Matthews, Russert Admit They've Given John McCain A Free Pass
By Logan Murphy Tuesday May 06, 2008 8:30am
During Tuesday's Democratic Presidential Primary coverage on MSNBC, Chris Matthews and Tim Russert both admit to ignoring the countless gaffes and blunders committed by John McCain.
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Silent Patriot)
This is one of those clips that makes you want to throw things at your tee vee. (please don't!) Matthews and Russert admit that MSNBC can't -- or refuses to -- multi-task. The basic message was this: as long as there is a campaign battle between Obama and Clinton, they MUST ignore John McCain. Russert even admits to being flooded with e-mails about their abysmal McCain coverage, but he tells Democrats to just be patient, when the time is right, they'll pay attention to the train wreck of a campaign being run by the aging senator from Arizona:
Matthews: ..."You think the Democrat warhorses know that as long as there's a fire going on in one of those rings, the Barack Obama ring, we're not going to focus much on John McCain's weaknesses?"
Russert: "Yes, they believed initially that ignoring the McCain campaign was beneficial and helpful to the Democrats, but as this has gone on, they see in their minds, and we get flooded with e-mails, Senator McCain making a mistake on Shi'a vs. Sunni, making a mistake about the first Persian Gulf War and the second, vis-à-vis oil, his own relationship with Pastor Hagee and why isn't that talked about and reported on the way Reverend Wright's relationship with Senator Obama is talked about. But, all that in time. It is only May. This has been going on for some time, but it's going to be a long, long campaign and when Senator McCain is back in the media's light, he'll receive the same kind of scrutiny."
This is outrageous. McCain is only out of the media spotlight because the McCain Media takes him out -- intentionally -- and it is detrimental to our election process. The free pass allows McCain to continue to raise more money, look more presidential than he really is and garner good poll numbers, which gives him advantages he doesn't deserve and wouldn't otherwise get if he were properly scrutinized. Timmeh says they've been flooded with e-mails about this, but he ain't seen nothin' yet. Send an e-mail to MSNBC and let them know that it is completely unacceptable to tell us that we have to wait for any amount of time or any reason before we see balanced coverage and scrutiny of John McCain's disastrous campaign.
We're going to hold on to this clip and refer to it often...
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What about the Pentagon Propaganda Program? There is a whole raft of things the Corporate Media is in denial about.
Pravda USA.
NOOOOOO! DON'T. Do not throw something at the tv. THROW THE DAMN THING OUT THE WINDOW. I'm in the process of ruining my keyboard, I'm pounding the keys so hard. Two grand old schmucks. GRRRRRRR!
Are General Electric's Prime Time Butt Plugs to be trusted in scrutinizing Captain Queeg McCaine?
Well, Duh! Meanwhile, Bush and his cronies are robbing us blind and covering their asses. No mention of the congressional hearings, the plight of the middle class. Iraq. There is a war going on? These guys know they better start coming clean. Americans are already turning them off.
And tell tweety that it's Democratic warhorses.
Translation:
"Joe and Jane Six pack (...dont mention the war...) are too dumb to walk and chew gum so we will continue (...dont mention the war...)
to pander to the most insignificant aspects for personality, we need to spin this thing out so are ratings stay up (...dont mention the war...) ...
Jazz hands: "THAT'S DISINFOTAINMENT" Jazz hands
Ya it sucks but i have no problem with the MSM saving it's McCain scrutiny for the general election. Its just I doubt they will.
Russert....Matthews...a couple of taterheads!
So...I could only watch the primary coverage for about 10 minutes last night...then I watched Stargate Atlantis...
So who won? Or or they gonna drag this out as long as they can?
If the seventy percent of sane Americans stopped watching the corporate media shills they will go away.
Stop watching and responding to these clowns like they matter. We are making our own media on the Internets.
They have had eight years under Bush to do the right thing, so don't hold your breath now. They are fundamentally pawns of the Military Industrial Complex that Eisenhower warned us about.
and 'later on' will morph into 'oh hell, that's old news; who cares about old news'...
The "Media" has already decided: they want a McBush Presidency.
That way they won't have to really work at what they do for another 4 years...and still get paid!
Sent. Now let's see if our demands meet with any success.
The msm ignoring outrageous lies by the right is a long established pattern, and has let this white house avoid being impeached. It has however, been a two-edged sword and has made the internets the resort of serious citizens for the facts. That the msm has been discredited by its own inaction is not altogether a bad result.
I'm sure Arianna Huffington would have told him about poor McCain coverage if he would have her on his show. But alas, Russert is a coward and a sorry journalist.
Bush=28% approval
McCain=48% approval
Yet McCain is running on the Bush platform...
Russert belched:
Un-belched, but driving the whole thing:
Bullshit! Who are "they"?
Jesus, lets move on. The friggin primary is over. Listening to the morning news, you would think Bush already retired to Crawford. What about Dick Chaney's main man being supenaed? What about the DOJ investagations. God, does the MSM think were that dumb?
In a past career, wasn't timmeh this actor?
http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00186/Marty_Feldman_ameri_186080...
Image that, a crusty old white man getting preferential treatment . . . is this for real?! [/sarcasm]
liberalHUSSEINmoderation @ 8:
Look out russet, ...tweety, he's a comin' fer ya!!!
http://www.irishmax.com/images/Img11.gif
My Letter to Timmeh:
Probably won't do a damn bit of good, but at least I feel better.
Screw the emails. These guys have to be in public at some point. Give them an ass-beating they'll not soon forget.
Oh dear, our cash cow is dying!
New Cow?
New cow!
There's no drama in the republican race. The US demographics who watch the news want to watch reality TV starring the candidates. "Next Up: Donald Trump presents: the Candidate!"
Bush is on right now bitching about his tax cuts being permanent. God! The man is not only clueless, he is delusional!
FilthyHarry @ 7:
If they can spin it into something juicy and scandelous they'll use it. John 'Senior Moments' McCain is about 6" shorter than Obama an is losing his mental facilities. He'll look disasterous in debates. Let's keep demanding debates, and watching them so they pull ratings.
At least he got honest for a moment, wonder how that slipped past the big wigs? He was also right on Clinton, it's over. Hilary is done. Why the hell anyone would want to have a person as president who can't keep a campaign in budget and borrowing is beyond me. If she can't stay in the black with her campaign how can you expect her to turn our nations economy around?
They can't cover McCain's inconsistencies and flip flops because Obama and Clinton consume too much time?????? 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but they just don't have the time!!!!! Poor babies.
But somehow, they do manage to find the time to spend an hour or more on a house fire in Seattle, car chases in California and Britney Spears stopping to fill up with gas.
This is the broadcast news equivalent of "The dog ate my homework."
In a man-on-the-street interview four years ago a man recalled that during the 60s and 70s, with only three networks and 30-minute newscasts, "real" journalists managed to find time cover the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, and all the other important stories of the day.
Russert and Matthews and their ilk are full of it. Worse, more than half the people listening to that crap actually buy it.
They screwed up... they should have just kept their mouths shut about their inability to concentrate on more than one story at a time.
Now we know that they are willfully ignoring stories and that they're incompetent.
from open left...
Just keep in mind that even though, for once, the media narrative seems to be turning in a way that will be helpful to Democrats and progressives, as an institution it is a fundamentally oppositional to our goals. We may be getting lucky with it right now, but that is only temporary. It is a singular victory, and not part of a larger pattern or positive trend.
fundamentally oppositional to our goals.....our mainstream media
P.D. @ 17:
Yes, they do. They are recycling lead-to-war-in-Iraq propaganda and just replacing it with "Iran", and the public is buying it. Unfortunately I think most of the public is that dumb.
My fear, here, is that the Village will all simply say that they committed an error in judgment re: coverage, if anything is (rightly) made of this. And taken in isolation, one might almost charitably allow something like that. The thing is, and we all know this, that this is simply another angle of a media complicit in the coup of the last eight years. The Village needs to be held to account, and at very least, removed from public discourse.
THANK YOU C&L! Thanks for holding the media to account.
Of course he's getting a free pass. McCain already presumes he's President.
for some reason they did this 11:30 at night - when no one is watching, but hey at least we have the clip to show.
Your right Laure, Unfortunitily Americans are so self-absorbed, they don't give a crap about anything except American Idol and tabloid news. Depressing.
They dont care who wins... they need a horserace, thats what matters to
these scaly worms.
P.D. @ 36:
Eff you... why ya gotta judge...
Sorry to offend you EliteLemming.
Cons are still going to go after Obama on Wright.
They'll say . . . who in their right mind will vote for a guy who tossed his mentor and friend of 20 years overboard to the sharks for his own political gain?
Count Typo @ 23:
More bull.
LOL LA, I think that has been a staple of the REPUG handbook! Who are they kidding?
theWalrus @ 11:
And when they do a really crappy job, they'll get promoted!! Woohoo!!! I guess I should've taught my kids to lie, cheat, and steal... I totally effed up their training for this age of piracy. Sorry kids!!
The way i see it, there's nothing surprising or startling here. there is merely an admittance of what our spineless press has been doing for essentially the last eight years. It get me sick to hear how this is a liberal media. Where? Esamples please. The conservatives control talk radio and middle america feeds off rush. if he says it it must be true. Why heck, he's fed to our troops in Iraq on our dime. talk about biting ourselves. and as far as television, o'reilley, hannity, they have huge ratings. again, middle america feeds off them. so enough on the liberal media. not true. So now we have russert and matthews admitting that as long as there is any life left in the Reverend Wright issue, they will continue to focus on that rather than going after that bungling fool on the other side. turns out he does have something in common with reagan. Will the American Press ever emerge once again as the last bastion of hope. Not until more helen Thomas' emerge. Forget the rest of them. There efforts are all into reaching the top, keeping their anchor jobs ...and selling books. screw them.
P.D. @ 42:
Almost everybody. Except for us 1%ers.
am so glad y'all caught that Timmeh quote - will prove handy "in time"
The biggest thing to me is that they ARE paying attention to the fact that millions are paying attention to them--- and they seem to care. We can't let down. Keep emailing them. Bush isn't at 20% for nothing and all of MSM needs to know that going light on McSame (enabling) isn't going to make them popular either. Maybe it's all we've got. And somebody is listening!
P.D. you didn't... I jus gots the hope... fer change... specialy at the gas pump... hahas... ;P
Suggesting that the media will cover the Obama/McCain race with any semblance of objectivity is an even bigger lie than I'm accustomed to hearing coming out of Tweety and Timmeh's mouths. The Swift Boat Media for McCain is the wealthy elite's last line of defense against having to pay their fair share of taxes and be accountable for their actions, and they're not going down without a fight.
Oh, yeah, yeah (my best Beavis and Butthead voice) that's right, when the GOP tells us to, wel'll jump right on that McSame thingey, he he he.
I have never been so angry as Mondays, wall to wall pimping for Hillary, they called HER Hillary, and HIM Obama, it was non stop from 5 am on the left coast, in tandem, all day long, I was shocked. It was like they had orders to pimp Clinton at all cost.
I think I am almost ready to cancel my cable. I'm a gittin close.
L.A. don't help the others too much... please...
You know, I think these guys actually believe their own bullshit.
EliteLemming @ 51:
Doesn't matter most of what I spew goes in one ear and out the other anyway.
This clip is a great ad for the Internet --- which is truly all the news, all the time. Other than that, don't get mad, get even. Hold Russert to it after the convention. That's when it counts. AFTER Wright dies down, then hit McCain with Hagee and Falwell, etc. Timing will be everything. The less exposed McCain is now, the weaker he will be come the fall.
OMIGOD, it is totally hopeless to WAKE UP you folks on the blogosphere...you actually believe that WE can manipulate the media????????? It's them that set the course for us..."flooded with e-mails" doesn't have an effect so you think a BIGGER FLOOD might...dream on...they have the power and money to continue on as they have for ages now...that's the beauty of media consolidation...you want a REAL ISSUE to get folks behind...get them behind that one...undoing the building of these mega information dynasties that have more to do with the course of our lives than politicians...what a wonderful world!
"The Swift Boat Media for McCain"
I like it Dr Wu!
CatAtomic @ 52:
Yejh... and thuse supposed are own, trying to sell makes it sadder...
jus lost a tear...
I tried the link provided to send e-mails to MSNBC. They won't go through. Anyone else have this problem?
L.A. Confidential @ 53:
Well I listen to you with all respect due, even though we might disagree, you're not one to jus spit rhetoric... that's what we need, and luv ya fer it...
Jesus, I cant stand the spin anymore. Joe is still on. Doesn't he leave at ten? I think I had enough of Morning Joe. Quite frankly I don't know why I'm watching this. Maybe I'm a gutton for punishment.
my email to MSNBC:
P.D. @ 60:
There is a kind of fascination watching the MSM manipulate the populace.
Hey Chris take a look at your hands. The blood of all the dead MURDERED by George Bush is on your hands and every other member of the Fourth Estate that did not do - is not doing their job. IN bed with not embedded. Our soldiers ordered to follow the command of a lying sociopath Dead or returning physically and mentally maimed with out available care. The innocent people of Iraq murdered and maimed what did their country do to us? Can you dredge up the photo of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam. "enemy of my enemy...' the US plays all sides of the fence.. George Bush and his whole administration told the lie and the Main stream Media repeated it and repeated it until it became the truth.
Recall this quote from Adolph Hitler " Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it"
Wow doesn't the accurate prophetic sickening reality of this quote just turn your stomach given what George Bush and his administration has done to the world in our name WITH YOUR HELP.
Karma Chris?I hope it comes around...
Well - here's a REAL challenge for them now. Trying to make this guy seem presidential with McBomb himself sabotaging the effort every step of the way.
They're going to have to wire him like they did Bush. With his already less than perfect upright stance -- that'll stand out like a sore thumb in all televised events.
Or they can put a muzzle on him and surround him with "spokespersons" 24/7.
Bottom line -- the guy is just not presidential. Not in oratory, demeanor, physical presence -- or in any way that counts.
They're going to be selling snake-oil.
*
Mike @ 61:
Their probably reading your e-mail out loud at the studio while Joe is having his makeup and hair refreshed and chuckling.
It's hard wook building mountains...
Trittydi @ 63:
"What hump?"
*
Right on LA, it's like watching a car wreck. These guys are clueless. Families are hanging on by a thread, Two wars, economical meltdown, and these guys are still talking about Wright and Limpballs effect on the primary. Jeez.
And after about eight years of your bullshit interviews, I'm supposed to believe you're going to do your job like your're supposed to Tim. Tim, you are going to do what your corporate bosses tell you to do. You've had chances to do interviews on things that matter to the American people. You passed them up to do what the republicans wanted you to do. You might do a little work on politics that matter but then you'll go back to your old ways!
Dancer @ 55:
it's easy. cancel your cable subscription. we did it years ago, haven't missed cable for a day. if i wanna watch t.v. i watch great movies and t.v. series on netflix, and if i want the news, i get a newspaper or read headlines on the 'net.
cable news as an entity (and the old broadcast news networks, which are indistinguishable) could probably collapse tomorrow and america would be a happier place. the stuff we'd miss like decent television shows could go back to broadcast and direct-to-dvd release. 25 years after it was invented i just dont think the cable t.v. experiment worked out.
So do they think when they admit what the American public noticed long ago that makes it acceptable. Hey Matthews and Russert wipe the McSame barbecue sauce off your faces and start asking some tough questions. Or we will continue to go to the internet for our news.
Matthews has allowed McCain to repeat unsubstantiated claims about Iran.
Will never forget when Cheney was on Russert's over a year ago. Cheney was repeating all sorts of hogwash about Iran and instead of Russert challenging Cheney Russert asked "so what do we do"?
Christ all mighty Matthews and Russert peoples lives are on the line here. Peoples lives you fucking fake Catholics!
Ask some hard questions before more innocent people are murdered by the Bush administration or McSame
P.D. @ 67:
THEY DON'T CARE... Duh...
P.D. @ 67:
These guys are tools of the machine. They aren't clueless they just don't care as long as the fame and big bucks continue.
Trittydi @ 63:
That's all they ever sell and they call it infotainment.
Why does MSNBC still list Obama's margin of victory as 56% to Clinton's 42%? They are calling it a 14 point victory when it is clearly 16.
Obama = 890,695 (57.51%) round up to 58%
Clinton = 657,920 (42.48%) round dn to 42%
I don't really care whether they cover McCain's gaffes. One Debate showing the old confused McCain against Obama will hurt McCain as much as anything.
Trittydi @ 63:
Hey, bush didn't have any of those things either and we got him for 8 years.
"Trust The Computer. The Computer is Your Friend."
I guess the talking heads will never get it. When you can hire people to put gas in your car, you kind of lose empathy for your fellow man.
CNN is doing it also. 56% to 42% = 98. Why aren't the NC numbers adding up?
EMPY @ 74:
Actually its only 15 and its not a big deal. All that happens is they round the percentage from each candidate to the nearest whole number and then substract the smallest from the largest instead of substracting the percentages to the nearest 100th of a percent.
EMPY @ 74:
1. Mediocrity
2. To confuse people
Your choice
EliteLemming @ 77:
LOL good one.
Here is the part of the transcript of Russert's interview with Cheney having to do with Iran.
Q And we're back with the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney. Let me show you what Mr. Khatami from Iran visiting the United States had to say and read it for you and our viewers.
"Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami warned that the U.S. military action in the Middle East has backfired, producing greater terrorism, imperiling the future of Iraq, and damaging America's long-term interest. But the danger of even great instability in the region will ultimately prevent the U.S. from launching military strikes against Iran over disputes about its nuclear intentions. He predicted: 'America will not make the same mistake of attacking Iran; Iran is not Iraq.'"
Is he right?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we certainly understand Iran is not Iraq. I'm not sure I would agree with much what else he said. Obviously, we are concerned about what Iran is up to. We think their pursuit of enrichment capability that would allow them ultimately to produce nuclear weapons is fundamentally a problem for that part of the world. That's a view shared by most of our friends in the international community.
Q How do you stop them?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we've started through the process of working with the other nations involved -- the EU3, the Russians and the Chinese; we got a resolution through the U.N. Security Council -- a tough resolution in July -- that basically called on them to give up their nuclear aspirations. And since they have not responded affirmatively to that, we are now in the process of negotiating with the U.N. Security Council members and the part of that P5 process on a set of sanctions that could be approved by the United Nations and imposed on Iran.
Q Will we do anything to stop the Iranians from having a nuclear bomb?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We have said repeatedly that we think they should not have a nuclear bomb. And we also made it abundantly clear we want to solve the problem diplomatically. But the President has always emphasized no options have been taken off the table.
"HOW DO WE STOP THEM" is what Russert asked Cheney. Not "WHERE IS THE HARD EVIDENCE TO BACK UP YOUR CLAIMS" or something like that. What a bunch of fucking wimp ass journalist.
here is that whole transcript with Cheney and Russert. Pathetic
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060910.html
Quick reminder: please be firm but respectful when contacting MSNBC.
mike @ 69:
Hells yeah! I went for awhile without cable...though I did have BSG (BattleStar Galactica) withdrawals for awhile...it only takes about 2 weeks to forget about it...
EMPY @ 79:
Probably because anytime you give a whole bunch of Democratic voters a ballot, at least 2% are going to vote for Kucinich, Edwards, Ron Paul, Mickey Mouse, or Eric Cartman (not exclusive list). 56% Obama + 42% Clinton + 2% Retarded bullshit from mouth breathers = 100%
L.A. Confidential @ 81:
Matt Goldberg @ 84:
And remember all e-mails get auto forwarded to Homeland Security.
Yeah, and don't forget HOW they break down the polls. Blacks voted this way. Whites voted that way. Old-timers this way. They obviously want to manipulate the voters by skewing the polls.
vrk @ 80:
Rounding to the nearest whole numbers gives 58 and 42 as I listed for a margin of 16, as I listed. Your math yields 101% of the vote.
It's too early to attack McCain, who has already won his nomination, but fine to attack Obama, who has not yet won? What kind of drugs is Russert on? No, everybody realizes the reality behind the situation, which is that Russert and the rest of the media are too afraid to do anything other than parrot the Repug talking points and smears. And they always will be.
So we can expect Russert/media attacks on McCain probably around the time the Dem Congress stops the Iraq War.