FTN: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Tells The McCain Campaign The Truth Matters...But Does CBS Care?
By Nicole Belle Saturday Sep 13, 2008 6:00pm
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If you ever wondered how it was possible that we could possibly have this close an election when the vast majority of the American people highly disapprove of the job George W. Bush has done, yet there is still a disconnect with John McCain supporters that his would be a third Bush term, look no further than what passes for political debate on this morning's Face the Nation. My head is still hurting from the stupidity of it.
Still playing to the media narrative that the selection of Sarah Palin should somehow bring women to the McCain camp, they bring on four female proxies--Kay Bailey Hutchinson and former Mass Gov. Jane Swift for McCain, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and FL Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Obama--to frame the debate as Obama vs. Palin. Strange that. All this time, I thought it was John McCain running for the office. You know, the same guy that calls his wife an unforgivable slur and laughs at Hillary Clinton being referred to as a b*tch, and now the Republicans saying they're going to call out sexism when they see it? Maybe my silly little female head got confused.
And when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz throws down the gauntlet on all the GOP distractions and says that the truth matters and Gov. Swift opts to spin this into an inane deflection of whether Palin was actually in Iraq, wasting close to four minutes of airtime. Wasserman Schultz holds her ground, pointing out that these embellishments to her record just show what a lightweight Palin truly is, but it's host Bob Schieffer that has to side with the Republicans by pointing out that Palin's actions 'have been alleged' to be less than her claim, but it's up to the voters to decide "the truth."
Um, Bob, isn't that supposed to be your function? To help the voters know the truth from the spin?
Transcripts below the fold
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<![endif]-->NAPOLITANO: I have to say that one of the disappointmenting things about this campaign has been John McCain's ad, which now have been soundly criticized even by non-partisan groups as being sorely misleading, taking comments out of context, all the things that in the past, the old John McCain used to criticize. We're now seeing the rejuvenated Karl Rove-based John McCain and we see it every day and these kinds of advertisements that really don't assist voters in making the key decisions that's facing them right now, which is who should be the next President of the United States? A man who is standing with Bush 90+% of the time, who has not supported in 26 years in the Senate equal pay and other issues affecting women. Should he be the President or should it be Barack Obama, who has stood for all of these issues?
SCHIEFFER: Gov. Swift?
SWIFT: Well, first of all, let me just say that I think that the Democrats and many folks are just outraged that John McCain would actually call them on their words that are inappropriate about Sarah Palin and we do need to step up and say, "listen, when you say things that have nothing to do with her position on issues and with her record as Governor of Alaska, we are going to call you on it. And if that's painful, I'm sorry, but I do think that the point is we are trying to determine whether or not we are going to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin, proven ability to change Washington, to bring reform to Washington, or are we going to elect Barack Obama, who on the bill that we're talking about sides with the trial lawyers, one of the most pwerful special interests in Washington.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: On the bill that we're talking about, Governor, on the bill that we're talking about, John McCain was the deciding vote to defeat the bill in the Senate and Barack Obama voted for it. When it comes to putting up or shutting up... [crosstalk]
SWIFT: Which is why the trial lawyers are giving more money to Barack Obama.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: When it comes to...who is for equal pay and proved it and who's against it, John McCain voted no and was the deciding vote. Barack Obama voted yes. And you know what? At the end of the day, Governor, the truth matters. I'm a mom, you're a mom. We both have twins. I raise my kids and I'm sure Sarah Palin raised her kids to tell the truth and that the truth is important. But when she lies about the fact that she says she went to Iraq and she didn't, when she says that ...when she repeatedly...[crosstalk]
SWIFT: She did not lie about saying she went to Iraq.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: She did. She didn't go to Iraq. She went to Ireland...
SWIFT: She visited the troops, the general in charge...
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: She went to Ireland on a refueling stop...She did not go into Iraq. And the campaign said she did.
SWIFT: The general in charge said that they went to Kuwait and they went across the border. They went into Iraq to visit troops...
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: But they didn't. They were not in Iraq.
SWIFT: That's what the general says...
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: She's outside North America. She's been to Kuwait at the border and she stopped over in Ireland on a refueling stop. But the truth matters, and she's going to get called on the truth. So is John McCain for the entire campaign, because in this country we have to make sure that we move in a new direction. The American people are tired of the culture of corruption that has hung over the Capitol for far too long under Republican control. We do not need more of the same.
SWIFT: Well first of all, John McCain has [crosstalk]
SCHIEFFER: Let me interrupt for a moment, to clarify, because this just came up overnight, what Congresswoman Schultz is talking about. Last night the Obama campaign put out a report that says that Sarah Palin did not go to Iraq as she has stated to visit the Alaskan National Guard troops, but that she stopped at a border crossing with Kuwait and that she did not get more than a quarter of a mile inside Iraq. So that is the charge. You're saying, Gov. Swift, that that's overblown?
SWIFT: Yeah, I think it is overblown. The truth is she went to Kuwait to visit the troops who were going to be fighting in Iraq. She was accompanied by a general who will say they traveled into Iraq and if it has been misreported, but to say that she is lying, in all due respect to Congresswoman Schultz, is not appropriate. She is not lying.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: They said she went to Iraq and she didn't go to Iraq...
SWIFT: She was in Iraq; the general will tell you...
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: ...I mean, it's pretty black and white.
SWIFT: ...that they traveled into Iraq.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, what the general said is that she never ventured beyond the border crossing. That's what they said. And that's the bottom line...the truth matters
SCHIEFFER: All right, I'm just going to call time here and let people make up their own minds on this.
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You want my head to hurt too? No thanks - I know what I'll hear.
*
Wow, send this to Bob Schieffer on a poster, bold and highlight the last line. Um, yes, that is their job, isn't it?
This bodes poorly for the first presidential debate, I'm afraid.
"...look no further than what passes for political debate on this morning’s Face the Nation. "
You could say that about anyone of these moronic "news" shows.
Scjeifer just demonstrated his unfitness for his job...he knowingly sided with what he knows to be a lie. Shame on him.
I was at the nursing home visiting my mother today and I listened to a middle aged woman try to convince her mother not to vote for Obama. She even had her cute dog with her or and a jar of pickles. This woman told her mother that "Sarah Palin is just wonderful mom. She has an 86% approval rating in Alaska. Everybody loves her in Alaska. She's just wonderful and you know she's friends with John Ashcroft. He supports her. And one more thing....John Ashcrost is friends with Bill. You know Bill our friend? They're friends mother. She is a wonderful person."
Too bad I couldn't have gotten my mom out there. She would have said. "Oh God, what an idiot."
After reading about it, I shan't dare watch it.
Edwin Hussein @ 6:
Ditto.
My wife, a liberal French national, believes McCain made a master-stroke by selecting Palin thus diverting attention away from his link to GW. She further believes, much to her consternation, that McCain will thus secure the election.
We both surely hope she is wrong.
I was just in OH and witnessed a bumper sticker that read something like this:
"I won't be forced to learn a second language to accommodate illegals in MY country."
The Repubs have been masterful at getting the (ignorant) middle class to vote against their best interests. I fear they're succeeding again.
The Republicans are counting on the stupidity of the American voter.
They will not be disappointed.
Jeanne @ 5:
These women that are supporting Palin, like this, are giving women a bad name. They're digging the sexism pit deeper.
Geez, what is it these Repugs are drinking?
What a sorry bunch to say the least
I think I see the problem. Truth and facts are something you vote on. I didn't even have to watch it and my brain hurts.
"The truth matters..." Yes, the truth certainly does matter, but those truths will not emerge during the upcoming presidential debates since the two major presidential candidates are more alike than not, especially in regard to foreign policy. But for the American people to be given the straight skinny on the two corporate candidates Obama and McCain, a third party candidate such as Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney should be allowed to participate, which is something that one would normally expect to happen in a true democracy, where many voices are heard, instead of just Democrats or Republicans. But as John MacArthur points out in his most excellent and relevant book You Can't Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America, the chances of that happening in the [alleged] land of the free are slim and none.
The Republican philosophy: claim every virtue of your opponent as if it were your own and accuse your opponent of every shameful offense you commit.
Liberal AND Proud @ 9:
Funny you should mention this. This is verbatim, from one of my emails, today. (I went in there to copy it.):
After following the election since Nov. 2006, I have come to the conclusion, Americans are fucked in the head. There's no other possible conclusion. No one uses reason; it's all smears and lies. Barack Obama is the most forthright to come along for a while and he gets labelled an elitist because of his "fancy talk". (Words with three or more syllables.) Small town America doesn't go for that. They'd rather elect "someone they could have a beer with," like bu$h.
The masses have certainly been dumbed down. And then, somehow, God got infused into the mix. Talk about a disaster.
God, I hate television. Look no further than who owns the networks, then turn it off, and leave it off.
I hope that I don't hurt someone here, but I came to the conclusions Republicans are either very stupid, ignorant or mentally ill
Bob @ 8:
Barring some sort of Republican caused minority holocaust, the Republican party is a dying breed. White people will be a minority by 2042, and with their actions over the last few years they can kiss the latino vote goodbye. I just hope our country is still standing by then, and hasn't collapsed from idiotic Republican rule.
THIS is why the world is going to marginalize us and shut America down if McCain is elected. America haeemed too dangerous to mankind to continue as a power. Elect who you will America. It really makes little difference.
Why is it generally "ok" to call a man a 'dick' or a 'prick' but it's "unforgivable" to call a female the 'c'-word? I thought we were all working towards equality? What happened to that?
Wasserman Schultz needs to be the next speaker of the House.
Cannot believe she's a dem—SHE'S GOT BALLS.
And, all of this is soooo painful to watch———
If Obama would just get out there and stop sounding so cerebral, tell
us in 5 words or less why we're screwed if these hybrid Neocons get in again,
no one would care about McCain/Palin.
Everyone knows that McCain is more of Bush. But, recognize that 50 percent
of the population are knuckle draggers.
Those of us who were Clinton supporters saw this coming.
Its soooooo painful because Big Dog would have "BobDoled" McCain back in August.
The whole issue of her being in Kuwait or Iraq was whether she was visiting troops from The Alaska National Guard. That should be the only question in this matter. It's another F*cking distraction.
Thsis is what we should be concerned about.
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/NEWS0108/...
Peter G @ 12:
I wanted to say something similar. But, I've watched this several times now, and read the transcript provided. Am I going nuts?
Nicole Belle says:
He didn't exactly say that. What's quoted is not what was said.
He noted that the Obama campaign put out an ad the night before, and asked whether Swift thought it was "overblown." That's not exactly siding with Swift.
Moreover, he never said it was up to the voters to decide "the truth." He was running out of time as several members of his panel were talking over one another. So he "called time," and said he'd "let people make up their own minds."
Granted, truth is not achieved by plebiscite, and it would have marked more journalistic integrity to have admitted that he himself could not give the truth to the people because he didn't have it, but it seems unfair to accuse him of saying that it's "up to the voters to decide 'the truth.'" It's not like he stated that as matter of journalistic fact-finding policy. He was out of time, and clumsily wrapped things up.
I likewise don't think it's fair to accuse Swift of "deflection." Wasserman-Schultz put the accusation out there, and she was saying it wasn't true. Whether she lied about this is one thing. But creating an inane deflection? Swift wasn't the one who brought it up.
Besides, that's a stupid issue for the Obama campaign to go after. No one's going to buy it. If it's a matter of technicality, like whether she was in Iraq proper when visiting the troops or just outside of it, it's going to look petty to call them out on it. Especially when there are so many other lies that genuinely make them look grotesque.
I dunno. I'm not sure I get the gist here. Am I missing something?
Lou Slobbs and Howard Putz just called the mainstream media liberally biased!!!
Now saying Obama is the media darling!!
Putz is saying he is troubled by the media sexism of Palin.
I've always said, the mainstream media is the ENEMY of liberals and the Democratic Party
This is an example of the lies from the right wing media, folks!!!
Boycott CBS
http://blogsforjohnmccain.com/palin-has-visited-iraq-war-theater-visited...
this is a blog for palin
banner is the mccain lie
note that palin was allowed to bring in camera people while visiting wounded troups in germany
the other thing to note is the "wounded" soldier in the hospital bed dressed in full fatigues
someone wanna tell me why a soldier in germany getting treatment is in bed fully dressed in fatigues?
btw, this pic was scrubbed from palin's official site and replaced with a soldier dressed in a hospital gown
but its ok if the mccain camp lies about palin
its not ok if you fact check those lies
this isnt about palin...this is about mccain using her to lie and lie again
treestump @ 20:
I've often wondered the same thing about the word "bitch." While the dreaded C-word has some sort of special taboo status, "bitch" doesn't. At least not in my circles. And I've often wondered why it's "sexist" to call a woman a "bitch," but not "sexist" to call a man a "prick."
wakeupobama @ 21:
ya...he needs to dumb it down
maybe he should get elocution lessons from 50 cent
I don't think 'technically' sociopathy is a mental illness, it is sort of an identity.
Karen @ 27:
but you can call everyone a pussy
Have the Corporate Media merely abdicated their responsibility or have they actively joined the NeoCon Conspiracy?
Seriously!
Are they tools of the Right? Or just Tools?
If I recall correctly, wasn't Wasserman on the shit list for backing The repug congresswoman from Cuba...oopppssss, I mean Florida. Ileana somesuchthing.
Karen @ 23:
Karen, I often think faster than I type and so not everything comes out the way I intend, and I wasn't lying when I said this made my head hurt.
My material point is that Swift claims that the GOP will call out sexism when they see it (a laughable statement in and of itself) and DWS says it's not sexism to call out lies.
Then Swift goes into a 4 minute distraction about some mythical unnamed general that can confirm that Palin has stepped one foot inside Iraq. This passes for political debate, apparently. I'm not thrilled that DWS allowed it to go off into that tangent, but she at least held her ground.
Schieffer, rather than putting on a journalist's hat and getting to the truth, back pedals that this is an Obama allegation and it's up to the viewers to decide who is telling the truth.
Well, frankly, that's just wrong. The media is supposed to provide the truth, not a platform for spin, so that voters can be educated. It's evidently too much to expect from the Fourth Estate now, sadly, who will give truth and spin equal footing.
Scheiffer is a tired old whitebread hack, just like the person he is apparently supporting.
ENOUGH with these troglodytes. Enough with their Depends and their Viagra and their trophy wives.
Enough, already.
Liberal AND Proud @ 9:
It's so disappointing to realize how truly stupid the American public is. You don't know how many times I've heard someone say 'I don't keep up with politics; it's too confusing'. It's quite easy to develop some basic knowledge that would allow one to make a half way informed choice. Instead, we'll have millions of people voting for McCain because they think Palin is such a nice lady, and seems to be one of them?????
Well, I have a news flash; she is just like them; an uninformed, naive, doofus who is totally unqualifed to hold the position she is seeking,
If Democrats cannot win this election, we will NEVER win one.
Uncle Joe Mccarthy @ 30:
And you can call all men a DICK.
I think it has to do with men respecting women. That's just my opinion.
Remington Hussein Steele @ 31:
Did you just wake up Rip Van Winkle? They have been complicit for over 30 years.
btw...there is still no evidence that she has ever visited either canada or mexico
her campaign will not release details of those trips...both which were done for pleasure
im waiting for john fund to tell us how 90 percent of the american public never leave the country, so its no big deal
Nicole Belle @ 33:
Made my head hurt too. ;)
Oh, absolutely. The Republicans are now coopting women's rights. It's not just ridiculous. It's DISGUSTING!
Fair enough. I just didn't think it counted as "deflecting" to respond to a direct accusation. Her answer was awful, just not a deflection. :)
I don't disagree. The media's primary problem is that it has substituted neutrality for objectivity. Some things are facts, and some aren't. Some things are empirically true, or they are not. And it doesn't matter what side you're on.
The way the media is run today, however, Scheiffer would have the baseball team that scored 92 runs on to debate the team that scored 0, and would let both sides talk about who really won. In the name of balance and objectivity. Disgusting.
As for this particular example, though, I'm not totally sure he didn't just clumsily wrap things up when time was out, but different guests were still talking.
mudshark @ 36:
My friends and I have decided awhile ago to use the dreaded "C" word (a mixture of men and women). It is applied in only the most dire of circumstances and seems to really be the mot juste for some occasions; most recently, Ms. Palin. Not to be too corny, I am a woman and have found it kind of liberating to use the word.
Jo @ 34:
scheiffer is usually good...here he drops the ball because he feels it doesnt matter
it does matter, because you have a person running for high office who is attempting to pad her resume
palin first said she visited kuwait, a base in iraq, germany and ireland
they then say that she was in the war zone in iraq
they then say that she went to a border crossing in kuwait and her visit to ireland was a stopover for fuel...she never left the airport
the reality is...it kills her to be away from alaska and her kids...which makes very good sense, but doesnt make sense for a vp candidate
Fanon @ 40:
Yes, liberating! I use it often. At my age I need all the liberating I can get.
Fanon @ 40:
if we lived in england...this wouldnt be an issue
everyone there calls everyone else the c word
mudshark @ 36:
It is about respecting women. Curious, though, isn't it? That women should be afforded special respect, and not to afford us that respect is "sexist?"
If I call a man a "dick," I'm just expressing an opinion. Not very nicely, but I'm not sexist. I don't look down on men or think men as a sex are all inferior. But, if, in return, he calls me a "bitch," even if I'm out of line, he's necessarily a "sexist?"
Uncle Joe Mccarthy @ 43:
Interesting you should mention that, the origin of our beginning to use the word was our friend from the UK telling us how silly we were that we wouldn't.
Uncle Joe Mccarthy @ 41:
Scheiffer also thinks that a navy pilot that gets shot down and is captured is a hero. The Media is not liberal left.
Karen @ 39:
Actually the end part wasn't as objectionable to me as his interrupting to point out the "allegation" by Obama -- and again, to me, this is showing that there is no empirical truth to it, but a "he said/she said" -- rather than try to tell the truth. It also goes to the larger truth that the media is failing at its job and allowing Republicans to frame all the issues.
Karen @ 44:
I don't want respect. I want Equality. I'll earn my own respect dammit.
Ron @ 37:
Yes.
When I went into the coma we had just elected a bad Hollywood actor as president.
I woke up to see his Veep's cocaine addicted, alcoholic business failure son was being re-elected.
I'd go back to soleep if you could convince me I wouldn't wake up to President Track Palin.
Ron @ 46:
Heh, not just a hero, but necessarily qualified to be president! That was what was so fucked up about the Wes Clark interview. Clark said that merely being a POW does not qualify McCain to be president. And Scheiffer blurted out his obvious disbelief that Clark would say something so crazy.
Remington Hussein Steele @ 49:
LOL!
"Billy's joined the national front.
He always was a little runt.
He's got his hand in the air with the other c**ts.
You've got to humanize yourself."
The Police
If it's good enough for Sting, it's good enough for me.
Isn't it obvious that Schieffer is racist?
Che's Lounge @ 52:
True, but the National Front is Britain's KKK. They are a bunch of C---s.
Jane Swift was an abjectly awful governor--among the worst Massachusetts has ever had. She was Lt. Gov until Bush named Paul Celucci as ambassador to Canada--and her tenure, such as it was, was marked by scandal and borderline malfeasance. In all the time she was governor, I never heard anybody, Democrat or Republican, say a good word about her. That's the calibre of guests they have on Face The Nation these days.
One of the saddest things I've seen in this election cycle has been Bob Schieffer's whoring for John McCain. He used to be one of the very few fairly responsible anchors. I don't know if he and McCain have some kind of relationship, or if McCain has something on him, or if he just hates black people, but his performance has been absolutely shameful and disgusting. He's been a huge disappointment to me.
lp @ 14:
KKKarl Rove looks in the mirror and sees Cary Grant.
We look at KKKarl and understand how important it is to support a woman's right to choose.