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Charlie and the Capitol's Fantasy: Obama's health care agenda from inside the White House
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One week from today, network news will be broadcast from the Blue Room of the White House, in what could easily be interpreted as a sparkling endorsement for socialized health care. The ABC News ‘Prescription for America,’ moderated by Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, is the network’s first occasion to air from inside the administration, as compared to CBS’ 60 Minutes on election night, and NBC’s recent primetime special. ABC programs including Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline will cover, all day long, what many fear to be a mere ‘infomercial’ for the president’s health care agenda, far from a legitimate public debate.
Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay requested the opportunity to present opposing views, at least in the ‘town hall forum’ segment of the program. This request was flatly denied. We should be pacified, however, by ABC News Senior VP Kerry Smith’s reassurance that producers are “looking for the most thoughtful and diverse voices on this issue.” In keeping with campaign coverage protocol, only screened audience members will be admitted, and no questions will be asked of the president that he is not prepared to answer. According to Smith, “ABC News will have complete editorial control.” That's a relief.
In case anyone still anticipates a fair debate on June 24, readers should consider the network’s medical editor and featured master of ceremonies, Dr. Timothy Johnson, who has been faithfully enamored with Obama and his ambitions from the beginning. According to a Media Research Center report, Johnson responded on February 26 to the president’s proposal for a new health care fund, priced at $634 billion:
“Health care experts that I’ve talked to today are thrilled with this budget proposal. They see it as a very strong signal from the President that he is indeed very serious about health care reform and willing to put a lot of money behind his rhetoric.” Interesting choice of words, yes?
Johnson later quipped, “We spend more than twice as much per person on health care in this country as the average of all other industrialized countries, yet we’re the only one that doesn’t have universal coverage. That’s a national shame.”
Additionally, Linda Douglass, the Director of Communications at the White House Office of Health Reform was an ABC news reporter from 1998 to 2006.
RNC Chairman Michael Steele released this statement on government-run health care, a perspective not likely to be articulated during this special, but shared by a significant number of Americans, nonetheless:
“Republicans believe health care reform must preserve the doctor-patient relationship. But President Obama and Congressional Democrats want a government-run health care system that puts a Washington bureaucrat between American families and their doctors. President Obama and Congressional Democrats think government is the solution to every problem. They’re wrong. The government already runs car companies, banks and mortgage companies. The last thing the American people want is government telling them when and where they can get medical treatment for their families.”
You can contact ABC News officials here: http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3068843
For more about Dr. Timothy Johnson: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCall/story?id=1381567
To keep up with media watchdogs and commentary on bias, you can visit the Media Research Center here: http://www.mrc.org/public/default.aspx and Accuracy in Media: http://www.aim.org/
To participate in the debate at Fox News, click here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/16/abc-news-teams-obama-white-house-present-presidents-health-care-plan/
Drudge coverage: http://drudgereport.com/flashaot.htm
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