You made a point...they were suppose to be THE BATTLE
Word of the Night for Public Mood, "Sour,"
Used by ABC, CNN & Fox
Before President Bush's Tuesday State of the Union address, at least three network reporters seemingly read from the same talking points as they described the public mood with the exact same word: "sour." On World News Tonight, ABC's George Stephanopoulos insisted that "the country is just in a sour mood." About 90 minutes before Bush's address, CNN's Jeff Greenfield wondered "whether the President can connect with a populace that is in a sour, pessimistic mood?" He pointed out how "only Nixon, in the year of his resignation, had a lower job approval rating," before echoing his earlier question: "I think the President would like the country to believe he feels their pain or at least their anxiety about health care, about jobs, about the whole sense that something's gone a little sour." Then on Fox, minutes before Bush began, Chris Wallace attributed the "sour" assessment to Bush as he predicted Bush would deliver a "presidential pep talk where he believes that the country has, the mood has turned sour -- sour on the war, sour on the economy, sour on the government's response to Katrina." Afterward, Wallace described the speech as "tough in terms of the war in Iraq and people souring on that."
[This item was posted this morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org. To post your comments, go to: newsbusters.org ]
# On the January 31 World News Tonight, George Stephanopoulos told anchor Elizabeth Vargas:
"Well, Elizabeth, the country is just in a sour mood. Coming into this speech tonight, the President's approval rating is at 42 percent, ten points below where it was last year. And for the first time in his presidency, a majority of Americans believe, want to follow congressional Democrats rather than President Bush: 51-35. On the other hand, President Bush is still very strong on national security..."
(See item #6 below for more on Tuesday's World News Tonight.)
# CNN's The Situation Room, at about 7:25pm EST, as the group of reporters stood around a table:
Paula Zahn: "What are you looking for tonight in this speech?"
Jeff Greenfield: "Whether the President can connect with a populace that is in a sour, pessimistic mood. You know, I abhor most poll overemphasis, but there's a number in a recent poll that this network did. Have things gotten better or worse in the last five years? A nice general question, how do you feel? 64-28, worse. And except for terror, the President gets negative marks on every single issue. Only Nixon, in the year of his resignation, had a lower job approval rating, you know, for sixth year in office than this guy. So the question is, to quote what a former president never quite said, I think the President would like the country to believe he feels their pain or at least their anxiety about health care, about jobs, about the whole sense that something's gone a little sour."
Zahn: "And yet this is still being billed as a very optimistic speech."
Greenfield: "Oh yeah, I mean, you, I don't-"
Zahn: "Like a 'feel your pain' and inspiring at the same time."
Greenfield: "Well, Jimmy Carter taught every future president you better not go in front of the country and tell people things are sour. You don't say that. It's not, it's almost literally un-American."
# Watching Fox's State of the Union coverage, the MRC's Brad Wilmouth caught remarks from Chris Wallace at his outdoor setting with Shepard Smith:
Wallace at 9:02pm EST: "I think what we're going to see tonight from the President is a pep talk, in a sense, a presidential pep talk where he believes that the country has, the mood has turned sour â€" sour on the war, sour on the economy, sour on the government's response to Katrina. And I think what you're going to get very much, Shep, is a sense of 'can do,' that he's got a plan for victory in a Iraq, he's got a plan to confront the mullahs in Iran, he's going to have a domestic agenda..."
Wallace just after Bush finished: "I think you have to view it in the political context. This is a president who had a very rocky first year of his second term -- 2005 was, it was just tough. It was tough in terms of the war in Iraq and people souring on that, tough in terms of the anger that a lot of people felt with the failure of the government response to Katrina, tough with the increase in energy prices. And this was a President who was trying to turn that around, trying to say I've got a path for victory in Iraq, I've got a plan to lead the country forward, don't sour. It was, in a sense, a presidential pep talk."
ABC the Most Negative Before SOTU Address:
America in "Sour" Mood
Of the three broadcast network evening newscasts on Tuesday, ABC's World News Tonight delivered the most downbeat take on the public attitude facing President Bush as he delivers his State of the Union (SOTU) address. Anchor Elizabeth Vargas framed the evening around how Bush "is coming off the worst year of his presidency, from the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, to record-high energy prices, to growing unhappiness with the war in Iraq." George Stephanopoulos soon insisted that "the country is just in a sour mood," as evidenced by Bush's 42 percent approval rating, "ten points below where it was last year." Stephanopoulos added: "And for the first time in his presidency, a majority of Americans...want to follow congressional Democrats rather than President Bush: 51-35." Stephanopoulos, however, did allow that "on the other hand, President Bush is still very strong on national security."
[This item was posted Tuesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org. To post your comments, go to: newsbusters.org ]
The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video for the January 31 World News Tonight. From Washington, DC, with the White House behind her, anchor Elizabeth Vargas led her broadcast:
"Good evening. We are in Washington in anticipation of the President's State of the Union address tonight. Even before he takes the microphone at the nation's capital, it already has been a very eventful day here. The Senate confirmed Judge Samuel Alito as the newest Supreme Court justice, a political triumph for President Bush. Tonight's speech will be his sixth annual address to Congress. He is coming off the worst year of his presidency, from the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, to record-high energy prices, to growing unhappiness with the war in Iraq. Tonight, the President seeks to seize control of the agenda and set a new course for the year ahead."
Following a preview of the speech from Martha Raddatz, Vargas turned to George Stephanopoulos at the Capitol:
Vargas: "The President faces some formidable political challenges tonight. We're joined now by ABC's chief Washington correspondent, George Stephanopoulos, and, George, as we said, 2005 has taken a real toll on the President. Just how big are his challenges? How does he expect to turn this around tonight?"
Stephanopoulos: "Well, Elizabeth, the country is just in a sour mood. Coming into this speech tonight, the President's approval rating is at 42 percent, ten points below where it was last year. And for the first time in his presidency, a majority of Americans believe, want to follow congressional Democrats rather than President Bush: 51-35. On the other hand, President Bush is still very strong on national security, which is why, as Martha pointed out, he's going to put a real focus on that tonight."
Vargas: "He really faces several audiences tonight. Among them, the nation at large as well as the Congressmen. Americans at home and congressmen sitting right in front of him. How difficult will it be to get those Congressmen, especially the Democrats, behind him, given the tenor and tone in Washington these days?"
Stephanopoulos: "Well, it is a real poisonous atmosphere up here. The President has helped himself with his conservative base. He had some trouble with them after Katrina, but the swearing in of Justice Alito today really helps firm them up. But the Democrats are going to be a huge problem for him. Elizabeth, you and I got a taste of that when we met with the Democratic leader, Harry Reid, today. Right out of the box, he told us, 'I expect the President to do exactly the opposite of what he says.' There is just not a lot of trust up here right now."
Vargas: "Boy, there sure isn't. We saw it. All right, George Stephanopoulos, thanks so much."
-- Brent Baker
mrc.org |
