Posted on 10/15/2004 9:51:40 AM PDT by Cableguy
SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
7:00 am packages or segments (not in the news blocks) about Iraq, debt, gas prices in the morning shows: 1/4 (part of a 2-way on NBC covered gas prices).
NBC dedicated an entire Mary Matalin/Dee Dee Meyers/Katie Couric chat to Kerry's debate mention of Mary Cheney and the reaction to it preceded by the graphic "OVER THE LINE?"
ABC opened its Begala/Carlson chat with the topic. (GMA's coverage was much more extensive yesterday.)
CBS dedicated a package to it by Jim Acosta, who said that "for an experienced politician he seems to have made a rookie mistake" but also included sound very critical of the Administration from both the Log Cabin Republicans and the Human Rights Campaign.
Don Imus slammed both Kerry and Edwards for what he characterized as a concerted effort to bring up Mary Cheney, calling it "repulsive behavior." Imus said he was disappointed in what he saw was a "fundamental" problem with Kerry's "character." Imus said that Bush and Cheney will say anything to get elected — "now it's clear that Kerry and Edwards will do and say anything to get elected as well."
Fox News raised the issue in the beginning of a Steve Schmidt / Chat Clanton chat, although with less of the outrage than it did yesterday.
CNN dedicated much of an interview with Tad Devine to it.
CNN's Jack Cafferty said he received 1,200 emails in an hour to his question of the day about whether Kerry was right to raise Cheney's name.
MORE ABOUT MARY
On "Today" former White House press secretary Dee Myers admitted that "In all honesty I don't think it was Kerry's finest moment, but I take him at his word that he was trying to say something good about the families." Myers then asked, "Why aren't we talking about the issues Americans care about?… There were 269 other minutes in the three debates… clearly the campaign is trying to distract from all of that."
Tad Devine on CNN and Chad Clanton on Fox News used verbatim the exact same defense of Kerry's statement: "John Edwards during the Vice Presidential debate said almost the same thing and the Vice President thanked him." The two went on to accuse the President's campaign of running away from his record.
On "Today," Mary Matalin called Kerry's Mary Cheney reference "outrageous and over the line. Mary Cheney is a behind the scenes person, she doesn't talk to the press& She is not 'fair game" as Kerry's campaign manager said. She added later, "I mean, who are these people? I just don't get it."
On GMA Tucker Carlson said "taken in isolation, it's just weird and uncomfortable. If he had said that at a dinner party, everyone would cringe and look at their plates. But taken in combination with John Edwards' comments the week before, it's a strategy."
Paul Begala responded "Yes, I don't like raising somebody else's kid. But spare me your righteous indignation," he said to his Crossfire sparring partner. And Begala then repeated the official advisors' lines, saying "when John Edwards said some things about how they love their daughter, Vice President Dick Cheney didn't express indignation, he said thank you very much."
In an interview with CBS' Harry Smith, Bob Schieffer said he was "not surprised" that the Cheney's took offense to Kerry's mention of Mary Cheney, calling the debate exchange as "raw." (Schieffer also quipped that the only debate day nightmare was backstage.)
Isn't that Chad Clanton the MOST ARROGANT pos liberal you ever saw? That guy brings out the worst in me....really.
Not to worry. He does the Dems such a disservice we should hope that he either keeps his job or gets a promotion.
Yes--(as my liberal NPR-listening friend reported last night) the line of the left is "Well, Cheney THANKED Edwards when Edwards brought it up!"
The problem is that the "thanks" was icy cold; Cheney was making a point; he let his entire 30/60/90 second response time (whatever it was) go after thanking Edwards for his "kind" words about his family (those kind words were something like "I'm sure you love your GAY daughter").
We can go back to the "global test" if you like, Dee Dee. Or "gigalo John" talking about "marrying up".
But this calculated crudeness of using a politician's child as an attack point (not to mention the utter gall in daring to put words in her mouth) shows sucha fundamental weakness of character that it deserves to be thoroughly discussed. This wasn't a factual error or an evasive interpretation, this was a cold, considered attempt to make Mary Cheney a wedge issue in the campaign.
The Tarheel
Some posters said this was Kerry's 'Dukakis debate moment' and at the time, I doubted that the MSM would run with it. I was definitely wrong about it. It may be forgotten by election day but it helped form a negative impression of Kerry & Edwards (husband&wife both) by the undecided voters. The Zogby & Rasmussen polls seem to be showing this trend towards the President after the debate.
Yep..one and the same...and he said it with a smirk.
I detest Tucker Calson, (the conservative's token girlie-man, although I say conservative with a rock of salt) but he is right on--it is a strategy.
About the only ones who thought the comment was warranted were Kerry, Edwards, their whores, and Ronny Reagan whom I believe stated that the Cheney's must be bad parents to deny Mary's sexual orientation. I won't even go into Edward's wife whose comments were incredibly stupid and way over-the-line...
The Kerry, Edwards and DNC plan worked. Everyone is talking about "it" as an "it". That could hurt the bubba vote for Bush.
Did anybody mention the vile comments of fat Lizzy Edwards?
And he is so metrosexual.
They just really don't "get it," do they?
Worse than Tad Devine?
Are these vile comments about the Cheney's acceptable on this forum?
Why?
Theory is that this was intentional because it would A) show a split between Cheney and Bush and B) enlighten those who did not know about Mary.
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