[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 31, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PUNDITS WEARING POLITICAL BLINDERS

  (Mrs. MILLER of Michigan asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that we are 
in the midst of an election year. As a matter of fact, judging from the 
intensity of the campaign so far, one might think that we are at the 
end of October instead of the end of March.
  Part of the reason for this intensity is the news organizations who 
are captivated not by the issues at hand but by the horse race, who is 
ahead and who is behind; and reporters and pundits are the ones calling 
the race. But, clearly, some of these pundits are wearing political 
blinders, suggesting nothing less than partisan bias.
  In mid February, CBS News and The New York Times conducted a poll. 
That night, Dan Rather rather gleefully reported the results, that the 
Democratic nominee held a five-point lead over President Bush, on the 
CBS evening news.
  The next CBS News/New York Times poll was conducted and again Dan 
Rather reported that the Democratic nominee had a one-point lead.
  Two weeks after that, a third CBS poll showed President Bush leading 
the Democratic nominee by three percentage points, and what did Dan 
Rather report on this poll? Nothing. Not a mention.
  I would say that is not quite fair and certainly not balanced.

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