Posted on 09/16/2005 3:23:01 PM PDT by Kaslin
Reporter apparently sought critical remarks after speech
An ABC News reporter who apparently expected hurricane evacuees to criticize the president after his speech last night, instead heard words of praise for Bush and blame for local officials.
Dean Reynolds, in the parking lot of Houston's Astrodome, spoke with black evacuees from New Orleans, but "not one of the six people interviewed on camera had a bad word for Bush – despite Reynolds' best efforts," said the Media Research Center in a report on the segment.
"You talk about a major big media backfire, folks, this is it," commented radio talk host Rush Limbaugh during his show today.
Reynolds asked Connie London: "Did you harbor any anger toward the president because of the slow federal response?"
"No, none whatsoever," she said, "because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in."
London pointed out: "They had RTA buses, Greyhound buses, school buses, that was just sitting there going under water when they could have been evacuating people."
Reynolds asked Brenda Marshall: "Was there anything that you found hard to believe that he said, that you thought, well, that's nice rhetoric, but, you know, the proof is in the pudding?"
She replied, "No, I didn't," prompting Reynolds to marvel to anchor Ted Koppel: "Very little skepticism here."
Reynolds pressed another woman: "Did you feel that the president was sincere tonight?"
She affirmed: "Yes, he was."
Reynolds asked who they held culpable for the levee breaks – a problem national media have blamed on Bush-mandated budget cuts:
One evacuee said, "They've been allocated federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do."
The full text of Reynolds interviews is as follows:
"I'd like to get the reaction of Connie London who spent several horrible hours at the Superdome. You heard the president say repeatedly that you are not alone, that the country stands beside you. Do you believe him?"
Connie London: "Yeah, I believe him, because here in Texas, they have truly been good to us. I mean-"
Reynolds: "Did you get a sense of hope that you could return to your home one day in New Orleans?"
London: "Yes, I did. I did."
Reynolds: "Did you harbor any anger toward the President because of the slow federal response?"
London: "No, none whatsoever, because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in. They should have been on their jobs."
Reynolds: "And they weren't?"
London: "No, no, no, no. Lord, they wasn't. I mean, they had RTA buses, Greyhound buses, school buses, that was just sitting there going under water when they could have been evacuating people."
Reynolds: "Now, Mary, you were rescued from your house which was basically submerged in your neighborhood. Did you hear something in the President's words that you could glean some hope from?"
Mary: "Yes. He said we're coming back, and I believe we're coming back. He's going to build the city up. I believe that."
Reynolds: "You believe you'll be able to return to your home?"
Mary: "Yes, I do."
Reynolds: "Why?"
Mary: "Because I really believe what he said. I believe. I got faith."
Reynolds: "Back here in the corner, we've got Brenda Marshall, right?"
Brenda Marshall: "Yes."
Reynolds: "Now, Brenda, you were, spent, what, several days at the Superdome, correct?"
Marshall: "Yes, I did."
Reynolds: "What did you think of what the President told you tonight?"
Marshall: "Well, I think -- I think the speech was wonderful, you know, him specifying that we will return back and that we will have like mobile homes, you know, rent or whatever. I was listening to that pretty good. But I think it was a well fine speech."
Reynolds: "Was there any particular part of it that stood out in your mind? I mean, I saw you all nod when he said the Crescent City is going to come back one day."
Marshall: "Well, I think I was more excited about what he said. That's probably why I nodded."
Reynolds: "Was there anything that you found hard to believe that he said, that you thought, well, that's nice rhetoric, but, you know, the proof is in the pudding?"
Marshall: "No, I didn't."
Reynolds: "Good. Well, very little skepticism here. Frederick Gould, did you hear something that you could hang on to tonight from the President?"
Frederick Gould: "Well, I just know, you know, he said good things to me, you know, what he said, you know. I was just trying to listen to everything they were saying, you know."
Reynolds: "And Cecilia, did you feel that the President was sincere tonight?"
Cecilia: "Yes, he was."
Reynolds: "Do you think this is a little too late, or do you think he's got a handle on the situation?"
Cecilia: "To me it was a little too late. It was too late, but he should have did something more about it."
Reynolds: "Now do you all believe that you will one day return to your homes?"
Voices: "Yes" and "I do."
Reynolds: "I mean, do you all want to return to your homes? We're hearing some people don't even want to go back."
Mary: "I want to go back."
Reynolds: "You want to go back."
Mary: "I want to go back. That's my home. That's all I know."
Reynolds: "Is it your home for your whole life?"
Mary: "Right. That's my home."
Reynolds: "And do you expect to go back to the house or a brand new dwelling or what?"
Mary: "I expect to go back to something. I know it ain't my house, because it's gone."
Reynolds: "What is the one mistake that could have been prevented that would have made your lives much better? Is it simply getting all of you out much sooner or what was it?"
Mary: "I'm going to tell you the truth. I had the opportunity to get out, but I didn't believe it. So I stayed there till it was too late."
Reynolds: "Did you all have the same feeling? I mean, did you all have the opportunity to get out, but you were skeptical that this was the really bad one?"
Unnamed woman: "No, I got out when they said evacuate. I got out that Sunday and I left before the storm came. But I know they could have did better than what they did because like they said, buses were just sitting there, and they could have came through there and got people out, because they were saying immediate evacuation. Some people didn't believe it. But they should have brung the force of the army through to help these people and make them understand it really was coming."
London: "And really it wasn't Hurricane Katrina that really tore up the city. It was when they opened the floodgates. It was not the hurricane itself. It was the floodgates, when they opened the floodgates, that's where all the water came."
Reynolds: "Do you blame anybody for this?"
London: "Yes. I mean, they've been allocated federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do."
Reynolds: "All right. Well, thank you all very much. I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you don't have to spend too much more time here in the Reliant Center and you can get back to New Orleans as the President said. Ted, that is the word from the Houston Astrodome. And as I said, when the President said that the Crescent City will rise again, there were nods all around this parking lot."
HAHAHAHAH oh that's rich. I'm surprised they aired it, must have been a live broadcast. Bet they won't recycle any of that content as they would if they had bashed Bush.
WPtG: this is the interview I was telling you about... GREAT
Reynolds: "Do you blame anybody for this?"
London: "Yes. I mean, they've been allocated federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do."
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Very encouraging to see that the citizens get it!!!
That's the problem with live television journalism. You never know what might happen... the truth might even come out.
That's why I wouldn't expect to see Hillary doing many live interviews between now and 2008, unless perhaps it's with her best pals Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.
"No, none whatsoever," she said, "because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in."
Beautiful. If I had the money, I would buy Connie London a new house.
Gotta love it - obviously the ordinary citizen from New Orleans is a lot smarter than their elected representatives and a WHOLE LOT SMARTER than the press!
Howie Carr of Boston sez that the reporter who interviewed the people making reasonable statements about the President screwed up big time as regards the Liberal media. He was supposed to find people who bashed President Bush. Howie Carr warned that that guy will not work in the mainstream media ever again.
Uh oh, Texas-think has already contaminated those poor refugees. I smell Karl Rove, LOL.
Wow.
Ping me when CNN airs it.
ver fear. Cecilia will be rerun over and over and over again. Nobody else among the group, though.
lol.....yeah
Now, if only the rest of the U.S. could see the light, too.
I hope this bodes ill for Blank-o and Nagin in the next election.
Reynolds: "What is the one mistake that could have been prevented that would have made your lives much better? Is it simply getting all of you out much sooner or what was it?"
Mary: "I'm going to tell you the truth. I had the opportunity to get out, but I didn't believe it. So I stayed there till it was too late."
Thankfully someone taking ownership of personal responsibilty. I think this is the case of MANY of the good folks down there.
Well that is how it is suppose to work!
My first thought after seeing that title: ANY praise for President Bush surprises ABC.
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