I don’t know what’s more amazing: that the powers that be on the Right would even think up a stunt like this, or that so many righties are such sheep — nasty blood-sucking sheep, but sheep nonetheless — that they unthinkingly go along with it.
Here’s the basic story — Wednesday next week ABC News will devote much of its program to the Obama Administration’s proposed health care policy. On that day, “Good Morning America†will originate from the South Lawn of the White House and will include an interview by Diane Sawyer with President Obama. That evening, President Obama will take part in a moderated discussion in front of a live audience on ABC. The moderators will be Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, and questions will come from the audience, according to ABC News.
One might say, Good for ABC! Unless, of course, you are a Republican.
The GOP officially complained that “opposing voices” will be left out, namely that they won’t be able to plant one of its usual trained goons next to the President to interrupt incessantly with absurd talking points so that no one can have a sensible discussion. ABC promises that people with diverse opinions will ask questions from the audience. One also hopes that Sawyer and Gibson will ask substantive and challenging questions.
Righties are screaming about an “ethical firestorm” because news will be “anchored” from inside the White House. A sampler of reactions:
This is the stuff of apparatchiks and Politburos, not a healthy, ethical free press. ABC will become the Obama network to sell his health care plan for an entire day. … [link]
Dr. Goebbels would be so proud… [link]
As far as I am aware this has never happened before in any administration – Democrat or Republican.
A free and independent press is one of the legs on which all representative governments rest. If we have lost it, The American Experiment’s remaining time is short indeed. [link]
One must ask, in what universe would news reporting from inside the White House, or a President taking questions from a live audience whose members he did not personally choose, be considered subversive of democracy? Beside Bizarro World, of course?
And the answer is, a world of people who think of the place from within the White House as enemy territory that must not be allowed legitimacy.
Update: See Bob Cesca at Crooks and Liars.
And how many times did Dick Cheney give “interviews” to Rush Limbaugh? Rush is too much of a coward to have any opposing voices.
It’s great that Obama is finally going on the PR offensive with this; I hope there’s enough time in the production to tease out everything that needs to be discussed. If the audience is on the same order as the presidential debates, it should be good television, that is if the moderators don’t turn out to be GOP dunces.
Of course the reality-challenged rightards think it’s the end of the world.
You’ve gotta love this – the whining, that is.
You have a President who is trying to maintain a dialogue with the American people and try to support health care that will help everyone. He’s not mandating a hand-picked audience of fawning sheep, like his predecesor. And the right thinks THIS is comparable to propoganda from Nazi Germany!
Anyone want to make a bet that the moderator’s find more criitic’s and rightwinger’s than people who might actually support health care? I mean, after all, Gibson’s probably still worrying about a tax increase.
We’ll see…
I’d venture a bet that much of the programming will be counter to what Obama wants; ABC has been known to promote right wing propaganda in the past. Charles Gibson is ABC’s Brit Hume an intellectual lightweight but a good script reader. ABC overplayed the Rev. Wright tapes almost as much as FAUX in the last election as I recall.
I had some angry repugs tonight! They said this was communism that the Pres. was speaking and ABC didn’t allow paid commercials against national healthcare during the time. They told themselves Obama was making the people that voted for him mad by interupting Lost. They know where I am coming from. When they said Obama was losing his base by interupting Lost… I had to walk away. What a bunch! They may be upset that he is interupting Lost… I however am not. I love it when the president speaks now. I feel like SOMEONE is working for the people.
I feel peace and hope now!
I should add.. that little yahoo thing that said a judge is looking over cheney’s spiel on Valerie Plame gave me hope too. That little ditty is one thing I will not forget. I want justice. I can not believe our country will allow our agents to be outed like that just to serve (in my opinion) the people working to fill their pockets with oil money.