Free Republic

Live thread for commentary on the ABC News Primetime ObamaCare Infomercial tonight at 9:00 PM CT/10:00 PM ET. John Boehner recommends this handy guide to the healthcare informercial from The Freedom Project.A Guide to the President's Health Care Infomercial Obama's Thinking 'Evolves' on Health Care Requirements Acknowledging that his thinking on the issue has "evolved," President Barack Obama says he could support a law mandating that individuals purchase health care coverage, with fines for those who do not, but he stressed that there must be some kind of waiver for those who are simply unable to afford it. (snip) During...

When Barack Obama spoke on the weekend to a black-tie audience of the nation's leading television journalists, the inside jokes were very definitely on them. "A few nights ago, I was up tossing and turning, trying to figure out exactly what to say," Obama said at the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner. "Finally, when I couldn't get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought." The punch line aimed at the NBC Nightly News anchor - who recently hosted a warm and fuzzy, two-night prime time White House special on Obama - produced...

ABC News on lapel flags after 9/11: “Overseas, it could be perceived that we’re just mouthpieces for the U.S. government, and that can place our journalists in danger.” ABC News on having any debate President Obama’s health care plan: “I would have thought that a subject as important as the health care received by the American people would rise above this sorry spectacle.” The same network that ordered its reporters not to wear the flag on their apparel after 9/11 for fear that someone would see the American Broadcasting Company as favoring one side — our side — in the...

ABC will air the special from the White House during primetime on June 24. "Prescription for America," to be moderated by ABC News' Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, will originate from the East Room and will feature the president explaining his plans for reforming the nation's healthcare system. Officials with the network claim they will air opposing views, that the audience that will offer up questions for the president during the program will be made up of Americans "who have divergent opinions" in the debate on national healthcare. However, critics think the network will basically be providing President Obama and...

Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer popped up on Sunday's Reliable Sources and swore that ABC's much-scrutinized health care special with President Obama "won't be an infomercial." She also seriously touted the objectivity of the network, cheering, "I know that our network has worked very, very hard to be completely-completely responsible and fair and serious about big issues."

(In the interest of full disclosure, I acknowledge upfront that a constitutional law professor and unabashed freedom lover wrote the following column.) NBC pawns off a White House tour as news. Former journalists, including Linda Douglas, Jay Carney, and Tom Brokaw, are officially on the White House payroll. ABC provides a valuable prime-time slot so the Obama administration can air a healthcare infomercial. What’s going on here? An Obama takeover of the media, that’s what. Just another industry notch in the president’s belt?

ABC News is lending itself to the Obama administration for the night of Wednesday, June 24, for a live broadcast of ABC World News Tonight from the Blue Room of the White House. This will be followed by an hour-long primetime special entitled "Prescription for America," which will advocate the Obama health care plan. The Republican National Committee noted that with the absence of opposing views, the programming amounts to little more than a campaign commercial -- one that should rightly be paid for by the Democratic National Committee. ABC predictably took offense and claimed that it will have complete...

Media Bias: As much of the U.S. private sector, including health care providers, resists government takeovers, what a sorry sight to see ABC News leap forward to make itself a propaganda arm of the government.But that's the story as ABC crosses the line from journalism to advocacy in turning its coverage of health care over to the White House. This Wednesday, on every show from "Good Morning America" (kicking things off with an interview with the president) to "World News Tonight" (broadcast from the Blue Room) to a prime-time special called "Prescription for America" (and emanating from the East Room),...

As indignation turned to outrage Thursday among critics of an ABC News prime-time special on President Obama's health care policy, The Washington Times has learned that ABC employees gave 80 times as much money to Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign for president than to his rival's.

Should ABC be required to register as a Federal lobbyist?

They haven’t made it official yet, but ABC should go ahead and pull the trigger changing its name from the “American Broadcasting Company” to the “All Barack Company”. The launch date of the new “ABC” should be on June 24, 2009, when the network airs an infomercial in prime time for President Barack Obama and his, as of yet primarily non-existent, health care plan. Obama lapdog, Charlie Gibson, will host the show. One would assume that even Billy Mays couldn’t choke down a pitch like, “How much do you think this Healthcare plan will cost? Not 5 trillion. Not 4...

As indignation turned to outrage Thursday among critics of an ABC News prime-time special on President Obama's health care policy, The Washington Times has learned that ABC employees gave 80 times as much money to Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign for president than to his rival's. According to an analysis of campaign donations by the Center for Responsive Politics, conducted at The Times' request, ABC employees in several divisions donated $124,421 to the Obama campaign, compared with $1,550 to the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain. The 60-minute ABC program, to air live from the White House on Wednesday, is sparking...

ABC network has denied the Republican National Committee the opportunity to advertise during the White House’s presentation on health care reform. With General Motors, banks, and health care at his fingertips, it's not surprising that media is to follow. It's just unfortunate that ABC is so willing to oblige. It's probably just a coincidence that Obama's Director of Communications for the Office of Health Reform is Linda Douglass, a former long time reporter for ABC news...

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele urged supporters Thursday to “fight” ABC News over the network’s planned televised town hall on health care that is set to air directly from the White House. “It seems that the mainstream media has finally decided to dispense with the pointless denials of favorable coverage of the Obama administration. Now one network, ABC News, has actually turned its entire programming over to President Obama and his big-government agenda,” Steele wrote in a fundraising email under the subject line “URGENT!!! Help the RNC fight Obama & ABC News!” “The liberal special interests have clearly learned...

If ABC "news" were an honest 527 organization, this particular upcoming hour long advertisement would carry a dollar amount. I'm curious what people around me think it's worth.

While media watchdogs are getting spun up over the planned ABC Health Care infomercial delivered from the White House Blue Room next Wednesday, the administration is quietly developing plans to completely take over the rest of ABC’s prime time line-up. Given some of the recent ratings troubles, the network seems all too anxious to give itself up to the President’s management team. Obama’s unique ability to maintain high approval ratings while his programs and proposals are failing the public acceptance test is a skill that the programming gurus would like to duplicate. Other networks are anxiously watching. Should Obama succeed...

So, not only is ABC not planning to include opposing voices to President Obama's health care proposals during its special presentation next week -- though ABC does claim "those in the audience" will ask questions of the president -- it is refusing to even allow groups that oppose Obamacare to purchase paid-for advertisements to air during the healthcare special. Rick Scott, chairman of Conservatives for Patients Rights, contacted ABC and inquired about purchasing some ad time during the Obama infomercial, but was refused the sale. Scott wanted to air his 60-second ad before the healthcare show started. Though it was...

Reminiscent of Orwell’s book 1984, soon all television broadcasts may carry Dictator in Chief Barack Hussein Obama and his message all of the time. Joining NBC (the New Barack Channel), ABC (the All Barack Channel) will now begin broadcasting from the White House. We assume CBS (perhaps the Central Barack Station?) will follow its betters soon and announce that it too will officially become an Obama mouthpiece. By the way, no opposing viewpoints will be carried or allowed. ABC also plans to run a free-to-Obama campaign promoting the dictator’s healthcare plan. Does anyone at all remember the name Hugo Chavez?...

Bam Whines About Fox News; Claims to Lose Sleep Over DeficitsJune 17, 2009 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: The Politico published a story a couple days ago in the evening: "'White House Reporters Phoning It In?' -- President Barack Obama traveled to Chicago Monday for a major speech on health care, but most of the reporters who cover him every day stayed in Washington and watched it all on TV. For media observers, it felt like a milestone moment: While reporters sometimes skip short fundraising-only trips or journeys in the waning days of a presidency, it’s hard to remember a time when...

ABC News officials Tuesday defended a planned White House-set special on health-care reform from charges by the Republican National Committee that it would be nothing more than a "glorified infomercial" to promote a Democratic agenda. "Poppycock" is what ABC officials said, though in more official terms