ABC’s Nightline Skewers GOP Debate as ‘Reality Show Getting Realer by the Day’

November 11th, 2015 2:59 AM

Without a hint of irony, the most superficial network news show in ABC’s Nightline mocked Tuesday’s Fox Business Network Republican debate on their early Wednesday morning installment as nothing more than a “reality show” along the lines of The Bachelor and Survivor “where the stakes couldn’t be higher.”

Leading off the show, correspondent David Wright hyped that the fourth debate in Wisconsin was “a reality show where the stakes couldn't be higher” in a larger race where “[t]his time next year right about now, in fact, one of the apprentices on that stage will either win 270 electoral votes....or not, one year from this week, it's all over.”

After playing various clips of Donald Trump telling contestants on NBC’s The Apprentice that they were “fired,” Wright declared that “the presidential reality show is getting realer by the day” as “New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was voted off the island because of his poor poll numbers.”

Wright again turned to a soundbite of a key phrase from a reality show as he showed CBS’s Survivor host Jeff Probst telling a contestant that “[t]he tribe has spoken” to beef up his analogy concerning Christie. 

In addition, Wright placed on-screen a photo-shopped picture of Christie standing in a small boat in the middle of the ocean to represent Christie “surviving to debate at the so-called kiddie table but not with the big boys.”

Just to keep the comparisons going for a few more seconds, Wright plugged a long-standing reality show from ABC’s stable of primetime shows as similar to the campaign to become the 2016 Republican presidential nominee: “Like contestants on The Bachelor or in her [Carly Fiorina’s] case, The Bachelorette hoping to win that rose.”

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As for the moderators, Wright observed that they ensured “tonight's debate was distinguished by the absence of sharp attacks” and “steered clear of any inkling they were going for a gotcha” question.

Describing the questions by Maria Bartiromo, Gerard Baker, and Neil Cavuto as “[s]ubstantive” and “[p]ointedly unpointed,” Wright affirmed that “Fox Business clearly sought to avoid any suggestion they were trying to provoke a food fight.”

Further, he later added that “[t]he candidates provid[ed] the fireworks while the panel pretty much ducked.”

Along with rehashing continued media questions concerning Ben Carson’s biography and post-debate analysis from ABC’s Matthew Dowd, Wright concluded by touting a tweet from the Hillary Clinton campaign: “But immediately after the debate signed off, Hillary Clinton's campaign tweeted out this image of her looking bored. #GOPDebate.”

The relevant portions of the transcript from ABC’s Nightline on November 11 can be found below.

ABC’s Nightline
November 11, 2015
12:40 a.m. Eastern

DAVID WRIGHT: It's a reality show where the stakes couldn't be higher. 

[DEBATE BUZZER]

NEIL CAVUTO: It sounds like a game show but it's not. 

WRIGHT: This time next year right about now, in fact, one of the apprentices on that stage will either win 270 electoral votes or — 

DONALD TRUMP [on NBC’s The Apprentice]: You're fired. [SCREEN WIPE] You're fired. [SCREEN WIPE] You're fired. 

WRIGHT:  — or not, one year from this week, it's all over. 

CAVUTO: And so we begin. 

WRIGHT: And so the presidential reality show is getting realer by the day. Tonight, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was voted off the island because of his poor poll numbers —

JEFF PROBST [on CBS’s Survivor]: The tribe has spoken.

WRIGHT: — surviving to debate at the so-called kiddie table but not with the big boys. Like contestants on The Bachelor or in her case, The Bachelorette hoping to win that rose. 

(....)

WRIGHT: But for the most part, tonight's debate was distinguished by the absence of sharp attacks. Tonight, the moderators steered clear of any inkling they were going for a gotcha. Their questions — 

MARIA BARTIROMO: What specific steps would you take to balance the budget.

WRIGHT: Substantive. 

GERARD BAKER: How do you reassure Americans their jobs —

REPUBLICAN SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (Fl.): Well, you know, that’s an excellent question. 

WRIGHT: Pointedly unpointed. 

BARTIROMO: What specific regulations would you change and how will that lead to jobs and growth? 

WRIGHT: Fox Business clearly sought to avoid any suggestion they were trying to provoke a food fight. 

NEIL CAVUTO: Business issues can be — can be riveting. 

WRIGHT: For the other candidates, that made it all the more difficult to force a make or break moment. So did anybody succeed? 

MATTHEW DOWD: I think this debate now is show that basically we're probably down to four candidates this race is, which is Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. 

(....)

WRIGHT: The candidates providing the fireworks while the panel pretty much ducked.

(....)

DOWD: I think the winners tonight were probably Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. If I was putting on a bet on a stock, I would put them as buy. I would put Jeb as a sell. 

WRIGHT: But immediately after the debate signed off, Hillary Clinton's campaign tweeted out this image of her looking bored. #GOPDebate.