Winning?

Can a moderator "win" a debate? They can if her name is Megyn Kelly, whose awesomeness is so great that she Chris Cilliza identified her as one of last night's debate "winners" (does she even know she was a candidate?). 

Though in damning her in a faint praise kind of way, Cilliza says "She was pointed, tough and well versed on the issues.... That she performed so well with so many eyes on her speaks incredibly highly of her abilities."

Wow. A TV news anchor making millions of dollars per year, is the face of one of the premier news networks, and moderating (her second!) presidential debate was "well-versed on the issues" and performed well in front of a large TV audience. Sounds to me that she was just doing her job. But if Trump doesn't like her than she must be good.

Of course, the media's praise (defense?) of Megyn Kelly is probably the most predictable part of the debate. Nobody except for perhaps the Buffalo Bills circles the wagons to protect their own like the national mainstream media.

As Politico reports:

Kelly, showing she wasn't intimidated by Trump, was far and away praised for her tough questions and follow-ups.

 

"Megyn Kelly is throwing fastballs tonight," wrote New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

 

"This is a brilliant part of the debate. Megyn Kelly's accountability project," wrote radio host Erick Erickson.

 

"Just gonna say it: Megyn Kelly's a badass," Time Magazine's Dan Hirschhorn wrote.