Notable Quotables - 11/03/2008

MRC Staff

November 3, 2008 - 1:00am

Not Easy Being "The Messiah"

"People have called you 'The Savior,' 'The Messiah,' 'The Messenger of Change.' The expectations have been raised to such a level....If you are, as you just say, lucky enough to be elected the next President, are you going to have to consciously manage expectations during the first several months of your administration?"
- NBC's Matt Lauer to Barack Obama on Today, Oct. 20.

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Obama Wins "Seal of Approval"

"This morning, Senator Obama's banner weekend: Record breaking crowds, cash and the endorsement heard around the world....Senator Obama got a booster rocket from none other than Republican former Secretary of State Colin Powell this weekend, a Republican and a friend of John McCain."
- ABC's Diane Sawyer, Oct. 20 Good Morning America.

"Having Colin Powell endorse the Democratic nominee for President is like having the seal of approval from the most important military figure of the age."
- Newsweek editor Jon Meacham on NBC's Meet the Press, October 19.

McCain's Mistake: Moving Right

"Instead of moving to the center, he [John McCain] moved to the right. He put Sarah Palin on the ticket, which pleased the right but, as we're now seeing in these polls, her appeal does not go much beyond that."
- CBS's Bob Schieffer on the October 24 Evening News.

"I think he's abandoned the principles of his campaign in 2000, and that's probably why he's in the difficulty he's in....He's really become a captive of the right wing of his party and its agenda and it shows, particularly through the pick of Sarah Palin."
- Author and former Washington Post and Time reporter Carl Bernstein, on CBS's Late Late Show, October 27.

Admit It - She's a Disaster

"A lot of Republican pundits in the last couple of weeks have said that your choice of a vice presidential candidate of Sarah Palin has been a disaster. If, in fact, you found out that her candidacy cost you the election, would you still say it was the right choice?"
- Harry Smith to McCain on CBS's Early Show, Oct. 21.

Ice Hut vs. Architectural Marvel

"The fact of the matter is, the comparison between her [Sarah Palin] and Hillary Clinton is the comparison between an igloo and the Empire State Building!"
- MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Hardball, October 14.

CNN's Mea Culpa

"The press has been pretty hard on you. The Democrats have been pretty hard on you, but also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well. The National Review had a story saying that, you know, 'I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above.'"
- CNN correspondent Drew Griffin to Sarah Palin in an interview shown on The Situation Room, October 22.

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"Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for Vice President, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward or - well, all of the above."
- Actual quote from the article by National Review's Byron York, October 20 issue. Two days later, Griffin apologized to York on the air: "I botched it."

"Fear and Loathing" Strategy

"McCain's fear and loathing strategy seems to be working among some voters....Tonight, at a town hall meeting here in Minnesota, at least half a dozen supporters urged him to attack even harder."
- ABC's David Wright on Nightline, October 10.

World Hates Us, Loves Obama

"Much of the world deeply distrusts, even dislikes, the United States....After Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. is perceived by many as a violator rather than an upholder of human rights....If the world had a vote, Barack Obama would win in a landslide."
- NBC's Dawna Friesen, October 17 Nightly News.

"For most Europeans, it [Guantanamo Bay] is a sickening example of how the war against terror is being lost, shaming the defenders of democracy by using torture and imprisonment without trial....Many Europeans see U.S. voters as a trigger-happy bunch with a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other."
- CNN's Robin Oakley on Newsroom, October 13.

Well, At Least He Admits It

"John McCain represents the best of America's past, and Barack Obama the hope of the future - the hope of a country that can make big changes and live out one of its greatest promises, of equal opportunities for all Americans, of every caste, creed and color. And America has always been a country that looks forward. So, I will be voting for Barack Obama on election day this year."
- Newsweek international editor Fareed Zakaria at the end of his Fareed Zakaria: GPS on CNN, October 19.

If Obama Loses, Blame Racists

"At the start of the campaign season Newsweek asked, 'Is America Ready' for a black president? The answer: only if Obama proved close to a flawless candidate....That doesn't mean Obama lost because all, or even most, McCain voters allowed race to be a factor. But enough did to change the outcome....The GOP has now completed a sorry transition from the party of Lincoln to the party of cynicism."
- Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter in a column speculating "Why McCain Won," November 3.

Confirming Everything You Thought

"If you were going to events during the primaries, what you saw was that the executive editors and the top people at the networks were all rushing to Obama events, bringing their children, celebrating it, saying they were, there's this part of history....The American people are smart, they can see this. That's why Obama's on every magazine cover.... There's no question in my mind the media has been more supportive of Senator Obama."
- NPR's Juan Williams on Fox News Sunday, October 26.