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Holiday Gas Price Scam; CBS Conceded False SS Fears; Condit Unlabeled, But ABC Found a "Right-Wing Agenda"; Clinton's Bikinis
Reporter Dean Reynolds acknowledged that "part of the problem has to do with tough air quality regulations that require hard to replace blends of gasoline for specific markets," but he stressed "suspicion" about nefarious business practices: "While the oil companies deny any suggestion that they are manipulating the price to boost profits, critics disagree." ABC assumed any demand-induced price increases would be improper, as if the oil companies, refiners and gas stations should suspend the laws of supply and demand to ensure motorists don't pay a cent more when demand surges over a holiday weekend. Gibson's teaser at the top of the August 28 show: "On World News Tonight, gas prices rocket up across the country just in time for Labor Day. Is it price gouging?" He then opened the broadcast by suggesting the oil companies are up to no good: "Good evening. You have to wonder about the timing. Millions of people are about to hit the road for the Labor Day weekend, and in many places, there has been a sudden and dramatic increase in the price of gasoline -- in some places, over 50 cents a gallon. That's a definite change in the trend. For most of the summer, prices had been going down. ABC's Dean Reynolds tonight is in Chicago. Dean?" Reynolds explained, as taken down by MRC
analyst Brad Wilmouth: "Charlie, there are a couple of good reasons
for the higher prices, but still, an awful lot of suspicion. Since a fire
two weeks ago put this refinery near Chicago temporarily out of business,
the region's gasoline supply has dropped 55,000 gallons every day. That
helps to explain why motorists from California to Minnesota, from Oklahoma
to Michigan, are now seeing pump prices shooting up again because the
Midwest is scrounging for fuel from other areas."
Reporter Bill Plante informed viewers of how "Congress has been spending the Social Security surplus since it first appeared after Social Security taxes were increased in the mid-'80s" and that "today's debate over the meaning of the surplus is still all about political symbols and not economic policy." Roberts employed the usual language blaming the "Bush tax cut" for eliminating the surplus as he set up the August 28 CBS Evening News report, but he immediately conceded the vacuousness of the fear-mongering: "The economic slowdown along with the Bush tax cut has eaten away the federal budget surplus for this year, according to a congressional analysis. That's setting the stage for a battle between Congress and the White House over what Bill Plante reports may be more symbolism than substance." Plante began his report by outlining how Democrats claim Bush will "raid the Social Security and Medicare trust funds for years to come," but that Republicans counter that Democrats just want to spend more money. Plante tried to correct the misinformation
spread by his own network about using Social Security money which had
suggested it was some kind of new danger: "Congress has been spending
the Social Security surplus since it first appeared after Social Security
taxes were increased in the mid-'80s. It was President Clinton who made
dedicating all surpluses to Social Security a political issue to one-up
the Republican Congress." If CBS knew Social Security money had always been counted as part of government revenue and spent that way, why a week ago did anchor John Roberts warn of "the incredible shrinking federal budget surplus" before Bill Plante asserted, "It's official: the government surplus has been virtually erased by the President's tax cut and the economic slowdown"?
In Tuesday morning interviews with OMB Director Mitch Daniels, ABC's Terry Moran and NBC's Matt Lauer zeroed in on Bush's Social Security funds promise, repeatedly pressing Daniels to reassure viewers this will remain an unbroken pledge. ABC set up its late in the show interview
segment, during the 8am half hour, with a taped piece from John Yang who
warned of using Social Security surplus revenue: "That would break a
promise the President has made again and again." MRC analyst Jessica Anderson took down how
fill-in co-host Moran pressed Daniels on the August 28 show: -- "Well, it sounds like you're saying something contrary to what the Republican Party platform promised last year. Let's take a look at a graphic of what the platform said -- this is the platform that the President ran on. It said, 'That's what we mean by our lock-box,' the Social Security lock-box. 'The Social Security surplus is off-limits, off budget, and will not be touched.' CBO says you're going to be touching the Social Security surplus." -- "These analyses, both yours and the Congressional Budget Office's, do not take into account missile defense, prescription drugs, Social Security reform. Something's gotta give here. Can you assure the American people that that promise, not to touch the Social Security surplus, will be kept?" Over on NBC's Today, MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens noticed, Matt Lauer took a similar approach as he oddly also asserted: "Democrats are now saying, 'You know what? People are running around spending those checks to spur on the economy and it's money the government can't afford.'" Lauer introduced the August 28 Today segment: "Now to some bad news on the economy. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has revised its numbers for this year's budget surplus and those numbers have been moving downward. According to its new report, $9 billion will have to be taken out of Social Security this year to keep the government running. Mitch Daniels is the Director of the Bush Administration's Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Daniels good morning to you." Lauer's inquiries: -- "Do you agree with the numbers from the CBO?" -- "So you're saying now, will you guarantee that none of that money will go to anything but paying down the debt?" -- "The numbers, I mean we went from a projection of $275 billion, the new estimate about $153 billion. What happened to the $120 billion?" -- "Well, let me go back and play devil's advocate for a second. You talk about the rebate checks that were sent to the, to the taxpayers. It was their money and sent back to them. The President wanted $1.6 trillion in tax cuts. He got about $1.35 trillion. Democrats are now saying, 'You know what? People are running around spending those checks to spur on the economy and it's money the government can't afford.'" -- "Let, let me go back to something you were quoted as saying recently. You said that when it comes to the promise of not touching Social Security, and I assume you were referring to not touching it for anything other than paying down the debt. You said that is 'symbolic,' quote. You went on to say quote, 'It's a big mistake to make Social Security so sacrosanct that other priorities are discarded.' So, so if money is taken from Social Security, Mr. Daniels, to pay for something other than paying down the debt would that be a broken promise?" -- "But in terms of going in and taking a little to pay down the debt, here are the numbers that the CBO comes up with for the next three years. See if you agree with these. 2001: $9 billion; 2003: $18 billion; 2004: $3 billion. Is that right with your numbers?"
Sawyer never labeled Condit before, during or after her August 28 interview with Smith and her lawyer, Jim Robinson. And, MRC analyst Jessica Anderson recalled, GMA didn't utter his party identification on Monday, or on Friday when nearly the entire show was consumed by discussions about the Condit interview from the night before. Sawyer's sudden concern for the partisanship
and a political agenda came in her final question, one posed to Robinson
who the day before filed a request for a grand jury to indict Condit for
asking his client to sign a false affidavit: The word "Democrat" was soon uttered by Sawyer, but only after she was prompted by Smith and it was not a reference to Condit. Following the above exchange in which Robinson went on to insist "I don't care anything about Judicial Watch, I could care less about their political past," Smith assured Sawyer: "I'm not a Republican." Sawyer observed: "In fact, I heard you were a Democrat."
MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth caught Clift's
comments on Tuesday's The Edge on FNC hosted by Linda Vester. After
Kathleen Willey Schwicker talked about Condit copying the Clinton
strategy, Clift retorted: Vester soon wondered: "Eleanor, do you
think there are going to be any more of these interviews? I mean, so far,
he's batting zero." Vester later noted that FNC would interview
Anne Marie Smith the next day and so wanted to know: "As a
journalist, what would you want to ask her first off?" So much for a journalists wanting to dig out the facts.
That sentence appeared near the end of an August 28 New York Post item by gossip columnist Neal Travis about how Don Hewitt, Executive Producer of CBS's 60 Minutes, criticized the arrangement to which ABC agreed for its Condit interview as he also "suggested TV would be better off banning political advertisements and replacing them with spots for hard liquor." Jim Romenesko's MediaNews (http://www.poynter.org/medianews/ [2]) alerted me to this item. An excerpt: ....Don was guest speaker at the Bridgehampton library the other evening and pulled no punches. He described the relationship between politicians and the networks as an unsavory "marriage for money." He suggested TV would be better off banning political advertisements and replacing them with spots for hard liquor. "After all, Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's do less harm to America than Dick Morris," he claimed, referring to the political consultant and Post columnist. Hewitt also lashed out at ABC News for the way it went about obtaining that exclusive with Rep. Gary Condit. If Don had been running the show, the Connie Chung interview wouldn't have aired, given the strictures the Condit camp was allowed to place on it. Hewitt made a plea for gun control and voiced his support for stem_cell research, while ridiculing the charge that the media are too liberal. All that matters, he said, is whether the issues are dealt with sensibly or stupidly. END of Excerpt One assumes that since no one opposes "stem cell research," Hewitt was mis-summarized and meant or really said "embryonic stem cell research." Hewitt's formulation, in which he characterizes his liberal views as "common sense," should be a familiar one to CyberAlert readers. Recall the following from past issues: -- Don Hewitt of 60 Minutes refused to defend Dan Rather for attending a Democratic fundraiser, denied 60 Minutes is liberal and said he believes in "sense" and "nonsense." But he revealed that his view of "sense" follows the liberal line: "I have always believed that if you get the NRA out of the way..." Go to: http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2001/cyb20010416.asp#7 [3] -- Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes voted for Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, TV Guide revealed. Wallace's admission came just four days after Don Hewitt, the Executive Producer of the show, charged that George W. Bush "may have stolen the election," but he didn't mind until Bush governed as a conservative. Go to: http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2001/cyb20010613.asp#4 [4]
MRC analyst Jessica Anderson noted this time-filler exchange toward the end of the 7:30am half hour on Tuesday's GMA which Moran co-hosted: Over a still shot of Clinton walking next to
actor Anthony Hopkins, Moran saluted Clinton's life: "You know,
some ex-Presidents, they go make corporate speeches, some build houses.
Bill Clinton is living the life of Riley, as everybody knows. He was in
Brazil, strolling the beach -- that's Anthony Hopkins he's with -- he
played some volleyball on the beach and bought two bikinis and
sarongs." "Some people" who "have cottoned to him" seems to include the White House reporter for ABC News. -- Brent Baker [5]
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ABC's
great Labor Day weekend gas price conspiracy. Tuesday night ABC led with
how just in time for the holiday weekend, gas prices are rising. World
News Tonight anchor Charles Gibson demanded: "Is it price
gouging?" He speculated: "You have to wonder about the timing.
Millions of people are about to hit the road for the Labor Day weekend,
and in many places, there has been a sudden and dramatic increase in the
price of gasoline."
Oh,
never mind. On Monday night CBS Evening News anchor John Roberts
breathlessly claimed: "The fat federal surplus vanishes into thin
air. Congressional accountants say the President will have to use Social
Security money to keep the government running." But the next night,
Roberts acknowledged the baselessness of the fear he hyped as he noted the
Democratic spin he repeated "may be more symbolism than
substance."
The
networks spent all spring pushing President Bush to abandon his campaign
promise to not have the federal government fund research on embryonic stem
cells, but they liked his promise to not "dip" into the Social
Security surplus -- especially now that the CBO reported the government
will do so this year.
ABC's
Good Morning America refuses to identify Gary Condit as a Democrat, but on
Tuesday morning co-host Diane Sawyer made sure viewers realized the
Republican agenda of a group aiding in Anne Marie Smith's case against
Condit. Noting how he is working with Judicial Watch, Sawyer demanded of
Smith's lawyer: "Is this a Republican vendetta of some kind? A
right-wing vendetta?"
Newsweek's
Eleanor Clift rationalized Gary Condit's refusal to answer all questions
because "I don't think we need to be the sex police here,"
argued that "Democrats want him off the scene 'cause now he has
brought back all the Clinton haters and all the bit players in the Clinton
drama, and we're reliving the Clinton impeachment. I don't think we
need that as a country," and denounced Anne Marie Smith for coming
forward.
A
self-contradicting sentence: "Hewitt made a plea for gun control and
voiced his support for stem-cell research, while ridiculing the charge
that the media are too liberal."
Doing
things like buying bikinis is what makes people "really like"
Bill Clinton, ABC News White House reporter Terry Moran admiringly
contended on Tuesday morning. After recounting on Good Morning America how
Clinton, while in Brazil, bought bikinis, Moran insisted: "That's one
of the reasons that they, some people have cottoned to him, I think."