ABC's John Stossel is set to run a hit job on the Obama Stimulus Plan on March 13 on 20/20.
Last night, he did a preview of the show, no video is available, so here is the gist of what he said: Government should not be building roads, we have the private sector for that. (Build more toll roads!)
He found about 15 economists who think that the stimulus plan will do more harm than good and, of course, they must know more than the economists who work for the president.
Also, he interviews a young man who started his own business on $25 and apparently tries to use his success to claim things aren't that bad for the working people. If they would only get off their lazy asses.
Is John Stossel trying to be the new Rick Santelli?
Here is video of John Stossel arguing about the auto bailout with Bill O'Reilly. He is more conservative than O'Reilly and takes the Hoover approach that government should not step in time of a crisis. His reason-- because he says the government is incompetent and can't even count all the votes:
This clip obviously tells you a lot about Stossel's point of view. He would be okay with total collapse of the economy for auto workers and those Midwestern communities because he would still have his cushy job at ABC in NYC. Also when I youtubed John Stossel I saw he is on record criticizing the auto bailout (which is actually loans) and now this stimulus plan. His criticism of the Wall Street bailout has been much more tempered since he apparently trusts Paulson as he says in the above clip.
ABC and 20/20 set themselves up as a reputable news organization, yet at this point they are giving a very conservative newsman a long time to express a point of view without giving the other point of view equal time to respond. From the clip I saw he only interviews economists who agree with him and has no real dissent. He interviewed Barbara Ehrenreich, the writer of Nickeled and Dimed and apparently tries to blame her for not succeeding as a poor person. He goes back to the story of the young man he interviews who started a business with $25.
So why is ABC airing a hit job on a piece of legislation that helps people by expanding food stamps benefits, unemployment, and made it possible for the police officers in Columbus, Ohio to get hired and start working? Why do they allow him to push is Hooverite agenda with no real meaningful progressive voice or any historical context?
John Stossel is trying to be the new Rick Santelli. He is aligning himself with the Party of No and Rush Limbaugh by saying the president's policies will fail and that we should do nothing.
Please let's ask 20/20 to bring balance to Stossel's special report by giving equal time to the opposing viewpoint and clearly labeling his work as opinion, rather than journalism. It doesn't count as journalism when you start out with an opinion and then find people to back up only your claim. I learned that in my high school journalism class.
Here is the website where you can email to complain:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
We cannot allow neo-Hooverite John Stossel to slander the stimulus plan based on his right-wing, Libertarian point-of-view.