“After the President vetoed several spending bills, not one story blamed him for the shutdown, but nearly two dozen declared the GOP culpable. Furloughed workers and other ‘victims’ were featured in half the stories.” Sound familiar? That’s from a 1996 Media Research Center study on the battle between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich. Yes, the current shutdown showdown is deja vu all over again in who gets blamed. To help illustrate the very familiar media tone and approach, I’ve put three clips together out of the MRC archive, starting with Bob Schieffer anchoring the Saturday, December 16, 1995 CBS Evening... continue reading
CBS rekindled its love for pro-abortion politician Wendy Davis on Thursday's CBS Evening News , after the Democrat announced her candidacy in the Texas gubernatorial race. Norah O'Donnell trumpeted how " Davis was a little-known Democratic state senator in Texas. But her marathon defense of abortion rights drew national attention ." Manuel Bojorquez heralded how state legislator " stepped into the national spotlight with pink sneakers , during a 13-hour filibuster of new abortion restrictions here." However, Bojorquez was among the Big Three journalists who put that spotlight on Davis mere hours after she stalled the passage of pro-life legislation... continue reading
On Thursday's NBC Nightly News , anchor Brian Williams introduced a full report on cancer research at the National Institutes of Health being stopped under the government shutdown: "And there are the millions who are feeling the impact of this shutdown very close to home and across this country, including some for whom this standoff feels very much like a matter of life and death for them." In the story that followed, correspondent Tom Costello declared: "The NIH funds research nationwide. At its headquarters, a lack of funding means 200 patients, including 30 children, each week will be turned away... continue reading
CNN boosted President Obama's message on Thursday by taking his challenge to Republicans and pressuring them to get on board with a bill that would fund ObamaCare. After the President called on House Speaker John Boehner to hold an up-or-down vote on the funding bill, CNN took that talking point and pressured Republicans to accept it. Anchor Suzanne Malveaux hailed it as a "very good point." [Video below the break. Audio here .] Here's what the President said on Thursday morning: "There are enough Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives today that if the Speaker of the House,... continue reading
On Friday afternoon, CNN's Don Lemon blamed the government shutdown over ObamaCare for "not really helping" the mentally ill woman killed by police on Capitol Hill on Thursday who needed "health care." " [T]his woman is in obvious need of mental health, and that means health care. And so what they're doing in Washington is not really helping her, is it? " he asked psychotherapist Wendy Walsh who then plugged ObamaCare. [Video below the break. Audio here .] "No, not until she can go to Healthcare.gov, right? And get good coverage," Walsh said. She quickly adding that "we as a... continue reading
CBS This Morning has a long established history of conducting softball interviews of liberal/Democratic guests, while unleashing on conservative/liberal ones. But on Friday, the morning newscast surprisingly hounded Rep. Nancy Pelosi on the ongoing government shutdown. Obama supporter Gayle King repeatedly pressed Pelosi about "people [who] are just saying...work it out.... both sides have to be willing to leave something on the table ." Anthony Mason underlined how "Senator [Harry] Reid called some Republicans anarchists. You've called them arsonists .... How do you get a meeting of the minds when people are talking like that? " Norah O'Donnell also wondered... continue reading
Appearing as a guest on Thursday's PoliticsNation , during a discussion of the government shutdown, MSNBC's Krystal Ball characterized congressional Republicans as "tak[ing] the whole government hostage," and "threaten[ing]" the "constitutional balance." After host Al Sharpton fretted over the operation of FEMA and the National Hurricane Center during the government shutdown, Ball responded: That's exactly right. And the longer that the shutdown goes on, the more examples that we're going to have like that. And I think, as E.J. was pointing out, people already realize and were already very much against shutting the government down. And let's not forget what... continue reading
The three network morning shows on Friday worried about President Obama and the fact that he had "no choice" but to cancel an Asian summit as the government shutdown drags on. On ABC's Good Morning America , Jon Karl lamented, " These were two significant summits in Brunei and Indonesia. The White House says he could legally have gone, but he needs to be here to push for reopening the government and dealing with the pending possible default of the government. " [MP3 audio here .] Reiterating, Karl again noted that these are "significant summits" and the "White House did... continue reading
Appearing on CBS's Late Show on Thursday, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams ranted to liberal host David Letterman about Republicans in Congress being to blame for the government shutdown: "It's about a small – they've been called the suicide caucus in the U.S. House, about 80 members .....right now they have a hold on the House of Representatives.... because of this caucus, this cabal, nothing moves." [ Listen to the audio ] Letterman was eager to join in bashing the GOP: "If we wanted to blame someone....Would it be crazy Ted Cruz? Would it be – can we blame... continue reading
On Wednesday's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell , at the end of a discussion on the government shutdown, substitute host Alex Wagner tried to marginalize Tea Party conservatives as only representing "two percent of the public" after guest and MSNBC.com Executive Editor Richard Wolffe blamed the congressional Republican leadership for allowing Tea Party members to have so much influence. Wolffe: I do think, just to pick up this last point, they only have power, these Tea Party Republicans, because their leadership gives them that power. There are not enough of them without the complicity of the leadership. Wagner responded:... continue reading