Reading this HuffPo entry from "Inconvenient Truth" producer Laurie David and environmental activist Gene Karpinski, it's hard to not come up with the impression that these two are a bunch of whiners.
Both are outraged (!) that NBC host and former Democratic strategist Tim Russert is not as obsessed with global warming as they are.
What's even funnier (unintentionally of course) is that David and Karpinski frame their outrage around the recent NBC Universal PR campaign "Green Is Universal," which was nothing more than a corporate-driven shillfest designed to drum up interest in parent company General Electric's non-fossil fuel offerings. (So much for the left-wing lie about corporate "conservatism.")
Tim Russert's real sin was that he didn't parrot the company line like a good liberal media hack. The arrogance is stunning. A billion-dollar media empire devotes an entire week to promoting their pet issue and yet it's still not enough for David and Karpinski. Whine excerpt is past the jump:
This past week, NBC completed its Green Is Universal campaign -- a week-long effort to educate and engage the public by infusing its programming with environmental themes. The effort resulted in everything from Matt Lauer reporting from the Arctic circle to Al Gore making a cameo appearance on 30 Rock parodying himself. Throughout the week, global warming was front and center. And then there was Tim Russert.
As the network's Washington Bureau Chief, Mr. Russert was surely alerted to the broadly publicized campaign. The emerald green tie he donned in Sunday's Meet the Press interview with Senator Barack Obama would seem to confirm that. But if you watched the interview, you probably noticed that Tim Russert didn't actually get the memo. Instead, Russert continued his long-running pattern of ignoring an issue that the American voters, the international community and the world's scientists have all identified as one of our most pressing challenges. Not to mention one of the most consequential. [...]So here we are at the tail-end of an unprecedented year-long primary campaign and the media has largely failed to ask difficult and direct questions about one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced.
In light of this failure, several groups have partnered with Grist to host a presidential forum -- Global Warming & America's Energy Future -- this Saturday in Los Angeles. This will be the first event exclusively devoted to questioning the candidates on their policies and vision for tackling our growing energy problems. But with dozens more candidate forums, debates and interviews, the real question is this:As interesting as it is to ponder whether we are alone in the universe, when on Earth will Mr. Russert cover global warming as a political issue?
—Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and its Executive Editor.
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when on Earth will Mr.
November 14, 2007 - 10:33 ET by Free Thinkerwhen on Earth will Mr. Russert cover global warming as a political issue?
I'm glad someone can admit this is a political issue. It clearly isn't settled science and GE's attempt to go green last week I thought was a nice piece of marketing considering the capital investments GE is making in pursuit of the market being cultivated by global warming hysteria.
GW/Political issue, Free Think
November 14, 2007 - 11:41 ET by Gary HallYou took the wind right out of my sail. Well said.
But you know, there is some truth to that, as the science angle to the story crumbles - all that is left is a political story.
The problem is the APGW
November 14, 2007 - 12:08 ET by mattmThe problem is the APGW whiners won't admit that the science is dubious. They operate from the assumption of APGW.
The science of any particular phenomenon should be completed before any socio-political policy debate begins. Sadly this rarely happens.
Someone comes up with a theory that "sells" and the ball starts rolling, and woe to those who stand in its path shouting "hold on a minute, where's the evidence?"
Evidence? We don't need no
November 14, 2007 - 15:00 ET by ahusserEvidence? We don't need no stinkin' evidence. We are true believers!
"When on Earth will Mr.
November 14, 2007 - 11:01 ET by Mark Finkelstein"When on Earth will Mr. Russert cover global warming as a political issue?"
Tragically, probably not until the waves are overlapping the "Top of the Rock" ;-)
Oh, the humanity!
Old school lib Russert just
November 14, 2007 - 11:14 ET by Chris NormanOld school lib Russert just doesn't somehow seem to mix with the trendiness of Global Warming - know what I mean?
Al "Demetrius" Gore - "Great is My Doctrine of Global Warming!"
November 14, 2007 - 11:50 ET by gideonmjamesAl Gore isn't the only idol worshiper and idol creator in history to blow a gasket because his religion was shown to be false. There was also a man named Demetrius in the Book of Acts ...
Acts 19:24-28
(24) For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
(25) Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
(26) Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods [even as we show today that there is no global warming], which are made with hands:
(27) So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at naught; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised [global warmists, too, become defensive and incensed when their doctrine is questioned], and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth [Al Gore has done his damnedest to convince the whole world of the magnificence of HIS idol "global warming"]."
(28) And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" [global warmists become enraged, too, when their idol is challenged, refuted, and shown to be false]
Quote from the HuffingtonPost.com
November 14, 2007 - 12:04 ET by gideonmjamesLaurie David and environmental activist Gene Karpinski try to philosophically blackmail and intellectually extort Tim Russert into believing and preaching global warming doctrine ...
Did Tim Russert Get the Memo?
"Instead, Russert continued his long-running pattern of ignoring an issue that the American voters, the international community and the world's scientists have all identified as one of our most pressing challenges. Not to mention one of the most consequential.
How bad have Tim's interviews been? Over the past ten months, presidential candidates have made 16 appearances on Meet the Press. In the nearly three hundred questions he has asked the candidates, not once has he uttered the words "global warming." Not once.
At the two debates Mr. Russert has moderated, he has found time to discuss a national smoking ban, the drinking age, Bible verses, baseball, and even UFOs but not once did he ask how candidates would address the climate crisis.
His lack of coverage of the issue has been so glaring that one can only wonder whether he still needs to be convinced that global warming is a problem."
Quote from the HuffingtonPost.com
November 14, 2007 - 12:02 ET by gideonmjamesLaurie David and environmental activist Gene Karpinski try to philosophically blackmail and intellectually extort Tim Russert into believing and preaching global warming doctrine ...
Did Tim Russert Get the Memo?
"Instead, Russert continued his long-running pattern of ignoring an issue that the American voters, the international community and the world's scientists have all identified as one of our most pressing challenges. Not to mention one of the most consequential.
How bad have Tim's interviews been? Over the past ten months, presidential candidates have made 16 appearances on Meet the Press. In the nearly three hundred questions he has asked the candidates, not once has he uttered the words "global warming." Not once.
At the two debates Mr. Russert has moderated, he has found time to discuss a national smoking ban, the drinking age, Bible verses, baseball, and even UFOs but not once did he ask how candidates would address the climate crisis.
His lack of coverage of the issue has been so glaring that one can only wonder whether he still needs to be convinced that global warming is a problem."
We know what the answer would be.
November 14, 2007 - 12:07 ET by Dave in TexasEven if he did ask, we all know how the discussion would go:
Russert: "Global warming?"
Candidate: "Very concerned. Bush isn't doing enough. It's a travesty. I'll do more. In a way that's completely painless and creates lots of jobs."
Russert: "Glad to hear it. Next topic."
Also,
November 14, 2007 - 12:17 ET by dervishThose darned football players insisted on playing football during NBC's broadcast, instead of going out to the community to plant trees.
What's going on here?
Long before...
November 14, 2007 - 14:29 ET by okiehawk44My wife commented on the "new" set of the Don Imus morning show back whenever -- she especially wanted me to see the humongous amount of lighting & special effects and the huge space of his newly decorated broadcast home -- then Morning Joe broadcast from the site with some small changes but still lit like Times Square -- all of the sets of Today; Brian Williams nightly news show; Morning Joe; etc etc are about as environmentally sensitive as a toxic waste dump behind the hospital. GE is a corporate pig!