The Democratic debate sparked fury around the Nation this past week - the effects of which - are still being felt in various quarters.
At issue?
The way moderators at ABC handled the televised squabble.
The heat is off the democratic candidates for a change as Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos cringe in the crossfire in the wake of the debacle.
Yes, I'm wearing a cheshire grin, ear to ear. Over the years, political pundit - Stephanopoulos - has been a little too "smooth" for my salt 'n pepper taste.
Disgruntled viewers on the war path have posted a multitude of negative barbs on ABC's Webbie News site.
Quite a gaggle of 'em have threatened to abandon ship and find trustier media shores elsewhere.
Bottom line: to many, ABC sunk to a new low and displayed a grievous lack of professional integrity. "Tabloid news," screamed others.
For the most part, the general consensus appears to be that ABC's news "story" was not fair or unbiased. And, many media critics underscored that the focus was off-kilter.
"Trivial and irrelevant," lamented some.
The tone? Flat, nauseous.
At a time when the ratings competition is fierce, the misstep by one of the network biggies was a windfall for others.
In fact, many rubbed their hands with glee on the sidelines and fell short of gloating on camera.
Rick Kaplan, an Execytuve News Producer at CBS said it best when he opined,
"It's never a good idea to irritate the audience."
Ya think?
Charles Gibson goes for the Debate, a sure thing?