Rhetorical question: Is Bob Scheifer an idiot?

[Orrex]

I saw him briefly yesterday in some nonsensical patter with Katie Couric, during which Bob praised "Maverick McCain" for being such a strong, straight-talking candidate, while simultaneously mocking Obama and Clinton as the Democratic Party's "two weakest candidates."

I've been thinking really hard about this, and I can't recall ever hearing Scheifer making a political statement that wasn't laced with derision for the Dems and a gentle, loving massage for the GOP. And to think that this pandering asshole was a moderator the last time around!

I'm sure that we can look forward to months and months of objective and insightful commentary from him...

[hobbit709]

1. The question is how big of an idiot. Idiot is already established.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Wow. And I have always thought he was more fair than most.

I read his bio a couple years ago. He is a very intersting guy and came off as anything but a republican.

[kentuck]

4. You were right the first time.

Everyone will say something idiotic from time to time. That does not make them an idiot or an enemy of DU. Pretty soon we will all be walking around blind...

[Orrex]

5. I respectfully disagree

Everything I've seen from Schiefer lately has been laced with that same kind of "GOP Good, Dems Bad" subtext, and not usually as subtle as I saw it yesterday.

Many here expressed misgivings back when Schiefer moderated that one Presidential debate, give Schiefer's cozy relationship with, ahem, certain elements of the GOP. "Not so!" cried Schiefer's advocates.

Well, it's so.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. What relationship with the GOP?

Have you read his bio?

He hates the GOP. He agreed that pardoning Nixon was the right thing to do but he had nothing positive to say about any other republicans or republican acts.

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

Do you dislike Keith Olberman too?

[renate]

7. I read his book too and got the same impression

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Do people just see or hear one thing they don't like

and pass judgment based on that? Good heavens.

The only thing in his book I disagreed with him about was when he praised Ford for pardoning Nixon. That was it. In fact, it was one of the few bios I have read that I found so little to not like about the guy. He is an old school Texas Democrat. And he hides it well apparently since this OP thinks he favors the GOP!
:rofl:

[renate]

21. I don't remember the book very well

Actually, all I really remember was being all excited about reading something in it and then coming to DU to start a thread along the lines of "OMG! Bob Schieffer said ___!" (I think it was something about how the media hadn't questioned the war, but I'm not sure about that at all) and promptly got flamed by people saying he was a right-wing tool or something. I thought the book was fine and dandy, but the people criticizing him were pretty emphatic about it and made me feel like a moron for liking him, so I went away with my tail between my legs.

[rurallib]

3. I would say these days that M$M lead talking heads are

all pretty much - well - controlled and unlikely to think out of the box.

[BrklynLib at work]

6. His brother is a member of BushCo-Ambassador to Austrailia

George W. Bush, former President George Bush and Tom Schieffer, who succeeded George W. as general partner of the Texas Rangers after Mr. Bush was elected governor of Texas in November 1994.


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/18/business/media/18CBS.html

But the bonds, and bounds, of that familial intimacy are about to come into play as never before. Tom Schieffer was recently nominated by President Bush - his friend and former business partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team - to be ambassador to Japan, and Bob Schieffer, the longtime host of "Face the Nation" on CBS, will soon become interim anchor of "CBS Evening News."

[ellacott]

8. He is personal friends with Bush

Before becoming President, Bush and Schieffer played golf together, sat at Texas Rangers baseball together and attended spring training with each other. Schieffer's brother, Tom, was a partner in the Rangers and after Bush won the presidency got an appointment as the U.S. ambassador to Australia.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. And that automatically makes him a Republican!

:sarcasm:

[ellacott]

20. Where did I say that?

no sarcasm

[Orrex]

22. Why yes, of course

And as a result of his friendship with Bush, Schiefer is directly responsible for the failure of the XFL and for the heartbreak of psoriasis. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he kidnapped the Lindburgh baby and personally engaged in cannibalism at the foot of the Washington Monument.




Schiefer's personal friendship with Bush at the very least disqualifies him as an objective commentator. Every time he opens his mouth on tv, they should be required to display a disclaimer revealing that Schiefer is reasonably likely to lob some softballs to the GOP while simultaneously blasting the Democrats.

[MarjorieG]

9. Bush family friend, he moderated the third warm and fuzzy soft ball debate.

There are many old timers in the news with serious GOP connections.

[TornadoTN]

10. Schieffer has his moments where he is palatable and downright decent

But then he has other moments where he becomes a shining beacon of light for the G.O.P. by the way he frames Democrats with his language. In comparison, he's very soft and cautious on how he handles Republicans.

When he's not on politics, I genuinely like the guy. I liked him better than Katie when he was anchoring the CBS Evening News and wish he was in the same spot today. He's a shill when he has to focus just on one topic, but as an anchor he's very apt and capable.

[Benhurst]

11. You might as well get used to it. McCain is going to be the straight-talking

experienced war hero, and Obama will be portrayed as the fast-talking, brash, inexperienced newcomer who didn't love America enough to volunteer for military service. And that's by the talking heads.

God only knows what the Repub operatives will be spreading throughout the country.

We took back the House and Senate two years ago. Why didn't our leaders, and that includes Clinton and Obama, address the theft of the past two presidential elections?

Caging is underway throughout the country. All the Republicans need do is keep the election close enough to steal. And the talking heads will explain away the theft by saying "when standing alone in the privacy of the voting booth, the American voter just wasn't ready for an African American president."

[TornadoTN]

14. That is the one area of concern I have

I am as pro-Obama as anyone and he is going to be a great President, but I seriously question his not taking on this issue. If anything, he should have been more in tune with the concerns of this topic than anyone else and tried to raise the issue as an elected Senator.

I am going to a town hall tomorrow to see Obama. If I can, I want to pose this question to him as it is probably the most important topic going into the election. Seriously, how are we going to right the wrongs of the past 8 years and end this war when the voting is questionable in the end?

[INdemo]

12. Weak candidate as in

The best the Democratic Party could offer? Well I would agree with him.But weak as far as defeating Mccain..I would disagree. We have moved into a era where the media plays a larger role in which candidate we choose.One small trivial issue that is way overblown against one candidate or the other can certainly influence voters.
If we would consider all of our Democratic candidates running going back to ..oh lets say 1960 than 2008 has to rated in the weaker class of all past candidates or nominees..Not necessarily the weakest.
We had much better quality of candidates to choose from in 2004 and even in the limited field of candidates in 2000.

[Carrieyazel]

13. Bob Schieffer is one of the few media figures who actually garners respect

from all across the spectrum. I wouldn't go down this road. Go ahead and hit Suckanophulus and Fat Tim Ratsert, and the scum on Fake News Channel, but slamming Schieffer isn't going to get us far.

[Orrex]

23. It's exactly because Schiefer is respected that he should be taken to task

Stephanopoulous, Russert, Gibson, et al are obvious caricatures, so there's little point in identifying their ridiculous faux journalism. But a media figure who is "respected" must be held to a higher standard.

[SwampG8r]

17. ill do a poll and we will see

doh
outta posts

[EstimatedProphet]

19. I thought he was that way in 2004.