Move On trying to keep Tom Brokaw honest about polls....he used one 2 weeks old.

[madfloridian]

Dear MoveOn member,

Sunday on Meet The Press, Tom Brokaw moderated a debate between McCain strategist Steve Schmidt and Obama strategist David Axelrod on topics ranging from Iraq to the Wall Street bailout. At the end, Tom Brokaw did something strange. He opted to give himself the last word and told the audience:


"In fairness to everybody here, I'm just going to end on one note. And that is that we continue to poll on who's best equipped to be Commander in Chief, and John McCain continues to lead in that category despite the criticism from Barack Obama by a factor of 53 to 42 percent in our latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Gentlemen, thank you very much.1"

We checked, and the latest NBC poll actually has no question about Commander in Chief. We contacted NBC about this, and it turns out Brokaw was referring to a poll taken weeks ago—right after the Republican convention and well before Friday's big national security debate. And in each of NBC's last two polls, Americans chose Obama over McCain.

Can you email Tom Brokaw today? Let him know that this election is very close, and we need journalists to be responsible. Giving himself the last word in the debate, and citing an outdated poll number as if it was current, was a mistake. As a responsible journalist, he should apologize for both.

Here's where to contact him:
Tom Brokaw, Meet The Press feedback form: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152/


Barack Obama was widely praised after Friday's presidential debate for his knowledge of foreign affairs and national security. ABC's George Stephanopoulos summed up the consensus this way: "Overall, bottom line, the winner is Barack Obama...his number one goal was to show that he belonged on that stage...he could hold his own on national security, he did that tonight, he gets the win."5

Every major poll after that debate showed Americans thought Obama won—and a CNN poll said voters trusted Obama over McCain to handle Iraq.6 Plus, three major polls released on Sunday showed Americans choosing Obama over McCain.7

So Brokaw's insertion at the end of the debate wasn't just random—it painted an inaccurate picture of the race for voters. Can you contact Brokaw today?

1. Video of Brokaw's remarks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qzQ0usmc4M

Meet The Press transcript, September 28, 2008
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26927711/page/2/

2. NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, September 19-22, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30545&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=3

3. NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, September 6-8, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30547&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=4


4. NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, September 19-22, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30545&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=5

NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, September 6-8, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30547&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=6

5. ABC News, September 26, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5898364

6. "CBS News / Knowledge Network Undecideds Give Debate To Obama," The Atlantic blog, September 26, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30534&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=7

"Debate Reviews Go To Obama," Huffington Post, September 26, 2008 (includes CNN poll)
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30535&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=8

MediaCurves poll
http://mediacurves.com/


7. Sunday's polls showing voters preferring Obama over McCain (via RealClearPolitics.com)
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=30541&id=14096-1340845-GcKkf5x&t=9

[Oceansaway]

1. Brokaws pickled, shame on MSNBC...n/t

[AzDar]

2. This REALLY chapped my hide....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7252922&mesg_id=7252922

[underpants]

7. Here too-Brokaw outed as liaison between NBC and McCain campaign

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7254195

[madfloridian]

11. Thanks for that link.....I missed that.

It's outrageous.

[chitty]

3. I e-mailed that prick yesterday.

I never saw a moderator of a program like MTP jump a guy with a poll the way Brokaw did to Axelrod.

He spouted off the poll numbers and then ended the segment, like his word was gospel.

[JimGinPA]

4. I Thought That Comment Was Out Of Place When He Said It...

I didn't realize it was false as well.

K&R

[LisaM]

5. I don't trust Tom Brokaw.

It's not that I ever liked him to begin with - I didn't ever watch him, because I've always found his voice annoying - but he was one of those that didn't stand up during the anthrax assassination attempts and demand that the Bush administration take action. And he's stuck on his "Greatest Generation" meme, which has likewise always bugged me. What about the founders? Weren't they great? What about the people who fought for the Union in the Civil War? What about the abolitionists? What about the artists and writers of the 1920s? What about the post-War musicians, writers, and artists? (as you can see, I've thought about this a lot).

He seems to be one of those who loves war and warmongers, among other things.

[ErinBerin84]

6. exactly!

and I still can't get over how his first reacton to Bill Clinton's DNC speech was "Bill Clinton dodged the draft!" The fuck? And the day before, he completely lied and misquoted something that Jim Webb had said, in order to make Democrats look bad.

[LisaM]

9. I wasn't going to get into the Vietnam war

but in my mind, the fact that people did opt out of the draft for a wrongful war was a noble thing. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel.

[Rockholm]

12. Brokaw was always in the shadow of Jennings and Rather.

Third fiddle, I believe.

[w4rma]

14. Brokaw is a rich upper-class snob, imho. And it shows. (nt)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. The founding fathers aren't the key network news demographic.

Therefore, if you write an overly flattering book about them, they won't turn into your evening network newscast, thereby making lots of money for the people who pay your employers.

[nc4bo]

8. He should be disqualified from moderating. nt

[madfloridian]

16. I agree. He lacks neutrality.

:hi:

[Sedona]

10. done and bumped n/t

[trueblue2007]

13. I sent an email !!! Recommend this thead. GET RID OF BROKAW

[nc4bo]

15. Done. nt

[madfloridian]

17. Kick for keeping Brokaw honest.

:kick:

[spanone]

18. sent

[vanboggie]

19. Just told him what I think of him

Now to dig up the other NBC/MSNBC email addresses and mount a real campaign. MTP should hire Dan Rather. As for Keith, boring Brokaw isn't even in the same league. I christen him Tommy the Tool.

[Flying Dream Blues]

21. Sent. nt

[trueblue2007]

22. My letter to [e-mail]

My letter to [e-mail]


I don't feel Mr. Brokaw should be a moderator in the Presidential debates! I don't feel he presents the objectivity required to do this. I feel he is in "McCain's Camp" and therefore would not do the job that is required.

He shows biased in FAVOR of Sen McCain. He doesn't "tell the truth" as he ought to.

"Brokaw ended a debate between Steve Schmidt of the McCain campaign and David Axelrod of the Obama campaign by stating the following: "...We continue to poll on who's best equipped to be Commander in Chief, and John McCain continues to lead in that category despite the criticism from Barack Obama by a factor of 53 to 42 percent in our latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll." In fact, as MoveOn.org observes, the latest NBC poll has no question about Commander in Chief, and Brokaw appears to have been referring to a poll taken weeks ago.

In each of NBC's last two polls, Americans chose Obama over McCain. MoveOn has called on its members to write to Brokaw at NBC and demand responsible journalism. On the same edition of "Meet the Press," Media Matters observes, Brokaw allowed Schmidt to falsely claim that McCain had "called for the firing of Don Rumsfeld" (McCain never called for Rumseld to be fired or to resign). Brokaw has also been observed suggesting that McCain's POW status means Democrats ought to lay off criticizing him (see FAIR, The Raw Story)."

Please make sure he is NOT Moderator in the debates. I am appalled that NBC would put in an un-objective moderator.


MY NAME
MY CITY, STATE

[madfloridian]

23. It's just plain being dishonest.

There's no other way to say it.

[madfloridian]

24. Anyone got better address than the one in OP

It does not seem to work, rejects it.