Sometimes I absolutely believe Monty Python has taken over all TV:
***Media Research Center CyberAlert***
Tuesday November 9, 1999 (Vol. Four; No. 177)
> 4) Forget about focusing on your news subject and not
yourself. In an interview of President Clinton shown on Sunday's
World News Tonight ABC anchor Carole Simpson put herself front and
center, recalling how she "grew up working class on the south side
of Chicago, and this is a pretty special moment for me to be here
talking to you." Incredibly, she then asked: "How does it feel
talking to me? That I made it, too, when people said I wouldn't be
able to?" Even Clinton seemed surprised by her hubris.
Earlier, Simpson, who is black, had told Clinton: "You're the
first black President. How does that make you feel?" And, she
worried: "Aren't you going to suffer great post-partum depression
after you leave office?"
Simpson's November 7 piece was pegged to Clinton's visits to
poor areas. Simpson explained: "For millions of Americans the
booming economy and bull market have been all but meaningless,
because they've had no share in the prosperity. This past week
President Clinton called attention to this gap in his second New
Markets tour."
Simpson explained his proposal and allowed Clinton to promote
it before showing excerpts from her interview aboard Air Force
One. Simpson complained: "The poverty issue is, of course, tied
somewhat to race. And blacks are still disproportionately poorer,
Latinos are. Today we were in Newark, and we saw Latinos in
Hartford. Your race commission was to come out with a report.
Where is it?"
Clinton answered: "Of all the issues that I deal with, this is
one that I have perhaps the strongest feelings about, and the
longest years of experience with, and the, and the clearest ideas
about the future of our country and the future of our world."
To that, Simpson responded: "You want to do it right. You joke
about it, so I don't see why I can't joke about it: You're the
first black President. How does that make you feel?"
Clinton began a long answer by saying "I think it's a
compliment, and I take it as such."
Simpson's piece then moved to a new venue and the sucking up
moved up a notch. "Later, in an Arkansas tomato factory, I chatted
with President Clinton about his future." She told him: "I've
watched you the past few days and how the crowd responds to you,
and how you respond to them." And: "You've got the big plane,
you've got the big house, you've got the cars, the protection.
Aren't you going to suffer great post-partum depression after you
leave office?"
Clinton answered: "I don't know, I hope not. I'll hate to give
up Air Force One. You know, air traffic has gotten a lot tougher
since, in the last eight years. And I've really tried to help
other airline passengers get a better deal, so I kind of dread
that. And I'll miss the job. The work is what I'll miss. I love
living in the White House. I love Camp David. I love working in
the Oval Office." (What has he ever done to "help other airline
passengers get a better deal?")
Now we get to the hard to believe part. But this is all
accurate. Simpson then showed video of her standing in front of
Clinton as she proclaimed: "I have to bask in this moment, for a
moment, because I am here talking to the most powerful man on the
planet, who was a poor boy from Arkansas..."
Clinton jumped in: "A place like this."
Simpson continued: "Place like this. I am an African-American
woman, grew up working class on the south side of Chicago, and
this is a pretty special moment for me to be here talking to you.
How does it feel talking to me? That I made it, too, when people
said I wouldn't be able to?"
Clinton: "It's a great country. You know, we should never get
discouraged, we should never give up on America, we should never,
it's okay to be mad at things that happen, it's okay to be
frustrated. But, just look at it, I mean, both of us, yeah we
worked hard to get here, but we had a lot of help along the way.
And we had a country capable of continuing improvement. The
founders were smart people, and we have been very lucky for over
200 years now, and I would hope the American people would always
believe that."
That ended the taped story and viewers then saw Simpson back
in the anchor chair saying: "President Clinton said that when he
leaves office, he will divide his time between homes in New York
and Little Rock."
This self-centered "reporting" is really hard to believe until
you see it, but unfortunately we can't let you see it for at least
a few more days. Because of our office move our computer equipment
and computer phone lines are not yet all up and running, so we
can't post new video clips on our Web page. But as soon as we can,
we will post this exchange between Simpson and Clinton.
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