Obama Bans TV Station Re Biden Questions. Updated 10/27/08

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Newsmax.com


Obama Bans TV Station over Biden Questions
Sunday, October 26, 2008 11:52 AM

By: Phil Brennan


Angry over a hard-nosed interview during which Barbara West of Orlando’s WFTV peppered Sen. Joe Biden with the kind of probing questions the pro-Obama mainstream media refuses to ask, the Obama campaign has completely banned the television station from future access and interviews.


According to the Orlando Sentinel, Biden was so disturbed by West's searching questions that the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.


"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best, for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.


McGinnis said the Jill Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."


During the interview, West asked Biden: "Aren't you embarrassed by the blatant attempts to register phony voters by ACORN, an organization that Barack Obama has been tied to in the past?"


Biden appeared flustered by the question, but quickly gained his composure and denied that Obama had been close to ACORN.


Biden claimed that the campaign had not paid ACORN any money to register voters.


West did not challenge Obama on this point, though during the Democratic primary in Ohio, the Obama campaign had, in fact, paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN-backed group. West did note that Obama has worked with this group in the past. [See: Obama and ACORN: You Can Run But You Can't Hide].


West again stung Biden, asking him about Obama's statement to Joe the plumber that he planned to "spread the wealth around."


West queried: "A Gallup poll showed 84 percent of Americans prefer the government focus on improving economic conditions and creating more jobs in the U.S., as opposed to taking steps that distribute wealth. Isn't Senator Obama's comment a potentially crushing political blunder?"


Dodging the question, Biden attacked the Bush economic and tax policies and Sen. John McCain's tax program.


West bored in, quoting Karl Marx's "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs," and asked Biden, "How is Senator Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around?"


Biden appeared stunned and asked, "Are you joking? Is this a joke?"


He then insisted that despite Obama's declaration that he would spread the wealth around, Obama "is not spreading the wealth around."


West then asked Biden about his now-famous statement that Obama would be tested and would not be able to stand up to the challenge without help.


"Are you forewarning Americans that nothing will be done and that America's days as the world's leading power are over?" West asked.


An obviously annoyed Biden responded by asking West who was writing her questions. West is a veteran TV news journalist who had worked as Peter Jennings' producer at ABC News.


Biden responded that whoever is elected will be tested, and then attacked McCain's record.


West returned to the “spreading the wealth” question, asking Biden what he'd "say to the people who are concerned that Barack Obama will want to turn America into a socialist country much like Sweden?"


Biden again ducked the question, saying only that he didn't know anybody who thinks that, "except the far-right wing of the Republican Party."


WFTV news director Bob Jordan told the Sentinel: "When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it. They usually give you five minutes."


He added that political campaigns in general pick and choose the stations they like. And stations often pose softball questions during the satellite interviews.


"Mr. Biden didn't like the questions," Jordan said. "We choose not to ask softball questions. "


© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved. 

When Democrats are asked tough questions, the response is to ban the company asking them and pull the ads and revenue derived in attempts to silence the opposition.  Sometimes it works better than lies.

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Newsmax.com


Zogby Poll: Undecided Voters Reject ‘Fairness Doctrine’
Monday, October 27, 2008 11:50 AM



Washington, D.C. — Obama supporters and Democrats are at odds with Independents and undecided voters when it comes to clamping down on free speech over the air waves, according to a just-released ATI-News/Zogby poll.

“Barack Obama has shown a stunning lack of tolerance for free speech throughout the course of this campaign,” said ATI-News president Brad O’Leary. “His presidency, combined with supermajorities for Democrats in Congress would almost certainly bring back the so-called ‘Fairness Doctrine’ and allow the Democrats to snuff out any broadcasters with whom they disagree.”


The poll surveyed 1,203 likely voters nationwide and was conducted October 23-26. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.


ATI-News/Zogby asked likely voters: “Some say the Fairness Doctrine could result in popular radio shows, such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, to be taken off the air in some markets. Knowing this, do you support or oppose reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine?”


Those who say they will vote for Barack Obama support reinstating the Fairness Doctrine 53 to 37 percent (10 percent are not sure). Meanwhile, Independent voters oppose reviving the Doctrine 49 to 40 percent, and undecided voters reject it 50 to 17 percent (33 percent are not sure).


Originally instituted in 1949 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Fairness Doctrine was soon recognized as a tool for silencing any opposing views – particularly conservative views.


The FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 admitting the doctrine “had the net effect of reducing rather than enhancing the discussion of controversial issues of public importance.”


According to O’Leary, Obama and the Democrats would rather silence their detractors through oppressive regulation than compete on an even playing field. To make his case, he cites several examples:



When Chicago radio station WGN scheduled journalist Stanley Kurtz to talk about Obama’s ties to Ayers, the Obama campaign recruited 100,000 supporters to act in a cult-like manner and besiege the station with protests.



When “Joe the Plumber” questioned Obama about his plan to raise taxes on small businesses, Obama supporters sought to destroy Joe and publicly embarrass him by digging through his tax files, work history and personal life.



Obama forces also tried to hush a national organization that ran TV and radio ads attacking the candidate’s position on an issue. In that instance, Obama’s general counsel fired off a letter threatening the licenses of stations that didn’t pull the ad “for the sake of FCC licensing and the public interest.”



After seeing a dip in the polls in September, the Obama campaign dispatched prosecutors and law enforcement officials in Missouri to act as so-called “truth squads” to target anyone who runs ads on TV or radio critical of Obama.


“There is nothing ‘fair’ about the Fairness Doctrine, and re-establishing the Doctrine would have the chilling effect of silencing America’s 2,000 talk radio show hosts that discuss politics,” warned O’Leary.


“There is very little doubt that if Obama ascends to the presidency and Democrats achieve super majorities in both houses of Congress, the Fairness Doctrine will become law and freedom-of-speech will be purged from our nation’s airwaves.”

With a overiding Democratic Congress and Obama win, the Fairness Doctrine will be re enacted and placed into law again.  The first post is an example of how and why Obama will not only support, but initiate this unfairness law.  He keeps telling us to look at his past for examples of his truth and policies.  "Another fine mess you've gotten me into, Stanley."

[1marty]

Obama group practices the old Lenin/Stalinist tactics=silence the opposition and control the media.

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It will get worse and I highly doubt after whether it will get better.

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The predicitions on the Fairness Doctrine are moving toward re enactment.  This from NY's Sen Chuck Schumer.

Newsmax.com


Schumer Compares Talk Radio to 'Pornography'
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 1:27 PM

By: Jim Meyers


Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer defended the so-called Fairness Doctrine regarding talk radio, telling Fox News: “I think we should all be fair and balanced, don’t you?”

The Fairness Doctrine, repealed during the Ronald Reagan administration, would require radio stations to balance conservative talk hosts with liberal ones.

In a Fox interview Tuesday morning, the senator from New York was asked if he supported telling radio stations what their content should be.

“The very same people who don’t want the Fairness Doctrine want the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] to limit pornography on the air,” Schumer said.

“I am for that . . . But you can’t say government hands off in one area to a commercial enterprise but you are allowed to intervene in another. That’s not consistent.”

In 2007, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a close ally of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, told The Hill newspaper: “It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision.”

Conservatives fear that forcing stations to give liberal hosts equal time on the air would cut into profits so significantly that radio executives would scale back on conservative radio programming to avoid escalating costs and interference from the FCC, according to The Hill.

They also note that conservative radio shows have been far more successful than liberal ones, making them easy targets for such legislation.

A recent Zogby poll disclosed that those who said they would vote for Barack Obama support reinstating the Fairness Doctrine by a margin of 53 percent to 37 percent, with 10 percent not sure.

© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

The propaganda police are coming and you can bet on it with a super Democratic controlled Congress.  Sen Schumer just released his warning.  So much for fair and balanced. 

[phalanx]

Guys this isnt a landslide ,and the grinning liberals are only winning this because of ACORN with welfare and fake votes.
This isnt an election it is a take over , a Coup, per say and they only did it by lieing ,and intimidation.
Obama needs to remember that 50% of  this  country hates his guts , and believe this was a take over.
Strategically lets look at this map ,all the center of this country is Red ,and with states with joining borders.
We have kept the deep water ports of Texas ,and we have all the oil.
So in essence they have won nothing but the welfare cases , and the red states are in a good position to dictate what they want.
There are many other Country's out there that would love to be the first one to have their foot in the door if these states go on their own.
And if Obama pushes his luck that could well happen.

[Explorer1]

The Republicraps got what they deserved running a RINO for office while the Dumocraps ran a Hollywood campaign for a imposter who refused to release any of his record for fear he would be discovered while using questionable funding.  That's FACTUAL and as fair and balanced as need be!

The handling of the media by His Self-appointed Highness was masterfull, course the media was in the bag before the handling started so it was easy.

As for the radicals who dared ask real questions?  Well the message was sent, we WILL destroy you!  That was just the warning shot over the bow....just wait till ObamaOne has a Civilian Security Force larger than our military in place and willing spying on every neighbor to remain in good with those who are handing out the Government controlled rations.