ABC's David Wright uncritically repeated Palin claim that Obama has been "palling around with terrorists"
SUMMARY: During a report on ABC's Good Morning America, David Wright stated that Gov. Sarah Palin "accus[ed]" Sen. Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists," but did not note that The New York Times, in the article Palin cited in making that claim, reported that "the two men do not appear to have been close."
On the October 9 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, correspondent David Wright uncritically reported that Gov. Sarah Palin has "accus[ed]" Sen. Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists." Wright was referring to comments originally made by Palin during an October 4 Colorado campaign appearance, in which she referred to an October 4 New York Times article about Obama's relationship with William Ayers and asserted: "I was reading my copy of today's New York Times and I was interested to read about Barack's friends from Chicago." She went on to assert: "Our opponent though, is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country?" However, Wright did not note that the Times, in the article Palin cited in making that claim, reported that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' " Indeed, as Washington Post White House reporter Michael Abramowitz noted in an October 5 article, Palin's comments are a "distortion of what the Times story concluded."
From the October 9 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:
WRIGHT: Good morning, Robin. Attacking your opponent's character -- nothing new in politics. It's a strategy that's been around more than two thousand years. But in the past couple of days, the Republicans have been laying it on thick, chumming the waters, and, not surprisingly, ugly reactions are beginning to surface.
[begin video clip]
WRIGHT: Asked by Sean Hannity whether he believes Obama is prepared to be president, John McCain gave a blunt, two-word answer.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: I don't, but I'll let the American people make a judgment in just 28 days.
WRIGHT: McCain's running mate has been even harsher, accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists."
PALIN: It makes me question who he would associate himself with in the future.
WRIGHT: Now, even Cindy McCain is piling on, accusing Obama of waging the dirtiest campaign in American history, and claiming he can't sympathize with military families.
CINDY McCAIN: I would suggest that Senator Obama change shoes with me for just one day and see what it means -- and see what it means to have a loved one serving in the armed forces.
WRIGHT: It's a full-bore attack on Obama's character -- suggesting he's yellow, disloyal, and doesn't belong.
If something as incendiary and outrageous as one presidential candidate basically calling another candidate a "terrorist", (Palin's "palling around with terrorists") needs to be corrected by any media member, then we are big trouble.
Just when you think the McCain campaign has sunk to new lows, they sink lower. They are despicable.
In GMA's defense, I watched this report and it was sort of in the context of "look how desperate the McCain Campaign is getting to be saying this stuff."
On the other hand, GMA should still clarify the context of any candidates' claims it airs.
Context is everything
MM: "[Wright] did not note that The New York Times, in the article Palin cited in making that claim, reported that "the two men do not appear to have been close.'"
1. Why should Wright have "noted" this? Does the NY Times have the final word on everything? No way. Has the NY Times reported Obama's past membership in the socialist New Party? No.
2. Wright's piece was a defense of Obama. Yet again, MM takes a piece that is negative of McCain and favorable of Obama, but still gleans so-called "conservative misinformation."
Shoes, I have no problem with this piece by GMA, it's just more hand-wringing from MMFA because a story was not reported or covered the way they would have liked. So they cloak it in misinformation with their infamous "uncritical" slant.
My issue remains with the desperate sleaziness of the McCain campaign.
If we're not supposed to depend on the media to be critical of those in positions of political power or those who aspire to such positions, who are we supposed to depend on? Who else has the access to question them? Who else has the reach to inform us?
Got desperation there, mikey?
So you're going to use someone's personal yelling and screaming blog to prove that Obama was a member of the Socialist New Party? Really? Seriously? OK, if you must, you must.
Here's the thing about the article. They are decrying the NY Times article, what they are decrying is the fact that the MSM is using Palin's comment, and her reference to said article incorrectly, without noting that Palin apparently didn't read the article she referenced, because it didn't say what she thought it said.
Obama a socialist? There are worse things. Like, if he were a republican.
To add any gravitas to Sarah Palin, when the rest of the country (hardcore 28 percenters exception) sees her a joke and the cynical ploy that she is, is a plain stupid move even from the corporate media.
I think the powers are preparing for an Obama presidency. The talking points are so tired.
Not to give the Ayers topic any more attention than it deserves, but this morning i heard that Gallagher wingnut's radio show, and his guest was supposedly a son of the judge who had his house bombed by the WU.The guy was telling the story (he was a kid at the time), and in explaining why he and his family were afraid to leave the burning house, he mentioned an incident I hadn't heard of, and can't find any evidence of with the limited Googles i've done.
The guest said that the Weather Underground had bombed a police station, and when the cops came outside, ambushed them with "sniper fire". Is this complete BS? You'd think it would be getting a lot of play from the GOP media, but I can't find a trace of it.
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of their activities, although not verified and cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Weatherman_actions
Looks like they did NOT bomb a judge's house. Also, there was no sniper fire in their police station bombings, since they planted the bombs and were probably nowhere near them when they went off.
Thanks, Mag. I was pretty busy earlier, and didn't even notice that the bombing of the judge's house was just speculation.I found the story by John Murtagh, almost as he told it on the radio.He seems a little casual with his logic;
Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family’s life, there was never any doubt who was behind it.
But listen to Ayers interviewed in the New York Times on September 11, 2001, of all days: “I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” Translation: “We meant to kill that judge and his family, not just damage the porch.”
The sniper fire isn't mentioned in this article, he may just save that one for right wing radio audiences.
Thanks Palin, thanks McCain, you have certainly brought out the best in people...
Angry voter threatens Registrar, says he needs to 'keep the n***** out of office' RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday October 8, 2008
No wonder Palin/McCain won't let reporters into their rallies. It's just incredible what a bunch of racists those two attract!
And where's your evidence that "they have a long history together"? Can you post a link or something to back it up? A credible source would be nice, other than making such a silly statement without some source of credible back-up.
They don't have a long history together. They served on a board together to better the educational systems in and around Chicago, again, run by a republican. Ayers gave Obama $200 once for his earliest campaign.
Other than that, what history together? Also, the mere fact that by the time Obama met Ayers, he had reformed himself into a very useful and well respected member of his community.
Apparently these new attacks are sticking to the ignorant masses. Gramps and Barbie were in Strongsville, OH yesterday. Go to Huffpost and see how ill-informed and talking-point burdened his supporters are. Makes me sad to be an Ohioan.
Yeah, I was born there too. But I'm not sad about it. Republicans, with their fear and disdain and cultural conservatism, have done a bang up job of manipulating salt of the earth buckeyes.
I just watched it a few minutes ago. Tragic how ill informed and just straight up STUPID people are. Actually, they're not stupid, they're so dumb, that they're STOOPID.
Thanks for the link, Snoop.
This is the McCain/Palin base. These are the voters JohnMcInsane and Sarah Slime are targeting with this despicable, sleazy campaign of theirs.
So far, it isn't working.
While I agree that McCain's campaign is sleazy and despicable, I don't think these are who they are targeting at all. They already have them in their hip pocket, their notions about Obama are just fine with them, thank you.
They are after independents and those on the fence, hoping to scare them just enough that they can't possibly bring themselves to vote for a "terrorist" for president. But I do agree with you that it's not working, at least I hope it never does.
It's nasty stuff, and if they are proud of the campaign they are waging, they are pathetic.
What are you talking about? This is what Republicans are, it's what they do. Of course they're proud of themselves, in true fundamentalist fashion, they believe they're righteous.
Only these republican fundamentalists are terrorists in disguise. We need the press to question Palin's connections to this terrorist too. She knows her, has had her over to her house, pals around with her, which makes Palin's intentions extremely questionable.
They're Christo-fascists and I think they are attempting to overthrow the people's government from the inside out and replace it with a government that enforces Old Testament law.
And I guess you've read this over at Salon.Com.
I think it's time the Liberal 527's went after Palindrone Twit's ties to the Alaska Independence Party. Her husband was a member until a couple of years ago, and she, as governor, addressed their convention. These are people advocating the secession of a state from the United States. Why is this not a story? Seems to me that it's just as disturbing, if not more so, than Obama marginal relationship with an old hippie radical.
Palindrone Twit herself is much more scary than any of Obama's "associations".
Personally, I would like to see if Obama can win this without stooping to McCain's level.
I thoroughly agree. People are not responding to this crap this time, it pales in comparison to the news of the day.
Stop kidding yourself. People do respond to this stuff, whether they want to or even can admit to it, they are affected by this stuff on very elemental emotional levels.
I think Nerzog clearly stated he would like to see 527's, not Obama, go on the offensive with Sarah's connections to the AIP. However, there's plenty of actual authoritarian cruelty to attach to Palin without having to make these tenuous guilt by association stretches. It IS important to let the McPain Campaign know that if they want to go down that road to Stoopitville that we can bust their guts with equal ferocity.
Me? I'd rather see all liberals go on offense and I'd like to see us do it on abortion, national security and the economy. Because in the face of all of these Republican ideological failures, there is absolutely no reason we should let those punks put us on the defensive ever again.
See, thing is, if they do go after Palin with the AIP, it's actually, you know, true.
Palin is just full of lies. Poor thing is in far over her head and all she does is get her orders from John McCain and quickly salutes and runs off and does what he says. This woman is just such an intellectual light weight that it is embarassing. Just like the reporter said, Palin is grossly toxic to the McCain ticket. But really, she is not to blame. McCain was too cute by half in unloading her on an ussuspcting group of Republicans. They now are experiencing "buyer's remorse".
I seriously doubt that Grampy is in charge of his campaign, and I doubt that he actually chose the Palindrone Twit. Most likely, his strings are being tugged by the same pack of thugs who've been running President Numbnuts over the past eight years.
Obama was palling around with Terrorists. Ayers and Dorn are terrorists. If you launch your political career out of their home. You're palling around with terrorists.