Moderators' Scorecards

    By Florida Bill 

                                       The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) set up the debates, picked the moderators and then looked the other way as four of the five hand-picked assassins tore into Republican Donald Trump and allowed their favorite Democrat Hillary Clinton to click her heels.
                                        It would be hard for any viewer to deny that these supposedly neutral moderators had not ganged up on Trump.  Nevertheless, he still managed to fight his way through the painful process and, in the opinion of many, actually won two of the four debates.  In Trump's estimation, the debates were a part of the "rigged" apparatus against him, all masterminded by the dollar-driven Clinton, her boot-licking campaign chiefs and the "dishonest and corrupt" media.
                                          For the debates which were held between Sep. 3 and Oct. 19, the CPD named as moderators Matt Lauer and Lester Holt of NBC; Anderson Cooper of CNN; Martha Raddatz of ABC and Chris Wallace of Fox News.                                                                        The CPD holds itself out as an independent organization without affiliation with any political party and without preference for either candidate.  That would seem to be a reasonable assumption, except for the behavior of  four of the five moderators they selected, who behaved on the debate stage as though they were committed fans of Mrs. Clinton.
                                         The co-chairmen of the CPD are former GOP national committee chairman Frank J. Farenkopf and the Press secretary to President Clinton, Michael D. McCurry. Another 14 members comprise the commission.
                                          In reviewing the CPD roster, one key member that stands out is  Howard G. Buffett, son of Warren Buffett who has the distinction of being the third wealthiest person in the world.   Howard is a southern Illinois farmer and philanthropist, with a net worth of  $200 million, who spends his time doing good deeds throughout the world.  You can bet that Buffett follows the same drumbeat as his dad and with the Buffett name in play, his presence on the commission is powerful.  There is an old adage which states that the "apple never falls far from the tree." 
                                           Howard Buffett's father, Warren, a life- long Democrat, is a close friend and confidant of President Obama. In August, he announced that he was endorsing Hillary Clinton as his candidate to succeed Obama.  He has been a contributor of hers, overlooking her disingenuous nature and clear mishandling of classified emails, and has campaigned for her.  Buffett has also aided Clinton’s campaign by holding fundraising events for the Democratic nominee, and Politico reported in January that Buffett held a fundraiser for Clinton that charged $33,400 per person.
                                             With all of his money, the 86-year-old Buffett is powerful, beyond description.   In speeches he has castigated the Republican Trump as a businessman who has misled people about his business acumen and that he "has something to hide."  
                                            Also on the commission is former GOP Sen. John Danforth, a former Missouri senator who is an ordained Episcopalian priest. He served in the senate from 1976 to 1995, and his criticism of Trump is surprising.  Although he has not endorsed Mrs. Clinton, he has excoriated Trump in his latest book, "Reverence of Religion" for his wrongful appeal to some citizens. 
                                         "There's an audience for this self-proclaimed great man, and for the anger and hatefulness that he expresses," Danforth wrote of Trump.  
                                             The idea that the CPD is bipartisan and down the middle does not fly with me.  Just connect the dots, as some say.  Viewers of the debates, with the lone exception of the final one moderated by Chris Wallace, were led by solid backers of Mrs. Clinton.  Lauer, Cooper, Raddatz and Holt attempted to steam roll Trump with accusatory questions, interrupting him continually as he offered answers and explanations.  Sensitive areas dealing with the disingenuous nature  of Mrs. Clinton  and her mishandling of classified emails were pretty much glossed over.  Chris Wallace treated both candidates fairly in the final debate, asking each of them difficult and important questions. 
                                              NBC, CNN and ABC tend to be far to the left, and their stations' disdain for conservative and middle of the road views is often evident.  They are pulling hard for Hillary, pretty much ignoring her lifetime of telling lies, and her questionable competence as a United States senator and Secretary of State under President Obama. The pundits there and with other television networks ignore her attack upon the women who had been victimized and sexually assaulted by her husband.  Scores of books have been written about the Clintons and in a recent one by a former secret service agent who guarded the Clintons, Mrs. Clinton is depicted as a foul mouthed "dangerous woman" with an explosive temper who should never be the nation's President.  Legitimate questions about the "pay to play" rules of the Clinton Foundation continue to be ignored by the media gasbags in their role as moderators and on the tube.                     
                                              How can this commission be labeled "non partisan"?  It picked from the "pundit media bag"  people from three major news networks that are solidly in the liberal Clinton camp.  Their agenda was to come down hard on Trump, and the moderators followed the script. The idea that these hand picked "referees" could be fair was an impossible stretch.  
                                              
                                              
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