While viewers were told that the interview with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez “pulled no punches,” you sure could have fooled anyone watching. ABC’s March 16 “Good Morning America” treated Chavez as a man who “does like this country.”
She actually meant the United States.
Flashback to the same network in 2005. Reporter Dan Harris of ABC’s “World News Tonight” was more up front about Chavez in a Nov. 6, 2005, report: “Venezuelan leftist leader Hugo Chavez, who led an anti-American rally while talks for free trade were taking place.”
“Anti-American rally,” but he loves America. And that was followed by months of saber rattling that upped the world price of oil.
Even in the Walters piece, Chavez continued the theme. “It is the government and the elite of the U.S. which is overwhelming all the countries in the world,” he said, notably not just blaming Bush as Walters had claimed.
This isn’t new for the networks to give Chavez the kid-glove treatment. In a Business & Media Institute report released in 2006, BMI revealed that the networks even called him “leftist” or “left-leaning” and were reluctant to admit he was more than just an elected president.
Between interviewer Barbara Walters and GMA host Robin Roberts, they called Chavez a wide range of complimentary terms: “passionate,” “dignified,” “intelligent” and said he loves coffee. That’s the conclusion of a preview of an exclusive interview with a man who has threatened to shut off oil to the U.S. and who even human rights groups criticize for his abuse of power.
And pity the poor ABC producer who actually wasted 25 seconds of air time on a discussion of Chavez’s love of coffee. “Yeah, I will drink it. I drink a lot of coffee. Beyond any advisable or any medical recommendation.”
Chavez was drinking the coffee. Was Walters drinking the Kool-Aid?
—Dan Gainor is director of the Business and Media Institute.
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Man of the decade;Ahmadinejad
March 16, 2007 - 12:57 ET by JDWMan of the decade;
Ahmadinejad
Saddam
Clinton
Chavez
gore
bin-Laden
write-in
JDW
Wounded skier, beware of mistakes.
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
Good list, JDW. Asking the me
March 16, 2007 - 13:07 ET by HumanEventsGood list, JDW. Asking the media to select one of those for man of the year would be like asking a child in a candy store to select just one item to eat. The child would be like, "Oooh they all look so good! It's hard to pick just one!"
These gushing adjectives for American hating foreign leaders, dictators, and terrorists is getting so predictable and redundant. It's like when gas prices started to rise recently, you knew the MSM would be back to their same old "Pain at the pump" stories. You could simply replay videos of their "Pain at the pump" stories from previous years and find the exact same thing.
Barbara Wawa has no shame
March 16, 2007 - 15:17 ET by RJI don't watch the morning programs, but I was looking for info on our local snowstorm and happened to catch this disgraceful piece of fawning garbage by Barbara Wawa.
She oozed on and on about how Chavez' main focus was the "poor", and then they cut to a video of Chavez comforting the bed-ridden Castro. My vomit reflex nearly took over when they began whining in the studio about how he was often "vilified" by his detractors. Have you no shame, Barbra? No, nevermind. You've answered that many times....
Baba Wawa and The Spew have
March 16, 2007 - 15:57 ET by Tim the EnchanterBaba Wawa and The Spew have completely redefined "shameless".
I forgot Castro, definitely n
March 16, 2007 - 17:02 ET by JDWI forgot Castro, definitely not a write-in.
JDW
Wounded skier, beware of mistakes.
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
How did Kim Jong-Il not mak
March 16, 2007 - 17:12 ET by Tim the EnchanterHow did Kim Jong-Il not make the first cut?
I did consider him. The deter
March 16, 2007 - 17:16 ET by JDWI did consider him. The determining factor was lack of veteran status.
JDW
Wounded skier, beware of mistakes.
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
Venezuela and collectivization
March 16, 2007 - 13:31 ET by Carl KolchakI wonder if anyone who interviewed him asked him about collectivization.
Here is a good history of collectivization and you can see how non successful it has been and the types of places it has been tried.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-125592/collectivization
or in reference to what is going in Venezuela, here is a quote to the below link.
"deed ownership are being badly affected by collectivization, which is destroying the weak property rights these urban poor once had."
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2006/02/even_the_poor_are_losing_in_ve.html
"I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane" Waylon Jennings
Barb & her buddy Hugo
March 16, 2007 - 13:54 ET by Dave R“Yeah, I will drink it. I drink a lot of coffee. Beyond any advisable or any medical recommendation.”
Good! Maybe his heart will explode and thus do the world a huge favor. (How's that for insensitive?)
As for Barbara Walters, between this puff job on a tyrant wanna-be and her continued refusal to rid ABC of that mad cow Rosie O, you really have to wonder whether or not the ravages of time have begun to have a negative impact on her mental faculties.
This Republic will not survive the continued neglect of its people.- Neal Boortz.
What is wrong with these peop
March 16, 2007 - 14:06 ET byWhat is wrong with these people? This man vowed to bring down the American government! I have had this article on my site since October: http://www.debrajmsmith.com/citgo.html
How is that I know this, but Babara Walters doesn't? Could she really be this stupid? Or is she really no better than Cindy Sheehan, who you will see on that page all snuggly with Chavez.
Have they all gone mad? I just don't get it. I'm going back to bed.
Alliance for justice.JDWWound
March 16, 2007 - 14:31 ET by JDWAlliance for justice.
JDW
Wounded skier, beware of mistakes.
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
Venezuela's economy and Liberal Math... ACA
March 17, 2007 - 09:18 ET by acaiguanaVenezuela's economy and Liberal Math... ACA
"Venezuela President Hugo Chavez's plan to curb inflation by lopping three zeros from the currency may backfire because the move fails to address production bottlenecks that are pushing prices higher, economists said.
The government will cut three zeros from the bolivar's exchange rate by February 2008, Chavez said last night in a televised speech, citing rising consumer prices. He also will cut the value-added tax rate and clamp down on ``speculators'' to halt last month's 4 percent increase in the cost of food."
and this...
``He has a funny understanding of the problem,'' Alberto Bernal, a Latin America economist with Bear Stearns & Co., said in an interview. ``Cutting a number of zeros from the bolivar is irrelevant in the end.''
Without getting into a million article references Venezuela has about 50% (slightly less) of its total workforce in the 'informal' economy. For those who need that defined, these are street vendors; hustlers; small shops selling outside the mainstream and smugglers.
In the United States, the 'informal' economy is primarily swap meets and drugs.
The inflation rates and the lack of private investment capital and capital flight happening in Venezuela have all been seen before, in Mexico in the late 1970's and early 1980's. This led to the US bailing out Mexico with about $100 billion of cash infusions.
Will we bail out Chavez? Is that what this junk interview is all about?
Whenever I see this stuff broadcast after the idiot stands up and calls my President the 'devil' and smells sulphur at the podium, I think, hoo boy, here we go again.
The poor people of Venezuela think they have found a savior in Chavez when they have found slavery.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
Way out of context
March 21, 2007 - 14:47 ET by ChumlyCome on people, you are taking Barbara Walters' comments way out of context. Listen to the interview before commenting. Please.
Want to elaborate on that, genius?
March 21, 2007 - 14:54 ET by RJWhaaat? Want to elaborate on that, genius?