MRC’s Brent Bozell: ABC Debate Moderators Could Be Fair, But They Probably Won’t

On Debate Day, MRC founder and president L. Brent Bozell appeared on the Fox Business program Varney & Co. to discuss our latest research into ABC News coverage of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. On moderator David Muir’s newscast World News Tonight, MRC’s Rich Noyes found Harris drew 100 percent positive coverage (not including soundbites of partisans) and Trump’s coverage was 93 percent negative (by the same measure). 

Fox host Stuart Varney said, “That doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a fair debate. What do you say?”

BOZELL: This is ABC, not necessarily David Muir. This is ABC, the network — and 93% negative on Donald Trump 100% positive to Kamala Harris. Why the Trump campaign agreed to do this debate on ABC, I simply don’t understand. Because It’s the worst, it’s the absolute worst network. The question is can David Muir be fair, tough, and even-handed in the debate?

I’ll give you an example of how easy it is to do it. Everyone is focused on immigration right now. If I were David Muir, I would turn to Donald Trump and say, “President Trump, you have advocated returning illegals back to Mexico. Explain yourself.” And when he did, turn to Kamala Harris and say “Vice President Harris, what’s your response to that?”. Then turn to Vice President Harris and say “You’ve advocated de-criminalizing people crossing the border illegally, explain yourself.” Then turn to Donald Trump and say “President Trump, respond.” Now this is just very simple and that would be a fantastic debate if they were to do it that way. Unfortunately, if past is prologue, it’s not going to happen.

Then Varney posited: “You can skew the debate by the issues you choose. I’d expect ABC tonight to skew heavily in favor of abortion. Several abortion questions because they think that’s a strong suit of Kamala Harris and skew the debate like that.”

Bozell responded that abortion is not an issue that most Americans care about (or prioritize), compared to other radical stands Harris has taken we found in our MRC poll of Biden voters, both Democrats and independents:

BOZELL: If you want to address what the American people, what the voters care about – if you were looking at issues where the American people don’t have a clear understanding, especially Democrats – 71 percent don’t know she supports the defunding of police, 73% don’t know she endorsed the Green New Deal, 81% don’t know she wanted to eliminate private health insurance. It goes down the list,  issue by issue by issue. She’s a radical liberal.

Now, if that were established and the Democrats and American people were to say, good, because we are too. She wins the presidency and that’s democracy. Or the American people might be shocked by her radicalism. That’s the role of a debater – moderator, to bring that out of the candidates, let them know exactly where they stand.