GOOD MORNING WORLD
I have been asked a couple of times lately what I think of the primaries going on right now. I told everyone I would be posting thoughts on cornersoapbox.wordpress.com. I have yet to do that. I will be posting this on that site as well to get a start on political conversations.
Today however I am writing another – yet another – open letter to the news media. Sunday afternoon I was watching Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. I like Chris Wallace. I liked his father Mike Wallace. I believe both of them men of integrity despite Mike’s occasional scrapes. I believe they look for truth and report it. Sunday I was very disappointed in Chris Wallace. So perhaps this is an open letter to Chris Wallace. I just re-titled this blog!
On Sunday Chris was interviewing John Kasich. For those of you who asked he is my choice for the man to run for President of the Republican party.
During the interview Wallace quoted Rubio , showed a clip and made a judgment that was incorrect. You can find all of this by looking at the transcripts. (1)
Chris Wallace said this:
WALLACE: Governor Kasich, you’re on the show today. We’re very happy to have you here.
I want to ask you — I want to ask you about Marco Rubio because he has suggested to his supporters that to try to stop Donald Trump, maybe his supporters in Ohio should actually vote for you. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBIO: I have a voter in Ohio conclude that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance to stop Donald Trump there. I anticipate that’s what they’ll do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Governor, following that same logic, should Kasich supporters in Florida support Rubio so he can beat Trump? It’s winner-take-all, instead of splitting the anti-Trump vote?
You can see what Marco Rubio actually said by checking the video. (2)
Marco Rubio said:
“If a voter in Ohio is motivated by stopping Donald Trump and comes to the conclusion that John Kasich is the only one who can beat him there ten I expect that is the decision they’ll make. I can tell you in Florida I am the only one that can beat Donald Trump. If someone supports Ted Cruz or John Kasich if you vote for them in Florida you’re in essence voting for Donald Trump. If a voter reaches the same conclusion in Ohio then I think that’s what they’re going to do as well. (question by reporter) I’ve not talked to John Kasich about this – you asked me a question -I’m giving you my observation clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do. If a voter in Ohio concludes that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance of stopping Donald Trump there then I anticipate that is what they’ll do.”
As I read this nowhere in this statement did Marco Rubio say he wanted his supporters to vote for John Kasich. Of course it can be taken or inferred that this is what he is saying. In fact his campaign came out and said they urged voters to vote for Kasich. Rubio did not say that in his statement.
This is the fine line of which I am speaking. Even in the reporting and Wallace using the video clip from Rubio, Rubio did not suggest to his supporters to vote for Kasich. He clearly stated that if voters made the assumptions and wanted to stop Trump they would vote for Kasich. He did not release them to do so.
I hear you out there and yes I can see how this is a veiled release yet his words did not say that. Chris Wallace came to that conclusion. I must also add that Rubio’s campaign did come out and urge voters to vote for Kasich. All that being said in this particular answer Rubio did not say those words.
The second media note I wish to make is from Breitbart. Now again I like their news reporting and take umbrage with the headline that came up in a chat I had this morning.
The Headline was:
REPORT: Soros Money Funding John Kasich’s Presidential Bid
followed by:
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Soros Fund Management is one of John Kasich’s top financial contributors.
Interestingly, as Breitbart News has previously reported, John Kasich has made a series of extreme statements on immigration that place him to the furthest leftward reaches of not just the GOP Presidential field, but the Democratic Presidential field as well. For instance, Kasich has said that enforcing our immigration laws and deporting the illegal immigrants is not “humane.” Kasich likened deportations to the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Kasich has also pledged that he will enact amnesty within the first 100 days of his hoped-for Presidency– in effect, meaning that those who support John Kasich’s presidential campaign are voting to enact the largest amnesty in U.S. history by April 30, 2017.
Breitbart goes on to show George Soros, a noted donor to liberal causes, gave John Kasich’s campaign $202,700.(3) The inference of the article was that since Soros is funding Kasich that Kasich will be a liberal President – at least not conservative. Where is the truth? The truth is Soros gave Kasich $202,700. I wonder if that is enough to buy legislation. We must remember that the President cannot enact nor pass any legislation.
The third piece of questionable reporting is last night in the reporting of the primaries. The Drudge Report had a screen shot of Trump over Cruz by 13% in Missouri when in fact at the time Cruz was leading by .7%. Big difference.
My conclusion is I make up my own mind when I hear the words from the candidate themselves. Sadly Chris Wallace has now joined the ranks of all the other reporters in that my trust at least needs to be earned back.
It is going to be a long campaign year I am afraid if the two winners now end up there in September. It also will be very interesting and wild I believe.
…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…
(1) http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2016/03/13/can-donald-trump-unify-republican-party-fractured/
(2) http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/03/11/marco-rubio-ohio-voters-sot.cnn
ktsquared 