| Gushing Over "Son of Camelot" |
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- ABC's David Wright on the January 28 World News, reporting on Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama. "Today, the audacity of hope had its rendezvous with destiny. No
mere endorsement this, more like a political anointment from the Kennedys,
merging ideals from two different eras....Obama is now an adopted son of
Camelot. His candidacy blessed not just by the Lion of the Senate, patriarch of
the clan, but by JFK's daughter." "It feels like the '60s are back....In the civic religion that is Democratic
politics, the most treasured covenant was passed to the young Senator from
Illinois." "The endorsement brought the Kennedy mystique to this campaign, not in a
whisper, but a roar." - MSNBC's Chris Matthews opening Hardball, Jan. 28. |
| Future Victim of Evil Right Wing? |
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Host Harry Smith: "When you see that enthusiasm, though, and when you see
this generational change that seems to be taking place before our eyes, does it
make you at all fearful?" Senator Edward Kennedy: "Well, not really. I think - what is - I think people are basically saying is that they want a new day and a new generation...." Smith: "I just - I think what I was trying to say is sometimes agents of change end up being targets, as you well know. And that was why I was asking if you were at all fearful of that." - Exchange on CBS's The Early Show, January 29. |
| Big Media's "Dream Ticket" |
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Co-host Diane Sawyer: "And the moment where it was a question about would
there be a Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton ticket, or Clinton/Obama ticket." George Stephanopoulos: "The dream ticket." Sawyer: "The dream ticket. What do you think?" - ABC's Good Morning America, February 1. |
| Obama Campaign Commercial? |
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Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran: "Connections. That's what is
at the heart of Obama's politics, the notion that divisions are artificial
and can be overcome by an act of will and of imagination....[to Obama] It
always seems that the biggest applause lines are those where you tell
people, 'Let's come together.'" Barack Obama: "Yeah. There's enormous hunger for that." Moran: "A hunger for a politics that could dissolve the old categories, start a new story." - ABC's Nightline, January 29. |
| Utterly Unbiased Debate Review |
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Co-host Diane Sawyer: "This morning, snubs to hugs. Inside the historic
Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton debate as the stars came out in Hollywood to
watch."... Co-host Robin Roberts: "We thought it would be a lot of fireworks, but it was like a buddy movie."... Sawyer: "Let us begin with this truly historic debate last night. ABC's Kate Snow is at the Oscar venue, the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. And, Kate, over to you." Reporter Kate Snow: "Okay, Diane. Good morning. Well, this is where the Oscars take place, right? So, the nominees for best performance in a televised debate go to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton." - ABC's Good Morning America, February 1. |
| In Awe of "Brilliant" Bill |
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"There he [Bill Clinton] goes again. The man often called the most gifted
politician of his generation is once again at the center of American politics,
taking over the 2008 Democratic campaign. And he's clearly loving every minute
of it....He lectures and jokes around and feels your pain and implores you to
believe.... It's so unprecedented, this personal and political partnership, so
fraught with history and Baby Boomer melodrama. They have already made history,
and they are out to do it again, together, through it all." - ABC's Terry Moran after spending the day with Clinton for a report on Nightline, January 24. |
| Saluting Edwards' Liberalism |
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"Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a
scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals
while grappling with family hardship that roused voters' sympathies, The
Associated Press has learned...." - AP reporter Nedra Pickler in a January 30 dispatch. "Agree with him or not, he [Democratic candidate John Edwards]
deserves credit for pushing tough issues off the back burner. He encouraged his
fellow Democrats to speak out for the disenfranchised and under-served. He was
the first to raise issues like poverty, universal health care and climate
change, proposing big ideas - sometimes controversial ideas - to meet big
challenges. He bucked the conventional wisdom and took political risks, speaking
honestly about why he wanted to raise taxes, for example. That took courage." |
| Sounds Good to Cynthia |
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Senator Hillary Clinton: "Well, that is not the case." McFadden: "Well, maybe it's a good idea." - Exchange on ABC's Nightline, January 30. |
| NY Times Attacks, Anchors Jump |
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"In tomorrow morning's editions of the New York Times, they are out
with their endorsements in the New York primary. Senator Clinton on the
Democratic side, Senator McCain on the Republican side. In tonight's lead
editorial, they say, quote: 'The real Mr. Giuliani, who many New Yorkers
came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive vindictive
man. His arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking.' How can you defend
against that in your hometown paper?" - NBC's Brian Williams to GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani at the MSNBC debate on January 24. "I want to give you a chance to respond to that endorsement by the
New York Times, because they really took after you. They said your
'arrogance,' your 'vindictiveness' were, I think, are 'breathtaking,' in
their phrase. What do you say about that when people ask you about that?" |
| McCain Opponents Simply Petty |
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Reporter Ron Claiborne: "Even as the odds-on favorite to be the GOP
nominee, McCain still faces stiff opposition." Matthew Dowd, ABC News Political Contributor: "He basically is not going to answer to anybody, especially the conservative pundits or the conservagentsia. And they don't like that." - ABC's World News, January 30. |
| Bush the Medicare "Slasher" |
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"The President's budget slashes billions of dollars in the growth of federal
health care programs. Medicare and Medicaid would be cut by almost $200
billion...." - ABC's Martha Raddatz on World News, Feb. 4. In fact, spending on Medicare would increase by 5% next year. |
| Time for a "Sensible" Tax Hike |
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"Republicans have taken taxes off the fiscal table, no matter how sensible they
might be. That makes compromise difficult and it could be bad policy, too. In
addition to raising revenue, the small gasoline tax increase that conservative
Republicans were able to purge from the final 1990 deal 'might have been good
energy and environmental policy,' [former OMB Director Richard] Darman said in a
talk last March." - From Washington Post reporter Steven Mufson's January 26 "appreciation" of Darman, who died January 25. |
| CNN's Toobin: The Commander-in-Chief of Stupid Analysis |
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- CNN's Jeffrey Toobin on The Situation Room, Jan. 30. |