4.16.2004
Stephanopoulos Addendum
Last week George Stephanopoulos came by UMass Boston to help inaugurate the new Center on Media and Society.
I wrote up an article, but there was a lot of interesting stuff I didn't get to put in (the article had already ballooned to 1100 words). So here are some remainders, that will be cross-posted to the Mass Media blog, too, when I get the chance.
On blogs:
One of the students there asked him how the emergence of blogs as a viable alternative will impact the media.
Blogs have already affected the media, said Stephanopoulos.
"We read them everyday," he said, calling blogs a "tremendous tool."
Several blogs he named were Where is Raed, the Baghdad Blogger's, and Juan Cole's, which he said was "one of the most perceptive, thoughtful blogs on Iraq."
He limits, however, how often he reads blogs on a daily basis, since there is a hazard of getting sucked into incestuous debates. Anonymous blogs, in particular, encourage a kind of nastiness, he said.
On gay marriage:
Veteran political reporter David Nyhan, who moderated the discussion, brought up gay marriage. This was something Stephanopoulos was familiar with, having had to deal with the policy of gays in the military as one of Clinton's first things in office (thanks to an NYT headline).
Does gay marriage offer the potential to hamstring Kerry campaign?
"It could," Stephanopoulos said. "The problem with the gay marriage debate, I believe, that politically – you guys are living with it right now in Massachusetts – whoever gets blamed for rubbing it in people’s faces, politically, loses. So if it looks like Bush is rubbing the constitutional amendment in people’s faces, I think there will be a backlash against him." The same thing would apply to the gay community, if they were to look like they're spoiling for a fight, he added.
On Kerry and Iraq:
"I think it’s very tough for Senator Kerry. It was hard to be against the notion of taking Saddam Hussein out," said Stephanopoulos. "It’s hard for him to really turn this into a political plus. He has to support the troops, which I think means supporting more troops in the short run."
The vote against the $87 billion dollars may have been a mistake. "I’m certain that in late October, late November, it felt like he had no choice. He might’ve been out of the game, if he hadn’t had that vote," said Stephanopoulos. "But there’s no question it’s going to cause a problem now..."
On Bill Clinton's book:
"And also, I wonder – I know he’s talking with Senator Kerry quite often - I just wonder how much pressure, direct or indirect, he’s getting from the Kerry campaign to hold off publication until next year," he said.
Quipped Nyhan: "If I were Clinton, I would want to have a massive impact on this campaign, and I’m thinking about a launch right around Columbus Day."
On Al Gore:
In 2000, Gore was in a "close to impossible situation," said Stephanopoulos. The former Clinton advisor also sought to dispel the notion that Gore could have won if President Clinton had campaigned in several close battleground states.
"People still had a big problem with Clinton’s personal behavior and that was spilling over onto Gore," he said. "I think he would’ve probably lost some states that he won."
One of Gore's biggest mistakes was how he handled the debates, he said. He won on points, said Stephanopoulos, "but he couldn’t hide his disdain for Governor Bush in all the cut-away shots."
I wrote up an article, but there was a lot of interesting stuff I didn't get to put in (the article had already ballooned to 1100 words). So here are some remainders, that will be cross-posted to the Mass Media blog, too, when I get the chance.
On blogs:
One of the students there asked him how the emergence of blogs as a viable alternative will impact the media.
Blogs have already affected the media, said Stephanopoulos.
"We read them everyday," he said, calling blogs a "tremendous tool."
Several blogs he named were Where is Raed, the Baghdad Blogger's, and Juan Cole's, which he said was "one of the most perceptive, thoughtful blogs on Iraq."
He limits, however, how often he reads blogs on a daily basis, since there is a hazard of getting sucked into incestuous debates. Anonymous blogs, in particular, encourage a kind of nastiness, he said.
On gay marriage:
Veteran political reporter David Nyhan, who moderated the discussion, brought up gay marriage. This was something Stephanopoulos was familiar with, having had to deal with the policy of gays in the military as one of Clinton's first things in office (thanks to an NYT headline).
Does gay marriage offer the potential to hamstring Kerry campaign?
"It could," Stephanopoulos said. "The problem with the gay marriage debate, I believe, that politically – you guys are living with it right now in Massachusetts – whoever gets blamed for rubbing it in people’s faces, politically, loses. So if it looks like Bush is rubbing the constitutional amendment in people’s faces, I think there will be a backlash against him." The same thing would apply to the gay community, if they were to look like they're spoiling for a fight, he added.
On Kerry and Iraq:
"I think it’s very tough for Senator Kerry. It was hard to be against the notion of taking Saddam Hussein out," said Stephanopoulos. "It’s hard for him to really turn this into a political plus. He has to support the troops, which I think means supporting more troops in the short run."
The vote against the $87 billion dollars may have been a mistake. "I’m certain that in late October, late November, it felt like he had no choice. He might’ve been out of the game, if he hadn’t had that vote," said Stephanopoulos. "But there’s no question it’s going to cause a problem now..."
On Bill Clinton's book:
"And also, I wonder – I know he’s talking with Senator Kerry quite often - I just wonder how much pressure, direct or indirect, he’s getting from the Kerry campaign to hold off publication until next year," he said.
Quipped Nyhan: "If I were Clinton, I would want to have a massive impact on this campaign, and I’m thinking about a launch right around Columbus Day."
On Al Gore:
In 2000, Gore was in a "close to impossible situation," said Stephanopoulos. The former Clinton advisor also sought to dispel the notion that Gore could have won if President Clinton had campaigned in several close battleground states.
"People still had a big problem with Clinton’s personal behavior and that was spilling over onto Gore," he said. "I think he would’ve probably lost some states that he won."
One of Gore's biggest mistakes was how he handled the debates, he said. He won on points, said Stephanopoulos, "but he couldn’t hide his disdain for Governor Bush in all the cut-away shots."
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