Sep 14 2011
CNN Partners with Tea Party, Skews GOP Politics Further to the Right
The mainstream corporate news outlet, CNN, often painted as being a liberal news source, teamed up with the extremist right wing Political Action Committee, the Tea Party Express, for a debate among GOP candidates running for President. The debate, which aired Monday and was moderated by Wolf Blitzer, had an audience representing members of 150 Tea Party groups from around the country. Featured candidates included Texas Governor Rick Perry, the newcomer and apparently front runner, Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and former front runner, Ron Paul, Congressman from Texas, Michele Bachmann, House Representative from Minnesota and Tea Party favorite, Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania Senator, Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker, and Bill Huntsman, former Utah Governor. CNN has come under fire for teaming up with an overtly political organization like the Tea Party and further skewing the debate by making GOP candidates feel the heat from the far right. Monday’s debate was characterized by a number of disturbing moments such as Ron Paul agreeing that the best course of action for a hypothetical uninsured man who needed healthcare was to let him die. That response generated applause from the Tea Party audience. Additionally, Rick Perry’s signing of a DREAM-Act like law, and mandating the HPV vaccine for girls in Texas was attacked. Just a week ago, a debate sponsored by MSNBC and Politico raised a question about the record number of death row prisoners Perry has executed. When asked about the wild applause from the audience, Perry said he thinks “Americans understand justice.” He added that he never lost sleep worrying if any of the people he ordered killed might have been innocent. One blogger observing the GOP debates likens them to watching an episode from the Twilight Zone.
GUEST: Zach Carter is a Staff Reporter in The Huffington Post’s Washington D.C. office
Read Zach Carter’s writings at www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-carter
2 Responses to “CNN Partners with Tea Party, Skews GOP Politics Further to the Right”
“Ron Paul agreeing that the best course of action for a hypothetical uninsured man who needed healthcare was to let him die.” That’s absolutly wrong. The author is a big liar!!!
RP didn’t say that – it was a few d-bags in the audience who said that… the same d-bags who booed his explanation for why terrorists attack us.
find any other politician who wants to bring all our troops home – then you can tell me that RP is too far to the right