ABC's Tapper ignored CBO report, advanced GOP claim that recovery bill is "not a stimulus plan"

On the February 2 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper uncritically aired a video clip of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) saying of the economic recovery bill: "This is a spending plan; it's not a stimulus plan. It's temporary and it's wasteful." Tapper did not point out, as Media Matters for America has noted, that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated in its January 26 cost estimate of H.R. 1 that "CBO anticipates that implementation of H.R. 1 would have a noticeable impact on economic growth and employment in the next few years." Nor did Tapper note that in his January 27 written testimony before the House Committee on the Budget, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said that H.R. 1 would "provide massive fiscal stimulus that includes a combination of government spending increases and revenue reductions." Elmendorf further stated: "In CBO's judgment, H.R. 1 would provide a substantial boost to economic activity over the next several years relative to what would occur without any legislation."

Moreover, in uncritically airing DeMint's remarks -- originally made during the February 1 edition of ABC's This Week -- Tapper did not include Sen. Barney Frank's (D-MA) response to DeMint given during the February 1 show. Frank stated in part: "And as far as spending versus tax cuts, I think we need to fix some highways and bridges. I never saw a tax cut fix a bridge. I never saw a tax cut give us more public transportation. The fact is, we need a mix. ... It's possible to have too much government, no question. But it's possible to have too little. And some parts of this stimulus -- extending unemployment benefits, helping with food stamps -- you know, we have two purposes here. One is to stimulate the overall economy. The other is to go to the aid of some people who, through no fault of their own, have been damaged. You can't just look at the aggregates."

From the February 1 edition of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (host): And Senator DeMint, let me begin with the stimulus package, because I think you called the president's plan the worst plan since the 16th Amendment paved the way for the income tax. But polls show that a majority of Americans actually support what the president's trying to do. What are they missing?

DeMINT: Well, I think all of us support the fact that we need to do something. And all of us believe that the way to move our economy forward and protect jobs is to infuse more money so that consumers have more to spend; businesses have more to invest, buy capital equipment.

But there are two ways to do that, George. One is for the government to take it out of the private sector through taxes and then decide where it's going to go through political manipulation, as they've done in the House. The other is just to leave more money in the private sector for consumers to spend and businesses to invest.

And that's the American way. And that's -- that's the approach we're pushing. Unemployment is --

STEPHANOPOULOS: All tax cuts? No increases of spending in any kind? Yet, most economists say that investments -- the right kind of investments -- create more jobs than tax cuts.

DeMINT: Well, I'm not sure what economists you're talking to, but we've met with a lot of them over the last week. You can look back in history, and leaving more money in the economy through tax cuts is the way that works. And government spending is -- you can see little bumps.

But this plan is a spending plan; it's not a stimulus plan. It's temporary, and it's wasteful. And a lot of the spending is going to end up being permanent, George. So we have to decide if we want to be a free-market economy and let -- and let the money stay there, or if we want to be a government-directed economy, which is where we're headed with this plan.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You voted for the package?

FRANK: I did. And the -- I regret -- regret Senator DeMint saying that this is the American way. Let's -- let's just agree that we're all Americans here, Jim, and that nobody's got the American way versus presumably the non-American way.

And as far as spending versus tax cuts, I think we need to fix some highways and bridges. I never saw a tax cut fix a bridge. I never saw a tax cut give us more public transportation. The fact is, we need a mix.

We need -- and I think we've suffered from an extremism in this country in the past of relying only on private-sector activity and having too little government. It's possible to have too much government, no question. But it's possible to have too little. And some parts of this stimulus -- extending unemployment benefits, helping with food stamps -- you know, we have two purposes here. One is to stimulate the overall economy. The other is to go to the aid of some people who, through no fault of their own, have been damaged. You can't just look at the aggregates.

I think we've gotten in trouble by looking only at the aggregates. If the GDP goes up, but income inequality greatly increases and a lot of average workers are feeling put upon, it's a problem.

But I want to see some improvement in our transportation structure. I'd like to see some improvement in education. We have state governments laying people off; cities being told they're going to have to lay off firefighters. A tax cut isn't going to keep the city of New Bedford from laying off firefighters.

From the February 2 broadcast of ABC's Good Morning America:

DIANE SAWYER (anchor): In Washington this morning, of course, the Senate is going to begin debate over the president's stimulus package. Now, the Senate -- Senate Republicans already threatening to fight it unless major changes are made. Let's begin with ABC senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper at the White House. Jake?

TAPPER: Good morning, Diane. Well, President Obama later this morning will be hosting a Republican governor who supports the stimulus package: Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. He is in town today to lobby his Republican colleagues on the Hill who are threatening to oppose the stimulus package; debate begins this evening.

[begin video clip]

TAPPER: During the Super Bowl pregame show, President Obama told NBC News that working with Republicans has been important to him in crafting the stimulus package.

OBAMA: I've done extraordinary outreach, I think, to Republicans because they have some good ideas, and I want to make sure that those ideas are incorporated.

TAPPER: The president said programs in the bill that have nothing to do with creating jobs would be removed and predicted Republicans would ultimately support the bill.

OBAMA: I am confident that by the time we actually have the final package on the floor that we are going to see substantial support, and people are going to say this is a serious effort.

TAPPER: But Republicans seem to be on a completely different page, saying Democrats have not been bipartisan in crafting the bill. Republicans vow to oppose it.

SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): I can't believe that the president isn't embarrassed about the products that have been produced so far.

SEN. JON KYL (R-AZ): I see support for this legislation eroding.

DeMINT: This plan is a spending plan; it's not a stimulus plan. It's temporary and it's wasteful.

[end video clip]

TAPPER: Also later today, President Obama's embattled Cabinet nominee Tom Daschle, who wants to be secretary of Health and Human Services, comes before a closed-door meeting of the Senate Finance Committee to talk about his tax problems, first reported here on Friday night.