Orlando TV Anchor's 'unprofessional interview' of Biden

[DainBramaged]

Run time: 04:43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGwwWT_EqXA   Posted on YouTube: October 26, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 26, 2008 By DU Member: DainBramaged Views on DU: 2388

 
This is shameful, but Rethugs have noo shame (The Obama campaign cancelled the woman's interview with Mrs. Biden) http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Orlando_TV_Anchors_unprofessional_interview_of_1025.html

[WillParkinson]

1. Why? The questions were fair and honest....

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Is this a joke? OMG. Nice wait to maintain your impartial attitude lady.

[r_todd_a]

8. fair, questionable, accurate, no

Please members of the press, make the effort to get the facts. Socialist? The bailout is the closet thing to socialism we've had since FDR. Ownership of the means of production is socialist. Obama has been hawking his 95% tax cut for the middle class. Tax cuts are are not part of socialism.

The interviewer neither had facts nor accurate information. Plus, the questions parroted those from a McCain stump speech.

Unfair, no, not necessarily. Substance? Factual? Not even close.

[MNBrewer]

2. Maybe Biden should take the Bachmann defense.

that he had never heard of this person's TV show, and fell into a trap, except for the fact that he didn't. WTF is up with those questions?

[Kokonoe]

6. These are the local stations the republican party bought in the south..

We can not wake without hearing this shit. Nothing out of the ordinary. HELP

[RBInMaine]

11. Pro-FASCIST CORPORATE RIGHT WING MEDIA CONSOLIDATION. PREZ OBAMA needs to Break This Shit Apart !!

The right wing fascist plan is to control the media as they did in Nazi Germany. Research it. It was part of the "conservative movement" plan drawn up in the Nixon era, which is why, today, we have 80% talk radio being right wing, huge numbers of right wing think tanks, huge numbers of right wing publications, right wing control of the FCC, fake corporate right wing tv media and radio media...
The Obama administration needs to rebalance the FCC and take legislative measures to STOP corporate media consolidation and re-adjust that playing field. And, those on the left with MONEY (i.e. Soros, etc.) need to get serious about investing in a new expansion of liberal counter-media and liberal think tanks of our own to further balance this out. Why does the right have so much power? In large measure because they overwhelmingly CONTROL THE MEDIA !!

[Best_man23]

25. "we have 80% talk radio being right wing"

80% is (and not to drop a bad pun) a conservative estimate. There is NOT ONE nationally syndicated liberal talk show host on terrestrial radio. To my knowledge, there here are NO nationally syndicated liberal talk show hosts on Armed Forces Radio.

[DainBramaged]

3. Oops. Lot of versions of this in videos, sorry. (I pulled it from Raw Story)

[LeighAnn]

4. Favorite Question

My favorite question: "Now you recently said, 'Mark my words,it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama.' But what worries many people is your caveat, asking them to stand with him because it's not going to be apparant initially that he's right. Are you forewarning Americans that nothing will be done and that America's days as the world's leading power are over?"

[VMA131Marine]

5. Source of Marx quote

Someone should tell this "journalist" that the Karl Marx quote "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is not original to Marx. The concept actually comes from the words of St Luke in Acts 2:44-45

Acts 2:44-45 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain


44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Why does this woman hate God? .... :evilgrin:

[MisterGamut]

29. Oh, Snap! (n/t)

.

[Celebrandil]

7. Sweden a socialist state?

Being a swede I get quite annoyed when people claim my country to be a socialist state. Sure there are socialists here, but a socialist state? I see many reasons why our democracy can be viewed as stronger than the American one. Voter participation in America is a disgrace, especially among less educated people. Yes, our taxes are high, in my own opinion far too high, but high taxes does not make a country a repressive dictatorship. Here people both to the left and right see the benefits of free health care and education. Our current prime minister comes from the conservative party and also he endorses Obama.

[RBInMaine]

12. If you have healthcare from cradle to grave, good public services, and no one is homeless and

starving, THEN GOOD FOR SWEDEN !! We have huge class imbalance; a middle class that is squeezed, stressed, and shrinking; healthcare costs that are bankrupting our nation; and VERY WRONG national spending priorities. And all this in the "RICHEST" country in the world. Capitalism and democracy are the best systems, but they must have RULES for FAIRNESS. That is NOT "socialism." It is called
PROGRESSIVE CAPITALISM, and that's the way it should be. The American right wing really wants AMERICAN CORPORATE FASCISM where they control the media and where a few rich fat cats and a few fat rich corporations control everything and have everything and all other Americans are left with the scraps. That is THEIR plan for my country, the country I LOVE !!

[Fedja]

14. To be perfectly honest...

99% of Americans don't have the faintest idea what "Socialism" is. To them, it's a curse word, and they see it as a caricature of a North Korean type of Communism.

Capitalism bases all its values and leverages on "capital".
Socialism bases its values and leverages on the health of the society as a whole.
Communism assumes the society works best as an egalitarian "commune" where everyone owns everything, therefore everything is in custody of the state.

Now history has shown that every single one of these systems in a pure form is doomed to fail. Yes I said it. Pure Capitalism is doomed to fail too. Scandinavia, which provides its people with the most enviable living standard and prospects combines Capitalism and Social elements into a working system.


That said for goverment systems, what about political systems? Democracy has its pros and cons. Every single country that screams for Democracy at the top of their lungs fails to deliver democracy to its people. As much as I hate to burst anyone's bubble, I'm afraid the US has spent too much time looking at the flag, the bald eagle, singing the national anthem and exporting democracy around the world. During this time, the democracy that the American people love so dearly has been slowly eroded.

Surely it's a lovely feeling to have democratic elections where every vote counts. Now I wonder, why doesn't a pure popular vote count decide the elections? Surely, it's good to have some accountability in place for elected officials. I wonder, why can't the President be recalled or reelected if he ends up being a massive failure that 80% of people disapprove of?

The US democracy compared to various systems I've seen around europe reminds me of "pressurised-can fat free butter". It's more convenient than butter, it has less fat than butter (none whatsoever, shockingly enough), and it does almost taste like butter. To someone who has forgotten what "butter" is, it may as well be the real thing.

Luckily, the internet is in every other living room these days, and those of us that have the pleasure of using real butter are always lurking. Every time you spray that abomination on the frying pan with a smile, we'll spoil the moment with a snide sigh. Deep down, we really really hope that eventually, you'll all be so tired of us that you'll look away from the daily routine and curiously examine the other options that you have. We really long for the day when you rediscover socially conscious Capitalism, true Democracy, and real butter with actual fat. The good fat that makes food taste better.

Until then, we'll cheer you on and sigh all at once.

[RBInMaine]

16. I believe I implied the validity of many of the comments you make here in my post. But let me add

that I'm not sure if 99% of Americans don't understand the difference between the political and economc systems you mention, though the numbers are pretty high I'll admit. You must understand American history and tradition. We were one of those democracies founded largely on the notional of INDIVIDUAL liberty: "freedom of..." as opposed to "freedom from..." which is the more collective notion. At the same time Americans can indeed pull together and work in concert, especially in private matters (huge charitable organizations and events flourish throughout the nation, etc.). We are a generous, big-hearted nation, and there are too many examples to share here. Yet in our political lives we seem to usually resist this kind of "collective" approach to things. As to our electoral college system of electing our presidents, one of the main purposes was to ensure that smaller states would have a larger voice in the process. If was based entirely on popular vote, candidates could avoid going to the smaller states and concentrate entirely on the large population centers. To change this, we'd need to amend our constitution which is no small task. I think we generally have a good system of checks and balances, and we designed the system to ensure that we would remove our high leaders essentially only as a LAST RESORT: through impeachment and supermajority conviction in the legislative branch in the event of high crimes and misdemeanors of state (or extreme private crimes) only. I agree entirely with this. You don't overturn elections merely because someone falls out of favor in the opinion polls, no matter how far they fall out of favor. That is why we have elections. That is why our chief executive is also term-limited by the constitution. I agree our country has gone astray on many fronts, and that we need to re-focus and re-prioritize. It will take time, and it won't be easy. Hopefully with the election of Barack Obama, we'll be well on our way.

[Fedja]

17. Aye, the comment was not directed at you per se

What I mean is that while many people can list the very basic differences between the political and economic systems, they consider several as being "bad", or even less rationally, "unamerican". I tried to point out that every system is "bad" if used exclusively. Thousands of deaths and unspeakable pain and grief could be prevented every year in the US by universal healthcare alone. The one thing that's been keeping people without basic coverage is the notion that it's a socialist practice.

As for elections, the concentration of the executive branch in a Presidential system is somewhat different than the Parliamentary system that is its most common counterpart. In both cases, once the elected executive fails to live up to the standards of the voters and the interests of society, the parliamentary systems around the world usually embrace the concept of "early elections".

This is not an "overturning of elections", it's one of the most important checks and balances in the system. The government is elected on the basis of promises and forecasts. The prospect of being taken off the pedestal forces them to live up to the promises. If, for example, our government ends up being a collective of idiots who managed to get elected on a platform of charisma and empty promises, if they go directly opposite to what the people expect them to do, it is taken down. Not as an "overturning of elections", but as an act of the people, deciding that they won't tolerate being treated like sheep. The election is repeated, and a more worthy government is chosen to lead the country.

Indeed, the stability of the system is somewhat weakened by this, and drastic measures are often hard to push through. On the other hand, look at the last few years in the US. Sometimes, drastic failures can come at a price that's not worth paying.

I'm not writing this from a completely detached and uninformed position, I've lived in the US and I know that the country prospers mostly because its people are incredibly hard-working and generous. The local community often bends over backwards to provide some of the social safety for those in need. However, it's tragic to see that the brunt of the "help", inside the US and internationally, is provided by the very people that barely get by themselves. They see the need to help the neighbors that are going through hard times, but fail to address this issue on a broader, state-wide level. They help a family of four with their hard-earned savings, but abandon the millions of other people in need. Sadly, because that would be "socialism", and because "socialism" is aparently a bad word. :)

[RBInMaine]

23. We agree on a lot here. What country are you from? Sweden was it? Also,

I knew what you meant when you discussed the govt./political systems in their pure forms and the problems that can be found in each. Indeed, even in their UNpure form there are problems. Sadly, we have a corporate media juggernaut in this country with a strong right-leaning orientation that continues to frame such terms as "socialism" and evem "liberal" to mean "evil," "UnAmerican,"...
Then all too many buy into the frames. And yet rank-and-file "conservatives" all over this nation LOVE their Medicare and Social Security benefits. LOVE them ! And many corporations LOVE their government subsidies and bailouts. Is this, too, "socialism?" I hear you. The order of the day now is to elect Mr. Obama and stronger Democratic Congressional majorities, unhinge the corporate right wing lock on the American media, and work to unite a strong majority of Americans around a new era of more progressive capilitalist policies (pro-unionism, incentives for businesses that pledge to stay in the U.S., reforming bad trade deals, implenting fairer tax policies, investing in green technology infrastructure, etc.) and also more progressive democratic principles as opposed to what we've had under the Bush neocons. As to the European parliamentary electoral system vs. ours, again, no democratic structure is perfect. A wash could be argued. The MAIN problem with our system is the influence of corporate lobbying which must be further contained. Cheers. - RBinMAINE

[MisterGamut]

30. The thing about higher taxes coupled with free healthcate etc

is that you don't have to pay out of pocket for the etc. So the higher taxes actually save you money in the long run.

[DUlover2909]

9. I agree with Marx and Engels on many issues.

I agree that the workers control the means of production, religion is the opiate of the masses, the concept of "to each according to his/her needs and from each according to his/her means", and that the stuggle of classes is a political struggle. Because of these beliefs I support unions, think churches are businesses and should be audited and taxed, hold progressive views on social equality and justice, and support the progressive taxation system. Does that make me a Marxist?

And what the hell is wrong with Sweden? I'd love it if we had their standard of living, sense of community, and life expectancy.

[izquierdista]

10. If they only knew....

Most of the Americans yelling "USA! USA! USA!" or "we're number 1, we're number 1" have not the vaguest clue what life is like in Sweden, France, Germany, Singapore, Japan, or a couple dozen other places where the quality of life is actually higher for the average citizen than it is in the USA. They have been told that socialism is the enemy, that they have the best standard of living, that everyone is envious of America and they believe it hook, line, and sinker. They will believe it to their dying day, which will be when they expire for lack of affordable health care. Then the next generation will shed a tear for grampa or gramma, and on the way home from the funeral, they will feel blessed to live in the greatest country in the world.

[DUlover2909]

13. I like your handle. I remember using "izqierdistas" in an essay I wrote in college.

I used it numerous times when I wrote about the forced voting in El Salvador and the forced taking of blood from El Salvadorans to be shipped to American hospitals by the CIA. I wrote the essay for my college Spanish class at Occidental College. I haven't seen that term used since then. Go Leftists!

[ladjf]

15. Biden did a great job of answering her disingenuous questions

to our advantage. I particularly liked his response to one question, "Is this a joke?".

[trapper914]

19. His Last Answer Was The Best

Biden saddles the interviewer with the "Far Right Wing" label and she didn't even know it!

[ladjf]

24. I don't see why everyone was so mad about the interviewer. She

,by mistake, wound up giving Biden an opportunity to successfully rebut many of the current Republican talking points and she made herself look like a rude ass. Biden was straight forward and tough, but never rude.

[Maineman]

18. This was propaganda masquerading as an interview.

Tell the TV station what you think. Google: contact WFTV.

[Supersedeas]

27. Barbara West -- propoganda shill of the week - expect more of this type of 'reporting' if Obama wins

[april]

20. email her & the station....

[email protected]

[COLGATE4]

21. Done

But don't hold your breath until this right-wing TV station does anything about it.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

28. I got a reply from the station

I emailed them and got this reply today.
********************************************************************************
Dear Viewer:

Thank you for taking time to contact us regarding Barbara West's recent interview with democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden.

The Obama campaign contacted us last week offering Senator Biden, via satellite, for a short interview. Barbara West, one of our most experienced anchors, was asked to interview Senator Biden, just as she had been on previous occasions.

It is our goal at Eyewitness News when interviewing any political candidate or public official to ask them a direct question about an issue currently in the public debate. Last week, when much of the political discourse centered on Senator Obama's statement to 'Joe the Plumber' that he thought 'sharing the wealth' was a good idea, Barbara decided to ask Senator Biden just how far an Obama-Biden administration would go in 'sharing the wealth'. What followed was very pointed, provocative question. We allowed Senator Biden to answer, fully unedited.

We tell our reporters and news anchors to ask the questions that one of our viewers might ask. For example, when Senator Obama visited Lakeland recently, Barbara (knowing her time with a presidential candidate would be limited) asked Senator Obama two questions: first, about drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico; and, second, about his position on the space program. The Senator's answers dominated the news cycle for the next day.

You can see all of Barbara's interviews with political candidates at WFTV.com including one she just did Monday with Senator John McCain.

Perhaps more than any other presidential election in recent memory, this current election has stirred passions - some of them quite partisan - in many people. Through it all, we believe our mission is to address vital issues that we will face together, regardless of our own personal views with thorough, even handed reporting.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us.
********************************************************************************
The above pissed me off so I emailed them again and told them so. I've emailed them several times now and also that media whore Barbara West.

[votetastic]

22. The right wing is saying these were

"tough questions from a real reporter"..

but they decried Katie Couric's softballs as blatant media bias.

[Catsbrains]

26. She's constantly blinking..it's creepy...