CyberAlert -- October 30, 1996 -- Republicans Do It Too

Katie Couric asked Tim Russert: "Tim, let's talk about the big news this morning. It's that the Democratic National Committee will not file its required final statement of campaign finances by November 5th. Which is really unheard of. Why are they doing this?"
Russert responded: "Because they are afraid of what's in there Katie, obviously. This has become an obscene process! It is outrageous the amount of money that is pouring into both these political parties! I do think the Democrats have probably taken it to a new level, a lower level...."
Couric then asked: "Well Tim if Republicans are doing the same thing what are people supposed to think?"
Russert: "Well I think If anything comes of this is that the American people and the media and other people of good intentions in the political process will say, Hey we embarrassed ourselves! We elevated or lowered, excuse me, this political process to levels of cynicism where the American people said, Oh you all take foreign money.' And they finally, finally do something to clean up this mess. Because it has become a sewer Katie."

On the CBS Evening News Tuesday night, Rita Braver concluded her story from the trail with Clinton: "Aides say he will probably deliver a speech on campaign finance reform later in the week, trying to paint Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich as the people who stopped tougher laws."

Tom Brokaw opened the October 29 NBC Nightly News: "If this campaign has an unofficial motto, it is this: Wake me when it's over.' But, beyond the tedium of the day to day campaigning, there's another much more alarming development this year -- money. Huge amounts of money pouring into both parties, raising very serious questions about influence and conflict of interest."

That led into story from Andrea Mitchell in which she asserted: "Of course Republicans, including Bob Dole and Jesse Helms, have also tapped into foreign fundraising. And none of these investigations will produce answers until months, or years, after election day."

Brokaw and Mitchell failed to distinguish between accepting money from foreign nationals for campaign spending, which is illegal, and getting money from Taiwan businessmen for a foundation-run museum, as Helms did, which is legal.

Later, on MSNBC's The News with Brian Williams, NBC reporter Jim Miklaszewski offered a nice spin that had the Clinton campaign "admitting" the Republican are just a bad: "On campaign finance, White House officials admit that both sides are dirty. The best defense: Republicans do it too."

4) Mikhail's Gorbachev's book tour brought him to MSNBC's InterNight on Tuesday night, October 29. Tom Brokaw opened the show:
"It's likely that your view of Mikhail Gorbachev depends on your point of view. From the perspective of the West, the former President of the Soviet Union of course was a courageous, far-seeing prophet whose reforms set in motion the collapse of the Soviet dictatorship and the end of the Cold War."

Thirty minutes later Brokaw concluded the interview with another salute to the communist:
"We always welcome you in this country, Mikhail Gorbachev. We're especially pleased to have you tonight on InterNight. And we offer our very best, of course, to Raisa Gorbachev and we hope that you'll have a long and happy life. Perhaps one day again we'll see you in political office in Russia. We know that you've devoted your life to peace and to changing your country and those of us who have gotten to know you count ourselves among the privileged."

From the perspective of a Western journalist, maybe, ignoring both the internal collapse of communism despite Gorbachev's efforts to save it and the role of Ronald Reagan.