ABC News calls Edwards "Desperate"

[Thickasabrick]

The actual title of the article is

"The Radicalization of John Edwards, John Edwards is a desperate candidate"

March 9, 2007 — On Thursday, ailing Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards rejected an offer to engage in a nationally televised debate with front-runners Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Sponsors of the debate would include the Democratic Party of Nevada, the Democratic Party of Arizona, the Democratic Party of Colorado, the Democratic Party of Montana, the Democratic Party of New Mexico, and the Western Majority Project, a liberal political action committee. Why would Edwards, who is currently running 25 percentage points behind Clinton and 13 points behind Obama, turn down such a rare opportunity to directly confront his opponents? Why would the television candidate of all television candidates turn down a chance to look pretty on national television?

Edwards rejected the invitation because Fox News is co-sponsoring the debate.

Really. Seriously. No joke.

"There were a number of factors and Fox was one of those," explained the Edwards campaign. "We're already planning to participate in a jam-packed schedule of debates across this country. … We can't attend every single debate and forum." Text

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2938218

Ben Shapiro appears to be one huge asshole. He obviously thinks being on Fox is a good thing...not to mention the damn thing was called off yesterday.

[Colobo]

1. ABC is moving to the right real quick

They want to dethrone Fox News...

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Is this the Fox event that Obama, too, was boycotting?

I'm not following the details of the early campaigns all that closely, but I know I read someplace that Obama, too, told Fox to shove it.

Good for all of them!

[David__77]

3. Jeez, there are millions of "radicals" against Fox.

Not that's it's even the same, but would the GOP get CBS News to do their primary debate. I don't think so...

The fact is the media elite don't like this because it calls out the ideological nature of "news reporting" in general. They want to be the uberfuhrers of information distribution, free from scrutiny.

[EFerrari]

5. Really -- it's just like when Nora O'Donnell called Sheehan an extremist

when the polls were saying that 60% of Americans wanted out of Iraq.

They are ruthless, truthless hacks.

[saltpoint]

22. If that last sentence up there isn't the voice of the Oracle of Delphi

then call me a cup of gravy and stick me out the window.

Bravo.

SOMEBODY around here has the wide-ranging command of politics AND poetry, and it happens to be you.

Nice damn job.

[EFerrari]

24. Didn't that Oracle have a Cassandra batting average?

I can't even figure out who you are, Old Crusoe, and I know you.

:rofl:

"But it's all right, yes, it's all right."

[saltpoint]

28. Hi, sfexpat2000. I used to be a Bay Area resident but ain't no more.

Don't worry -- I hold the Delphi priestess very high. She was a pre-statistic gal.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

[EFerrari]

4. Boycott the Nutwing media, John. You really can't lose that way.

We'll give you all the outlets you need.

:kick:

[snowbear]

6. That "Town Hall" section of ABC that you got that from...

...looks like the bat-shit crazy section of that network's on-line website.

Seriously, I wouldn't give Mr. Shapiro and his cronies the satisfaction of reprinting that article and keeping it alive...

I don't think Senator Edwards deserves it.

[Inspired]

10. A right wing website

you are correct...just bury it. I wouldn't expect anything else from a contributor to townhall.com.

[Catchawave]

18. Good catch larissa!

:hi:

[geek tragedy]

7. Ben Shapiro once wrote an article titled "Enemy 'civilian' deaths okay by me." eom

[AtomicKitten]

8. The Media Heathers are just being bitchy again.

I want to hear actual news, not their opinion.

[zulchzulu]

9. ABC News is vying for a position next to Faux Snooze

That commentary was quite lame. I'm glad Faux Snooze is being pointed out as a political media arm of the GOP. Pure and simple. They should be boycotted.

Did Shapiro come out against Obama because of his policy of not allowing the Faux Snooze journ-o-vermin in any of his events? I doubt it.

[tblue]

15. Yeah, and ABC fears they're next on our sh*t list. They sure deserve to be.

[rocktivity]

11. HIT PIECE ALERT!!!

It's dated today, March 10. The official cancellation was the day before, March 9. But the story states that the other candidates are still considering attending! This is just an excuse to attack Edwards. And they accuse us of "drive-by" media.


rocknation

[saltpoint]

12. ABC News produced Britt Hume. It sanctions repeated dismissals of

Democrats and has for a long time.

We'll see if ABC's ratings are enough to sustain it long enough to cover Edwards' nomination in Denver.

[Leilani]

26. ABC did not really produce Britt Hume

Hume got his start with Jack Anderson, of muckracking fame.

He then went on to ABC, & was under the tutelege of Peter Jennings.

[saltpoint]

29. We could go back to Anderson, yes, but it was at ABC that he cut his

ideological teeth.

Jack Anderson is not to blame for the way Hume turned out.

[sandnsea]

13. What's with all the GOP shit today

Don't post crap from right wing web sites. When are we going to learn not to do their lifting for them.

[politicasista]

16. Exactly n/t

[Colobo]

17. ABC is still considered a news website

They are quickly going down Faux News path, but...

[sandnsea]

19. Click - It's from Townhall

Right there, front and center, Townhall articles:

Robert D. Novak: Richardson Rising
Nathan Tabor: Don't Count Out Conservatives
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann: Hillary's Experience --Ask Bill (He Doesn't Remember It)
Wayne Winegarden: CSR and Global Warming Economics
Donald Lambro: Twists and turns on the road to the White House
Diana West: Burnt offerings on the altar of multiculturalism
Patrick Ruffini: The Information Hunter-Gatherers

Shouldn't take a wizard to figure out the purpose of the piece.

[Colobo]

20. Ooops, didn't notice it!

[City Lights]

14. ABC comes in a close second behind Fox Noise.

Desperate aptly describes McCain, Ghouliani, and Gingrinch, who suddenly don't want to be judged on "family values." Desperate also aptly describes Roger Ailes who is whining about the dangers of candidates boycotting "journalists" (:rofl:) if they don't like the coverage they receive. Desperate also describes Fox Noise because the curtain is being pulled back further by the day to reveal to more and more people that they are nothing close to a news organization. Yet ABC uses the word describe Edwards, who basically called out Fox Noise as being a propaganda clearing house for Chimpco.

_ABC is still dead to me. Fuck 'em.

[TwilightGardener]

21. Zowie! Edwards is not my No. 1 choice, but for a supposedly

neutral news organiztion to publish this hit piece without a disclaimer that Townhall.com is a righty blog is inexcusable. This is what we're going to be up against for the next 20 months.

[rocktivity]

30. DING DING DING! Wienerdoggie, you're our grand prize winner!

This is what we're going to be up against for the next 20 months.

And they can't figure out why we're "web-addicted."


rocknation

[zanne]

23. Why aren't we hearing or reading negatives on Repubs?

I mean, there are Republican candidates out there, too, right? This reminds me of the beginning of the 2006 Congressional races, when the media was telling us the Dem candidates were having alot of trouble. We'll see.

[Mass]

25. Why is ABC publishing far right editorialists. This article originates from TownHall.com

They already did that a few weeks ago, publishing an editorial from another far right online publication, titled "John Kerry, the Ugly American".

When has ABC become the New Fox?

[DemGa]

27. Edwards must be a threat

Yes, that blustery name calling by Shapiro is right-wing fear indeed.

[tanyev]

31. Romney's paying people to support him. That's not desperate?

Romney Gives Big Money To Key Right Wing Groups He Wants Support From
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2762799

[treestar]

32. Eh, who cares?

I remember the MSM declared Clinton's career was over because at the 1988 convention he made an overly long speech.

[rocktivity]

33. Here's their e-mail address

[e-mail]

I say we call them on it!

:headbang:
rocknation

[AshevilleGuy]

34. Going 'radical' is a sign of desperation?

Funny, I always thought a desperate candidate would go mainstream. Guess I just didn't know. :eyes:

[JNelson6563]

35. Wow! Just like on DU!

Who needs corporate media when we've got special DUers who do a similar job?

Julie

[PresidentObama]

37. What do you mean? I don't see many DUers with RW bias. n/t

[JNelson6563]

38. There's a thread title here at DU

that is very, very similar to the labels applied here by ABC.

Some DUers employ reich-wing tactics when going after Dems they don't like. Some even do so with alarming regularity. Why it is tolerated here is a mystery to me.

Julie

[PresidentObama]

40. Judging books by covers? My thread is no where near similar to this.

Thanks for implying I'm spreading RW bullshit like ABC though :hi:

Next time I have concerns about a candidate, I'll just sit down and shut up. Wouldn't want DUers to throw a fit, and claim I'm RW because they can't address my concern.

This article that was posted was clearly anti-Edwards. John Edwards is my favorite candidate in the current field, and I absolutely love John and Elizabeth. I dare you to call me anti-Edwards. ;)

Go ahead, I need a laugh. Gawd, I'm glad DU doesn't represent the WHOLE Democratic party.

[JNelson6563]

42. The post went with it nicely

If I recall you went on about how Edwards latest efforts smack of desperation. How is that different?

Julie

[PresidentObama]

36. This story seems to charge that Edwards is 'scared' of Obama and Clinton.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially when it comes to healthcare, Edwards will dominate. I really don't trust anything ABC says, but Edwards has the right to turn down any debate or forum offer he wants. Just like Obama did in Nevada. Some people bitched about that (for different reasons) but in the end it's his campaigns choice.

[enough already]

39. The media reaction is predictable, and Edwards shouldn't be surprised

Did anyone think the media wouldn't trash Edwards in response to his decision? They could all be the next to be "black-balled" by candidates and they aren't going to kiss Edwards' ass for potentially starting a trend.

[MasonJar]

41. As much as I admire Charlie Gibson, I have never seen his news

show, because after the outrageous movie ABC ran just pre-election about Clinton and Albright and etc. (which I did not see, but in a rare W move, condemned sight unseen, because of general democratic consensus of its unfairness,) I will never watch anything on ABC again, and I mean anything, or anything produced by Disney.

[Cha]

43. John Edwards is fucking Fantastic!@!

Love him! He's a healthy man!