Democratic Activists Charge Media Bias Over Gore Speech

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 9/25/02 | Jim Burns

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - A website dedicated to Democratic Party voters and activists accused three television news networks of censoring Monday's speech by former Vice President Al Gore, in which Gore criticized the Bush administration's policy toward Iraq.

In an "action alert," the website Democrats.com complained that CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC aired none or only part of Gore's "historic anti-war speech," and it urged Democrats to demand that those networks air the full speech in prime time and give full coverage to the "anti-war movement."

The website also lamented the results of the 2000 presidential race.

"The media stole the presidency from Al Gore in 2000. It's time to get justice for Al Gore," the website said.

In his speech, Gore said the Bush administration's threatened invasion of Iraq was a distraction from the war on terrorism.

Democrats.com claims the Fox News Channel gave the Gore speech no coverage while CNN broadcast a few minutes and returned to its daily "Talkback Live" program. MSNBC broadcast part of the speech and then conservative commentator Pat Buchanan and liberal commentator Bill Press talked over the rest of it, according to the website.

Buchanan and Press conduct a weekday talk show on MSNBC.

"These are the same networks that routinely interrupt programming with 'breaking news' of press conferences concerning kidnapping, child abuse, and baseball riots. And yet a major anti-war speech by the winner of the 2000 election does not warrant coverage in their opinion," according to Democrats.com.

While Gore did win the national popular vote in the 2000 presidential election, he lost the all-important Electoral College vote to Bush.

Fox News, CNN and MSNBC "carry just about every pro-war speech by Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney," according to Democrats.com. The news networks did not return phone calls Tuesday seeking comment.

"Cyberalert," a Media Research Center newsletter that covers news bias on network and cable television said, "ABC, CBS and NBC all ran short items Monday night on Al Gore's speech to the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco denouncing President Bush's policy toward Iraq, but CBS's Dan Rather went another step in order to make Gore seem more credible."

According to the MRC newsletter, Rather informed his audience that, "Gore has always supported overthrowing Saddam and was among the few Senate Democrats who voted for the 1991 Gulf War resolution."

Rather added that "Gore said he felt betrayed by the first President Bush's, quote, 'hasty withdrawal from the battlefield," the MRC newsletter stated.

"NBC's Tom Brokaw, in contrast, followed a Gore sound bite with the White House's dismissal," according to the MRC and "The White House responded to Gore's remarks by calling him irrelevant and out of step with his party." The Media Research Center is the parent organization of CNSNews.com.

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[kattracks]

I-R-R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T.

Get over it.

[The Wizard]

not to worry CSPAM ran it over and over and over and over

[PogySailor]

They should be THANKFUL his speech didn't get wider play.

[tcostell]

I personally believe that my NY state taxes are too high. I've been loudly complaining about it for some time, as anyone who knows me can certify.

If I guess what I should do is:

...demand that those networks air my full speech in prime time and give full coverage to the "anti-tax movement."

I just don't see it happening.

[Texbob]

Gore is a poor loser and a terrible leader.

[Right_in_Virginia]

My thoughts, exactly.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Agree 100%.

[Moby Grape]

Bias...AGAINST a DEMOCRAT!!!!! Oh, my sides....funnier than Saturday Night Live!!!!

[smith288]

Fox All stars easily refuted Gores claim of "exiting early" from the Gulf War in his recent speach when in 1991 said that our only job was remove Iraq from Kuwait. They all looked like some guys at a bar cracking jokes when they refuted him. I was dying.

Fox News basically publically laughed at Gore after Jim Angle reported his speech. Angle said "Bush had no other comment besides him wanting to deal with Democrats IN Washington." Stating the obvious that Gore is irrelevent and has the same authority as my doberman regarding geopolitics.

[Caribou]

According to the MRC newsletter, Rather informed his audience that, "Gore has always supported overthrowing Saddam and was among the few Senate Democrats who voted for the 1991 Gulf War resolution."

As I remember it, gore would not vote Yea on the GW until he got something in return. I think it was a prime time speech from the Senate floor about the war. Anyone remember?

From watching some of the "debate" last night on the liberal news show, everyone must have forgotten Haiti. You know, the place where X42 overthru the man in power.

[Jonah Hex]

Would they like some cheese with that whine?

[InvisibleChurch]

the networks seem to have better political strategists than the dem-O-crat party...love to watch them gnawing themselves at the ankles to get away from eeeeeach other

[syriacus]

I didn't notice his speech wasn't covered because I kept seeing it on C-Span.

The other stations were either too embarrassed to play the speech or were being very kind to Gore by hiding the speech from public view.

It was awful. And Gore (accidentally) argued for going to war when he mentioned our benevolent nation-building, which came about after the Allies won WWII.

We first got rid of the oppressive Axis governments. Then we helped their citizens to govern themselves.

What kind of grades did Gore get in US history?

[HighWheeler]

While Gore did win the national popular vote in the 2000 presidential election, he lost the all-important Electoral College vote to Bush.

This is like saying "The Buffalo Bills won the Super Bowl by having the most yardage, but they lost the all-important final score to the other team."

[Ditto]

According to the MRC newsletter, Rather informed his audience that, "Gore has always supported overthrowing Saddam and was among the few Senate Democrats who voted for the 1991 Gulf War resolution."

Well.... sort of. Here's the rest of the story from Senator Alan Simpson.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Al Gore’s Gulf War vote put politics over principle

By Alan Simpson

Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore’s new campaign ad is running in your state and says he is “fighting for us.” But the true story of his Gulf War vote says he is usually fighting for Al. Here is the inside story of what happened.

    The Gulf War vote was pretty serious business. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t have a lump in his or her throat as they weighed the situation — 500,000 American troops already deployed; Iraq’s Saddam Hussein promising the “mother of all battles”; most “experts” predicting heavy American losses.

    The choice was not easy. Senators with combat experience on both sides of the aisle were on both sides of the issue. Some Democrats openly supported the measure; some Republicans openly opposed it. And vice versa.

    The seriousness of the situation called for open, honest debate. No deal-making. No politics. Just an honest discussion, followed by an honest vote of conscience by each senator. As Republican whip, I worked with the Republican leader Bob Dole and the Democratic leaders, George Mitchell and Sam Nunn, to schedule the debate. As Republicans, Sen. Dole and I were responsible for scheduling time to speak for senators who supported the war. As Democrats, Sens. Mitchell and Nunn were responsible for scheduling time to speak for those who opposed the war.

    The night before this monumental debate, I sat in the Republican cloakroom with Sen. Dole discussing the debate schedule for the next day. Then a senator walked in and asked to speak to us. It surprised Bob and me because he was a Democrat coming to ask for a favor.

    He was Tennessee Sen. Al Gore Jr. Sen. Gore got right to the point: “How much time will you give me if I support the president?” In layman’s terms, Gore was asking how much debate time we would be willing to give him to speak on the floor if he voted with us.

    “How much time will the Democrats give you?” Sen. Dole asked.

    “Seven minutes,” came the droning response.

    “I’ll give you 15 minutes,” Dole said.

    “And I’ll give you five of mine, so you can have 20 minutes,” I offered. Gore seemed pleased, but made no final commitment, promising only to think it over.

    Gore played hard to get. He had received his time. But now he wanted prime time. And Dole and I knew it.

    After Gore left, Dole asked Republican Senate Secretary Howard Greene to call Gore’s office and promise that he would try to schedule Gore’s 20 minutes during prime time, thus ensuring plenty of coverage in the news cycle. Later that night, Gore called Greene and asked if Dole had him in a prime-time speaking slot.

    When Green said nothing had been finalized yet, Gore erupted: “Damn it, Howard! If I don’t get 20 minutes tomorrow, I’m going to vote the other way.”

    The following day, Gore arrived on the Senate floor, still waiting to see which side — Republicans or Democrats — would offer him the most and the best speaking time. Sen. Dole immediately asked the Senate to increase the amount of speaking time for both sides. I believe only then, after Gore realized we were asking for more time to make room for him on our side, that he finally decided to support the resolution authorizing the use of force to drive Hussein out of Kuwait.

    It brings me no joy to recount the events leading up to the Gulf War vote. It isn’t something I wanted to do. But it is something I have to do.

    I was there. I have to set the record straight because the Gore campaign is now running an ad proclaiming that Al Gore “broke with his own party to support the Gulf War.” In reality, it’s much closer to the truth to say he broke for the cameras to support the Gulf War.

    And I have to set the record straight because the Gulf War vote was far too important an issue to fall victim to politics and repulsive revising. It was a moment of challenge. Sadly, Al Gore was not up to it. In January of 1991, Al Gore put politics over principle.

Alan Simpson is a former Republican senator from Wyoming. Write letters to 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226, or fax them to (313) 222-6417 or send e-mail messages to letters@detnews.com

Source: http://www.detnews.com/EDITPAGE/0009/05/edit5/edit5.htm

[cricket]

"The media stole the presidency from Al Gore in 2000. It's time to get justice for Al Gore," the website said. "

. . .well the good news here is that they are getting closer to the truth. . .

[cricket]

"They should be THANKFUL his speech didn't get wider play."

. . .for sure, because Gore is embarassingly pathetic. . .and it could well be that these Lib media outlets are protecting Gore from himself as well as the rest of their constituency. . .

The idea of Gore, even for these folks, is better than the reality.

[Freemyland]

He put his vote up for sale to whichever side would guarantee him more face time.

[steve-b]

They should be THANKFUL his speech didn't get wider play.

Yeah, my guess is that the mainstream media was trying to do some damage control for the Goron by spiking his gaffe.

[steve-b]

It's time to get justice for Al Gore

I agree, but the Justice Department doesn't seem interested in pursuing the matter.