Notable Quotables - 08/26/1996
Nice Set Up
"Some of your staff members,
not by name, have been saying `Yes, the President thinks Bob Dole is a nice
person and has been a pretty good leader in some ways, but, say they, he's
beencaptured by extremists in the Republican Party, the radical part of the
Republican Party, including Newt Gingrich.' Is that what you think?"
- Dan Rather interviewing
President Clinton, August 18, 60 Minutes.
A Case for a Conservative Anti-Defamation League
"He [Kemp] is a rare combination
- a nice conservative. These days conservatives are supposed to be mean.
They're supposed to be haters."
- CNN analyst Bill Schneider, August 9 Inside
Politics.
No Class
"Ronald Reagan will still have
to learn how history will judge his time in office - the deficits, the
Iran-Contra affair. But for the members of this party, there is no more
beloved figure."
- Tom Brokaw just after Nancy Reagan's emotional
thank-you after a video tribute to Ronald Reagan, August 12 convention
coverage.
The Republicans' Diversity Scam
"Women have not responded well
to a message that at times has been considered too harsh, too mean."
-
ABC's Michel McQueen on the Republican convention, August 13 World News
Tonight.
"The right to abortion has never
been an overwhelming issue for women at election time. But this fight within
the Republican Party has many women questioning how far this party will go to
limit their rights."
- ABC's Peter Jennings on the Republican
convention, August 13 World News Tonight.
"There's an old adage that says
what you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you say. Republicans are
speaking tolerance and diversity. Are you seeing any evidence of it, or quite
the contrary?"
- Bryant Gumbel to NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Tim
Russert, August 14 Today.
"You know a lot has been made of
the Republican Party being a very inclusive party, one that can embrace the
views of various people. Given the way the platform has worked out vis-a-vis
abortion, and the fact that some of these Republican governors are not
speaking because they felt as if they were being censored, do you still
believe you can call the Republican Party an inclusive party?"
- One of
seven abortion questions posed by NBC's Katie Couric to Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison, August 12 Today.
"Even some Republicans describe
the current platform as quote, `harsh, extreme,' even `radical.' Do you see it
that way?"
- Dan Rather to Jack Kemp on the August 12 CBS Evening
News.
Republicans' Phony Powell Play
"Although his speech was
generally well-received, the reception was restrained, and there were boos
whenever Powell steered away from the right. Though they booed and also
heckled dissent, Republicans claimed the mantle of inclusion throughout the
first night of their convention. We can expect more of the same today,
Tuesday, August 13, 1996."
- Today co-host Bryant Gumbel.
"It was grand TV, well-scripted,
well-staged, craftily designed for a broadcast image of tolerance and
diversity that's starkly at odds with reality."
- ABC's Jim Wooten on
Powell, August 13 World News Tonight.
"But why [speak out] at a
Republican convention? So many people have said that they don't think this
ticket, or perhaps this party, is supportive of women's issues. Why make this
stand here?"
- NBC's Maria Shriver to rape victim Jan Licence's
victims-rights speech during August 13 PBS/NBC Convention coverage.
"Do you think this is a party
that is dominated by men and this convention is dominated by men as well...Do
you think before tonight they thought very much what happens in America with
rape?"
- Tom Brokaw to Jan Licence after her speech, August 13.
Are Reporters Headed for the Gulag?
"Just how tightly scripted is
this convention? Well, a Russian television reporter said today that this is
as tightly controlled as anything the Communist Party ever put on, Tom."
- NBC reporter David Bloom, August 14 Nightly News.
How Dare They Attack King Bill
"Polls will tell you these days
that people do not want much partisanship in their politics, but they got it
at the Republican convention last night. There were attacks on President
Clinton's credibility, integrity, even his eating habits."
- ABC Good
Morning America co-host Charles Gibson, August 14.
"I think the speech by Senator
Hutchison of Texas is dangerous, Tom, because she uses words that could be
interpreted by some people as mean."
- NBC's Tim Russert before
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's August 13 speech (which NBC showed for barely
two minutes).
Bill Clinton, Fiscal Conservative
"Getting people not to think
might be helpful, particularly since some of Dole's numbers do not seem to add
up....A case could be made that the candidate who best represents the fiscally
conservative, moderate Republican tradition is, believe it or not, Bill
Clinton."
- Time contributor George J. Church, August 19.
"If he signs the measure as it
is, President Clinton will appear to have fulfilled his famous pledge about
ending welfare. In truth, he will have abandoned the vision that animated the
slogan. Having sought office with the aim of a redefined social contract -
health care for every American - he will be seeking re-election with a bill
that begrudges poor infants their Pampers."
- New York Times
reporter Jason DeParle, July 28.
Grandpa Bob's Acceptance Speech
"I think there were some
transcendent moments but some risky rhetorical gambles here, where Bob Dole
may have taken the risk of coming across more as the preachy grandfather than
the grown-up he most wants to be, and that could turn off some voters."
- ABC reporter Michel McQueen, August 15.
Carpet-Bomb the Radical Right
"Bob Dole is pro-life but has
gone back and forth so many times on platform language and planks that he has
raised basic questions about his leadership. If he can't stand up to a Phyllis
Schlafly, how would he handle a Saddam Hussein?"
- Newsweek
Senior Editor Jonathan Alter, August 19.
Why Even Hold the Freakin' Thing?
"You said a second ago that the
majority of Republicans across the country are on your side on this issue, but
the majority of people who'll attend this convention are not. Why then even
hold the convention if it doesn't express or represent the views of the
majority of people in the party?"
- Today substitute co-host Matt
Lauer to California Gov. Pete Wilson, August 8.
-L. Brent Bozell
III; Publisher
-Brent H. Baker, Tim Graham; Editors
- Geoffrey Dickens, Gene Eliasen, Jim Forbes, Steve Kaminski,
and Clay Waters; Media Analysts,
- Peter Reichel; Circulation Manager;
-Jessica Anderson, Matthew Turosz; Interns
