Michele Bachmann is apparently unaware that her 15 minutes of presidential contention fame were up long ago.
She’s pissed at CBS News because the network — sponsors of Saturday night’s debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina — didn’t feel she was important enough to give extra air time.
Alice Stewart, a staffer for Bachmann, who is hovering near the bottom of the polls, offered up her candidate for a post-debate interview. When the offer reached CBS political director John Dickerson, he wasn’t all that interested.
“Okay let’s keep it loose though since she’s not going to get many questions and she’s nearly off the charts in the hopes that we can get someone else,” Dickerson said in a reply to an email from a CBS staff member. Dickerson sent the reply to all, which included Bachmann staffer Stewart.
That sent the Bachmann camp into an old-fashioned hissy-fit.
That brought a red-faced Bachmann honcho Keith Nahigian storming into the “spin room” after the debate with a demand that the network can Dickerson.
“He’s a piece of shit. He is a fraud, and he should be fired,” Nahigan screamed to anyone who would listen.
Most didn’t.
Most of the reporting crew sought out interviews with those candidates that mattered. Bachmann, whose poll numbers are mired down around four percent, wasn’t one of them.
Bachmann, of course, was miffed. She found anyone who would listened and whined:
“I think it’s only respectful to allow the candidates to be able to speak and not intentionally ahead of time make a decision to limit candidates’ opportunity to speak to the American people. Clearly this was an example of media bias.”
More clearly, it was a case of political reality. Frontrunners matter. Backbenchers like Michelle Bachmann don’t.
6 thoughts on “Bachmann goes ballistic over perceived media slight”
I don’t recall Bachmann complaining about bias when she was near the top of the polls and received more than an equal share of questions and airtime.
She’s just an old fashioned hypocrite.
Yes indeed, why should any news media waste it’s time with these silly debates when it’s painfully obvious who they want to exalt to President?
It’s probably time to remove the debates from corporate media control.
CBS foreign policy debate and troop donation statistics:
Paul – 1 question, 1 follow up, $113,739 from troops
Perry – 5 questions, 2 follow ups, $7,325 from troops
Gingrich – 5 questions, 1 follow up, $1,725 from troops
Cain – 5 questions, 1 follow up, $9,518 from troops
Romney – 4 questions, 1 follow up, $11,555 from troops
Santorum – 3 questions, 2 follow ups, $750 from troops
Bachmann – 3 questions, $7,182 from troops
Huntsman – 2 questions, 1 follow up, $0 from troops
It’s crazy how much more class Paul has versus Bachmann. He is always slighted yet never complains about it.
It ain’t news… it’s a debate… almost.
Why should any news media outlet waste its time on either Perry or Bachmann? They’re history.
“An email from a CBS producer who predicted that Bachmann would not receive many questions from moderators Scott Pelley and Major Garrett.”
The email is not a “supposed smoking gun” It proves that CBS intended their anti-Bachmann bias to do what they in fact did: ask Bachmann fewer (60%) questions than asked of Romney and Gingrich.
When you predict what in fact you do, then it shows intent, in this case intent of bias.
A recent SmartPolitics analysis found that former Massachusetts governor and front-runner for the nomination Mitt Romney has spoken for over 73 minutes in the last 5 debates, more than any other candidate. Texas Governor Rick Perry came in second in terms of speaking time at 54 minutes, followed by Bachmann at 41.
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