But we can still slam David Brooks all night....
Jim Lehrer knows he's about as old-fashioned as a TV journalist can be these days.
In a TV news universe where some figures spout commentary one minute and news reports the next, Lehrer insists staffers on his NewsHour broadcast avoid opinionating. As one of the three anchors picked to moderate a presidential debate this year — his 11th — Lehrer vows to avoid the attention-getting questions from previous debates, saying "if people are talking about me or some question I have asked, then I have failed."
"It's the beginning of finalizing the sale, is what it really boils down to," said Lehrer, who will lead PBS's convention coverage throughout prime time, starting at 8 p.m. and running until events end each evening. "My guess is that the networks will regret the fact that they're not giving more coverage to it. Because people are going to be paying attention."
Featured Speakers
The speakers will include:[9]
* Tammy Baldwin, United States Representative from Wisconsin
* Xavier Becerra, United States Representative from California
* Barbara Boxer, United States Senator from California
* Anna Burger, chair of the Change to Win Federation
* Maria Cantwell, United States Senator from Washington
* Bob Casey, Jr., United States Senator from Pennsylvania
* John Chiang, State Controller of California
* John Conyers, United States Representative from Michigan
* Chet Culver, Governor of Iowa
* Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin
* Rahm Emanuel, United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus Chair
* David Gipp, President of United Tribes Technical College
* Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan
* Mike Honda, United States Representative from California
* Eleanor Holmes Norton, United States Representative from the District of Columbia
* Steny Hoyer, United States House of Representatives Majority Leader
* John Hutson, Republican, retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy
* Carolyn Kilpatrick, United States Representative from Michigan
* Amy Klobuchar, United States Senator from Minnesota
* Dennis Kucinich, United States Representative from Ohio
* Mary Landrieu, United States Senator from Louisiana
* Patrick Leahy, United States Senator from Vermont
* Blanche Lincoln, United States Senator from Arkansas
* Joe Manchin, Governor of West Virginia and chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association
* Claire McCaskill, United States Senator from Missouri
* Barbara Mikulski, United States Senator from Maryland
* Nancy Floyd, founder of Nth Power
* Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
* Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts
* Charles Rangel, United States Representative from New York
* Ed Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania
* Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood of America
* David Paterson, Governor of New York
* Federico Peña, former United States Secretary of Energy and Transportation
* Linda Sanchez, United States Representative from California
* Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana
* Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas
* Ted Sorensen, author and advisor to President John F. Kennedy
* Debbie Stabenow, United States Senator from Michigan
* Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio
* John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO
* Bennie Thompson, United States Representative from Mississippi
* Chris Van Hollen, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
* Nydia Velazquez, United States Representative from New York
* Jim Whitaker, Republican mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska