It certainly has been a fun day for folks that believe beyond a shadow of a doubt the media have a decidedly leftward slant.
Not only did we learn that Hillary Clinton confidant Lanny Davis thinks MSNBC and Chris Matthews are "shamelessly biased," but he is also not pleased with CNN, and, much like Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), believes that "in this campaign, [Fox News] have [sic] been religiously middle-of-the-road."
Talk about your delicious trifectas!
As reported by Politico Friday (emphasis added throughout, h/t our good friend Johnny $, picture courtesy View Images):
During [Tuesdays's] Election Night broadcast, there was palpable tension between [Lanny] Davis and CNN reporters and panelists on camera — and apparently, with producers off camera.
Looking back, Davis said by phone this afternoon, he considers it “the worst experience I ever had on television.”
What bothers Davis most is that CNN is the network with which he’s had the longest relationship, where he’s maintained close friendships through the years, and that he's always considered middle-of-the-road in its coverage. But in his opinion, CNN has not treated Hillary Clinton fairly in the ’08 race.
After some set-up about Davis's appearance, which was delayed by him so that he could attend his son's, things didn't turn out like he expected:
Regarding the panel's make-up, Davis said that he believes Gloria Borger, David Gergen, Donna Brazile and Carl Bernstein are all tougher on Clinton than on her rival. And he maintains that Roland Martin is definitely a “partisan for Obama.” (Martin has not official [sic] endorsed Obama and is not labeled as such on the network,)
“I have seen the stacked deck on the so-called panels, which always struck me as imbalanced against Hillary on Election Night,” Davis said, adding that a producer assured him there would be “equal time.”
Apparently, after waiting 90 minutes to finally speak, this is what occurred:
Anderson Cooper: Lanny, let me start off with you. We haven't heard from you tonight. Your take on Barack Obama's speech earlier?
Lanny Davis: You haven't heard from me tonight. And I'm not sure — I’m not sure you want to hear from me tonight but —
Cooper: We heard from Paul Begala. This is your big chance.
Davis: Well, actually, I don't think we heard very much from Paul Begala. We did hear an awful —
Cooper: All part of the conspiracy against Hillary Clinton, I suppose.
Davis's reaction?
“I literally had to take a breath,” Davis said.
Yet, the icing on the cake was:
Regarding CNN’s competitors, Davis said that MSNBC is “shameless about their bias toward Obama,” and Fox has been the fairest — which is saying a lot coming from a self-described member of the Democratic Party’s left wing.
“Fox, no matter how much you might criticize an ideological bent, in this campaign, they have been religiously middle-of-the-road, point-counterpoint,” Davis said.
Now THAT's entertainment!
