It's Official The "Journalists" Given A Star Turn AT the Debates Are To Allow Trump To Lie

I will not be listening to the alleged presidential debate tonight, I've known who I was going to vote for ever since the Democratic nominee was obvious, back in about March so there isn't any reason to put myself through the grief of listening to Trump lie, to the "moderator" and the alleged journalists asking the questions which will almost certainly be slanted to his benefit and her loss.   In the little I've seen of the set-up for them, the American media that matters, the TV and radio outlets, are declaring all he has to do is avoid killing a baby or eating a live chicken for him to win.  This is the year that the complete irresponsibility and corruption of the American media has reached a low, you wonder what the next new low will be, there doesn't seem to be any lowest level they can't find a lower one to sink to.

These  presidential "debates" are and have been a load of crap since the first one in 1960 and they've gotten steadily worse.   To show what a fraud they are Janet Brown the, now, long time head of the Presidential Debate Commission has already agreed with Donald Trump that when he lies the questioners and "moderator" shouldn't point out that he has lied.

Since the reason for having them in those positions are their status as alleged journalists, any of them who agreed to such a rule on such a potentially important occasion, to sit politely as someone who might be the president lies through his teeth, as they know they are lying is an outrageous rule.  The entire exercise, if not to compel truth-telling among the candidates, is turned into an empty fraud by Janet Brown's fiat.   Any alleged journalist who would abide by such a rule has no business getting the publicity of being a questioner or retaining the status as a journalist.  Any who agree to such a rule should stand as being discredited by their disservice to the truth and the right of The People to the truth.

I have looked to find out who Janet Brown is and why she has the position she does and I haven't been able to find out much.   Her connections have, tellingly, been through Republican politicians and officials.  This four-year-old blog post contains more information about her than I've been able to find elsewhere in the time I've got this morning.

Who is Janet H. Brown?

Very few people seem to know. Which would be fine, if she weren’t one of the most powerful people in politics. At least on paper. Ms. Brown has, for the past quarter century, been the head of the Commission on Presidential Debates, the bipartisan entity that controls every aspect of the three nationally televised debate-like events held every election cycle. With each cycle, they become a more important part of the electoral process — although they haven’t historically had as much impact on voters as most people think, that very misconception has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing them to become more and more popular. Pundits in the 24-hour news cycle obsess endlessly over them as a bellwether of each campaign’s momentum.

Just the two campaigns, that is. Janet H. Brown, year in and year out, makes sure of that.

Janet H. Brown, year in and year out, makes sure of that. A member of President Reagan’s budget staff, as well as a staffer for Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Missouri) and British Ambassador and former Nixon Defense Secretary Elliot L. Richardson, her identity is otherwise murky. The New York Times ran a Dewar’s Profile-style puff piece on her recently, a bit of fluff which revealed nothing deeper than her TV watching habits.

With her declaration that journalists who know that a presidential candidate is lying are to pretend they don't know it, she has certainly discredited herself and the entire show.

And it is a show, these aren't and haven't been debates.   A real debate doesn't have celebrity TV "journalists" asking fluff or tough questions based on who they obviously like, they have two sides taking opposite positions arguing the merits and faults of the positions on the question.   Though those are also a show, an entertainment, they actually could carry substantial information instead of the statements, gaffs and mistakes which will become the sum total of the "debate" in the entirely predictable instant analyses on the broadcast and cabloid venues and the morning radio and TV "news".   And, this year, in particular, those will slant against Hillary Clinton no matter how well she does.  They will not admit that she is probably the most qualified candidate for the American presidency in modern history whose opponent is certainly one of the two least qualified since Warren Harding, though that is a simple and hard fact which, suppressed, could lead the country into complete disaster next year.  Such is the result when journalism turns into a moutpiece of oligarchy and "debates" turn into TV reality shows.  TV "reality" made Donald Trump what he is today.   It has turned the profession of journalism into something that considers Lester Holt a wise and eminent journalist.  As an example of what a huge liar Trump is, he's already said Holt is a Democrat, he isn't, he's a registered Republican.   Another of the "journalists" tapped for the star turn is Chris Wallace, son of Mike, who says he doesn't see his role as making sure the candidates don't lie.  Since he's worked most of his career at FOX, that's no surprise.  His place of business is all about lying and has played a vital role in creating the Trump presidency through giving him a national soap box from which to lie for the past several years.

So I won't bother watching it.  I don't trust much of anything that gets on American TV or radio.