Networks Ignore Ultra-Low Support For ObamaCare; CBS Hypes 'Surging' W

Friday's CBS Evening News picked up where the Big Three morning shows left off earlier in the day and trumpeted how "visitors have been surging to [HealthCare.gov] – about one-and-half million a day." Scott Pelley did give a bit of slightly bad news during his 16-second news brief, noting that "today, the ObamaCare website was taken down for about 20 minutes, to fix a problem that affected log-…

'Nightline' Turns to Democrats to Slam Christie as a 'Bully

To accompany ABC's tough interview of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Friday's Nightline quoted New Jersey Democrats slamming him as a vengeful "bully." World News anchor Diane Sawyer noted that "critics remember the lure of Christie's brash personal style" before airing clips of Democrats pounding him. Sawyer pressed Christie repeatedly over New Jersey's bridge closure scandal, but she…

Networks Hail Bush 41 Getting 'Profile in Courage' Award for Hiking Ta

All three network evening newscasts on Thursday found time to cheer the JFK Library Foundation announcing former President George H. W. Bush would the 2014 recipient of its annual Profile in Courage award. So what specific accomplishment did the organization cite from the Republican's decades of public service? His decision to hike taxes in 1990 that cost him re-election and paved the way for…

Even Maddow Can't Ignore Slew of Democrat Scandals, But She Can Bury t

Remember last month when MSNBC's Rachel Maddow could not bring herself to even whisper that corrupt convicted mayors in Trenton and New Orleans were (place finger to lips) Democrats ...? Last night, the pendulum swung all the way to the other side. There are so many Dems answering awkward questions from police and FBI agents that Maddow threw ideological caution to the wind and repeatedly…

NBC's Lauer Jokes Nancy Pelosi Needs 'Food Taster' for Birthday Gift F

On Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer couldn't resist mocking a nice gesture from House Speaker John Boehner to Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. News reader Tamron Hall explained: "...the House Speaker knows that his Democratic counterpart Nancy Pelosi just loves chocolate. So, for her 74th birthday on Wednesday he gave her something sweet, pints of chocolate gelato." […

They Don't Care: 50 States of Obamacare Victims

This post builds on Geoffrey Dickens' post late this morning ("American Horror Story: Tales of ObamaCare Victims Untold by the Big Three Networks") about the virtual lack of any kind of coverage of the real people affected by Obamacare. Perhaps some readers believe that little coverage is occurring because there are few if any local situations worthy enough to rise to the level of national…

NBC and CBS Hope Pontiff's Popularity Rubs Off On Obama

During coverage of President's Obama meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday, both NBC's Today and CBS This Morning hoped the papal visit would boost the commander-in-chief's sinking poll numbers. Today co-host Matt Lauer wondered: "The Pope, enormously popular....Is there something in just rubbing elbows with the Pope for President Obama?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump…

Networks Hype Obama's 'Special Bond' With the Pope, Downplay Disagreem

Thursday's network morning shows tripped over themselves in their rush to fawn over President Obama meeting Pope Francis for the first time at the Vatican. At the top of ABC's Good Morning America, co-host Robin Roberts touted how the President "feels a special bond with the Pontiff." On NBC's Today, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd spoke of an "ideological comfort level" between the…

Jon Stewart: 'Why Should Hobby Lobby Get to Deny Its Workers Access to

Given how many young people say they get all or most of their news from Jon Stewart and “The Daily Show,” it’s too bad Stewart’s not more scrupulous about the truth of his comedy. Case in point: A six-minute segment Wednesday night in which Stewart mocked the family-owned Christian business Hobby Lobby, calling it “Jesus Christ Superstore.” In the segment, Stewart misrepresented the case,…

ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS All Skip Political ID for 'Shocking' Corruption B

ABC, CNN, MSNBC and PBS on Wednesday and Thursday all covered the "shocking" corruption involving the Democratic mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Yet, while talking about the tens of thousands of dollars in bribes he sought, none of these networks identified Patrick Cannon's political party. Only a Fox News host referred to him as a Democrat.  On ABC's Good Morning America, Amy Robach…

Drudge 'Liberty Tax' Update: A CPA Firm Employee Weighs In

One of the odd things about the weekend pot-stirring by Matt Drudge over his stated inclusion of one-quarter of his estimated 2014 "Obamacare penalty" tax for not carrying health insurance coverage this year — calling it a "liberty tax" — is that few if any of those who criticized him seem to have bothered to consult with a tax practitioner for an expert take on the matter before what we now…

MSNBC Panel Frets That Dems Aren’t Shouting Pro-ObamaCare Message Lo

Liberals have a problem, according to MSNBC host Al Sharpton and two of his left-leaning friends. They’re not blaring their pro-ObamaCare message loudly enough. [Video below. MP3 audio here.] On Tuesday’s PoliticsNation, MSNBC contributor Jimmy Williams, worried that his side might be losing the PR war over ObamaCare, unleashed a rant against Republicans. He started by defining the difference…

Imagine That: LA Times Political Editor Worries That Dems in Handcuffs

Pass the smelling salts. Wednesday afternoon Pacific Time (early evening Eastern Time), someone at the Los Angeles Times actually noticed something quite a bit less than perfect about the Democratic Party and its politicians. Okay, it's an analysis piece at the Politics Now blog by Political Editor Cathleen Decker. But most LA Times "analyses" are insufferably far to the left and consist of…

Politico: Obama Wants 'Halo Effect' From Pope Francis, 'Whose Cool Fac

Someone needs to tell the Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown that it isn't 2008 any more. While they're at it, that person also needs to inform her that the Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, could give a rip about whether or not he is perceived as "cool," and certainly isn't Obama's "replacement." Budoff Brown wrote tonight that President Barack Obama's meeting tomorrow with…