"Are we going to have audio?"
"Vamos a tener audio?"
Reporters who didn't speak Spanish were already anxious about the translation devices that didn't quite fit in our ears. (Porque soy de California, yo hablo un poquito Espanol.)
But 90 seconds before the forum began tonight, the Media Room had no sound - not in Spanish, English or French. Nada.
Spanish- and English-speaking reporters in the room erupted in a panic, sending University of Miami staff scrambling to try and fix the feed. What most reporters heard for the first 16 minutes of the debate was static - both from the closed television feed and from the translation device.
Even Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) seemed to have trouble, yanking the earpiece from his ear mid-way through his answer to a question on Iraq.
Spanish-speaking reporters (and there are many here) heard only English once the audio feed was adjusted, and everyone is complaining of a headache from the static.
"I should just drive home so I can actually do my job," a local reporter whined.
As if everyone's blood pressure was not high enough, the video signal from the stadium down the hallway from the Media Room kept failing.
"This is totally ridiculous," a Miami Herald scribe complained.
-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (11)
This debate is a sham and a shame. These democratic presidential candiates won't appear on Fox News yet here they are debating all in spanish and on a spanish news network. It's a traitorous act.
Posted by Manny Ornelas | September 9, 2007 8:41 PM
Pathetic. The democrats continue their attempts to balkanize us even further with their pandering to every ethnic group they can think of. I thought we were all americans. I guess they will have a french debate, a chinese debate, etc. etc.
Posted by Roninacreage | September 9, 2007 10:10 PM
Manny - you have to love a mindset where not bowing to the conservative media's every whim is, "traitorous." Millions of Americans, yes, Americans speak Spanish as their first language and watch Spanish language programming. The circumstances you're having a tantrum over are but two of the many reasons that the Republicans are going to have their clocks cleaned in '08. But please... don't wise up. We like running the table.
Posted by Wonderful | September 9, 2007 10:13 PM
Really? A traitorous act? Do you plan on pressing charges? How about asking the Justice Dept to prosecute?
Posted by Jay | September 9, 2007 10:43 PM
The way this debate was conducted, in Spanish, harms America by discouraging assimilation.
When you come to the New World, you must put off the things of the Old. That includes when you cross the border to El Norte. Become an American, or don't move to America.
Posted by L | September 9, 2007 11:04 PM
This is what you have to look forward to. A country run by a Spanish speaking Democratic bureacracy.
It's gonna look just like Mexico.
Posted by Lee | September 10, 2007 12:13 AM
Complexities can't be dealt with through compartmentalization, i.e. it will take care of itself. Just imagine this with a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq with no contingency plans. How's that for a question for the candidates, either in Spanish, English or French.
Posted by Larry Stone | September 10, 2007 2:11 AM
"Its a traiterous act"? Glad to see your not losing the run of yourself there Manny. It's intelligent, fact-based and well thought out remarks like this that have made the Republican Party the beacon of sound and sane government that it is today....
Posted by Owen C | September 10, 2007 4:55 AM
It is amazing that several democrats running for a federal office spent so much time talking about ways to reward people who break federal law. Even the WaPo doesn't want any laws against illegal immigration enforced during a census, even against those who have stolen the identity of US citizens and are using the social security numbers of legal immigrants. This is absolutely insane that the same people who crow the rule of law are encouraging millions in Mexico to come on over and break our laws.
Posted by Karen | September 10, 2007 9:44 AM
Que Pasa?
Posted by Lamar Dezearn | September 10, 2007 9:49 AM
Just goes to show you AGAIN, that political positions are nothing more than token positions - all the real work gets done (or not done, in this case) by the people who know how to do their jobs.
Did you really think that either candidate would roll up their sleeves and assist in finding out what the technical problems were?
Heck no, their #1 job is to make you feel good about yourself - and you'll show your appreciation by putting them into office.
Posted by Michael Bailey | September 10, 2007 6:56 PM