Cafferty Calls Gore 'Pompous Jerk,' But Nets Value U.S.-Bashing --12/14/2007

1. Cafferty Calls Gore 'Pompous Jerk,' But Nets Value U.S.-Bashing
At a UN conference in Bali, Al Gore blamed the U.S. for "obstructing progress" on global warming, an attack on his own nation which led CNN's Jack Cafferty, who usually slams Republicans and Democrats from the left, to castigate Gore as "a pompous jerk." But Thursday's ABC and CBS evening newscasts favorably passed along Gore's agreement with European criticism of the U.S. With Gore's words on screen, ABC's Charles Gibson reported that "European nations threaten to boycott a U.S.-led climate summit because the Bush administration is opposing specific cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Al Gore joined the criticism saying: 'My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here.'" On CBS, fill-in anchor Harry Smith highlighted how "at a world conference in Bali, European nations threatened today to boycott upcoming U.S.-sponsored climate talks unless the Bush administration commits to deep cuts in greenhouse gases. Former Vice President Al Gore agreed action is needed now."

2. Early Show Hypes Bloomberg & Gore's 'Urgent' Global Warming News
At the top of Thursday's Early Show on CBS, co-host Harry Smith excitedly teased the upcoming segment: "From Bali, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an exclusive interview as he's set to address scientists from around the world, gathering to stem global warming for generations to come." Later, co-host Julie Chen further hyped the story: "Well, ahead this half hour, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with urgent news from the global warming conference going on right now in Bali." In addition, co-host Russ Mitchell did a news brief about the conference prior to the interview: "The European Union issued a warning today to the U.S. at a climate conference in Indonesia. It vowed to boycott U.S.-sponsored talks next month if the U.S. does not reach an agreement now on emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore is addressing the conference right now. He says action is urgent."

3. Chris Matthews: Hillary Really 'Cares' About 'The Regular Person'
When asked, by NBC's Meredith Vieira, on Thursday's Today show how the Hillary Clinton campaign can stop its current slide, Chris Matthews urged Clinton to remind voters that she really does care about the little guy as he declared that the Clintons "care about the regular person in this country, the regular middle-working class family with all their problems of health care and raising their kids. Hillary Clinton, especially, cares about those things. It's obvious she does. It's not a fraud."

4. Christmas Gift Idea: Bozell's New Book on the Media and Hillary
MRC President Brent Bozell's new book on the news media and Hillary Clinton: The Perfect Holiday Gift for Your Favorite Conservative. This Christmas, give your favorite conservative, Mom, Dad, friend or colleague, something you know they will love. Give them Whitewash: What the Media Won't Tell You about Hillary Clinton but Conservatives Will, by the Media Research Center's own L. Brent Bozell and Tim Graham.

Cafferty Calls Gore 'Pompous Jerk,' But
Nets Value U.S.-Bashing

At a UN conference in Bali, Al Gore blamed the U.S. for "obstructing progress" on global warming, an attack on his own nation which led CNN's Jack Cafferty, who usually slams Republicans and Democrats from the left, to castigate Gore as "a pompous jerk." But Thursday's ABC and CBS evening newscasts favorably passed along Gore's agreement with European criticism of the U.S. With Gore's words on screen, ABC's Charles Gibson reported that "European nations threaten to boycott a U.S.-led climate summit because the Bush administration is opposing specific cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Al Gore joined the criticism saying: 'My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here.'"

On CBS, fill-in anchor Harry Smith highlighted how "at a world conference in Bali, European nations threatened today to boycott upcoming U.S.-sponsored climate talks unless the Bush administration commits to deep cuts in greenhouse gases. Former Vice President Al Gore agreed action is needed now."

[This item was posted early Friday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth caught Cafferty's chastising of Gore during the 6pm EST hour of the December 13 The Situation Room:

WOLF BLITZER: I want all of you to listen to the former Vice President, Al Gore. He was speaking at an international conference at Bali in Indonesia earlier today. The whole world, representatives of a lot of the countries around the world were there, and he, and he pinned the blame, most of the blame, on the global warming, on the United States. Listen to this.
AL GORE: My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that.
BLITZER: All right, now, that may or may not be true, but there's a sense that, you know, they used to say politics stopped at the water's edge, Jack. Was it appropriate or inappropriate for Gore to make that comment?
JACK CAFFERTY: What a pompous jerk. Does he, I mean, it's time for Al Gore to get over himself. Does he think there's anybody at that conference in Bali that's unaware of the U.S. opposition to the Kyoto protocols? I mean, ever since he won the Oscar, he thinks he's some movie star, so I'm tired of Al Gore, and I think he's out of line doing that.

The short item on ABC's World News:

CHARLES GIBSON: Overseas, in Indonesia, an international conference on climate change is ending on a contentious note. European nations threaten to boycott a U.S.-led climate summit because the Bush administration is opposing specific cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Al Gore joined the criticism saying, "My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here."

The CBS Evening News report:

HARRY SMITH: A showdown is coming over climate change. At a world conference in Bali, European nations threatened today to boycott upcoming U.S.-sponsored climate talks unless the Bush administration commits to deep cuts in greenhouse gases. Former Vice President Al Gore agreed action is needed now.
AL GORE, IN BALI: My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that. We all know that.
SMITH: Gore predicted the next U.S. President will be more likely to support an agreement on greenhouse gases.

Early Show Hypes Bloomberg & Gore's 'Urgent'
Global Warming News

At the top of Thursday's Early Show on CBS, co-host Harry Smith excitedly teased the upcoming segment: "From Bali, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an exclusive interview as he's set to address scientists from around the world, gathering to stem global warming for generations to come." Later, co-host Julie Chen further hyped the story: "Well, ahead this half hour, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with urgent news from the global warming conference going on right now in Bali." In addition, co-host Russ Mitchell did a news brief about the conference prior to the interview: "The European Union issued a warning today to the U.S. at a climate conference in Indonesia. It vowed to boycott U.S.-sponsored talks next month if the U.S. does not reach an agreement now on emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore is addressing the conference right now. He says action is urgent."

[This item, by MRC news analyst Kyle Drennen, was posted Thursday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

During the interview, Smith avoided making claims that "Manhattan will be underwater by 2050," as he did when he last interviewed the New York Mayor on November 5. See the November 6 CyberAlert: www.mrc.org

However, Smith did work to maintain his usual alarmist tone: "This morning, a warning at the United Nations climate conference in Bali. The U.N. Secretary General reportedly says the world 'risks oblivion' if something isn't done soon." Smith then proceeded to ask Bloomberg the following series of questions: "Mayor Bloomberg from here it looks like the U.S. is dragging its feet. Does it look like that to you?...Al Gore at his Nobel Laureate ceremony said there's no time to waste here. It's possible all these delegates could walk away from this conference with no real road map to the future. Can the world afford to wait?...Are you not frustrated though, to be there and be even de facto, a representative of the United States, and have this conference go by and have not the United States say, you know what? We're actually going to take the lead on this thing."

Bloomberg responded to Smith's alarmism: "Well, the science is clear that we are damaging the globe and that global warming is a fact...Harry, I'm a -- always been proud of America and I think we should take the lead of it and I think it's incumbent on you and me and your viewers to convince our elected officials in both Congress and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue that this is something that we're all behind...And if we do that, then we've got credibility with these other countries and they can say, well, if America can do it, we can do it, too."

The full transcript of the December 13 segment:

7:00AM TEASER. HARRY SMITH: From Bali, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an exclusive interview as he's set to address scientists from around the world, gathering to stem global warming for generations to come.

7:07AM NEWS BRIEF. RUSS MITCHELL: The European Union issued a warning today to the U.S. at a climate conference in Indonesia. It vowed to boycott U.S.-sponsored talks next month if the U.S. does not reach an agreement now on emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore is addressing the conference right now. He says action is urgent.
AL GORE: We the human species face a planetary emergency. That phrase still sounds shrill to some ears.
MITCHELL: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will address the delegates tomorrow. Later this half hour we're going to get an exclusive preview from Bloomberg himself.

7:15AM TEASER, JULIE CHEN: Well, ahead this half hour, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with urgent news from the global warming conference going on right now in Bali.

7:19AM SEGMENT:

HARRY SMITH: This morning, a warning at the United Nations climate conference in Bali. The U.N. Secretary General reportedly says the world 'risks oblivion' if something isn't done soon. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Bali, preparing to speak tomorrow. Mayor Bloomberg joins us this morning. Mayor Bloomberg from here it looks like the U.S. is dragging its feet. Does it look like that to you?
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: Well, I don't know that that's fair to the U.S. government. The U.S. government has some differences with other countries, and I think they are really trying to get a framework so that people can sit down at a technical level and find some ways to work together. What I'm here to do is to say cities are part of this and New York City's doing its bit and other cities in the United States are doing the same thing. And we have to attack this at a national level, we have to attack at a local level, and you have to attack it at a corporate level. Corporations around the world have to also do their part. And I just came from an event where a bunch of them talked about what they were doing.
SMITH: Al Gore at his Nobel Laureate ceremony said there's no time to waste here. It's possible all these delegates could walk away from this conference with no real road map to the future. Can the world afford to wait?
BLOOMBERG: Well, the science is clear that we are damaging the globe and that global warming is a fact. There is disagreement among scientists as to how fast it is happening, and there's clearly disagreement between countries and among others as to what we should do about it, who should pay, when we should do it. Some countries -- the developing world says, look, we've got to feed our people, that's our highest priority. The developed world says, well, our people are always -- already eating, but we've got to make sure we don't damage the environment. And the great challenge is to find something where both sides can go part ways. And I think the grand compromise, which is not going to be done at a conference like this, but will be done at a technical level over time, is the developed world will help the developing world with some technology and the developing world will try to work so that they stop things like deforestation, which is an enormous problem, traffic, which is an enormous problem. All of the greenhouse warming that is coming from carbon fuels like coal-fired plants where we just keep polluting the air. And so it's pollutants but it's also greenhouse gases. The pollutants hurt us and what we breathe now, the greenhouse gases are damaging the -- the environment.
SMITH: Are you not frustrated though, to be there and be even de facto, a representative of the United States, and have this conference go by and have not the United States say, you know what? We're actually going to take the lead on this thing.
BLOOMBERG: Harry, I'm a -- always been proud of America and I think we should take the lead of it and I think it's incumbent on you and me and your viewers to convince our elected officials in both Congress and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue that this is something that we're all behind. We're willing to make the sacrifices, and they should take the lead. The first thing America should do should be to pull together. We're America. We know how to do things. We can marshal the resources, the technology, the people, the workers, and we can make our part better. And if we do that, then we've got credibility with these other countries and they can say, well, if America can do it, we can do it, too.
SMITH: Alright, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, from Bali this morning. Thank you so much for your time. Do appreciate it, sir.
BLOOMBERG: You're welcome.

Chris Matthews: Hillary Really 'Cares'
About 'The Regular Person'

When asked, by NBC's Meredith Vieira, on Thursday's Today show how the Hillary Clinton campaign can stop its current slide, Chris Matthews urged Clinton to remind voters that she really does care about the little guy as he declared that the Clintons "care about the regular person in this country, the regular middle-working class family with all their problems of health care and raising their kids. Hillary Clinton, especially, cares about those things. It's obvious she does. It's not a fraud."

[This item, by Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Thursday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

The following is all of Matthews' strategic advice to the Clinton campaign, as he offered it on the December 13 edition of the Today show:

MEREDITH VIEIRA: On Hillary's side you have her husband Bill Clinton, who is very frustrated with the way the campaign is going. What can he do, right now, to help her turn things around? Is there anything he can do?
CHRIS MATTHEWS: What he ought to do is get Paul Begala to come back and work in the campaign. She's got a lot of hard-hitters around her but no one with any heart. The appeal of the Clintons over the years and the reason why the Democratic Party is in love with the Clintons is that the Clintons, with all their flaws and perhaps arrogance, care about the regular person in this country, the regular middle-working class family with all their problems of health care and raising their kids. Hillary Clinton, especially, cares about those things. It's obvious she does. It's not a fraud. They've gotta go back to why they're running. What it now looks like and based upon your questions, and by the way they're the questions everyone's asking, how she gonna hit Obama next? They've gotta change the question from, "How are the Clintons gonna whack Obama?" to "Why do the Clintons continue in their public life?" And they've got to answer that question. If I were Bill, I'd go around with Hillary, introduce her both in the same room, big town halls, answering all kinds of questions about people's real life needs. That's the way Bill Clinton won in New Hampshire back in 1992. They've gotta get out there and talk about people's needs and stop talking about Obama.
VIEIRA: Are they gonna start talking about the economy, stupid? Because, I don't mean you're stupid-
MATTHEWS: Sure.
VIEIRA: -but remember "the economy stupid" that phrase, because it now seems that voters are more interested in what's going on-
MATTHEWS: Right.
VIEIRA: -with this country than they are with what's going on in Iraq?
MATTHEWS: Target rich environment for the Clintons and their brand of politics, right now. Focus on the economy, focus on people's economic fears, not the stock market type people, the people worried about paying tuition, worried about keeping a job, worried about health care. It's a perfect market basket of opportunities for them. They can get off the Iraq war where she's very much in trouble because she voted for the war and focus on economic conditions. By the way if they lose a squeaker in Iowa they can still win in New Hampshire. They gotta stop acting like it's the last minute in an NBA game and they gotta foul the other guy to get the ball back. They gotta end this sense of desperation. It's either Mark Penn, Mandy Grunwald, somebody in that campaign keeps teaching them fear. Fear is killing the Clinton campaign. It's not the last minute of this game. She's ahead 20 or 30 points nationally, plenty of time to prove that they're Clintons. Stop attacking Obama, start selling Clinton-ism again. That's what they gotta do.

Incidentally the Today show seemed transfixed by the Democratic race as they barely covered the Republicans, even though they just had their final debate before the Iowa caucuses the night before. For his part, Matthews didn't feel compelled to offer any free strategic advice, like he did for the Clintons, to any of the Republican candidates.

Check the NewsBusters post linked above for a complete transcript of the entire segment from the first half-hour of the December 13 Today show on NBC.

Christmas Gift Idea: Bozell's New Book
on the Media and Hillary

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