What do you think CNN and NBC should do (details inside)?

It is to early to deal with this election shit.

They should not cover the convention. Or do so afterwards via other network’s footage and pause every speech/debate every time there’s an objective logical fallacy or factual misstatement/misrepresentation to point it out with the appropriate icon and brief explanation/correction before continuing to play the footage.

I think they should air the Hillary Clinton special. I’m sure it will attract more viewers. serious answer

I think they should go ahead and not attend and act like spoilt children. So HIllary gets a special so she can talk about Dem talking point after Dem talking point. Neither party says anything new and original.

@KNOWITALL what if they decided to retaliate and refuse to broadcast anything have to do with the Republican national campaign? Would that be an acceptable response to what, in my way of thinking, amounts to attempted blackmail?

@johnpowell Amen

I think they should go ahead and air the special and let the chips fall where they may. Who will get hurt the most if the Republican convention isn’t covered by the networks?

they air the specials. Don’t get bullied by the republican fascist party. Now the republicans are into censorship!!

what are they afraid of?

@rojo Sure, it’s not blackmail, it’s a child stomping their foot in impotent rage. Politics have become so incredibly childish on both sides, that it’s more amusing than irritating to me.

Anyone who relies on that nonsense to make up their minds barely deserves a vote in my personal opinion when we have past records to review, books to read, interviews to watch, etc…

@KNOWITALL :: You do realize that CNN and NBC want to attend but they are being told that they can’t by the RNC if they air the special. Here is a FoxNews link for you.

If anyone is is acting childish it is the RNC.

@johnpowell Yeah, I got that, it’s still ignorant. And yes, I’m a Republican, and I agree it’s childish.

*Note that I am not using any examples of Democratic childishness in retaliation either. I’m getting so mature with help from jellies, who knows, you may turn me someday. ;)

New meaning for RNC – - Really Negative Censorship.

I think that they should call their bluff. I bet they will back down.

It is a total bluff. Even if it is called, the Republican National Convention is basically a 4 day 12 hour media event. The RNC could never turn their back on such attention. And what if they did? NBC could run Law & Order reruns for 4 nights, and get more of an audience share than the RNC. As for the primary debates, I am sure they can find something else to run against them.

I am sure they can find something else to run against them.

They can re air the Hillary special, @filmfann. That’ll show em’.

More coverage of the Republican primary debates can only hurt the eventual Republican candidate. This is not a threat, it’s begging for favours.

As to what the networks should do, I agree with @gorillapaws.

What can be gained by submitting to attempted coercion?

I think it would be hilarious if they hired delegates to send out phone camera videos and only commented on what they got. Ask them to be creative and record the meetings.

So glad my Netflix doesn’t make me suffer through the election crap.

Brood of snakes.

The dems are bracing for Benghazigate that is sure to dominate the year so they are thinking ahead and offering a counter to that.

@woodcutter “Benghazigate that is sure to dominate the year

You realize that only people who watch Fox News care about this, right?

Wow, talk about hypocracy. During the 2008 primaries, the Democrats refused to debate on Fox. OK that was their right but nobody was up in arms then. When a network is obviously in the business to promote one candidate over another, why would you help them to do it. There were 13 debates in the last primary that were designed to get the Republicans to take personal shots at each other. The questions weren’t designed to inform but rather to inflame. The Democrats won’t do that, why should the Republicans.

Everyone is irate that corporations can advertise thier issue but you all have no problem with Hollywood, injecting thier bias into a race by calling it entertainment. I applaud the RNC for finally waking up to this obvious ploy. These guys can run whatever they like but don’t expect the Republicans to help them with thier smear campaign.

@Jaxk where is the hypocrisy?

I asked “What, if anything, should the network reactions or responses be to this?” I am being hypocritical because I did not ask this same question back in 2008? Nobody gave a shit then and as far as I can tell, no one is up in arms about it now either.

While I will not contest what you say about the debates I will point out that the debates are controlled by the two major parties using the Debate Commission to both keep out those candidates of whom they do not approve or that might make it harder for their own respective candidates and also to make sure all questions asked meet the “softball” guidelines they set. All questions have to be put out there beforehand so candidates know before going into the debate what they are going to be asked and the Commission does have the final say over what is asked.

While you say you can respect the Republicans for refusing to “help them with thier smear campaign.” can you also respect CNN and NBC if they choose not to air Republican candidates for the same reason?

Do you forsee the upcoming election where only Republicans debate on Fox and only Democrats on every other channel? Will this mean the end of Presidential Debates where the parties face off? And, honestly, at this point, would that be such a big loss?

@glacial said: “You realize that only people who watch Fox News care about this, right?”

Um, yeah. You just keep on thinking that :)

@woodcutter like it or not, at this point in time, and actually for the last. what? eleven months now, @glacial is and has been correct. It IS a non-issue. except with Fox viewers and Limbaugh dittoheads (or is that being redundant?).

I did just see a commercial where CNN is doing a special on Benghazi

@rojo

Personally, I like the debates. It is a chance for the candidates to face off against each other and explain their positions. But as with any debate the venue must be fair and impatial. Moserators should not inject themselves into the debate nor try to steer the debate one way or the other. We won’t get a totally impartial venue but we should at least try to eliminate the most obvious bias.

The debates are not exactly superbowl ratings but they are helpful to the networks that stage them. They should be awarded to those that can at least pretend to be impartial. No Democrat would debate with Sean Hannity as a moderator nor should any Republican debate with Raceal Maddow as moderator. There is very little integrity left in politics. The debates are the last impartial view we have of the candidates and the last election saw this eroded considerably.

If CNN and NBC choose not to air any debates, that’s their call. I will have no less respect for them than I do already (afterall, how could I). The networks air these things to get viewers. It is unlikely they will ignore it just to be petulent. I could be wrong about that however, I hate to underestimate these guys. They have a tendancy to follow thier ideology right into the ratings crapper.

@Jaxk Rachel Maddow is not the liberal Sean Hannity. Hannity ignores facts, and does his best to make his own point, while shouting at his guest. Maddow does state her beliefs, but allows the guest to state their own opinion, and she is more interested in the politics than the position.
Hannity is an embarrassment to media. Maddow is an example of how it should be done.

Keep in mind that Hannity is far to my right, while Maddow is far to my left.

@filmfann

I won’t defend either one of these two. My point is that they are both abrasive and manipulative. If you want to argue that Maddow is better at it, I don’t choose to argue.