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ABC Hyped Sequester 'Vaporizing' U.S. Jobs, But Now Admits President's Spin Isn't Working
NewsBusters.org ^ | March 11, 2013 | Scott Whitlock

Posted on 03/11/2013 3:48:55 PM PDT by Kaslin

For weeks, ABC hyped sequestration spending cuts as a threat that could "vaporize" America and "cripple" travel in the country. On Sunday's Good Morning America, however, George Stephanopoulos admitted that  the President's plan isn't "working." Perhaps helping Obama shift strategies, the GMA segment focused on the Democrat "reaching out" to the Republican Party.

Talking with Dan Harris and Bianna Golodryga about the President's dinner meeting with members of the GOP, Stephanopoulos conceded, "...The outside game at least in the short term wasn't working for the President. It was trying to raise all these alarms about the sequester but it didn't seem to be taking hold because people haven't felt it yet." [See video below. MP3 audio here.] This is quite a contrast to the March 1 GMA. As sequester was about to hit, news reader Josh Elliott warned of the coming doom: "Jobs vaporizing, flights delayed, even criminals walking free." A graphic warned of "armageddon."

After Helping Hype Sequestration as 'Vaporizing' U.S., George Stephanopoulos Admits Plan 'Isn't Working'

On February 22, ABC fretted that "air travel could be crippled."

On February 27, Jon Karl parroted, "...The White House's list of terrible things caused by the cuts grows longer, including flight delays, kids losing vaccines, and meat shortages."

After sequester went into effect, GMA reacted On March 4 with silence.

On March 5, Bianna Golodryga responded to Stephanopoulos's claim that investors are "shrugging off" the cuts by lamenting, "Yeah, isn't that kind of sad? It was basically anticipated that we were going to have these spending cuts."

An analysis by the Media Research Center found that 89 percent of ABC's sequester stories pushed budget panic.

A transcript of the March 10 segment is below:

8:11

DAN HARRIS: And back here at home this week, a conclave of a different sort, slightly less holy, the President willing lunching on Capitol Hill as part of a major charm offensive aimed at finding a resolution to those budget cuts that go by the weird name of sequester.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA: But the big question is, will it work? Let's go to George Stephanopoulos, host of ABCs This Week for some answers.

ABC GRAPHIC: Obama Reaches Out to G.O.P.: Will It Make a Difference?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Good morning, guys.

GOLODRYGA: So, George, what do you make of the change in strategy on the President's part going from not communicating with Republican leaders at all to wining and dining them. Will this get him the grand bargain he's wanted?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, we'll see. It'll take some time. I think it was motivated by two things. Number one, the outside game at least in the short term wasn't working for the President. It was trying to raise all these alarms about the sequester but it didn't seem to be taking hold because people haven't felt it yet. And, number two, now that the sequester actually has kicked in, there's no other option but to try to build these relationships and see what can come of it. But right now, you have the Republican leadership and the President at odds over the issue of whether taxes can be part of any grand bargain. That could possibly only change as we get through the summer, as we see the effects of these spending cuts and as they approach the next big deadline. There's always a deadline or cliff coming. This one is over the debt limit again, the nation runs out of its borrowing authorities sometime this summer. That could be the forcing mechanism.

HARRIS: Governments by cliff. Overnight, we got another report Ashley Judd, the movie star turned activist may actually jump into the race in Kentucky to take on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Do you think this is real? Is she really going to run and could she win?

STEPHANOPOULOS: She's definitely looking at it. There's no question about that. They're saying, the people around her, are saying, if she decides to run, she'll announce it around the date of the Kentucky Derby. Now, the difficulties for he right now are she doesn't live in Kentucky where she's going to run.

HARRIS: It's a small technicality.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But Republicans are taking this very seriously. They have already run ads against Ashley Judd in Kentucky pointing out that she doesn't live there, taking things she said in the past that might not appeal to Kentucky voters and they take her seriously and know any long-term incumbent right now faces the threat of defeat. She's an outsider. That's for sure, so she's taking a hard look at it. Republicans are taking a hard look at it too. We'll know in the next few weeks.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 03/11/2013 3:48:55 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

IMHO this is a crisis - we are sending US jobs overseas.

We have been for now almost three decades.

Neither party is doing one single thing, to turn around the damage. We all continue doing nothing, but spend more money for imports.

While the damage gets ever worse.


2 posted on 03/11/2013 3:53:53 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
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To: Kaslin

Now be fair. ABC simply parroted (indeed that term was mentioned in the article) whatever was on the press releases that the White House handed them.


3 posted on 03/11/2013 3:54:13 PM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: Kaslin
NELSON
4 posted on 03/11/2013 3:56:04 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: Kaslin

ABC = All Barack Channel, or if you prefer Always Bashing Conservatives.


5 posted on 03/11/2013 3:57:26 PM PDT by Starboard
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To: Kaslin

Obama is “wining and dining” republicans?

Names please GOLODRYGA.


6 posted on 03/11/2013 3:59:34 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Kaslin
Now, the difficulties for he right now are she doesn't live in Kentucky where she's going to run.

HARRIS: It's a small technicality.

Harris was being satirical right?
Or the whole interview is made up satire?

7 posted on 03/11/2013 4:01:07 PM PDT by palmer (Obama = Carter + affirmative action)
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To: Kaslin

Its not only the ‘president’s plan’, you greasy pipsqueak - its YOUR plan too.


8 posted on 03/11/2013 4:02:47 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: Cringing Negativism Network

“IMHO this is a crisis - we are sending US jobs overseas.”

I’m not seeing the connection. The US is losing jobs to other countries for the same reason Florida is losing the Blue Indigo snake. The environment that made the snake prosper has been removed. The snake now has no place to live so it dies.

Why would a company locate in the US where a federal, state, county and city EPA agent can come in at any moment and shut them down on a whim? Why would you locate where the federal government will supply an aggrieved employee with an attorney and pay that attorney to sue you out of existence? Why would you locate where union employees will slash your tires when you do something they don’t like? Why would you locate where you have to pay ludicrous city, county, state and federal taxes? Why would you locate where a federal OSHA inspector can come in and shut you down? Why would you locate where the IRS can seize your bank account until you agree to sign a contract agreeing to something that they have no right to enforce? The government has chased companies and jobs off shore. They didn’t leave on their own.


9 posted on 03/11/2013 4:07:20 PM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: Kaslin

George Steponallofus:
Like most surrogates and Dem “strategists” he’s basically
just a gossip, ready, willing and able to delve into irrelevancies like Ashley Judd, or spin talking points till
they become toxic cotton candy—his insight on anything is about as deep as a bottle cap.


10 posted on 03/11/2013 4:59:57 PM PDT by supremedoctrine (It may be that you can't argue with success, but you can still ridicule it.)
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To: Gen.Blather; Cringing Negativism Network

I believe you two are saying the same thing. Cringing was saying the crisis is sending jobs over seas, so does Gen.Blather, except he gives all the reasons they are going. The reasons do not negate the impact that sending our jobs overseas has. The fact that the socialists have caused this is the real problem and one we have to resolve, one way or another.


11 posted on 03/11/2013 5:24:21 PM PDT by calex59
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To: Kaslin

Can we (Americans) not rid ourselves of this cancerous growth called ABC (Always Broadcast Communism) News? Just a thought.


12 posted on 03/11/2013 6:16:52 PM PDT by MasterGunner01
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To: Kaslin
""air travel could be crippled.""

With the advent of large diameter internet pipes, air travel is overrated (as long as one is where one wants to be).

13 posted on 03/11/2013 8:27:13 PM PDT by Paladin2
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