November, 05 2008, 05:25pm EDT
Fox News Nailbiter!
Conservative channel pushed notion of a tightening election
NEW YORK
One of the most glaring peculiarities about the Fox News Channel's
campaign coverage in the run-up to the November 4 election was the
channel's frequent insistence, in the waning days of the campaign, that
the election was remarkably close, with Republican John McCain surging.
In reality, few polls suggested this was happening (see PollingReport.com; Pollster.com), but Fox
chose to give a handful of outlying, unrepresentative surveys
considerable attention. It was as if the channel were less interested
in accurately reporting the state of the campaign than in presenting an
alternate reality that would be pleasing to partisan viewers.
Here's a sampling of that coverage, day by day:
October 27:
FOX NEWS ANALYST DICK MORRIS: I think that we have to understand that redistribution of income is liberal euphemism for socialism. And you know.
FOX NEWS HOST SEAN HANNITY: Well, I -- and I agree. But let me
move the ball a little bit here.... This is, obviously, a very sensitive
issue for the Obama campaign. They feel like they've been exposed. It
started with Joe the Plumber.
MORRIS: And they're hemorrhaging votes.... Zogby, Rasmussen, and
Gallup, all have this race five points apart.... Zogby down from 12,
Rasmussen down from eight, and Gallup down from six. And Investors
Business Daily has it to 2.8, and Zogby had a one-night finding of
three. The averages that over three nights.
October 28:
"Let me put up on the screen the latest polls,
because we've had a tightening in many of them. Likely voters, Gallup,
it's a two-point race. Zogby, now four-point. AP,
it's dead even. IDP, another close race. Obviously spread the wealth,
socialism, Obama's welfare plan is not going over well with the
American people."
--Sean Hannity
FOX NEWS ANALYST NEWT GINGRICH: "I got a
report earlier this evening that in the very, very close states that,
in fact, McCain has closed the gap substantially, and that internal
polling now shows him within pretty good striking distance in every
single close state.
HANNITY: Well, we're going to go over some of these polls. The likely voter poll, Gallup, now has a two-point race.
October 29:
FOX NEWS ANCHOR MARTHA MacCALLUM: McCain
is blasting Obama, saying his rival doesn't have what it takes to
protect America from terrorists. And that kind of tough talk may be
helping him a bit. Here's a look at new Rasmussen Poll showing McCain
gaining ground with Obama at 50 to McCain's 47. That's the first time
in this particular poll that McCain has been within three points of
Barack Obama in more than a month. Fox's Carl Cameron is with the McCain camp live in Riviera Beach, Florida tonight....
FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT CARL CAMERON: Well, for the last several
weeks, Senator McCain has been focusing on economic issues. And if
anything sort of to be credited with his apparent surge and the
tightening in the national polls, it would be presumably be his
emphasis on Barack Obama's economic policies, which McCain has sort of
tattooed as tax-and-spend liberalism.
***
NATIONAL REVIEW CONTRIBUTOR MARK STEYN:
Clearly, something is working. Because I think whatever one makes of
these polls, there is a general tightening direction. So, clearly,
people are taking a second look at Obama and taking a second look at
McCain.
HANNITY: Let me jump on that, Mark.... Look, it's Scott Rasmussen.
It's Gallup, likely voters. It's Investor's Business Daily and that
poll that's out. It's AP. It's Battleground. This is a two- or three-point race.
October 29:
"Fear is in the air. And while it initially
helped Barack Obama, fear is now beginning to hurt him. Both the
Rasmussen and Gallup daily tracking polls have the race getting
tighter. And in a remarkable turnabout, Rasmussen will release a poll
tomorrow that says Americans now trust McCain more on the economy than
Obama. So NBC News will have to tone down the victory dance.
A series of Obama issues regarding spreading the wealth around have
hurt him. Joe the Plumber and other expositions have caused some fear
among undecided voters that an Obama administration will harm the
economy more than help it. The USA remains a strong capitalist country,
much to the chagrin of the far left. And deviation from capitalism
isn't going to play well here, especially among older voters. And it is
here where the swings are taking place, especially in places like
Florida and Ohio."
--Fox News host Bill O'Reilly
October 30:
"But first--it is close, even closer than it was last night. It is now a three-point race for the White House. A new Fox News poll shows the race tightening, with Senator Obama at 47 percent and Senator McCain at 44 percent."
-- Fox News host Greta van Susteren
"Well, he [Obama] ought to be nervous because
of the margin of error, and he also ought to be nervous because,
clearly, the national race is tightening.... He's not a good closer. I
mean, there is a resistance to him, a doubt about whether or not he's
experienced and qualified enough to be president that causes people at
the tail end of the race not to end up in his column, and I suspect
we're seeing that again.... It's because of this persistent doubt that
people have about Senator Obama."
-- Fox News analyst Karl Rove
* * *
"Now the polling, the Fox News
poll, which shows Obama closing the gap from -- McCain closing it from
9 to 3 shows two completely different trends at work. Young people are
turning away from Obama and toward McCain, driven by the tax issue."
--Dick Morris
MORRIS: My bet is McCain wins all of the undecided in this race.
HANNITY: Well, if that happens, he wins the race.
MORRIS: Right now it's tied.
HANNITY: If that.
MORRIS: No, right now it's about tied.
"Brand new Fox polls are in and this race is tightening."
--Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly
"The latest Fox News/Opinion
Dynamics Poll of likely voters nationwide, which Major Garrett was just
mentioning, shows that the race is tightening considerably from last
week, with Barack Obama's overall lead over John McCain is shrinking
from nine points to three; that's within the margin of error."
--Fox News correspondent James Rosen
October 31:
"We are down to the wire. And guess what? The race is far from over. The Associated Press
is reporting that a study shows one in seven are persuadable. That
means this isn't over. And if you don't believe that, how about this
news? The polls are tightening. A new Fox News poll shows Senator Obama at 47 percent and Senator McCain at 44 percent."
--Greta van Susteren
HANNITY: One of the more amazing things is the numbers of
undecided, anywhere between eight and 14. You know Dick Morris
interprets that that is -- that means Obama can't close the deal and
that people have doubts about him and it appears by the tightening
that's going on that those voters are moving toward Senator McCain. Do
you share that analysis?
ROVE: I think Dick is largely right. There has been a persistent
nagging concern on the part of the American people about whether or not
Barack Obama is qualified to be president.
HANNITY: Are you looking at the polls? There's a real tightening
going on. Very interesting to me, as it's happening. Seems Barack Obama
cannot close. Why?
FOX NEWS ANALYST MIKE HUCKABEE: I think there is the lingering
doubt as to what he's going to do to people's personal income. This is
not about -- you know, right now it's not about even terrorism or
international affairs. Joe the plumber hit the reset button on this
entire election.
"Apparently, for our audience's sake, apparently, big move in the
polls. McCain up by one, Drudge is reporting, in the latest Zogby poll.
It's going to come out tomorrow."
--Sean Hannity
"In a surprise turnaround, get this, a brand new Fox News
poll find that John McCain is surging among younger voters, those under
30 years old. He is catching up to Barack Obama's 48 percent, McCain
has 43 percent. I think those numbers are wrong - 48 to 58 percent
among voters under the age of 30."
--Fox News host Heather Nauert
NAUERT: ... McCain has gained 10 points with the youth vote within the last week?
MORRIS: Yes. In the last week, among voters 18 to 30, McCain has vis-a- vis Obama has closed the gap by 20 points.
November 2:
"Two days and counting until you decide our next president. With the
polls tightening, is John McCain about to pull off one more remarkable
comeback?"
--Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace
November 3:
SEAN HANNITY: Investors Business Daily, which was the most
accurate poll in the last presidential election, now has it down to a
two-point race.... You know, Colorado was just, you know -- a week and a
half two weeks ago, it was supposed to be a blowout. It's now right
there at the margin of error. The same with the state of Virginia.
Again, that was, you know, supposed to be a blowout. And then we look,
for example, we've got Senator McCain is up in Florida. He's tied in
Missouri. He's now up in North Carolina, which was supposed to be a
blowout for Senator Obama. There--something has happened here fairly
dramatic. And do you think that this could even go further by the time
people vote tomorrow?
NEWT GINGRICH: Well, I think, first of all, that the mistake of
Senator Obama telling Joe the Plumber that he wanted to spread the
wealth has clearly slowed down all the momentum for the Obama campaign,
because it turns out most Americans are not very interested in having
politicians decide to take their money out of their wallet and spread
to it the politicians' friends. That may turn out, in retrospect, to
have been the biggest single mistake of the campaign by Senator Obama.
"I think that -- I don't believe these polls. I do not believe any, but
I agree with Dick Morris. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow
night."
--Sean Hannity
For more information on the obvious and rather dramatic differences in the way Fox News Channel and MSNBC were covering the presidential race see the FAIR Blog. (11/2/02.)
ACTION: Ask Fox News Channel
why it failed to provide its viewers with an accurate picture of
presidential election polls in the lead-up to the November 4 election.
FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.
LATEST NEWS
Senate GOP and Fetterman Block Effort to Stop Trump's War on Iran
"The current cease-fire is fragile—and the only path to lasting peace is diplomacy, not another cycle of American military escalation," one campaigner stressed after lawmakers refused to advance the resolution.
Jun 27, 2025
Nearly all U.S. Senate Republicans and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania on Friday evening blocked a resolution that reiterated Congress' authority to declare war and would have ordered President Donald Trump to stop taking military action against Iran without congressional approval.
Every other member of the Democratic Caucus and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) supported holding a final vote on the resolution—which Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, announced last week, before Trump's weekend bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
"We commend Sen. Kaine for his steadfast leadership in bringing this resolution, and the U.S. senators who stood on the right side of history today in safeguarding against yet another senseless war."
Citing the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Kaine's measure states that "the question of whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities against Iran should be answered following a full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote."
Pointing to various other federal laws, Kaine's resolution "directs the president to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran."
In a statement after Friday's 47-53 vote, Kaine said that "the Framers of our Constitution gave Congress the power to declare war because they believed that the decision to send our nation's men and women in uniform into harm's way was too big for any one person. The Trump administration's chaotic strategy on Iran confused the American people and created significant risks for service members and their families."
"I am disappointed that many of my colleagues are not willing to stand up and say Congress needs to be part of a decision as important as whether or not the U.S. should send our nation's sons and daughters to fight against Iran," Kaine added. "I will continue to do all I can to keep presidents of any party from starting wars without robust public debate by Congress."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, was among the lawmakers who spoke in support of Kaine's resolution ahead of the vote. "We do not need another unnecessary and costly war. We have had enough of them," he said on the Senate floor, pointing out that the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq were "based on a series of lies."
"We should not go to war against Iran," Sanders declared. He condemned Trump's recent attack on the Middle Eastern country as "unconstitutional," and argued that "diplomacy is a better path," as demonstrated by the nuclear deal in 2015—which Trump ultimately ditched during his first term.
Sanders also made the case that the U.S. should not be allied with "war criminal" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the bombing of Iran and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his mass slaughter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"Enough is enough," the senator said, noting that the U.S. gives Netanyahu's government billions of dollars in annual military aid. "It is beyond absurd that we continue to finance Israel's wars while neglecting the needs of our own people."
Meanwhile, in response to a question from a BBC reporter on Friday, Trump said that he would "without question, absolutely" consider bombing Iran again if intelligence suggested the country could enrich uranium to a level that concerned him.
After the Senate vote, National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi said that the outcome "says more about the makeup of the Senate than it does the merits of the resolution. Regardless, we saw a near majority do the right thing and stand up against war and for democracy, despite a cavalcade of misinformation from war hawks. We will continue to press the case that war with Iran is against U.S. interests and U.S. security, and redouble our work to prevent the conflict from reigniting."
"We commend Sen. Kaine for his steadfast leadership in bringing this resolution, and the U.S. senators who stood on the right side of history today in safeguarding against yet another senseless war," he continued, noting the cease-fire between Israel and Iran that Trump announced earlier this week.
"Though a cease-fire is holding for now, the most certain way to guarantee peace is through an abandonment of war and a bold pursuit of sincere negotiations," Abdi added. "We urge our Members of Congress to change course, and urgently support a return to U.S.—Iran talks and a diplomatic pathway forward for both countries."
We took an oath to defend the Constitution - just like every Senator. Today, Republicans broke that oath. We WILL hold them accountable. (2/2)
— VoteVets (@votevets.org) June 27, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Also responding to the Friday development in a statement, Demand Progress senior policy adviser Cavan Kharrazian asserted that "today's vote sends a powerful message: There is a bipartisan movement to reject more war in the Middle East and prevent us from being unilaterally dragged into war before Congress and the American people can have their say."
"We thank Sen. Kaine for his leadership and Sen. Paul for his principled vote to stand up for the Constitution," Kharrazian said, urging the House of Representatives to pass a similar resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Ahead of the Senate's vote, more than 41,000 people nationwide had signed a petition from the progressive group MoveOn Civic Action that calls on Congress to vote for the resolutions in both chambers.
"The current cease-fire is fragile—and the only path to lasting peace is diplomacy, not another cycle of American military escalation," Kharrazian emphasized. "The U.S. must lead with restraint, not repeat the mistakes of endless war."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Muslim Lawmakers Decry 'Vile' Bipartisan Islamophobic Attacks on Zohran Mamdani
The lawmakers asserted that "smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle" cannot be allowed to continue.
Jun 27, 2025
All four Muslim members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday condemned their colleagues' Islamophobic attacks on Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, which have come not only from Republicans but also from at least two congressional Democrats representing the candidate's home state.
"The vile, anti-Muslim, and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence," Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), André Carson (D-Ind.), and Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.
"At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue."
Mamdani—a democratic socialist who would be the first Muslim mayor of the nation's largest city if he wins November's general election—has come under fire by Republicans including Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who on Thursday formally appealed to U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi to initiate proceedings to denaturalize and deport "little Muhammad."
Earlier this week, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) posted a photo of Mamdani wearing a traditional tunic with the caption, "After 9/11 we said, 'Never Forget.' I think sadly we have forgotten."
As of Friday afternoon, no Democratic member of Congress from New York had explicitly condemned their GOP colleagues' Islamophobic remarks. To the contrary, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) falsely claimed Thursday that Mamdani had made references to "global jihad" and spuriously asserted that "globalize the intifada"—a call for Palestinian liberation and battling injustice—is a call to "kill all the Jews."
Freshman Rep. Lauren Gillen (D-N.Y.) also falsely accused Mamdani of "a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments."
The four Muslim lawmakers said in their statement that "these hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics."
"We know these attacks all too well," they added.
Omar and Tlaib have been on the receiving end of Islamophobic attacks by House colleagues and outside death threats for years, stemming in part from Omar's status as refugee and Tlaib's as the only Palestinian American in Congress.
Like Mamdani, both lawmakers have also been targeted from both sides of the aisle for their support for Palestinian liberation, as well as their opposition to Israel's invasion, occupation, colonization and apartheid in Palestine, and the assault and siege of Gaza that are the subject of an ongoing International Court of Justice genocide case.
Advocacy groups have reported a sharp increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate incidents since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel, a climate reminiscent of the pervasive Islamophobia following the September 11, 2001 attacks. There has also been a surge in antisemitism as Israeli forces obliterate Gaza, although critics have decried the widespread conflation of opposition to Zionism with hatred of Jewish people by groups including the Anti-Defamation League.
"At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue," the four lawmakers stressed. "They directly contribute to the ongoing dehumanization and violence against Muslim Americans. We unequivocally reject the normalization of anti-Muslim hate and fearmongering and call on elected leaders across our country to speak out."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) also issued a statement Friday condemning the "outpouring of disgraceful, dangerous, racist ideology from sitting members of Congress and [Trump] administration officials following Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York mayoral primary."
Jayapal continued:
The constant displays of Islamophobia are an affront to the millions of Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world. One of the most jarring called for the denaturalization and deportation of Mr. Mamdani, an American citizen who just won a massive Democratic primary with more votes than that member, Mr. Ogles, could ever hope to win. This is an insult to voters in New York City who take democracy seriously.
Denaturalization of U.S. citizens is part of the Trump playbook to attack all legal immigration. It is completely outrageous and flies in the face of the laws of this country.
"The hateful language directed at Mr. Mamdani will get someone killed, and we all should be outraged," Jayapal added. "It must end. Every person who cares about democracy, freedom of religion, and the right for all Americans to be treated equally should speak out immediately against these insane and dangerous attacks."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Supreme Court Religious Opt-Out Ruling 'Could Wreak Havoc on Public Schools'
The ruling, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, reflects the right-wing majority's "failure to accept and account for a fundamental truth: LGBTQ people exist."
Jun 27, 2025
A day after many LGBTQ+ Americans celebrated the 10th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established marriage equality in the United States, right-wing Justice Samuel Alito suggested in a new decision that public schools should not promote "acceptance of same-sex marriage."
Alito's opinion was handed down in a 6-3 ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, in which the high court's right-wing majority held that parents should be permitted to opt their children out of certain lessons in public schools on religious grounds.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by parents of several religious backgrounds in Montgomery County, Maryland, who sued the county's school system for not giving parents advance notice and an opportunity to opt out of a curriculum that included storybooks dealing with LGBTQ+ themes.
The books included Pride Puppy, about a dog that gets lost at an LGBTQ+ pride parade; Love, Violet, about a girl who has a same-sex crush; Born Ready, about a transgender boy; and Uncle Bobby's Wedding, about a gay couple getting married.
Alito pointed to the latter book in particular in his opinion.
"It is significant that this book does not simply refer to same-sex marriage as an existing practice," wrote the judge. "Instead, it presents acceptance of same-sex marriage as a perspective that should be celebrated."
Elly Brinkley, staff attorney for U.S. Free Expression Programs at the free speech group PEN America, noted the timing of Alito's comments about marriage equality.
"Just after the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges and as we celebrate Pride Month, the Supreme Court has delivered a devastating blow to the dignity of LGBTQ+ people and families," said Brinkley. "This ruling means that parents can opt their children out of any classroom activity that acknowledges same-sex marriages, the right to which this very court held was guaranteed by the Constitution."
The right-wing majority ruled that Montgomery County Public Schools must allow families to opt out of any lessons that parents believe will interfere with their children's religious education, including stories or discussions with LGBTQ+ themes.
"This ruling threatens to give any religious parent veto power over public school curricula. If this dangerous logic is carried forward, it could unravel decades of progress toward inclusive education and equal rights."
Legal scholars said that in addition to stigmatizing the families of an estimated 5 million children in the U.S. who have one or more LGBTQ+ parents, the ruling could pave the way for parents to argue that their children shouldn't be exposed at school to materials involving any number of topics, including evolution, yoga, and mothers who work outside the home—all issues that have been the subject of earlier, unsuccessful lawsuits against schools.
"The decision could have far-reaching consequences for public schools' ability to create an inclusive and welcoming environment that reflects the diversity of their communities, as well schools' ability to implement any secular lesson plan that may trigger religious objections," said the ACLU, which filed an amicus brief in the case arguing that the school district's "policy prohibiting opt-outs from the English Language Arts curriculum is religiously neutral and applicable across the board."
Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said that religious freedom is "fundamentally important" under U.S. law.
But freedom of religion, Mach said, "shouldn't force public schools to exempt students from any secular lessons that don't align with their families' religious views. This decision could wreak havoc on public schools, tying their hands on basic curricular decisions and undermining their ability to prepare students to live in our pluralistic society."
Cecilia Wang, national legal director of the ACLU, added that parents with religious objections will now be "empowered to pick and choose from a secular public school curriculum, interfering with the school district's legitimate educational purposes and its ability to operate schools without disruption—ironically, in a case where the curriculum is designed to foster civility and understanding across differences."
Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the case, with Sotomayor making the unusual move of announcing her dissent from the bench.
Citizens fully experiencing the United States' multicultural society, said Sotomayor, "is critical to our nation's civic vitality. Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs."
She also accused the majority of making a "myopic attempt to resolve a major constitutional question through close textual analysis of Uncle Bobby's Wedding," which revealed, she said, "its failure to accept and account for a fundamental truth: LGBTQ people exist."
The ruling is the latest victory for right-wing advocates of what they view as religious freedom at the high court; other recent rulings have allowed a web designer to refuse to make a website for same-sex couples and a high school football coach to pray with his team at school games.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, called Friday's ruling a "deeply troubling outcome for public education, equality, and the constitutional principle of the separation between state and church."
"This ruling threatens to give any religious parent veto power over public school curricula. If this dangerous logic is carried forward, it could unravel decades of progress toward inclusive education and equal rights," said Gaylor. "Public schools must be grounded in facts and reality and not subject to religious censors."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular