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Today's Gaggle: January 18, 2007

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ABC's Gibson Toasts House Democrats for Completing 100 Hour Agenda in 42 Hours

By Brent Baker | January 18, 2007 - 20:33

Exactly two weeks after ABC anchor Charles Gibson trumpeted how video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the House floor holding a baby while she talked to colleagues demonstrated “the ultimate in multitasking: Taking care of the children and the country” (my NewsBusters item with video of his January 4 oozing), he celebrated how House Democrats “completed their scheduled hundred hours of work in just about 42 hours, so they can put the other 58 in the bank.” In stark contrast to how ABC's evening newscast scrutinized the Republican agenda in 1995, on Thursday's World News Gibson triumphantly listed the liberal policy accomplishments, naturally without any such ideological label, and didn't paint any as controversial or cite any criticisms of them.

“A short while ago, the Democratic-led House passed the final measure of its self-declared first one hundred hours in office,” Gibson touted as he listed how the energy bill “would encourage investment in alternative energy sources and lower oil industry subsidies.” Gibson listed how the House passed “an increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, a bill that would expand stem cell research and overturn President Bush's restrictions, a measure requiring the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare patients. And they agreed to cut interest rates on student loans.”

Gun Control: Brady Campaign and the New Math

By Howard Nemerov | January 18, 2007 - 17:15

When I served as Mayor during the 1990’s, the Administration and Congress helped local communities fight crime by providing funds to hire more police, and making it harder for criminals to get guns. As a result, crime decreased. Over the past few years, however, the approach seems to have been switched. Now cities are often seeing less police but more guns on their streets. These new crime statistics indicate that we’re doing things backwards. – Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence1

Brady Campaign’s new spokesman seems full of high-sounding verbiage these days, but the Clinton administration’s crime policies–contrary to Helmke’s claims–fell short on crime fighting:

Open Thread

By Matthew Sheffield | January 18, 2007 - 16:41

Yes, there was a crash. We're back to where we were earlier, minus today's comments that were made before the crash. Sorry for the inconvenience. Our hosting company dropped the ball and we'll soon be switching to a different one.

Reporters Use Good Cancer News to Push for More Federal Money

By Ken Shepherd | January 18, 2007 - 15:48

U.S. cancer deaths declined for the second year in a row. It's great news, but network reporters and in-house doctors used the news to argue for more federal spending on cancer research.

Of course they failed to mention the massive private investment into cancer drugs done by the pharmaceutical industry.

Fill your prescription here.

This is just a free sample:

ABC’s Dr. Timothy Johnson leveled the harshest criticism, telling anchor Charles Gibson that President Bush was "misleading" about his government medical research, which he lamented had actually been "cut" last year.

Johnson’s liberal complaint about inadequate spending isn’t surprising. The Business & Media Institute (BMI) has previously documented Johnson’s advocacy of government-run health care and higher tobacco taxes.

Dershowitz to Rebut Jimmy Carter at Brandeis University

By Noel Sheppard | January 18, 2007 - 15:45

The heat on former President Jimmy Carter over his book on Israeli-Palestinian issues continues to be turned up. The Fox News website is reporting (hat tip to LGF):

Former President Jimmy Carter won't go unchallenged after his appearance next week at Brandeis University, where he is lecturing on his latest book about what he terms the Palestinian apartheid by Israel.

Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz will step on stage afterward to rebut the former president's remarks despite having been booted from an earlier booking to debate Carter on his assertions.

Forgive me, for I’m suddenly giddy. Adding to my jubilant delirium, the article deliciously continued (emphasis mine):

Bloggers vs. the Old Way of Governing

By Tim Graham | January 18, 2007 - 15:44

Robert Bluey, the editor of HumanEvents.com and our old colleague from downstairs at Cybercast News, has an op-ed in the Washington Examiner today about the growing significance of bloggers on Capitol Hill. Just last week, Rob and others successfully pressured Sen. Harry Reid to strengthen earmark reform -- thanks to Internet pressure and the help of a couple seasoned bloggers who are now working in Senate offices:

The debate had captivated the blogosphere. As Roth noted at the Club for Growth, more than 1,700 blogs had been written about earmark reform over a 24-hour period.

Three of the most well-trafficked liberal blogs — Daily Kos, MyDD and TPMmuckraker — also turned on the Democrat leader. “Sen. Harry Reid is fast losing whatever credibility he had on earmark reform,” wrote a blogger at Daily Kos. “Who’s the arm-twister now?” asked Paul Kiel at TPMmuckraker.

GMA Touts Hillary-Obama Battle as ‘Hot Factor’ vs. ‘Fluid Poetry’

By Scott Whitlock | January 18, 2007 - 15:21

On Thursday’s "Good Morning America," reporter Claire Shipman effusively previewed the looming presidential battle between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. How, Shipman wondered, would Obama’s "fluid poetry" stand up against Mrs. Clinton’s "hot factor?" The tone of the January 18 piece seemed to indicate that, although members of the media may think both candidates are terrific, Obama hasn’t lost his "flavor of the month" status. In the segment, Shipman noted the New York Senator’s flip-flops on Iraq and that, despite being a "devout Methodist," she rarely talks about religion. However, it was this over-the-top praise that really demonstrated who the current media darling is:

Claire Shipman: "Though the change in [Clinton’s] views also mirrors the nation’s and the increasingly grim situation in Iraq, she could appear politically calculating while Obama seems principled. And the side-by-side talent show? Next to Obama's fluid poetry, Hillary Clinton's delivery can seem overly cautious."

Fox Sends Statement to CAIR Concerning ‘24’ and Ethnic Groups

By Noel Sheppard | January 18, 2007 - 11:02

For those unfamiliar, the Council on American-Islamic Relations typically doesn’t look favorably upon television programs, movies, books, and articles that address any connection between terrorism and radical Muslim extremism. With that in mind, Fox sent a statement to CAIR on Wednesday concerning recent and past episodes of the hit series “24” (hat tip to LGF):

24 is a heightened drama about anti-terrorism. After 5 seasons, the audience clearly understands this, and realizes that any individual, family, or group (ethnic or otherwise) that engages in violence is not meant to be typical.

Gregory's Depiction of Dem Iraq Maneuvering Wins Bill Bennett's Praise

By Mark Finkelstein | January 18, 2007 - 09:26

Imagine you're John Kerry, comfortably installed before your television in your silk robe this morning, watching David Gregory's "Today" segment on the way the Dem presidential contenders are maneuvering their Iraq war positions. Suddenly, the screen fills with the infamous clip of you claiming you were for the war before you were against it. Enough to make a man spit out his pain au chocolat! Adding insult to injury, Gregory points to your performance as an object lesson of how being too nuanced can hurt a nominee's chances.

That Gregory chose to run the Kerry clip is a mark of how 'fair & balanced' his segment was this morning. His focus was not so much on the substance of the various Dem contenders' positions on Iraq, but on the politics of their positionings, to wit:

Weather Channel Climatologist Wants Global Warming Skeptics Decertified

By Noel Sheppard | January 18, 2007 - 09:04

If you had any doubt concerning just how hot the global warming debate is going to get, this item should convince you about the seriousness of the pending war over the value of junk science. A prominent climatologist working for The Weather Channel has suggested that on air meteorologists be stripped of their credentials if they express any skepticism concerning global climate change.

Think I’m kidding? Read the following from the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works blog: ‘The Weather Channel’s (TWC) Heidi Cullen, who hosts the weekly global warming program ‘The Climate Code,’ is advocating that the American Meteorological Society (AMS) revoke their ‘Seal of Approval’ for any television weatherman who expresses skepticism that human activity is creating a climate catastrophe."

Here’s what Cullen frighteningly wrote on December 21 at The Weather Channel’s blog (emphasis mine throughout):

Katie Couric, Feminist Blogger: America Should Be More Like Rwanda

By Tim Graham | January 18, 2007 - 06:42

It's nice to see Drudge picking up on Katie Couric's blog at CBSNews.com. Her commentaries are worth watching. In this case, Katie complained on behalf of the "feminist movement" that while she was thrilled to attend a recent briefing at the White House with other top network anchors, she wanted more females at the table. Once again, America is so far behind nations like Rwanda and Sweden. (Yes, that's in there.) The weirdest sentence: "Everyone was gracious, though the jocular atmosphere was palpable." What is it about jocularity that makes it disturbingly masculine?

This from Couric, whose on-air tone is defined by breezy informality? Whose commentaries and on-air asides are salted with "gosh" and whose interviews are jarringly affected with light-hearted quotes from her daughters? You can't help but wonder if Katie's already looking forward to the whole White House being Hillaryland, when "great leaps for womankind" will be Job One, and male "jocularity" will be frowned upon, and perhaps the networks will be lectured about the need to send female anchors to the White House table:

Jefferson, Adams, Paine... You're Fined $200,000 By The Fed. Gov't!

By Warner Todd Huston | January 18, 2007 - 05:23

Thomas Paine wrote one of the most famous tracts of the Revolutionary era. Titled "The Rights of Man", it was a tract that many said, should it not have existed, the Revolution could not have occurred. In fact, historians contend rightfully, that the writings of our founders and their contemporaries were incredibly important as much for their content as for their ability to spread the ideas over which we went to war with Great Britain across the hard to travel geography of early America.

Our Founders were true "grassroots" organizers. Without their words, we could not have won the Revolution.

Now the Federal government wants to destroy that same sort of process used to spur our citizens to free themselves from Monarchical despotism. The Washington Times reports that the federal government today wants to quash the ability of small citizen's groups to disseminate information to like minded people by instituting oppressive reporting rules and by claiming they are "lobbyists" bound by Congressional oversight. And if they don't they face oppressive fines.

Olbermann Hates ‘24’, NewsBusters, and All References to Terrorism

By Noel Sheppard | January 18, 2007 - 00:27

So Keith Olbermann doesn’t like the hit television series “24” or the hit conservative media blog NewsBusters. Somebody knock me over with a feather.

Considerably more shocking is KO wasting airtime offering these opinions to his viewers as if they’d be at all surprised by his feelings on these subjects. Oh, that’s right – that’s what he does five nights a week for MSNBC. And they pay him for it.

Potentially just as comical is someone wasting bandwidth pointing out somebody pointing out what is obvious? I feel your pain, but would like to ameliorate it by suggesting that Olbermann’s distaste for an award-winning television program might give us great insight into how the media clearly don’t believe that terrorism is a threat to this nation.