The Bay Area TV News Anchors That Could Or (Could Not) Moderate Tonight's Clinton-Trump Presidential Debate; 415 Media Monday Opener

 TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT. The Main Event we've all been waiting for --most of us at least. An estimated 100 million people around the country and globe will watch at least parts of the first Presidential Debate --Trump versus Clinton, with NBC anchor, Lester Holt moderating. That might be the bigger story, perhaps.

Holt's task seems unfair and borders on him be criticized no matter what. We'll have to wait and see.

But it reminds me of a question: What Bay Area anchor could moderate this debate? Who has the gumption to ask the tough questions and be versatile enough, (or not) to pull off a herculean task to say the least?

Not many, if at all--let's go down the line. First, the contenders. Later, the pretenders. (Mixed sample)

*Dan Ashley : KGO (ABC7) would have the chops to moderate. Ashley has tremendous knowledge of politics and both foreign and domestic affairs. He's also a cool customer and fair. If confronted with an edgy moment, I'm sure he'd be able to neutralize the situation and proceed.

*Raj Mathai: KNTV (NBC Bay Area) This might surprise you because the youthful Southbay native seems to some extent unworthy to moderate a debate but Mathai has a wealth of political acumen and a strong demeanor. That would certainly be a plus given the tension-rising environment that exists between these two candidates.

*Frank Somerville: KTVU (Fox2) Although I've been critical with Frank's overly-righteous takes on Facebook, I also acknowledge he's an intelligent, well-informed and professional anchor that would be able to execute this endeavor. Somerville asks, for the most part, good questions and is no pushover when it comes to follow-ups. I'd expect him to be fair too which as previously noted, is the toughest part of this gig, just ask Lester Holt.

*Allen Martin: KPIX (KPIX5) Look, I've never doubted Martin's news depth and acumen. It's his demeanor and presence that I have issues with, that said, Martin would be great as a moderator in this situation. You read right: great. Why? Because Martin doesn't take a lot of crap. He's supposedly tough as nails which I believe even though he comes off sometimes as holier than thou. If Martin were to take the mask off and present himself more candidly he'd be even better as an anchor. But there's no denying he could officiate tonight's Trump/Clinton showdown.

*Carolyn Tyler: KGO (ABC7) I've always admired and respected this underrated newswoman on the weekend with over thirty years of experience and a vast knowledge of both the local and national political scene. Tyler isn't the most glamorous anchor but she has no fear either and she knows her business. And she's one tenacious interviewer too. Which is semi-foreign in this market. Tyler would be spectacular for this position.

The Pretenders.


*Pam Moore: KRON: Friendly, professional, hard-working, fairly decent anchor. But debate moderator? Nope. That's not to denigrate Moore who is fairly adept and politically knowledgeable it's just not that easy a job to carry this particular gig off.




*A Final Note:

This is a tough assessment but I do believe accurate. Of course it's all subjective; I'm sure you can add some people to the list and subtract too.

You'll notice that I chose only one woman to the Contender list and that's not a knock on women, just a frank evaluation of who I think could execute the role
and those that could not and it just so happens there's only one woman (in my opinion, duh.) who is able to do so.

You may feel otherwise. Of course you do.

Civil Debate and Discourse: The Lost Art in America

Last Thursday on my radio show I began the program with a guest, Drew Remenda, (of all people), the San Jose Sharks terrific color analyst on cable, (CSN California).

I mention, "of all people", because Remenda appeared on the program to talk hockey at about the time many thousands of mourners were gathering inside the HP Pavilion for a memorial service honoring the two fallen Santa Cruz Police officers that were ambushed a few weeks back.

I had debated whether or not it was appropriate to have on a sports person in light of what was taking place in the very building where Drew did the interview. Talk about surreal. I finally relented and decided the interview would proceed. I'm glad we talked.

The first ten minutes were devoted to the memorial service; the tragic events that led to the officers' demise. Remenda talked about his kids asking him "what's going on there in, (San Jose)?", and how he broke the news that two police officers were shot and killed and were being memorialized.

Remenda is a Canadian. Outside of a few exceptions, there's not a lot of gun-related homicides in Canada. Knifes, yes, as he pointed out, but guns, not so much. I made it a point not to get bogged down in a gun-control discussion because it wasn't the time nor the place but Remenda, again, of all people, offered the idea of how difficult it is in our country to simply sit down and talk about a very serious issue. That the concept of a reasonable dialogue and national town-hall discussion(s) dealing with something so profound, so immensely on the mind and conscience of nearly all Americans was so difficult to take place.

I agree with Drew. Furthermore, the idea that collectively, we all are unwilling, or simply incapable of having a reasonable dialogue without any shouting, any ad-hominem attacks speaks volumes about our society as a whole. There's several reasons for this predicament we're in; part of it deals with the present polarization of the country; the us vs. them mentality that has been cemented by the cable channels and reinforced by their amen corner. What is a decidedly gray area, (like gun-control), has been turned into a black and white issue with each side dug in and devoid of the prospect of a fairly ordinary, polite discussion. It's a shame we can't even agree to simply talk. And when we do talk, inevitably it gets so heated and personal we're unable or unwilling to respect the other side's feelings and opinions.

That's rather sad if you ask me.

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