The recent statements casting doubts about the objectivity of Vice Presidential Debate moderator Gwen Ifill has thoroughly and absolutely disgusted me. Jim Geragty had absolutely no idea of the content of the book that Ifill has written other than the title, "Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama." Apparently he is under the impression that the book is a biography of Barack Obama, which - according to everything I have seen - is not the case.
Here is the breakdown of the book from Amazon.com.
In THE BREAKTHROUGH, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill 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.
Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed
during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men
and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the
1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders
as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and
U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama, and also covers up-and-coming
figures from across the nation. Drawing on interviews with power
brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell,
Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as
her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as
generational conflict and the "black enough" conundrum, Ifill shows why
this is a pivotal moment in American history.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential
foundation for understanding the future of American democracy.
Gwen Ifill is an African American. She was born September 29, 1955 in New York City. She grew up during the civil rights movement. Her choice of subject matter for her first book is brilliant due to the fact that its subject matter hits close to home for her. As any writer knows, you write what you know. And at this point, whether Obama wins this election or not, he is the FIRST African American candidate to win his party's nomination for President of the United States of America. This is HISTORY, people. 100 years from now, Obama will be remembered for "breaking the glass ceiling" for African Americans.
I find the entire "controversy" laughable.
Gwen Ifill should be applauded for her contributions to journalism, not attacked for writing what will likely be a very objective and well thought out examination of how far we have come since the Civil Rights Movement began.
This is just another example of the conservative agenda so impressively utilized by Bush, Cheney, and Rove in the 2004 election, attempting to cloud the issues. The issue here is whether or not Sarah Palin is ready for the job that Senator McCain has so irresponsibly offered her against his own party's advice.
Ifill will be objective as moderator. I have never seen her act in any way other than professional and objective. During the Edwards/Cheney debate she made one unfortunate misstep in her response to Vice President Cheney, but the fact of the matter is that it is the moderator's job to see to it that the format is maintained, and that means following the time constraints imposed. It was her responsibility to keep Vice President Cheney's response to 30 seconds, and he should not have even attempted to modify the format.
We shall see if my suppositions are correct in a few hours, but I expect that Gwen Ifill will remain objective, courteous, and strict in her moderation, despite the criticism and outrage that have been thrown in her direction over the last few days. I also expect that it will not make any difference. Her credibility and objectivity have been questioned, and that will continue to affect her no matter the outcome. This assassination of character has accomplished what was intended, and that is to absolutely nullify the results of the ONLY Vice Presidential debate that will occur during this election.
Karl Rove, I salute you. You have taught your disciples well.
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