CBS's Allen Pizzey completely whitewashed the struggling European
economy on CBS Sunday Morning to bash the Republican presidential
candidates' attack on President Obama's economic policies. Pizzey
zeroed-in on Germany's lower unemployment rate and cited left-leaning
Professor James Walston, who claimed that "the candidates are dealing in caricatures of Europe that are about 90% wrong."
The journalist played clips from Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, who
defended the U.S. Constitution and ripped "European socialism." He
condescended in reply, "If you're a candidate who wants to move to the White House, why worry about details?" Pizzey also turned to a European woman who insulted the Republican candidates' intelligence: "I just hope that most Americans are just more intelligent than those politicians" [audio clips available here ].
The CBS correspondent featured Walston, as well as John Kornblum,
former President Clinton's second ambassador to Germany, throughout his
report. Kornblum clearly ripped the American economic system towards the
end of the segment:
PIZZEY: There was a time when Europe's youth and aspiring middle class
saw America as a shining beacon of opportunity, but it's no longer seen
as the ultimate career and lifestyle improvement.
KORNBLUM: In northern Europe, they're looking at the United States and say, boy,
I'm happy to be here, because unemployment is much lower; job security
is higher; education is free; medical care is comprehensive. And so,
they have to be fairly adventurous to believe that they would be better
off in the United States than they are here right now.
Earlier in the report, Pizzey and Kornblum tag-teamed to spotlight Germany's economy versus that of the U.S.:
PIZZEY: ...Germany has a five-and-a-half percent unemployment
rate, an immense export surplus, and world-leading innovative companies.
And its economic system, according to former U.S. Ambassador John
Kornblum, is closer to what the U.S. was in President Eisenhower's time
than it is to socialism.
JOHN KORNBLUM, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY: The
governments in Europe- and especially in this country, Germany- could
probably be given credit for writing half of the Republican economic
policy. They believe in low taxes, saving, low government expenditures,
no deficits.
The journalist buried the lede about the internal struggles of the EU's economy. Despite acknowledging that "the recession is biting here" in Europe at the beginning of the segment, Pizzey immediately added, "It's
just that the Europeans seem to have a way of getting by, unless you
look at them from the Republican presidential hopefuls' point of view."
It took him over three minutes to even touch briefly on Europe's
economic troubles, and even then, the correspondent followed it with a
defense of European-style health care:
PIZZEY (voice-over): European nations have seen riots over
benefit cuts, their fair share of foreclosures, and long unemployment
lines. And the cradle-to-grave social welfare systems, set up more than
60 years ago, do have to be drastically trimmed to fit changing economic
times, but not to the extent of removing the safety net.
WALSTON: There is a presumption that health care should be guaranteed;
there should be a minimum of health care, which the government- which
the community provides.
PIZZEY: And it's for everybody. Even a tourist who ends up in
an ambulance here in Italy can expect full and comprehensive care, and
no one will demand to see an insurance card first or send a bill when
it's over.
After playing the clip of the European woman's anti-Republican smear,
the CBS correspondent further condescended towards the GOP candidate: "One
of the things that amuses people here is the GOP candidates' insistence
on referring to Europe and European socialism, as if they were talking
about a single amorphous entity- when, in fact, the European Union alone
comprises 27 different countries, each with its own language, culture,
and social system."
This
obviously omits the fact that each of these countries has an economic
system that is further to the left of the United States, and that the EU
bureaucracy in Brussels intervenes in each of the constituent
economies.
This isn't the first time that Pizzey rushed to the defense of European
socialism. Back in 1990, shortly after the Berlin Wall fell, the
journalist defended East Germany's pro-abortion social welfare policies on the June 16 edition of CBS Evening News, all the while failing to mention the oppressive nature of its communist regime: "East
Germany provides what may be the world's most extensive family services
system. It includes abortion on demand and free day care centers for
children....Reunification threatens more than the
economic security of East German women. It could also mean an end to
their legal right to free, easy abortions."
The full transcript of Allen Pizzey's report from CBS Sunday Morning, which began 33 minutes into the 9 am Eastern hour:
MITT ROMNEY, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
(from campaign event): I believe in the principles of America. I don't
believe in Europe. I believe in America. (audience cheers and applauds)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1 (voice-over): It's the money issue on 'Sunday Morning.' Here again is Anthony Mason.
MASON (on-camera): The state of the European economy has become
something of an issue in our presidential campaign. So just how bad are
things over there? We asked Allen Pizzey to check it out.
[CBS News Graphic: "Over There"]
ALLEN PIZZEY (voice-over): Springtime brings out the best in Europe. The
cafes move out into the streets- all the better to absorb the history
that surrounds you. The recession is biting here, just as it is
everywhere. It's just that the Europeans seem to have a way of getting
by, unless you look at them from the Republican presidential hopefuls'
point of view.
ROMNEY (from ABC News/Yahoo! News Republican presidential debate): We're
increasingly becoming like Europe. Europe isn't working in Europe. It
will never work here.
RICK SANTORUM, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from interview on the Fox
News Channel): I think if you're looking at European socialism at a
minimum.
PIZZEY: Which got us to wondering, just how bad is that? Germany has a
five-and-a-half percent unemployment rate, an immense export surplus,
and world-leading innovative companies. And its economic system,
according to former U.S. Ambassador John Kornblum, is closer to what the
U.S. was in President Eisenhower's time than it is to socialism.
[CBS News Graphic: "Unemployment Rate: U.S.A., 8.3%; Germany, 5.7%; Source: BLS.GOV/CIA.GOV"]
JOHN KORNBLUM, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY: The governments in
Europe- and especially in this country, Germany- could probably be given
credit for writing half of the Republican economic policy. They believe
in low taxes, saving, low government expenditures, no deficits.
PIZZEY: The candidates are dealing in caricatures of Europe that are
about 90% wrong, in the view of American University of Rome Professor
James Walston.
PROF. JAMES WALSTON, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ROME: They are trying to
smear the opponents by using the socialism word, when, what is actually
present in Europe is something- it's social democracy, and not even
that.
PIZZEY: But if you're a candidate who wants to move to the White House, why worry about details?
NEWT GINGRICH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from campaign event): I am for the Constitution. He is for European socialism.
ROMNEY (from campaign event): He wants to turn America into a European-style social welfare state.
PIZZEY: Such talk certainly resonates with young European voters like
Anica Petrovic, but not quite in the way the candidates have in mind.
ANICA PETROVIC: I just hope that most Americans are just more intelligent than those politicians.
PIZZEY (on-camera): One of the things that amuses people here is the GOP
candidates' insistence on referring to Europe and European socialism,
as if they were talking about a single amorphous entity- when, in fact,
the European Union alone comprises 27 different countries, each with its
own language, culture, and social system.
SANTORUM (from campaign event): Do you want to see America after the
Obama administration is through? Just travel around; just read up on
Greece; read up on Portugal; read up on France.
PIZZEY (voice-over): European nations have seen riots over benefit cuts,
their fair share of foreclosures, and long unemployment lines. And the
cradle-to-grave social welfare systems, set up more than 60 years ago,
do have to be drastically trimmed to fit changing economic times, but
not to the extent of removing the safety net.
WALSTON: There is a presumption that health care should be guaranteed;
there should be a minimum of health care, which the government- which
the community provides.
PIZZEY: And it's for everybody. Even a tourist who ends up in an
ambulance here in Italy can expect full and comprehensive care, and no
one will demand to see an insurance card first or send a bill when it's
over.
Universal health care is a concept that Berlin artist Madeleine Krakor says she wouldn't want to live without.
MADELEINE KRAKOR: That's a big part of- like, feeling secure- really
secure- because you always know, whatever happens, if you don't have any
money to buy some noodles- but you are safe.
PIZZEY: There was a time when Europe's youth and aspiring middle class
saw America as a shining beacon of opportunity, but it's no longer seen
as the ultimate career and lifestyle improvement.
KORNBLUM: In northern Europe, they're looking at the United States and
say, boy, I'm happy to be here, because unemployment is much lower; job
security is higher; education is free; medical care is comprehensive.
And so, they have to be fairly adventurous to believe that they would be
better off in the United States than they are here right now.
PIZZEY: And if they did decide to come to America, some of the
presidential candidates would have to drastically alter their
perceptions- to say nothing of their rhetoric- to win their votes.
— Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.
