Posted on 10/03/2004 8:04:45 PM PDT by Cableguy
Pollster Frank Luntz is crying foul after MSNBC canceled his long-scheduled focus group two days before the debate. Luntz, who is under contract to MSNBC, had already spent $30,000 on recruits for several focus groups and invited reporters in Florida to watch -- only to be told that the network didn't want to declare a winner in the debate.
"I think they buckled to political pressure," says Luntz, who has advised Republicans from Newt Gingrich to Rudy Giuliani but says he's done no GOP work since 2001. "They caved. . . . Why is it that Democrats are allowed to do this" after leaving politics, "but Republicans aren't?"
But MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines says: "We made a decision not to use focus groups as part of our debate coverage. This decision had nothing to do with Frank's past work or politics. We think our viewers should be able to make up their own minds without 'scientific' help" -- despite the fact that the network has prominently featured Luntz and his on-air focus groups for four years.
Luntz has criticized President Bush on occasion, and his non-televised focus group, ironically, favored Kerry in the debate. Some NBC executives find him extremely fair but believe his longtime GOP links create a perception problem.
"For me, nothing is more important than getting it right," Luntz says. He says MSNBC bowed to pressure from conservative-turned-liberal activist David Brock in dumping him and that the network hasn't even agreed to use him as an analyst -- sans focus groups -- in this week's debates.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I don't want to think about the phrase 'pressure from David Brock' ever again.
He'd be a perfect pick-up for Fox
...but Tim Russert worked for Tip O'Neill.
Uh, no problem there...
Chris Matthews worked for bunch of Democrats also. This is so hypocritical.
Frank Luntz is NOT a Republican OR a conservative from what I've seen and heard from him. What did he do to Brock...stand him up?
Was his toupee fired too, or is it still under contract?
Didn't Matthews work for Carter?
What a liar, MSNBC did use footage of the NBC focus that was done right after the speech, showing it shortly afterwards in the same time period that Luntz's focus groups had been shown.
They are after Carl Cameron of FNC also
Luntz is a Republican pollster. The article gives examples of who he worked for, like Giuliani.
Those focus groups were stupid anyhow. No big loss.
Mathews worked for Tip Oneil. Im not so sure about Russert though.
Too bad for them. I like Cameron and bet he gives Kerry hell on the campaign trail. LOL
I kinda wish the W.H. would hire him for Ari's old job.
I see another "opportunity" for Roger Ailes to increase viewship at FOX -- the only reason I switched over to MSNBC was to wait for Frank's post-debate focus group (and the live, no repeats coverage -- Ailes needs to fix that issue) I say we exchange Susan Estrogen for Luntz.
Mathews worked for Carter and Nader, who much more left do you get in US politics?
Look...he may be HIRED by Republicans BUT he gave out details of Newt's Contract With America that Undermined Newt and the Republcans....I never have trusted him since...and he always says great things about liberals.
Luntz may still be under contract for MSNBC. They canceled his focus group, but not necessarily his contract.
I like the green/red lines during his focus groups. I hope he quits and goes to Fox. Estrich is important to Fox because they need Dems to keep it fair and balanced.
He is right with a cluster. David Brock of MediaMatters wrote a letter to Richard Kaplan, President of MSNBC and long time Clinton supporter and former CNN President, and boom he was gone.
Chris Matthews worked for Jimmy Carter and Tip O'Neill
http://www.msnbc.com/news/330815.asp?cp1=1
Matthews spent 15 years in politics and government: he worked in the White House for four years under President Jimmy Carter as a Presidential speechwriter and on the Government Reorganization Project, in the U.S. Senate for five years on the staffs of Senator Frank Moss (Utah) and Senator Edmund Muskie (Maine), and was the top aide for Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr. for six years.
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