Ignoring McCain’s War Against The Press, Giuliani Criticizes Obama For Freezing Out Hostile Network
Ignoring McCain’s War Against The Press, Giuliani Criticizes Obama For Freezing Out Hostile Network
After right-wing Florida news anchor Barbara West conducted a “hostile” and “ham-handed” interview with Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) last week, the Obama-Biden campaign canceled an interview that Biden’s wife Jill was set to do with West’s network, WFTV. The campaign also “suggested that future interviews with WFTV were unlikely before Election Day.”
Since then, Fox News has latched onto the cancellation, implying that it means Obama and Biden are unwilling to face “tough and critical questions.” On Fox and Friends this morning, McCain surrogate Rudy Giuliani claimed that “it gives an indication of what an Obama administration would be like”:
QUESTION: And so do you think it’s correct for the Obama campaign to shut out that news outlet, then, and say you will no longer get access to the Obama campaign?
GIULIANI: No. I think it gives an indication of what an Obama administration would be like. I mean, as long as you drink their Kool-Aid, you’re fine. I mean, you’re going to be treated nicely. But if you should ask them an obvious question, I mean, it’s Barack Obama who used the expression spread the wealth. Joe the Plumber didn’t say that to him.
Giuliani’s feigned concern for the plight of the press in gaining access to presidential candidates is ironic given that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) efforts to restrict media access have been compared to those of the regimes in North Korea, Syria, and Sudan. In fact, during its ongoing war against the press, the McCain campaign has routinely punished journalists it views as hostile by cutting off their access:
– Last month, the McCain campaign barred New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd from flying on both the McCain and Palin press planes.
– Time Magazine’s Joe Klein revealed last week that he too had been barred from traveling with the McCain campaign, telling Politico’s Michael Calderone that the campaign began freezing him out after he asked McCain an uncomfortable question about foreign policy.
– During the Republican National Convention, McCain canceled an appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live after CNN’s Campbell Brown persistently asked flustered McCain flack Tucker Bounds about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience and qualifications.
– When Newsweek wrote a cover story in May examining the hardball tactics conservatives might use in the general election, the McCain campaign “threatened to throw the magazine’s reporters off the campaign bus and airplane.”
The McCain campaign’s press punishment doesn’t end with just cutting off access. At one point, campaign staffers “even considered pulling out of one of the three presidential debates because it would be moderated by Tom Brokaw, a former NBC News anchorman.” Apparently Giuliani doesn’t believe that such belligerence towards the media gives any “indication” of what a McCain administration would be like.
Transcript:
QUESTION: But they don’t like to answer the questions about that. I’m talking specifically about Joe Biden.GIULIANI: Oh, gosh. They get real angry.
QUESTION: During these Florida interviews. And now we’re finding out that a Philadelphia station as well, that he gave the same reaction to. That he did not want to answer the questions. That he actually asked that interviewer who’s writing your questions.
You got a lot of tough questions.
GIULIANI: A lot. Wow.
QUESTION: Was that the right way to respond to an interviewer?
GIULIANI: I think it also happens because he and Barack Obama have gone through this campaign without being asked tough questions. I mean, it’s a — it’s great…
QUESTION: So they were shocked to get a question like that from the mainstream media?
GIULIANI: Yes. Of course, they were. I saw Joe — I saw that whole interview. A watched it three or four times. He got really angry.
QUESTION: Uh-huh.
GIULIANI: And the questions were all questions he should have been ready for.
QUESTION: And so do you think it’s correct for the Obama campaign to shut out that news outlet, then, and say you will no longer get access to the Obama campaign?
GIULIANI: No. I think it gives an indication of what an Obama administration would be like. I mean, as long as you drink their Kool-Aid, you’re fine. I mean, you’re going to be treated nicely. But if you should ask them an obvious question, I mean, it’s Barack Obama who used the expression spread the wealth.
Joe the Plumber didn’t say that to him. Nobody else put those words in his mouth. So at least he’s got to own up to the fact that this was his mistake.
QUESTION: Uh-huh. So how would you respond…
GIULIANI: And with Joe Biden, who talked about there being some terrible incident that’s going to happen in the first 6 months of an Obama administration. Nobody said that. Joe Biden said that.
And remember, he said it when he thought the press wasn’t around.
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76 Responses to “Ignoring McCain’s War Against The Press, Giuliani Criticizes Obama For Freezing Out Hostile Network”
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Rudee should STFU and put on his favorite party dress to calm down.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:02 pmso, julie annie, when's flailin' palin going on the rachel maddow show? airamerica? but, julie annie was part of the thumbsucker party when katie couric asked that "gotcha" question, "what newspapers do you read"?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pmIOKIYAR
October 28th, 2008 at 4:06 pmNo, But McCain was Mavericking against the liberal LEFTWING press. So it is OK if you are a Repukkkikan.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:07 pmThank goodness the media pointed out the hypocrisy behind this statement.
*crickets chirping*
October 28th, 2008 at 4:10 pmI can't wait until this election is over. I am so tired of the GOP/Bush/McCain republican upside down backwards crazy world they try and force on the public.
From the success of the surge and Iraq is peaceful to McCain would take the country in a different direction.
Just take the lumps.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:10 pmListen, don't criticize the right-wingers just because they do a better job of hitting the opposition that Obama does.
Obama should have whacked McCain harder on his unwillingness to take tough questions or to expose Palin to tough questions.
Now it seems overwrought by the right, but Obama could have and should have been just as harsh. He still has a little bit of the Kerry/Dukakis/Gore syndrome of being affraid of the right.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:10 pmGiuliani? Is that guy still around?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:13 pmAnd the republican's cross dresser is relevent how.?....Blessings
October 28th, 2008 at 4:14 pmRudeeeee was making the rounds on the morning librul talk shows. MSNBC gave him 10 minutes to insult Obama.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:18 pmGiuliani is spinning like mad, but anyone with an IQ above that of a walnut will see right through it. Unfortunately, that doesn't include all the voters in this land.
In the first place, West never asked Biden any "tough" questions. Certainly not any questions that were difficult or embarrassing for Biden to answer. Stupid questions, yes. Inflammatory questions designed to catapult particular propaganda, most definitely.
In the second place, how does Giuliani have the chutzpah to call Biden a coward when it comes to the media when his team has Palin?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:18 pmRudeeeee, a noun, a verb, and "joe the plumber"
October 28th, 2008 at 4:19 pmYes, Ghouliani's still around. He all but disappeared until it looked like some of Palin's wardrobe might be up for grabs...
October 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pmwow... randi's playing an audio clip of some crazy fright-winger ranting about how in "one week" we're all gonna die (basically)... i didn't catch his name... a radio winger...
ca-RA-zy!
October 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pmmk3872 Says
October 28th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
He (Obama) still has a little bit of the Kerry/Dukakis/Gore syndrome of being affraid of the right.
___________________________________________________________
Is it really fear, or is it just an aversion to rolling around in the same sh!thole?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pmWho listens to Giuliani anyway? Who cares?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:20 pmAfter November, he will be as useless as a barnacle, and just as annoying.
We're talking about a cruddy local affiliate in Orlando people, not a network. I seem to recall Obama going on Fox. I don't recall McCain going on MSNBC at all and McPalin has generally tried to avoid NBC entirely until the crash & burn Brian Williams/Chuck Todd session last week. This is just more whining in the Fox echo chamber.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:21 pm"Obama should have whacked McCain harder on his unwillingness to take tough questions or to expose Palin to tough questions."
Agreed, but this strategy of taking the high-road does seem to be paying off this time around. More so than in the past and let's face it, our country still has a lot of issues with racism and I think it was important for Obama to not come across as the "angry black man" to gain support of so many independents.
That being said, I still agree. They could have found a more tactful way to hammer McCain/Palin on their nearly countless blunders.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:21 pmIOKIYAR - project much Ghouliani?
This sounds just like the Bush Administration.
These idiots are just convincing the idiots who believe them....
....FUX Noise - Far from Balanced
October 28th, 2008 at 4:23 pmi can't stand that guy! ok i can't stand any of them. why can't they go away in complete disgrace and shame?!!
October 28th, 2008 at 4:23 pm"I don’t recall McCain going on MSNBC"
He was on Morning Joe, but that doesn't really count.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:24 pmI agree with you Marie, except that Ghouliani is useless and annoying NOW. This might be the first time he's ever spoken without saying "9/11," though.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:25 pmGIULIANI: And with Joe Biden, who talked about there being some terrible incident that’s going to happen in the first 6 months of an Obama administration. Nobody said that. Joe Biden said that.
____________________________________________________________
Um..."nobody" said that? Besides Biden? How about Admiral Michael Mullen, Michael Bayer, Michael Chertoff, and the DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council's Administration Transition Task Force Report?
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/27/transition-crisis/
Giuliani should just STFU before he embarrasses himself further.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:28 pmunfortunately, julie annie's career on faux will be extended for at least four more years after next week. i guess on the upside is reichwingers will have something to piss and moan about other than clinton eight years after the man left office.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pmWhat makes you think it'll stop after the election?
That's just what right-wingers do.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pmWhat did Rude-E get in the GOP primaries before wimping out -- something like .02% of the vote? Lol. The fact that Fox and Fools has been reduced to trotting out irrelevant, rejected losers like Rude-E to smear Obama/Biden signifies the depth at which their pathetic desperation has sunk.
Just saying . . .
October 28th, 2008 at 4:33 pmHey Ghoulie! How many more interviews will the Chippy/Flippy give Katie Couric? When is Bible Spice going on Letterman? Larry King? Hardball etc.?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pmI'd like to personally kick Rudy directly in the 'nads.
Feh.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pmFaux News producer: Rudy is here? Good. We need the artificial inflation of the ratings before the primetime line-up! We need all the help we can get before November Slaughter...errr...Sweeps.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:36 pmHow ironic that just a thread or two down we have Fox ignoring pretty big news regarding a sitting Senator and here Mr 911 laments a snub given to a tv station by the Democrats.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:37 pmBarbara West based her questions on allegations made by McCain's camp.
She treated those allegations as facts and wanted Biden to respond to them , describing Obama as Marxist.
No wonder Biden's reply to her was: "Is this a Joke"?!
I heard also that Barbara's husband is a GOP media consultant.
Any surprise there..
Guiliani should know that his was not a fair interview.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:38 pmShe was nice when she interviewed McCain...she did not accuse McCain of anything..
Guiliani is simply joining Joe the Plumber chorus.
Joe the Plumber seems to be now the center of all Republican's flimsy arguments and attacks aimed at Obama and Biden.
not to point out the obvious pete but, grampy mclame dipped on letterman and LIED about it (he had to rush back to washington) but managed to fit in katie couric before the plane took off. the moral: waaaahhhhhpublicans liars. all of them
October 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pmProbably, sat. I'd still like to try and find 'em with my pointy-toed boot. He's an ass.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pmThe irony of discussing "drinking Kool-Aid" on Fox News...delicious.
October 28th, 2008 at 4:57 pmI know Bozo. I just failed to separate Flippy and Bible Spice. McSpin is, indeed, still doing high profile interviews. They serve to make him look worse, in most cases, but he's still available.-*
October 28th, 2008 at 4:59 pmEvery time I see hat man, Giuliani, I see burning towers.
Replace Obama with Bush and you have a credible statement.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:04 pmare you freakin kidding me? apparently lispy julie annie has never seen o'lietome or insannity in action.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:09 pmtarazan Says
October 28th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Guiliani is simply joining Joe the Plumber chorus.
Joe the Plumber seems to be now the center of all Republican’s flimsy arguments and attacks aimed at Obama and Biden.
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Which is pretty hilarious, when you consider that Joe the Plumber is as much of a myth as Jessica Lynch was. And for that matter, so is Sarah Palin. All three of these people started out as real people, then completely made over in mythical fashion to suit a particular agenda.
Giuliani, like so many in the GOP camp, appears to be wringing every last drop out of the illusion that he can. And why not? He has nothing else.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:09 pmI can’t wait for the times to release the video of Obama toasting Rashid Khalidi. thats going to be the kicker.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:11 pmJoe the plummer says he is getting ready to buy a company that has a profit of over $250,000 per year. Why won't the MainStreamMedia say that is a lie? How much would such a company cost? Over $2 million? He doesn't have enough to pay the $1100 he owes in taxes.
Under Eisenhower we had a top tax rate of 90%. Why doesn't the media ask if we were socialist under Eisenhower? Because many people think we were better off back then?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:11 pmYou forgot to mention that McCain pulled an interview with Larry King --- of all people --- because Campbell Brown gave a tough - and fair - interview with a McCain Aide. What's good for the sauce...?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm"Joe the plummer says he is getting ready to buy a company that has a profit of over $250,000 per year."
that's quite a magic trick considering "joe the plumber" a)isn't a plumber and b) hasn't made more than forty grand his entire life. good luck getting a loan on that, joe
October 28th, 2008 at 5:14 pmOops, that "Sauce" should be "goose" I guess I shouldn't hit the sauce so early in the day... :)
October 28th, 2008 at 5:14 pmTP says above:
October 28th, 2008 at 5:17 pm– During the Republican National Convention, McCain canceled an appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live after CNN’s Campbell Brown persistently asked flustered McCain flack Tucker Bounds about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience and qualifications.
Keith Says:
That’s a very ignorant argument. People work out deals all the time where the owner sales a business by letting the buyer pay off the purchase price with profits from the business.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:17 pmreally bam-bam? most people who are selling a business want the cash in hand just in case the economy tanks (like now) and they end up with nothing. which, would explain why banks have business loans
October 28th, 2008 at 5:20 pmBam_Bam Says:
October 28th, 2008 at 5:22 pmBullshit. The owner would keep the business if it made more than $250,000 profit per year unless he got a lot more than $2 million. BTW, it's sell, not sale.
Not only do the McIIIrd folks shoot the messenger, they draw, quarter, spit and roast, burn at the stake and crap on the collective media grave.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:23 pmwell keith, apparently bam-bam is of the "trickle-down economics" school. you know, the guy making a quarter of a million dollars yearly would naturally want to share the wealth and give a guy with no cash a shot at it. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
October 28th, 2008 at 5:24 pmWe don't even know if there was such a company.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:25 pmHostile Network?
They asked a simple question. Did the network hit a nerve? Perhaps some truth?
Get ready for mass censoring of the media. Unless you agree with the little dictator Obama you will be blacklisted.
And you useful idiots don't even see it.
Sad time in America.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:26 pmBozo, yeah, that happens all the time in neocon fantasyland.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:26 pmno, tim43, what's sad is i am sure you had a stroke when flailin palin was a victim of "gotcha reporting" when the poor dear was asked which newspapers she read. what's sad is you think faux is a "news" station
October 28th, 2008 at 5:28 pmPersonally, I wouldn't hire a non-licensed plumber. I would insist on a company that meets state regulations and has a long reputation for excellence.
"Joe" is not a plumber. He's a scab, a liar, and a fraud.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:29 pmTim43,Didn't Obaba go on O'Really?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:30 pmExplain why you call him a dictator?
keith, the way i figure it if "joe not even a plumber plumber" can convince these assclowns he's going to buy a company making a quarter of a million a year when he doesn't make forty grand, then if i go on television and say i'm the queen of england i will garner their support.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:30 pmTim43,
So when McSame and Bible Spice decided to ban interviews from Time, CNN, Newsweek, and NYT, that was ok with you?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:31 pm"Personally, I wouldn’t hire a non-licensed plumber."
October 28th, 2008 at 5:32 pmtaking in account this man's history with not paying taxes and being on welfare, he probably wouldn't be insured. i am sure there'd be an "accident" on your premises and a lawsuit from this mooch.
Bozo, well if O'Really can say he is an "independent"....
October 28th, 2008 at 5:33 pmTim43 Says:
You are a liar and a fool an ignorant hivemind moron. Spewing rightwing idiocy. You should be ashamed of yourself but you are far too stupid. Why dont you let me just ask YOU a simple question did you stop molesting and killing the neighborhood children yet? Hey just a simple question right?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:35 pmI'll tell ya what, stupid troll. When Bible Spice goes on Larry King, Letterman, Hardball, MTP, 60 Minutes etc. we can talk.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:37 pmBozo The Neoclown Says:
If you had any sense Azz the nutclown you would make sure he has the proper insurance coverage.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:38 pmKeith Says:
"Bozo, well if O’Really can say he is an “independent”…."
I am sure he means independent of any sense journalistic ethics and morals keith
October 28th, 2008 at 5:38 pmTim43, some say you are still child-molesting---how do you answer them?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:39 pmYou probably would need to have a license in order to get the proper insurance. They check such things.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:41 pmBam_Bam Says
October 28th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
That’s a very ignorant argument. People work out deals all the time where the owner sales a business by letting the buyer pay off the purchase price with profits from the business.
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Even if Joe was able to find a sweetheart deal like that for such a profitable business, he would not have to pay taxes on whatever he used to pay off the purchase price of the business.
And if the business was so wildly successful that Joe was able to make his purchase price payments, make his payroll, pay ALL of the business expenses, and he STILL raked in more than $250,000 clear profit, I daresay he can afford a 3% increase in taxes for the amount over a quarter of a million dollars. AND he can afford to provide health care benefits to his employees (a deductable expense, by the way -- maybe even putting his profit below the quarter-mil mark).
Personally, I think Joe has about as much chance at winning the lottery than he has of lucking into this kind of setup. But he, like many Americans, believes that if he works hard, he can become rich. This isn't a bad thing. It's just sad that Joe is voting like he's already there, and ignoring his interests in his current situation.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:42 pmFor that matter, how about if a Reichwhiner asked Flippy McSpin: "You've been talking a lot about the socialist policies of your opponent. For the benefit of our audience, could you define socialism and tell us what's bad about it"?
October 28th, 2008 at 5:43 pmactually keith in connecticut they will issue a contractors license but who's to say they don't drop their insurance once they get the license? here, it's the homeowner's resposibility to make sure the contractor show VALID insurance otherwise, the homeowner is liable
October 28th, 2008 at 5:44 pmyou would make sure he has the proper insurance coverage.
From what I've seen from "Joe" the "plumber" he would simply lie and, probably, provide fraudulent documentation.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:45 pmTim43 Says
October 28th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Sad time in America.
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Yes, it has been. Fortunately, it's about to take a turn for the better this January.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:48 pmThe little dictator comment makes me laugh
October 28th, 2008 at 5:48 pmmisshusseinmolly, right, Joe is stupidly voting against his own interests. He earns $40,000 per year and even the Heritage FoundaZtion says he would be better off under Obama.
Who reading this had their taxes raised the eight years under Clinton? Republicans swore Clinton would raise everyone's taxes.
October 28th, 2008 at 5:49 pmkeith, you're right about "joe the fake plumber" voting against his interests. but, much like judas, "joe the fake plumber" sold his soul for a few quick bucks from the RNC
October 28th, 2008 at 5:52 pmAgh, stop giving me this high road BS. We all just lived through 8 years of hell. Time to play to win or not play at all. Besides, no matter how you play the game, you will still be painted with the same brush as the GOP. Even The Daily Show last night made a point of saying that BOTH sides have crazies and are negative. It is inevidible.
October 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pmmisshusseinmolly Says: # 69 Exactly MissMolly and what are the chances that a business THAT successful is going to be sold on those terms? Pretty much, as you said, of winning the lottery.
October 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pmI rebuke Rudy Giulini's evil tactics (words and deeds) in the name and blood of Jesus, and send all of them back to the pit of hell where they come from. I plead the blood of Jesus for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, their families, their campaign, and Sen. Obama's presidency.
Not any of McCain's WEAK campaign tactics, the RNC, and his supporters' attacks of lies, hatred, fear, racism, and division WILL NEVER PREVAIL against Sen. Obama - this nation's next Commander-in-Chief !!!
You [ Barack Obama], are from God and have overcome them [the enemy's attacks, schemes, and plots ] , because the one [God] who is in you [ Barack Obama] is greater than the one [the enemy ] who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4
No weapon forged against you [ Barack Obama] will prevail, and you [ Barack Obama] will refute every tongue that accuses you [ Barack Obama] . This is the heritage of the servants [ Barack Obama] of the LORD, and this is their [ Barack Obama] vindication from me," declares the LORD. - Isaiah 54:17
" I [ God ] will send my terror ahead of you [ Barack Obama] and throw into confusion every nation you [ Barack Obama] encounter. I [ God ] will make all your [ Barack Obama] enemies turn their backs and run." - Exodus 23:27
They will fight against you [ Barack Obama] but will not overcome you, for I [God ] am with you [ Barack Obama] and will rescue you," declares the LORD. - Jeremiah 1:19
The Lord will rescue me [ Barack Obama] from every evil attack and will bring me [ Barack Obama] safely to his heavenly kingdom. - 2 Timothy 4:18
11 For he will command his angels concerning you [ Barack Obama] to guard you [ Barack Obama ] in all your ways; 12 they will lift you [ Barack Obama ] up in their hands, so that you [ Barack Obama ] will not strike your [his] foot against a stone. 13 You [ Barack Obama ] will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you [ Barack Obama ] will trample the great lion and the serpent. - Psalm 91:11-13
I have given you [ Barack Obama ] authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you [ Barack Obama ]. - Luke 10:19
It's time for the American people to get it right and NOT vote for McCain-Palin, instead vote for change. It's time for this country to turn the page and seek a new and better future for ourselves and our children.It's time for REAL change in Washington, it's time to elect Barack Obama for president !
Obama-Biden are the wiser and stronger team to solve the crucial challenges we have in this nation and abroad !
Amen.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:24 pm