CNN parroted Republican contention about "onslaught of subpoenas"
SUMMARY: CNN correspondent Brian Todd warned that "an onslaught of subpoenas" from congressional Democrats could be seen as "payback" by voters. However, polling indicates that a majority of the public favors oversight of certain aspects of the Bush administration.
On the January 4 editions of CNN's The Situation Room and Anderson Cooper 360, CNN correspondent Brian Todd warned that "[n]ewly empowered Democrats ... are poised to launch an onslaught of subpoenas that might drive an already embattled White House to distraction." Todd suggested that the investigations may be seen negatively by voters as "payback," a prediction similar to one made by National Public Radio political editor Ken Rudin. However, polling indicates that a majority of the public favors oversight of certain aspects of the Bush administration, which would be Congress' job.
In a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted December 7-11, 53 percent of respondents said they thought Congress should "hold hearings on how the Bush administration handled pre-war intelligence, war planning, and related issues in the war in Iraq," and 52 percent of respondents said they thought Congress should "hold hearings on how the Bush administration has handled surveillance, treatment of prisoners and related issues in the U.S. campaign against terrorism." In a Newsweek poll conducted November 9-10, 2006, 60 percent of respondents said "[i]nvestigating government contracts in Iraq" should be a "top priorit[y]" for the new Congress.
Todd noted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) "has said subpoenas of White House officials will be a last resort. Political observers say for the Democrats' own sake, they'd better be." Presumably an example of a "[p]olitical observer," Todd showed Rudin asserting that "[i]f the Democrats are involved in some kind of a payback ... voters may say they overreached." Based on Rudin's analysis and Todd's assertion that "Pelosi's committee chairmen and some in the Senate" would lead the investigation, Todd concluded that the "challenge to rein in their committee chairmen may present itself to Pelosi and Reid sooner rather than later."
On Anderson Cooper 360, host Anderson Cooper replayed Todd's segment. Cooper noted that "everyone is talking about bipartisanship" and added that "we're going to look at how long that happy talk will last if ethics reform means subpoenas and investigations." Cooper did not discuss the possibility that Republicans could bear responsibility if bipartisanship breaks down. As Media Matters for America has noted, several media outlets have reported President Bush's recent talk of bipartisanship and conciliation, but failed to note actions taken by Bush that were characterized by Washington Post and New York Times articles as "provocative" and by a Post columnist as "a series of face slaps."
Additionally, as Media Matters has documented, during recent discussions of congressional Democrats' reported plans to conduct extensive oversight on a wide array of the Bush administration's policies, various media figures have cautioned Democrats against "sound[ing] strident," "finger-wagging," "get[ting] into political trouble," or emboldening terrorists, while also warning that these potential investigations are "something that Democrats may find blowing up in their face." As Media Matters documented, prior to the 2006 midterm elections, many media figures adopted or uncritically reported concerns that Democrats, if they won control of the House, would launch endless congressional investigations that would shut down the government. But the view that Democrats will use congressional investigations to obstruct the Bush administration is a Republican talking point, advanced, as Media Matters noted, by former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).
From the January 4 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:
TODD: [Host] Wolf [Blitzer], a top aide to new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told me that right now, she's focused on her first 100 hours agenda, on domestic and foreign policy. But it's Pelosi's committee chairmen and some in the Senate who observers say are about to unleash years of pent-up frustration at this White House.
[begin video clip]
TODD (off camera): On Capitol Hill, they smile, shake hands, swear the oath. Down the street, they may just be swearing. It's payback time in Washington. Newly empowered Democrats, after years of frustration over Iraq, prewar intelligence, the wiretapping controversy, are poised to launch an onslaught of subpoenas that might drive an already embattled White House to distraction.
NORMAN ORNSTEIN (American Enterprise Institute senior fellow): There's no question we're going to see a huge number of investigations taking place.
TODD: Experts say Henry Waxman [CA] is likely to lead the charge. As the new Democratic chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, Waxman has the power to look into Halliburton contracts or energy deals by Bush allies. A Waxman aide says he won't conduct witch hunts. Congress watchers agree.
But Waxman has been a relentless Bush critic and will likely be a formidable force.
[...]
TODD: Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid [NV] will be crucial to this equation. House Speaker Pelosi has said subpoenas of White House officials will be a last resort. Political observers say for the Democrats' own sake, they'd better be.
RUDIN: If the Democrats are involved in some kind of a payback, when the Democratic Congress comes up for renewal before the voters again, voters may say they overreached.
[end video clip]
TODD: The challenge to rein in their committee chairmen may present itself to Pelosi and Reid sooner rather than later. We're told by congressional aides there are at least six hearings on Iraq and the war on terror on the schedule this month alone. Wolf.
From the January 4 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360:
COOPER: Right now, everyone is talking about bipartisanship. Later on, we're going to look at how long that happy talk will last if ethics reform means subpoenas and investigations.
[...]
COOPER: Democrats are promising to keep an eye on a lot of things. Some Republicans are fearing this could turn into a witch hunt.
With that story, here's CNN's Brian Todd.
[begin video clip]
TODD: On Capitol Hill, they smile, shake hands, swear the oath. Down the street, they may just be swearing. It's payback time in Washington.
I call this kind of commentary "Push Punditry". It is "analysis" of events that have not yet occurred, for the purpose of preconditioning public opinion to make the prediction relevant. It is usually employed to forestall something you don't want to see happen by preemptively tilting opinion against it.
Saying "the so-and-so's need to be careful here, this could backfire on them..." is just another way of saying "everybody tell the so-and-so's that you don't want them to do this." A good example is "I hope the other side doesn't politicize this", which of course automatically politicizes it and sets up the other side to be accused of politicizing.
Now all of America is primed to find evidence of Democratic "payback" and "excessive oversight" before the Democrats have even done anything.
that's scary and cogent conjecture.
I've been seeing more of this technique in the media. Not only does it pre-condition the dimmer audience members to turn their opinion against the issue at hand, if the action that is discouraged comes to pass, it reinforces the message that those politicians don't care about the voters.
After all, they were warned that doing what they said they were going to do could be seen in a negative light. By going ahead and doing it, they've shown their disdain for real Americans.
Brilliant
The American people want to see a storm of subpoenas raining on these crooked Republicans until every last one of them is behind bars. I'm sick of hearing criminal cons whine about how the public won't like it unless their injustice is overlooked.
Do the crime pay the time Opey.
PS don't give those pigs Foley and Cunningham a dime of pension
A duly chosen, duly sworn Congress exercising its Constitutionally-inherent right of oversight of the Executive Branch - and in so exercising its right, making use of its {again legal} right of subpoena, should it become necessary . . .
Todd is right . . . HOW DARE THEY . . . how dare they place their mission and purpose, not to mention the will of the citizens they represent, above politcal expediency . . .
International Commune..ists
Doesn't INTERRUPT or PUSH ASIDE more important issues that Congress should be working on for--we, the people-- then I'm all for them.
Bush, Cheney & the rest of their motley crew's actions NEED to be investigated.
I believe the public will welcome Bush & others being held accountable--as long as it doesn't tie up the Congress 24/7.
Payback? Nope, I'd call it seeking justice. I'm quite certain MOST Americans feel the same way.
We need to make sure that no other President EVER leads us into another Iraq situation. I would have thought Vietnam would have taught us all THAT lesson. Sadly, it didn't.
We'd hate to have congress tied up 24/7 conducting oversight, and investigating criminal white house behavior, when they could be spending all of their extremely valuble time on issues such as flag-burning ammendments, gay marriage, immigrant bashing, etc.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but are you perpetually angry? From what I've read of your posts [this one & others] I picture you with a permanent scowl.
First of all I find it ODD that you seem to have chosen *sarcasm* in replying to my post. Did YOU even read my post before typing a retort with your senseless dribble? Personally I don't believe it's unrealistic or unusual to hope that the Congress could conduct oversight/investigations and STILL give ample time to issues ALSO important to us, their constituents.
I find it rather amusing that YOU [a Liberal] believe a Democratically controlled Congress would in YOUR WORDS: "be spending all of their extremely valuble time on issues such as flag-burning ammendments, gay marriage, immigrant bashing, etc."
I, a Conservative, give them far MORE credit.
Issues like the economy, health care, social security, illegal immigration, homeland security, environment etc, are MORE of the issues I had in mind.
That chip on your shoulder MUST get heavy...
Congress is required to investigate what is going wrong and previous chairs and majority leadership had refused to do their job. When the number of things that go wrong in the executive branch is high (like it has been for years now) then the number of investigations to answer questions must also be high.
Rudin's comment, "If the Democrats are involved in some kind of a payback, when the Democratic Congress comes up for renewal before the voters again, voters may say they overreached," makes the clear assertion that these investigations will be conducted for the sole purpose of revenge and not because they are necessary.
The only possible way that an investigation should ever be considered "payback" is if there is no indication of wrongdoing by the investigated.
Is Washington is afraid of truth. Why is the Republican party afraid of subponea's. If your leadership was just, what is there to fear but fear tself. If you gave no mercy,why would one expect any mercy.The day of the birth of the first politician was born truth was murdered. Since Bush has been elected it seems SenatorJoe McCarty has risen from the grave. I guess when you have to support a President who is the most unqualified man to hold office. You have to live by the lie, half truths, and slander to be able to hold ones ground. What does it say about a party whos President has angred the world who only ability to get people to get on his side is to give them money or to strong arm weak. A Man who uses fear to motivate people to support. A man who wants to create the world in his image, who image makes every one mad. A man who has spent every dollar and then some of this nations wealth whom he has no intentions of paying the bills he has created because of his tax programs that will exempt him from paying off his war. One of the problems the republicans can not seemed to understand. Why the Muslims can not lay down the sword to make peace. Why is vengence so powerfull a drug that it is destroying the Iraq people. All they have to do is look across the isle at the democratic party whom they have abused for the past years. The Republican party sold their soul to their President. They could only see the short road of their President vision. He was only going to be in the White House for a short time. Presidents come and go! But, the congress and the Senate are the ones who have to deal with the aftermath of the President who is leaving Washington a nightmare. The Republicans sold their sole to devil. Now, it is time for the devil to claim his own. The democrats will be the instuments of Gods wrath against the Republicanswho gave Bush blind loyalty. All they had to do was to look at the victims in Bush's life from all the companies he was apart of the management. Insider trading rumers with questionalble business practice. What do these people think will happen when Bush leaves office. He will leave the bodies of devoted Republicans in the Isles of congress who like the Iraq people who will draw the sword of vengence that will destroy the lives of every one. The Republicans deserve what they get! They should have taken the long road. Bush will leave Washington without one ounce of remorse for the bodies he left behind. The only friend the Republicans party had was the Democratic party. Their bother arms whos loyaty should had been to this country.
blank, blank, mad at the Republicans I will suport revenge. I know I don't ordinarily approve of revenge. This time I am prepared to make an exception.
what is ignored are the limits. The demcrats will overstep their role only if they continue past a certain point. The Republican party over extended when they went after Clinton's personal life. As long as the investigations deal with public policy, and do not attempt to go past that, there will be public support. The reason the Republicans lost was because the investigations became personal, and left the area of public policy. Within the context of previous Republican policy from either the congress or White House there should be enough that this will not be a problem.