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1. Obama's 'Virtual Town Hall' White House 'First' Enthralls ABC President Barack Obama doesn't have to do too much to impress ABC News. A little more than five weeks after the fill-in anchor of World News effused over two-week-old photos of Obama "serving cookies" on Super Bowl night while an awed George Stephanopoulos glowed over how "these are just remarkable....we've never really seen anything like this before in real time," on Thursday night the newscast devoted a full story to "a White House first" of answering questions via the Internet. (NBC Nightly News didn't air a syllable about the stunt and the CBS Evening News allocated 38 seconds centered around Obama's response to whether marijuana should be legalized in order to boost the economy.) ABC anchor Charles Gibson excitedly announced: "At the White House today, something never done before. As a candidate, Barack Obama was adept at using the Internet to raise money and get his message out. Now, as President, he's using the Internet again in a way that no President ever has before." And "in lieu of boarding carbon-unfriendly Air Force One to hold town hall meetings around the country," reporter Jake Tapper relayed, "today President Obama brought the mountain to Mohammed." 2. Chris Matthews: Does Palin Think McCain is the 'Anti-Christ?' An offended Chris Matthews, on Thursday night's Hardball, was so shocked by Sarah Palin's claim that there wasn't anybody to pray with on the McCain campaign, that he hurled multiple insults Palin's way, calling her "a little scary," and asked if Palin thought McCain was "the Anti-Christ?" Matthews was appalled by Palin's recent revelation that she had trouble finding someone to pray with before her vice presidential debate and the MSNBC host worried such talk about "The Deity in a political environment" wasn't "normal." Matthews' guest panelists also joined in the fray as the Washington Post's Lois Romano declared: "I think it's bizarre and I think it's judgmental," and Mother Jones magazine's David Corn cackled it was "mean and catty." RNC chair Michael Steele was also knocked for a recent profession of faith, as Matthews blurted: "Why does everything sound like the '700 Club,' with this party now? I mean everything seems to be a religious discussion." 3. CNN's Jack Cafferty Mocks Sarah Palin...Yet Again When he's not gushing over the Obamas, you can make a fair bet that CNN commentator Jack Cafferty is bashing conservatives, and he returned to one of his favorite subjects of scorn during his regular "Cafferty File" segment on Thursday's Situation Room -- Sarah Palin. He labeled three quotes from a recent speech the Alaska Governor gave as "painful." He concluded his commentary by remarking that "whoever said truth is stranger than fiction must have met this woman." The CNN commentator also hinted twice during the segment that the Alaska Governor was unintelligible. During the commentary, the commentator remarked that Palin "talked about why the Republicans lost in November, and seemed mostly to blame the press, at least I think that's what she said." Later, after Blitzer stated that the Governor would be visiting Washington and that they were going to try to have her on the program, Cafferty laughed and replied: "Well, let's hope so. Maybe you can understand her." 4. Jack Cafferty: I'm 'Rooting' for 'Terrific' and 'Bright' Obama CNN's Jack Cafferty gave an interview to the Media Bistro's "Media Morning Menu" podcast on Thursday and rhapsodized about the "bright" and "terrific" Barack Obama. Talking to hosts Steve Krakauer and Glynnis MacNicol, the Situation Room contributor cheered on the new President. He enthused: "I'm pulling for the guy. I like him. I think he's terrific." After being asked by Krakauer if it's too early for journalists to start complaining about Obama's ability to change the country quickly, the host of CNN's "Cafferty File" segment agreed and then acknowledged, "Well, you know, I haven't been critical of the Obama administration." In contrast, Cafferty was very critical of George W. Bush and his administration. Indeed, he attacked the ex-President during the podcast, claiming America "was badly damaged following the eight years of George W. Bush and that collection of morons that he had around him running this country into a ditch." 5. NBC's Mitchell Pushes Hillary to Bring Back Assault Weapons Ban NBC's Andrea Mitchell, in a taped interview from Mexico with Hillary Clinton on Thursday's Today show, partially blamed the Bush administration for Mexico's current drug cartel violence as she charged that "90 percent of the guns used by gangs" were available because the Bush White House and Congress let the assault weapons ban lapse. Mitchell even went as far to push the Secretary of State to "challenge the gun lobby" and "reinstitute" the ban.
'First' Enthralls ABC President Barack Obama doesn't have to do too much to impress ABC News. A little more than five weeks after the fill-in anchor of World News effused over two-week-old photos of Obama "serving cookies" on Super Bowl night while an awed George Stephanopoulos glowed over how "these are just remarkable....we've never really seen anything like this before in real time," on Thursday night the newscast devoted a full story to "a White House first" of answering questions via the Internet. (NBC Nightly News didn't air a syllable about the stunt and the CBS Evening News allocated 38 seconds centered around Obama's response to whether marijuana should be legalized in order to boost the economy.) ABC anchor Charles Gibson excitedly announced: "At the White House today, something never done before. As a candidate, Barack Obama was adept at using the Internet to raise money and get his message out. Now, as President, he's using the Internet again in a way that no President ever has before." "In lieu of boarding carbon-unfriendly Air Force One to hold town hall meetings around the country," reporter Jake Tapper relayed, "today President Obama brought the mountain to Mohammed." Though ABC's coverage, and live carriage earlier in the day on the cable news channels, disproved the need to go around the mainstream media, Tapper explained: "White House officials have been making great efforts to have President Obama reach outside what they call the traditional media filter and speak directly to the American people." [This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted Thursday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] The February 17 CyberAlert posting, "ABC Giddy Over 'Presidential Whirlwind' & 'Remarkable' Photos of Obama Passing Out Cookies," recounted, with video: Get Diane Sawyer together with George Stephanopoulos on World News and they can't contain their giddiness over President Obama. Back on Friday, January 23, when Sawyer last anchored, Stephanopoulos hailed Obama's first three days as "disciplined and strategic," thus enabling "sweeping change," while Sawyer gushed over "change...at warp speed." Monday night, Sawyer returned to the anchor chair and excitedly announced how "the trillion dollar week has begun" and so "finally," as if it's been too long of a wait, "the stimulus starts to flow." She soon heralded how "we embark on a week like no other in American economic history" with "a presidential whirlwind of spending against a recession." After a story from David Muir on the "dizzying and daunting amount of federal spending that President Obama will tackle this week," Sawyer brought Stephanopoulos aboard to admire what Sawyer described as a "scrapbook, if you will, of the President's journey on the road to the stimulus package." In other words, photos released by the White House. Nonetheless, she effused: "I want to show everybody at home, because there is the President, it's Super Bowl night, and he's serving cookies to congressional leadership in the White House screening room." The narration switched to an awed Stephanopoulos: "These are just remarkable, Diane. We've never really seen anything like this before in real time." Over a picture of Obama leaning back in a chair he oozed: "You see the President taking a little bit of a well-deserved rest right there." Sawyer matched Stephanopoulos' smile: "Yeah, I wonder how often they'll take that scrapbook out and look through those pictures."... Full rundown: www.mrc.org From the Thursday, March 26 World News on ABC: Gibson's tease: "Virtual hall. A White House first. The President holds a town hall meeting on the Internet, fielding questions from across the country." The top of the subsequent story:
CHARLES GIBSON: At the White House today, something never done before. As a candidate, Barack Obama was adept at using the Internet to raise money and get his message out. Now, as President, he's using the Internet again in a way that no President ever has before. Jake Tapper is at the White House tonight on the North lawn. Jake? Tapper also highlighted the marijuana question.
is the 'Anti-Christ?' An offended Chris Matthews, on Thursday night's Hardball, was so shocked by Sarah Palin's claim that there wasn't anybody to pray with on the McCain campaign, that he hurled multiple insults Palin's way, calling her "a little scary," and asked if Palin thought McCain was "the Anti-Christ?" Matthews was appalled by Palin's recent revelation that she had trouble finding someone to pray with before her vice presidential debate and the MSNBC host worried such talk about "The Deity in a political environment" wasn't "normal." Matthews' guest panelists also joined in the fray as the Washington Post's Lois Romano declared: "I think it's bizarre and I think it's judgmental," and Mother Jones magazine's David Corn cackled it was "mean and catty." RNC chair Michael Steele was also knocked for a recent profession of faith, as Matthews blurted: "Why does everything sound like the '700 Club,' with this party now? I mean everything seems to be a religious discussion." Matthews and his panel didn't just stop at insulting Palin's religious beliefs, they also belittled Palin for her hand gestures and attractiveness. Over video of Palin waving at a campaign rally Matthews ridiculed: "You know, doing that windshield wiper wave though is not serious. That's not a serious wave. I'm sorry that's not what you do when you want to lead the free world. That's, that's more like, 'I'm a celebrity and people like me.' [This item, by the MRC's Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Thursday evening on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] And just before that snide comment from Matthews, Romano and Corn dismissed Palin for her looks:
LOIS ROMANO: Look I predict that she's going to be Dan Quayle. The following are all the lowlights from the March 26 edition of Hardball:
CHRIS MATTHEWS PREVIEWING SEGMENT: Okay I gotta ask you something that's really interesting. Do you think God belongs in American politics? I mean as per, not moral issues, ‘cause everything is sort of a moral issue. War and peace certainly, capital punishment, guns. There's a lot of moral aspects to a lot of things. Do you like this Sarah Palin always talking about â€" we're gonna talk about it in the next segment, but I'm gonna bring it up now because it fascinates me. She knocks the McCain campaign because she didn't have any body in the campaign to pray with. That is an amazing public statement to me. And then you've got Michael Steele, who seems like a decent guy saying he'll run for president if God wants him to. Are we hearing whispers? I mean this is a little bit theocratic isn't it? A little scary? ... MATTHEWS: Is this good for American politics? We have no religious test. I mean I'm, I'm really offended as a Roman Catholic to have arguments about church, you know, doctrine and moral philosophy. Fine, we should debate it all the time and think about it and care about it, but arguing about it now, in secular newspapers? People taking shots at other Catholics and saying they're not good Catholics in secular newspapers. I think it's the wrong venue. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and God the things that are God." I think we're crossing the line with this stuff. Just my thought. ... MATTHEWS: Is he the Anti-Christ, I mean what, she's portraying him as some ungodly figure in which a campaign, a national campaign, where all the people surrounding her, and she couldn't find anybody that shared her Christianity. Is that what she's saying? ... MATTHEWS TEASING SEGMENT: Up next Sarah Palin is back. I want to give you the full quote from her, let her speak for herself. I hope this sounds good. We've got the audio. She is really talking, I think, a lot about the Deity in a political environment. And I don't think it's normal. We'll be right back. ... MATTHEWS: Let's take a listen now to the governor of Alaska, she took another shot at McCain and the whole campaign, in fact, at a recent speech up there to the north.
(Begin clip)
MATTHEWS: What do you make of that Lois? "I couldn't find anybody to pray with." It just seems like you don't even need to talk like this. ...
ROMANO: Look I predict that she's going to be Dan Quayle.
MATTHEWS: -which I don't, this isn't "Reliable Source here. I'm not a media critic. You know but I wonder whether that works either. But does it, is it once again, as you said David, she's working a niche? ... MATTHEWS: Here's another Republican, sorry, Michael Steele, again with the God question, was asked if he'd consider running for president. Let's take a listen.
(Begin clip) MATTHEWS: Why does everything sound like the "700 Club," with this party now? I mean everything seems to be a religious discussion.
Again When he's not gushing over the Obamas, you can make a fair bet that CNN commentator Jack Cafferty is bashing conservatives, and he returned to one of his favorite subjects of scorn during his regular "Cafferty File" segment on Thursday's Situation Room -- Sarah Palin. He labeled three quotes from a recent speech the Alaska Governor gave as "painful." He concluded his commentary by remarking that "whoever said truth is stranger than fiction must have met this woman." The CNN commentator also hinted twice during the segment that the Alaska Governor was unintelligible. During the commentary, the commentator remarked that Palin "talked about why the Republicans lost in November, and seemed mostly to blame the press, at least I think that's what she said." Later, after Blitzer stated that the Governor would be visiting Washington and that they were going to try to have her on the program, Cafferty laughed and replied: "Well, let's hope so. Maybe you can understand her." [This item, by the MRC's Matthew Balan, was posted Thursday evening on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] For an example of Cafferty's recent adulation of the Obamas, see the March 4 CyberAlert item, "CNN's Jack Cafferty Confesses His 'Crush on Michelle Obama,'" at: www.mrc.org Cafferty began by reading the quotes without an attribution and asked his viewers to see if they could guess who gave them. After reading the first two, he labeled them "vintage Sarah Palin." After reading the third quote and labeling all three "painful," and summarizing what Palin had talked about during her speech, he asked his "Question of the Hour:" "Is Sarah Palin still relevant to the national dialogue?" As you might expect, all but one of the viewer responses that Cafferty read at the end of the hour bashed the Alaska governor to one degree or another. The sole exception actually targeted the commentator himself: "Given she's the subject of at least one of your questions every time she opens her mouth, it must mean she's still relevant to the national dialogue!" That person has apparently been paying attention, since Cafferty devoted 35% of his "Questions of the Hour" over a month period between late August and the end of September 2008 to talking about Palin. For more on Cafferty's obsession with Palin, see the September 29 CyberAlert item, "Cafferty Exhibiting Palin Derangement Syndrome, Scolds Blitzer," at: www.mrc.org The full transcript of Cafferty's commentary, which began five minutes into the 4 pm Eastern hour of Thursday's Situation Room, and the viewer responses, which he read 3 minutes before the top of the 5 pm Eastern hour:
JACK CAFFERTY: Wolf, I've got a couple of quotes here. I want to read them, and you listen and see if you can guess who said them, okay?. The first one is in connection with last November's election -- quote, 'And there was that media slant this go round. And unless things change, the GOP had really better can stand together, 'cause we got that on the battlefield also. I call it like I see it and like I lived it on the campaign trail. Not complaining, but dealing with reality' -- unquote. Or how about this one: 'Some in the media actually participated in not so much the who-what-where-when-why objective reporting on candidates and positions, those five W's that I learned when I had a journalism degree so many years ago in college, when the world of journalism was quite different than it is today.'
4:57 pm EDT:
and 'Bright' Obama CNN's Jack Cafferty gave an interview to the Media Bistro's "Media Morning Menu" podcast on Thursday and rhapsodized about the "bright" and "terrific" Barack Obama. Talking to hosts Steve Krakauer and Glynnis MacNicol, the Situation Room contributor cheered on the new President. He enthused: "I'm pulling for the guy. I like him. I think he's terrific." See BlogTalkRadio for the full audio: www.blogtalkradio.com After being asked by Krakauer if it's too early for journalists to start complaining about Obama's ability to change the country quickly, the host of CNN's "Cafferty File" segment agreed and then acknowledged, "Well, you know, I haven't been critical of the Obama administration." In contrast, Cafferty was very critical of George W. Bush and his administration. Indeed, he attacked the ex-President during the podcast, claiming America "was badly damaged following the eight years of George W. Bush and that collection of morons that he had around him running this country into a ditch." [This item, by the MRC's Scott Whitlock, was posted Thursday afternoon, with audio, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Cafferty seemed more interested in praising Obama, however. Asked whether he thought the President could turn things around, the CNN host described himself as "hopeful" and gushed, "I like him a lot. I think he's a bright guy. I like the fact that he's visible and that, you know, he's attempting to bring some transparency and some legitimacy and honesty to the office, which has been missing for a while." Cafferty has also been quite glowing towards Obama on CNN. On the March 17 Situation Room, he announced how "refreshing" it is to have a President who is "working his tail off" to help America. See a March 18 CyberAlert posting for more: www.mrc.org This is quite a contrast to the cynical, conspiratorial Cafferty of the Bush years. For instance, on August 30, 2006, he speculated, on air, as to whether falling gas prices were a plot to help Republicans in the midterm elections. See an August 31, 2006 CyberAlert posting: www.mrc.org In a light moment on the podcast, Cafferty was asked if he uses the popular website Twitter. Perhaps in a jab at his Twitter-loving colleague Rick Sanchez, the "Situation Room" contributor retorted, "I don't even know what Twitter is. Okay, I'll be very honest with you. I understand it's some internet something or other. But, it's not something I do." A partial transcript of the March 26 podcast follows:
GLYNNIS MACNICOL: Did you come up with the idea for the book during the campaign or were you inspired to do it after, sort of, we- became apparent that we were dipping into a very serious recession?
MACNICOL: There's an article in the Daily Beast today by Eric Alterman that, sort of, suggests that Obama has a tendency for long term thinking, which, I think we saw in the press conference last night. And the press is so trained to report on, sort of, snap judgment that they're not equipped to report well, sort of, on how he's thinking and the big picture.
KRAKAUER: I read an interview that you did with Yahoo.com. You talk about how Obama's doing. You said, "You know, I don't know yet." As you look at some of the decisions they're making, do you see them going down the path that you think they can, you know, turn the country around as you hope for in the title there?
On Twitter:
Back Assault Weapons Ban NBC's Andrea Mitchell, in a taped interview from Mexico with Hillary Clinton on Thursday's Today show, partially blamed the Bush administration for Mexico's current drug cartel violence as she charged that "90 percent of the guns used by gangs" were available because the Bush White House and Congress let the assault weapons ban lapse. Mitchell even went as far to push the Secretary of State to "challenge the gun lobby" and "reinstitute" the ban.
ANDREA MITCHELL: And 90 percent of the guns used by the gangs come from the U.S., including the powerful assault weapons that were banned until Congress and the Bush White House let the ban expire. [This item, by the MRC's Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Thursday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] The following is a complete transcript of the segment as it was aired on the March 26 Today show: NATALIE MORALES: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Mexico today pledging to help the government there battle the drug wars affecting both countries. NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell is traveling with Secretary Clinton. Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Good morning, Natalie. Top U.S. officials now say that the Mexican drug cartels are the largest organized crime organizations in the United States. Here in Mexico Hillary Clinton said that, that would not be happening. They wouldn't be thriving if Americans didn't have an insatiable demand for illegal drugs. A shootout between Mexican police and kidnappers in Baja and another victim in Tijuana, part of an escalating battle that has claimed 7000 lives in the last 15 months. Hillary Clinton came to Mexico with a message Mexico's President Felipe Calderon wanted to hear.
-- Brent Baker
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