Politics | 10/02/2008 10:00 am

Veep Debate Moderator Gwen Ifill Questioned Over Conflict of Interest

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Gwen Ifill / PBS.org

Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin aren’t the only ones under fire — even the moderator of tonight’s debate is feeling the heat.

Gwen Ifill, 52, has been accused by mainstream reporters and bloggers of being in favor of Barack Obama — especially since a chapter in her upcoming book will be about how the presidential hopeful has impacted American history. Ifill, who is writing The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, which is scheduled for release January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day, did not inform the debate commission about her book, the AP reports.

And now people are questioning Ifill’s objectivity.

"Nonpartisan, my foot," Post columnist Michelle Malkin wrote in her October 1 column.

The book is expected to deal with several African American politicians, including Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, MA Gov. Deval Patrick and Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker. The publisher, Doubleday, an imprint of Random House, writes on their official website that the book: "Surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power. The book explains why the age of Obama is a "pivotal moment in American history."

Republican presidential nominee John McCain, however, praised Ifill in an interview Wednesday with FOX News Channel, reports the AP: "I think Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think she will do a completely objective job because she is a highly respected professional."

Ifill, a veteran journalist, is the host and managing editor of PBS’s "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." In 2004 she moderated the vice-presidential debate between John Edwards and Dick Cheney.

Ifill suggested to the AP that the assumptions may be racially biased.

"Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon (who is white) when he wrote his book about Reagan?"

She also told The Washington Post:

"No one’s ever assumed a white reporter can’t cover a white candidate."

Watch the clip below, which was posted on YouTube in September, that describes Gwen Ifill’s upcoming book, The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama:

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33 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Leave Gwen alone - in my next life, I want to be her - she’ll be just fine

By Chips AHoey on 10/02/2008 9:43 am

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ROFL - now if the shoe were on the other foot don’t you think we’d be hearing the ‘same’ thing?

By OMGIAMGOING NUTS on 10/02/2008 9:48 am

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Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 Ask Everyone You Know: “Are You Registered to Vote?” Friends, Our attention has been consumed with Wall Street drama and the comedy event of the season — tonight’s vice-presidential debate — but many people don’t realize that in most states if you’re not registered to vote by Monday, you cannot vote for president in November. In some states, the deadline is as early as this Saturday! Will you do me a favor? Beginning right now, will you start asking everyone you know if they are registered to vote? Before you say hello, will you ask, “Hey, are you registered to vote here in (name of town)? ‘Cause the deadline is Monday, and you have to be registered where you live.” (Click here to find out what the deadline is in your state and click here to find out what the procedures are to sign up and vote. If you are a college student and want to find out where your vote counts most, click here.) For the next couple of days, each of us has to do whatever we can to get people registered. Especially people who have recently moved, or students who are at college (students can vote where they go to school). Obama’s two strongest bases — young people and African Americans — are traditionally the two groups who have the lowest voter registration and the lowest voter turnout. For Obama to win, this must change — and it has to change today or tomorrow, not next week. So send an email to everyone in your address book and attach this link so they know how to register and what the deadline is. Call the local Obama headquarters or the NAACP or black pastors or student Dems and offer your time to register people this weekend. It’s called “the ground game,” and it’s where we always lose to the Republicans. Each of us need to commit to doing something in the next 48 hours to get the unregistered registered. The more enlightened states allow you to register the day you vote. But in most places the deadline to register is this Monday, October 6th at 5pm. Thanks for taking the time to make sure everyone you know is registered, and for helping them out if they’re not. Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com P.S. Tonight, the Senate passed an even worse “bailout” bill than the one the House defeated on Monday night. Only 25 Senators (and most of them for the wrong reasons) voted “No.” It now moves to the House for a vote, possibly on Friday. Why did Obama and Biden vote for it? I think we all know the answer. Let’s keep our eye on the ball of removing the Republicans from the White House, but let tonight be our first reminder that our work is not finished on November 4th when Obama wins. The struggle between what is best for the people and what is best in order to line the pockets of Wall Street will continue. 150 million Americans combined can’t even match the wealth of the richest 400 Americans. All we have is our vote. And there will always be more of us than them. We will all need to become more politically active if we are going to get our democracy back. P.P.S. Bill Maher’s new film, “Religulous,” opens tomorrow. It’s

By Eliza Dodd on 10/02/2008 10:07 am

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Eliza, Stop posting Michael Moore’s letter all over this site or I’m going to report you for spamming.

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/02/2008 12:53 pm

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I’m fine with Eliza’s posting Michael Moore, Lucinda. Your post, however, is a little obnoxious.

By Mugsy Peabody on 10/02/2008 5:31 pm

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Mugsy, She’s posted it on other pages on this site. That’s not the what this web site is all about. Fine to encourage people to register to vote, but I don’t need to read Michael Moore’s letter over and over.So yes, I do consider it to be spam.

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/02/2008 5:43 pm

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Okay, Lucinda, thanks for explaining. I get that.

By Mugsy Peabody on 10/02/2008 5:57 pm

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Mugsy, I’m sorry if I sounded obnoxious, but Michael Moore’s letter has appeared at least 7 times. Truly. Enough already!

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/02/2008 6:15 pm

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Mugsy, I’m sorry if I sounded obnoxious, but Michael Moore’s letter has appeared at least 7 times. Truly. Enough already!

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/02/2008 6:15 pm

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L.H. I also appreciate reading Michael Moore’s words. Thanks Mugsy for posting them, so I can keep abreast of the latest issues. Also Lucinda, if you don’t need to read Michael Moore’s letters I encourage you not to read them. i have not seen them plastered everywhere as you seem to imply. If it is true, I may also complain a bit - I believe this is a site for and by women, so male writers should not be overwhelmingly printed here… occasionally, yes - maybe?

By Ro H on 10/04/2008 4:09 am

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Ro, It was Eliza not Mugsy who posted Michael Moore’s letter and I have counted 7 times that it has been posted —- and it was this time that I said ENOUGH!

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/04/2008 9:37 am

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I enjoyed reading Michael Moore’s letter. Thank you for sharing this, Eliza

By True Taylor on 10/02/2008 4:16 pm

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Spread the Ad for the Sake of Healthcare By Donna Smith, PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare Co-chair October 1, 2008 We have just a few weeks left to seal the deal for our nation. If we are to make healthcare a higher priority than warfare, we must elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Under their leadership, we can finally hope to bring an end to the over-investment in war and the under-investment in providing guaranteed healthcare to every American. One Heartbeat Away, an ad sponsored by one of our closest partners in the fight for single payer, guaranteed healthcare is the 85,000-member National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association NNOC/CNA, begins a run this morning in six battleground states—Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri. Fostered by the growing concern among healthcare professionals over the health status of Sen. John McCain, the ad also provides a reminder of some of the controversial moments of Palin’s record as governor of Alaska and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. The timing of the ad coincides with a report Tuesday from Bragg Associates, an actuary firm, that John McCain would have a 1 in 4 chance of dying in office from natural causes, which would lead to Palin completing his term. Watch the ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRY3njcGgWU Concurrently, NNOC/CNA leaders called on Sen. McCain, who has a history of skin cancer, to release his full medical records. As one of the national co-chairs of PDA’s Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign, I know the PDA community understands that electing the Obama-Biden ticket is critical in the healthcare fight. Under a McCain-Palin administration, we would surely find ourselves struggling to hang onto even what we have now—and would most likely lose ground. And losing ground in the healthcare battle means more Americans die without access to healthcare. So, help us spread the word and spread the ad… And, let’s make sure the outcome on Nov 5 is a “healthy” one. Site Design by Virgo Graphics

By Eliza Dodd on 10/02/2008 6:20 pm

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The book info was on the web for months… didn’t someone do their homework ? Everyone is for someone… we can’t let Ms. Palin go all the way to an election and never talk to us. Ms. Ifill was always aware of the fact that anything she asks will be scrutinized later… unless Ms. Palin has an answer and then it will be the only thing we see in the spin. She will be professional and this is just another attempt for the Republicans to pre-explain problems and lessen the impact. Game on…

By Mary NSB-Florida on 10/02/2008 10:09 am

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I have watched her for years on PBS. She is not an antagonistic, nor is she sarcastic. Gwen Ifil is a professional. What strikes me most, are the efforts being made by those who seemingly rah-rah for McCain, to ‘protect Palin’ from any and all who might want to know who she really is!

By Patty E on 10/02/2008 10:10 am