Bush's "Black Eye"; Rather Admired McCain's Appeal; Puppet Sang to Sawyer 1) CBS's Bill Whitaker insisted Bush embraced "the far right" in SC, which "gave him a black eye in Michigan." Only NBC noted how McCain's camp admitted anti-Bush calls and how liberals are "euphoric" over McCain. ABC found Democratic "meddling." 2) In a CBS News Web site-posted analysis Dan Rather ignored Al Sharpton and asserted that Al Gore "has not moved as far to the left as Bush has to the right." Rather admired how John McCain appeals to the "vital center," a skill that's a "special thing." 3)... continue reading
Bush's Tactics Cost Him; Avoiding Sharpton; "Ultra-Conservative" McCain 1) MSNBC's analysis of the Michigan vote: Bush lost because of his South Carolina "tactics," but there's still time for him to move from "right wing conservative" to "compassionate conservative." McCain must connect with the "far right" in the party. 2) Howard Fineman: High number of non-Republican voters shows "Democrats and independents...are looking for somebody who can take on the Democratic Party." But George Stephanopoulos asserted that the numbers proved "mischief-making" by Democrats. 3) In stories on the Democratic debate featuring Al Sharpton, CBS skipped over his role while NBC only called... continue reading
CNN Legitimized Sharpton; Bush Too Far Right; McCain Can Still Win! 1) CNN opened its Gore-Bradley debate Monday night by showcasing Al Sharpton, whom Bernard Shaw credited with "an instrumental role in bringing about this dialogue." Last week writer Michael Kelly recounted Sharpton's career as an "inciter of race-violence." 2) "The conservative with compassion turned hard right down South," asserted CBS's Bill Whitaker as ABC and NBC stressed Al Gore's attack on Bush on race, but ABC ignored Gore's ties to Sharpton and NBC only gave it a clause. McCain's "warrior spirit." 3) CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Charles Rangel about... continue reading
ABC to McCain: "Okay" Being Seen as Hero?; Clinton Disbarment Dismissed 1) ABC approvingly showcased John McCain's positive campaign in which he's trying to prove "he can rise above politics as usual," but castigated Bush for his "relentless attacks" on McCain and how he's gone "so far" right that he'll alienate moderates. ABC and NBC highlighted how Bush refused to condemn the Confederate flag. 2) A South Carolina newspaper scolded the networks for distorting the Confederate flag issue. 3) From McCain's bus ABC's Jack Ford gushed: "You offer much more candor and access to reporters than perhaps any other candidate... continue reading
Koppel Scolded GOP Aspirants; McCain's Bus Live; ABC's Fresh Broaddrick Spiking 1) Ted Koppel showed his disdain for the GOP candidates' view of Russia, calling it "a whiff of the Cold War." He and George Stephanopoulos complained about the "very hard line positions" on missile defense. Meanwhile, MSNBC offered porno & women in prison. 2) The nets showed their partiality for McCain's campaign finance scheme. CBS's Bill Whitaker delivered an innocuous description of McCain's suppression of issue ads, Bob Schieffer compared Bush to Clinton. NBC allowed a liberal group to dismiss Bush's plan. And Dan Rather got in a shot... continue reading
Pro-Lifers Put Money Before Babies; Kneepad Nina Backs Hillary 1) CBS looked at how Bush is trying to appeal to the religious right, but Bill Whitaker relayed an attack on pro-lifers from a McCain backer who claimed they're more interested in raising money "than saving babies." ABC reviewed McCain's legislative record. 2) Two Columbine students were shot dead at a fast-food place, prompting CBS's Sandra Hughes to remind viewers that gun control bills in Colorado were "defeated last week under heavy pressure by the National Rifle Association." 3) NBC's Andrea Mitchell highlighted how Hillary Clinton "blasted" Rudy Giuliani for accusing... continue reading
CBS Plugged New Fortunate Son; Never Turn on McCain?; Clueless Schieffer 1) Eleanor Clift suggested the anti-McCain push poll tale isn't so solid; Tim Russert hit George Bush with how his BJU host once called his father the "devil"; NBC's Dracula interviewing style. 2) Lesley Stahl asked on 60 Minutes about the book charging the Bush family with a cocaine cover-up: "How did a respectable publishing house...go ahead with the book when the author couldn't offer proof?" But CBS also gave a nice plug for a new edition. 3) Friday night ABC castigated Bush and McCain for not denouncing the... continue reading
60 Minutes to Tout Convicted Felon's Drug Charge Against Bush 1) 60 Minutes to feature a piece Sunday about drug use allegations against George W. Bush lodged by discredited, at least until now resurrected by CBS, book author J.H. Hatfield who was convicted of hiring someone in 1987 to commit murder. He now says "things in the past should stay in the past," except for Bush's alleged drug use. CBS conceded his story could be "truth or lie." 2) While Hatfield now concedes he was convicted for solicitation of murder, when first confronted last October he denied that he was... continue reading
"Nastier" & "Uglier" Thanks to Bush Push Polling; McCain "Not a Hypocrite" 1) ABC, CBS and NBC jumped on a charge from a woman about an anti-McCain "push polling" call her son got. Blaming Bush, Dan Rather grumbled that the campaign "just got a lot nastier." NBC's David Bloom stated the "race is getting uglier than anyone imagined." 2) ABC News, in alliance with Common Cause, countered Bush's charge that McCain is a hypocrite on fundraising. Barry Serafin argued that "a campaign watchdog group...says McCain is not a hypocrite" and his Web-raised donations are "the cleanest money." 3) More media... continue reading
"New and Nastier Bush Campaign"; Today's Lauer Took on Buffalo's Bauerle 1) Peter Jennings opened his show by hinting at a surprise showing for John McCain: "Delaware didn't ignore him. Quite the contrary." But NBC's David Bloom insisted: "Tonight Governor Bush is expected to coast to victory in the little-noticed Delaware primary." 2) Monday night CBS's Dan Rather focused on "the new and nastier Bush campaign" while NBC's David Bloom corrected Bush's charge that McCain has raised more money from lobbyists than any hopeful. 3) Taking a shot at Today's Matt Lauer, who condemned his questions to Hillary Clinton, Buffalo's... continue reading