks in such platitudes that you might as well just go to some interest groups website to see what the talking points are today.
Bloggers aren’t Reporters or Columnist.
We’re not afforded the same pay,benefits and liesurely lifstyle most of them enjoy.We’re also KNOWN ADVOCATES and we’re not trying to pass ourselves off as unbiased.
Why are you so angry? Calm down.
Tony Stark,
Name one “left Leaning” nightly Lineup on cable.The MSM has eaten the entire 6 course meal of bullshit it was fed about “the liberal media” but all three major networks and all the major Cable channels are run by, for, and of Members of the Republican Party.
Heres what i was told the quesion was secondhand from a reporter,
“since you announced on Imus and we all know how that turned out and we all know you are going to be announcing you’re getting out of this race in a few week do you care to tell us now where you’ll be making that announcement?”
Who’s Angry?
.
It wasn’t my party who lost a war to a few thousands religious nuts even though they had a 500 billion a year advantage and the best trained military in history.
If anyone should be angry it should be every fool who still calls himself a Republican.
CNN.
I also said we were headed in the right direction – at least competition is forcing these folks to think about their objectivity. I don’t think anyone disagrees that the news media is in better shape – in terms of objectivity – then it ever has been.
Tony,
The only show on CNN with an audience bigger than CLP is Lou Dobbs.
Guess what Party Lou has been a member of longer than you’ve been alive?
Fair enough Keith (though I doubt he is a Republican as he is anti-free trade, anti-immigration and anti-classical economics). Though my bigger point is in the reporting itself.
My only point is that when you under report good news about all things conservative (the Bush economy, shrinking deficits, progress in Baghdad, etc.) and over report all things liberal it shows a bias. Conscious or not it exists. Thankfully Fox, the blogs, the internet, etc. broke up that log jam and now we are critical of that reporting. It’s a good thing.
Here’s the problem Tony. When I watch the news I see the exact opposite, a pro-corporate conservative slant. I wish the media reported all things liberal. I wish they’d talk about the economy beyond the stock market, and policy beyond the theater of politics. I wish they’d talk about the Iraq War in a way that made it more real to Americans. But that’s not what I see at all.
Which one of us are right?
I think this went from a discussion of journalistic standards to media bias. I have no problem with the reporting of the WSJ, though I disagree with their conservative slant, I do have a problem with Rep-Am, not because of their Editorial Board, but because of the fact I’ve been to events they have covered, and the story the next day had very little resemblance to the event I was at.
When 100 dead bodies with signs of torture and a hole drilled in their skulls by an electric drill are being found evey day in Bahgdad and 76 of our kids are dead this month alone it’s hard to call that “progress”,Isn’t it?
Fox is pure Propaganda,if you need that to encourage your ignorance I pity you.
As for two separate media’s, we used to have that. That is why, for example, Springfield had the Republican and the Union News. They told you right in their title what stance they were going to take.
For those who say that Ken is doing a great job, please provide examples.
I remember one example – Ken continually asked Ned Lamont how much money he was worth.
I don’t need your pity Keith, just an acknowledgment that we are doing the best that we can in Iraq right now and that us leaving will lead to that 100 sectarian killings times a thousand. What are your thoughts on Darfur? Rwanda?
Regardless of how we got there I want to know what you think will happen when we leave – and I am afraid that Bush is going to kowtow to politics and pull sooner than we should – as the guy who got us into this war he has a moral obligation to make it right before we leave. Thoughts?
I actually don’t have a problem with editorial – I do have a problem when that editorial seeps into reporting.
CGG – I think we need to get to a model where we get each slant on the news – conservative and liberal. Because there is no way to eliminate bias, we shouls show both biases equally. How about this:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/baroneblog/archives/070413/ej_dionne_and_m.htm#more
This quote in particular:
“Which brings to mind a conversation with a broadcast network news executive I remember from many years ago.
Q. Don’t you think it affects your work product that 90 percent of your people are Democrats?
A. No, no, our people are objective, they have professional standards, they report fairly.
Q. Then doesn’t that mean that your work product would be the same if 90 percent of your people were Republicans?
(Quickly) A. No, then it would be biased.
Only liberals, in this view, can see the world accurately.”
As for any cable news channel, until they actually start reporting the news, instead of have pundits scream about it, I do not consider them a news source. Good reporting takes you into the action and tells a story, and delves into the heart of that story. You can have as many conservative, or liberal, pundits scream about supporting the troops and what that means, until you get some cameras on the ground, and put some effort into the reporting of the story, to show what they are doing, and ask them what they are thinking, they are not news. Republican’s and Dem’s have been arguing over who’s plan really supports the troops, which plan will help moral, etc. I have yet to see a single one of those news organizations ask a soldier what they think.
Sue,
Don’t you think a reporter should have more than one question?
Also, everyone new Lamont was worth between 100 and 300 milion(that was in the disclosure). Was which number between 100 and 300 million important?
Ken Dixon didn’t have the class to take a shower,shave and put on some deodorant before he showed up at the JJB dinner. Maybe he does represent the very well the bottom dwellers at the CT Post.
I think the fact that none of us can agree on whether MSM is biased in what direction means one of two things:
1.) They are coming down pretty well in the middle of things or…
2.) Most of the reporting is absolute crap.
Unfortunately, I would lean toward the second.
Tony–
What progress in Baghdad? Republicans have been touting progress for three years running, and I think the lack of it is attributable to something called reality, (and not a biased media.)
In terms of the economy, the stock market has barely moved from where it was six years ago. And people talk about a shaky monetary system that is being underwritten by the Chinese. But what do I know? I’m not a macro-economist, nor a wild-eyed believer in all things supply-side.
Tony,
Just out of curiosity how do you feel about PBS and NPR?
Does anyone know if any reporter has asked the Bush administration how they can claim the Surge is working, when their top general said he would have no idea until the end of summer?
Keith–
You know Genghis said we couldn’t talk about Iraq. (unless we’re talking about Shays’ 18 visits.)
Tony–
Do you belong to the same GOP that whined and complained when Clinton got us involved in the remains of Yugoslavia? Or the folks which pretended the loss of a dozen soldiers in Somalia was the end of the world?
Just checking.
My problem with Iraq is that four years later it looks less winnable than it did four months into the conflict. Maybe we need to just try harder?
Adam–
You’re forgetting that the ‘wingers worked the refs by chanting “liberal media” for year after year after year.
I will agree that your average newspaper reporter shows a thinking-person’s bias that could be construed as leaning left. But the airwaves are controlled by corporate hacks.
Oh without a doubt the airwaves are biased in favor of their coporate overlords, however I’m not counting most of that stuff as news.
I seem to think the haircut question is OK….. much like when candidates (esp. for President) get asked the price of a loaf of bread, or a gallon of milk or gasoline….. the point is — how do they relate to the average Joe.
Actually, I kinda like a candidate who I’d feel comfortable talking, or having a beer with — Hillary, Romney don’t score high in that area. That isn’t a major factor, but I have to believe likeability plays a big role with alot of people. And part of that is, how do they relate to me?
Dodd (although well-coiffed), has a quick wit and I’d be surprised if he wouldn’t have had a smart response.
Where will he announce his withdrawel is a meaningless, smart-ass question. IMHO.
All –
Don’t get the wrong idea here – Dodd had good answers to both questions (although, IMO, the haircut question caught him by surprise, as it followed non-frivolous questions). The point I was making wasn’t that these questions are unanswerable; it was that they are ambush politics (no answer is going to ever see the light of day unless there is a gaffe) and they add nothing to the discourse.
Again IMO, these kinds of questions have little to no relevance to how the candidates relate to the average Joe – I am much more worried about how their policies effect average people, for example calling for universal health care, than I am how much Edwards pays to get his hair cut, Guliana understating the price of milk by 3/4, or Bush I being fascinated by the supermarket checkout scanner. News Flash: Politicians live in a bubble!
Also, this thread seems to have devolved into a debate about media bias – a debate that cannot possibly be productive since each side is convinced that they are right and the other side are lunatics (if you don’t know where I stand, you haven’t been paying attention). This post wasn’t about media bias, however. It could have been Guiliani getting those questions and I would have written the same thing. There are actual questions that can be asked that don’t make a casual observer feel dirty…
I agree Gabe, I tried to make the point that this wasn’t about bias and got sucked in myself
I still want to hear Stark go on about how real progess is being made in Iraq. (but the stubborn left-wing media that secretly wants America to fail over there, — just won’t report.
Olberman, Larry King, Chris Mathews — no, they’re not biased, no way …
Noreaster,
Why do you make this SOOOOOOOOOOO easy.
Olberman is the ONLY left leaner on cable.
Larry King hasn’t asked a tough question of any guests since his first heart attack.He’s the definition of NON-PARTISAN .He’s an equal opportunity ass kisser.
Chris Mathews Tries but the Irish Catholic guilt and the fact that he was obviously a failed jock when he was in high school ALWAYS comes through.Him and Timmeh are Jack Welch’s little lap dogs who will do whatever they’re told by corperate headquarters. Right now they’re both Promoting Rudy(thats GE corperate policy) and helping Hillary (because she is the only Dem who could unite the REPUBLICAN party) just like they’re being paid to do.
BTW– Keith, I am a Democrat. Just because someone disagrees with you, does not mean they are a member of the other party.
So Dude,
So far we’ve learned you were involved in an election and you’re a Democrat.
Care to come out of the closet?
Adam – I actually like PBS but don’t listen to NPR very much (for no other reason than the monotone makes me sleepy while driving).
As for their news reporting, I am wary of government run news casts and don’t care for the analysis on shows like the NewsHour.
TBCT – As for progress in Baghdad, I think by every objective measure everyone agrees that the Baghdad security plan has yielded some positive results over the last few weeks. Just the fact that reporters are out reporting from the streets again is a good sign.
As for Bosnia, I have no idea what you’re talking about. If anything the GOP pushed the Clinton administration into the bombing campaign and ground war. I supported that stop to ethnic cleansing too – much like I support our staying in Iraq to prevent a genocide.
As for Somalia, our retreat from that country is widely credited with having embldened Al Qaeda as it was there first test of American resolve in the region. So, yes, I was against that too.
Keith- why would I want to invite such an invasion of my privacy?
Point taken about NPR, but I still think its the best reporting on the air. As for the government run portion, they recieve a very small amount of money now from the government, and have proven more independent than the Corporate media.
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