All Edwards, All the Time
Reported by Nancy - July 6, 2004 -
John Edwards managed to supplant all others today on Fox News Live, although both anchors (Brigitte Quinn & David Asman) & correspondents tried desperately to put the approved GOP spin on it.
Quinn & Asman both quoted the RNC statement about Edwards ("disingenuous, unaccomplished, liberal friend to personal injury trial lawyers") mutliple times. Asman also managed to infuse the word "liberal" with the Fox-trademarked vocal sneer, as did Carl Cameron & Neil Cavuto. Along the way, over the course of 2+ hours (10:30am EDT - 12:30pm EDT) we were treated to such tidbits as repeated video of the press "stakeout" at Edwards' home in Georgetown, repeated references to GOP reaction (with Bush's & Cheney's reactions mentioned at least 4 times each), & gloating that either a Fox staffer or one of their many "consultants" had predicted this [comment: as though no one else ever had].
Fortunately, the guests coped with this barrage very well. For example, at 11:13am EDT, Brigitte Quinn interviewed Jack Quinn (former Gore staffer), who was so assertive that he just rolled over her repeated attempts to interject the RNC talking points. When she insisted on stating that Edwards is "inexperienced", he simply pointed out that Bush's only "experience" prior to political office was as a failed oilman & in the running of a baseball team. At that point, she gave up & ended the interview without thanking him or any of the other usual formalities.
Susan Turnbull (DNC deputy chair) was similarly assertive when Brigitte Quinn interviewed her (11:16am EDT). When interruptions & repetitions of RNC talking points didn't work, Quinn tried to change tactics, asserting that Bush is President during war & voters won't want to "change horses in midstream". Turnbull smiled & said "Oh yes they will," given how badly this war of choice is going.
Since the interviews weren't going particularly well, Fox decided it was time to drive home the message in other ways. To this end, Quinn briefly discussed how John McCain was Kerry's first choice [comment: only in GOP dreams] but now McCain supports Bush. Fox then showed the new ad on the Bush campaign website which tries to convey the same message.
Quinn's next guest, at 11:23am EDT, was Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who was equally adept at untwisting Quinn's questions & delivering the DNC message. [comment: my personal fave was her response to Quinn's assertion that Edwards is a liberal trying to re-cast himself as a populist -- "well, the press likes labels, but what Kerry & Edwards represent is a message of hope"].
Seeing that spin was not being properly applied, Fox brought on the big gun, aka David Asman at 11:30am EDT. Asman opened by going to Carl Cameron for his third repeat of the morning, but Asman interrupted Cameron to steer his report in the Fox-approved direction. This encouraged Cameron to hit a couple of RNC themes: the economy is "booming", & "jobs are coming back" so Dems' "attempt to connect to the middle class" are doomed.
Quinn then (11:35am EDT) attempted to redeem herself by interviewing Sidney Blumenthal (former senior advisor to President Bill Clinton) & Rick Davis (GOP strategist). Both interviewees gave pretty standard responses, but Blumenthal got off one good line, when he noted that the selection process that ended up with Edwards was much more rational than the selection process for VP candidate to run with Bush had been, when Cheney ended up picking himself. Davis' lame attempt to combat this image was to sneer that "well, Sidney Blumenthal knew Bill Clinton." [comment: is there a word to describe this fixation with Clinton?]
The most revealing moments of the entire show happened when Fox covered Bush meeting with David Oddson, PM of Iceland. During his brief remarks, Oddson wished Bush a happy birthday. After both Bush & Oddson fielded a couple of questions, Bush closed at 11:12am EDT by jocularly asking the press corps not to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Obediently, & on cue, a group of people (off screen) broke into a half-hearted rendition of same. [comment: if it was members of the press singing, they should be ashamed of themselves; if it was Bush staffers, I hope -- probably in vain -- that the press publicly distance themselves from such lame displays of sycophancy].
