ABC Reportedly Offers Morning Show Slot to Liberal Democrat Stephanopoulos; Will Liberal Democrat Cuomo Leave?

The Washington Post on Thursday reported that ABC has offered the position of Good Morning America co-host to former top Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos. According to the Post’s Howard Kurtz, Stephanopoulos, should he take the job, wants more politics in the morning program: "...Stephanopoulos has pushed for a role reshaped to spotlight his interest in politics and hard news rather than feature segments."

Would this mean a greater infusion of liberal bias from the ex-Democratic operative? If his track record on This Week, and guest appearances on GMA are any indication, the answer is yes. The MRC’s Profile in Bias has documented Stephanopoulos’ left-wing spin. For instance, he declared Barack Obama and Joe Biden the winner of all four presidential debates in 2008.

On the May 13, 2007 This Week, Stephanopoulos tarred Republicans as racist and unlikely to vote for Obama: "Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m naive...I guess I think that anyone who’s not going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black isn’t going to vote for a Democrat anyway."

Stephanopoulos often can be counted on to provide Democratic talking points. In March of 2008, when Obama initially refused to renounce Jeremiah Wright, the ABC anchor spun it as an admirable act: "By refusing to renounce Reverend Wright, that was in many ways an act of honor for Senator Obama."

Kurtz, in his Washington Post piece, mostly ignored the issue of Stephanopoulos’ liberal bias. He did refer to the journalist as "the onetime Clinton White House aide." However, he also observed:

In the 13 years since he left politics, Stephanopoulos has grown in stature as a Sunday host and ABC's go-to guy in Washington, and recognized from the start that the lighter, fluffier part of morning-show life was not his strong suit. With Sawyer leaving a sizable void in the second-rated morning program, bringing in a big-name star has obvious appeal to ABC News President David Westin.

Writing of Chris Cuomo, GMA’s current news anchor and the person that many thought might succeed Diane Sawyer (who is leaving to become the World News anchor), Kurtz wrote:

In a sign that ABC executives are looking toward a future with Stephanopoulos, they have been talking to the other contender, "GMA" news anchor Chris Cuomo, about new opportunities at the network if Stephanopoulos accepts the job. Cuomo, an alternative choice if the talks with Stephanopoulos break down, is being courted by other networks. Executives are also considering candidates to replace Cuomo in the news reader's job on the assumption that he will probably leave the show.

Cuomo, of course, is the son of New York’s former Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo. He’s also the brother of Andrew Cuomo, New York’s current Democratic attorney general. So, it appears that one liberal Democrat has edged out another liberal Democrat.

For a complete recap of Stephanopoulos’ bias over the years, see the MRC’s Profile in Bias.