Media Matters - Wolf Blitzer

Media Matters - Wolf Blitzer http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/wolf_blitzer This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Wolf Blitzer en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America Blitzer on McCain: "I know he's a straight-talker" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270006 Discussing Sen. John McCain's statement that "if the election were tomorrow ... Republicans would lose seats in both the House and the Senate," Wolf Blitzer asserted of McCain, "Should he be saying that right now? I know he's a straight-talker, but what do you think?" Blitzer has, on several previous occasions, pronounced McCain a straight-talker. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270006 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:18:30 EST Blitzer lets Graham off hook on how McCain would "pay for $300 billion in new tax cuts" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270004 On The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer asked Sen. Lindsey Graham how Sen. John McCain would "pay for $300 billion in new tax cuts" and said, "But there's no waste -- with all due respect, Senator ... you're going to find $300 billion in waste, are you?" But when Graham replied, "No, no, $35 billion from earmarks, but there are other programs up here that can be reined in, including the Department of Defense," Blitzer did not press Graham to identify which specific "programs" McCain would "rein[] in" to "pay for $300 billion in new tax cuts." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806270004 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:50:27 EST Blitzer did not challenge Pawlenty's false claim that under Obama plan, taxes will increase if "you have an IRA or a 401(k)" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806230008 On Late Edition, Wolf Blitzer did not challenge Gov. Tim Pawlenty's false claim that under Sen. Barack Obama's proposal to increase the capital gains tax rate, "if you have an IRA or a 401(k), which a lot of middle Americans do, and you go to retire or, you know, use that money, you're going to pay almost double the rate in taxation." In fact, most distributions from retirement accounts are taxed as regular income, not as capital gains. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806230008 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:55:36 EST Blitzer did not ask Fiorina why other McCain economic adviser disputes her balanced-budget projections http://mediamatters.org/items/200806120005 On The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer did not challenge Carly Fiorina's assertion that Sen. John McCain "will balance his budget by the end of 2013." In fact, both McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin and McCain himself have reportedly said that he would balance the budget in eight years. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806120005 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:42:15 EST CNN joined other media in reporting McCain's attempted wooing of Clinton supporters, but not his prior attacks http://mediamatters.org/items/200806050004 Reporting on Sen. John McCain's efforts to court Clinton supporters, by "speaking right to them and flattering his old friend," neither CNN correspondent Carol Costello nor host Wolf Blitzer noted that notwithstanding his recent "flattering" words about Clinton, McCain has previously distorted Clinton's record on issues such as health care, taxes, the environment, and housing, and also issued several personal attacks against Clinton and her family. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806050004 Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:45:13 EST Blitzer misrepresented McCain's position on "a constitutional amendment on the issue of marriage" http://mediamatters.org/items/200805280006 While discussing Sen. John McCain's position on gay marriage, Wolf Blitzer said: "Because on that issue, he doesn't really disagree all that much with [Sens. Hillary] Clinton or [Barack] Obama. He opposes a constitutional amendment on the issue of marriage, is that right?" CBN's David Brody replied: "That's right." In fact, McCain supports amendments to state constitutions to ban same-sex marriage and would also support under certain circumstances an amendment to the federal Constitution banning same-sex marriage. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805280006 Wed, 28 May 2008 17:39:07 EST CNN political contributor and reported McCain campaign adviser Castellanos suggested Clinton would poison Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200805140004 A week after echoing the myth invoked by the Bush administration that there was a link between the September 11 attacks and Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Republican media consultant and CNN political contributor Alex Castellanos stated that if Sen. Hillary Clinton were Sen. Barack Obama's vice president, "I think Barack Obama would have to hire a food tester." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805140004 Wed, 14 May 2008 14:23:08 EST Blitzer failed to challenge Romney's suggestion that he had not attacked McCain's lack of accomplishment "in the world of business" http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090009 CNN's Wolf Blitzer did not challenge Mitt Romney's false suggestion that during the Republican presidential primary campaign he had not attacked Sen. John McCain's lack of accomplishment "in the world of business." In fact, during the primary campaign, CNN had aired a clip of Romney saying, "I think, at a time like this, it makes sense to have a president who's actually had a job in the real economy." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090009 Fri, 9 May 2008 18:21:45 EST CNN's Blitzer, on-screen text misled on cost of housing bill http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090003 CNN's Wolf Blitzer made the misleading assertion that "the House of Representatives just passed a $300 billion plan to help struggling homeowners." In fact, while the bill to which Blitzer referred would authorize the FHA to insure up to $300 billion in homeownership retention loans for qualified homeowners, the Congressional Budget Office estimated a total cost of $2.7 billion for the program. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090003 Fri, 9 May 2008 13:46:54 EST Blitzer failed to challenge Graham on McCain's economic plan, rationale for opposing Bush tax cuts http://mediamatters.org/items/200805050003 CNN's Wolf Blitzer did not challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham's claim that Sen. John McCain opposed President Bush's 2001 tax cuts because he "wanted a tax cut, a very healthy tax cut, but he wanted spending limitations." In fact, when he voted against the cuts in 2001, contrary to what he now says on the campaign trail, McCain made no mention of deficit concerns or of the absence of offsetting spending cuts. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805050003 Mon, 5 May 2008 16:06:45 EST CNN continues trend of uncritically airing McCain's false attacks on Dems' health care plans http://mediamatters.org/items/200804290008 CNN's Dana Bash, Wolf Blitzer, and Kyra Phillips all uncritically aired video of Sen. John McCain's false attacks on Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton regarding health care, in which McCain suggested that the Democratic candidates favor a "one-size-fits-all, big-government takeover of health care," and that "[t]hey want the government to make the decisions." In fact, neither Obama nor Clinton has proposed a "big-government takeover of health care"; both have called for individuals to choose their own insurance. http://mediamatters.org/items/200804290008 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:40:49 EST Media continue to ignore McCain's flip-flop on Iraq-Korea comparison http://mediamatters.org/items/200804280009 In reporting on the Democratic National Committee's ad highlighting Sen. John McCain's statement that the U.S. might be in Iraq for "a hundred" years, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and the Tribune Co.'s Washington bureau all reported that McCain indicated that the extended involvement in Iraq that he was referring to would be similar to the presence the U.S. has had in South Korea. But they did not report that McCain has previously dismissed the idea of a Korea-like U.S. troop presence in Iraq. http://mediamatters.org/items/200804280009 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:39:47 EST Ignoring McCain's inconsistent statements, Blitzer did not challenge Gov. Crist's defense of comparison of Iraq and South Korea http://mediamatters.org/items/200804240005 On The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer left unchallenged Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's claim that "what Senator [John] McCain talks about" when he said he advocated a long-term military presence in Iraq is "to make sure that those who have lost their lives, that their lives were not lost in vain. I mean, we still maintain troop presence in South Korea." In fact, McCain has made inconsistent statements on the subject of a troop presence in Iraq modeled on South Korea, which Blitzer did not note. http://mediamatters.org/items/200804240005 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:42:37 EST Despite McCain's numerous falsehoods, CNN's Blitzer and Borger repeat "maverick" and "straight-talker" characterizations of McCain http://mediamatters.org/items/200804220007 On Late Edition, Wolf Blitzer stated that Sen. John McCain uses "his reputation out there as an independent, sometimes described as a maverick" to woo voters. In response, Gloria Borger said: "I think he's going to do it by saying that 'I'm a straight-talker; I tell the truth. You may not agree with me, but you ought to believe what I say.' " But as Media Matters has documented, contrary to his media-promoted image as a "straight-talker," McCain has promulgated numerous falsehoods in his campaign. http://mediamatters.org/items/200804220007 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:05:27 EST Blitzer claimed Bush's statement that U.S. "among the most religious" countries "sounded almost like a veiled rebuke" of Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200804170003 Discussing Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the White House, CNN's Wolf Blitzer stated that President Bush's comment that the United States is "among the most religious" countries in the world "sounded almost like a veiled rebuke of the controversial words that Barack Obama made." Ed Gillespie, counselor to the president, responded: "I think you're reading way too much into it," adding later, "[I]t's not a veiled anything." http://mediamatters.org/items/200804170003 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:33:51 EST