Obama Attempts to Close the Annenberg Gate
By Kerry Picket | August 28, 2008 | 19:22
Also covered by Warner Todd Huston earlier today.
Editor's Note: Cross posted at Video Done Right.
Hudson Institute’s Stanley Kurtz was invited on to Milton Rosenberg’s radio show on Chicago’s WGN to discuss what Kurtz had discovered about the William Ayers-Barack Obama connection. After requesting the Justice Department bring about criminal charges to a billionaire who funded an ad that linked Obama to Ayers, the Obama campaign sent out an angry email to their supporters urging them to call into Rosenberg's show. Below is the text of the email :
In the next few hours, we have a crucial opportunity to fight one of the most cynical and offensive smears ever launched against Barack.Tonight, WGN radio is giving right-wing hatchet man Stanley Kurtz a forum to air his baseless, fear-mongering terrorist smears. He’s currently scheduled to spend a solid two-hour block from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. pushing lies, distortions, and manipulations about Barack and University of Illinois professor William Ayers.Tell WGN that by providing Kurtz with airtime, they are legitimizing baseless attacks from a smear-merchant and lowering the standards of political discourse.Call into the “Extension 720″ show with Milt Rosenberg at (312) 591-7200(Show airs from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. tonight)
Then report back on your call at http://my.barackobama.com/WGNstandards
Kurtz has been using his absurd TV appearances in an awkward and dishonest attempt to play the terrorism card. His current ploy is to embellish the relationship between Barack and Ayers.
Just last night on Fox News, Kurtz drastically exaggerated Barack’s connection with Ayers by claiming Ayers had recruited Barack to the board of the Annenberg Challenge. That is completely false and has been disproved in numerous press accounts.
It is absolutely unacceptable that WGN would give a slimy character assassin like Kurtz time for his divisive, destructive ranting on our public airwaves. At the very least, they should offer sane, honest rebuttal to every one of Kurtz’s lies.
Callers demanded to know why Rosenberg was “giving air time” to Kurtz to “slander” the Democrats’ presidential nominee. Rosenberg stood firm on his decision to have Kurtz on his show and insisted his staff tried getting someone from the Obama campaign to come on to refute Kurtz to no avail.
Obama callers were not satisfied with Rosenberg’s explanation and continued demanding answers from the host while excoriating Kurtz .
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