Monday, November 19, 2007

Dem debate: Questions sprouted from CNN plants

I didn't watch last week's Democratic Presidential Debate that was held in Las Vegas.

Jenny Bea of PC Exposed did. And as I learned while listening to yesterday evening's Andrea Shea King Show, the debate ended Thursday, but Bea's work was just beginning.

Shortly after the debate, word spread that the first audience member to ask a question--a random person--was Catherine Jackson--who took part in a counter demonstration of a group that protested in front of Senator Harry Reid's office--the protesters were opposed to Reid's anti-war stance.

CNN: The most trusted name in news.

Then there this run-of-the-mill voter, Maria Luisa. Below is what Bea found out about her, first beginning her research among the CNN transcripts of the debate.

But the transcripts said her name was Maria Parra-Sandoval and she was a student at UNLV, and in the video clips of that question, that’s what she said her name was. Interesting that no one picked that up. So I popped her name into my Yahoo search engine to discover that Luisa is her middle name, her full name is Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, and she worked in Harry Reid’s office in Nevada and DC. (Picture on page 23) She was also invited as a guest on the floor off the 74th session of Nevada Legislature, by a man named Rubin Kihuen, he was elected in 2006 and a member of the Nevada Assembly Democrats. Upon further research and a tip from a commenter on another message board, it turns out that she came here illegally from Mexico as a child with her family, but since gained legal status, and has won scholarships to attend UNLV.

Maria Luisa is Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, and her picture is in the yearbook on one of the Nevada government web sites, in addition, her name is listed as one of Harry Reid's staff.

When I found out, I nearly fell out of my chair. So what about the rest of them?

Another "typical voter" who asked a question was Khalid Khan. But Bea discovered it just so happens he's the President of the Islamic Society of Nevada.

LaShannon Spencer is the former director of political affairs for the Democratic Party in Little Rock, Arkansas. She asked a question, too. Another "average person" eager to exercise her franchise next November, right?

Jenny has done an amazing job exposing CNN with her exhaustive research. Once again, here is her post. And she's still doing some digging amidst the plants.

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Related posts:

Roger L. Simon: Obama doesn't want to be president

Hillary victim of a "gotcha" moment in Philly debate

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