Competing political telecasts
Fox has learned nothing
The competing Republican presidential television events this week in Des Moines were largely embarrassing spectacles that were hard to watch.
Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis sniped at each other for two looonnnggg hours on CNN. As a teleproduction, it was fine. Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium looked like a million bucks. Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash did what they could to ask substantive policy questions. With the field narrowed to two candidates, I had hoped there would be an adult discussion of the issues that affect Iowans’ lives.
No such luck. DeSantis attacked Haley from his opening statement. She responded by promoting a website that lists DeSantis’ lies. In fact, she leaned heavily on mentioning the website, wrapping herself in it as if it were a coat of armor.
The best comment I read about the “debate” was by magazine editor Katherine Mangu-Ward in a New York Times editorial: “This debate was like being at a dinner party with a couple on the verge of divorce.” In other words, awkward!
The same editorial quoted the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative’s own Robert Leonard, who was a lot more generous. “Haley owned the stage,” Leonard wrote. “She was smart, quick-witted and knowledgeable, and her foreign policy experience would serve us well.”
Leonard was less generous to DeSantis: “…he came across as stale, disgruntled and small.” “A man this petty and cruel shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office, especially behind the desk. We’ve already tried that.” Bob, we’ll put you down as neutral!
Fox doesn’t challenge Trump - or its viewers
Meantime, Fox “News” apparently has learned nothing since forking over $787 million dollars to settle one lawsuit over its habit of giving conservative viewers what they think they want to hear, rather than actually reporting the news, whether its core viewers like it or not.
Fox turned over an hour of live primetime to Donald Trump in front of a mostly friendly audience in downtown Des Moines. Point a live camera at Trump, push a button, and out comes an endless stream of distortions, misrepresentations, history-rewriting and pure fantasy. Moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum did little to challenge Trump’s assertions.
Questions largely came from Iowa Republican audience members, who before they could ask their question, had to reveal who they planned to caucus for Monday night. Shocking no one, most smiled and said, “You, Mr. President.” Then Trump would say, “I love you!” You can imagine the softball questions that followed.
Trump should have been on the debate stage at Drake with DeSantis and Haley, defending his record. What was Fox thinking? Fox hosted the first two GOP candidate debates last fall, and Trump skipped them both. Why just roll over and let Trump have an hour of open mic time?
Because that’s what Fox does – give its core audience what it wants. I watched with interest Tuesday’s cable network news coverage of the arguments before the DC Court of Appeals, where Trump is trying to have the criminal indictments against him for election interference thrown out.
The court permitted live audio of the hearing. Both CNN and MSNBC carried the coverage live. With cameras not allowed in federal court, live audio is the next best thing. Both CNN and MSNBC did a good job of putting up still pictures and graphics to help viewers visualize what was happening in court.
Over on Fox? You guessed it. No live coverage. Instead, Fox ran its typical Biden-bashing stories, demanding to know why Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin kept his hospitalization secret, and blasting Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas over border issues.
Both are legitimate news stories, but Fox apparently is unwilling to pause its Biden-bashing long enough to provide live coverage of the former president of the United States in court arguing he has complete immunity. I can only surmise Fox feels its viewers don’t want to hear about Trump’s criminal indictments and would be upset to learn that Trump feels that a president could even assassinate his opponents and escape criminal liability so long as the Senate doesn’t convict him in an impeachment trial.
Is live audio the solution to a problem?
Final point: Kudos to the US Court of Appeals for allowing the live audio. Normally, cameras and microphones are not permitted in federal court. Judges who oppose live coverage are worried the camera might tempt a lawyer or defendant to grandstand. That certainly is a legitimate concern with Trump. So maybe live audio is the best solution. Americans get to hear from themselves what’s being said in court, but Trump is unable to mug for the cameras. Perhaps that’s a wise policy for the upcoming Trump criminal trials. If and when they ever happen, of course.
This week I recommend reading Cheryl Tevis’ column tying the book banning scene from Field of Dreams to the hypocrisy of current day Iowa laws banning books from school libraries.
Others in the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative:
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, Roundup
Steph Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Rob Gray: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Chris Jones, Chris’s Substack, Des Moines
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters from Iowans, Iowa
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor, Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Kali White VanBaale, 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
And thanks to Iowa Capital Dispatch for running selected columns from our writers!
Dave—You just showed what real informed commentary looks like. Emphasis on informed! Well said. Thank you!
Just a quick observation.... per your reference to Robert Leonard’s observation on DeSantis: (“...he came across as stale, disgruntled and small.” “A man this petty and cruel shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office, especially behind the desk. We’ve already tried that.”) I immediately thought of Kim Reynolds and her obvious quest to be, dare I say, Mrs. Madame Veep on the DeSantis Ticket. Stale, disgruntled, small, petty, cruel.