411 Politics Fact or Fiction: Week 49
Posted by Ryan Latimer on 06.25.2007
No Paris Hilton. Except in joke form.
Good day after Sunday, internet folk, and welcome to Week 49 of 411 Politics Fact or Fiction. I'm your host Ryan Latimer, and I'm the guy who put in that bid on behalf on NBC to pay Paris Hilton $1 million to get that first exclusive interview. Thought it was worth the money at the time.
Lots of stuff to talk about this week, with 411 Politics' own Justin Bologna and Enrique butting heads on such issues as Nancy Grace's wrongful death legal woes, Hillary Clinton joining the mafia, Fox News' recent war coverage and Michael Bloomberg giving the ‘ol heave hoe to the GOP. And no Paris Hilton, which is why I dedicating the opening bad joke to her for restitution. What's not to miss here? Stick around, you might learn something.
Go…
1) A Florida judge has ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that CNN's Nancy Grace "pushed" Melinda Duckett, the mother of a missing toddler, to suicide through aggressive questioning last year on her show will in fact be tried in federal court. Grace's actions were over the line and she deserves this lawsuit.
Justin Baragona: FICTION - I agree that Nancy Grace's actions were definitely over the line and in fact CNN has every right to hold her responsible for said actions and inflict whatever punishment they as a company feel is justified, up to and including termination. However, I don't agree with the lawsuit only because I think it would setup a terrible precedent that can be used against members of the media in the future. While Nancy Grace's comments and actions towards the woman were abhorrent, they were still just her opinions. As long as she is given a forum to state these opinions, she should be safe to freely express herself, regardless of how stupid and inconsiderate what she says really is. I am all for CNN kicking this hack to the curb, but I am not in favor of her being successfully sued for her opinions.
Enrique: FICTION - I try my best to firmly stand behind any person's right to make an ass of him/herself in public. Nancy Grace is a complete hack and I can't understand why any reasonable person would watch her show, but it's a free market. If CNN wants to put her on, I'm all for it. As far as this lawsuit, regardless of whatever irresponsible nonsense Grace may have said – somehow I just can't get behind suing someone for expressing on opinion. Nancy Grace may be a creepy wench who says awful things, but as long as those awful things are opinions, I have to side with Free Speech here.
I only caught clips of the interview in question so I can‘t be for sure (and I also don‘t watch Grace at all), but I don‘t believe I heard or saw anything that could be considered cruel or grounds for accusations of wrongful death responsibility. That said, this really could go either way in court, and it will be very interesting to see what happens. 1 for 1
2) Hillary Clinton unveiled a new campaign ad last week to announce her Presidential campaign song -- by starring with her husband Bill Clinton in a spoof of the final scene of The Sopranos. This was a good promotional move by the Clinton campaign.
Justin Baragona: FACT - This was a good move by her camp for a number of reasons. One, it tied into something topical (The Soprano's ending.) Two, it showed that Hillary actually has a personality and some semblance of a sense of humor. Finally, and most importantly, it put Bill's face on the screen and attached him to this campaign. It reminds a lot of people of one of the key reasons they should vote for Hillary and that is to get Slick Willy back into the White House. I'm not a big fan of Hillary, but I have to think this was a success on all fronts.
Enrique: FACT - I've watched a few of Hillary's recent "campaign song" videos. For the first time in my life, I cracked a smile while watching HILLARY CLINTON. If she can break through my cold shell of cynicism if only for a moment, then I'd have to say her current campaign strategy is successful. I've never watched The Sopranos.
Personally, I had the opposite effect Enrique had. I have no love for the Clintons and for me this ad only solidified my notion that these people are nothing but political robots trying to act human. Look, I watch the Sopranos! I have a sense of humor! I listen to Journey! Vote for ME! Bleh. 2 for 2
3) A recent study (PEJ) from Project for Excellence in Journalism found that Fox News spent considerably less time covering the Iraq conflict than CNN and MSNBC for the first quarter of 2007. This report shows that outlets such as CNN and MSNBC merely delight in covering the conflict due to their agendas, and that Fox News' coverage has been adequate.
Justin Baragona: FICTION - I cannot be emphatic about this enough. First and foremost, Fox News was the biggest cheerleader for this war prior to it starting and after it first began. All you saw on Fox then was coverage of Iraq. Fast forward four years later, and Fox News feels the need to cover the war less as it has become highly unpopular and the outlook is not nearly as rosy as the White House made us believe back in 2003. If CNN and MSNBC are serving an agenda by covering the Iraq War, what exactly is that agenda? To keep the public informed on the most important topic in the news? This should be dominating the news coverage. I understand why Fox News has decreased its coverage of the Iraq War, I really do. The primary audience of Fox are conservatives who supported this war initially (and may still support it.) Their audience doesn't want to be reminded all the time about what a disaster the war has become. So Fox decides to pare back the coverage and fill that airtime with a far more topical and important story--Anna Nicole Smith's death.
Enrique: FACT - But who's really getting war coverage from cable news anymore? If you're not getting your Mid-East news from independent journalists like Michael Yon (www.michaelyon-online.com) or Michael J. Totten (michaeltotten.com) you're pretty much wasting your time. Regarding the cable newsers – we all know CNN and MSNBC only cover the body count and government failures while Fox only covers the rebuilding of infrastructure and successful military operations. Needless to say, Fox has had less to report lately, but if this new Diyala offensive manages to crush Al Qaeda decisively, it could be a turning point. (Oh, you didn't know about U.S. troops handing Al Qaeda its ass in Diyala? You must watch CNN.)
Point taken by Justin, but this one is interesting in that it might be one of the very few times I stand up for Fox News (someone call my shrink). While I don‘t subscribe to the mentality that outlets like CNN and MSNBC "delight" in showing Iraq war violence in order to stick it to GOP or further an agenda, I also don‘t believe, for example, every single battle incident needs to be covered because it‘s pointless. Wake me when something actually important or progressive transpires. 2 for 3
4) After six years as a Republican, 65-year-old Michael Bloomberg said he has left the GOP and become unaffiliated, possibly for an independant bid for President in 2008. If Bloomberg decides to run, he made a mistake by leaving the GOP and fending for himself.
Justin Baragona: FICTION - Bloomberg was never going to get the nomination from the GOP anyway if he decided to run for President, so why not drop out of the party and run as an independent? The Republicans appear to be looking for someone who is far more socially conservative than Bloomberg, who has a moderate stance on issues such as gay marriage, abortion and gun control. He is stinking rich and can finance his own campaign, as he has done both times he has run for mayor of New York. It is a long shot for him to be elected President or even make a major impact, but it is an even longer shot for him to get the GOP nomination.
Enrique: FICTION - Bloomberg has always been a fairly doctrinaire liberal, and he only ran for mayor as a Republican because it would help him win. He's also a legit billionaire, so I doubt he needs the financial backing of a major party to run a credible campaign. He never cared about the Republican Party, and they never cared about him. That said, I don't think he'd have much of a chance in the general election. America 's probably not as ready for a Jewish President as it would be for a black or female President.
Honesty? He doesn't have a chance anyway, GOP or not. This race is already covered side to side to side with rich white guys wanting their shot at The Big Time, with more favorites yet to even enter the race. Even taking out the factor of running for President (which I believe he won‘t do), distancing yourself from the GOP at the current time certainly can‘t hurt one‘s political career. Just saying… 3 for 4
Thanks as always, gentlemen, and of course thanks to our fine readers as well. See you all in seven.
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