ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

Forums: Tv, Politics, Media, President Obama, Fairness Doctrine
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On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!

Highlights on the agenda:

ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House.

The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

MORE

Late Monday night, Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay fired off a complaint to the head of ABCNEWS:

Dear Mr. Westin:

As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC's astonishing decision to exclude opposing voices on this critical issue on June 24, 2009. Next Wednesday, ABC News will air a primetime health care reform “town hall” at the White House with President Barack Obama. In addition, according to an ABC News report, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, WORLD NEWS, NIGHTLINE and ABC’s web news “will all feature special programming on the president’s health care agenda.” This does not include the promotion, over the next 9 days, the president’s health care agenda will receive on ABC News programming.

Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party's views to those of the President's to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. Our request was rejected. I believe that the President should have the ability to speak directly to the America people. However, I find it outrageous that ABC would prohibit our Party's opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

Respectfully,
Ken McKay
Republican National Committee
Chief of Staff

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashaot.htm

I think ABC has a good idea here, but may so called liberals have often complained about so called right wing broadcasts and the reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine.

Do the republicans have a valid point here?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 11 • Views: 3,812 • Replies: 45

@Yankee,

Yes we can not lock out the drug companies as what would happen if they could not charge the American people more for drugs then anyone else in the world pay for them?

Then we have the insurances companies earning billions in profit on our backs and having whole departments with the purpose of finding reasons that you are not cover after all.

Lord we might stop needing to pay double what everyone else in the world pay for health care per-person and still having 40 plus percent of our people not cover.

Yes we need the voices of the health care industry hear once more along with their standard lies otherwise we could find ourselves joining the rest of the western world and having a sane health care system.

1 Reply

@BillRM,

I am not sure exactly what you are responding to with this post.

So the question remains, do the Republicans have cause for concern.....

"In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime."

0 Replies

@Yankee,

Yankee wrote:

The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

Wait a minute -- aren't these the same people who were making dire predictions during the presidential campaign about the Democrats reviving the "fairness doctrine?" And now they are whining about how they're not getting equal time? What a bunch of hypocrites.

1 Reply

I suspect that someone fears their ox may be gored.

0 Replies

@joefromchicago,

Yes, how ironic is that.

Do the republicans deserve "equal time".

Should the democrats not offer them that?

1 Reply

The funny part is that most of us are very eager to hear how Obama is going to fix our healthcare system.

This is one of the main reasons we elected him.

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

The funny part is that most of us are very eager to hear how Obama is going to fix our healthcare system.

This is one of the main reasons we elected him.

LOL!! That is funny!!

Obama isn't concerned with fixing the health care system and he does not care about you.

Obama and the left are concerned with increasing government power and control over all US citizens.

0 Replies

@Yankee,

If the Republicans had no outlet to express their views, they would have a point, but that's not the case. They can get free coverage from just about all news sources by putting out statements or giving press conferences and they have an entire network favorably disposed to their agenda.

3 Replies

@engineer,

BS!

The liberal media treats the conservatives like a red headed step child.
The liberal media bends over backward to accommodate Obama and the left
and they slam the door and dead bolt it when conservatives have something to say.

1 Reply

@H2O MAN,

Who would have guessed that a red headed step child could be so whiny.

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

It's true! Illegitimate red headed step children born to liberals are known to be overly sensitive and extremely whiny

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ABC is going to help Obama push Socialized government heath care down our throats via scare tactics and fear-mongering.

Obama is using scare tactics and fear-mongering.

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Quote:

In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

Sounds like a bunch of "what ifs" to me.

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One thing is certain, Obama can read from a teleprompter better than any news anchor out there.

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@engineer,

Quote:

If the Republicans had no outlet to express their views, they would have a point, but that's not the case. They can get free coverage from just about all news sources by putting out statements or giving press conferences and they have an entire network favorably disposed to their agenda.

Then there should be no further discussion relative to so called right wing talk shows and the fairness doctrine.

I agree with you 100%.

1 Reply

@Yankee,

Yankee wrote:

Yes, how ironic is that.

Do the republicans deserve "equal time".

Should the democrats not offer them that?

I don't know. Perhaps Rush Limbaugh, the current leader of the Republican Party, could answer that.

0 Replies

@engineer,

engineer wrote:

they have an entire network favorably disposed to their agenda.

MSNBC? CNN? ABC? CBS? ... Who are you talking about?

There is one network that is favorably disposed to both sides and the rest lean to the left.

1 Reply

@H2O MAN,

I have an idea H2OMan. Instead of whining all of the time, why don't you just get your little conservative friends and decide to stop watching.

Certainly if all the conservatives simply stopped watching, ratings would plummet, advertisers would dry up, and these networks would all either fold or put on more pro-American programming.

It is not my fault that conservatives are too busy complaining to do anything.

1 Reply

@Yankee,

Yankee wrote:

Then there should be no further discussion relative to so called right wing talk shows and the fairness doctrine.

I agree. The "fairness doctrine" was always a red herring.

0 Replies

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

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