ABC Dismisses Conservative Joni Ernst's Ad as 'Downright Bizarre'
Covering the midterms on election night, Nightline anchor Dan Harris huffed that Senator-elect Joni Ernst's 2014 campaign commercial was "downright bizarre." As the returns rolled in and it became clear that Democrats had suffered massive losses, Harris recapped the year's political commercials and the money behind them: "Most of it spent on a barrage of political ads that ranged from terrifying...to downright bizarre." [MP3 audio here.]
He then played a clip of the Iowa Republican proclaiming, "I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm. So when I get to Washington, I'll know how to cut pork." Nightline has a history of going after conservative, female politicians. On February 16, 2009, reporter David Wright dismissed Sarah Palin as "Barbie." On July 29, 2014, Harris falsely insisted that Sarah Palin is the "woman who says she can see Russia from her house." No, she didn't.
On election night 2014, Harris appeared dejected by the results and put the responsibility for compromise on the victorious Republicans:
HARRIS: Nicole [Wallace], can this President work with this Congress and this Senate over the next two years? Is there any hope of anything getting achieved?
...
HARRIS: Donna Brazile, proud Democrat in a blue blazer, is there any silver lining you can find in tonight's result?
HARRIS: Matt Dowd, we've got a couple of seconds left. Is compromise in the next couple of years, is that, are the odds of that about the same of my, as my finding a unicorn in Central Park?
The best he could do was this half-hearted question for former Obama operative David Plouffe: "...Will your former boss, President Obama, recalibrate in any way and should he?"
A partial transcript is below:
Nightline
11/5/14 (night of 11/4/14)
12:35DAN HARRIS: But whatever side of the aisle you're on, victory does not come cheap. These 2014 midterms are the most expensive ever. A whopping $3.6 billion and counting.
KELLY KULTALA: Congressman Yoder made news by skinny-dipping on the job.
MAN: Cannon ball.
HARRIS: Most of it spent on a barrage of political ads that ranged from terrifying –
AD NARRATOR: Terrorists committing mass murder. Ebola inside the U.S. Captiol. Vote Republican.
HARRIS: – to silly–
AD NARRATOR [singing]: – won't let them in, won't let them see that I'm a phony radio disc jockey.
HARRIS: – to downright bizarre.
JONI ERNST: I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm. So when I get to Washington, I'll know how to cut pork.
HARRIS: Joni Ernst rode this catch phrase all the way to her victory in Iowa.
— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.
