Cavuto: Democratic "villains" drove "Sam Alito's wife to tears"
Fox News' Neil Cavuto remarked that Democratic senators drove Martha-Ann Alito -- the wife of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito -- to tears during Alito's nomination hearing. Cavuto further proclaimed that the Democrats were "villains" for "literally driving [Alito's] wife to tears ... after repeatedly trying to paint Alito as a bigot." During these segments, onscreen text called Democrats "vicious" and "clueless."
At various points during the January 12 edition of his Fox News business news program, Neil Cavuto remarked that Democratic senators drove the wife of Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., Martha-Ann Alito (who is also referred to as Martha-Ann Bomgardner in press reports), to tears during Alito's nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Cavuto, who devoted two segments to Martha-Ann Alito's display of emotion, expanded upon this already problematic assertion by claiming that the Democrats were "villains" for "literally driving [Alito's] wife to tears ... after repeatedly trying to paint Alito as a bigot." During these segments, onscreen text called Democrats "vicious" and "clueless." Cavuto even went so far as to compare the Judiciary Committee Democrats to Dr. Octopus, the villain from the film Spider-Man 2 (Sony Pictures, 2004).
Cavuto's program, Your World with Neil Cavuto, is promoted by Fox News as "the No.1 business news show on cable." Cavuto concludes each program with a "Common Sense" segment, in which he offers commentary and opinions. As a professional journalist and an anchor of a cable news show, Cavuto would be expected to confine his opinions to the "Common Sense" segments of the program. However, his characterization of Democrats as "villains" during the January 12 edition of Your World occurred prior to the "Common Sense" segment, during ostensibly "hard news" segments.
As Media Matters for America documented, Cavuto was one of many media figures who suggested that Martha-Ann Alito's emotional display indicated that Democrats "went too far" in their questioning of Judge Alito. At one point during the January 12 edition of Your World, the onscreen text asked: "Will vicious Dems pay for driving Alito's wife to tears?" Cavuto opened the January 12 program by asking: "Did Democrats do more harm to themselves than to Samuel Alito during the hearings for the Supreme Court nominee? The likes of [Sen.] Ted Kennedy [D-MA] and company literally driving his wife to tears just yesterday after repeatedly trying to paint Alito as a bigot."
Later in the program, Cavuto introduced an upcoming segment by saying: "The Democrats say that they are the good guys, but after driving Samuel Alito's wife to tears yesterday, are they -- do they have more in common with these guys?" Cavuto then aired footage from Spider-Man 2 featuring Dr. Octopus, and asked: "Can the Democrats lose that villain label?" Introducing the ensuing segment, Cavuto aired more footage from the film, saying:
CAVUTO: Well, you know, it's a typical Hollywood plot, the villain versus the hero. But, yesterday, the plot moved east, maybe to Washington, D.C. The wife of Supreme Court nominee, as you heard once or twice, Samuel Alito, crying and walking out of the hearings, after some pretty tough attacks on her husband's character. So, have the Democrats now become the villains?
Cavuto then interviewed television writer/producer George Schlatter while onscreen text read: "Dems making Alito's wife cry: Are they that clueless?"
At one point during the interview, Cavuto asked Schlatter if the Democrats, in focusing too much on "issues and all of that," have lost sight of "just plain emotion."
From the January 12 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:
CAVUTO: You're -- you are a very good producer, George. And I'm -- here's where you can offer advice to your Democrats. Do you think that they're so focused on the issues and all of that, that they lose sight of these things like emotion -- just plain emotion?
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I don't know what will. I can just picture the Dem. meeting before the questioning. Let's see how we can make Mrs. Alito cry. Look, I understand that she may have been emotional. No problem. She should be mad at her husband for bringing shame on her family by lying to a Senate Panel or on a Federal Job app. Also, for her to allow herself to be used like Terri Schiavo for the political gains of the right wing junta, is a shame. The SCOTUS IS supposed to be non-partisan, no? It appears to me that there are a lot of poeple that are clueless on the Constitution. And yes, they appear to be the "strict constructionists."
that this is an episode of the Perils of Paulene. The dastardly Dems have tied Mrs. Altio to the tracks. What will she do? Who will save her?
Cavuto appears to have the magical ability to peer into Ms. Bomgardner's mind and determine what made her cry. I am continually amazed by the mind-reading abilities of right-wingers. Is that ability included when you buy your khakis and blue blazer at the Men's Wearhouse?
I've been posting a bit too much, but needed to chime in on this 'crying game' business seeing as it's a new item:
Don't overestimate the influence of the FOX; just because they get a lot of exposure here, at MMFA, doesn't mean much of America takes them seriously, or even watches them for that matter.
Despite the everpresent flag-waving graphic, only a small percentage of the American People watch their 'News'; too many of us know they are nothing but the broadcast arm of the Republican National Committee.
And among those few who watch them, even they would say that 60% of what FOX says is crap; even they would agree with David Letterman.
Who needs Swift Boat ads anymore when you have 24 hour propaganda networks like CNN and Fox smearing the opposition?
"...so focused on the issues and all that.." ? Good Lord I certainly hope so!
I remember when Rush and the right attacked when Chelsea Clinton was a teenager and they still attack her. Now they cry foul when Senator do their jobs when questioning Alito judgement in his afflilations and job -- "making his wife cry". Grow up.
I remember watching the fat one call Chelsea the white house "First Monkey." My thought was,"Rush, you must be First Pig."
Didn't Rush call her the White House dog?
Faith over Reality
This is propaganda in it's refined form. 100% pure.
I thought some of the questions were over the top, that some of the questioners took the time to go on a unending "tirade" rather than actually probing for truth. The "tirade" worked both ways, in my estimation, from the haranging of the candidate from one side and the overdone plauditudes from the other side. These hearings were a sham, will change no minds, will not change the outcome. Let the full Senate vote and get on with the business of government. Or maybe we would be better off if Government would spend the next couple of months beating this issue to death.
Let's just ignore that Alito does not belong in SCOTUS but it probably going to get in anyway.
This is actually the issue that should be beaten to death.
And you base your viewpoint on which of his rulings? Or is it just because certain groups are saying, "I don't agree with him, so he doesn't belong."
He's Bork with a makeover, from what I've seen. He's not a big fan of the right to privacy, he likes unified executive power, and he has actually praised Bork as an ideal choice for the SCOTUS. Maybe you think Bork should have been approved though?
[link to glenngreenwald.blogspot.com]
He clearly lacks credibility.
Republicans used to say things like,
The war is going to happen anyway, why are we still beating this to death.
It is stuff like this that should put to rest any notion of fairness and balance at Fox New. First of all, this guy is supposed to be their Business Anchor, and I would assume be a reporter. Imagine the uproar that Hannity, Limbaugh, and O’Reilly would generate if Dan Rather ran a piece on evil republican with images of Darth Vader in the background.
I hope that I am never brainwashed enough to think that a blatantly partisan device like Fox is Fair or that someone like this fool has any credibility at all. Take this quote for example “Do you think that they're so focused on the issues and all of that, that they lose sight of these things like emotion -- just plain emotion?” God forbid that Senators be focused on issues. What he is saying is forget about the issues and focus on the emotion. He is saying that although we have been positioning and debating about Supreme Court Appointments for years now and when we do we should stop the process when a few tears are shed and never mind that the nominee has evaded every pertinent question.
It's tough going out there into battle yourself.The same Repub. radio blowhards who affect an effeminate whiny voice when mocking anyone they disagree with( eeewww, we dont want to have to go to work & get our own health insurance!),the same ones who promote war at any price while bagging on "cowards" who want to prevent unnecessary casualties to our kids and grandkids,they squeal like pigs when the slightest discomfort comes to one of theirs.
Yeah, that's a tough job interview, it's a pretty important job.No offense to Mrs. Alito,she may be a very nice woman, but if you're married to a man who's admired by this administration,you'd better keep a box of kleenex around.
Well yeah I suppose the Democrats were to blame...BUT referring to them as "villains" SUGGESTS that they PURPOSELY set out to do something "evil", which of course wasn't the case. They were doing their job...
Only one person can tell us WHY she cried, and that's Mrs. Alito.
Speculating WHO or WHAT made her cry is futile, BUT of course we all will ;-)
I PERSONALLY think that after enduring hours&hours of listening to her husband taking on questioning sometimes tinged with innuendo&criticism that Lindsey Graham's kind words were such a welcomed RELIEF that it moved her to tears. All her pent up frustration and/or maybe even anger were released at that moment and the floodgates opened.
Feel free to disagree...it's SIMPLY my opinion.
She'd better cancel all her newspaper subscriptions and her tv cable service and avoid discussing anything political with anybody, because Supreme Court Justices have to take a lot of heat. Many worse things will be said about her husband and his colleagues in the coming years on both sides (assuming the Court makes fair decisions, they should tick both sides off from time to time), so if she can't take sitting in on this largely ceremonial hearing, she may want to rethink being the wife of a Supreme Court Justice.
Aw wanderwoman aren't you being kind of rough on her? Nah, ACTUALLY you bring up a good point or two here. I think she made NEED to develop a tougher skin IF her hubby makes it to the Supreme Court...in fact any spouse of a husband/wife involved in government NEEDS to roll with the punches and NOT take it all too personally.
I agree, jeter, whether it's right or not political families have to be pretty tough to deal with being in the public eye.
I think some folks are criers and it takes very little to set off the water works, and having the family present at what is essentially a very rigrous job interview is inappropriate any way. The presence of the candidate's family is all about a political photo op and serves no purpose. So what if the family is a cute little Rockwellian family, it has absolutely nothing to do with the nominee's fitness for this position he's nominated for. Being a good husband and Dad doesn't mean you're good at everything. I'm sure Bush, Laura, and the twins take nice wholesome family photos, but it doesn't change the fact that GW is an incompetent president.
"I think some folks are criers and it takes very little to set off the water works, and having the family present at what is essentially a very rigrous job interview is inappropriate any way."...bt Lynn
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Excellent observations Lynn. I've also never understood WHY family members needed to be present at these types of hearings, because as you POINTED out, it serves little more purpose other than a photo-op.
Mrs Alito should sit down and have a heart to heart with Laura Bush&Hillary Clinton about how to endure criticism leveled at spouses and appear calm, stoic&strong (at least) in PUBLIC.
I cry at those cheesy hallmark commercials, and also the soup commercial where the kid is in foster care and the foster mom serves him soup his mom used to make for him. You won't find me making the argument that it's cruel to make those commercials just because they bring me to tears.
I thought the same thing about the wife being at the hearing. Essentially it's a job interview, and it just doesn't seem appropriate to have a spouse attend. I think this incident illustrates just how inappropriate it is.
Didn't she start to cry when a Republican was "singing" praises to Alito?
The Republicans and the Fox Puppets are critizing the Democrats for making up their mind early, but it's the Republicans that are following all over themselves to kiss Alito's butt.
Donald Trump conducts job interviews with more scrutiny than this. It's pitiful on both sides of the isle.
That's what I kept hearing over and over again from Republicans and sympathetic "experts": anyone who's a great guy and a judge deserves a seat on the Supreme Court. They didn't even defend his judicial philosophy; they just pretended he had none. Alito had left a paper trail, but he and his supporters tried to make him into another stealth candidate.
And the Republicans didn't ask any probing questions during the time allotted them for that purpose. They just filled up the time with encomiums. They seemed to want to be nothing more than rubber stamps.
But when the Democrats tried to conduct a job interview, they were set up to look mean, just for doing their job! They made Alito's wife cry!
Is it any wonder that crying is frowned upon in the workplace? Too often it's an instrument of manipulation.
"Do you think that they're so focused on the issues and all of that, that they lose sight of these things like emotion -- just plain emotion?"
See, you have to balance "issues" with "emotions"; you have to balance "facts" with "feelings"; you have to balance "truth" with "truthiness."
This is the entire premise behind Fox News - and talk radio as well. It's almost as if they've become the hippies they claim to despise:
"If it feels good, do it..."
I do think that those you do not believe Mrs. Alito's tears were genuine are wrong. I also think there used to be a way -- especially in the Senate -- of disagreeing with or challenging someone, even very strongly, in a polite and respectful manner. Fiinally, the image of several Democrats slouched over like petulant schoolboys with their chins on their hands during Mr. Alito's opening statement was very damaging.
I don't see where anybody in this thread said Mrs. Alito's tears were not genuine. And, as has been said in another thread, if you really want to see people being impolite and disrespectful, think back to how Anita Hill was treated during the Clarence Thomas hearings. And she wasn't even seeking public office!
--the tears came on cue. she was probably wearing an earpiece connected to rove himself, and the whole act was rehearsed. say "bye-bye" to your reproductive freedom, and "hello" to the imperial presidency.
This was all a staged event with Karl Roves print all over it. Nuff said.
- And she wasn't even seeking public office! - wanderwoman
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No, she wasn't running for office...she was seeking to destroy a man's life. Your man, David Brock, destroyed her testimony and completely debunked her. He proved she was nothing more than a liar seeking the spotlight.
Anita Hill got the treament she deserved....just ask Davey boy.
As long as it's your party that's behaving that way. Thankfully, Brock saw the error of his ways and is trying to atone for his mistakes.
How did he do that exactly? How was she "debunked"? He was a republican operative doing his job, smearing her, and he succeeded. At least now he knows better, unlike many other people.
wanderwoman is correct that no one in this thread has previously suggested that the tears were not stage managed. But would stage-managing those tears be such an unlikely tactic for the Bushies? Their predecessors stage-managied Clarence Thomas' display of indignation at the "high-tech lynching" that he was experiencing.
Why wouldn't the Bushies stage-manage tears? Would such a thing be beneath Karl Rove? To ask the question is to answer it. I did not see the entire hearings, but neutral commentators said that Senator Graham's apology was strange, because the Democrats had been pounding Alito not for being a closet bigot, but for his strange lapse of memory about a group that he had been so proud to be a member of when he was trying to get a job in 1985.
Mrs. Alito's actions were more consistent with stage-managed tears than with real tears. If her husband was being savagely maligned, as my own state's Senator Graham implied, why had she not burst into tears at least once or twice before? If she had cried before Graham's charade, we all know that Graham would have highlighted a reference to her tears in his apology -- but he didn't mention anything like that.
The next day USA Today filled much of the space "above the fold" on the front page with a picture of Mrs. Alito taken in the hallway after she exited in tears. I don't know how much time had passed before the picture was taken, but I would think that the photog wanted to show her emotions. Instead the picture sowed a woman who seemed completely composed, not a woman who was recovering from a recent emotional burst of tears.
The Bushies did plenty to coach Judge Alito, why not coach Mrs. Alito for a little added fodder for the Republican National News Network [it calls itself Fox News]? Judge Alito's answers suggested to me that the Bush handlers coached the Judge a lot on what NOT to say, or reinforced strongly when he gave them answers that were elegantly (or not so elegantly) evasive. Thus, even though I think that he was almost certainly telling the LITERAL truth when he testified that the folks who "moot-courted" him in preparation for the hearings did not tell him what to say in answer to questions about judicial philosophy and in answer to qquestions of the "how would you rule" variety.
....influences anyone? Well, I first heard the tear smears against dems happening on FOXnews. But then it slowly spread onto every other channel. Then the truthiness set in and before I new it everyone was talking about how Ted Kennedy made Alito's wife cry. I was happy when she cried (not as happy as Rush about Christians getting kidnapped in Iraq) cause I could see she was a real person, instead of a straw real doll wife. And why does his wife and daughter HAVE to have their heads floating above each of his shoulders on every network. There isn't one shot where you can't see his family directly behind him. Staring into the camera like empty husks, waiting to be cued to create the headlines for the 6:00 news. Our country is SO screwed.