Longtime reporter and columnist Robert Novak appeared on Fox's O'Reilly Factor on Tuesday and agreed with host Bill O'Reilly that media bias may not help Barack Obama that much. But that doesn't mean it isn't biased. Novak declared: "I’ve been covering presidential campaigns since 1960. I have always said I have never seen the media as much entranced by a candidate than when they were in my very first campaign, in 1960, when they were for JFK. But I'm telling you right now, the enchantment with Obama beats the JFK syndrome."
O’Reilly was amazed and mentioned how Novak recounts his early days in his memoir Prince of Darkness. But a bigger infatuation than with JFK?
Novak said "I believe it is. It is just such a feel-good atmosphere of my colleagues, my senior colleagues, people I’ve known for years. And I get it from some of the young people, too. They just feel this is such a wonderful thing, in the first place to have an African-American candidate, nominee, but also one that makes them feel so wonderful."
O’Reilly conceded that Obama was tremendously charismatic and could have his own TV show, but the he also makes them feel wonderful because they hate Bush and hate conservatives.
Novak replied with some amusement: "And then the other interesting thing about the media is that they have dropped, Bill, they have dropped John McCain like an old girlfriend. I mean, I remember how much -- some of the very same people who really felt that he was something new, something different in the year 2000 when he ran against Bush. They have no use for him now. They say well, he is not the same guy. He is the same guy! He is exactly the same. Same person but it's a different circumstance. He is not running against Bush. He is running against Obama."
O'Reilly suggested Hollywood and the entertainment industry seemed unanimous in their desire to influence the race for Obama:
O'REILLY: You say then that the media's tilt and we put it at about 80% here, toward Obama, not going to help him that much because people really aren't reading The New York Times or the L.A. Times any more. They are not watching the network news any more. But they certainly are going to pick it up as we did in our first segment from people like David Letterman, from MTV, from all of this pop culture stuff which is almost 100 percent on Obama's bandwagon.
NOVAK: The thing that may really benefit Obama, Bill, on this is that if the american people just get a sort of impression that there is something really not very legitimate about McCain and that this is just an opportunity for America to look wonderful in the face of the world. I don't think you can sell Obama on the issues. He doesn't really deal with issues. It's ‘this is our time. This is hope. This is change.’ But if you can sell the American people in a time when they are mad at gasoline prices and other things, make them feel that this is something good, that makes us feel good in the world, that's something that McCain will have a hard time combatting.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
It's the same as it was
June 11, 2008 - 13:17 ET by mattmIt's the same as it was with Clinton. It's all about style with Libs. And idiot can be for the Libodemmunist agenda, but who can look like a movie star doing it? THAT'S the important question...
Meida Biased no way Dude...
June 11, 2008 - 13:27 ET by American TaxpayerAmericans will vote for Obama simply because he is black, yet a vote for McCain simply because he is white would be racist. When Obama supporters are asked what he has done there are no answers, only that he stands for change. The liberal left wing Meida treat him as if he were the second coming of christ. Where are all the tough questions that would be asked of the evil Republicans. The truth is there will be no tough questions by the media as that would not fit into thier political agenda.
color me crazy
June 11, 2008 - 13:38 ET by Jack BauerAnd crazy. I can't think of anything nuttier than voting for someone simply because he's white.
I mean, Howard Dean is white!
Though a Smurff will never get my vote because I find blue depressing.
Lol Jack - you crack me up!
June 11, 2008 - 13:54 ET by Dee BunkI needed that. I would never vote for a Smurff either! You are the best. : )
smurffed
June 11, 2008 - 13:59 ET by soosanWith the choices on this years ballot, I'd vote for a Smurff.....
You busted me. I'm a
June 11, 2008 - 14:02 ET by Jack BauerYou busted me. I'm a smurffist.
But I take your point about the choice 2008.
No, Jack. I think that
June 11, 2008 - 14:05 ET by MassConservNo, Jack. I think that makes you a cartoonist.
I might consider voting for
June 11, 2008 - 14:06 ET by Jack BauerI might consider voting for a Womble -- but they are from Wimbledon, England, and I don't think they made it big in the US.
Charisma, Flatulisma
June 11, 2008 - 13:28 ET by cvgbuckeyeCharisma, Flatulisma, my backside. These people make my hind-end tired. Barack Hussein Obama only has the amount of so-called charisma that these horse's rear-ends build him up to have.
He is only made out to be this great charisma king because the media has lowered the bar so far for him that he has to stand on his head to let a fart;;;;;; and they would call that charisma as well!
"Oh, doesn't it make such a musical sound when he farts! Doesn't it smell so sweet! Doesn't his backside pucker up so beautifully when he does that.
The whole thing stinks if you ask me or anyone else with any sense.
Chris Matthews and Olbermann (as well as the rest of the media) would crawl a thousand miles accross the desert, on their hands and knees, just to sniff the tire tracks of the laundry truck that took Hussein's underwear to the cleaners.
Pun
June 11, 2008 - 15:45 ET by kilrodThe whole thing stinks if you ask me or anyone else with any sense.
Pun intended i reckon!!!! (GRINS)
kilrod
Remember, only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier
We did everything we could
June 11, 2008 - 13:58 ET by KC MulvilleI'm now beginning to hope that McCain wins, not for anything he does himself, but simply because if the seismic impact it'll have on these media shills.
I mean, if the liberals have everything going for them, and they pull out all the stops for their guy ... but he still loses ... how are they going to excuse that one away? It'll kill them.
LOL. KC, I said the same
June 11, 2008 - 14:03 ET by MassConservLOL. KC, I said the same thing a few days ago.
Can you just imagine the wailing involved?
"WHAT IS IT WE HAVE TO DO?!!!!!!!" ;-)
KC:Methinks the media will
June 11, 2008 - 14:07 ET by KillgraveKC:
Methinks the media will fall back to their second prize, which is to endlessly berate white America as being too bigoted to elect a black guy (even though, technically, he is as white as he is black, even more so).
I can see it now. Instead of headlines celebrating a McCain victory, we will get the first of many installments of "America is Still Not Ready".
media is already there
June 11, 2008 - 14:08 ET by capitolguyKC: The media is already doing what you describe. Anytime any specific questions are asked of BHO, the person asking the question is labeled a racist. This is especially true when questions are raised regarding Rev. Wright or the domestic terrorist, William Ayers. Hopefully, someone keeps asking because I don't know how anyone who still calls an admitted domestic terrorist a friend can even be considered for POTUS.
Far left media
June 11, 2008 - 14:04 ET by capitolguyThis is only the beginning. Just wait until late August/ early September. The media will throw everything they have at Senator McCain while failing to ask any tough questions of B. Hussein Obama. What continues to amaze me is how the members of the media continue to lie by insisting they are unbiased on their reporting. With the exception of Chris Wallace, not a single member of the media has asked BHO a tough question. How long will this continue?
"they have dropped John
June 11, 2008 - 14:24 ET by TruthMonger"they have dropped John McCain like an old girlfriend. I mean, I remember how much -- some of the very same people who really felt that he was something new, something different in the year 2000 when he ran against Bush. They have no use for him now."
NB remembers too - it's all in the archives - time to air some of that out soon I think:)...
Obama - Our first American Idol President
June 11, 2008 - 14:33 ET by Dee BunkI watched this episode and this segment was pretty good. Both Novak and O'Reilly made good points. They both talked about how enchanted the media were with Obama, but then O'Reilly drew more attention to pop culture and how it's having such a big impact now. You never used to have this many celebrities openly campaigning for candidates. The Pop culture will have an even bigger effect than the media. Obama will Represent our first American Idol President.
After this segment O'Reilly went drastically downhill and reminded me why I had quit watching him. He was belittling Republicans for not signing the new Gas Tax bill. He is so clueless about economics.
Even our liberal posters haven't tried to defend that silly bill.
I agree!
June 11, 2008 - 14:53 ET by mytwocentsI watched the segment also, and got so mad at BOR that I threw a foam brick at the TV. He really disturbs me sometimes!
My2C - BOR is just clueless
June 11, 2008 - 14:58 ET by Dee Bunkabout economic issues.
So true.
June 11, 2008 - 15:20 ET by mytwocents100% correct. He just doesn't get it at all. The sad thing is so many people watch him and take his word for the gospel.
O'Reilly's a blowhard
June 11, 2008 - 16:04 ET by Chris NormanO'Reilly's a blowhard populist, who's scared to death that people may think he's a Republican. He has tried, to ridiculous lengths, to be "fair" towards Obama, giving Obama a pass on things that no one else is (outside the MSM) - his declarations of no fault sounding like he regards himself as the arbiter and last word of what's allowed in analysis and opinion. As he gets older, he gets more obnoxious.
he is a confused individual
June 11, 2008 - 16:09 ET by TruthMongerhe is a confused individual - the moonbats think he's a flaming conservative - but he's way all over the map...
I agree TM as my post to Chris says
June 11, 2008 - 16:49 ET by Dee BunkO'Reilly would have had a home in the old conservative wing of the Dem party, but they don't have one anymore.
I agree Chris O'Reilly is pretty much a JFK democrat
June 11, 2008 - 16:47 ET by Dee BunkThat animal doesn't exist anymore. All the political diversity is on the right now and so he has no home but on the right. The Dem establishment all march in lockstep (just like our Dem posters here do).
Blowhard is right
June 11, 2008 - 17:46 ET by Eileen RightEver notice how he kisses up to people and plays nice-nice just to get them on his show? After that he won't slam them because they were brave enough to face-off with him. Sickening and self-serving...
Exactly Eileen... Jesse
June 11, 2008 - 18:42 ET by bigtimerExactly Eileen...
Jesse Jackson is a perfect example.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
O'Reilly is a blowhard, no
June 11, 2008 - 18:28 ET by JerO'Reilly is a blowhard, no more obnoxious than he has always been, predominantly conservative ["traditionalist" is his euphemistic term], occasionally populist, and thorougly Republican [he quickly switched his registration to "independent" when his Republican affilitation was about to be revealed several years ago.
He has attempted to portray himself as a "liberal" in certain areas: anti-death penalty and pro-environment. Besides stating that he would personally "pull the switch" on the 9/11 terrorists, his solution for capital offenders is to exile them on a remote ice-covered island off the coast of Alaska. He has repeatedly pronounced the ACLU as the "most dangerous organization in America", and voiced support for criminal measures which consistently place him to the right of law and order judges like Napolitano.
Environmentally, he has paid some lip service to "that global warming thing" but, to my knowledge, has never supported a single Democratic or left-leaning enviro proposal for addressing the issue. In 2004, he stated his complete agreement with Bush's environmental policies.
True, he has carved out a populist position regarding the oil companies. So have a great number of Republican congressmen. His arguments may be economically flawed and are clearly demogogic, but they nevertheless resonate with millions of Americans, including the majority of his viewers--conservatives and independents.
I consider myself a JFK Democrat. O'Reilly says he admired JFK. He may well have. But the suggestion that O'Reilly is any type of Democrat is laughable. He is one hundred per cent Republican.
Jer
BTW, I agree with many--though not all--of BOR's criminal justice positions. But, I'm fairly conservative in that area myself.
Take a look at how he treated Jacob Sullum
June 11, 2008 - 18:38 ET by sarcasmoHere (near the end, it's a promo for Drew Carey's "Reason.TV"). And this kind of blow-hard* response is typical of O'Reilly's intellectually-shallow take on the drugwar debate, so at least in that small area, I hope and trust that you're different...
JMR
*Believe it or not, you're not the first to use that term while describing O'Reilly.
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Republican Congressman?
June 11, 2008 - 21:43 ET by Eileen RightYeah, that's a ringing endorsement of "Conservative credentials"...
I understand his death penalty stance as a Catholic (nothing wrong with that), but wholly disagree. As "Human Beings" we MUST remove aberrations that threaten to tear down our structure and allows for continued harm to our innocent and restrained (gun control).
Any species that wishes to survive removes threats from within. Please don't tell me you think "Life w/o parole" will stand.
"Let's do it" Gary Gilmore, Jan 17, 1977
Possible cartoon of the year???
June 11, 2008 - 14:38 ET by jazboThis deserves front page billing !
http://www.theweekdaily.com/images/front_picture_library_UK/dir_15/the_week_7584_28.jpg
Those who believe in nothing will believe anything.
That is a great one jazbo!
June 11, 2008 - 14:44 ET by Dee BunkSo so true.
Bob Novak: Media's Obama Love Exceeds Their 1960 JFK Love
June 11, 2008 - 15:07 ET by ToddonCapeCodJFK wasn't black.
Sorry, that's just the reality about this campaign.
And JFK wasn't comparatively as liberal as JFK, and that's what the media of today loves more than anything else.
you must mean JFK wasn't as
June 11, 2008 - 16:11 ET by TruthMongeryou must mean JFK wasn't as liberal as Obama is...
have you ever heard Rush play old JFK speeches about lowering taxes and a strong defense?
drives the libbies nuts:)...
Charismatic?
June 11, 2008 - 15:15 ET by HawgdrvrI guess I just don't get it. I can't get over this salivating, slobbering, silly infatuation that many folks seem to have with B Hussein. He just sounds like a sing-songing Black preacher to me. What's the motto: Change for the Sake of Change. Rightttttttttt
This mindless hero worship
June 11, 2008 - 16:17 ET by marvlThis mindless hero worship of B. Hussein is more than a little frightening. No one seems to care that he is not even remotely qualified to be POTUS, that he is arrogant, and that he is ignorant. This is a very dangerous time for the USA. I just hope we can survive this insanity.
I agree with Novak about JFK versus B. Hussein. Of course, back then Democrats weren't the starry eyed fools that they are today. I suspect if they were around now, both Truman and JFK would be Republicans and would consider the Democratic Party to be a splinter group of the US Communist Party.
I'm amazed at the way
June 11, 2008 - 16:21 ET by balboaI'm amazed at the way people have become so enamored with Barack Hussien Pol Pot Stalin Obama, too. Are people this starved for leadership, even when it doesn't seem to be qualified?
Of course, the democratic party has had crap leadership lately, so I guess the answer is "Yes."
Oh come on Balboa - adding Pol Pot and Stalin to Obama's Name?
June 11, 2008 - 17:40 ET by Dee BunkThat's a little silly. It would be Barrack Hammas C. Obama. I think the C stands for either Che (as in Guevera) Carter, Castro or Chavez. I'm not exactly sure.
Circle Flies
June 11, 2008 - 16:48 ET by kilrodAs obamas motorcade sped down Pennsylvania Ave there stood a lone Texan holdin up a "BOO obama" sign. The limos screeched to a halt, out jumps obama, and he goes over and starts beratin the Texan for bein so mean. All the time he was talkin down to the Texan he was swattin at flies that were circlin around his(obamas) face. The Texan asked, "Those circle flies botherin you?? obama says "Yes, if thats what they're called, i never heard them called circle flies." The Texan replies, "Yep, them are circle flies, you usually find them on a horse ranch, circlin round the rear-ends of the horses." obama says, "Are you calling me a horses rear." The Texan says, "Naw, i got too much respect for a man like you, who is the Presidential nominee of the Democrats." obama says, "Well ok, but you ought to put that sign down because when i get elected President of the United States of America, i am going to change the world." and starts to stalk away. As obama stalks away the Texan says, "Them circle flies tho, they shore hard to Fool."
(GRINS) kilrod
Remember, only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier
BOR was amazed my rear...he
June 11, 2008 - 16:58 ET by bigtimerBOR was amazed my rear...he has been kissing Obama's butt now for a long time...he wants him for a full hour hard hitting interview...
Pwetty pwease Obama...pwetty pweaze give him that interview so I can quit hearing the man grovel and beg in the obvious way he has been...it is embarrassing.
Novak is right when it comes to the msm...we all know it.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
"Endless war" not reported.
June 11, 2008 - 17:43 ET by Biff McCainThe whole problem for McCain as I see it, he's following an unpopular president; he's promising four more years of the same.
I think McCain is getting a pass, too. About three weeks ago I was
watching his live speech, he was interrupted three times with kids
chanting "Endless war." I didn't see the heckling reported anywhere.
Biff...The whole problem
June 11, 2008 - 18:07 ET by bigtimerBiff...
The whole problem for McCain as I see it is he is just another democrat....always has been for the most part.
Oh and by the way...he, not President Bush and the military, is responsible single-handily for the surge and the progress we have made...or didn't you know that?
Just ask him...I for one am sick and tired of hearing him beat himself on his chest...just scroll on down some see what I mean...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson