Picking up on how CNN anchor Suzanne Malveaux hailed, as "a bold
display of presidential concern," President Obama hugging a woman at
Wednesday's health care forum, Jim Pinkerton [1], on FNC's Fox Newswatch, pointed out that "in
the middle of all of this Stalinesque fakery at this town hall meeting"
Malveaux's characterization "is like Stalin putting Ukrainian family
victims on his lap during the '30s." To illustrate, FNC producers displayed a vintage poster showing Stalin hoisting a little child who held up a Soviet flag.
During
a discussion on the program aired Saturday afternoon about how all the
questions at the town hall with Obama were pre-selected from online
postings or came from invited guests, Pinkerton, a Newsday columnist,
raised what Malveax said which NewsBusters and the MRC had recounted:
In the middle of all of this Stalinesque fakery at this town hall meeting - when Obama hugged that woman who was a plant, her cancer was real enough, but her being there was a total artifact of planning - she [Suzanne Malveaux] said, quote, this is a quote "bold display of presidential concern," end quote. Again, this is like Stalin putting Ukrainian family victims on his lap during the '30s.
The BiasAlert item, "Nets Highlight Obama's Hug at Health Forum; CNN: 'Bold Display of Presidential Concern [2],'" reported, with video:
Network reporters swooned over President Barack Obama hugging a woman, who has cancer and lacks insurance, at his Wednesday "town hall" on health care, as both CNN - where Suzanne Malveaux heralded the hug as "a bold display of presidential concern" - and NBC failed to point out how all the questions (just seven in total) were pre-selected or from members of pro-Obama groups. Instead, NBC's Savannah Guthrie showed a kid in a video ("My mommy and daddy have small businesses, and we need health care") before she touted how Obama "solicited questions on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and in person, with a hug for a woman who says she cannot pay her medical bills," while CNN's Ed Henry related "he fielded questions from YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and a live audience."...
Filling-in as anchor on CNN's The Situation Room, Suzanne Malveaux painted Obama as a combination of General Patton and Oprah as she set up Henry in the 6 PM EDT hour:
President Obama has a message for some critics. He will get his way. Today he made a bold promise regarding health care reform. And, in a bold display of presidential concern, the President comforted a sick and emotional woman.
- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center