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Mitt Romney Makes Reporter Agree Not To Ask About Todd Akin Or Abortion

pbrauer

pbrauer

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:lamo It seems as though, Romney is really Akin over abortion.


Mitt Romney Makes Reporter Agree Not To Ask About Todd Akin Or Abortion | Mediaite


The Republican presidential ticket’s Todd Akin tragedy has now entered the third stage, bargaining. In a comical effort to wish the Akin story out of existence, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney forced Denver CBS reporter Shaun Boyd to agree not to ask any questions about the Todd Akin controversy, or the issue of abortion. The Democratic National Committee and the Obama campaign leapt on the news with relish, distributing the video, and a brief memo, to reporters.
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Romney didn't "force" the reporter to do anything... or not do anything. Any reporter who would agree to such a stipulation has no backbone and no journalistic credibility.
 
radcen said:
Romney didn't "force" the reporter to do anything... or not do anything. Any reporter who would agree to such a stipulation has no backbone and no journalistic credibility.
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So basically all Fox News reporters? :)
 
Journalists don't work the way the used to. The need to stay in the confines of the interviewee's topics or they risk losing access to that interviewee in the future. If all journalists ran the show (rather than letting their subjects call the shots) we wouldn't have this problem, but they've generally lost the power they used to have and now exist as the third branch of government.
 
I fail to see the controversy here. Romney's already spoken on Akin, has no authority over Akin, and Akin isn't a significant issue in relation to the state of the nation. Let his constituents speak on election day and move on to something that actually matters. Honestly, I'd much rather BOTH presidential candidates stopped focusing on non-issue bull**** and started driving the conversation towards the issues.
 
tessaesque said:
Honestly, I'd much rather BOTH presidential candidates stopped focusing on non-issue bull**** and started driving the conversation towards the issues.
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If I had a nickel for every time those words have been spoken throughout history - I'd be rich. Of course, you are spot on right.

However, to remove Abortion off the table is kind of disingenuous. But, the reporter has to keep in good spirits in case Romney gets in so it is politics on a different level.
 
tessaesque said:
I fail to see the controversy here. Romney's already spoken on Akin, has no authority over Akin, and Akin isn't a significant issue in relation to the state of the nation. Let his constituents speak on election day and move on to something that actually matters. Honestly, I'd much rather BOTH presidential candidates stopped focusing on non-issue bull**** and started driving the conversation towards the issues.
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To me, though, it's bothersome when a man who wants to be President wants to avoid the tough questions. Is that what he's going to tell Putin "Don't ask me any questions about missile defense, Vladimirovich."

The tough questions that you don't want to answer come with the job. Akin's comments are an easy one compared to what he'd face as President.
 
vauge said:
If I had a nickel for every time those words have been spoken throughout history - I'd be rich. Of course, you are spot on right.

However, to remove Abortion off the table is kind of disingenuous. But, the reporter has to keep in good spirits in case Romney gets in so it is politics on a different level.
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Yeah, I didn't mention the abortion request because I don't agree with that, but I fully support taking Akin out of the discussion.
 
rocket88 said:
To me, though, it's bothersome when a man who wants to be President wants to avoid the tough questions. Is that what he's going to tell Putin "Don't ask me any questions about missile defense, Vladimirovich."

The tough questions that you don't want to answer come with the job. Akin's comments are an easy one compared to what he'd face as President.
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Akin has nothing to do with anything pertinent. "Tough" question or not, it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense and it has no business in the election cycle. Obama and his campaign staff taking every single opportunity to promote the media obsession with non-issues is also super cowardly, IMO. Why can't they just focus on what matters? If he thinks he's truly deserving of reelection he should be able to focus on the issues and not a bunch of unrelated crap and veiled personal attacks.

I'm just over this petty game. They all need to grow up, and the media is the absolute worst when it comes to this crap.
 
tessaesque said:
I fail to see the controversy here. Romney's already spoken on Akin, has no authority over Akin, and Akin isn't a significant issue in relation to the state of the nation. Let his constituents speak on election day and move on to something that actually matters. Honestly, I'd much rather BOTH presidential candidates stopped focusing on non-issue bull**** and started driving the conversation towards the issues.
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Well, in electoral campaigns both sides try to use every chance they get to pick on the opposite and, if Mitt Romney asked a reported not to ask any questions regarding the subject, it is because he knows he would probably get some fire from the democratic campaign.
 
rocket88 said:
To me, though, it's bothersome when a man who wants to be President wants to avoid the tough questions. Is that what he's going to tell Putin "Don't ask me any questions about missile defense, Vladimirovich."

The tough questions that you don't want to answer come with the job. Akin's comments are an easy one compared to what he'd face as President.
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They all want to avoid the tough and possibly embarrassing questions...but your right romney seems to be more astute at avoiding any questions he doenst like....that might change during the upcoming debates...he may be forced to answer some
 
tessaesque said:
Akin has nothing to do with anything pertinent. "Tough" question or not, it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense and it has no business in the election cycle. Obama and his campaign staff taking every single opportunity to promote the media obsession with non-issues is also super cowardly, IMO. Why can't they just focus on what matters? If he thinks he's truly deserving of reelection he should be able to focus on the issues and not a bunch of unrelated crap and veiled personal attacks.

I'm just over this petty game. They all need to grow up, and the media is the absolute worst when it comes to this crap.
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Wait a second...the akin incident has every right to be the election cycle...he made a statement about a very prominent issue...the GOP choose to jump in the fray themselves before any media was involved at all...some condemning him and some defending him...and that included Romny...Romny brought himself into the fray and once you do that...you get asked questions about it...that is normal....and obama is subjected to the same thing as well as all democrat and republican candidates...akin made his own bed here no one else made it for him
 
tessaesque said:
Akin has nothing to do with anything pertinent. "Tough" question or not, it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense and it has no business in the election cycle. Obama and his campaign staff taking every single opportunity to promote the media obsession with non-issues is also super cowardly, IMO. Why can't they just focus on what matters? If he thinks he's truly deserving of reelection he should be able to focus on the issues and not a bunch of unrelated crap and veiled personal attacks.

I'm just over this petty game. They all need to grow up, and the media is the absolute worst when it comes to this crap.
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Of course it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense, but that's still stuff you have to deal with as President.

BTW, when it comes to non-issues that people are obsessed with, Obama had to have a press conference unveiling his Birth Certificate. Talk about nonsense. But he had to deal with it. It's part of the job. You want the job, you deal with a lot of nonsense.
 
lpast said:
Wait a second...the akin incident has every right to be the election cycle...he made a statement about a very prominent issue...the GOP choose to jump in the fray themselves before any media was involved at all...some condemning him and some defending him...and that included Romny...Romny brought himself into the fray and once you do that...you get asked questions about it...that is normal....and obama is subjected to the same thing as well as all democrat and republican candidates...akin made his own bed here no one else made it for him
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Romney didn't comment until right before the withdraw deadline and made one statement. And he shouldn't have. Because the Akin issue will be decided by the voters of his state as it should be. Romney's already said as much as he needs to say about. It isn't a national issue. Akin being an idiot and saying stupid things isn't going to fix the economy, resolve foreign policy issues, bring peace to the middle east, solve our education problems, solve our energy issues, or reduce our debt.

It is insignificant. The fact that you don't see that is scary.
 
rocket88 said:
Of course it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense, but that's still stuff you have to deal with as President.

BTW, when it comes to non-issues that people are obsessed with, Obama had to have a press conference unveiling his Birth Certificate. Talk about nonsense. But he had to deal with it. It's part of the job. You want the job, you deal with a lot of nonsense.
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All candidates want to use the media when they choose too and then condemn them the rest of the time and so do all their supporters on both sides.....Like the media or not if it wasnt for them...candidates would never tell us a single truth about anything....
 
rocket88 said:
Of course it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense, but that's still stuff you have to deal with as President.

BTW, when it comes to non-issues that people are obsessed with, Obama had to have a press conference unveiling his Birth Certificate. Talk about nonsense. But he had to deal with it. It's part of the job. You want the job, you deal with a lot of nonsense.
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It's only nonsense because we, the electorate, buy into it. I called the BC crap out for what it was when it was happening. Just because it happened before doesn't mean it needs to keep happening. Maybe if more people stopped shrugging their shoulders and saying, "Oh well, distractions are just part of the process" and started instead saying, "Hey, assholes, focus on what matters. Hey, media, **** off and ask real questions."...well maybe we'd actually move forward.

But justifying it because it's the "norm"? That's just sad.
 
tessaesque said:
Romney didn't comment until right before the withdraw deadline and made one statement. And he shouldn't have. Because the Akin issue will be decided by the voters of his state as it should be. Romney's already said as much as he needs to say about. It isn't a national issue. Akin being an idiot and saying stupid things isn't going to fix the economy, resolve foreign policy issues, bring peace to the middle east, solve our education problems, solve our energy issues, or reduce our debt.

It is insignificant. The fact that you don't see that is scary.
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I dont believe thats accurate Tessaque...romney came out right away with a statement...albeit not very forceful either way and when he said the firestorm brewing he came out much more forcefully and even told akin to drop out...to which akin responded for romny to mind his business and worry about his campaign...sorry but I see the republicans as creating this problem for themselves to largest degree
 
tessaesque said:
Akin has nothing to do with anything pertinent. "Tough" question or not, it's a bunch of media-hyped nonsense and it has no business in the election cycle. Obama and his campaign staff taking every single opportunity to promote the media obsession with non-issues is also super cowardly, IMO. Why can't they just focus on what matters? If he thinks he's truly deserving of reelection he should be able to focus on the issues and not a bunch of unrelated crap and veiled personal attacks.

I'm just over this petty game. They all need to grow up, and the media is the absolute worst when it comes to this crap.
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I fully agree with you that the Akin shouldn't be an issue, however, this is a perfect example of Romney getting a pass on his "request" to this reporter to not ask any Akin questions by the right.

Had Obama done something similiar we would be hearing from the right side of the house how Obama is acting like a dictator, how dare he interfere with free speech, if he doesn't want the hard questions asked resign, etc.

Seems a little hypocritical to me.
 
TheNextEra said:
I fully agree with you that the Akin shouldn't be an issue, however, this is a perfect example of Romney getting a pass on his "request" to this reporter to not ask any Akin questions by the right.

Had Obama done something similiar we would be hearing from the right side of the house how Obama is acting like a dictator, how dare he interfere with free speech, if he doesn't want the hard questions asked resign, etc.

Seems a little hypocritical to me.
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Pretty sure the outrage has been consistent in both cases. Obama has limited press access and while he may not have requested that certain topics be avoided, he's flat out refused to answer questions before.

Personally? I don't have a problem with either. The press don't have a right to an answer to every question they ask.
 
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