5 Presidential Debate Moderators Better Than Jim Lehrer
After last night's kerfuffle during the debates, Jim Lehrer may be regretting his decision to come out of semi-retirement to moderate his 12th presidential debate.
The veteran PBS anchor drew the ire of social media hounds, as Twitizens quickly deemed Lehrer's performance as being "too lenient" on the candidates, which went trending as #PoorJim. As critics and political pundits alike say that Jim Lehrer failed to keep control of the campaign's first direct exchange between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the night found both candidates talking over him as Lehrer attempted to keep them to time limitations.
With 12 days to go before these two presidential candidates meet again at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, we here at VIBE wanted to offer suggestions on who we'd like to see in the moderator's chair if we had a choice — because regardless of who won last night's debate — Jim Lehrer lost.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @VIBEMagazine and keep your eye on the prize!
The veteran PBS anchor drew the ire of social media hounds, as Twitizens quickly deemed Lehrer's performance as being "too lenient" on the candidates, which went trending as #PoorJim. As critics and political pundits alike say that Jim Lehrer failed to keep control of the campaign's first direct exchange between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the night found both candidates talking over him as Lehrer attempted to keep them to time limitations.
With 12 days to go before these two presidential candidates meet again at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, we here at VIBE wanted to offer suggestions on who we'd like to see in the moderator's chair if we had a choice — because regardless of who won last night's debate — Jim Lehrer lost.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @VIBEMagazine and keep your eye on the prize!
MODERATOR: Gwen Ifill —
Although the debates are already scheduled, with CNN's Candy Crowley handling the next one, PBS Washington Week host Gwen Ifill would make a more qualified moderator. Ifill has been the one in the seat as she has moderated the previous two vice presidential debates.
Qualified, dignified and unabashed, Gwen Ifill wouldn't falter in front of the spotlight as her PBS cohort did last night. The groundbreaking African-American female broadcaster also brings in the numbers, as both her 2008 and 1992 VP debates brought in 69.9 million viewers, respectively. High viewership aside, Ms. Ifill would ask the tough hitting questions that the American public want to hear the answers to.
MODERATOR: Big Bird —
Through all the night's won economics talk, Mitt Romney made the clearest proclamation that he may end up taking back if we were to have our next selection be the moderator for the next debate. Romney's promise to defund public broadcasting meant that both Jim Lehrer and Big Bird would suffer at the unemployment line with no help from the government.
If Romney likes Big Bird so much then he wouldn't mind having to answer questions from the friendly yellow bird when the candidates take the stage at Lynn University. At last night's presidential debates, the "Sesame Street" character was certainly a star of the evening, garnering a wave of support on social networks and countless affectionate tweets.
MODERATOR: Y U NO GUY —
What last night's debate was missing was a straight-forward, in-your-face edge that would have kept both candidate's restrained from interruption and on track with their answers. Since Jim Lehrer looked more like a substitute teacher getting bullied by his students, Y U NO GUY wouldn't stand for the malarkey.
His shorthand questions using carefree grammar would not only keep the web ablaze, but it would also keep the candidates in from thinking they could overrun the debate. Y U NO Guy's unique facial expression, full of frustration and rage, represents the pulse of the American public—making the 2012 Presidential Debates an engaging learning experience.
MODERATOR: Andreas Hale —
Blessed with a mean pen game, Andreas Hale has been behind some of the most poignant questions within the online Hip-Hop generation. From questioning the motives of bling-bling rappers to inquiring why BET continues to shovel bad content down Black America's throats, Hale would make for a better moderator than Jim Lehrer simply because he refuses to let either candidate lie or slack on the issues important to ALL Americans.
Hale's brand of interviewing would make for great television, place a heated spotlight on the issues and the candidates themselves, and give pundits proper context for this years presidential election. No matter what, Mr. Hale wouldn't allow either Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama to overstep the rules and play their own game.
MODERATOR: Ice-T —
Armed with a "tell-it-like-it-is" attitude, Ice-T, a.k.a "The Original Gangsta," would bring an element that is very much the essence of politics. Tough, straight-forward, honest, with a brash sense of pimpin' that makes the game look easy, Ice-T would offer a "no frills" approach to moderating that would make Twitizens and Americans alike forget about Jim Lehrer's meek performance.
We could just hear the "Colors" MC retorting against both Obama and Romney's commentary on the nation, saying, "If Trump is small business... I'm homeless!" Or, "How many times are you both going to say 'TRILLION'? Don't the Chinese own our arses?!" If anything there is one thing that you can count on is that Ice-T won't budge from the truth for the sake of the American public.
