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Bush "Divisive," But Dean a Uniter Who "Brings People Together" (Media Bias Alert!)
Media Research Center via e-Mail
| December 29, 2003
| Brent Baker
Posted on 12/29/2003 7:06:08 AM PST by PJ-Comix
George W. Bush campaigned in 2000 as a "uniter, not a divider." But in what may be a preview of the prism through which the networks will see the 2004 presidential campaign, ABC's Terry Moran on Sunday described Bush as a divider, labeling him a "divisive President" and a "divisive figure." CBS's Bob Schieffer similarly portrayed Bush as a divider, calling him "a polarizing politician," who though as Governor did bring people together, now "seems to have become someone that you either love or you hate." But Schieffer hailed Democratic candidate Howard Dean as a uniter.
Hosting Face the Nation, Schieffer trumpeted how Dean "is a hit at this point" because "he seems to be the first Democrat who's found a way to bring new people into the process here. He's found a new kind of participatory politics....Dean has gone into the Internet and begun to bring people together."
Moran filled in on Sunday for George Stephanopoulos as host of ABC's This Week. As if it's solely President Bush's fault that some people don't like his policies, in formulating questions, during a segment with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Leon Panetta, Clinton's former Chief-of-Staff, Moran twice tagged Bush as "divisive.'
Moran observed: "For many Americans, this is a divisive President. Is he vulnerable in the manner in which he seems to polarize people's opinions?" (Panetta chimed in: "I think that is the case.")
Moran soon repeated his theme: "This President on the world stage. When he was elected, I think few would have expected him to be, within three years, the dominant figure in the world, a leader that everyone else has to reckon with essentially. And there as well, it's hard to argue with the notion that he is a divisive figure."
Over on the December 28 Face the Nation on CBS, regular host Bob Schieffer, during a roundtable with Time magazine's Karen Tumulty, Washington Post reporter Dan Balz and New York Times columnist David Brooks, admired how Dean is bringing people together, citing a left-wing New York Times columnist as the source of his insight:
"I tell you, this is not, what I'm going to say is not an essay on why I like Howard Dean, but it's, I would say this is why I think that Howard Dean is a hit at this point, and that is he seems to be the first Democrat who's found a way to bring new people into the process here. He's found a new kind of participatory politics. In this television age, where we kind of took the campaigns out of the community and put them on television and made television kind of a passive event, Howard Dean has gone into the Internet and begun to bring people together.
"I think the story we have missed. I think Frank Rich of The New York Times may be the first person who caught on to this. It's not that he has raised money on the Internet that's been important to Howard Dean, but the fact is, he's brought these people together. They now feel like they're part of his campaign. They're talking to each other. They're driving places, to campaigns, where he's not even there. They feel like a part of it. It's almost like the old ward heeler politics back in Chicago, where people felt they were a part of something. And he's the first person in a while who's done that, and I think whether you like Howard Dean or hate Howard Dean, you have to admire him for doing that. And in the long run, I think that's very good for politics."
Minutes later, however, Schieffer expressed concern about how Bush is a polarizer: "Let me ask you, Karen, because I know your magazine did, kind of did an issue on this, and that is George Bush as a polarizing politician. George Bush ran -- and George Bush as Governor was the kind of politician who did seem to bring people together -- but yet he seems to have become someone that you either love or you hate."
Maybe that's at least partly attributable to how the news media portray his policies and hold him, not those who dislike him, responsible for how some dislike him.
TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; georgebush; howarddean; mediabias; mrc
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To: PJ-Comix
Okay, I know I'm going to be sorry for asking......but who or what is a petra verkaik!
61
posted on
12/29/2003 10:29:09 AM PST
by
OldFriend
(Always understand, even if you remain among the few)
To: John Robertson
I agree that we do not know what he is going to do on the question of illegals.... but, we do know what Reagan did and Bush can't be THAT bad. I'm sure many who call Bush a "RINO" and say they will never vote for him would never have called Reagan that. Since they are following similar paths, I have always found that interesting. That was my point. If Bush does what I think he will (guest worker program and the oppurtunity to apply for citizenship after a time along with the payment of a fine), would that make you not want to vote for him?
62
posted on
12/29/2003 10:30:59 AM PST
by
GmbyMan
To: OldFriend
Okay, I know I'm going to be sorry for asking......but who or what is a petra verkaik!
63
posted on
12/29/2003 10:31:56 AM PST
by
PJ-Comix
(Saddam Hussein was only 537 Florida votes away from still being in power)
To: PJ-Comix
Oh..um..er..wa..unh....
I'm sorry, what was I saying? Excuse me for a moment, I need to run a lap or ten.
64
posted on
12/29/2003 10:36:42 AM PST
by
Jonah Hex
(Free Republic - the Truth Shall Make You Fret)
To: DustyMoment
Politics is the art of the possible.
We are not going to get a real conservative into the White House. Too many folks who don't pay taxes or otherwise foot the bill for this country can vote and they are not going to vote for somebody who tries to cut them off from their ill-gotten gain.
The difference between Bush and Dean is pretty stark. Bad as Bush might be, Dean stands for more taxes, even more gub'mint regulation, more socialized medicine, etc. If he had his way, the only folks in this country who would be allowed to make a profit would be the Hollyweirdos.
65
posted on
12/29/2003 10:49:35 AM PST
by
Little Ray
(When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!)
To: GmbyMan
Under your scenario, it would not make me NOT want to vote for him. But, as we both said, we have to wait and see what the propsosed policy IS.
As for Reagan...greatest president of my lifetime...but he was a mortal, and many "remember" him in godlike terms, conveniently forgetting the particulars.
To: DustyMoment
If PravdABDNC says it it must be true. Here is a list of things that won't happen again when you vote against W.
A tax cut of any kind.
Signing of the Partial Birth Abortion Bill
The invasion of Aftrashcan.
The invasion of Iraq
The mentioning of Christ as the moral leader of this country
The open support of our military
The open support of Isreal
A majority in the Senate (for what it's worth)
The bullypulpit of the White House
Maybe he is not Conservative enough, but there are realities that have to be addressed. Until the Republicans have control of the Senate we cannot afford to trash our votes. Later we can vote for a Conservative Party, but now it is not a realistic option.
Pray for W and The Truth
67
posted on
12/29/2003 10:56:57 AM PST
by
bray
(The Wicked Witch of NY and Her 9 Flying Monkeys are Burning!)
To: bray
Post all the politics you want but your minds are already hypnotized by Reply #63.
68
posted on
12/29/2003 11:14:51 AM PST
by
PJ-Comix
(Saddam Hussein was only 537 Florida votes away from still being in power)
To: John Robertson
Lol, good post. I, for one, live in Florida and can guarantee that this voter will be voting Repub in '04, as I did in 2000. Dean is a big dork that can kiss my Repub ass, glad he is the frontrunner, all the better to wipe the pavement with. Hey, can I have one of those T shirts, lol?! (And Happy New year to you as well).
To: PJ-Comix
One of the beautiful things about 2004 is that the *media* is going to get spanked as hard as the losing Democrats.
Bush has 63% national popularity in SPITE of these biased clowns, and more and more blinders will be removed from that remaining 37% after they and their news media reports great "surprise" at Bush's landslide re-election victory in 2004.
70
posted on
12/29/2003 11:24:48 AM PST
by
Southack
(Media bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
To: cynicom
We appreciate your family's sacrifice.
71
posted on
12/29/2003 11:27:26 AM PST
by
wardaddy
("either the arabs are at your throat, or at your feet")
To: DustyMoment
"This is not going to be a popular thing to say on this thread, but consider the fact that Bush appears to be a RINO." Consider these facts that follow, and then ask if you are knowledgeable on what makes a Republican or not.
Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 35 months |
Banned Partial Birth Abortion Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy
Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty
Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court
Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.
Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules that would have shut down every home business in America.
Killed the U.S. - CCCP ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first ten ABM silos in Alaska so that America has a defense against North Korean nukes
Pushed through THREE raises for our military.
Increased Defense Dept funding which had deteriorated during the previous 8 years Stopped foreign aid that would be used to fund abortions.
Supported and upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals
Signed E.O. reversing Clinton's policy of not requiring parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act
Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit
Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun manufacturers
Ordered Attorney-General Ashcroft to formally notify the Supreme Court that the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, NOT a leftist-imagined *collective* right
Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun control (i.e. the International Ban on Small Arms Trafficking Treaty)
Disarmed Libya of its Chemical, Nuclear, and biological WMD's without bribes or bloodshed Successfully executed 2 wars: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom
Executed a WAR ON TERROR by getting world-wide cooperation to track funds/terrorists (has cut off much of the terrorist's funding and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network)
Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed
Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.
Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia
Initiated comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE was critical.
Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the Presidency
Reorganized bureaucracy...after 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency: the Department of Homeland Security.
Initiated discussion on privatizing Social Security and individual investment accounts.
Improving govt. efficiency with .8 million jobs put up for bid...weakening unions and cutting undeserved pay raises. Wants merit based promotions/raises only.
Orchestrated Republican control of the White House, the House AND the Senate.
Killed the liberal ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.
GWB signed an executive order enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision (re: union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes)
Turned around an inherited economy that was in recession.
Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.
Signed 2 income tax cuts ---- 1 of which was the largest Dollar value tax cut in world history Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains
In process of eliminating IRS marriage penalty.
Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people
Signed into law the No Child Left Behind legislation delivering the most dramatic education reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations)
Reorganized the INS in an attempt to safeguard the borders and ports of America and to eliminate bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.
Signed trade promotion authority
Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa
Passed Medicare Reform (authorized $39.5 Billion per year for preventive medicine such as drugs and doctor visits as well as included a ten year Privatization option)
Urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits
Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims
Submitted comprehensive Energy Plan--awaits Congressional action (works to develop cleaner technology, produce more natural gas here at home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, improve national grid, etc.)
Endorses and promotes The Responsibility Era ("In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take responsibility for the decisions they make in life. My hope is to change the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to one in which every single American understands that he or she are responsible for the decisions that you make; you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself. " -----this quote was too good to leave out)
Started the USA Freedom Corps
Initiated review of all federal agencies with a goal to eliminate federal jobs (completed September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of federal gov while increasing private sector jobs.
Part of coalition (Russia, Israel, EU, Palestine, USA) for Israeli/Palestinian "Roadmap to Peace"
Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become The League of Nations ( in other words, completely irrelevant)
Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.
Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary clean-up of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.
As part of the national forests clean-up, the President restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges) and removed the need for an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger.
Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
President Bush signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal Aliens S. 1685, the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003, was signed by President Bush on December 3, 2003. It extends for five years the workplace employment eligibility authorization pilot programs created in 1996. It expands the pilot programs from the original five states to all 50 states.
|
72
posted on
12/29/2003 11:31:09 AM PST
by
Southack
(Media bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
To: TedsGarage
I thought John McCain would have been the most unifying president to emerge from 2000. You've got to be kidding.
John McCain's primary campaign is probably best known for making inflamatory statements that insulted and alienated the religious right and others in the republican base.
McCain was a divider.
73
posted on
12/29/2003 3:39:33 PM PST
by
Jorge
To: PJ-Comix
There has rarely been a president more willing to accomodate the opposition than Bush yet this is STILL not good enough for the lamestream press who label him as "divisive" while the nutty AND divisive Dean is labeled a "uniter." What universe do these lamestream types exist on? Certainly not ours. Thank you! The lamestream press is a propaganda tool for the Dem left and are only imitating their idol, the liar Bill Clinton.
74
posted on
12/29/2003 3:45:17 PM PST
by
Jorge
To: All; PJ-Comix
75
posted on
12/30/2003 7:34:47 AM PST
by
Joy Angela
(Stop Hillary - Or Bust -)
To: Mean Maryjean
Good observation! Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton won't ever mention the words "President Bush" in her statements, either.
They know the power of the written and spoken word,
and also the power-of-suggestion, and are careful
to never give the words "President Bush" a chance
to float into an American's mind....
But yet, we must be subjected to "Sen. Hillary Clinton"
day-in-and-day-out.
People are suggestible and will respond to the
"celebrity" factor, whether or not the person is good or evil doesn't matter.
76
posted on
12/30/2003 7:39:31 AM PST
by
Joy Angela
(Stop Hillary - Or Bust -)
To: ohioWfan; rodeo-mamma; ALOHA RONNIE
<<The reason that Bush divides is that he has moral clarity. He distinguishes 'good' from 'evil'.........and the evil folks aren't too happy with that.....<<
Great Catch! Yes, in every lie or deception is a grain of truth. Truth is the Unifying Force, and these weasels use code-speak and twist reality to get their lies into the National Psyche.
But, you caught 'em in the act!
Bush is Divisive and separating the Good-from-the-Evil?
Thank God!
77
posted on
12/30/2003 7:43:10 AM PST
by
Joy Angela
(Stop Hillary - Or Bust -)
To: tkathy
<<I personally think W is trusted and liked throughout this country and around the world far more than the loud mouths think.<<
You're right. It's worth remembering!
Thanks!
78
posted on
12/30/2003 7:56:37 AM PST
by
Joy Angela
(Stop Hillary - Or Bust -)
To: Southack; bray; GmbyMan; John Robertson; Little Ray
Each of you have made some valid points. The biggest thing in Bush's favor is that he's not Clinton or Gore or Dean (yet). However, Bush has conscripted leftist ideas and pushed them through to ensure that he gets the credit for them, not the left.
Southack, you sent me a list in 100 point type that takes 3 hours and 200 computer pages to get to the end of that contains a lot of good points (I'm getting older, but I'm neither blind nor stupid). However, consider my list, if you will.
In Bush's first 35 months he also:
1) Created the TSA based on Tom Daschle's challenge that to "professionalize, you must federalize". So far, TSA's only accomplishment is to put a bloated federal agency in place of the private security screeners who did the same job with less than half of the TSA's headcount and less budget.
2) Created the Department of Homeland Security that merged 22 agencies, including all of their redundant functions without the loss of a single job and with an increase in the overall budget. To date, the biggest accomplishment of the DHS has been to develop a color coding system that most Americans don't understand and could care less about. In conjunction with creating DHS, he appointed Tom Ridge to lead it; the same Tom Ridge who is as soft on illegal immigration as Bush is.
3) Enacted steel tariffs that were so ill-advised they brought us to the brink of a devastating trade war that would have wrecked the economic recovery.
4) Selected Teddy Chappaquiddick to develop the Education Bill. This bill, which includes unfunded mandates, is not having any measurable positive effects in the public schools so far.
5) Pushed for and passed the largest, most expensive Agriculture spending bill in US history. You do understand that the Agriculture Dept is unable to account for millions of dollars that it spends each year. They aren't producing any food or agriculture products, the just have a HUGE budget that they can't account for every dollar they spend.
6) Has done nothing to reduce the size of government. Our government is now larger than it was under Clinton.
7) Has nominated several high profile conservative judges but has refused to fight to get a single one of them confirmed.
8) Has failed to hold the Dems' feet to the fire for blocking the Constitutionally defined function of the Senate to give advice and consent on judicial nominations. So far, Bush has refused to intervene to end the "filibusters".
9) Passed CFR knowing that it contained clear violations of the Constitution in violation of the oath of office he took.
10) Proposed drilling in ANWR but has yet to commission a single oil exploration company to go there and start drilling.
11) Proposed privatizing a tiny fraction of Social Security but has failed to actively fight to get it passed.
12) Favors legalizing millions of illegal aliens currently in the US and will likely push to do that with the immigration reform currently being developed by John McCain.
13) Fought for and pushed through the unfunded Medicare Prescription Drug Bill that has no government requirement in the Constitution and places the prescription drug needs of old farts on the backs of our kids. Medicare and Social Security alone, if Congress meets the requirements to pay them out, will bankrupt the US in the next 30 years as the nation's baby boomers reach retirement age and begin drawing on these services. This leaves two choices to meet the requirements of both of these entitlements: a) raise taxes dramtically to cover their costs or, b) cut the benefits.
14) Has yet to eliminate or outsource a single federal job, although he has given lip service toward doing that.
15) Has failed to take any action or to direct Tom Ridge to take any action to secure our borders.
Yes, those are all negative points and, no, that's not my sole focus about Bush. I agree that Southack's list contain some great things that I also like about Bush. And, yes, I understand that we will probably never get the perfect conservative in the WH. But we got one who supported the erosion of our rights under the Constitution and that is simply unthinkable.
To answer directly another question about illegal immigration, yes, I was dismayed that Reagan legalized the ones that were here at the time. I wasn't as upset at the time because I bought the story about cutting off future illegal immigration. Well, that didn't work. When Reagn legalized the illegals, they were estimated to be about 6 million at the time. Today, we are talking about double that number and STILL nothing in the works to stem the tide of illegals. Neither Bush nor Ridge are interested in securing our borders. With borders as porous as ours, how are we getting any homeland security? In another 20 years, will the president confer citizenship on 100 million illegals? If we give away the rights of citizenship to people whose first act as potential citizens was to break our laws, how does that strengthen our commit to be a nation of laws, not men? And, if ignoring the law is good for one segment of our country, does that suggest that ignoring the law will yield spectacular results if we all do it? Ethically and morally, our leaders can't say on the one hand it's ok for THESE people to break our laws, we're going to make them citizens for that and then, on the other hand, say it's not ok for the rest of you to break the law because, if you do, we're not going to make English our national language and, instead, we're going to make you learn the language of the illegals just to keep you from thinking about breaking the law.
My decision about Bush is not final; he could still win me back. The election is still a long time away and lots of things can happen. The wheels are coming off of Dean's campaign and Hillary could end up as the candidate. In that case, Bush could commit rape, murder and mayhem and I would probably end up voting FOR him as a means of voting AGAINST her. All I'm saying is that, as a compassionate conservative, Bush is doing more to promote the left's agenda than the right's. Maybe that makes him a true centrist, maybe that makes him someone that the left has figured out how to manipulate by getting him to do something so that they can't claim the credit for it; I don't know. What I do know is that, IMO, he could be doing a lot better. Cut the size of government, close the borders, actually use the office of the president to VETO something - ANYTHING, just to prove that he knows what the veto is for. So far, both Houses of Congress know that whatever they send to the WH, no matter how crappy it is, will get signed because, apparently, Clinton stole the VETO stamp and W can't figure out how to order another one.
But, above all, he needs to dance occasionally with the ones who brung him. He has invested too much effort dancing with the left to tunes they have played. He is forgetting those of us who invited him to the dance.
79
posted on
12/30/2003 7:57:57 AM PST
by
DustyMoment
(Repeal CFR NOW!!)
To: OldFriend
>>...and the President is evil,nazi, hateful, liar!<<
But, they say all this
while looking at a picture of
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Rules for Radicals..
"Accuse the enemy of being
what you really are."
Hillary Rodham's college thesis paper
was written about Saul Alinsky, author
of "Rules for Radicals", a thesis paper
that is sealed and kept secret from America's eyes.
Now, unsealing Hillary's thesis would be
a grand investigative piece for a REAL journalist,
don't you think?
80
posted on
12/30/2003 8:03:21 AM PST
by
Joy Angela
(Hillary doesn't want America to read her college thesis on Saul Alinksy. Why not?)
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