Folks watching President Obama's first address to Congress on CNN tonight will not see CatholicVote.com's latest ad (embedded at right) reportedly because network executives think the ad falsely attributes pro-life political views to the nation's chief executive.
As Christianity Today's Stan Guthrie reported on Friday:
Brian Burch of CatholicVote.com says CNN has rejected the group's "Imagine" ad for broadcast during the president's State of the Union address next Tuesday. Previously NBC rejected the video, which links the pro-choice Barack Obama with a strong pro-life message, for airing during the Super Bowl. Executives at both networks cited concerns with the content of the ad: NBC that it doesn't run issue ads during the Super Bowl, and CNN because the ad suggests that Obama is pro-life. In an e-mail today to supporters, Burch disputes CNN's conclusion:
This is absurd. Our ad does not suggest that Barack Obama is pro-life. Instead, our ad presents nothing but facts. President Obama, like every human being, began as an unborn child. Because he was born, he was able to become the President of the United States.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Cowards!
February 24, 2009 - 12:15 ET by legacyrepublicanThose left-wing nuts are cowards who do not want to discuss the issues or let the other side be shown
The real reason they won't
February 24, 2009 - 14:03 ET by motherbeltThe real reason they won't air it is because it might embarrass the President, since it shows that, had his mother had his view, he would not even be here.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Obama's Mother Chose Life
February 24, 2009 - 14:09 ET by deerjerkydaveYou guys are right on. Certainly Obama's mother chose life. Isn't that what this ad is really saying? Is it not the truth? CNN is not interested in the truth, just the propaganda.
Great ad
February 24, 2009 - 12:25 ET by Blue State PrisonerI love this ad. Too bad that because these networks dont want to hear about the other side of this issue those who watch main stream media will never see it.
The truth hurts
February 24, 2009 - 12:25 ET by expatriotThe liberal left cannot take the truth. We all started out as a sperm and an egg and grew to who we are over time. They did not want to show that babies are growing in their mother's womb. It has to be a "fetus", a blob of cells that cannot become a person until that blob is born.
I think the ad is wonderful....
February 24, 2009 - 12:27 ET by Lord ErondWhen my wife and I became pregnant with our first child, we were scared to hell. We were living in an apartment and not doing the best financially. Clearly it was not planned but when we went and saw that little tiny beating heart on the ultrasound, we cried. Everyday after that was fine. Seeing this ad reminds me of that moment.
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
Lord Erond
February 24, 2009 - 12:33 ET by sherylsimsI know what you mean. I still remember vividly the first time I saw our daughter on an ultra sound. It was 27 years ago and it still is with me as one of the most wonderful events in my life. We had been on vacation and (sparing the details) I thought I had a miscariage so when I got back to my own doctor he scheduled me for an ultrasound. It was amazing to me to see our baby in that way. Just yesterday she showed me the ultrasound pictures of her baby (my grandson) who will be arriving in July. Seems like only yesterday I was proudly showing off HER ultrasound pictures.
My wife has been an ultrasound tech...
February 24, 2009 - 14:59 ET by Prester John...for over 30 years and the advances in techonology have been amazing, from late-1970s gray scale pictures that look like a spill to current color, 3-d real time videos where you can see the kid sucking his thumb, punching his twin brother/sister, and his/her hair waving in the amnionic fluid.
My wife never ceases to be amazed when well educated, professional couples come in and are stunned by the details they can see of their child. Somehow they all think it goes from being a blob of organic material to a fully formed human a week before he/she is born.
The pro-aborts don't want people to see this sort of thing because when people do see and reconize the truth, Planned Parenthood and company's income drops.
"The Truth is treason in the empire of lies"
www.campaignforliber...
That is exactly right. I
February 24, 2009 - 12:34 ET by MrSnugglesThat is exactly right. I went to Catholic school for 9 years, and during the "sex ed" classes they showed us the full development cycle of a fetus throughout the 9 months of pregnancy. When I went to public highschool for 4 years, they did NOT show us what an unborn baby looks like after the zygote stage.
My wife is having her first child in July, we had the first ultrasound done last week. She is at 21 weeks, and by God if someone wants to tell me that my child is not alive inside her womb they are big fat liars.
too bad
February 24, 2009 - 12:43 ET by candanceIt's not their fault people who voted for Obama don't know anything about his policies.
But acts of kindness and generosity must be free and voluntary; no man has a right to compel another to follow his conscience. This is a concern which lies between a man and his God.
-Richard Fuhrman, pro slave advocate, 1823
The Great Denial, Episode 7,543
February 24, 2009 - 13:07 ET by SickofLibsKeep sweeping those fetuses under the rug, CNN.
If anything, this ad is celebratory of Obama's achievements. The crime is these networks' preemptory faux defense of Obama, just because they believe that some clueless viewers MAY possibly be left with the impression he may have some pro-life leanings - God forbid!!!
CNN: start running your own spots and keep reminding the faithful that he in fact is in love with abortion in any and all of it's diabolical forms.
They're being willfully obtuse
February 24, 2009 - 13:35 ET by JeffWeimerThey know exactly what the point is, they just will not admit it in order to manufacture an excuse not to show it.
It's a good commercial but
February 24, 2009 - 13:53 ET by NCguyIt's a good commercial but as a business CNN has the right to accept or reject any commercial for any reason. I'm sure the inspiration channel would refuse to air a pro-choice commercial as is thier right. It's not personal it's business.It just happens to be personal to the christian right.
Nobody is saying CNN should
February 24, 2009 - 14:20 ET by deerjerkydaveNobody is saying CNN should lose the right to air whatever they want. We're conservatives around here, not liberals. Unlike liberals who use government to club media over the head through force (i.e. the fairness doctrine), instead we complain, encourage, debate, and boycott, which is the real American way to effect change.
Funny, my post IS the
February 24, 2009 - 14:34 ET by NCguyFunny, my post IS the fiscal/economic conservative answer. Your doing what you charaterise liberal as...whinners.
Sounds like sour grapes again to me.
Whinners?
February 24, 2009 - 15:10 ET by MrSnugglesWhinners?
Whinners - the opposite of
February 24, 2009 - 15:34 ET by SickofLibsWhinners - the opposite of loozers
Opposite of loozers
February 24, 2009 - 15:43 ET by Blonde....and the cousin of brayers. Or maybe the illegitimate parent of brayers?
Whinners, indeed.
February 24, 2009 - 15:14 ET by WhizzpopperYes, they have a right to choose what they do and do not put on the air. In this case, however, CNN chose to refuse an ad that they thought would taint the President's political agenda?? Since when is that their job?.......
Hang on, I just remember how he got elected.
You missed the point of the post
February 24, 2009 - 15:22 ET by c5thenIt's not their agreement to run or refusal to run the ad that is the issue. We all agree here that they have that right. The issue is the lie that they came up with to try and justify their refusal to run it.
You see, honesty is a big part of a conservative's world-view.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012
NCguy
February 24, 2009 - 16:42 ET by deerjerkydaveNCguy, why are you so defensive? Your post was the quasi-conservative answer. You were correct that CNN is and should be allowed to say whatever it wants. But you were also lecturing others here by implying that they wanted to remove that right, a liberal response. I just wanted to set the record straight.
If you have a problem with my point perhaps you can take it on directly instead of setting up a straw man by putting words into my mouth about whiners.
Correct, dave..
February 24, 2009 - 17:19 ET by motherbeltCorrect, dave..NCGuy doesn't understand that no one here has said that CNN should be forced to air the commercial. We are just pointing out that they won't. And commenting on their given reason...that it might make people think Obama is pro-life. I guess he doesn't see the irony in the ad; but apparently CNN does.
One wonders, if CNN is also worried that if they air a Coke ad, that will mean that the President endorses Coke.
I guess they never heard of the old "don't necessarily reflect the views of CNN or the broadcasts during which they air" disclaimer.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
keep pretending to miss the point
February 24, 2009 - 16:55 ET by candanceOf course CNN has the rigt to refuse advertisers. And if CNN had simply said the ad was about a controversial subject they wanted to avoid, that would have been fine. But that's not what CNN said. They claim the ad gives a misleading impression that Obama is pro life, which blatantly stupid and a bad attempt to cover up their real reasons.
Also as an "unbiased" news source CNN should not be compared to an inspirational networks. If these networks want to avoid controversial topics they could make a policy of that across the board, but since they gladly accept revenue from groups like PETA while shunning pro life ads, they admit to being sympathetic to the left.
CNN has the right to accept or reject any commercial for any reason.
We will see if you have such a laissez faire attitude when the Fairness Doctrine comes back.
But acts of kindness and generosity must be free and voluntary; no man has a right to compel another to follow his conscience. This is a concern which lies between a man and his God.
-Richard Fuhrman, pro slave advocate, 1823
you uber right-wingers are
February 24, 2009 - 19:22 ET by NCguyyou uber right-wingers are all about letting a business justify thier actions until it hits on something you don't like. Had fox news done the same to peta with GWB you would all slam PETA and defend Fox New's decision...what ever it happend to be.
This is the same problem with your end of the specturms point of veiw about social services. It's easy to piss on your neighbors lawn then call him a whinner.
The uber rich neo christian right has hijacked the party and convinced so many american's to vote against thier own best interest.
I predict many right wingers in america will change thier toon when this financial collapse screams past what we saw during the great depression.
Talk about insanity, so few in the republican party control so many by dollars, by support or by public ridicule and osterization as we saw today with Gov.Piyush B Jindal from LA and M. "I'll make them famous you will know thier name" Steele
Oh my!
February 24, 2009 - 19:33 ET by Blondeuber right-wingers.
More "whinners"
Uber rich neo christian right.
public ridicule and osterization (LOL...that's the best one yet....stick 'em in a blender and give then an UBER TWIRL).
Dude. Take your ADD pills, go back to Kos, calm down, and learn some new talking points.
~Wow
February 24, 2009 - 19:49 ET by choselife3xWhere does one start?
Piss on your neighbor's lawn and call him a 'whinner'. What do you call your neighbor when you drop a turd on his lawn? Looser?
'The uber rich neo christian right' Is that a club I can join? I'd like to be 'uber rich'.
Change our 'toon'. Priceless. I love this guy. This is almost as much fun as watching a lib sh!t himself when you say 'Palin'.
Osterization. Don't know what that is, but it sounds like what happens to people who go to bad lefty colleges.
Tell us more, NCguy. We eagerly await further amusement.
Expecting the government to 'fix' the economy is like trying to live off the leech stuck to your tush.
some advice for NCguy
February 24, 2009 - 21:43 ET by candance1) Invest in an English tutor. Your government education is showing.
2) Go back to Kos for some new material.
3) Don't bother coming back.
But acts of kindness and generosity must be free and voluntary; no man has a right to compel another to follow his conscience. This is a concern which lies between a man and his God.
-Richard Fuhrman, pro slave advocate, 1823
I don't get it
February 24, 2009 - 13:57 ET by MillerTimeWarpThe ad emphasizes life.....born life.....then shows the Obamanot.
Where's the pod ?
If only they were honest
February 24, 2009 - 14:36 ET by c5thenIf only CNN and NBC and he other MSM were honest and said that they would not air the commercial because they disagreed with it's message. Then the real debate could begin.
Instead they manufacture reasons, which means they lie through their teeth.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012
like FOX news saying they
February 24, 2009 - 14:49 ET by NCguylike FOX news saying they are fair and balanced?
Yeah, that's the type of honesty we need.
February 24, 2009 - 15:03 ET by c5thenInstead we get intelligence insulting marketing slogan's like Campbell Brown's "No Bias, No Bull" tag line on CNN.
In reality it's "Plenty of Bias, lots of Bull".
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012
~Like NCguy saying
February 24, 2009 - 16:57 ET by choselife3xHe is a conservative?
Expecting the government to 'fix' the economy is like trying to live off the leech stuck to your tush.
What hogwash!
February 24, 2009 - 15:18 ET by Indiana JoeThey won't run it because it powerfully makes it's point, and would likely be very effective.
Also, because it shows Obama and most of the "pro-choice" movement up as the hypocrites they are.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..." - The Who
Big Brother at work, once
February 24, 2009 - 17:00 ET by bigtimerBig Brother at work, once again....Chavez style to be completed.
Shadows of the real Fairness Doctrine.
Makes one weep for the unborn...for this country and our freedoms we are losing daily.
With a little research
February 24, 2009 - 17:48 ET by RD Kingon his mother you find that she like him was and is a full fledged communist. The irony in this is that she didn't abort him and he loves the most perverse forms of the practice and is a child murderer extraordinaire.
Imagine video
February 24, 2009 - 18:46 ET by philipjamesI think the problem is that it is so real that they are afraid to run it. It exposes the left pro-abortion side to a truth that they have no answer for.
Great video and I hope they have enough money to plaster it all over the place... and to saturate the web.
Be fair. It's not as if CNN
February 24, 2009 - 19:58 ET by Jack BauerBe fair. It's not as if CNN is a commercial enterprise seeking to maximize its ad sales revenue.
And the last thing a TV nework wants is to generate any buzz so as to get viewers tuning in to "see what all the fuss is about." That's so last century, companies making profits.
Nor does CNN seriously believe advertisng actually works and may influence people...
Ooops, oh hang on.... that's exactly what CNN believes. Well, that's what it tells its potential advertisers, as it hikes its spot rates.
In that case, it must have some OTHER problem with the ad. Maybe it's a philosophical problem in that they DISAGREE with the message but they are too gutless to admit it.
Ah well, at least it leaves more time for some classy ads with products for piles, genital herpes incontinence, and other such important items.
Jack... So right you
February 24, 2009 - 20:04 ET by bigtimerJack...
So right you are... it should be obvious to anyone with a brain cell that works at room temperature.
OF course they disagree with the ad....they aren't a network of leftists with an agenda for no reason.
...and of course they are too gutless to admit it... they never will either.
No guts. No glory. NO
February 24, 2009 - 20:13 ET by Jack BauerNo guts. No glory. NO conservative viewers.
Guess they don't care.
ADDENDUM
Guess I was right.
Tuesday, Feb 24
February Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined in Total Viewers
Fox News was the ratings leader during prime time and total day during February 2009 — its 86th month on top. FNC averaged more Total Viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined in prime time and total day.
FNC had nine out of the top 10 programs in cable news last month in Total Viewers. The O'Reilly Factor was #1 for the 99th consecutive month, and was up 33% in Total Viewers compared to February 2008. The other top programs included Hannity (up 38%), Glenn Beck (the 5pmET hour was up 100%), The FOX Report with Shepard Smith (up 30%) and On the Record with Greta Van Susteren (up 24%).
On the Record also reclaimed the lead in the 25-54 demographic, up 4% year to year. At 7pmET, FOX Report was up 28% in the demo, The O'Reilly Factor was up 44% and "Hannity" up 34%.
FNC's third newly launched show, "Special Report with Bret Baier," was up 38% in Total Viewers and the demo compared to last year. Baier's new program, Beck's and Sean Hannity's solo hour at 9pmET beat CNN and MSNBC combined in Total Viewers during their respective time periods.
In total day, FNC is up 29%, MSNBC 17% and CNN 2% in Total Viewers, and FNC is up 24%, MSNBC 7% and CNN is down 14% in the demo.
In prime time, FNC is up 28%, MSNBC 23% and CNN is down 30% in Total Viewers, while FNC is up 21%, MSNBC 3% and CNN is down 44% in the demo.