CBS Hounds House GOP Leader on Sequester; Plays Up Poll Laying Blame on Republicans
On Tuesday's CBS This Morning, Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell stayed true to form in conducting a tag team-style, confrontational interview of a conservative/Republican, this time House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The anchors pressed Rep. Rodgers about a recent Pew Research/Washington Post poll that, in their words, indicates "the public is going to blame Republicans" for the sequester.
At one point in the segment, Rose wouldn't let the Washington representative complete an answer, interrupting her twice in the course of just 20 seconds. On the second occasion, he raised the poll, which found that 45 percent point the finger at congressional Republicans for the impending across-the-board spending cuts:
CHARLIE ROSE: And what's the smarter, better way [of cutting the federal budget] other than raising revenue?
REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, (R), WASHINGTON: Well, the President got revenue increases on January 1 – over 600 billion [dollars]. The Republicans have put forward two bills. We've passed legislation twice to show a smarter way to go about – yes-
ROSE: Congresswoman, let me just – let me ask one specific question: do you believe that the President, when he points out the impact of the sequester, is either using scare tactics or misleading the American public?
RODGERS: Well, we won't know that answer until March 1. But this was the President's idea of these across-the-board cuts-
ROSE: But you know what the President's saying, and you – you're aware of what he's saying, because he's going across the country to say it, and it seems to be working, as Norah pointed out, because the President – it looks like the American people, in polls, support the idea that if the sequester happens, the Republicans will be blamed.
RODGERS: Well, America also knows that we have a spending problem, that Washington, D.C. has a spending problem. Every year, we're spending more than we bring in, and it never seems to be the right time to cut the spending. President Obama made a promise – as a part of this big compromise to raise the debt ceiling, he made a promise that we were going to cut spending, and it seems like it's never – and we never get to the place of cutting the spending.
Earlier in the segment, O'Donnell raised the poll after Rep. Rodgers attacked President Obama's handling of the sequester issue: "Congresswoman, you say the President's got to stop campaigning and start negotiating. But if you look at the latest polls, it appears it's working. The public is going to blame your party – Republicans."
Just over two weeks earlier, Rose conducted a largely softball interview of Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. The only tough question that the CBS anchor asked his quest was when he targeted her from the left on the issue of the President's second-term Cabinet appointments: "We have seen resignations including, for example, the secretary of energy. The question still is, when will we see those major women appointed to top-level Cabinet positions, whether it's Justice or something else?"
Earlier in 2013, the CBS anchor, along with O'Donnell, also gave pro-gun control New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg the kid glove treatment, not even an hour after conducting a confrontational interview of NRA President David Keene.
The full transcript of the Rep. McRogers interview from Tuesday's CBS This Morning can be read at MRC.org.
