Host of Fox's media analysis show claimed "[w]e don't have any idea" what Biden said to AFL-CIO, but transcript is available
SUMMARY: Jon Scott, host of Fox News' weekly media analysis program, Fox News Watch, claimed that Vice President Joe Biden's appearance at the AFL-CIO executive council meeting was "closed to the press," adding, "We don't have any idea what he said there." In fact, the White House released a transcript of Biden's AFL-CIO speech, and "a pool of print reporters" reportedly covered the speech at the request of the White House.
During the March 7 edition of Fox News Watch, Fox News' weekly media analysis program, host Jon Scott claimed that Vice President Joe Biden "[went] down to address this AFL-CIO convention in Miami Beach -- it's closed to the press. We don't have any idea what he said there." In fact, as Media Matters for America documented, the White House released a transcript of Biden's March 5 speech at the AFL-CIO's executive council meeting, and "a pool of print reporters" reportedly covered the speech at the request of the White House.
Later during the segment, Fox News contributor James Pinkerton stated, "[T]he Obamas are so eager to have transparency when it comes to [former Bush Justice Department official] John Yoo's memos about due process in the wake of 9-11 or [former Vice President] Dick Cheney's energy task force and, yet, they're quiet. They don't seem to mind at all to get left out of a meeting with the AFL-CIO." National Review editor Rich Lowry also claimed that "[t]he Obama people like nothing ... more than to have every Biden event closed to the press."
As Media Matters noted, Fox News' Glenn Beck claimed on March 5 that Biden met "in secret" with the AFL-CIO executive council, while Special Report host Bret Baier asserted that Biden's appearance at the labor federation's meeting "was anything but transparent."
Fox News says of Fox News Watch: "Host Jon Scott and his panel of media analysts cover the coverage of the week's biggest stories."
From the March 7 edition of Fox News Watch with Jon Scott:
SCOTT: Let's talk about something else. The Obama -- candidate Obama promised us an open administration, and yet the vice president goes down to address this AFL-CIO convention in Miami Beach -- it's closed to the press. We don't have any idea what he said there. Is that fair?
KIRSTEN POWERS (Fox News analyst): Well, reporters can find out what he said. They can talk to the people that were in the room. I -- you know, look, I don't know that transparency means you have to open every single meeting you have, but there are a lot of people that have complained, particularly, on the left about what they feel has been a lack of transparency throughout even this short time that he's been in power.
PINKERTON: And here the Obamas are so eager to have transparency when it comes to John Yoo's memos about due process in the wake of 9-11 or Dick Cheney's energy task force and, yet, they're quiet. They don't seem to mind at all to get left out of a meeting with the AFL-CIO.
POWERS: You really think they're on the same level -- a meeting with the AFL-CIO and memos about how you can torture people?
LOWRY: In all fairness, also, my understanding is that it's the AFL-CIO's policy that these executive sessions are closed to the press.
PINKERTON: But -- right, but the point is that reporters have really been saying, look, we want to know what's going on. Look, one of the hottest pieces of legislation in 2009 will be card check, or the EFCA, the Employee Free Choice Act -- whatever you want to call it -- and I guarantee Biden and the union leaders were talking about that a lot.
LOWRY: The Obama people like nothing less -- nothing more than to have every Biden event closed to the press: an ongoing, closed-to-the-press vice presidency.
SCOTT: There is that.
You expect Fox hosts to be able to read and understand? This time they weren't lying. They saw the transcripts, and they can't read them.
The White House web site didn't post the transcript so it was easily seen. You had to use the search function. They didn't post it through any of the links on the 'Briefing Room' page.
That's not cool by the White House. Not cool at all.
Oh bother. You really are reaching, girl. This is classic projection. Dick Cheney was the most secretive VP in history, so the righties project those qualities unto the next guy. It's so stupid, but you lap it up. Read the postings below if you really want a clue. But I'm pretty sure that you don't.
B-b-b-b-but, Mary-- you had to use the SEARCH FUNCTION!! What if it was a pdf.? Even their drugged out, elephant seal-like leader hasn't mastered that skill!
Stop the presses, not cool at all. HAAAAAAA, do you ever read what you type?
It's also funny to me that they talk about a VP closed off from the media. What a laugh, considering that Cheney developed his own classification system for mundane work that they did around his office, and had a man sized safe where all documents were locked up at the end of the day to keep them away from prying eyes.
It's hard to believe that these guys just don't, well, LOOK at the transcript that was provided.
In fairness to Fox Nooz and other Republican operatives, the speech was on Thursday, and the transcript may not have been released early enough for Rush Limbaugh to paraphrase it and issue instructions on his friday show.Then it's the weekend , and they're on their own.
And I really like the exchange that this item closes with;
LOWRY: The Obama people like nothing less -- nothing more than to have every Biden event closed to the press: an ongoing, closed-to-the-press vice presidency.
SCOTT: There is that.
Sounds like it's been confirmed.
Well, it's more or less confirmed ;-)
But confirmed, none the less.
Thanks JJ and Colonel for the corroboration.
What I like about that is that it was already said that it's policy for the AFL-CIO to have closed meetings. Even if there wasn't a transcript, it's ludicrous to assert there's any sort of pattern, much less to attribute motivation to it. One event and Lowry makes a grand sweeping statement about the administration's desire for a continuously secretive vice-presidency.
How do you get something like this so wrong with all the easily accessible information that disproves your statements? These people are in the news business, after all, reporting on the media, and they don't know that some in the media got invited to this event and that the event is normally closed to the media?
Did anyone say anything about brain surgery or rocket science?
Well Col.....
After the last eight years of the wide open and very public vice-presidency we just had dealt with... can you blame Fox Noise for being upset that the newest VP is not playing by the same set of rules... ;>)
Scott's the schmuck who read a gop-slop press release complete with typo as if it was fixed news's own independent reporting and apologized only for including the typo.
Clearly, faux is not a legitimate news organization. It never was. It never will be. It's news for nitwits and know-nothings.
In fairness to Fox Nooz and other Republican operatives, the speech was on Thursday, and the transcript may not have been released early enough for Rush Limbaugh to paraphrase it and issue instructions on his friday show.Then it's the weekend , and they're on their own.
According to the link posted above, the transcript of VP Biden's remarks was posted on the White House web site at 11:53 A.M. EST on March 5. Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and anyone else could have read it at that time...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Transcript-of-Remarks-by-the-Vice-President-to-the-AFL-CIO-Executive-Council-in-Miami-Florida/
WZ, I hope you got what I was saying. The transcript was released, I just meant that the sucklings hadn't received their dumbed-down version from their masters yet.
Oh, I got it, Col. I just went to the source to find out when the transcript was posted to show that there was absolutely NO EXCUSE for those dunderheads saying that they had no idea what VP Biden said to the AFL-CIO.
Just another example of conservative misinformation, propaganda, and lies, properly documented by our friends at MMFA.
WaPo did an in depth article about Cheney's legendary secrecy (although it was probably on page 16 or 17 of the paper, I'm guessing). It appears about a third of the way down in this article excerpted here:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/chapter_1/
"Even talking points for reporters are sometimes stamped "Treated As: Top Secret/SCI."
"Experts in and out of government said Cheney's office appears to have invented that designation, which alludes to "sensitive compartmented information," the most closely guarded category of government secrets," the Post adds. "By adding the words "treated as," they said, Cheney seeks to protect unclassified work as though its disclosure would cause "exceptionally grave damage to national security."
Good article, jj. Cheney ran such an uptight, secretive and paranoid vice presidency, that Biden might have to spend months unlocking all the files and busting through the security codes to make a phone call.
He'll probably have to send the on-call cardiologist back to Texas/Wyoming, and re-label the toilet paper from "ultra-top secret"
Biden is a modest and honest guy. Cheney made Darth Vader look human.
JJ,
I agree... this is a pretty good article...
The only part I question however is when the author made the claim that Bush set his own goals and at times it may have been Cheney doing Bush's deeds.
Considering the secrecy of that slimy tard... I have a hard time accepting that Bush was the only president...
Not that it matters... they're gone now, even if the damage they caused is not.
ill take both. i mean this is what you get when you have a guy who basically admitted that Sarah baby's only appeal was that she looks hot and wink's alot and gives him a chubby.
So Fox is incompetent, lying, or both. You decide.
I'd also add "lazy" to your list.
These clueless cretins aren't even trying anymore. I watch it just to watch the lunatic-fringe likes of clueless cal thomas, pinkerton and judy miller whine and engage in an endless orgy of self pity how unfair the media is to bush and gops as if they were volunteer firemen and members of doctors without borders.
From the New York Times article about Biden's speech:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/lets-dance-biden-tells-labor/
The A.F.L.-C.I.O. is the nation’s main labor federation, with 56 unions representing nearly 10 million workers. Federation officials said this was the first time in the organization’s history that the news media were allowed into an executive council meeting.
That was done at Mr. Biden’s insistence, his staff said, but the A.F.L.-C.I.O. allowed in only several print reporters. Cameras weren’t permitted. Traditionally, the AFL-CIO executive council meetings are closed to the press and each of its sessions this week have been closed press.
But Mr. Biden’s office asked for the policy to be lifted, so that a pool of print reporters could cover his speech and a full transcript of the Vice President’s remarks will be sent out this afternoon, said Elizabeth Alexander, a Biden spokeswoman.
Does FOX have anything which refutes the New York Times article? Just one shred of evidence to the contrary? Anything...? Why does FOX persist in this ridiculous bull****?
BTW, the FOX studios are in midtown Manhattan...therefore, the New York Times is a local newspaper. If memory serves me correctly one can purchase a copy of the daily New York Times at many newsstands throughout New York City. No one at FOX reads the print New York Times? No one reads it on the internet? Kinda hard to believe...
you have all you need to answer your own question. but help you along ill give you the answer.
the NY Times is not owned by Rupert The Aussie Pirate, that being the case, it is not part of News Corps assigned daily reading. they are required to read the WSJ, The London Times, and watch Sky News, and read the Washington Times, though that paper isnt owned by Murdoch either, but im sure at some point that will soon change. there is simply not enough time in the day for the meat puppets to read or watch something that is outside the Murdoch bubble.
No one at FOX reads the print New York Times? No one reads it on the internet? Kinda hard to believe...
They were waiting on Sarah Palin to read it to them.....DOH! ;-)
I suspect Sarah only reads the New York Times when her name is mentioned in it.
I suspect Sarah only reads the New York Times when her name is mentioned in it.
Caribou Barbie only reads the New York Times when she can see it from her house. :-)
This was just a chance for them to slam Joe Biden, who admittedly hasn't always been the most tactful person.
Then they should wait until Biden makes another verbal gaffe. But to totally ignore facts simply in order to spread falsehoods is gratuitous... and typical of FOX News.
Why would FOX "News" care what he said anyway? It was a pro-worker meeting and as we all know republicans don't care about workers.
Is Foxxx going offer any "friendly" interviews like they did with Cheney?
no sentice invovling the words friendly and dick can be seen as ever happening.
This makes me pine for the arrival of ala cart cable, so I can proudly check Fox News off the list of channels I receive.
Randy
Rule #1: Never trust what a Pinkerton says about a labor union.
I suppose after 8ys of a Vice President operating an shadow government which included secret legislative meeting with the oil/coal/nuke industries writing our energy policy, military industrial complex (Haliburton/KBR's secret no bid contracts) and private hunting trips with Supreme Court Justices Scalisi weeks before having to pass judgement on disclosure demands on exactly whom he sold our energy policy out to and for what, as well as neutering the CIA so they could control intelligence to make it whatever they want it to be, we now have Republicans trying to manufacture conspiracies between the White House and unions!
They privatized our government openly, overtly for political sway and we now get to listen to them make up their fantacies of conspiracy in a vain attempt to paint the Democrats, and Obama/Biden as some sort of new Commie Threat.
We let them dummie us down so they could speak to us as though we were dumb enough to believe them!
So, do you? Believe them?
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady
Comupter says,nah.
"We don't have any idea what he said there."
AKA: We readily admit our lack of journalistic standards.