Tommy Christopher, of Mediate, nails what kept me up last night after watching Erin Burnet and Wolf Blitzer hosting CNN's coverage of Paul Ryan's convention speech, in CNN Utterly Fails At Calling Paul Ryan A Liar, Or Caring That He Is One.
In the current cable news landscape, CNN has carved out a space as the “down-the-middle” network, and that brand depends heavily on trust. Their tepid handling of vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan‘s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night damaged that trust, but in the moments following the speech, anchors Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett seemed to indicate that trust doesn’t matter all that much.
Josh Marshall provides the transcript of Burnett's and Bliitzer's comments
Great Moments in CNN Euphemisms./a>
Coming right off Ryan’s speech Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett seemed unable not to mention that Ryan’s speech had well … contained a lot of pretty huge fibs. So euphemisms to the rescue. The transcript …
Blitzer: So there he is, the republican vice presidential nominee and his beautiful family there. His mom is up there. This is exactly what this crowd of republicans here certainly republicans all across the country were hoping for. He delivered a powerful speech. Erin, a powerful speech. Although I marked at least seven or eight points I’m sure the fact checkers will have some opportunities to dispute if they want to go forward, I’m sure they will. As far as mitt romney’s campaign is concerned, paul ryan on this night delivered.
Burnett: That’s right. Certainly so. We were jotting down points. There will be issues with some of the facts. But it motivated people. He’s a man who says I care deeply about every single word. I want to do a good job. And he delivered on that. Precise, clear, and passionate.
More below the squiggle.
Christopher responds to Josh Marshall's blog commenting on what is wrong with Burnett's and Blitzer's gloss over of Ryan's lies:
but their crime is far worse than simply refusing to call Ryan a liar. Their commentary seems to indicate that it doesn’t matter if Ryan is a liar. Blitzer begins by calling it “a powerful speech,” then notes, in the same breath, that “I marked at least seven or eight points I’m sure the fact checkers will have some opportunities to dispute if they want to go forward, I’m sure they will.”
Burnett agrees that Ryan’s speech was so dishonest, she, too, was scribbling down lies in real time, but then concludes, “He’s a man who says I care deeply about every single word. I want to do a good job. And he delivered on that. Precise, clear, and passionate.”
Did you get that? Just seconds after the speech, both Blitzer and Burnett already know, without even checking, that Ryan’s speech was completely full of shit, but their takeaway is that he “delivered,” and that he was “precise” and “clear.”
Christopher reviews a long list of other lies in Lyan Ryan's speech including Ryan's use of "they" to describe the Simpson-Bowles Commission he was on, and didn't have a report because he voted against, also the Medicare, and welfare waiver lies.
Later, CNN rated Paul Ryan's GM plant closure lie as "True, but incomplete" because, despite the fact that the decision to close the plant was taken in June of 2008, mostly closed December 23, 2008, but that 57 out of the 2,400 workers staid on until April, 2009 to finish the last truck contract.
As, you all know, here, from dozens of post pointing out the actual truth of the GM plant closing is that the truth has been established -- that Lyin Ryan was deceptive. What remains to be seen, is when two of CNN biggest "journalistic stars" are going to acknowledge it.
But, if you step back to look at the bigger picture, Omaba's plan to rescue the auto industry was implemented, and did largely work, despite objections from Romney and Ryan, so unless Ryan is now endorsing President's Obama auto-industry rescue plan, his points are doubly duplicitous. And, both Burnett and Blitzer fail to help the public understand the higher level critical policies, strategies, history (should this be plural? snark alert,) and economic theories being debated in this election. Instead, they focus on how cute Ryan's family is. Good thing he didn't bring out puppies, too, or who knows if CNN would have made an endorsement.
Or as Tommy Christopher notes:
What matters is journalists like Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett can spot so many glaring lies in a speech, and then conclude that that’s not really the story.
In terms of consequences for our futures, and a public mandate for the economic and political theories our countries future will be built on, this may be the most important election in our lifetimes. But, much of the media insists on focusing our attention on trivia.
Update: Just as I've finished this essay, Wolf Blitzer has acknowledged in an interview with DNC Chairwomen Debbie Wasserman-Schultz that GM did decide to close the plant in June, of 2008, and closed it in December 2008, but did has not, to my knowledge responded to criticisms, that in CNN's main broadcast of Paul Ryan's speech, glossed over this, and other major Ryan deceptions they knew to be untrue.