ABC Blows It!

Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films at 11:49 AM on April 17, 2008.

ABC News desperately wanted to provoke controversy in last night's Democratic debate. Why else would they have wasted half of the debate on inconsequential topics like Bosnia fire, Reverend Wright, and the "bitterness" of Pennsylvanians? Why else would George Stephanopoulos have taken the incendiary remarks of FOX's Sean Hannity regarding Weather Underground and try to pass them off as his own question? The FOXification of the mainstream media has just gone from bad to ludicrous. And if it was controversy ABC was clamoring for, it was certainly controversy they got.

As the boos became audible towards the end of ABC's coverage, Charlie Gibson threw up his hands playfully and said, "The crowd's turning on me. The crowd is turning on me." Well Charlie, I know we Philadelphians have the reputation for being unduly harsh—it's widely held that we once booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game, after all—but every single jeer you heard last night was more than justifiable.

If Pennsylvanians (and the rest of America, for that matter) are bitter about anything, it's that ABC squandered a golden opportunity to allow two Presidential hopefuls to discuss issues like the Iraq War Recession we're currently suffering. This was ABC's last chance to elevate discourse to a national level, but instead you focused on the mucky politics of irrelevance. As Will Bunch seethed in his Daily News blog, "There almost isn't enough space—and this is cyberspace, where room is unlimited—to list all the things you could have asked about but did not."

So what to do now? Let's create an alternative solution! In the comment section, write us the questions you think ABC should've asked Senators Clinton and Obama last night. Play moderator for a minute... If there is one question you would like our Democratic candidates to answer, one issue they should address, what would it be? We'll compile the answers and make sure your voices are heard.

And don't forget to sign MoveOn's petition. It's time we let ABC know what we're truly bitter about!

Tagged as: 2008 election, abc news

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.