PBS NewsHour offers interview of frmr Pres Clinton as balance to Pawlenty's campaign speech

[Bill USA]

On Thursday PBS Newshour didn't dissappoint in its effort to be Fox News' most ardent imitator. On Thursday's show they hosted Tim Pawlenty's astonishing litany of bald faced lies and are 'selling' their interview of Pres. Clinton the previous night as 'balance' to Pawlenty's harrangue. Pawlenty is the co-chair of the Romney campaign. Clinton isn't even associated with the Obama campaign. They should have someone who is at least associated with the Obama campaign to speak for them.

Pawlenty's speech - it wasn't an interview since he didn't really answer any questions put to him by Judy Woodruff (a couple were actually pretty good questions too). After she asked a question, Pawlenty obfuscated a bit and then just picked up with his speech where he left off and continued with the torrent of Big Lies.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june12/pawlenty_06-07.html


Here's one example about regulations being the reason for businesses not hiring more:

Pawlenty said the number one reason why small businesses aren't hiring and expanding is government being 'on their backs', i.e. regulations. Actually, a survey by the National Federation of Small Businesses polled small businessmen (Aug 2011) and the number one reason for businesses not hiring and expanding was "poor sales" --- Duh!!. The number two reason was 'taxes' but as Lawrence Mishel of indicates businesses always say taxes are too high and that in the latest survey the number of small businesses identifying taxes as the first cause for not expanding was not that much greater than their historical rate for that response and it was lower than the number identifying that as the number one cause during the George HW Bush and Clinton administrations. Regulations came in third, but again the number identifying this cause was less than had identified it during the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations.




In another bizarre comment, Pawlenty said "If you look at the over $800 billion stimulus that was chockful of infrastructure projects and giveaways to sub-units of government, and that didn't work."

First of all, in order to stop or delay the stimulus being enacted by filibustering, Obama had to reduce the stimulus by more than a third by converting that much of the stimulus to tax cuts. Now, anybody knows tax cuts offered at the beginning of a recession when every working person is worried about whether they will have a job in six months - won't produce stimulus. People won't spend a tax cut. They will save it or use it to pay down their debt. Which is exactly what they did. That's good personal finance, but it doesn't produce stimulus for the economy. So the stimulus was more like $560 million. That is, much less than it needed to be. But the Republicans knew they had to reduce the size of the stimulus as much as possible by threatening to filibuster.

But when Pawlenty says it didn't work, that's just blatant bullshit. The Council of Economic Advisors, the Congressional Budget Office, Moody's Analytics all concluded that the stimulus created or saved from 1.5 to 4.1 million job. USA Today surveyed 50 economists and they said the Stimulus helped the economy by preventing the unemployment rate from going lower. 70% of the economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal said the stimulus helped the economy deal with the greatest economic disaster this county has seen since the first first Great Depression - that is, the Trickle Down - Deregulation Disaster.
(see: http://mediamatters.org/research/201006070015 )

Regulatory uncertainty not to blame for our jobs problem

[elleng]

1. B.S. that PBS NewsHour is seeking to imitate Faux.

PBS really IS fair and balanced. Pawlenty did a typical, and well-framed, presentation of rmoney's approach, and Dems are well-advised to recognize it as such, and specifically counter his points.

Guess fair and balanced is so uncommon its difficult to recognize.

[Bill USA]

3. offering an interview of former Pres Clinton as a balance to Pawlenty is nonsense.

Last edited Sat Jun 9, 2012, 04:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Pawlenty is co-chair of Romney's campaign. Clinton isn't even formally involved in Obama's campaign. Clinton can't speak for the Obama campaign. He is also not as informed on what Obama's policies are as someone either in the Obama campaign or administration would be. They should have someone on of equal clout or standing as Pawlenti from the Obama campaign organization or from his administration. It's not like they can't get ahold of anyone.

My observation that PBS Newshour has tilted right is hardly a novel one. They are careful to be more subtle than Fox but their questions and comments often carry an implied assumption which should be brought out as a point they are trying to make.

When Pawlenty made the asinine statement the stimulus "didn't work".. the obvious thing to do was to ask him how does his assertion stack up with the assessment of the stimulus by recognized authorities on the economy (e.g. Congressional Budget Office, Council of Economic Advisors, Moody's Analytics). Not bringing this up clearly established this as a poor example of an the interview. These are recognized conclusions about the stimulus. It was an obvious question to put to him after such a ridiculous comment. It should have been an interview. Not an opportunity to give a campaign speech.

They are constantly talking - in reports or interviews of guests - as if the current economic situation is entirely Obama's doing, pretending they don't know the Republicans have been filibustering and fighting everything the Dems have tried to do to repair the economy from the Republican Trickle Down - Deregulation disaster.

[alp227]

2. I watched that interview live. Woodruff did press Pawlenty with some good questions.

Such as Obama's point about the US leading in manufacturing and the Congressional Republican obstruction of Obama's jobs plan.

Video:

[elleng]

4. Yes she did.

Thanks, alp.

[Bill USA]

5. I guess you missed my statement in OP that a couple of her questions: "were actually pretty good"

I liked the fact that she pointed out that the president has said if the Republicans had not fought (and stopped) the his jobs bills the economy would be in better shape now.

I think when Pawlenty said:

"both objectively on the numbers and in terms of the people who are in the front seat of trying to get this economy moving again, all of the indicators suggest that President Obama's not working. His presidency has failed with respect to the economy."

She [font size="3"]could [/font]have offered that respected analysts (CBO, CEA, Moody's Analytics to name a few) have evaluated the affects of the stimulus and have concluded it helped the economy. I don't think this is too much to ask of someone who purports to be a professional journalist.

[Recoverin_Republican]

6. excellent points. very surprised to see you criticized for shining a light on media disinformation.

... especially here on DU!

I didn't think there was anybody around who wasn't aware of PBS Newshours tilt to please the Right.

Ever since the Republican Party started cutting funds to Public tv, PBS-Newshour has been scrambling to please the right. Also, as they now need to obtain corporate funding they are tailoring content to please current and potential corporate advertizers. It's sad.

Criticism of media efforts at disinformation is very important. Too bad we don't see more of it here but it's not the easiest stuff to write. I'm glad someone is 'up' to doing it. Thanks!

recommended.