Congress is in recess, so the liberal media were bound to do their best to continue to promote disruptive, far-left attendees of Republican town halls. On Friday, CBS Evening News gave those activists a boost, touting them as the “Voice of America.”
Worse yet, the two-minute-and-14-second segment only allowed 15 seconds for one conservative calmly raising concerns with an elected Democrat.
Fill-in anchor Anthony Mason used the second opening tease for footage of moderate Republican Senator Jeff Flake (Ariz.) “get[ting] an earful from angry constituents.”
Later tossing to congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes, Mason hyped the protesters as the headline “Voice of America” appeared alongside him: “With Congress in recess for two weeks, members are back in their districts, some holding town meetings and getting an earful from constituents.”
“In Mesa, Arizona, Republican Jeff Flake weathered two-and-a-half-hours of fury over everything from the GOP’s attempts to kill ObamaCare to President Trump’s pricy trips to Mar-a-Lago,” Cordes reported, interspersed with sounds of the crowd berating Flake.
Cordes noted that he “was a top GOP critic” of President Trump during the campaign, but has “backed off” “since election day.”
“I hope behind that smile that you're doing some serious soul-searching,” stated one Flake town hall attendee.
The media excoriated Republican Congressman Joe Wilson (S.C.) when he shouted “you lie” at then-President Obama in 2009, but Cordes had no problem touting how Wilson “was pelted with the same phrase” by his hostile crowd.
Cordes added that “[o]ne of the biggest flashpoints has been a law signed by the President yesterday, allowing states to cut off funding for clinics that provide abortion” even though Trump only signed the law on Thursday.
It was only after a Planned Parenthood supporter was seen falsely claiming that Flake’s somehow denying her the right to use Planned Parenthood that Cordes came to conservative grievances:
CORDES: The issue has cropped up at Democratic town halls, too.
WOMAN AT MCCASKILL TOWN HALL: By supporting the largest abortion provider in this state, and in this nation, you are supporting an intrinsic evil.
CORDES: Like this one in Missouri for Senator Claire McCaskill.
The CBS correspondent concluded this installment in the media’s new double standard on town halls by admitting “[t]he intensity at these town halls has actually subsided somewhat since the last congressional recess back in February” due to the death of American Health Care Act (AHCA).
Here’s the relevant portions of the transcript from April 14's CBS Evening News:
CBS Evening News
April 14, 2017
6:30 p.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Angry Constituents]
ANTHONY MASON: Also tonight —
UNIDENTIFIED TOWN HALL PROTESTER #1: You sold my privacy up the river.
ANTHONY MASON: — a Republican senator gets an earful from angry constituents.
UNIDENTIFIED TOWN HALL PROTESTER #2: When are you going to choose your country over your party?
(....)
6:38 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Voice of America]
MASON: With Congress in recess for two weeks, members are back in their districts, some holding town meetings and getting an earful from constituents. Here's congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
PROTESTERS AT FLAKE TOWN HALL: Shame on you! Shame on you!
NANCY CORDES: In Mesa, Arizona, Republican Jeff Flake weathered two-and-a-half-hours of fury over everything from the GOP’s attempts to kill ObamaCare —
REPUBLICAN JEFF FLAKE (Ariz.): I think the free market system — [BOOING AND SCREAMING]
CORDES: – to President Trump’s pricy trips to Mar-a-Lago.
UNIDENTIFIED TOWN HALL PROTESTER #3: You control his spending. That's your job!
CORDES: Senator Flake was a top GOP critic of candidate Trump.
FLAKE: You can't expect to win Arizona when you make statements like that.
CORDES: But since election day, he's backed off.
UNIDENTIFIED TOWN HALL PROTESTER #4: I hope behind that smile that you're doing some serious soul-searching.
CORDES: In South Carolina, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson was pelted with the same phrase —
PROTESTERS AT WILSON TOWN HALL: You lie! You lie!
CORDES: — he notoriously shouted at President Obama in 2009.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JOE WILSON (S.C.): You lie!
CORDES: While in Oklahoma, Republican Markwayne Mullin claimed that angry voters don't pay his salary.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN MARKWAYNE MULLIN (Okla.): One, you said you do for me to do this. Bull crap, I pay for it myself. I paid enough taxes before I ever got there and continue to for my own company to my own salary. This is a service. No one here pays me to go.
CORDES: One of the biggest flashpoints has been a law signed by the President yesterday, allowing states to cut off funding for clinics that provide abortion.
UNIDENTIFIED TOWN HALL PROTESTER #5: Why it's your right to take away my right to choose Planned Parenthood. [CROWD CHEERS]
CORDES: The issue has cropped up at Democratic town halls, too.
WOMAN AT MCCASKILL TOWN HALL: By supporting the largest abortion provider in this state, and in this nation, you are supporting an intrinsic evil.
CORDES: Like this one in Missouri for Senator Claire McCaskill. The intensity at these town halls has actually subsided somewhat since the last congressional recess back in February. Then, Democratic voters feared that the GOP was about to replace ObamaCare, but so far, Anthony, the party has not been able to round up the votes for its plan.
MASON: Nancy Cordes. Thank you, Nancy.
