Al Franken - World-of-Newave.info World-of-Newave.info http://www.world-of-newave.info/ 2008-10-13T18:04:05Z Latest news and articles about Al Franken Copyright (c)2004-2008.ยง/Newave SARL. All rights reserved. {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Norah O'Donnell aired cropped "John is right" clips, but in nearly all instances, Obama was criticizing McCain During the September 27 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell aired a montage of what she described as "the multiple times that Barack Obama said 'John [McCain] is right' " during the first presidential debate. Following the montage -- which echoed a misleading McCain ad -- O'Donnell commented, "I thought this was a debate." In fact, in nearly all instances, Obama was actually criticizing McCain after first noting a point of agreement on the topic Obama was discussing. For example, O'Donnell aired footage of Obama saying, "John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right." In fact, Obama said the following: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Here's the problem: There are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code, oftentimes with support of Senator McCain, that we actually see our businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world. Similarly, O'Donnell aired footage of Obama saying, "John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent --". Obama actually said this: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how credible that is. During the segment, O'Donnell also referenced a McCain campaign web video, which -- like the montage O'Donnell played -- consisted of several clips of Obama saying he agreed in some respect with McCain without noting that Obama was, in fact, criticizing McCain. O'Donnell said: "The Republicans -- and I was getting some emails from 'em -- said, 'Wow, look at this.' And they immediately turned it into an ad." Below are the transcripts of the clips O'Donnell aired, followed by the context in which Obama made those comments, according to a New York Times transcript. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility -- Context: JIM LEHRER (moderator): Do you have something directly to say, Senator Obama, to Senator McCain about what he just said? OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there's a crisis. I mean, we've had years in which the reigning economic ideology has been what's good for Wall Street, but not what's good for Main Street. And there are folks out there who've been struggling before this crisis took place. And that's why it's so important, as we solve this short-term problem, that we look at some of the underlying issues that have led to wages and incomes for ordinary Americans to go down, the -- a health care system that is broken, energy policies that are not working, because, you know, 10 days ago, John said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused -- Context: LEHRER: Senator Obama, two minutes. OBAMA: Well, Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused, which is why I suspended any requests for my home state, whether it was for senior centers or what have you, until we cleaned it up. And he's also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special interests are the ones that are introducing these kinds of requests, although that wasn't the case with me. But let's be clear: Earmarks account for $18 billion in last year's budget. Senator McCain is proposing -- and this is a fundamental difference between us -- $300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, $300 billion. Now, $18 billion is important; $300 billion is really important. And in his tax plan, you would have CEOs of Fortune 500 companies getting an average of $700,000 in reduced taxes, while leaving 100 million Americans out. So my attitude is, we've got to grow the economy from the bottom up. What I've called for is a tax cut for 95 percent of working families, 95 percent. And that means that the ordinary American out there who's collecting a paycheck every day, they've got a little extra money to be able to buy a computer for their kid, to fill up on this gas that is killing them. And over time, that, I think, is going to be a better recipe for economic growth than the -- the policies of President Bush that John McCain wants to -- wants to follow. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Context: OBAMA: My definition -- here's what I can tell the American people: 95 percent of you will get a tax cut. And if you make less than $250,000, less than a quarter-million dollars a year, then you will not see one dime's worth of tax increase. Now, John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Here's the problem: There are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code, oftentimes with support of Senator McCain, that we actually see our businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world. And what that means, then, is that there are people out there who are working every day, who are not getting a tax cut, and you want to give them more. It's not like you want to close the loopholes. You just want to add an additional tax cut over the loopholes. And that's a problem. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: John's right that we've got to make some cuts. Context: LEHRER: But if I hear the two of you correctly neither one of you is suggesting any major changes in what you want to do as president as a result of the financial bailout? Is that what you're saying? OBAMA: No. As I said before, Jim, there are going to be things that end up having to be -- LEHRER: Like what? OBAMA: -- deferred and delayed. Well, look, I want to make sure that we are investing in energy in order to free ourselves from the dependence on foreign oil. That is a big project. That is a multi-year project. LEHRER: Not willing to give that up? OBAMA: Not willing to give up the need to do it but there may be individual components that we can't do. But John is right we have to make [some] cuts. We right now give $15 billion every year as subsidies to private insurers under the Medicare system. Doesn't work any better through the private insurers. They just skim off $15 billion. That was a give away and part of the reason is because lobbyists are able to shape how Medicare works. They did it on the Medicaid prescription drug bill and we have to change the culture. Tom -- or John mentioned me being wildly liberal. Mostly that's just me opposing George Bush's wrong headed policies since I've been in Congress but I think it is that it is also important to recognize I work with Tom Coburn, the most conservative, one of the most conservative Republicans who John already mentioned to set up what we call a Google for government saying we'll list every dollar of federal spending to make sure that the taxpayer can take a look and see who, in fact, is promoting some of these spending projects that John's been railing about. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced -- Context: LEHRER: I know, OK, let's go to the latter point and we'll back up. The point about your not having been -- OBAMA: Look, I'm very proud of my vice presidential selection, Joe Biden, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as he explains, and as John well knows, the issues of Afghanistan, the issues of Iraq, critical issues like that, don't go through my subcommittee because they're done as a committee as a whole. But that's Senate inside baseball. But let's get back to the core issue here. Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced as a consequence of the extraordinary sacrifice of our troops and our military families. They have done a brilliant job, and General Petraeus has done a brilliant job. But understand, that was a tactic designed to contain the damage of the previous four years of mismanagement of this war. And so John likes -- John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shia and Sunni. And you were wrong. And so my question is -- [crosstalk] LEHRER: Senator Obama -- OBAMA: -- of judgment, of whether or not -- of whether or not -- if the question is who is best-equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment. MSNBC clips: OBAMA: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent -- OBAMA: Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. Context: OBAMA: Nobody talked about attacking Pakistan. Here's what I said. And if John wants to disagree with this, he can let me know, that, if the United States has Al Qaeda, bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out. Now, I think that's the right strategy; I think that's the right policy. And, John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how credible that is. I think this is the right strategy. Now, Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. This is not an easy situation. You've got cross-border attacks against U.S. troops. And we've got a choice. We could allow our troops to just be on the defensive and absorb those blows again and again and again, if Pakistan is unwilling to cooperate, or we have to start making some decisions. And the problem, John, with the strategy that's been pursued was that, for 10 years, we coddled Musharraf, we alienated the Pakistani population, because we were anti-democratic. We had a 20th-century mindset that basically said, "Well, you know, he may be a dictator, but he's our dictator." And as a consequence, we lost legitimacy in Pakistan. We spent $10 billion. And in the meantime, they weren't going after Al Qaida, and they are more powerful now than at any time since we began the war in Afghanistan. That's going to change when I'm president of the United States. From the noon ET hour of September 27 edition of MSNBC Live: O'DONNELL: Yeah, you know, substance of course is very important in this and so is style, and McCain's tone and temperament has been subject to debate during this whole campaign -- also the way Barack Obama conducted himself last night. Let's play these clips of the multiple times that Barack Obama said "John is right." Take a listen. [begin video clip] OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility -- [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused -- [...] OBAMA: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. [...] OBAMA: John's right that we've got to make some cuts. [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced -- [...] OBAMA: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent -- [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. [end video clip] O'DONNELL: I thought this was a debate, but what does that say? I mean, some people suggested that played really well with independents. The Republicans -- and I was getting some emails from 'em -- said, "Wow, look at this." And they immediately turned it into an ad. BOB FRANKEN (political analyst): Well, here's something profound. Norah, I think you're absolutely right on that. [laughter] FRANKEN: What you just said. Do you get the impression as you are watching this that we had this remarkable thing where John McCain morphed into Barack Obama and vise versa? And you also had to feel sorry, I think, for Jim Lehrer a few times, who kept on trying to get the candidates to talk to one another, and they were really talking past each other. This was really a collection of your old tried-and-true sound bites. O'DONNELL: But those two things, Anne -- "John is right," which Barack Obama used John's name, I think, more than 20 times in the debate, John McCain never used the word Barack or Obama. ANNE E. KORNBLUT (Washington Post staff writer): Not only that, he didn't look at him, which, of course, was commentated on as it was unfolding. At least Obama didn't refer to him as "my friend," but I think that Obama was trying to engage, trying to have some kind of personal contact, and McCain I think probably under orders, went up there with a mission of speaking directly to the audience, trying to bypass both Jim Lehrer and Obama and just get through that filter and talk to the however many tens of millions of people were watching. O'DONNELL: Finally, let's just play here the part on Iraq. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/norah-o-donnell-aired-cropped-john-is-right-clips-20080917546.htm 2008-09-28T00:48:03Z 2008-09-28T00:48:03Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200809270010 Norah O'Donnell aired cropped "John is right" clips, but in nearly all instances, Obama was criticizing McCain {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - During the September 27 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell aired a montage of what she described as "the multiple times that Barack Obama said 'John [McCain] is right' " during the first presidential debate. Following the montage -- which echoed a misleading McCain ad -- O'Donnell commented, "I thought this was a debate." In fact, in nearly all instances, Obama was actually criticizing McCain after first noting a point of agreement on the topic Obama was discussing. For example, O'Donnell aired footage of Obama saying, "John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right." In fact, Obama said the following: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Here's the problem: There are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code, oftentimes with support of Senator McCain, that we actually see our businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world. Similarly, O'Donnell aired footage of Obama saying, "John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent --". Obama actually said this: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how credible that is. During the segment, O'Donnell also referenced a McCain campaign web video, which -- like the montage O'Donnell played -- consisted of several clips of Obama saying he agreed in some respect with McCain without noting that Obama was, in fact, criticizing McCain. O'Donnell said: "The Republicans -- and I was getting some emails from 'em -- said, 'Wow, look at this.' And they immediately turned it into an ad." Below are the transcripts of the clips O'Donnell aired, followed by the context in which Obama made those comments, according to a New York Times transcript. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility -- Context: JIM LEHRER (moderator): Do you have something directly to say, Senator Obama, to Senator McCain about what he just said? OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there's a crisis. I mean, we've had years in which the reigning economic ideology has been what's good for Wall Street, but not what's good for Main Street. And there are folks out there who've been struggling before this crisis took place. And that's why it's so important, as we solve this short-term problem, that we look at some of the underlying issues that have led to wages and incomes for ordinary Americans to go down, the -- a health care system that is broken, energy policies that are not working, because, you know, 10 days ago, John said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused -- Context: LEHRER: Senator Obama, two minutes. OBAMA: Well, Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused, which is why I suspended any requests for my home state, whether it was for senior centers or what have you, until we cleaned it up. And he's also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special interests are the ones that are introducing these kinds of requests, although that wasn't the case with me. But let's be clear: Earmarks account for $18 billion in last year's budget. Senator McCain is proposing -- and this is a fundamental difference between us -- $300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, $300 billion. Now, $18 billion is important; $300 billion is really important. And in his tax plan, you would have CEOs of Fortune 500 companies getting an average of $700,000 in reduced taxes, while leaving 100 million Americans out. So my attitude is, we've got to grow the economy from the bottom up. What I've called for is a tax cut for 95 percent of working families, 95 percent. And that means that the ordinary American out there who's collecting a paycheck every day, they've got a little extra money to be able to buy a computer for their kid, to fill up on this gas that is killing them. And over time, that, I think, is going to be a better recipe for economic growth than the -- the policies of President Bush that John McCain wants to -- wants to follow. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Context: OBAMA: My definition -- here's what I can tell the American people: 95 percent of you will get a tax cut. And if you make less than $250,000, less than a quarter-million dollars a year, then you will not see one dime's worth of tax increase. Now, John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. Here's the problem: There are so many loopholes that have been written into the tax code, oftentimes with support of Senator McCain, that we actually see our businesses pay effectively one of the lowest tax rates in the world. And what that means, then, is that there are people out there who are working every day, who are not getting a tax cut, and you want to give them more. It's not like you want to close the loopholes. You just want to add an additional tax cut over the loopholes. And that's a problem. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: John's right that we've got to make some cuts. Context: LEHRER: But if I hear the two of you correctly neither one of you is suggesting any major changes in what you want to do as president as a result of the financial bailout? Is that what you're saying? OBAMA: No. As I said before, Jim, there are going to be things that end up having to be -- LEHRER: Like what? OBAMA: -- deferred and delayed. Well, look, I want to make sure that we are investing in energy in order to free ourselves from the dependence on foreign oil. That is a big project. That is a multi-year project. LEHRER: Not willing to give that up? OBAMA: Not willing to give up the need to do it but there may be individual components that we can't do. But John is right we have to make [some] cuts. We right now give $15 billion every year as subsidies to private insurers under the Medicare system. Doesn't work any better through the private insurers. They just skim off $15 billion. That was a give away and part of the reason is because lobbyists are able to shape how Medicare works. They did it on the Medicaid prescription drug bill and we have to change the culture. Tom -- or John mentioned me being wildly liberal. Mostly that's just me opposing George Bush's wrong headed policies since I've been in Congress but I think it is that it is also important to recognize I work with Tom Coburn, the most conservative, one of the most conservative Republicans who John already mentioned to set up what we call a Google for government saying we'll list every dollar of federal spending to make sure that the taxpayer can take a look and see who, in fact, is promoting some of these spending projects that John's been railing about. MSNBC clip: OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced -- Context: LEHRER: I know, OK, let's go to the latter point and we'll back up. The point about your not having been -- OBAMA: Look, I'm very proud of my vice presidential selection, Joe Biden, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as he explains, and as John well knows, the issues of Afghanistan, the issues of Iraq, critical issues like that, don't go through my subcommittee because they're done as a committee as a whole. But that's Senate inside baseball. But let's get back to the core issue here. Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced as a consequence of the extraordinary sacrifice of our troops and our military families. They have done a brilliant job, and General Petraeus has done a brilliant job. But understand, that was a tactic designed to contain the damage of the previous four years of mismanagement of this war. And so John likes -- John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shia and Sunni. And you were wrong. And so my question is -- [crosstalk] LEHRER: Senator Obama -- OBAMA: -- of judgment, of whether or not -- of whether or not -- if the question is who is best-equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment. MSNBC clips: OBAMA: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent -- OBAMA: Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. Context: OBAMA: Nobody talked about attacking Pakistan. Here's what I said. And if John wants to disagree with this, he can let me know, that, if the United States has Al Qaeda, bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out. Now, I think that's the right strategy; I think that's the right policy. And, John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know, you know, how credible that is. I think this is the right strategy. Now, Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. This is not an easy situation. You've got cross-border attacks against U.S. troops. And we've got a choice. We could allow our troops to just be on the defensive and absorb those blows again and again and again, if Pakistan is unwilling to cooperate, or we have to start making some decisions. And the problem, John, with the strategy that's been pursued was that, for 10 years, we coddled Musharraf, we alienated the Pakistani population, because we were anti-democratic. We had a 20th-century mindset that basically said, "Well, you know, he may be a dictator, but he's our dictator." And as a consequence, we lost legitimacy in Pakistan. We spent $10 billion. And in the meantime, they weren't going after Al Qaida, and they are more powerful now than at any time since we began the war in Afghanistan. That's going to change when I'm president of the United States. From the noon ET hour of September 27 edition of MSNBC Live: O'DONNELL: Yeah, you know, substance of course is very important in this and so is style, and McCain's tone and temperament has been subject to debate during this whole campaign -- also the way Barack Obama conducted himself last night. Let's play these clips of the multiple times that Barack Obama said "John is right." Take a listen. [begin video clip] OBAMA: Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility -- [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused -- [...] OBAMA: John mentioned the fact that business taxes on paper are high in this country, and he's absolutely right. [...] OBAMA: John's right that we've got to make some cuts. [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is absolutely right that the violence has been reduced -- [...] OBAMA: John, I -- you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent -- [...] OBAMA: Senator McCain is also right that it's difficult. [end video clip] O'DONNELL: I thought this was a debate, but what does that say? I mean, some people suggested that played really well with independents. The Republicans -- and I was getting some emails from 'em -- said, "Wow, look at this." And they immediately turned it into an ad. BOB FRANKEN (political analyst): Well, here's something profound. Norah, I think you're absolutely right on that. [laughter] FRANKEN: What you just said. Do you get the impression as you are watching this that we had this remarkable thing where John McCain morphed into Barack Obama and vise versa? And you also had to feel sorry, I think, for Jim Lehrer a few times, who kept on trying to get the candidates to talk to one another, and they were really talking past each other. This was really a collection of your old tried-and-true sound bites. O'DONNELL: But those two things, Anne -- "John is right," which Barack Obama used John's name, I think, more than 20 times in the debate, John McCain never used the word Barack or Obama. ANNE E. KORNBLUT (Washington Post staff writer): Not only that, he didn't look at him, which, of course, was commentated on as it was unfolding. At least Obama didn't refer to him as "my friend," but I think that Obama was trying to engage, trying to have some kind of personal contact, and McCain I think probably under orders, went up there with a mission of speaking directly to the audience, trying to bypass both Jim Lehrer and Obama and just get through that filter and talk to the however many tens of millions of people were watching. O'DONNELL: Finally, let's just play here the part on Iraq.
Media Matters - Norah O'Donnell aired cropped "John is right" clips, but in nearly all instances, Obama was criticizing McCain {...} On MSNBC, Norah O'Donnell aired a montage of what she described as "the multiple times that Barack Obama said 'John [McCain] is right' " during the first presidential debate. Following the montage, O'Donnell commented, "I thought this was a debate." In fact, in nearly all instances, Obama was actually criticizing McCain after first noting a point of agreement on the topic Obama was discussing. {...}
Published: September 28, 2008, 12:48 am - Indexed: September 28, 2008, 2:06 pm - Page Size: 30KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Kilmeade reported SNL 's Lorne Michaels has "maxed out on" contributions to Obama, but not Michaels' history of contributions to McCain During the September 22 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asserted that NBC Saturday Night Live alum and Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken and Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels have "both maxed out on their contributions to Barack Obama," ignoring Michaels' contributions to Sen. John McCain's campaign, including $2,300 in 2007. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Michaels has given at least $5,300 to McCain and his Straight Talk America Political Action Committee since 2000. By contrast, Jonathan Martin and Josh Kraushaar reported in a September 20 Politico article that "Michaels has also been a longtime supporter of Sen. John McCain's various political campaigns, donating $1,000 to him in the 2000 presidential primaries, $1,000 to his 2004 Senate reelection bid, a similar sum to his Straight Talk America PAC in 2006 and the maximum $2,300 to his presidential campaign this year." They added: "When asked about his support for McCain last week by Politico, Michaels said he has also donated to Obama, although that donation has not been listed on the most recent available donor statements." From the September 22 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends: KILMEADE: Al Franken was busy: Not only is he running for Senate in Minnesota, he also had to phone in a sketch to Lorne Michaels. Both have one thing in common. They've been friends for 30 years -- I guess two things in common -- and they've both maxed out on their contributions to Barack Obama. And I guess that sketch that they phoned in kind of played into that. GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): Well, and apparently, it was the sketch about John McCain, and it wasn't a positive one for him. Let's listen. NARRATOR: (video clip): Barack Obama plays basketball. Charles Barkley plays basketball. Is Charles Barkley qualified to lead our economy? He gambled millions away in Las Vegas. Don't let Barack Obama gamble with our economy. No way, no how, no Charack O'Barkley. STEVE DOOCY (co-host): OK, so, it is extraordinary. And you know we've talked extensively on this program about how NBC does appear to be in the tank for Barack Obama. So, there they have -- KILMEADE: It's unbelievable. DOOCY: -- they've got this hit job on John McCain, written by Al Franken, who is running for Senate in the state of Minnesota, not as a Republican. It is extraordinary. I was reading some of the blog comments. How could this possibly be legal? CARLSON: Well, it doesn't -- this does not -- DOOCY: One candidate for -- KILMEADE: It's comedy. DOOCY: -- for federal office essentially orchestrating talking points on a grand scale against another federal office. CARLSON: Well the onus falls on NBC for this. DOOCY: Yes. CARLSON: Because this helps Al Franken with his constituents who are going to vote for him, because they're attacking McCain as well. But this -- the onus falls on NBC for doing this. And the proof was in the pudding when they first denied it. KILMEADE: The onus is on me because I get the pundit pit next. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/kilmeade-reported-snl-s-lorne-michaels-has-maxed-20080917540.htm 2008-09-22T19:08:30Z 2008-09-22T19:08:30Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200809220007 Kilmeade reported SNL 's Lorne Michaels has "maxed out on" contributions to Obama, but not Michaels' history of contributions to McCain {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - During the September 22 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asserted that NBC Saturday Night Live alum and Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken and Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels have "both maxed out on their contributions to Barack Obama," ignoring Michaels' contributions to Sen. John McCain's campaign, including $2,300 in 2007. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Michaels has given at least $5,300 to McCain and his Straight Talk America Political Action Committee since 2000. By contrast, Jonathan Martin and Josh Kraushaar reported in a September 20 Politico article that "Michaels has also been a longtime supporter of Sen. John McCain's various political campaigns, donating $1,000 to him in the 2000 presidential primaries, $1,000 to his 2004 Senate reelection bid, a similar sum to his Straight Talk America PAC in 2006 and the maximum $2,300 to his presidential campaign this year." They added: "When asked about his support for McCain last week by Politico, Michaels said he has also donated to Obama, although that donation has not been listed on the most recent available donor statements." From the September 22 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends: KILMEADE: Al Franken was busy: Not only is he running for Senate in Minnesota, he also had to phone in a sketch to Lorne Michaels. Both have one thing in common. They've been friends for 30 years -- I guess two things in common -- and they've both maxed out on their contributions to Barack Obama. And I guess that sketch that they phoned in kind of played into that. GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): Well, and apparently, it was the sketch about John McCain, and it wasn't a positive one for him. Let's listen. NARRATOR: (video clip): Barack Obama plays basketball. Charles Barkley plays basketball. Is Charles Barkley qualified to lead our economy? He gambled millions away in Las Vegas. Don't let Barack Obama gamble with our economy. No way, no how, no Charack O'Barkley. STEVE DOOCY (co-host): OK, so, it is extraordinary. And you know we've talked extensively on this program about how NBC does appear to be in the tank for Barack Obama. So, there they have -- KILMEADE: It's unbelievable. DOOCY: -- they've got this hit job on John McCain, written by Al Franken, who is running for Senate in the state of Minnesota, not as a Republican. It is extraordinary. I was reading some of the blog comments. How could this possibly be legal? CARLSON: Well, it doesn't -- this does not -- DOOCY: One candidate for -- KILMEADE: It's comedy. DOOCY: -- for federal office essentially orchestrating talking points on a grand scale against another federal office. CARLSON: Well the onus falls on NBC for this. DOOCY: Yes. CARLSON: Because this helps Al Franken with his constituents who are going to vote for him, because they're attacking McCain as well. But this -- the onus falls on NBC for doing this. And the proof was in the pudding when they first denied it. KILMEADE: The onus is on me because I get the pundit pit next.
Media Matters - Kilmeade reported SNL 's Lorne Michaels has "maxed out on" contributions to Obama, but not Michaels' history of contributions to McCain {...} Fox & Friends ' Brian Kilmeade stated that Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels has "maxed out on" his contributions to Sen. Barack Obama. But Kilmeade failed to note that, according to FEC filings, Michaels has given at least $5,300 to Sen. John McCain and his Straight Talk America PAC since 2000, including the maximum $2,300 to his presidential campaign. {...}
Published: September 22, 2008, 7:08 pm - Indexed: September 23, 2008, 11:12 pm - Page Size: 18KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {NORTH AMERICA > NEWS AND MEDIA} - Dean Barkley, Franken Win In Minnesota Party Primaries (AHN) (AHN) - Former 'Saturday Night Live' writer Al Franken trounced six other Democrats to become the official candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to challenge Sen. Norm Coleman in November. - Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:46:54 GMT http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/michigan/news-and-media/dean-barkley-franken-win-in-minnesota-party-primaries-20080961012.htm 2008-09-10T17:15:52Z 2008-09-10T17:15:52Z Allheadlinenews.Com http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012242179 Dean Barkley, Franken Win In Minnesota Party Primaries (AHN) {new window}   Www.Allheadlinenews.Com - (AHN) - Former 'Saturday Night Live' writer Al Franken trounced six other Democrats to become the official candidate of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to challenge Sen. Norm Coleman in November. - Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:46:54 GMT
Dean Barkley, Franken Win In Minnesota Party Primaries | AHN | September 10, 2008 {...} Dean Barkley, Franken Win In Minnesota Party Primaries | September 10, 2008 {...}
Indexed: September 10, 2008, 5:15 pm - Page Size: 12KB
Category: Regional > North America > United States > Michigan > News and Media

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Blasting Franken's "vulgarity," Wash. Post 's Gerson touted McCain's "civility," ignoring McCain's "vulgarity" and tolerance of it In a June 18 Washington Post column, citing writings and jokes that are years and even decades old, Michael Gerson criticized comedian and Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken for what he called Franken's "offensive vulgarity." Gerson wrote: "The objects of Franken's humor -- including political opponents and women -- are not merely mocked but dehumanized. His trashiness is also nastiness." Gerson later added, "At its best, politics can offer examples of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice -- the tradition so far embraced by both John McCain and Barack Obama. At the very least, politics should not actively push our culture toward vulgarity and viciousness. This is not prudery; it is a practical concern for the cooperation and mutual respect necessary in a functioning democracy. And it is hard to believe those causes would be served by a Sen. Franken." However, in citing McCain as an "example[] of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice," Gerson ignored McCain's previous personal attacks on Sen. Hillary Clinton, including an appearance at a 1998 Republican fundraiser where McCain reportedly made what New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called a "disgusting jape": "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." (He reportedly later apologized to President Bill Clinton.) Media Matters for America has documented that McCain tolerated an attack on Hillary Clinton as well as took a "swipe" at her during the presidential campaign. During a November 2007 campaign event in South Carolina, when a questioner asked McCain, "How do we beat the bitch?" -- presumably referring to Hillary Clinton -- McCain responded that it was an "excellent question" and then pointed to a Rasmussen poll that he said showed him beating Clinton in a head-to-head matchup before saying, "I respect Senator Clinton." Additionally, an October 18, 2007, Associated Press article reported that while campaigning in South Carolina, McCain "couldn't resist a swipe at Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton." The article noted that during an appearance at the University of South Carolina Upstate nursing school, "McCain took one look at a ... training mannequin and asked if the dummy's name was Hillary." The article quoted McCain as saying, "I was very glad to meet the dummy, named 'Hillary.' " McCain's campaign has also been linked to personal attacks against Clinton, as Media Matters has noted. Before joining the campaign in early June, McCain's deputy communications director, Michael Goldfarb, regularly engaged in the kind of personal smears that McCain has denounced. In his prior capacity as online editor of The Weekly Standard, from which he is on leave, Goldfarb described Clinton as a "shameless panderer" who "lie[s]" "more than most" politicians and mustered "faux outrage" that came off as "pathetic whining" about her treatment from the media. Goldfarb said of Clinton's "3 a.m." ad about the economy: "[D]oes anyone think Clinton wouldn't bite off the heads of at least three staffers if her much needed beauty sleep was disturbed by a middle of the night phone call about the economy?" From Gerson's June 18 Washington Post column: In the razor-close and nationally important Senate race in Minnesota, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman is presented with a unique political problem. Should he raise in his ads the issue of comedian Al Franken's offensive vulgarity? Or would this risk a backlash against Coleman for coarsening the public conversation? Remember that when Ken Starr detailed Bill Clinton's most repulsive antics -- stained dresses and such -- it was Starr who was accused of sexual obsessiveness. [...] "Porn-O-Rama!" is a modern campaign document every voter should read -- the Federalist Papers of lifestyle liberalism. It has the literary sensibilities and moral seriousness of an awkward adolescent nerd publishing an underground newspaper to shock his way into campus popularity. But, in this case, the article was written in 2000 by a 48-year-old man. Franken's "brand name" includes other highlights. In 2006, after a long monologue about a dog and its vomit, Franken impersonated the deceased Sen. Strom Thurmond as saying: "Yeah, I screwed a woman who was vomiting once." He once proposed a television sketch about a female CBS reporter being drugged and raped. He has suggested that his next book title might be "I F -- -- -- Hate Those Right-Wing Motherf -- -- -- !" At an event hosted by the Feminist Majority Foundation in 1999, Franken offered this thigh-slapper: "Why don't we focus on what Afghan women can do? They can cook, bear children and pray. As I recall, that was fine for our grandmothers." Our popular culture, of course, violates even these expansive boundaries of tastelessness with regularity. We laugh at comedies featuring the C-word and at cartoons of foul-mouthed third-graders. In the cause of relevance and realism, our common life is already decorated with excrement. Why should political discourse be any different? For at least one reason: Because vulgarity is often the opposite of civility. This is not, of course, always true. I know a brilliant and large-hearted academic with roots in south Philly who uses the F-word with the frequency of "like" or "and." But the vulgarity of "The Jerry Springer Show" or misogynous rap music -- the cultural equivalents of Franken's political "satire" -- generally expresses contempt and cruelty. Franken is not content to disagree with Karl Rove; he calls him "human filth." He is not satisfied to criticize Ari Fleischer; Franken terms him a "chimp." The objects of Franken's humor -- including political opponents and women -- are not merely mocked but dehumanized. His trashiness is also nastiness. Rather than lampooning the emptiness and viciousness of our political discourse -- a proper role for satire -- Franken has powerfully reinforced those failures. Some institutions must be more than a mirror to our culture, including families, religious communities and government. At its best, politics can offer examples of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice -- the tradition so far embraced by both John McCain and Barack Obama. At the very least, politics should not actively push our culture toward vulgarity and viciousness. This is not prudery; it is a practical concern for the cooperation and mutual respect necessary in a functioning democracy. And it is hard to believe those causes would be served by a Sen. Franken. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/blasting-franken-s-vulgarity-wash-post-s-gerson-20080635924.htm 2008-06-20T01:01:36Z 2008-06-20T01:01:36Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200806190011 Blasting Franken's "vulgarity," Wash. Post 's Gerson touted McCain's "civility," ignoring McCain's "vulgarity" and tolerance of it {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - In a June 18 Washington Post column, citing writings and jokes that are years and even decades old, Michael Gerson criticized comedian and Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken for what he called Franken's "offensive vulgarity." Gerson wrote: "The objects of Franken's humor -- including political opponents and women -- are not merely mocked but dehumanized. His trashiness is also nastiness." Gerson later added, "At its best, politics can offer examples of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice -- the tradition so far embraced by both John McCain and Barack Obama. At the very least, politics should not actively push our culture toward vulgarity and viciousness. This is not prudery; it is a practical concern for the cooperation and mutual respect necessary in a functioning democracy. And it is hard to believe those causes would be served by a Sen. Franken." However, in citing McCain as an "example[] of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice," Gerson ignored McCain's previous personal attacks on Sen. Hillary Clinton, including an appearance at a 1998 Republican fundraiser where McCain reportedly made what New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called a "disgusting jape": "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." (He reportedly later apologized to President Bill Clinton.) Media Matters for America has documented that McCain tolerated an attack on Hillary Clinton as well as took a "swipe" at her during the presidential campaign. During a November 2007 campaign event in South Carolina, when a questioner asked McCain, "How do we beat the bitch?" -- presumably referring to Hillary Clinton -- McCain responded that it was an "excellent question" and then pointed to a Rasmussen poll that he said showed him beating Clinton in a head-to-head matchup before saying, "I respect Senator Clinton." Additionally, an October 18, 2007, Associated Press article reported that while campaigning in South Carolina, McCain "couldn't resist a swipe at Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton." The article noted that during an appearance at the University of South Carolina Upstate nursing school, "McCain took one look at a ... training mannequin and asked if the dummy's name was Hillary." The article quoted McCain as saying, "I was very glad to meet the dummy, named 'Hillary.' " McCain's campaign has also been linked to personal attacks against Clinton, as Media Matters has noted. Before joining the campaign in early June, McCain's deputy communications director, Michael Goldfarb, regularly engaged in the kind of personal smears that McCain has denounced. In his prior capacity as online editor of The Weekly Standard, from which he is on leave, Goldfarb described Clinton as a "shameless panderer" who "lie[s]" "more than most" politicians and mustered "faux outrage" that came off as "pathetic whining" about her treatment from the media. Goldfarb said of Clinton's "3 a.m." ad about the economy: "[D]oes anyone think Clinton wouldn't bite off the heads of at least three staffers if her much needed beauty sleep was disturbed by a middle of the night phone call about the economy?" From Gerson's June 18 Washington Post column: In the razor-close and nationally important Senate race in Minnesota, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman is presented with a unique political problem. Should he raise in his ads the issue of comedian Al Franken's offensive vulgarity? Or would this risk a backlash against Coleman for coarsening the public conversation? Remember that when Ken Starr detailed Bill Clinton's most repulsive antics -- stained dresses and such -- it was Starr who was accused of sexual obsessiveness. [...] "Porn-O-Rama!" is a modern campaign document every voter should read -- the Federalist Papers of lifestyle liberalism. It has the literary sensibilities and moral seriousness of an awkward adolescent nerd publishing an underground newspaper to shock his way into campus popularity. But, in this case, the article was written in 2000 by a 48-year-old man. Franken's "brand name" includes other highlights. In 2006, after a long monologue about a dog and its vomit, Franken impersonated the deceased Sen. Strom Thurmond as saying: "Yeah, I screwed a woman who was vomiting once." He once proposed a television sketch about a female CBS reporter being drugged and raped. He has suggested that his next book title might be "I F -- -- -- Hate Those Right-Wing Motherf -- -- -- !" At an event hosted by the Feminist Majority Foundation in 1999, Franken offered this thigh-slapper: "Why don't we focus on what Afghan women can do? They can cook, bear children and pray. As I recall, that was fine for our grandmothers." Our popular culture, of course, violates even these expansive boundaries of tastelessness with regularity. We laugh at comedies featuring the C-word and at cartoons of foul-mouthed third-graders. In the cause of relevance and realism, our common life is already decorated with excrement. Why should political discourse be any different? For at least one reason: Because vulgarity is often the opposite of civility. This is not, of course, always true. I know a brilliant and large-hearted academic with roots in south Philly who uses the F-word with the frequency of "like" or "and." But the vulgarity of "The Jerry Springer Show" or misogynous rap music -- the cultural equivalents of Franken's political "satire" -- generally expresses contempt and cruelty. Franken is not content to disagree with Karl Rove; he calls him "human filth." He is not satisfied to criticize Ari Fleischer; Franken terms him a "chimp." The objects of Franken's humor -- including political opponents and women -- are not merely mocked but dehumanized. His trashiness is also nastiness. Rather than lampooning the emptiness and viciousness of our political discourse -- a proper role for satire -- Franken has powerfully reinforced those failures. Some institutions must be more than a mirror to our culture, including families, religious communities and government. At its best, politics can offer examples of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice -- the tradition so far embraced by both John McCain and Barack Obama. At the very least, politics should not actively push our culture toward vulgarity and viciousness. This is not prudery; it is a practical concern for the cooperation and mutual respect necessary in a functioning democracy. And it is hard to believe those causes would be served by a Sen. Franken.
Media Matters - Blasting Franken's "vulgarity," Wash. Post 's Gerson touted McCain's "civility," ignoring McCain's "vulgarity" and tolerance of it {...} Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson criticized senatorial candidate Al Franken for what he called Franken's "offensive vulgarity" and wrote: "At its best, politics can offer examples of civility and generosity that challenge selfishness and prejudice -- the tradition so far embraced by both John McCain and Barack Obama." However, Gerson ignored McCain's previous personal attacks on Sen. Hillary Clinton, including McCain's reported telling of this joke at a 1998 fundraiser: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." {...}
Published: June 20, 2008, 1:01 am - Indexed: June 21, 2008, 12:18 pm - Page Size: 22KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {NORTH AMERICA > NEWSPAPERS} - [Opinion] The balance of the Senate is in limbo Minnesota's DFL convention delegates on Saturday gave Al Franken the go ahead to take on Republican nominee and incumbent Norm Coleman in a U.S. Senate race which, according to Congressional Quarterly, has "no clear favorite." ... http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/minnesota/regions/twin-cities/news-and-media/newspapers/opinion-the-balance-of-the-senate-is-in-limbo-20080639613.htm 2008-06-11T04:14:36Z 2008-06-11T04:14:36Z Mndaily.Com http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/06/11/72167298 [Opinion] The balance of the Senate is in limbo {new window}   Www.Mndaily.Com - Minnesota's DFL convention delegates on Saturday gave Al Franken the go ahead to take on Republican nominee and incumbent Norm Coleman in a U.S. Senate race which, according to Congressional Quarterly, has "no clear favorite." ...
The balance of the Senate is in limbo - Minnesota Daily {...} Minnesota's DFL convention delegates on Saturday gave Al Franken the go ahead to take on Republican nominee and incumbent Norm Coleman in a U.S. Senate race which, according to Congressional Quarterly, has "no clear favorite." ... {...}
Published: June 11, 2008, 4:14 am - Indexed: June 11, 2008, 5:41 pm - Page Size: 36KB
Category: Regional > North America > United States > Minnesota > Regions > Twin Cities > News and Media > Newspapers

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - MSNBC's Witt aired McCain ad without noting misleading claims about visiting wounded troops, Afghanistan hearings, military funding During the 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours of MSNBC Live on July 27, anchor Alex Witt aired an ad from Sen. John McCain asserting that Sen. Barack Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." But in neither segment did Witt or her guests, McClatchy Newspapers chief Washington correspondent Steve Thomma and Hill blogger Bob Franken, note that Obama reportedly previously visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center without the media, or that although Obama decided not to visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, he reportedly made phone calls to wounded soldiers there. Nor did Witt or her guests note that according to Obama spokeswoman Linda Douglass, "We told military officials explicitly that Senator Obama had absolutely no intention of bringing any members of the media or photographers in with him to visit the wounded warriors." In addition, while the ad asserts that Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops," the accompanying footage shows Obama playing basketball during his July 19 visit with U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, which neither Witt nor her guests noted. During the 8 a.m. segment, Thomma asserted that "Obama had a gaffe here by canceling a long-planned trips to visit these wounded troops in Rammstein, Germany." He added, "I think he looked a little weak in the process, and it was a gaffe." During the 9 a.m. segment, Franken said, "I think that the Obama people blew it. Plain, simple, period." He also asserted, "And the McCain ad I think is going to draw a little bit of blood because I believe in the case of Barack Obama, if you live by the photo op, you die of the photo op, or in this particular case, the lack of a photo op." By contrast, in a July 26 post on his blog Political Punch, ABC senior national correspondent Jake Tapper wrote: The McCain campaign provides no evidence for the assertion that being told he [Obama] couldn't bring media had anything to do with the trip's cancellation. Oddly, when discussing Obama's trip to the gym, the ad uses footage of Obama playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait over the weekend. Tapper also provided Douglass' statement: "We told military officials explicitly that Senator Obama had absolutely no intention of bringing any members of the media or photographers in with him to visit the wounded warriors. In all of our communications with the military, we stressed that this was to be a private visit by Senator Obama." Similarly, in a July 26 post on the Time blog Swampland, national political correspondent Karen Tumulty wrote, "[T]here's a little problem with this line: 'And now, he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops.' " Tumulty continued, "Sure enough, the accompanying footage shows Obama playing basketball ... with the troops in Kuwait." Tumulty also asserted that "[t]here is absolutely no evidence" for the ad's suggestion that "Obama cancelled the trip because he was told he couldn't bring the media." Further, in uncritically airing the McCain ad's contention that Obama "never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan," Witt did not note that McCain is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, but reportedly has not attended a single Armed Services Committee hearing related to Afghanistan in 2007-08. Nor did Witt note, in uncritically airing the McCain ad's claim that Obama "voted against funding our troops," that McCain himself voted against legislation funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or that, as Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote, that "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-funding bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " From the 8 a.m. ET hour of MSNBC Live on July 27: WITT: We talked about this new McCain camp ad, and it is releasing it. It's slamming Barack Obama for not visiting the wounded soldiers in Germany. So let's take a little look at it. NARRATOR [video clip]: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hadn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. And now, he made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. WITT: Well, the Obama camp says that Senator Obama scrapped the plans to visit those troops after the Pentagon raised the concerns it might involve the troops in politics. So, I'd like your reaction to this new McCain ad, considering everything. THOMMA: Well, I think Senator Obama had a gaffe here by canceling a long-planned trips to visit these wounded troops in Rammstein, Germany. He says -- his campaign says -- they gave several explanations, Alex, but the bottom line was, they said, "The Pentagon told us not to come." You know, Senator Obama says he wouldn't take the orders of the Pentagon on issues like whether to get out of Iraq, but somehow he'll take their orders from a junior PR guy at the Pentagon about whether to visit wounded troops. I think he looked a little weak in the process, and it was a gaffe. WITT: OK, I'm curious, though, Steve. Do you think there's a chance Senator McCain can overplay this hand? THOMMA: Yeah. Yeah, it's well-put, Alex. I think Senator McCain personally should have left this to surrogates and/or the media to cover. [unintelligible] been a lot of coverage of this screw-up not visiting the troops, and I think it would have been best left to others. WITT: OK. Steve Thomma, not leaving anything to others. We're having you with us next hour, as well. Thanks so much. From the 9 a.m. ET hour of MSNBC Live on July 27: WITT: Let's talk about what McCain is doing now by releasing this stinging new ad slamming Obama for not visiting the wounded soldiers in Germany. Let's take a look at part of it. NARRATOR [video clip]: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hadn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. And now, he made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon -- WITT: Well, the Obama camp says that Senator Obama scrapped the plans to visit the troops after the Pentagon raised all those concerns that it might then involve the troops in politics. But I'm curious about your reaction, Bob, to this new McCain ad. FRANKEN: Well, they blew -- first of all, I think that the Obama people blew it. Plain, simple, period. And if they were smart, they would just come out and say, "You know, we made a mistake." And the McCain ad I think is going to draw a little bit of blood because I believe in the case of Barack Obama, if you live by the photo op, you die of the photo op, or in this particular case, the lack of a photo op. The truth of the matter is, is that he had sort of gone unchallenged all week by the adoring media who were singing "Obama Mia" throughout the week. So finally, when he made a misstep, it was amplified quite a bit because of all the easy going that he'd had in the other photo ops. WITT: "Obama Mia." May I quote you on that and attribute you when I do? Anyway -- FRANKEN: Yeah, you don't want to accept blame for that one, do you? WITT: No, but I'll give it to you. But the question with John McCain now. Do you think he might overplay his hand here with this? Is there a risk of that? FRANKEN: Oh, probably. I suspect he will overplay it. But subtlety has never been a part of any kind of campaign. One could argue that the whole Obama trip was an overplay of a major proportion, and John McCain has to sort of match that. So what you always get in a campaign is exaggeration. So, sure, he's going to overplay it. That's what politicians do. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/msnbc-s-witt-aired-mccain-ad-without-noting-misleading-20080713642.htm 2008-07-27T23:40:14Z 2008-07-27T23:40:14Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200807270003 MSNBC's Witt aired McCain ad without noting misleading claims about visiting wounded troops, Afghanistan hearings, military funding {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - During the 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours of MSNBC Live on July 27, anchor Alex Witt aired an ad from Sen. John McCain asserting that Sen. Barack Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." But in neither segment did Witt or her guests, McClatchy Newspapers chief Washington correspondent Steve Thomma and Hill blogger Bob Franken, note that Obama reportedly previously visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center without the media, or that although Obama decided not to visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, he reportedly made phone calls to wounded soldiers there. Nor did Witt or her guests note that according to Obama spokeswoman Linda Douglass, "We told military officials explicitly that Senator Obama had absolutely no intention of bringing any members of the media or photographers in with him to visit the wounded warriors." In addition, while the ad asserts that Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops," the accompanying footage shows Obama playing basketball during his July 19 visit with U.S. troops at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, which neither Witt nor her guests noted. During the 8 a.m. segment, Thomma asserted that "Obama had a gaffe here by canceling a long-planned trips to visit these wounded troops in Rammstein, Germany." He added, "I think he looked a little weak in the process, and it was a gaffe." During the 9 a.m. segment, Franken said, "I think that the Obama people blew it. Plain, simple, period." He also asserted, "And the McCain ad I think is going to draw a little bit of blood because I believe in the case of Barack Obama, if you live by the photo op, you die of the photo op, or in this particular case, the lack of a photo op." By contrast, in a July 26 post on his blog Political Punch, ABC senior national correspondent Jake Tapper wrote: The McCain campaign provides no evidence for the assertion that being told he [Obama] couldn't bring media had anything to do with the trip's cancellation. Oddly, when discussing Obama's trip to the gym, the ad uses footage of Obama playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait over the weekend. Tapper also provided Douglass' statement: "We told military officials explicitly that Senator Obama had absolutely no intention of bringing any members of the media or photographers in with him to visit the wounded warriors. In all of our communications with the military, we stressed that this was to be a private visit by Senator Obama." Similarly, in a July 26 post on the Time blog Swampland, national political correspondent Karen Tumulty wrote, "[T]here's a little problem with this line: 'And now, he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops.' " Tumulty continued, "Sure enough, the accompanying footage shows Obama playing basketball ... with the troops in Kuwait." Tumulty also asserted that "[t]here is absolutely no evidence" for the ad's suggestion that "Obama cancelled the trip because he was told he couldn't bring the media." Further, in uncritically airing the McCain ad's contention that Obama "never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan," Witt did not note that McCain is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, but reportedly has not attended a single Armed Services Committee hearing related to Afghanistan in 2007-08. Nor did Witt note, in uncritically airing the McCain ad's claim that Obama "voted against funding our troops," that McCain himself voted against legislation funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or that, as Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz wrote, that "Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14 Senate Democrats to oppose a war-funding bill last year -- after Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' " From the 8 a.m. ET hour of MSNBC Live on July 27: WITT: We talked about this new McCain camp ad, and it is releasing it. It's slamming Barack Obama for not visiting the wounded soldiers in Germany. So let's take a little look at it. NARRATOR [video clip]: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hadn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. And now, he made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. WITT: Well, the Obama camp says that Senator Obama scrapped the plans to visit those troops after the Pentagon raised the concerns it might involve the troops in politics. So, I'd like your reaction to this new McCain ad, considering everything. THOMMA: Well, I think Senator Obama had a gaffe here by canceling a long-planned trips to visit these wounded troops in Rammstein, Germany. He says -- his campaign says -- they gave several explanations, Alex, but the bottom line was, they said, "The Pentagon told us not to come." You know, Senator Obama says he wouldn't take the orders of the Pentagon on issues like whether to get out of Iraq, but somehow he'll take their orders from a junior PR guy at the Pentagon about whether to visit wounded troops. I think he looked a little weak in the process, and it was a gaffe. WITT: OK, I'm curious, though, Steve. Do you think there's a chance Senator McCain can overplay this hand? THOMMA: Yeah. Yeah, it's well-put, Alex. I think Senator McCain personally should have left this to surrogates and/or the media to cover. [unintelligible] been a lot of coverage of this screw-up not visiting the troops, and I think it would have been best left to others. WITT: OK. Steve Thomma, not leaving anything to others. We're having you with us next hour, as well. Thanks so much. From the 9 a.m. ET hour of MSNBC Live on July 27: WITT: Let's talk about what McCain is doing now by releasing this stinging new ad slamming Obama for not visiting the wounded soldiers in Germany. Let's take a look at part of it. NARRATOR [video clip]: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hadn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. And now, he made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon -- WITT: Well, the Obama camp says that Senator Obama scrapped the plans to visit the troops after the Pentagon raised all those concerns that it might then involve the troops in politics. But I'm curious about your reaction, Bob, to this new McCain ad. FRANKEN: Well, they blew -- first of all, I think that the Obama people blew it. Plain, simple, period. And if they were smart, they would just come out and say, "You know, we made a mistake." And the McCain ad I think is going to draw a little bit of blood because I believe in the case of Barack Obama, if you live by the photo op, you die of the photo op, or in this particular case, the lack of a photo op. The truth of the matter is, is that he had sort of gone unchallenged all week by the adoring media who were singing "Obama Mia" throughout the week. So finally, when he made a misstep, it was amplified quite a bit because of all the easy going that he'd had in the other photo ops. WITT: "Obama Mia." May I quote you on that and attribute you when I do? Anyway -- FRANKEN: Yeah, you don't want to accept blame for that one, do you? WITT: No, but I'll give it to you. But the question with John McCain now. Do you think he might overplay his hand here with this? Is there a risk of that? FRANKEN: Oh, probably. I suspect he will overplay it. But subtlety has never been a part of any kind of campaign. One could argue that the whole Obama trip was an overplay of a major proportion, and John McCain has to sort of match that. So what you always get in a campaign is exaggeration. So, sure, he's going to overplay it. That's what politicians do.
Media Matters - MSNBC's Witt aired McCain ad without noting misleading claims about visiting wounded troops, Afghanistan hearings, military funding {...} On MSNBC Live , Alex Witt aired an ad from Sen. John McCain asserting that Sen. Barack Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." But in neither segment did Witt or her guests note that Obama reportedly previously visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center without the media, or that although Obama decided not to visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, he reportedly made phone calls to wounded soldiers there. Nor did they challenge any of the other misleading claims in the ad. {...}
Published: July 27, 2008, 11:40 pm - Indexed: July 28, 2008, 11:37 am - Page Size: 27KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

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