Notable Quotables - 05/02/1988
Campaign '88
"When Geraldine
Ferraro became the Democratic candidate for Vice President, I stood on the
convention floor and fought back tears. Forget objectivity; the moment
transcended politics. As I followed the Jesse Jackson campaign in Philadelphia
yesterday, I fell on the same phenomenon: a transcendent pride in this
person's breakthrough. You could see it on the faces of people on Locust
Street...you could hear it in the voice of the gospel singer at a Jackson
rally."
- CBS News reporter Judy Muller, on CBS Radio Correspondent's Notebook,
April 26. (Thanks to John Colas, Chevy Chase, Maryland.)
"The current
economic situation being what it is, neither he [Dukakis] nor anyone else can
promise a miracle."
- CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer on Michael Dukakis' economic
record, Saturday, April 16.
Edwin Meese
"Oregon's
Republican Senator Bob Packwood has been taken to task for saying embattled
Attorney General Edwin Meese should be held to a higher standard than bank
robbers. Packwood received a letter from a convicted bank robber, Raymond
James, who's serving time in a Pennsylvania prison. Wrote James: 'I do not
appreciate being categorized with Ed Meese. This is an affront to any
self-respecting bank robber. We, too, have certain standards.'"
- ABC's World News Sunday anchor Sam Donaldson, April 24.
Education
"Mr. Bennett is not
the Secretary of Education. He's the Secretary of Ignorance."
- Senator Lowell Weicker on the CBS Evening News, April 26.
"Bennett scores
academia for 'left-wing bias"
- Washington Times, April 18.
New York Times and Washington Post: No Story
Lesbian Parenthood
"Is there a lesbian
baby boom? That's the focus of this edition of Geraldo."
- Geraldo Rivera introducing his April 20 show.
Dan Rather
"As he [Rather]
approached us I heard him mumble 'Hello, Tom,' without actually looking at
Brokaw. Nervously he went over to Kathleen [Sauter] and kissed her on the
cheek, then to Maureen [Joyce] for another kiss. Coming toward me, he was
watching Brokaw out of the corner of his eye. I stuck out my hand and said
'Hello, Dan.' He shook hands and leaned toward me in a daze. I felt a wet kiss
on the side of my face."
- Former CBS News President Ed Joyce describing Dan Rather's arrival at a
birthday party for CBS executive Van Gordon Sauter. Recounted in his book, Prime
Times, Bad Times.
Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue:
"Let's fight communism by making it safe for your mother to be on the New
York subway. Let's fight communism that way. Let's make America work. You and
the Reagan ideologues have spent us into oblivion - our children are going to
have to pay this bill - and you step forward, like some religious figure
saying, 'more bombs, more bullets, let's get the beachhead!' Now the
beachhead, as, like, Managua's a beachhead like World War II. You're living
like in an old '40's movie..."
Pat Buchanan:
"Phil, calm down."
- exchange on the April 25 Donahue.
Nicaragua
"Ortega threatens
to attack if Contras refuse to bend"
- Washington Times, May 2.
"Ortega Denounces
'Pseudo-Leaders' of Labor"
- New York Times, same day
- Washington Post: No Story
Reagan Legacy
"I think that when you have the kind of problems that are being created for the future, that you just simply have to raise taxes. Period. And that the big tax cuts, coupled with the increase in the military spending was an unhealthy thing for the country."
"I'm kind of
surprised at President Reagan, because based on his personal history in
Hollywood, I'm surprised he has not been an advocate of civil rights....I had
heard that he was very open minded, broad minded person, that he cared about
human rights....But the record is abysmal."
- CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl on Howard Cosell's Speaking of
Everything, April 10.
Media Bias
"In trying to
scotch the idea of liberal bias in news coverage, defenders of the press rely
on precisely the sort of argument they would reject if made by others. The
argument...goes like this: even if most journalists are liberal, their
professionalism prevents this from influencing their stories. Now, what if a
judicial nominee said he was a racist but that this wouldn't affect his view
on civil rights cases?...Who'd buy such an argument? Not the press."
- New Republic Senior Editor Fred Barnes, quoted in William Rusher's
new book, The Coming Battle for the Media.
"It was an
ultra-insiders game of gossip and nitpicking that turned presidential campaign
coverage into trivial pursuits...In my judgment reporters try to be objective.
But try as they do they just can't help but see the world through liberal
colored glasses."
- Senator Bob Dole on the Senate floor, April 26.
"All our time and
energy is enough to get the news on the air, much less put a spin on it."
- ABC News Political Director Hal Bruno reacting to Dole. Quoted by CNN's Inside
Politics '88, April 27.
- L. Brent
Bozell III; Publisher
- Brent H. Baker, Tim Graham; Editors
- Jim Heiser, Richard Marois, Patrick Swan, Dorothy Warner; Media Analysts
- Cynthia Bulman; Administrative Assistant
