Media biased against McCain because his campaign is not doing well. That was George Stephanopoulos’ rationalization on the November 3 edition of "The View." Elisabeth Hasselbeck questioned Stephanopoulos about the media’s pro-Obama bias. With studies out demonstrating the media has been clearly far more pro-Obama in its coverage, Stephanopoulos could not dispute the facts. Instead the former Clinton adviser spun it as a result of the faltering McCain campaign. If they are not doing so well in the polls, they will "get more negative stories."
Earlier in the segment, Barbara Walters posed hypotheticals if Obama were to win and if McCain were to win. The ABC News anchor predicted if Obama were to win "the world will look at us and say a big part of the American dream, the part that says anybody can grow up to be president, is not a myth." This of course is in reference to the historic nature of America’s first African-American president.
However, Stephanopoulos offered no such predictions for a potential McCain victory, no kind words of an historic first woman vice president. Instead, Stephanopoulos predicted "I think people will be wondering what happened" and "there will be a lot of anger."
Relevant pieces of the transcript follows.
BARBARA WALTERS: Let’s do a what if. What would this country be like if Obama wins? What would this country be like if McCain wins?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Set the politics aside for a second. If Barack Obama wins tomorrow I think the rest of the world will look at us and say, a big part of the American dream, the part that says anybody can grow up to be president, is not a myth. I mean, whatever your politics are, the fact that an African-American gets elected will just be a big, big day in the history of the country, and I think for the world.
WALTERS: Okay, on the other hand then, if McCain wins, does that mean that we would have riots in the streets?
STEPHANOPOULOS: I think people will be wondering what happened. Because, you know, we’ve seen all of these polls over the last several weeks, and they’ve been very, very steady. They’ll be, it will be a lot of surprise. I think there will be a lot of anger. And people would be wondering, you know-
WALTERS: Will it, will it be a racism kind of reaction?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Depending on how it turns out, I think it could. I think it could, but I hope not.
[...]
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: The media coverage, obviously, has been incredibly, some would say biased in terms of the coverage. Would you agree with that? I mean 63 percent of the stories, they weighed it out, have been negative against John McCain and Sarah Palin.
STEPHANOPOULOS: The problem with that is that it, you know, the last couple of months, the campaign hasn’t been doing so well. When you don’t do so well, you get more negative stories.
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ugh
November 3, 2008 - 16:10 ET by MeowMeowI continue to be amazed by their transparency, and their utter lack of shame. If McCain doesn't pull out a win, the media will only ratchet it up for every election to come.
Obama: A glittering jewel of colossal ignorance. --RL
I find these disingenuous
November 3, 2008 - 16:15 ET by Chris NormanI find these disingenuous and phony "excuses" and "reasons" for the blatant bias every bit as infuriating as the bias itself - maybe more so. If I wrote how I really felt towards Stephanopoulos for his invented "reason", I'm sure I'd be banned.
McNotObama '08
How about the reverse:
November 3, 2008 - 16:29 ET by motherbeltHow about the reverse: McCain not doing so well because media are blatantly biased!!
Oh, I forgot, they're not biased; they're just objectively reporting how amazing Obama is and how marvelous his policies are!!
Any fool can see that he's wonderful....what are they supposed to do...not report it?
motherbelt, Either the
November 3, 2008 - 16:46 ET by Chris Normanmotherbelt,
Either the apologists/rationalists for bias in the media are lying to us or lying to themselves. No matter who they're lying to, they're still lying.
McNotObama '08
knee pads
November 3, 2008 - 16:48 ET by TruthMongerknee pads steffie
monica wasn't the only one working the oval office after hours
Government is the "greedy capitalism" of marxists
Leave it to a Libtard,
November 3, 2008 - 16:20 ET by mattmLeave it to a Libtard, Clintonoid sycophantic puke like little bot Clintonopolous to get it exactly wrong.
Hey dipwad! It's the other way around - that's the friggin' point, and you damned well know it - which makes you a liar and a fraud - par for the course for Libs, in fact it's a resume' enhancer.
I went home at lunch and was
November 3, 2008 - 16:24 ET by marpelI went home at lunch and was watching Fox. There was a McCain rally being broadcast. It struck me how good a speaker McCain has become. He's really hit his stride. I really want to see him win. I want to watch the looks on the MSM's faces. McCain, as President, can take the criticism of the MSM. BO can't take it, and the media will never dish it out ot him. He's "The One", and they are all in awe...
No wonder
November 3, 2008 - 16:45 ET by pbthinkerIs it any wonder that the media can't figure this out. You put a story, right in front of their face, and they don't know what to do with it.
What does it take, to figure out there's been a big difference between what we know about Obama and what we know about Joe the Plumber? Now, who's responsible for that? Oh yeh, McCain because he's behind. Silly me.
Democrats: Stuck on Stupid since 2000.
If they are not doing so
November 3, 2008 - 17:01 ET by TN MomIf they are not doing so well in the polls, they will "get more negative stories."
Right back at you, George Stephanopoulos! See, YOUR POLL NUMBERS ARE NEGATIVE (70% of Americans believe the MSM is in the tank for obama). So, it's just a matter of time really, until you and your cohorts at ABC are completely expendable to the American Public.
A lot of Anger if The One doesn't win
November 3, 2008 - 17:01 ET by krendlerI'm sure we'll all be given a good scolding by the MSM for being such "racists" if The One doesn't win. And I'm sure any riots will be greeted by the MSM not with a question like "Why exactly are they rioting? Don't like democracy?" but instead with "You can't blame them. It was their turn and the racist white conservatives stole it away."
By the way Barack, we're all still waiting for the big bad GOP to remind voters that you're black (although we get that reminder from CNN and MS-NBC pretty much 24/7).
no kind words of an
November 3, 2008 - 17:08 ET by TN Momno kind words of an historic first woman vice president.
This proves ABC/Stephhanopoulos is in the tank for obama! He was on a show with 5 women.
WTH kind of goofball logic is that?
November 3, 2008 - 17:15 ET by HeavyChevyIf you don't do well we will beat up on you?
I don't care how in the tank you are for Bambi even a die hard Liberal would scratch their head and go...what?
"9 out of 10 doctors agree that flag burning is the number one killer of liberals."
So if Snuffleupagus had
November 3, 2008 - 17:32 ET by HockeyKidToo right, HC.
So if Snuffleupagus had covered the Olympics this year, he would have produced 63% of his stories to talk about how crappy Michael Phelps' competition was? Sure.
Take another hit off that 0bamabong, G!
HockeyKid
November 3, 2008 - 17:34 ET by TN MomExcellent point!
George,
November 3, 2008 - 17:28 ET by NorthCoasterNo, the McCain campaign isn't doing well, BECAUSE the MSM is in the tank for OBAMA. Yes, the campaign could have done better, but when the main broadcast and cable channels are one big infomercial for OBAMA, it's hard to get through with your information. (I'm not talking about the BS ads either.)
Just the facts will do it
November 3, 2008 - 17:38 ET by Agrarian-Decentralist"Stephanopoulos could not dispute the facts. Instead the former Clinton
adviser spun it as a result of the faltering McCain campaign. If they
are not doing so well in the polls, they will 'get more negative
stories.'"
Or he might have mentioned a fumbling, vision-free campaign that resorted to lies and personal attacks rather than a compelling case for its own candidate. And then there was that whole business of picking a running mate whose obvious deficiencies robbed McCain of his whole "Experience matters" case. And then there was that great "manna from heaven" copy provided by the rapid unveiling of those running-mate deficiencies.
Sometimes reporters are guilty of producing unnecessarily negative stories. And sometimes just reporting the facts is devastating enough.
George is full of sh!t up
November 3, 2008 - 17:40 ET by bigtimerGeorge is full of sh!t up to his eyeballs...
They are using these polls intentionally if there is an upset to use as an excuse to sue, scream, rant, rave, and riot.
By the way, I have been meaning to mention that I have noticed numerous times how the msm always omits the words of how historic it would be if a woman was named VP for the first time...but they would do that every chance they could if this was a dem...no doubt about it.
Nope, no bias.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
HISTORICAL...
November 4, 2008 - 10:08 ET by 24hourriflewith all due respect to governor palin,her potentially becoming vp does not compare with the possibility of an obama presidency for the simple fact that sarah palin was SELECTED by john mccain.not one single american has voted for her yet.if she becomes vp it will be as a result of a vast,vast majority of people voting for mccain,for president.
on the other hand,appx. 20 million americans have already voted for obama.citizens have actually chosen him as their candidate.and if he wins it will be because the american people CHOSE to elect a black man,while just 40 years ago a black man couldnt even eat at the same restaurants or stay in the same hotels.
"...no kind words of an
November 3, 2008 - 17:45 ET by CoolShades"...no kind words of an historic first woman vice president." --Check and Checkmate.
Georgy Porgy Puddin &
November 3, 2008 - 20:29 ET by TN MomGeorgy Porgy
Puddin & Pies
Will kiss obama's a$$
Till the day he dies!!
MSM inciting riots
November 3, 2008 - 21:04 ET by nkviking75Conservative talk radio is often accused of inciting hatred and violence. If Obama loses and riots ensue, the MSM will deserve a large part of the blame for them. It is irresponsible of the media to stoke the fire of racial hatred. It's also a transparent attempt to extort voters into voting for Obama.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Bias
November 3, 2008 - 21:50 ET by JDWObama coal story leaks 3 days before election and Palin's cleared on troopergate the night before.
JDW
DAILY WAVE
'Hey Chuck, Stand Up!'
Is the Community Reinvestment Act part of free enterprise
Obama added a work requirement to his proposal
Just one more nail in the MSM coffin
November 4, 2008 - 07:24 ET by JohnMcGrewAm I the only one who remembers that Republican congresswoman who left congress to work as a network correspondent? The whole media went bonkers about "journalistic ethics" and the "end of objective journalism" as we knew it. Then a year later, ABC hires Clinton's head spinmaster straight out of the White House as their chief political analyst and nobody has a problem with it?
So why should anybody be surprised by this?