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"If Walter Cronkite Was Around Today...Kerry Would Be President" (Barf Alert!!!)
Media Research Center ^ | 11/15/04

Posted on 11/15/2004 10:13:05 AM PST by Conservative Coulter Fan

"If Walter Cronkite was around today," USA Today founder Al Neuharth proclaimed in a speech in South Dakota last week, "I think John Kerry would be President" because of "the trust the people in Middle America had in Cronkite, when he returned from Vietnam opposed to the war, public opposition soon followed." As recounted by the Daily Republic in Mitchell, South Dakota, in addition to boasting of the influence of Cronkite's bias, Neuharth "said he thought if McGovern had won the presidency in 1972, U.S. troops would have pulled out from Vietnam a lot sooner with a lot fewer casualties, the Cold War could have ended sooner and there would have been a compassionate Democratic leadership." Neuharth seriously maintained: "The seeds for ending the Cold War were sown by George McGovern."

FNC's Brit Hume in his Wednesday "Grapevine" segment quoted Neuharth's contentions and I tracked down the local newspaper story with the quotes. An excerpt from the November 10 Daily Republic article, "USA Today founder criticizes national media's political coverage," by Harold Campbell:

The national media took a few hits on election coverage from Al Neuharth, a Eureka native and founder of USA Today, who spoke at Tuesday's annual McGovern Center Conference at Dakota Wesleyan University.

"I think the media often reflects public activities or opinions rather than reports on them," he said.

Neuharth said the national media probably was more unfair to McGovern during his 1972 presidential campaign than to any other candidate he can remember.

"Many (reporters) got caught up in the country's apparent support for Vietnam," he said. "The media often reflects public activities or opinions rather than reports on them. They certainly weren't fair and objective in 1972."

However, he said he thought the presence of one journalist in the 1970s helped shape policy, Walter Cronkite.

Because of the trust people in Middle America had in Cronkite, when he returned from Vietnam opposed to the war, public opposition soon followed,

"If Walter Cronkite was around today, I think John Kerry would be president," he said.

Most of Neuharth's presentation consisted of fielding questions from audience members in the newly dedicated Sherman Center....

He also said he thought the national media was doing a good job of reporting the facts from Iraq.

"The number of troops involved and casualties are facts, and we should report those facts," he said.

"However, in a war, both sides of the conflict are great propagandists, and we have to separate facts from propaganda."

He said reporting the facts could play a key role in public response to U.S. policy in the Middle East.

"People have to ask themselves if this is worth the price," he said....

Neuharth said he has known McGovern for more than 50 years.

He said he thought if McGovern had won the presidency in 1972, U.S. troops would have pulled out from Vietnam a lot sooner with a lot fewer casualties, the Cold War could have ended sooner and there would have been a compassionate Democratic leadership.

"The seeds for ending the Cold War were sown by George McGovern," Neuharth said.

Neuharth is the founder and senior advisory chairman of the Freedom Forum, a non-partisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people.

The Freedom Forum funds and operates the Newseum, the First Amendment Center and the Diversity Institute.

Neuharth was the chairman of the Freedom Forum from 1986 to 1997, and was a trustee of the foundation and its predecessor, the Gannett Foundation, from 1965 to 1999.

He is also the former chairman and chief executive officer of Gannett Co.

END of Excerpt

For the article in full: www.mitchellrepublic.com

Neuharth devoted his Friday USA Today column to similar praise of McGovern, "Is McGovern again ahead of the times?" For the November 12 piece, with a picture of Neuharth: www.usatoday.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: agitprop; alneuharth; antiamericanism; barfalert; boycottusatoday; brownshirtsforkerry; bstoday; buggywhipmedia; bullzogby; bushbashing; cbs; cbsnews; coldwar; crankycronkite; cronkite; dnctalkingpoints; firethesefools; howtostealanelection; kerrydefeat; kronkite; legacymedia; liberalmedia; lyingliar; mcgovern; mediabias; mediadistortion; mrc; nationofsheep; nixonbashing; oldtimemedia; partisanmedia; pravdausa; propaganda; reaganbashing; reaganlegacy; revisionism; revisionisthistory; ronaldreagan; trustmustbeearned; usaptooey; usatoday; usayesterday; waltercronkite; worldwar3; worldwariii; zogbyism
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To: Keith
I have to agree with part of the speech. The 1970's Walter Cronkite would have gotten Kerry elected. Cronkite was trusted like no other which is why his lies about vietnam were so damaging to the country.

This was also an age where people didn't question what they read in newspapers or heard on TV. The news organizations were free to shape american opinion by selectively reporting the news - with cable and the internet they can't get away with that any more.

I think that CBS was the first news organization in the US to realize that they had this power and they used it during Vietnam. What's kind of sad is that CBS news still thinks that it has this power.
41 posted on 11/15/2004 10:50:12 AM PST by JeffAtlanta
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To: madvlad

The clothes sucked, the economy sucked but the
music rocked and rolled! Just because you happen
to like Donny Osmond and The Partridge Famly is no license
to rag on Led Zepp (Led Zep are gods among insects, especially with the people on this list), Styx (Tomo Arigato, Mr. Robato? Gimme a break), Nugent (Another legend), Steve Miller,
The Eagles (A little too country rock for me), The Who (Baba O'Reilly...an underrated classic), The Beatles (good music, bad ideas), Floyd (if you're high...unless its Comfortably Numb...or at the denist), Uncle
Alice Cooper (Ahead of his time), Badfinger, Atlanta Rhythm Section,
The Doors (good music, lead singer: bad ideas), Lynyrd Skynyrd (legends), CDB, Outlaws, Allman Bros (What's the point after Skydog died?),
Jefferson Airplane/Starship (Too drunk at too many shows), Jimi (Ahead of his time there would be no EVH if it weren't for him and Clapton), Queen (Influenced too many Live Aid people later), Raspberries,
TRex, Blue Oyster Cult (Watch SNL, and they'll sum it up), Bad Co, THe Stones (Mick Jagger dancing and looking like a woman, a lot like the other bands mention), AC/DC (How are you infer that I refer to them as sucking!),
Edgar & Johnnie Winter, Chicago (25 or 6 to 4 is ripped off by too many punk bands and not played enough by Classic Rock stations), Boston (refer to AC/DC comments), Kansas (ONE SONG! ONE SONG! OVERRATED!)
and sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
many countless others...YOU FORGOT CLAPTON!?!?! Such a grave injustice...


42 posted on 11/15/2004 10:51:24 AM PST by MahaMarty (Election Night! Enter Right! Take my hand!!! Off to Ronald Reagan Land!!!)
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To: Keith

First of all, the sentence should read, "If Walter Cronkite WERE around..." Secondly, if this assertion be accurate, all that means is that Cronkite would have used his job to throw the election to Kerry. This isn't "news" at all.


43 posted on 11/15/2004 10:53:25 AM PST by utahagen
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Guess he hasn't seen ole Walter lately. I would just LOVE for the crazy old coot to come back to the news game full time. It would be a blessing for our side.

Also, GET OVER IT. Kerry lost. Y'all didn't even like him, you picked a lousy candidate, so stop pretending he was the Great Left Hope already.


44 posted on 11/15/2004 10:53:43 AM PST by AmericanChef
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To: HardStarboard

I will always believe that Walter Cronkite was the reason the US got lulled to sleep regarding the situation in Iran, and Khomeni's takeover of that country.

His portrayal of Khomeni as a 'freedom fighter' rather than the terrorist fanatic he really was, and suppressing any support for the Shah we should have clamored for has caused the fundamentalistic terrorism we see today.


45 posted on 11/15/2004 10:55:24 AM PST by Lightfinger
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Yeah, and the south would have won the civil war too! (Sarc)


46 posted on 11/15/2004 10:58:06 AM PST by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
From what I've learned from Uncle Walter since he retired from CBS, that can hardly be considered a compliment.

Still, he loved the space program, so there's hope ...
47 posted on 11/15/2004 11:00:23 AM PST by MattGarrett
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
"The seeds for ending the Cold War were sown by George McGovern," Neuharth said.

Well, I suppose the Cold War would have ended with a Soviet victory, so Al is probably right about that.

48 posted on 11/15/2004 11:01:16 AM PST by Ditto ( No trees were killed in sending this message, but billions of electrons were inconvenienced.)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
"If Walter Cronkite was around today, I think John Kerry would be president," he said

He is around Al, unfortunately he a drooling lunatic-try another example.

49 posted on 11/15/2004 11:02:59 AM PST by Larry381 (Our long national nightmare is over-The Scott Peterson trial)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
"The seeds for ending the Cold War were sown by George McGovern."

Yeah and Neville Chamberlain won World War II.

SNL should hire this guy as a writer.

50 posted on 11/15/2004 11:03:26 AM PST by DeFault User
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

If anyone would vote for the President because a talking head says they should, then they should never be allowed to vote.

I like the idea Heinlens idea. Some service should be required to be allowed to vote.


51 posted on 11/15/2004 11:07:03 AM PST by winodog (We need to water the liberty tree)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

These guys are really nuts. They have reached rock bottom and have started to dig.


52 posted on 11/15/2004 11:07:42 AM PST by buddyholly
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
What's the point of Neuharth's exercise? Crankite isn't "around" in the sense Neuharth means it, and hasn't been for many years. He might just as well say, "If Saddam Hussein were still President of Iraq, the US military would never have gotten approval to initiate last week's battle for Falluja." It's as nonsensical as that.
53 posted on 11/15/2004 11:12:03 AM PST by savedbygrace ("No Monday morning quarterback has never led a team to victory" GW Bush)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
As I recall, the last combat troops left in the middle of March of 1973. Nixon did deliver what he promised. Remember, Nixon beat McGovern worse than has happened before or since. Note, that a few months after his second term began the troops were withdrawn. The war was then lost as described below.

The problem was (and is) the liberals wanted us to lose; hence, Senator Frank Church and other RATS passed a bill that did not permit the use of our air power in support of the South Vietnamese. When this didn't work, then they witheld all funds to the South: quite quickly the North Vietnamese sent T-54 tanks and a large invading army to take the country.

54 posted on 11/15/2004 11:12:06 AM PST by shrinkermd
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Al Neuharth, charter member of the

S Sick
O Ornery
R Reactionary
E Elitists

L Lingering
O Over
S Stereotypes
E Erroneously
R Ridiculous (and)
S Silly

IOW, SORE LOSERS.


55 posted on 11/15/2004 11:20:19 AM PST by litany_of_lies
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To: MahaMarty

Careful. When you provide commentary on a
few off the list you had better be able to
provide commentary for all!! Otherwise,
methinks you don't know who they are!!
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

And no, I did not forget EC. I simply
didn't pull up his name when I hastily
assembled the list. But, while I'm here.
Traffic, Free, Yardbirds, Blind Faith,
Cream, Iron Butterfly (In A Gadda Da Vida
baby), Kinks, Ronstadt(all covers but that
girl could sing), Jackson Browne, James
Taylor(In his mind he'd be better off in
Carolina or Mexico), Rod Stewart(pre-disco stuff),
Creedence, Molly Hatchet, Smokey & the Miracles,
Diana and the Supremes, Grand Funk, Billy Joel,
and the list goes on and on.

MV


56 posted on 11/15/2004 11:41:51 AM PST by madvlad ((Born in the south, raised around the globe and STILL republican))
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
they are SuperHeating a special place in hell right now while waiting for Old Dirty CronCRAP!!!
57 posted on 11/15/2004 11:42:35 AM PST by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: rockabyebaby

You're very welcome.
I was proud to serve.

Semper Fi,
Kelly


58 posted on 11/15/2004 11:51:52 AM PST by kellynla (U.S.M.C. 1st Battalion,5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Div. Viet Nam 69&70 Semper Fi)
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan
"If Walter Cronkite was around today," USA Today founder Al Neuharth proclaimed ...

It should read, "If Walter Cronkite were around today ..."

Neuharth ought to know better.

59 posted on 11/15/2004 12:52:27 PM PST by JoeGar
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To: Conservative Coulter Fan

Baghdad Walter


60 posted on 11/15/2004 1:08:37 PM PST by My2Cents ("The bombing begins in five minutes...")
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