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Bush Not Prepared to Be President; CBS's Self-Contradiction; Tipper Tossed Softballs; CNN's Campaign Finance Reform Agenda -- Extra Edition [1] >>>
Latest Notable Quotables now online. The October 2 edition of Notable
Quotables, the MRC's bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous,
sometimes humorous, quotes in the liberal media, is now up on the MRC Web
site thanks to Kristina Sewell and Andy Szul. Amongst the quote headings:
"Military Junta Forming for Bush"; "Rape, Murder: Now
That's Funny"; "Like Hillary: Praise or Slander?";
"Hillary, the Victimized Guinea Pig"; "Credit Gore, Blame
Both Sides"; "Berke, Led Around by the Nose";
"'Headline Exceeded the Facts'" and "Do Me, JFK."
CBS reporter Bill Whitaker noted how Bush "knows fumbled facts, verbal stumbles" could hurt him. On ABC's World News Tonight, Terry Moran quizzed Gore on the beach about being "too aggressive" in the debate. All three broadcast network evening newscasts showed video of Gore walking along a Florida beach with his "citizen advisers." NBC's Claire Shipman gushed: "It's almost as if he has his own group of private and constant public opinion pollsters right here with him in Florida." Some quotes and reporting of note from the ABC, CBS and NBC evening shows on Monday, October 2, all of which aired back-back-stories from reporters traveling with both camps. ABC and NBC both led with violence in Israel while CBS put the campaign at the top of its show. -- ABC's World News Tonight debuted new graphics and a new mix of its same theme music. Peter Jennings announced how an ABC News/Washington Post poll put Gore ahead 48 to 46 percent. Jennings read some other poll findings, including how 60 percent supposedly prefer smaller government. But that question revealed a gender chasm since 70 percent of men but only 48 percent of women "prefer smaller government." On that same gender split theme, women back Gore 56 to 38 percent while men prefer Bush 53 to 40 percent. Gore won in three other areas listed by Jennings. On who do you "trust to handle education," Gore said 50 percent compared to 39 percent for Bush. On who do you trust to "hold down gas and oil prices," Gore won 45 to 36 percent and Gore was preferred 44 to 42 percent on who do you trust to "hold down health care prices." Terry Moran checked in from the Gore campaign in
Florida. Moran set up his mini interview: "Gore also addressed
another criticism of his debating style in an interview on the beach, of
course." Moran noted that Gore has worn a suit in his practice sessions, "as if he wants to practice in his full battle armor." Dean Reynolds recounted Bush's public appearance in Huntington, West Virginia where he warned that a Gore administration would spend away the surplus. -- CBS Evening News. Dan Rather led with how a CBS News/New York Times poll found Gore in the lead 45 to 41 percent. Rather ran through some other findings in the poll, including how at 67 percent for Bush and 73 percent for Gore most think both can be "effective" as President. But, Rather cautioned, "only 49 percent say Bush is prepared well enough for the job of President, 71 percent say Gore is." Gore is also favored 68 to 48 percent on having the "skills to negotiate with foreign leaders" and by 71 to 59 percent on having the skills to "work with Congress." Rather declared: "By some analyses, these brand new poll results indicate that Bush may have the greater challenge tomorrow night, but also the greater opportunity since he has what the Gore team sees as the advantage of lower expectations. However one feels about that, it is part of the context of tomorrow's Bush-Gore face-off, available to the biggest mass audience by far in the campaign to date, although some broadcast networks refuse to carry it." Just as CBS refused to show some debates in 1992 because of baseball playoffs. CBS went first to Bill Whitaker with Bush. Whitaker relayed: "Over the weekend he practiced for hours. He knows fumbled facts, verbal stumbles or an unsure demeanor with tens of million watching can critically hobble his run for the White House.' John Roberts filed from the Gore camp where he reported on how Gore spent the day talking with his "so-called real people advisers." -- NBC Nightly News. Tom Brokaw hyped the importance of an event his network won't even broadcast: "Now to that presidential debate tomorrow night. Gore and George W. Bush will face off for the first time ever in front of what is expected to be a huge television audience. It may be the most important debate since John Kennedy and Richard Nixon 40 years ago." (NBC is feeding both the playoff baseball game and the debate to affiliates so a small number may carry the debate. One which will show the debate instead of baseball is Washington, DC's WRC-TV.) David Gregory checked in from the Bush campaign in wild, wonderful West Virginia. From Florida with Gore, NBC's Claire Shipman found him focusing on "relating to the public." She concluded: "The campaign insists that even though this group of so-called citizen advisers might seem like a big PR ploy, that they are actually helping Gore stay focused on communicating. It's almost as if he has his own group of private and constant public opinion pollsters right here with him in Florida."
Dan Rather announced on the October 2 CBS Evening News: "The future of the Supreme Court is now an issue in the presidential campaign. In the CBS News/New York Times poll out tonight, 73 percent of voters polled say the next President's power to appoint new justices will be an important influence election day, with abortion the driving concern." Seconds later reporter Jim Stewart countered:
"Other push button issues ranging all the way from gun control to
patients rights are also coming up for a vote, but even so polls suggest
it's just not registering with the public."
Just back from the Olympics, Lauer told Russert:
"You said the word issues a second ago. I was a little disturbed
when I was in Australia to hear that the race had tightened and some
people were saying it's because George W. Bush did well on Oprah and
Regis. Is there some substance in these polls as well?" Was Lauer so upset when the Gore kiss propelled him in the polls? Russert later offered his view of what each candidate must do Tuesday night: "I think the American people have two things. One, they want George W. Bush to show capacity. Capacity to be President of the United States. To sit in that Oval Office and make tough decisions. They want to see from Al Gore, character. Who is the real Al Gore? Is he someone who embellishes or even misstates the truth, or someone who is his own person who can articulate a vision for the country? One pundit said the other day that George W. Bush sometimes treats English like a second language. Another said that Al Gore treats us as if our second language, or first language was English." Katie Couric tossed softballs at Karenna Gore Schiff. MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens took down her inquiries: -- "How did the mock debate go
yesterday?" Couric then turned to Don Evans, Chairman of the
Bush campaign, but in addition to the same types of questions she
posed to Karenna Gore, she challenged him on substantive issues:
CBS's Julie Chen seemed enthralled: "You have said in the past that people find it surprising that quite often you and your husband will go to the movies. Now if you become the First Lady is that still going to happen?" -- ABC Good Morning America. Here are the
questions posed to Tipper Gore by Charles Gibson, as taken down by MRC
analyst Jessica Anderson: Over on CBS's The Early Show Julie Chen of Big
Brother embarrassment handled the Tipper appearance. MRC analyst Brian
Boyd transcribed her questions, which sometimes came in the form of
fawning statements: Yeah, like it really is, like, man. -- "You have said in the past that people find it surprising that quite often you and your husband will go to the movies. Now if you become the First Lady is that still going to happen?"
A CNN press release dated today says that the cable network will provide "the most complete election coverage" between now and November 7, and notes that it will hold televised town meetings after each of the three presidential debates. The statement continues: "The series of town meetings is part of Time Warner's plan to support campaign-finance reform through voter education. Time Warner has recently announced a four-point program to change the company's policies on its involvement in the U.S. political process: to eliminate soft money contributions; strengthen its PAC; support campaign finance reform; and enhance campaign coverage." In other words, CNN will host television events -- ostensibly news shows -- as part of a parent-company "program" to "support campaign finance reform." Last November, Time-Warner CEO Gerald Levin said he wanted to "add momentum to the bipartisan effort to make the process by which we Americans choose our political leadership fairer and more open, less subject to manipulation and more representative." Can't you see Judy Woodruff doing her thing after the first debate tomorrow night? "There should have been more discussion of Gore's participation in the Buddhist temple fundraiser! He still hasn't explained himself! Our political process has suffered enough from manipulation and misrepresentation!" END Excerpt Don't count on that last paragraph actually being the spin CNN will apply. But it's a nice fantasy.
No network touched the major policy change proposal last week except, as noted in the September 28 CyberAlert and September 29 Media Reality Check, the Fox News Channel. The MRC's Tim Graham alerted me to this exchange, on the October 1 Fox News Sunday, which flustered Daley: Brit Hume: "Vice President Gore seemed to
say this week that he favors civil -- or civic unions for gays and
that he would favor immigrants who are involved in such relationships
with gays who come to this country having the same rights as spouses
in marriage under immigration law and policy. Is the Vice President
prepared to offer the changes in law that would be required to put
that into effect?" Given the lack of interest by the rest of the media don't count on Daley feeling any pressure to provide a real answer.
You can read it online at: For the Adobe Acrobat PDF version, go to: Or, you can go nowhere and just read it here. This is the text of the October 2 Campaign 200 Media Reality Check Quick Take: IT'S OCTOBER, AND THE TOWN MEETING STAR IS MISSING...WHY CAN'T TIM, BOB, WOLF, TONY, SAM & COKIE INVADE HILLARY'S SPACE? -- Number of Sunday Morning Show Interviews since April 1999 by
Rudy Giuliani or Rick Lazio Vs. Number of Sunday Morning Show
Interviews by Hillary Clinton in the Same Time Frame: -- Number of Network-sponsored Town Meetings for Giuliani or Lazio
Compared to Network-sponsored Town Meetings for Hillary: -- While Giuliani and Lazio have subjected themselves to nearly 20 interviews with network anchors, Hillary Clinton or her aides have never even promised she would show up for Sunday morning scrutiny. When CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked about her absenteeism on the May 21 Late Edition, spokesman Harold Ickes committed her to nothing: "Well, she's focused on New York. She has had innumerable one-on-one interviews with New York media, both electronic and press. She has been at a number of editorial boards. She's been on your wonderful town hall out of Buffalo, your hometown. So I think if you look at where she's been, she's been focusing her attention on New York and the New York press and has been very accessible." "It's not fair that CBS, CNN, and NBC granted one candidate a scripted town-meeting forum without any promise of a risky Sunday interview, and her opponents get grilled by Russert, Schieffer, and Blitzer on Sunday with no town meeting," said MRC Director of Media Analysis Tim Graham. "Her Sunday absenteeism only adds value to the tender town-hall moments." END Reprint
Those outside the Boston area or who did not see
it in Monday's New York Post, can see the ad, created by the MRC's
Bonnie Langborgh, on the MRC's Web site. To view it as a
quick-loading HTML reproduction, go to: To view a full size graphic image of the actual ad, complete with a subliminal message, go to: http://www.mrc.org/news/balancead2000-org.html [7] -- Brent Baker [8]
>>>
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Just
in time for what Tom Brokaw hyped as what "may be the most important
debate since John Kennedy and Richard Nixon 40 years ago," ABC and
CBS Monday night announced the results of their new polls. ABC's put
Gore up by 48 to 46 percent while CBS found
Gore ahead 45 to 41 percent as Dan Rather stressed how "only 49
percent say Bush is prepared well enough for the job of President."
CBS
contradicted itself seconds apart. Dan Rather introduced a story by noting
how CBS's new poll determined most say the new President's impact on
the Supreme Court "will be an important influence election day"
for them. But seconds later in the subsequent report Jim Stewart
maintained the opposite, asserting "polls suggest" the impact on
the Supreme Court is "just not registering with the public."
NBC's
Matt Lauer told Tim Russert Monday morning that he was "a little
disturbed" to learn the race had tightened after Bush went on
Oprah. On the same show, while Katie Couric tossed softballs at Al
Gore's daughter, getting no tougher than wondering how her Dad will
come across stylistically, she pressed Bush operative Don Evans about
the ineffectiveness of Bush's tax cut proposal and demanded he
respond to Bob Dole's assessment that "There's a feeling that
he's not quite ready for prime time. That he doesn't fill the
suit."
Tipper
Gore popped up Monday, October 2, on ABC's Good Morning America and
CBS's The Early Show. Like Katie Couric with Al Gore's daughter,
both shows tossed softball questions and failed to raise the issue of
Al Gore's most recent spate of fabrications, though ABC's Charles
Gibson offered a bouquet to Bush as he wondered of Al Gore: "Has
he ever debated someone quite so engaging, quite so affable?"
Does
Time-Warner plan to misuse post-debate "town meetings" on
CNN to advance its liberal pro-campaign finance "reform"
agenda? In their daily Washington Bulletin e-mail report Monday
evening, National Review's John J. Miller and Ramesh Ponnuru
disclosed:
On
Fox News Sunday Brit Hume asked Gore campaign chairman Bill Daley
about Al Gore's promise to a questioner at last Tuesday's MTV
forum that he would favor granting the same privileges for immigration
to same sex couples planning on a civil union as are guaranteed for
those in a traditional marriage situation.
Prompted
by Rick Lazio's appearance Sunday on Meet the Press, Monday
afternoon the MRC's Tim Graham produced a Media Reality Check
"Quick Take" fax on how while Hillary Clinton refuses to be
quizzed on any Sunday interview show, three networks have given her
town meeting forums, an opportunity they have failed to extend to
Lazio.
MRC
ad in today's Boston Herald. As noted in yesterday's CyberAlert,
coinciding with the arrival of reporters in Boston for the
presidential debate, the Tuesday, October 3 Boston Herald features an
ad placed by the MRC. It declares above supporting examples of missed
coverage: "Where is the Balance? How the TV Networks are Covering
Up for Al Gore."