Cheering Mondale, Decrying Republicans

Cheering Mondale, Decrying Republicans

Early Sunday morning at 8:39 Eastern, to be exact CNN interrupted its programming with the Breaking News that former Vice President Walter Mondale would replace the late Paul Wellstone on Minnesotas ballot next week. That came less than 48 hours after Wellstones death, evidence that state and national Democratic operatives were fully engaged in partisan calculations.

But even after they had settled on Mondale, Democrats argued that it was reprehensible to campaign against him, and the media agreed. Promoting an upcoming live interview on Mondays Inside Politics, CNNs Judy Woodruff promised viewers she would ask Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) if some Republicans in Minnesota are going on the attack even before Paul Wellstone is buried. Reid took the opening Woodruff gave: Couldn't they wait until Paul is in the ground? he growled.

Walter Mondale's 1984 threat to raise taxes was just more evidence of his virtue to ABC's Claire Shipman

Just asking if Mondale would debate the issues was an outrage to NBCs Kelly ODonnell: The Wellstone family [was] angered by a letter from the Minnesota Republican party to the Democrats requesting a series of five debates between the presumed Wellstone replacement, Walter Mondale, and Republican candidate Norm Coleman. The letter arrived yesterday, just as Senator Wellstone was laid to rest, she complained on Tuesdays Nightly News. To drive home the point, NBC viewers saw a close-up of Wellstones casket as ODonnell spoke.

The timing of the move even makes the Republican candidate uneasy, ODonnell reprimanded. Of course, Democrats such as Reid saw no problem with a one-sided campaign attacking Coleman during the same period. But neither Woodruff nor ODonnell thought it worthwhile to ask Democrats to defend their back-room maneuvering.

While publicly criticizing Mondale was out-of-bounds, network reporters worked to assemble glowingly positive tributes. On Wednesdays Good Morning America, correspondent Claire Shipman sounded like an 18-year-old campaign brochure as she painted the rosiest portrait of Mondale, whom she refused to label as liberal. Civil rights champion, Senator, Vice President, and finally, presidential candidate in 1984, Shipman enthused. The successful ambassadorship in Japan seemed the capstone or so we all thought. But friends arent surprised hed give it another go.

Shipman never hinted that anyone of either party had ever criticized a single Mondale policy idea. Recall Mondales utterly disastrous 1984 threat of higher taxes that would have suffocated economic growth? To Shipman, it was a virtuous remark attributable to Mondales penchant for being honest, sometimes at his own political peril.

What about Mondales idea that the best way to deal with the Soviet Unions dictators was to make them less afraid of the U.S., starting with a nuclear freeze? To Shipman, Mondales world view would be perfect now: The most valuable thing he might bring back to the Senate for Democrats, if he gets the chance, is a steadied, practiced hand in foreign policy when the country needs it most.

Naming the inexperienced, ethically-challenged Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate? He certainly proved hes unafraid to make a bold choice, Shipman argued before showing an adulatory soundbite from Ferraro: He recognized that the sign that was on the door of the White House, White Men Only, should be taken down.

In fact, Walter Mondale could wind up being an even better candidate than Paul Wellstone, Shipman suggested. While Minnesota is a less liberal state than when Mondale last ran, she admitted, hes not viewed as as polarizing a figure as Wellstone, and that could be to his advantage.

Mondales real advantage may be that reporters like Shipman dont give his critics the time of day, praising his personal qualities while ignoring his policy errors. - Rich Noyes