Conservatives expressed irritation during Thursday night’s debate with moderator Martha Raddatz, who they said let Vice President Biden repeatedly break into Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanOn The Money: Senate confirms Gensler to lead SEC | Senate GOP to face off over earmarks next week | Top Republican on House tax panel to retire Trump faces test of power with early endorsements Lobbying world MORE’s answers.
ABC reporter Raddatz didn’t interject to allow Ryan to finish, some conservatives noted on Twitter.
National Review reporter Katrina Trinko said Raddatz was being “walked over” by Biden.
Raddatz is totally being walked all over by Biden. She's letting him get by with murder in time of talking.
— Katrina Trinko (@KatrinaTrinko) October 12, 2012
Washington Examiner editorial writer David Freddoso said Raddatz and Biden were ganging up on Ryan.
Ryan is outnumbered here. It's two against one.
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) October 12, 2012
Washington Examiner editorial writer Philip Klein said Raddatz was taking signals from Biden and cutting off Ryan, but not doing the same when Ryan tried to derail Biden.
Every time Biden starts interrupting Ryan, Martha Raddatz cuts Ryan off.
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) October 12, 2012
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham and American Enterprise Fellow Marc Thiessen concurred.
Why does Raddatz want to "move on" when Ryan is getting traction?
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 12, 2012
Martha, no interrupting joe?
— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) October 12, 2012
But Herman Cain, the former Republican candidate for the presidential nomination, stepped up to defend Raddatz from claims of "bias."
Martha teed up some very good questions. Not biased, but she failed to remind #Biden that his constant interruptions did not add to debate
— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) October 12, 2012
Some conservatives were outraged earlier this week over a report that President Obama was a guest at the 1991 wedding of Raddatz, ABC News’s senior foreign affairs correspondent. Glenn Beck raised the issue in another tweet.
The Obama's at the wedding is paying off... he must have bought Raddatz one hell of a toaster
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) October 12, 2012
ABC News spokesman called accusations that Raddatz has a conflict of interest "absurd." There is no evidence that Obama and Raddatz are close, but the president is friends with her ex-husband, Julius Genachowski.
Genachowski was a classmate with Obama at Harvard Law School, and both worked on the Harvard Law Review. Genachowski advised Obama during his 2008 presidential run, and now chairs the Federal Communications Commission.
Genachowski and Raddatz had a son together but divorced in 1997. They have both remarried.
The script is flipped from last week’s presidential debate, when liberals said debate moderator Jim Lehrer didn’t do enough to direct the tempo or the content of the debate. Many Obama supporters seemed overtly pleased with Raddatz's performance during Thursday's debate.
Martha Raddatz is best moderator ever!!!
— Eva Longoria (@EvaLongoria) October 12, 2012
Raddatz already WAY better than the last guy
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 12, 2012
—Brendan Sasso and Alicia M. Cohn contributed to this report.
Updated at 11:28 p.m.
