After the Republican Presidential Debate in South Carolina where Newt Gingrich slammed moderator John King for beginning the debate about his ex-wife, all eyes were on the Florida debate's moderator Wolf Blitzer. The issues covered in Thursday's debate were quite typical, such as immigration, healthcare, taxes and the economy; but the way the questioned were asked was anything but ordinary.
During many debates, candidates tend to avoid certain questions or give ambiguous answers, but Blitzer was determined to get answers from the presidential hopefuls, especially Gingrich. It is possible that Gingrich's attack on King helped fuel his South Carolina victory. He appeared to try and take the same abrasive approach against Blitzer, but it was not quite as successful. At one point in the debate, Blitzer addressed Gingrich's attack against Mitt Romney's financial accounts, but he refused to answer, claiming that the question was "nonsense."
"But, Mr. Speaker, you made an issue of this, this week, when you said that, 'He lives in a world of Swiss bank and Cayman Island bank accounts.' I didn't say that. You did." Blitzer fired back.
It appears that this took Gingrich off guard and there was even booing from the audience. I believe that Blitzer went into the debate knowing that Gingrich would likely attempt to talk down to the moderator and did a tremendous job of retaliating. Blitzer also served to be a great moderator in this debate by making sure all four candidates had time to address his questions. This was quite different from the "Newt and Mitt Show" that took place during the South Carolina debate. Overall, I believe that Blitzer did an exemplary job at moderating the debate and hope that future moderators will continue to use his strong focus to address the issues.
During many debates, candidates tend to avoid certain questions or give ambiguous answers, but Blitzer was determined to get answers from the presidential hopefuls, especially Gingrich. It is possible that Gingrich's attack on King helped fuel his South Carolina victory. He appeared to try and take the same abrasive approach against Blitzer, but it was not quite as successful. At one point in the debate, Blitzer addressed Gingrich's attack against Mitt Romney's financial accounts, but he refused to answer, claiming that the question was "nonsense."
"But, Mr. Speaker, you made an issue of this, this week, when you said that, 'He lives in a world of Swiss bank and Cayman Island bank accounts.' I didn't say that. You did." Blitzer fired back.
It appears that this took Gingrich off guard and there was even booing from the audience. I believe that Blitzer went into the debate knowing that Gingrich would likely attempt to talk down to the moderator and did a tremendous job of retaliating. Blitzer also served to be a great moderator in this debate by making sure all four candidates had time to address his questions. This was quite different from the "Newt and Mitt Show" that took place during the South Carolina debate. Overall, I believe that Blitzer did an exemplary job at moderating the debate and hope that future moderators will continue to use his strong focus to address the issues.