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Marital, personal ties link Obama administration to Commission on Presidential Debates
The moderator of the lone October vice presidential debate was previously married to a top Obama official, an association both ABC News and the left-leaning Commission on Presidential Debates do not view as a conflict of interest.
ABC Senior Foreign Correspondent Martha Raddatz, whose role as moderator was announced on August 13, was previously married to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski — an Obama appointee.
Genachowki and Raddatz were married in 1991, the same year he graduated from Harvard Law School. Their marriage ended in 1997; the two have a son together. Raddatz does not report on the FCC for ABC News.
Genachowski and classmate Barack Obama worked together on the Harvard Law Review, Genachowski as notes editor and Obama as the publication’s president. They graduated in the same class.
ABC did not consider the disclosure of Raddatz’s ties to an Obama appointee necessary when it issued a press release announcing that the Commission on Presidential Debates had selected her to moderate the debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Rep. Paul Ryan.
It’s unclear if Raddatz knew Obama during the 1990s when she was married to Genachowski. Neither she nor Genachowski responded to The Daily Caller’s request for comment.
ABC declined The Daily Caller’s request for comment through spokesman David Ford, who also told TheDC that Raddatz would not be responding.
Commission on Presidential Debates co-chair Mike McCurry said his organization did not take Raddatz’ prior marriage into account when selecting her.
“We selected the moderators based on their reputations for integrity and journalistic impartiality among other things,” McCurry told TheDC. “What counts is the quality of their work, not who they may have been married to in the past.”
The Commission’s other Obama administration ties include several personal friends and political supporters of President Obama who are among its leaders.
Commission board member Newton Minow, who was FCC chairman under President John F. Kennedy, was an early and prominent supporter of Obama’s 2008 campaign.
It was during his time as a summer associate in 1989 at Minow’s Chicago law firm, Sidley & Austin LLP, that Obama was introduced to the influential members of Chicago’s political scene. Minow made many of those introductions himself.
Stirrin the B.S.
August 23rd, 2012
“…..We selected the moderators based on their reputations for integrity and journalistic impartiality among other things,” McCurry told TheDC…..”
HAA HAAA HAAA HHHAAA HHHAAAA HHHAAAAAA. Good one McCurry. Did you keep a straight face when you said it?
Oh wait, I just caught the “among other things” qualifier – such as whose nose was the brownest from kissing Bari’s ass?
IronyCurtain
August 23rd, 2012
This, unfortunately, is why we’ll lose on November 6th and I will quit the Republican party on Nov 7th.
This spineless party does not now, nor will it ever realize that it is running against the media.
When the Media Democrat Complex says, “Here’s the schedule for the first debate moderated by our own Liberal Media Hack #1″ the correct response is, “…Then here’s the schedule for the second debate moderated by Rush Limbaugh. Take it, or shove it up your ass.”
Liberals set the agenda, Republicans voluntarily tie both hands behind their backs, and we have to live with the consequences of socialism.
Stranded in Sonoma
August 23rd, 2012
In 2008, PBS hack propagandist Gwen Ifill “moderated” the second debate. When it was pointed out that she had a sanctimonious book about Barack Obama due out on January 20, 2009, she refused to recuse herself due to conflict of interest. She just didn’t see any and no socialist ever will.
Ms. Raddatz is just more of the same. I’m with @Irony on this one. The GOP should set their own schedule and their own moderators and say, “We’ve let the liberals control the narrative for too long. If the democrats want a debate, then they can answer questions from the likes of Limbaugh, Malkin, Whittle, and Boortz. We’ll be there. Do you have the backbone to show up and answer tough questions?”
If Romney loses, I’m blaming Ann Coulter. She’s the one that decided for everyone that ONLY Romney could defeat Obama. We’ll see.
RANDO
August 23rd, 2012
@ Irony– Well said.
When put that way, everyone (even a Republican) should be able to understand what we’re up against.
one mitt julep
August 23rd, 2012
the caller, really? this seems more like a michelle malkin thing
What Would Malkin Do?
Billy Fuster
August 23rd, 2012
Don’t take any action on this until the night of the debate. Then and there Paul Ryan can expose this on national TV–that is if he and the republican party has the guts.
scr_north
August 23rd, 2012
Where was Romney’s campaign team? Don’t they negotiate this stuff? Hell, Romney should tell them there will be no debates until Fox News is included. Geezuz, how many ex McCain staffers did they hire?
Chuck U Farley
August 23rd, 2012
Is there any doubt now that Obysmal & Bucket Head Joe will know the questions beforehand?
Can you spell “set-up” boys & girls? Betcha’ can!
Stranded in Sonoma
August 23rd, 2012
@Chuck — We’re talking about Obama and Biden. There is no way they will remember all the answers. They’ll have to have some type of communications device to be fed the answers. Just get one of the cameramen to put a signal interrupter on his camera and point it at Obama or Biden all the time. All they’ll hear in their earpieces is static.
One reason why I would love to have Limbaugh or Malkin be a moderator is the libtards will believe that the GOP candidate will get the questions before the debate. Fine. Have them come up with TWO lists of questions. One would be softball questions that is “leaked” beforehand and the second is a list of some very tough questions. I’d love to see Obama’s face when Michelle Malkin goes to ask the first question. Obama thinks he knows what it is but is completely flat-footed when a different question is asked. Suck on that, Barry!
Ma Deuce
August 23rd, 2012
” moderators were selected based on their reputations for integrity and journalistic impartiality”
Candy Crowley, Scheiffer, Raddass ? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Crowley will aspirate a handful of peanuts and be treated by EMTs. Schieffer is so senile he won’t know where he is and ask to be excused to change his Depends. What a farce! At least we won’t be subjected to the old bat Andrea Mitchell or hack Judy Woodruff.
I’d rather see Mark Levin and Billy Cunningham.
tretroller
August 26th, 2012
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