-Caveat Lector- FYI -- subscription info below. What media is telling us about Gore's mess ups? It's Bush all the time... ----- Original Message ----- From: Media Research Center <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 10:43 AM Subject: MRC Alert: Bush's "Message Make-Over"; Gore Flub & Made Up Costs Skipped > ***Media Research Center CyberAlert*** > Tuesday September 19, 2000 (Vol. Five; No. 170) > > Bush's "Message Make-Over"; Gore Flub & Made Up Costs Skipped; > Lynne Just Like Hillary; NY Times Found a Biased Network > > #### Distributed to more than 5,900 recipients by the Media > Research Center, bringing political balance to the media. Visit > the MRC on the Web: http://www.mediaresearch.org. Past CyberAlerts > are available at: http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/cyberalert/ > Subscribe/unsubscribe information at end of this message. > When posted, this CyberAlert will be readable at: > http://www.mrc.org/news/cyberalert/2000/cyb20000919.html #### > > > 1) Al Gore stumbled over words and a newspaper revealed he made up > numbers in a speech, but ABC, CBS and NBC ignored that and instead > focused on Bush "road-testing a new image and message make-over" > aimed at the middle class. ABC checked Gore's appeal among women. > NBC found a woman turned off by the "conservative Dick Cheney." > 2) CNN and FNC showed Al Gore flailing as he could not remember > the word "mammogram" and picked up on a Boston Globe story > headlined: "Gore Misstates Facts in Drug-Cost Pitch." > 3) Actor Alec Baldwin, in a clip played by FNC, claimed that "if > Bush won it would be a good time to leave the United States," but > he will not necessarily to leave. "I might go on a long vacation." > 4) "In many ways," CNN's Bernard Shaw insisted, Lynne Cheney "is > the Hillary Clinton model of a political spouse: outspoken, > involved, active on the trail." > 5) FNC "was the only news organization that we felt was biased > against us," conceded Lanny Davis in inadvertently indicting the > other networks as pro-Clinton. The New York Times discovered bias > at a network, a "conservative cable channel." > > > >>> September 18 Notable Quotables, the MRC's "bi-weekly > compilation of the latest outrageous, sometimes humorous, quotes > in the liberal media," now online thanks to Kristina Sewell and > Andy Szul. Amongst the quote headings: "From Frat Boy to Rat Boy"; > "Dick Cheney, Bathroom Bigot"; "George Washington Crossed Line"; > "Firestone Failures? Blame Reagan"; "One-Sided Take on Taxes" and > "Oprah: I Wanted Tongue Too." To read this issue, go to: > http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/nq/2000/nq20000918.html > To see it as a life-like Adobe Acrobat PDF file, go to: > http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/nq/2000/pdf/sep182000nq.pdf <<< > > > > 1) A bad day on the campaign trail for Al Gore as he flailed > about trying to find the word "mammogram" at a campaign stop > intended to demonstrate his concern for women's health while his > aides had to react to a Boston Globe story about how he made up > numbers in telling an anecdote about how the same arthritis drug > supposedly costs more for his mother-in-law than for his dog. > > But unlike when George W. Bush makes a flub or gets a fact > wrong, viewers of the three broadcast networks and MSNBC's The > News with Brian Williams heard nothing about either event as only > CNN and FNC bothered to report them. More on the two events in > item #2 below. > > ABC, which did pick up on a Globe story about a glowing > rabbit, CBS, MSNBC and NBC all ran full stories on the campaign > Monday night focused on, as Dan Rather put it, how Bush spent the > day "road-testing a new image and message make-over" aimed at the > middle class. ABC also looked at why Al Gore has won over women > and NBC examined the undecided swing voters in Pennsylvania, > specifically a woman "lawyer who once favored Bush, now undecided. > Why? She says Bush's choice of conservative Dick Cheney..." > > Here's a rundown of the campaign stories aired Monday night, > September 18, on the three broadcast network evening shows: > > -- ABC's World News Tonight. After opening with the latest > Olympic results, ABC went right to the campaign. Dean Reynolds, as > transcribed by MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth, outlined Bush's new > strategy: > "The stop in Little Rock marked the start of an effort to > reignite Bush's campaign by refocusing on his cradle to grave > concerns for Americans and their families....During a twelve-and- > a-half minute speech, Bush used the word 'families' 41 times, as > he explained his plan to double the child tax credit from $500 to > $1,000 per child and referred to other plans outlined in a glossy > new pamphlet called 'A Blueprint for the Middle Class,' a pamphlet > with a woman pictured on every page. That too was no accident." > > Reynolds recalled that Bush "once enjoyed a majority of women > voters' support" before the conventions, "but it's been all > downhill since for Bush, whose latest rating among women is no > better than his father's was in 1992 or Bob Dole's in 1996." Bush > is now at 38 percent with women according to the ABC > News/Washington Post poll. > > Reynolds asked: "So what happened? Well, the Bush campaign > says Al Gore has been distorting the Governor's record and his > proposals. Others say the Governor hasn't done very well himself > explaining those proposals or that record. In any case, he plans > to do better this week with a special spotlight on tomorrow when > he's interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and watched by her television > audience of three-and-a-half million women." > > Indeed, Bush will appear on today's (September 19) Oprah. > > As for why Gore has won over women, anchor Peter Jennings > suggested reasons include "the kiss." Terry Moran then explained > Gore's strategy, but avoided his flub made at the same event from > which Mora picked a Gore soundbite: "At the University of Nevada > Las Vegas, the Vice President showed how he has managed to win > over so many women voters, making yet another campaign promise > exclusively aimed at them." > Al Gore: "I am calling for tough new patients rights > legislation to make sure that women get the best health care, not > just the cheapest." > Moran picked up: "Casting himself as a champion for women > against corporate power, Gore said he would propose legislation to > require HMOs to cover minimum hospital stays for breast cancer > treatments, guarantee a second opinion in cancer diagnoses, and > provide coverage for cancer screening tests, such as mammograms. > It's all part of the strategy to win back many women voters from a > summertime flirtation with Governor Bush..." > > Moran went on to play a clip of Gore on Oprah last week as an > example of how Gore is showcasing his softer side in an effort to > shed his image as a stiff politician, an effort Moran noted was > aided by "the kiss" and the prominent role of his daughters at the > convention. On the downside, Moran conceded Gore is losing men. > > Later, in "A Closer Look" segment, Jennings and George > Stephanopoulos stood in an office and talked about "holdouts," > undecided voters who mainly live in suburbs of major cities. > > ABC skipped the Boston Globe story on how Gore "mangled the > facts" about prescription drug costs, but prompted by a Sunday > Boston Globe piece, ABC ended with a story about a lab in France > which created a glowing rabbit by using genes from a > phosphorescent jellyfish. > > > -- CBS Evening News. Dan Rather declared that "reeling from > plummeting polls, Republican George Bush is quickly road-testing a > new image and message make-over. CBS's Bill Whitaker is watching > this latest Bush strategy change in action." > > Whitaker began by asserting that Gore is winning over the > middle class as Gore "continues to paint Bush as the candidate of > big business and special interests with huge tax cuts that mainly > benefit the wealthy." > Gore: "Will we squander this chance with a huge tax cut for > the wealthy at the expense of the middle class?" > > Whitaker outlined Bush's counter-punch: "So Bush has sharpened > his language and sharpened his attack. At every stop this week > trying to prove his plan benefits the middle class more than > Gore's, from birth to retirement. He wants tax cuts for all. Gore, > he says, just targets segments of the middle class." > Bush: "It's so targeted that it misses the target. Fifty > million Americans get no tax relief under my opponent's plan." > > Whitaker concluded with doubts: "With some Republicans > complaining of his less than strenuous campaign pace, George W. > Bush now plans to spend more time campaigning and to hit Al Gore > harder to win back the middle class. But challenging Al Gore on > issues like taxes and health care is a tricky strategy since > current polls show most people think that Democrats handle those > issues better." > > > -- NBC Nightly News. Following a quick rundown of the Olympic > medal count NBC aired two campaign stories before returning to the > Olympics, which consumed over half the show. > > From Sydney, anchor Tom Brokaw noted that Bush is "hoping to > kick-start his campaign by focusing more sharply on the middle > class, especially women voters." > > David Gregory elaborated: "Losing ground to the Vice > President, today Governor Bush again retools the campaign's > message, the second course correction in as many weeks. Touring a > maternity ward in Little Rock this morning, Bush touts what he > calls his blueprint for the middle class." > George W. Bush: "My plan is one that gives people options, not > orders." > Gregory: "At every stop today taxes are issue one. While Gore > attacks the Republican nominee for favoring only the rich, Bush > says his across-the-board cut helps the middle class more than the > Vice President's targeted relief." > Bush: "It's so targeted that it misses the target. Fifty > million Americans get no tax relief." > Gregory: "Aides concede recent credibility attacks on the Vice > President haven't worked, creating more distractions than > questions about Gore's character. Campaign sources now say Bush > must focus on core issues -- education, taxes, health care, Social > Security -- areas where Bush can attack Gore for favoring > government solutions over individual choice." > > Gregory asserted: "Seven weeks from election day, the > undecideds mean everything. Campaign strategists say it's not just > working families but regaining the support of women that's > critical..." > > Next, Lisa Myers checked out the situation in a key state: > "This is Lisa Myers in Washington, where Republicans say to > understand the difficulties facing Bush you need only look to > Pennsylvania. Not long ago, Bush had a small lead here. Now this > critical state is leaning Gore. One reason, independent voters > like Melissa Kelly, a lawyer who once favored Bush, now undecided. > Why? She says Bush's choice of conservative Dick Cheney as his > running mate and Bush's own uneven performance." > Melissa Kelly: "A lack of preparedness and a lack of quick- > thinking, which I think is very important to the office." > > Myers did go on to note that Kelly's husband has a problem > with Gore for his inconsistency in bashing business. > > > > 2) CNN and FNC let viewers see the Gore word flub and > informed them of the Boston Globe story on how a couple of weeks > ago Gore made up numbers in an anecdote about how drug companies > charge humans more than dogs for the same drug. > > CNN dealt with both topics on Inside Politics and on The World > Today Jonathan Karl showed the mammogram flub in his taped piece. > Afterward, CNN anchor Joie Chen explained the Globe disclosure and > played a clip of Gore back on August 28 making the offending claim > followed by a soundbite of Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes > criticizing him for it. > > FNC's Jim Angle included both items in his piece on Special > Report with Brit Hume. Showing Gore at the University of Nevada at > Las Vegas, Angle noted: "Crowds cheer deliriously when Gore beats > up on HMOs, but they also had to help him out a little when he > seemed to forget the name of a key women's exam as he explained > slow treatment for breast cancer patients." > Gore: "A long waiting line before they could get a biopsy or, > ah, or a ah, another kind of, what am I looking for, a sonogram > or." > People in the crowd shouted "mammogram." > > Angle then addressed a revelation ignored by the broadcast > networks and MSNBC: "Meanwhile, the Gore campaign was trying to > deflect a story in the Boston Globe which found that Gore made up > part of a story about his mother-in-law in an attack on the > prescription drug companies. Tipper Gore's mother lives with the > Gores and the Vice President noted that she takes an arthritis > drug called Lodine." > Gore, August 28 in Tallahassee: "And it costs her $108 per > month. Now here is, here's the catch to this, and some of you've > heard about this with some medications, this is an example in our > household." > Jim Angle: "Gore went on to explain that a family dog also has > arthritis and takes the same drug, but he said the cost for the > pet is far less, which he called an example of unfair pricing by > drug companies." > Gore, in same August 28 speech: "So while it costs $108 a > month for a person, it costs $37.80 a month for a dog. Don't you > think that ought to be changed, don't you think we ought to reduce > the price for seniors?" > > Angle explained: "Though Gore said specifically this was an > example from his household, aides now concede that Gore did not > know and does not know what his mother-in-law actually pays for > the drug or the price that is charged the dog for that matter. But > they do explain that he was using numbers instead from a > Democratic study about drug pricing. They do insist that Gore's > mother-in-law and the dog are in fact taking the drug." > > +++ See Gore flub his terminology and tell his made up tale > about drug costs. Late Tuesday morning MRC Webmaster Andy Szul > will post a RealPlayer clip of part of Angle's story. Go to: > http://www.mrc.org > > "Gore Misstates Facts in Drug-Cost Pitch," announced the > headline over the September 18 Boston Globe front page story by > Walter V. Robinson. Here's an excerpt from what he reported: > > Vice President Al Gore, reaching for a personal example to > illustrate the breathtaking costs of some prescription drugs, told > senior s in Florida last month that his mother-in-law pays nearly > three times as much for the same arthritis medicine used for his > ailing dog, Shiloh. > > But Gore, the master of many policy details, mangled the facts, > and late last week his aides could not say with certainty that > Shiloh or Margaret Ann Aitcheson actually takes the brand-name > drug, Lodine, that Gore said they do. > > Even if they take the drug, Gore's assertion that his black > Labrador retriever's monthly bill is $37.80 and Aitcheson's is > $108 is wrong. The Gore campaign admitted that it lifted those > costs not from his family's bills, but from a House Democratic > study, and that Gore misused even those numbers: They represent > the manufacturer's price to wholesalers, not the retail price of > the brand-name product. > > What's more, the costs Gore cited presume that his dog and > mother-in-law take the same dosage -- which could put 14-year-old > Shiloh at risk for stomach ulcers. > > Those facts aside, Gore's overall message was accurate -- that > many brand-name drugs that have both human and animal applications > are much more expensive for people than for pets. > > But in the often bewildering debate over how to ease the national > pain caused by escalating drug prices, Gore may have focused on > the wrong drug. Eighty-five percent of Americans who are > prescribed the popular arthritis drug now rely on a generic > alternative that can be had at a quarter of the retail price of > Lodine. > > When they were asked last Thursday whether Aitcheson and Shiloh > actually take the brand name of the drug, two of the vice > president's aides were unable to say whether that was the case or > how much the family pays for each.... > > For Gore, who has a history of embellishing facts about himself > and his family, the remarks he made in Florida are a blend of > erroneous family detail and questionable statistics on an election > issue of growing significance. > > In raising the issue during an Aug. 28 speech in Tallahassee, Gore > was reading from a party script, joining Democratic congressional > candidates in a populist assault on drug companies that relies in > part on the Democratic House study. It concludes that a range of > brand-name drugs, Lodine among them, are more costly for humans > than for animals. > > Jeff Trewhett, the spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and > Manufacturers Association of America, said the higher costs for > the human version of patented drugs is justified because the > research, development, and approval costs can surpass $500 million > per drug. But once the drug is approved for humans, the cost to > test and approve it for animals is minimal, he said.... > > As for the arthritis medicine Gore said is used by two members of > his household, a typical month's supply of the generic version can > be had for less than $40. The version used for dogs, which is > still under patent, costs at least $70 a month for comparable > doses, and often much more when it is obtained from a > veterinarian, according to pharmaceutical industry officials.... > > END Excerpt > > To read the entire story, go to: > http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/262/nation/Gore_misstates_facts_ > in_drug_cost_pitch%2b.shtml > > Today's Globe offers a follow-up story on reactions from Bush > and Gore, "Prescription Story Is a Pill for Gore." Go to: > http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/263/nation/Prescription_story_is > _a_pill_for_Gore+.shtml > > Back to Monday's Special Report with Brit Hume on FNC, during > the roundtable segment Brit Hume wondered if other media would > pick up on Gore's sonograms/mammograms confusion. Angle relayed > from the campaign trail: "I heard a cameraman, for instance, > saying, 'man, if that were George W. Bush doing that people would > be all over him.'" > > That kind of wayward thinking is why he's a cameraman and not > a producer or a reporter. > > > > 3) Alec Baldwin's Clintonesque definition of "leave." Monday > night FNC's Brit Hume picked up on actor Alec Baldwin's promise to > "leave" the U.S. if George Bush wins, but FNC showed a soundbite > of Baldwin backing off his promise once it became news. > > A Sunday AP dispatch from Munich announced: "Baldwins Will > Leave if Bush Wins." The story read, in full: > "If George W. Bush wins the U.S. presidential election this > November, he may not be the only one moving into a new house. > "Kim Basinger said her husband, actor and Democratic party > activist Alec Baldwin, was serious when he said he would leave the > United States if the Republican wins. > "'Alec is the biggest moralist that I know,' she was quoted as > saying in Focus magazine, which hits newsstands Monday. 'He stands > completely behind what he says.' > "Asked if she'd move with him, Basinger said: 'I can very well > imagine that Alec makes good on his threat. And then I'd probably > have to go too.'" > > Good riddance. > > Monday night Hume played this soundbite from Baldwin standing > somewhere outdoors: "I think my exact comment was that if Bush won > it would be a good time to leave the United States. I'm not > necessarily going to leave the United States." > Off-camera female reporter: "You're not really going > anywhere." > Baldwin: "I might go on a long vacation." > > Hume added: "Baldwin, you'll recall, suggested on late night > TV during the Clinton impeachment that Henry Hyde and his family > should be killed." > > Indeed, on the December 11, 1998 Late Night with Conan > O'Brien, Baldwin thought it was funny to stand and shout: "Stone > Henry Hyde to death!" To read the full quote or to watch the > outburst via RealPlayer, go to: > http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/biasvideo_classics.html > > > > 4) Lynne Cheney = Hillary Clinton? On Monday's Inside > Politics, CNN anchor Bernard Shaw uttered a comparison probably > not welcomed by Lynne Cheney -- saying she represents the "Hillary > Clinton model" of political spouse. > > Shaw explained how on a Sunday interview show Cheney > "ridiculed Al Gore for criticizing the entertainment industry > while taking its money." He played a soundbite of her on Fox News > Sunday: "Al Gore's message on this is completely craven depending > upon the moment, depending upon whether he wants the entertainment > industry's money, or whether he wants the votes of moms and dads > around the country." > > Shaw then assessed: "In many ways, Cheney is the Hillary > Clinton model of a political spouse: outspoken, involved, active > on the trail. But while Mrs. Clinton was judged by some to be > naive when she first came to Washington, Cheney has been fighting > political battles for years, as head of the National Endowment for > Humanities, and later, a host of CNN's Crossfire." > > Unlike Hillary Clinton, Lynne Cheney earned government > positions on her own to which she was confirmed by the Senate and > I bet she realizes she's not on the ballot this year. > > > > 5) Imagine this headline over a New York Times story on > MSNBC: "Liberal Cable Channel Gains in Ratings War." You have to > imagine it since the New York Times has never run a story focused > on how a network is liberal, even though there are so many from > which to choose. But Monday's paper carried a story tied to the > Fox News Channel's supposedly conservative bias. "The Right > Strategy for Fox," announced the September 18 headline. The > subhead: "Conservative Cable Channel Gains in Ratings War." > > The story by Jim Rutenberg is actually fairly informative and > interesting, helped by the fact that he included a comment from > the MRC's Tim Graham. To read the piece, go to: > http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/18/business/18FOX.html > > Rutenberg did, however, display the usual liberal media bias > in making sure readers learned about the political background of > FNC's chief Roger Ailes while ignoring it for CNN's head honcho. > Rutenberg wrote: "In critiques of Fox, it is usually noted that > Mr. Ailes was a political consultant to Richard M. Nixon, Ronald > Reagan and George Bush." > > But 14 paragraphs later, Rutenberg relayed: "Tom Johnson, the > CNN chairman and chief executive, took issue with accusations that > the network is infused with liberal bias, saying, 'CNN's success > worldwide was built by providing accurate and balanced coverage. > We have never wavered from this quality and will not.'" > > Rutenberg failed to point out that Tom Johnson once toiled for > President Lyndon Johnson both in the White House and afterward. > > The biggest admission in the article: "That was the only news > organization that we felt was biased against us," said Lanny J. > Davis, the former special counsel to Mr. Clinton who worked as a > paid political analyst for Fox in the recent Republican and > Democratic conventions. > > FNC should take that as a badge of honor and evidence of how > all the other networks were biased in favor of the Clinton > administration, but don't count on any New York Times articles > about pro-Clinton, pro-liberal or anti-conservative bias at every > other network. > > As for how consistently conservative FNC really is, Ailes > keeps hiring veterans of the other networks, such as Linda Vester > from NBC, and the latest, John "Spike" Gibson from NBC/MSNBC. > > Another network veteran, Paula Zahn, hosts an hour of prime > time, The Edge with Paula Zahn. Check out one of her questions to > George W. Bush as played on Special Report with Brit Hume in an > excerpt of her then upcoming interview shown Monday night: "But > even members of your own party aren't crazy about your tax cut > idea. They think it's too big, even some guys running now in > November for new congressional seats. They're abandoning you. > Why?" > > Sounds just like the type of question a CBS News reporter > would ask. Oh, that's right, Zahn was with CBS News until last > year. -- Brent Baker > > > >>> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Put "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" > in the BODY of the message, NOT in the subject line. Problems and > comments can be addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <<< > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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