During CBS News’ midterm coverage on Tuesday night, Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer repeatedly dismissed the significance of the GOP’s electoral victory and peddled liberal talking points to explain away the midterm results.
Speaking to CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, Schieffer began the network’s election coverage by declaring that “the mood is nasty” in America and “the mood is exactly what we've been talking about all week. It's now being reflected in the exit polls. People don't like the way things are going.”
The CBS host continued to minimize the GOP’s midterm victory by insisting that the election was actually an indictment on both political parties:
They are despairing about the government. They don't like Republicans and they don't like Democrats. This is not just a referendum on Obama. It's a referendum on the whole political system.
As the midterm coverage continued, Schieffer dragged up a tired liberal talking point that money is poisoning American democracy. The CBS host expressed similar sentiments on Sunday’s Face the Nation but went even further on election night:
They already spent $50 million on that, and they think they'll spend another $50 million just on the runoff. They're talking about $100 million race in, governor's race in Florida. This thing is just the floodgates are open. There are no longer any more campaign laws.
The Face the Nation moderator then bizarrely complained that all of the “financial maneuvering” surrounding campaign finance laws would have landed someone in jail 40 years ago:
You know what's kind of interesting about our whole campaign law system? I think there were something like 41 members of the Nixon administration who were indicted for one kind of financial maneuvering or another. All of the things that those people went to jail for are now legal.
Scott Pelley scolded both political parties over money in politics and declared “a pox on all of their houses, the Democrats and Republicans.” Schieffer concluded by predictably peddling the line that Americans hate both political parties: "That's what people are saying tonight, Scott. They're mad at all of them. They're not satisfied with anything."
See relevant transcripts below.
CBS News: Election Coverage
November 4, 2014
SCOTT PELLEY: Bob Schieffer the mood of the country tonight seems to be the deciding factor in a lot of these races.
BOB SCHIEFFER: The mood is nasty. The mood is exactly what we've been talking about all week. It's now being reflected in the exit polls. People don't like the way things are going. They are despairing about the government. They don't like Republicans and they don't like Democrats. This is not just a referendum on Obama. It's a referendum on the whole political system.
--
BOB SCHIEFFER: You know, it looks like that Mary Landrieu is headed for a runoff down in Louisiana. They already spent $50 million on that, and they think they'll spend another $50 million just on the runoff. They're talking about $100 million race in, governor's race in Florida. This thing is just the floodgates are open.
There are no longer any more campaign laws. You know what's kind of interesting about our whole campaign law system? I think there were something like 41 members of the Nixon administration who were indicted for one kind of financial maneuvering or another. All of the things that those people went to jail for are now legal.
CHARLIE ROSE: And the point is, they're spending all this money and it's all about negative campaigning. It is not a great debate and discussion about where to take this country forward.
SCOTT PELLEY: All you can tell from the campaign ads is that everyone running for Congress is an evil, terrible person who hates women and children, apparently.
ROSE: That's sort of to sum it up.
PELLEY: A pox on all of their houses, the Democrats and Republicans—
SCHIEFFER: Well, that's what people are saying tonight, Scott. They're mad at all of them. They're not satisfied with anything.
