During early Thursday morning's coverage of the Democratic National Convention, CNN’s Piers Morgan interviewed Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), liberal activist Sandra Fluke, and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. It turned out to be a massive pandering to Fluke and nice vehicle for Rep. Israel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), to disseminate falsehoods that Morgan allowed to skirt by.
Cecile Richards charged Republicans with trying to bring the nation back to the 1950s. However, the most egregious pandering occurred when Morgan asked Fluke if she thought Rush Limbaugh was “spitting blood with indignation” at home watching her “eloquent” speech. He also allowed her to throw in a hyperbolic scare concerning the rights of women if Republicans are able to form a unified government in November. Lastly, she claimed that Republicans don’t seem to feel that she is “a priority to them.”
Towards the end of the interview, Rep, Israel complemented the Democrats-are-pro-women’s rights narrative by trying to tie that theme of the Democratic convention into the Obama economy. In doing so, Rep. Israel articulated a grossly inaccurate statement saying, “The Republican majority and House of Representatives has had two years to focus on opening up new businesses. Instead, they chose to spend two years focused on closing down Planned Parenthood.” Morgan didn’t press him on the numerous bills that the House Republican majority has passed in the past two years that have been bottled up in the Democratic Senate.
So, from seeking to maintain a skeptical distance from the claims of the Democratic partisans, the British-born liberal CNN journalist did he level best to promote their talking points on his September 6 broadcast.
What follows is the relevant transcript:
PIERS MORGAN: Sandra, I watched your speech with great admiration, I tweeted to that effect. I wonder what Rush Limbaugh was thinking – watching – probably spitting blood with indignation, I would imagine how eloquent you were –
SANDRA FLUKE: I could care less what Rush Limbaugh was thinking.
MORGAN: I bet you couldn't. Do you have a message for him tonight?
FLUKE: No.
MORGAN: Nothing?
FLUKE: Nope
MORGAN: Just a stony silence?
FLUKE: That's right.
MORGAN: After all you've been through, standing there tonight, in the warm up for Bill Clinton, one of the great moments, how did you feel looking out at everyone?
FLUKE: You know I just felt a lot of gratitude because it was such a – you know a passionate room and they were so supportive, I really appreciated that, and it was just so fabulous to see how fired up they are about the choice that we have this fall. Because when I was talking about the policies that are on the table and what could be at risk for women in this country, the crowd really responded, because they know what kind of choice we have, between President Obama and Mr. Romney's plans for the women of this country.
MORGAN: When you realized the GOP platform had absolutely no exceptions for abortion, not for rape, not for incest, not for the health of the mother, you must have felt – I don’t know how you felt? - How did you feel?
FLUKE: Like, I'm not a priority to them. You know – that's -- I think that's what it comes down to, that women aren't a priority.
REP. STEVE ISRAEL: There's a connection between these vitally important women's issues, women's rights and the economy. The Republican majority and House of Representatives has had two years to focus on opening up new businesses. Instead, they chose to spend two years focused on closing down Planned Parenthood.
