Contact: Bob Sturm, 703-396-6974; Ryan Rogge, 703-396-6971; after 6 PM Eastern & on weekends, Bob Sturm, 703-307-8176; Ryan Rogge, 703-674-6948
MANASSAS, Va., Sept. 7, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, issued the following statement regarding the Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California:
"Are Republicans the Party of stupid? When it comes to presidential debates, they sure look that way.
"The Politico--NBC News event at the Reagan Library marks the first in a month-long marathon of baby seal hunts in which liberal reporters and commentators club Republican candidates for president in a ritual Democrats would never tolerate during their nomination process.
"The evening's questions to Republicans will come from liberal sources such as John F. Harris of Politico, the same publication that accused Rick Perry of being too stupid to be president; NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, whose reporting on presidential politics has become the Michele Bachmann gaffe patrol; and Spanish-language TV Telemundo's Jose Diaz-Balart, whose network has committed to focusing on immigration in every newscast.
"Imagine a debate among the Democratic candidates for President in which Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Laura Ingraham asked the questions. It will never happen because the Democrats don’t feel the need to pander to the conservative media the way Republicans are willing to pander to the establishment press.
"Indeed, there are a host of examples where the Obama White House has tried or threatened to freeze out FOX reporters and others who ask tough questions. And lest we forget, in 2007, caving into the demands of MoveOn.org, the Democratic candidates for President all pulled out of a debate sponsored by FOX News because of what MoveOn claimed was FOX's Republican bias.
"To many Tea Party and conservative activists, the winner of the debate will not be the candidate who best answers the questions, but the candidate who best challenges the conventional wisdom of the liberals asking the questions.
"If Republicans want to get their message out, they are going to have to show some spine and get tough with the establishment media."
NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (Washington Times). He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.
