Bush and Friends
Reported by Eleanor - July 27, 2004 -
Watching Fox & Friends first hour (July 27, 7-8 a.m.), I caught most of their democratic convention damage control comments as they tried to "get out the facts."
1. E.D. Hill reviewed Clinton's comment: We tried Them for 12 years, Us for 8 years and Them for 4 years, and We are better. She indicated that the democrats were set up by the republicans on both ends. (Her inane attempt to negate Clinton's comment did not come across at all.
2. Teresa Kerry's "shove it" comment was repeated with a vague reference to something she said about Ted Kennedy in the 1970's.
3. On Clinton's criticism of tax cuts for the rich, the criticism was that Clinton should give back his tax cuts, along with a give-back by Ben Affleck with his 1.5 million in tax cuts, when they criticized him later.
4. RNC Chairman, Ed Gillespie, continued the criticism with: Bush inherited a recession; Kerry will increase taxes for everyone, not just the top 1%; he cited the great Bush economy stats; (??) and that the RNC has 20 years of the Kerry record that the democrats won't talk about; that Bush will grab the 9/11 issues in the Commission Report, some of which he is already implementing through executive order. (With no specifics cited, or the fact that Bush tried to block the formation of the commission in the first place, delaying the report for three years.)
5. Fox showed a Newsweek cover with John Kerry in a cleaning suit from a tour of a space facility, commenting on how funny Kerry looked.
6. When Tad Devine, Kerry Campaign Adviser, countered Steve Doocy with some positive statements about Carter and the Kerrys, Doocy said, "See that ferry over there? Fox News would like to send you wherever it goes."
7. Chris Andersen, author of "American Evita," a book about Hillary, provided the fodder for a nasty discussion about Hillary, using her description of Kerry as "a serious man, serious job, serious time." A Kerry presidency could affect her career "big time." She's "not enthusiastic, she's over the top, grating, highly intense." Kerry is "not doing her any favors." Also, the cattiest comments of all, "Hillary didn't refer to Bill as her husband. There's a little tension between them. The reason she married him is that she knew he would be president."
Comment: All this and more in about 50 minutes, and they have time to do a lot more republican damage control before prime convention time tonight. Which party is doing the "bashing?" The lack of substance in this criticism of the democrats demonstrates the weakness of the republican position as nothing else can, but they're trying. Fox needs to rename this show Bush and Friends, since that's a more accurate title.
