Posted on 01/30/2002 3:57:32 AM PST by PJ-Comix
Peter Jennings pressed to see if any focus group members thought President Bush did "badly" in his speech and, during a segment with Democratic consultant Paul Begala and Republican consultant Haley Barbour, tossed a softball to Begala but a tough question to Barbour about how Republicans can win his fall "without being tripped up on Enron, having it called a 'Bush recession' and carrying the potential burden of a budget deficit?"
Following comments by members of Florida focus group, Michele Norris summarized: "Overall, the President seemed to get high marks. Most people said that they heard what they needed to hear, but as always, the proof is in not just the talk, but, as they say, the walk, what the President actually does and if he's able to actually work with Congress."
Jennings then engaged Norris: "Michele, I wonder if I could impose on you and your cameraman to ask two questions for a show of hands, though I must say I admire your 'walk the walk and talk the talk' suggestion there....How many people thought the President deserves his more than 80 percent approval rating? [entire group raises hands]...Does anybody there tonight think the President did badly?" [no hands]
Later, he asked Begala not about Democratic weaknesses but about how Democrats could deal with Bush's strength: "How do the Democrats, in this election year, run against a man as popular as George Bush and win on the issues?"
But in his first question to Barbour, Jennings listed supposed GOP trouble spots: "How do the Republicans now run in this election year, without being tripped up on Enron, having it called a 'Bush recession' and carrying the potential burden of a budget deficit?"
How many people thought the President deserves his more than 80 percent approval rating?What an odd question. What does "deserve" have to do with anything?
What're you gonna do--fly an airplane into 30 Rock or whatever they call that place?
To me the more interesting aspect of this article is that Jennings was trying to play up Enron. I listened to the speech last night on NPR (sorry, I was listening to classical music when they broke in with the SOTU).
There also, the commentators including the ever-present radical Leftist Daniel Schorr, yammered on about Enron, NOT ONCE making reference to the fact that the Democrats have MUCH more to lose if Enron is dragged out by the VLWC, than the Republicans do.
I hope Rush Limbaugh's correct: That this is going to blow up right in McAuliffe's face.
I thought it was humorous how disappointed Jennings was over the positive reaction to the Bush speech. Hey, if you don't like the headline title then you should have posted this story with the "correct" title.
(Running for cover.)
Jennings had egg on his face after all of the Tampa panel was unanimously in favor of everything Bush. St. Louis was another story. Leading questions from the reporter that really made those on the panel lean to the negative. Jenny's last question was can the President fight the war on terrorism and still win the war on domestic issues. Really negative. Only one guy raised his hand and thought he could do it.
Good question. When the penis-in-chief was in hot water, HIS approval ratings weren't questioned (if ever there were a time to question them...), but they were used as ammunition to "prove" this wasn't a legitimate issue to concern the Congress.
It was not a question -- it was a statement.
As far as Enron goes, it will be a problem for Republicans, if the media have any say about it. And they do.
It was not a question -- it was a statement.
Ah, OK. Apparently the question mark threw me off.
Jennings' "statement": "How many people thought the President deserves his more than 80 percent approval rating?"
And shrill.
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