Just received a response to my Barbara West complaint ...

[TACstrat]

HERE'S MY COMPLAINT ABOUT BARABARA WEST -

What a pathetic attempt at labeling Obama a "Marxist" and a "socialist" by disguising these inflammatory comments in the form of asinine questions to Joe Biden. Barbara West is not a reporter, she is a political hack and should be fired as a news anchor. Biden responded appropriately and respectfully to her partisan questions and made her look like like a fool. She needs to find a job where it is appropriate to express her misinformed opinion .



HERE'S THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED -

Dear Viewer:

Thank you for taking time to contact us regarding Barbara West's recent interview with democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden.

The Obama campaign contacted us last week offering Senator Biden, via satellite, for a short interview. Barbara West, one of our most experienced anchors, was asked to interview Senator Biden, just as she had been on previous occasions.

It is our goal at Eyewitness News when interviewing any political candidate or public official to ask them a direct question about an issue currently in the public debate. Last week, when much of the political discourse centered on Senator Obama's statement to 'Joe the Plumber' that he thought 'sharing the wealth' was a good idea, Barbara decided to ask Senator Biden just how far an Obama-Biden administration would go in 'sharing the wealth'. What followed was very pointed, provocative question. We allowed Senator Biden to answer, fully unedited.

We tell our reporters and news anchors to ask the questions that one of our viewers might ask. For example, when Senator Obama visited Lakeland recently, Barbara (knowing her time with a presidential candidate would be limited) asked Senator Obama two questions: first, about drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico; and, second, about his position on the space program. The Senator's answers dominated the news cycle for the next day.

You can see all of Barbara's interviews with political candidates at WFTV.com including one she just did Monday with Senator John McCain.

Perhaps more than any other presidential election in recent memory, this current election has stirred passions - some of them quite partisan - in many people. Through it all, we believe our mission is to address vital issues that we will face together, regardless of our own personal views with thorough, even handed reporting.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Translation: Talk to the hand.

[Coexist]

2. yup.

[Eric J in MN]

3. They did a good job of defending that interview.

I don't know if they should defend that interview, but...

[jberryhill]

4. She did ask similarly "are you kidding?" type questions to McCain

There was one question along the lines of "Why are you losing?"

While not as weird a question to ask of a US Senator as "Explain why you are not a Marxist?", you gotta wonder what kind of answer one is hoping to get out of a presidential candidate a week before the election to explain why he is losing.

[Arrowhead2k1]

6. I guess she flubbed the question to McCain and cut it short somehow.

I have word that she initially had intended to ask McCain "Why are you losing? I mean it's not like you're the angry commie black man trying to take over our great US of A with trite liberal nonsense ideals. So why Senator McCain? WHY ARE YOU LOSING? Maybe Palin and Limbaugh should take over...". ;)

[Hellataz]

5. Ridiculous. West conducted that interview with bias.

None of her questions were based in facts. She basically just repeated accusation from McCain stump speech to get Biden to say something stupid, but instead he had a natural reaction and call her our for asking lame questions.

[Hellataz]

11. She was just on Larry King...

(Well just on as in PST and tivo'd)
Larry tried to ask her about her questioning and she freaked out and said she wasn't there to defend herself or debate her questions. And then went on to say that she just asked "tough questions" and Biden couldn't answer them...you mean like how you couldn't answer Larry Kings questions?
Larry also revealed that she is a republican and her husband was a republican strategist. She quickly tried to clarify how that didn't mean anything.

This women is a piece of work, I'm glad Larry tried to call her out.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Randi Rhodes said that the McCain interview was a series of softballs

If she's asks "such tough questions", why wasn't McLame given the same treatment?

[Left Is Write]

8. You'll notice they didn't capitalize "Democratic" -

they referred to Biden as the "democratic Vice Presidential candidate" rather than the "Democratic Vice Presidential candidate."

[jillan]

9. Well at least they answered.

Seriously - most people don't.

It's bs, but it's an answer.

[TACstrat]

10. Anyone else get the same response? Heard they got 10,000 e-mails - n/t

[nannycee]

13. I did! n/t

[cliffordu]

12. I sent her the filthiest insult I could come up with, and I didn't call her a name.

[high density]

14. An issue in the public debate:

Is Barack Obama Karl Marx or not?

Yeah, that's a valid issue. :eyes: