Dennis Olson
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NBC Cancels Debate as Gore Ducks and Spins
Dan Frisa
Friday, Sept. 8, 2000
Gov. George W. Bush accepted Vice President Al Gore’s challenge to a joint appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press" for a nationally televised presidential debate to be moderated by host Tim Russert. Bowing to pressure from Gore, his friends at NBC have now decided to cancel Tuesday night’s debate. Why?
Gore himself made the offer on his last visit to "Meet the Press" and went even further by claiming he would debate Bush "anytime, anywhere.”
Earlier this week the Gore campaign was spinning as hard as Rumpelstiltskin when it was caught flat-footed by the Bush acceptance. Of course the mainstream media followed suit and dutifully reported the Gore spin.
Bush announced that he would show up at NBC regardless of Gore’s refusal to honor his word, and even urged his now-reluctant opponent to attend as well.
More Gore-friendly media spin filled the rest of the week, including endless, manufactured reasons why it was a bad idea for this debate to go on as planned: Bush was really afraid to debate Gore; Bush wanted a smaller audience; the other networks wouldn’t cover a single-network event; etc., etc.
So here we are with another episode of the Upside Down Tea Party: Gore offers to debate; Bush accepts; Gore does a whopper of a flip-flop and refuses; Bush is bashed in the press; Bush promises to go ahead anyway; NBC caves and cancels the debate.
And so it goes. In fact the same situation has developed with Gore’s other specific challenge for a debate on CNN’s "Larry King Live." Bush accepted; Gore reneged; Bush says he’ll be there; and Gore still says no. Want to guess what will happen with this one? Why bother? This one is easy; remember it’s not called the Clinton News Network for nothing.
This entire debate saga perfectly sums up the huge disadvantage faced by Bush: a viciously biased media hell-bent on doing everything possible to damage the Bush campaign, every chance they get.
Ever wonder why Republicans refuse to go along with so-called campaign finance reform, which is so strongly and piously pushed by the media? The GOP would never, ever stand a chance if restrictions were placed on voluntary contributions to candidates and how that money could be spent.
The same treatment being thrust on Bush here would still be present, with one important difference: Bush wouldn’t have the opportunity to "speak" directly to voters, unfiltered, via paid campaign commercials, and the media would have the whole field to itself.
Gore has demonstrated yet again that his word is worthless, that he will do and say anything, and that when he gets caught in a self-created bind, his friends on the back of the plane will be there to cover it up, spin it and make it all go away.
Take heart. They tried the same thing in 1980 with Ronald Reagan. The media said: He’s not too bright; he dyes his hair; he’s only a B-movie actor; he’s too harsh and uncaring; he can’t be trusted with the red phone; and on and on.
And just as weak-kneed Republicans are carping about the Bush campaign today, the same group of spineless wonders were doing the same job on Reagan. At this same point then, Carter lead Reagan in every poll.
The American people weren’t fooled. They knew what they knew and they saw what they saw. And they weren’t hoodwinked by media hogwash then, and they shouldn’t be now.
* * *
Dan Frisa represented New York in the United States Congress and served four terms in the New York State Assembly. E-mail him at: danfrisa@newsmax.com.
www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/9/8/183843
Dan Frisa
Friday, Sept. 8, 2000
Gov. George W. Bush accepted Vice President Al Gore’s challenge to a joint appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press" for a nationally televised presidential debate to be moderated by host Tim Russert. Bowing to pressure from Gore, his friends at NBC have now decided to cancel Tuesday night’s debate. Why?
Gore himself made the offer on his last visit to "Meet the Press" and went even further by claiming he would debate Bush "anytime, anywhere.”
Earlier this week the Gore campaign was spinning as hard as Rumpelstiltskin when it was caught flat-footed by the Bush acceptance. Of course the mainstream media followed suit and dutifully reported the Gore spin.
Bush announced that he would show up at NBC regardless of Gore’s refusal to honor his word, and even urged his now-reluctant opponent to attend as well.
More Gore-friendly media spin filled the rest of the week, including endless, manufactured reasons why it was a bad idea for this debate to go on as planned: Bush was really afraid to debate Gore; Bush wanted a smaller audience; the other networks wouldn’t cover a single-network event; etc., etc.
So here we are with another episode of the Upside Down Tea Party: Gore offers to debate; Bush accepts; Gore does a whopper of a flip-flop and refuses; Bush is bashed in the press; Bush promises to go ahead anyway; NBC caves and cancels the debate.
And so it goes. In fact the same situation has developed with Gore’s other specific challenge for a debate on CNN’s "Larry King Live." Bush accepted; Gore reneged; Bush says he’ll be there; and Gore still says no. Want to guess what will happen with this one? Why bother? This one is easy; remember it’s not called the Clinton News Network for nothing.
This entire debate saga perfectly sums up the huge disadvantage faced by Bush: a viciously biased media hell-bent on doing everything possible to damage the Bush campaign, every chance they get.
Ever wonder why Republicans refuse to go along with so-called campaign finance reform, which is so strongly and piously pushed by the media? The GOP would never, ever stand a chance if restrictions were placed on voluntary contributions to candidates and how that money could be spent.
The same treatment being thrust on Bush here would still be present, with one important difference: Bush wouldn’t have the opportunity to "speak" directly to voters, unfiltered, via paid campaign commercials, and the media would have the whole field to itself.
Gore has demonstrated yet again that his word is worthless, that he will do and say anything, and that when he gets caught in a self-created bind, his friends on the back of the plane will be there to cover it up, spin it and make it all go away.
Take heart. They tried the same thing in 1980 with Ronald Reagan. The media said: He’s not too bright; he dyes his hair; he’s only a B-movie actor; he’s too harsh and uncaring; he can’t be trusted with the red phone; and on and on.
And just as weak-kneed Republicans are carping about the Bush campaign today, the same group of spineless wonders were doing the same job on Reagan. At this same point then, Carter lead Reagan in every poll.
The American people weren’t fooled. They knew what they knew and they saw what they saw. And they weren’t hoodwinked by media hogwash then, and they shouldn’t be now.
* * *
Dan Frisa represented New York in the United States Congress and served four terms in the New York State Assembly. E-mail him at: danfrisa@newsmax.com.
www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/9/8/183843
