ABC Narrows the Field(Did ABC cut coverage of Kucinich/Sharpton/Braun Because they attacked Koppel?)

Fairness and Accuracy in Media ^ | December 11, 2003

[gg188]

This is racist.

To continue this line of thought using Koppel/ABC/party-line-liberal thinking:

1. Braun and Sharpton have been in this longer than other candidates. Especially longer than Clark. Therefore, based upon their tenure in the race, their coverage should not be reduced. As with, for example, union employees, actual production or qualifications don't matter as much as time-on-the-job, especially if you are a minority.

2. Braun is a black female, Sharpton a senior-citizen black male. This is a twofer for each of them. They deserve affirmative action for Democratic presidential nomination contenders.

3. Any quota involved in any hiring at ABC or any other major U.S. corporation would NOT omit Braun and Sharpton from a pool of potential HIREES...therefore, how can it omit them from the pool of Dem candidates?

4. The polls or the number of voters in Dem primaries, and the number of delegates in caucauses, are inherently skewed by 100 of years of racism. Therefore, votes for the minority candidates should be DOUBLE-COUNTED, two for one....This was actually a theory espoused by a Clinton cabinet nominee some years ago (she wasn't confirmed.)

[xzins]

These are excellent additions to the list of ABCs racist, reactionary reasons for cutting Sharpton & Braun.

This should form a letter to the network and to the african-american community.

[ConservativeMan55]

Split the votes into what?

I believe the Primary will narrow it down to one my good friend.

[GeronL]

If I ran ABC I would have stopped covering them day to day a LONG time ago.

Sharpton and Braun might actually get 0% in Iowa for goodness sakes, they are FRINGE candidates!!

Will they put a daily reporter on Ashby?? One of the frinbge candidates running against Bush??

[GeronL]

They don't register on any poles

Darn those Polish voters!!

[Pikachu_Dad]

Quick, check with the Swiss - they may watch.

perhaps French photos? - say cheese.

[cinFLA]

"How did Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton and Carol Moseley Braun get into this thing?"

I don't know but it seems the Socialist party is supporting all three ...

[GeronL]

If ABC artifically narrows the field,

Artificially??? These are fringe candidates, they deserve to be covered as much as the Libertarian and Green Party guys.

[mrustow]

Koppel's dismissive attitude towards those three candidates carried over into the debate itself, as evidenced by this question:

"This is question to Ambassador Braun, Rev. Sharpton, Congressman Kucinich. You don't have any money, at least not much. Rev. Sharpton has almost none. You don't have very much, Ambassador Braun. The question is, will there come a point when polls, money and then ultimately the actual votes that will take place here, in places like New Hampshire, the caucuses in Iowa, will there come a point when we can expect one or more of the three of you to drop out? Or are you in this as sort of a vanity candidacy?"

I saw the debate, and am no fan of Koppell's, but that was an entirely valid question. The writer is just mad that Koppell stated the obvious, and seems to support Kucinich. Sharpton also eloquently attacked Koppell for asking the question, but the writer didn't see fit to mention that. One could question why ANY meaningless debates are presented of candidates that don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of winning.

BTW, in spite of a squeaky speaking voice and an unprepossessing appearance (short and pasty-faced), Kucinich gave arguably the strongest presentation. He had real positions -- far left, but positions, nonetheless, and he ably defended them. Though clearly a lightweight, Moseley-Braun was surprisingly good on the history of congressional declarations of war, and as someone else mentioned, Sharpton had some zingers. (Noite that Koppell tossed her a softball question on the topic.) Gephardt was so-so (he had one strong moment, when he spoke of working-class people not being able to send their kids to college, though he seems never to have heard of federally guaranteed student loans, which I availed myself of in grad school), Clark came off as a megalomaniac, constantly repeating that he was the only one with any experience making peace, and Kerry was arguably the worst of all. All he did was smirk at the other candidates' statements. I felt bad for Lieberman, who looked feistier than he has in a long time.

I suspect the writer is trying to imply racism on Koppell's behalf. That would be pathetic nonsense, seeing as Koppell has bent over backwards for years, in sucking up to black racists, including harassing white guests on his show. Then again, it may be a case of poetic justice for a racial demagogue like Koppell to get tarred with his own, broad brush.

Re Al Gore. As if he hadn't already assured himself of a place in infamy in any real history of American politics, as the man who sought to steal an election, with his betrayal of Lieberman, he has now managed, without even running again, to underscore his lack of character.

[mrustow]

Brokaw and Jennings may well be "conservative lapdogs," gauged by FAIR's operative ideology. I think you just told us a whole heck of a lot about FAIR.

[GOPJ]

Why? Because if some crazy, nobody Republican or Freedom Party person or whatever runs against Bush, the same ABC will have endless time for the guy. They'll give him equal time or better. We need to remember...

I'm sorry but WHY do we care?

[evad]

Because covering all 9 dims means each one has less of a chance of getting any traction on their campiagn

There's a certain logic there..
My own answer to my own question would have been that they provide so much material for future GOP ads. I mean these clowns running around loose ripping each other apart is a good thing.

[OldFriend]

The decision to cull the herd was no doubt made as a gift to the other dwarves. Heard Tom Brokaw say tht he has been discussing the candidates with billclinton. My guess is that they conspire on tactics.