I want to defend Anderson Cooper, I do. The only way to do so is to believe that he meant to specify that the 47% that don’t pay federal taxes. Did he not do so because he didn’t, as moderator, want to engage himself in the debate of who actually pay or doesn’t pay what? But as a moderator isn’t it part of your job to challenge the candidates with factual questions? Or has it come to this, the moderator’s only job is to ensure that the candidates remain respectful to each other and fisticuffs don’t erupt? If Anderson had specifically stated that the 47% don’t pay federal income taxes because they are too poor but they pay every other tax, that would have changed the dynamic of the debate certainly, but we will never know how. A pity.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Anderson Cooper Makes Big Gaffe At GOP Debate In Las Vegas
19 Wednesday Oct 2011
Posted in Uncategorized
laurieanichols 
Isn’t this the way it’s supposed to be? These Republican presidential candidates are allowed to spew outrageous lies and distortions and accuse President Obama of everything that ails this country because they claim he wants to destroy it. Neither Cooper nor any other so-called journalist that hosts these debates is bothered by lies and distortions as long as they get ratings!
Somehow, I don’t think that this is how it is supposed to be, at one time the fourth estate was an important part of the political process. Their function was to question and challenge our politicians in order to inform the electorate. Journalists should not be advertisers and they shouldn’t be just presenting their corporate bosses point of view. Independent journalism should be given a chance to moderate so that we can get a better dissection of their platform.