ABC not like CNN

[sirs]

Charles Gibson Provides Balanced Debate Agenda

     ABC News and Charles Gibson are no CNN and Anderson Cooper when it comes to skewing the agenda of presidential debates. In the back-to-back Republican followed by Democratic debates from New Hampshire aired between 7 and 11 PM EST Saturday night on ABC, moderator Gibson challenged the presumptions of both sets of candidates with a key talking point being pushed by the other party: He hit Republicans on the lack of national health care and Democrats on the success of the surge in Iraq.

     To the six Republicans: "We're the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't insure all of our citizens. If we can afford a trillion dollar war in Iraq, why can't we afford medical insurance for everybody?"

     To the four Democrats: "We started the surge early this year. You all opposed it. But there are real signs it has worked....Are any of you ready to say that the surge has worked? And Senator Clinton, let me start with you, because when General Petraeus was in Washington in September, you said it would take 'a willful suspension of disbelief' to think that the surge could do any good."

     Unlike with the CNN/YouTube debates, ABC and Gibson did not slant the questions and topics raised to advantage Democrats and make Republicans look extreme.

     (Oddly, on Sunday night CNN re-ran, in its entirety, ABC's debate coverage from the night before, complete with promos for ABC News.)

     Another noteworthy moment: When Scott Spradling, the political reporter for WMUR-TV channel 9 (ABC's affiliate in Manchester), who joined Gibson in the second halves of each debate, channeled 1970s Jimmy Carter economics in suggesting government action to limit profits in order to lower the price of home heating oil:
     
"Senator [Fred] Thompson, Americans are also watching the profits of companies here in America that are making a lot of money as these prices per barrel [of oil] are skyrocketing. They're bothered by it, people in New Hampshire are bothered by this. Aren't you?...Should something not be done?"

     When Thompson asked what Spradling thought should be done, Gibson interjected to name what Spradling seemed to be pushing Thompson to advocate: "Excess profits tax?" Thompson had to explain supply and demand.


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[sirs]

CNN: Dem Voters 'Pretty Moderate,' Repubs 'Very Conservative'

     Though Iowa Democrats gave the most support to two far-left candidates -- Barack Obama followed by John Edwards -- while those attending GOP caucuses picked Mike Huckabee, a candidate with a lot of liberal views, CNN's Bill Schneider insisted Democratic caucus attendees "are pretty moderate" while "Republicans are very conservative." Ignoring the tendency of many liberals to shun calling themselves "liberal," Schneider based his contention on how the media's entrance poll found only 16 percent of Democrats who showed up to caucus described themselves "very liberal," but that "almost half" of Republican voters identified themselves as "very conservative."

     Asked by Soledad O'Brien about "the ideology of the people that we've seen so far in these entrance poll numbers," Schneider argued: "The Democrats are moderate. Only about 16 percent of them call themselves 'very liberal.' There's a cliche that only liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans show up. That's half true. Republicans are very conservative. Almost half of them say they are 'very conservative.' But Democrats are pretty moderate voters."

     At 8:55pm EST Thursday night, anchor Wolf Blitzer turned to Schneider and correspondent Soledad O'Brien, as they presented some of the findings of CNN's entrance poll. O'Brien asked Schneider whether these voters are "very liberal" or "very conservative." While Schneider described Republican voters as "very conservative," he ignored the tendency by many liberals to shun calling themselves "liberal" as he seemed to accept that Democratic voters are "pretty moderate" because only 16 percent described themselves as "very liberal."

     Below is a transcript of the exchange from the January 3 CNN coverage of the Iowa caucuses:

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: The ideology of the people that we've seen so far in these entrance poll numbers, are they very liberal? Are they very conservative?      
BILL SCHNEIDER: They're different.  The Democrats are moderate. Only about 16 percent of them call themselves "very liberal." There's a cliche that only liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans show up. That's half true. Republicans are very conservative. Almost half of them say they are "very conservative." But Democrats are pretty moderate voters.

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[Religious Dick]

Apparently, ABC isn't like FOX, either - they didn't exclude a candidate that raised $20 million last quarter and polled a solid 10% in the only vote yet taken.