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Posted on 11/17/2004 3:11:06 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
Shocked by Bill Moyers' 'Coup' Comment and Radical Media
Edward I. Koch
Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004
On election night, I, like millions of others, was watching television and listening to the observations of political commentators. Most pundits were saying that exit polls across the nation were predicting a John Kerry win.
On Channel 13 (PBS), I heard Bill Moyers say that there were Bush supporters on the right who would resort to a coup if Kerry won. I was shocked that Moyers would make such a statement. The next day I called Channel 13 to ask for a transcript or videotape of the program. Several hours later I was told that the language I recalled could not be found. I then sent the following letter to Moyers:
November 5, 2004
Dear Bill:
On November 2, election night, I watched you and others on Channel 13 commenting on the returns. At one point, you made a comment after hearing a report that Kerry had probably won to the effect that “the right-wing won’t accept this and may use the militia.” My recollection is a paraphrase.
I called PBS and asked if I could get the actual quote in writing or receive a videotape of the program. I was told by a young woman that she could not find the quote. I would appreciate it if you could secure the exact quote for me in writing or a copy of the video.
I write a weekly commentary and would like to discuss the comment.
All the best.
George F. Will’s November 9 New York Post column contained a reference to the incident. He wrote:
“On election night on public television - your tax dollars at work - Bill Moyers said: 'I think if Kerry were to win this in a - in a tight race, I think there’d be an effort to mount a coup, quite frankly. ... I mean that the right wing is not going to accept it.' Moyers, the emblematic face of public television, is an intellectual icon in the sort of deep blue precincts that think red America is paranoid.”
Five days later, on November 10, 2004, I received a letter from Moyers. It is too long to set out in full. I’ve extracted the salient points. Those who want the entire letter can request it from me by e-mail.
Dear Mayor Koch: That was a live broadcast from Bloomberg Studios moderated by Charlie Rose, and as I was a guest on what wasn’t my own program, I don’t have a record of it to offer you.
However, I do know that I never used the word “military” in regard to any response to the election because I don’t think like that. ... I thought if Kerry were to win in a tight race there would be an effort to mount a coup - that the right-wing is not going to accept that kind of results. I had in mind what happened after the voting in 2000 when Republicans dispatched Congressional staffers to Miami to mount public protests. ...
In fact, nobody on the show suggested that there would have been an attempt at a military coup. I don’t believe there would have been. ...
Bill
Nowhere else, so far as I know, was this incident the subject of media discussion. I believe it is a good example of the hate-mongering engaged in throughout the election, particularly on television, by the radical left. During the election, many in the media were unable to conceal their bias against Bush. On election night, the talking heads were delighted to report the exit polls showing the election to be won by John Kerry. The actions of CBS and Dan Rather are now well known.
Many of those supporting Bush were literally afraid to make their preference known to family and friends, because emotions - particularly hate - were running so high. At a public dinner I attended a week after the election, five people separately came over to me as I was eating my lamb chops and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but I voted for Bush.”
Moyers protests: “In fact, nobody on the show suggested that there would have been an attempt at a military coup. I don’t believe there would have been. No one else in the panel did, either.”
Really?
Edward I. Koch, author, lawyer and talk radio host, was a member of the U.S. Congress and, for 12 years, the 105th mayor of New York City.
FMCDH(BITS)
Moyers stated, "... I thought if Kerry were to win in a tight race there would be an effort to mount a coup - that the right-wing is not going to accept that kind of results. I had in mind what happened after the voting in 2000 when Republicans dispatched Congressional staffers to Miami to mount public protests. ... "
Gotta love how, when it is the Democrats or the "Jesse Jackson Brigade" bussed in to protest, it is the "voice of the American People" but when Republicans protest it is referred to as if it were something Just short of "Police State" policies. For all their talk about the First Amendment, this is even more proof that the Democrats are only in favor of the First Amendment when they are the ones behind the podium!
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People must be buying what is advertised through commercials on the liberal news media networks. The news is geared to liberals not conservatives. The liberals buy the products to support the liberal news. The talking heads have to be talking head liberals or they must move to Fox. Public broadcasting is supported by liberal elected officials to get their message out through tax dollars.
I didn't say the "city" was sinking. I said "Rudy" was sinking. There was a game in the local media "where's Rudy living?" nobody could figure out where he was living for awhile. Finally, he was spotted at his new residence. He was living with two gay friends on the upper east side (cue Odd Couple theme song). His former mistress a young girl was seen as a loose cannon and he was embroiled in some ugly policies. Plus, he kept firing police commissioners.
Again, Rudy isn't a bad guy, but he's a prosecutor. A class NYC prosecutor. He needs a fight. An opponent. That's when he functions best.
In regards to riding Koch's coat tails, yeah, that's pretty much true, for better or worse. Koch did a lot of stuff that eased the way for placing big bets on wall street, banking, and media. Many of the deals regarding Times Sq revitalization were made under Koch. Dinkins was a place holder, basically coasting through his years in city hall.
just curious....when did this happen and what precipitated it?
How did this TROLL get through the gate? Putting out this slime, "a well-known fact."
-PJ
Nothing new here. We conservatives have been abandoning the children, leaving our elderly to the wolves, poisoning the Earth and plotting our coups from our militia strewn basements for years. Ask Bill, Dan, Peter and Tom.
There is no way the leftist MSM would have kept that secret and you can be sure that someone would have leaked it to them. There are members in every segment of the US Gov't that would love to see conservatives accused of even thinking about a coup. That kind of thinking and comments is exactly what the MSM are always implying about conservatives. They do not need facts, just a rumor to jump on.
o.k. dude. I get the picture. Rudy did the best job in the history of nyc in cleaning up the city from corruption, the mob and a leaden buerocracy and you want to ignore that because you can't get over that he has some gay friends and his marriage fell apart. No arguing with this set of priorities.
See, you just proved my point -- his prosecutor mentality. He loved going after bad guys. It's what he lived for. I saw him in court once and the guy was passionate and brilliant. He was the kind of mayor who would get F you! scream at him and scream it back. And mean it!
But there's more to being mayor of nyc than going after bad guys. A large part of it is cutting deals and he was horrible at that. Again, because of his prosecutor mind set, he had a win or lose mentality. He disdained compromise.
Commercial free taxpayer subsidized broadcasting (NPR and Pacifica both receive tax funds as well as cheating the IRS with "non-partisan" 501c3 status they regularly violate) is dominated by the left.
With the morning/nightly news, people have grown lazy and fallen into a routine of watching the news (and watching the same broadcaster). It offers little actual news and what is there is liberal slanted and conservative bashing.
FOX News (local and cable) may be "better" but hardly fair to conservatives either. FOX was unwilling to call the election for Bush on November 2nd. There was no doubt. Even though they gave Bush Ohio, they denied crediting him with "known" states that would have given him the win.
Koch is a mensch.
p.s.
I miss Rudy, and Koch and the rest of them. You'd get Breslin calling Rudy a "grubby little finger pointer" in the press one day and Rudy going ballistic on the MTA the next day. New York is boring without those guys and their passion. Today it's run with all of the passion of chain restaurant in a strip mall.
"He disdained compromise."
You don't get to be a two term republican mayor of nyc without having extraordinary negotiating abilities. He got a lot done which would have been impossible if this were not the case.
A lot of the stuff he got done was mostly the stuff that you can win at -- all or nothing -- like quality of life law enforcement, etc. (which was actually a Bratton theory)...the major contribution he made in terms of negotiating was cutting deals with wall street and the banks. He was pretty much elected the second time because nobody any good was running against him. And there really aren't any (or very many) NYC pols left.
I suspect that your mother wouldn't recognize NYC today. It's changed a lot.
The truth of the matter is, NYC is going to hell in a hurry. It's not like it used to be. You should have seen it 20 years ago. I knew the end was near when they got rid of the red bird subway cars.
[snicker]
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