Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

CNN's Tale of Two Screen Graphics: Beefcake Barack vs. Winky Palin
Newsbusters ^ | December 24, 2008 | Tim Graham

Posted on 12/24/2008 7:13:23 AM PST by curth

On Tuesday’s American Morning, CNN showed a contrast (especially on screen) during the 7 am hour between their enthusiasm for Barack Obama’s shirtless photos and Sarah Palin’s discussion of her campaign weeks in review. For Obama, it was "Paparazzi Chase Obama." For Palin, it was "Palin's Campaign Misstep."

CNN anchor Carol Costello clearly liked the Obama photo: "In the fishbowl that is the White House, Barack Obama can expect to lose a lot of his privacy. But this? Take a look. Seriously. A photographer catching the future commander in chief shirtless on the beach in Hawaii and clearly keeping up his cardio."

Costello interviewed two liberal leaners – Patricia Murphy of Citizenjanepolitics.com and John Avlon of the Daily Beast website. She professed she didn’t want the paparazzi to succeed: "Well, I would expect, Patricia, that this paparazzi, this agency, is making lots of money. They took 37 photos. And, you know, the kids are in their baiting suits. Michelle Obama is in her baiting suit. I don't know. I don't even want to even that of the president and the first lady and their kids."

Avlon declared "I think we are looking at the first pop culture presidency. He's one of the figure of pop figure, a fascination unlike any political figure since Bobby Kennedy and maybe John F. Kennedy. So there is going to be a lot more attention and he's going to resonate far outside the traditional political spectrum for good and for bad and this is on the downside of that spectrum."

That led to this concluding exchange:

COSTELLO: Yes. Like I said, I just don't -- yes, I just don't want to see the president in his bathing suit. I just don't. Maybe it's old-fashioned.

AVLON: Take a stand, Carol. There you go.

COSTELLO: OK. I did. I took a stand. Stop it.

Like the Big Three broadcast networks, CNN was less fixated on the bubbling Blagojevich scandal and more fixated on Obama's abs.

A few minutes earlier, anchor John Roberts and reporter Alina Cho discussed Palin’s interview with Human Events about the campaign, but stayed fixated on mistakes. "Palin’s Campaign Misstep" stayed on screen throughout the piece. At the beginning, first Roberts and then both Roberts and Cho chatted in front of a large photo of Palin’s debate wink, a gesture which clearly annoyed media liberals as too cutesy:

CHO: Of course, we are talking about the Alaska governor and one time VP candidate for the GOP, Sarah Palin, is speaking out again. This time to "Human Events," which named her "Conservative of the Year."

Now during the chat, Palin said of her involvement in the McCain campaign, "My biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen."

....But, John, of course, some might argue that when she did speak to the media, a la Katie Couric things didn't go so well for her. And then she said she wanted to call more shots during the campaign. Some might say she didn't make such wise decisions during the campaign, some might argue that she did.

Roberts suggested Palin improved her interview skills after that. Cho's story wasn't quotably nasty, but the contrast is still noticeable.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: bias; firstfemalepresident; palin; sarah

1 posted on 12/24/2008 7:13:25 AM PST by curth
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: curth

Beefcake? Obama? LOL!

Real, red-blooded American women know ‘beefcake’ when they see it.

I miss Todd Palin... ;)


2 posted on 12/24/2008 7:17:49 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin ('Taking the moderate path of appeasement leads to abysmal defeat.' - Rush on 11/05/08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: curth

She likes Obama beefcake photo better than Palin’s spread, so where are the gay activists protests?


3 posted on 12/24/2008 7:21:38 AM PST by seastay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: curth
A few minutes earlier, anchor John Roberts and reporter Alina Cho discussed Palin’s interview

I can't put into words how disappointed I am that our Chief Justice is augmenting his salary with this unseemly anchoring of a MSM morning show.

Yeah, it was a joke.

Owl_Eagle

“When the stock market crashed,
Franklin Roosevelt got on the television
and didn’t just talk about
the princes of greed, he said,
‘Look, here’s what happened.’"
-Slow Joe Biden

4 posted on 12/24/2008 7:23:53 AM PST by End Times Sentinel (In Memory of my Dear Friend Henry Lee II)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

Amen, sister!


5 posted on 12/24/2008 7:50:16 AM PST by MWestMom (Tread carefully, truth lies here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin; MWestMom
Here ya go... (I miss our Toddy, too.)

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

6 posted on 12/24/2008 7:58:53 AM PST by ozark hilljilly (Obama lies, the Constitution dies)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly
The bro needs a BRO...

Not a very impressive image of the self-proclaimed "gym rat".

7 posted on 12/24/2008 8:04:09 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter ( Sarah Palin is America's Margaret Thatcher; Obama is America's George Galloway.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly

Thank you ma’am! An early Christmas present from a sister in Wisconsin! Bless you!


8 posted on 12/24/2008 8:40:31 AM PST by MWestMom (Tread carefully, truth lies here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly

*SIGH* (Thanks.)


9 posted on 12/24/2008 8:44:32 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin ('Taking the moderate path of appeasement leads to abysmal defeat.' - Rush on 11/05/08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: gov_bean_ counter

Too much ganja can cause man boobies, so I’m told.
; )


10 posted on 12/24/2008 10:36:30 AM PST by ozark hilljilly (Obama lies, the Constitution dies)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: curth
Most of the obamedia is homosexual so they are titillated by the pic.

Merry Christmas

11 posted on 12/24/2008 10:44:58 AM PST by bray (Gov Palin isn't corrupt enough for DC)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly
AKA...

गांजा

12 posted on 12/24/2008 11:00:29 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter ( Sarah Palin is America's Margaret Thatcher; Obama is America's George Galloway.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: bray

Makes ya wonder more and more about that gay guy claiming to “be with” Obama, doing drugs, etc. Perhaps they got that photo out there so when the guy uses a physical description (NO hair, little man boobies, etc. ala “the bent one”) Obama could just say “He saw that photo!” /wink - sort of!

And - Thanks to whoever for NOT posting that photo of Obama.


13 posted on 12/24/2008 11:07:08 AM PST by 21twelve
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly

I hate to say this, well not really, but I think the guy is a hunk too. He’s a guy’s kind of guy........A guy you’d like to have on your softball team, or go fishing or hunting with or sit in a bar and have a couple beers while watching the Packers whip Detroit next sunday during a blinding snow storm in Green Bay.


14 posted on 12/24/2008 11:07:40 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (Today is just a little more special than yesterday.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Hot Tabasco

LOL, that’s why us gals dig him, too! (well, some of us, anyway.) Yep...a REAL man! A protector and provider.
; )


15 posted on 12/24/2008 11:49:28 AM PST by ozark hilljilly (Obama lies, the Constitution dies)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: ozark hilljilly
LOL, that’s why us gals dig him, too!

And no, I'm not gay.........(seinfeld voice: Not that thats a bad thing)

16 posted on 12/24/2008 1:26:47 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Today is just a little more special than yesterday.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson