New CNN 'Crossfire' has GOP turning the channel

U.S. News ^ | 04/06/2002 | Paul Bedard

[Pokey78]

Maybe it was Paul Begala's opening comments on the first day of CNN's revamped Crossfire that it was time to "kick a little right-wing ass" that angered Republicans. Or when cohost James Carville kept interrupting GOP Chairman Marc Racicot. Whatever, Republican leaders are blackballing the show. "The word is out: Don't go on; you'll get screwed," says a top Senate aide. Adds a House colleague: "It isn't a total boycott, but the show's last on our list to do." That's a blow for CNN, which has struggled to snare GOP guests as it battles with conservative-friendly Fox News. The complaints: Combative liberals Begala and Carville, both Democratic Party operatives, are too good at what they do, and conservative journalists Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson, who might see a nuance now and then, can't keep up. And they hate the live George Washington University audience. "It's like Jerry Springer," gripes a GOP-er. Says CNN's Ali Weisberg: "Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson are tough and smart on the right, and they can certainly hold their own. ... Crossfire always tries to keep its guests–and now its live audience–balanced."

[Timesink]

And unlike Reagan and Roosevelt...

Whoops. Forgot to note that Roosevelt's end-of-term ratings were just barely lower than Reagan's and Clinton's, and thus were probably exactly the same once you factor in the margin of error.

[kiryandil]

Tucker Carlson, on the other hand, has no excuse. He's supposed to be a conservative ideologue, but in reality, he's one of those conservatives who are somehow ashamed of what they believe in.

I picked up on this yesterday:

================================
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/660535/posts

Tucker Carlson, in response to a viewer e-mail suggesting that the spawns of Satan had been hired by CNN in the way of Begala and Carville..........

Satan himself is employed by FOX
================================

Yeah, that's a REAL conservative - echoing the liberal nitworks 'talking points' on FOX.

[kiryandil]

Begala and Carville are the Julius Streicher and Joseph Goebbels of the Democrat Party.

[olliemb]

That was a good reply. I saw the 'Begala and CArville' show the other day and just to see the facies of both these guys is enough to put you in a major hurl. Besides, Begala just simply loathes Bush and Carville--well, what can one say about Carville, except, "down, boy, down, boy". Probably won't be around for awhile--Novak and CArlson are such lite weights that they should try and get out of their contracts.

[THUNDER ROAD]

Now, you put Anne Coulter (especially Anne Coulter), David Horowitz, or Michael Savage up against the Serpenthead or his butt-boy sidekick, Begala, you'll see some serious dead liberal roadkill.

" Rock On "
section 9 !
THUNDER

[meia]

No, he left with an end-of-term rating exactly the same as Ronald Reagan's, ~68%.

You are correct. And so am I. It just depends on which poll you use. The CBS poll shows Clinton and Reagan with 68%. But the CNN poll shows Clinton with 65% and Reagan with 63%.

[Defender2]

CNN = Communists News Network, NBC = Nothing But Communists, CNBC = Communists, Nothing But Communists, MSNBC = Matthews Sucks Nothing But Communists, CBS = Communists Bull Sh*t, ABC = ALL Bullsh*T Communists, C-SPAN = Communists-SPAM, TBS = TASS Bull Sh*t, PBS = PRAVDA Bull Sh*t, BBC = Bill Bullsh*t Communist! Fairweather (whichever the way the wind blows including O'Reilly) FOX sometimes ROCKS. Bob Dornan, Paul Harvey and the Mighty Maja Rushie, Rush Limbaugh(O'Reilly you only wish you we're that good), Rule the Airwaves and Free Republic(even though they just changed to this complicated format) is the Best News Network!!!!:-)

[sanjacjake]

THEY ARE BOTH cLINTON BUTT BOYS....I THINK IT'S FUNNY - AS ANYONE SEEING THESE JERKS HAS TO SAY...HOW COULD YOU VOTE FOR THESE GUYS OR THE DEMOCRATS THEY LOVE??????

[Benrand]

It was interesting to see this time reporter, Karl, do a total puff piece riding on the subway in Manhattan today with Karenna Gore Schiff Gore Schiff Gore Schiff.

Is this BALANCE? He bascially drooled all over her, it was ridiculous. Will he do the same when George P. Bush runs for office? Is GPB as bright and as intelligent, attuned to America as Karenna Gore Schiff Gore Schiff?

Yeah, real reform.

[meia]

Can you show Clinton's numbers after the pardons? Oh, and BTW exactly how are you conservative? From what I've seen, you just hang around here to but the liberal spin on things.

Here is the story about Clintons numbers after the pardons.

I'm sorry, but are you the arbiter of who is conservative and who is not? I am just stating verifiable facts. Does this bother you?

[Timesink]

You are correct. And so am I. It just depends on which poll you use. The CBS poll shows Clinton and Reagan with 68%. But the CNN poll shows Clinton with 65% and Reagan with 63%.

The MOE on that poll was +/- 5. That means Clinton could have polled a 60%, or a 70%, or anywhere in between. (I can only assume the MOE was the same for the Reagan poll; Gallup's generally smart enough not to mix poll results with wildly different methodologies.) The only fair way to describe it is dead even.

(It's also not an end-of-term poll, BTW; it's a NEAR end-of-term poll.)

[Lazamataz]

Maybe it was Paul Begala's opening comments on the first day of CNN's revamped Crossfire that it was time to "kick a little right-wing ass" that angered Republicans. Or when cohost James Carville kept interrupting GOP Chairman Marc Racicot.

"Crossfire" my lily-white a&&.

It should be renamed "Unified Fire Directed At Anything To The Right Of Marx."

[Lazamataz]

"DNCNN"

LOL! Nice job, says it all.

[Lazamataz]

I'm sorry, but are you the arbiter of who is conservative and who is not?

No, he isn't.

I am.

[Timesink]

Satan himself is employed by FOX

Who exactly said this first in that thread? The post appears to have been yanked.

[Timesink]

2. Apparently if we block/lockout CNN on our cable and satellite system, the owners of the system do not have to pay CNN the monthly useage fee. I wished that someone would confirm this.

This is absolutely not true. I'm not even sure they can tell at the main office that you've blocked a given channel, but even if they can, it doesn't matter. The contract is a pure X subscribers times Y cents/mo/subscriber = Z payment deal. It doesn't matter whether every subscriber watches the channel every day or not a single one watches it for even a single moment. That's why it's called a "carriage fee": They're paying to carry the channel and make it available, that's it.

Besides, think about it: If they didn't have to pay the fee when you blocked something, don't you think millions of people would be protesting the fact that they're getting charged for channels they never watch?

[reformed_democrat]

So who on the conservative side is the equal of Begala and Carville? Is there anyone?

I'd love to see The Great One, Mark Levin, and Ann Coulter. They would annihilate the gruesome twosome.

I vote for the guy from California who subs for Rush -- Roger Hitchcock, I believe. He is outstanding, and takes no prisoners.

[kiryandil]

dunno. I have been bopping in and out of this thread, so I didn't see anything but the "yanked" bit. (#71, I believe?)

I just caught the Tucker Carlson quote yesterday. Been watching that little bow-tied weasel hard for a long time. Conservative, my Begala.

[conserve-it]

Begala can tell more LIES in a sixty second interval than anyone in American history.

[stands2reason]

He lost over 10% of his approval, I wouldn't call that nothing. I love the way you avoided stating your conservative principles, if you have any. So you won't suffer under any arbitrary definitions of conservatism, why don't you tell me what you think it consists of, and if you are one.