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01/13/2003
The liberal chant against President Bush's proposed tax cuts began before the details were even announced. Here are the comments on the story by the three broadcast networks.

Monday Evening, 01/06/2003: It's Just Bad, Bad, Bad!

[Key words & phrases: criticism, skepticism, epic battle, controversial, heavily weighted, wealthiest, wartime, blame, class warfare, throwing a bone to the rich, spend money to make money, real drag, difficult year, spending, more expensive, defensive, skewed to benefit the rich.]

Tom Brokaw, NBC Nightly News: "Good evening. What's the best way to help the American economy? When Congress reconvenes tomorrow President Bush will have control of the House and Senate. And he intends to use all that power to push through a huge new tax cut designed to generate economic growth in the long term, but in the short term it's mostly generating criticism from the political opposition and skepticism from some economic analysts. This is the beginning of what could be an epic battle.

Dan Rather, CBS Evening News: "Good evening. President Bush will announce tomorrow another round of tax cuts. They are controversial. Here's why. Republicans say they are necessary to help the economy. Democrats say they are too heavily weighted in favor of the wealthiest Americans. The Democrats are putting out a plan of their own. John Roberts begins CBS News coverage of the duel over wartime tax cuts."
John Roberts: "Democrats are already trying to lay blame, accusing President Bush of class warfare for throwing another bone to the rich, complaining his plan will saddle the nation with even more debt. The President's plan would give the most to the rich and reduce tax receipts in the short-term. But the White House argues you have to spend money to make money."…
"Some economists argue that a stimulus package isn't likely to have much of an effect on the economy. The real drag, they argue, is uncertainty about Iraq, and that by the time a stimulus takes effect, perhaps later this summer, that issue may be off the table and the economy already growing."

Peter Jennings, ABC's World News Tonight: "It's going to be a difficult year in many ways. To name only two issues: War is a real possibility, and the economy is a challenge, to say the least…The President and the Democrats have competing plans to stimulate the economy. The President's involves $600 billion in further spending and tax reductions…"
Terry Moran: "This plan turns out to be bigger, more expensive, and more focused on the long-term than many expected. You might look at it not so much as a short-term economic stimulus package than as a kind of sequel to the original Bush tax cut. At his first Cabinet meeting of the year, Mr. Bush sounded almost defensive, denying his plan was skewed to benefit the rich."

MRC CyberAlert, 01/07/2003, item #1

Tuesday Evening, 01/07/2003: Explaining How the "Wrong" People Benefit

[Key words & phrases: No immediate benefit, cost the government, money that could be spent in other ways, growing concern, bad shape, far-reaching proposals, massive tax cut, trickle-down economics, plow savings back into the economy, epic political battle, working poor, cash-poor state governments, growing deficit.]

Peter Jennings, ABC World News Tonight: "Tonight, a couple of basic answers to questions, basic ones too, about this particular tax cut. So how many taxpayers would benefit? We do know that 34 million tax returns claimed income from a stock dividend in 2000. Who would benefit most? Well, as five percent of the populations own most of the stocks, 65 percent of the benefits would go to five percent of the population. These people make more than $140,000 a year. Would there be any immediate benefit for taxpayers? No. Taxpayers would not see any savings until after they file their 2003 tax return, which would be in the spring of 2004. And how much is this going to cost the government? - $25 billion in 2003, $280 billion over the next decade, money that could be spent in other ways." [Don't you just love it when the elitists claim that letting Americans keep some of their own money will "cost" the government billions?]

MRC CyberAlert, 01/08/2003, item #1

Dan Rather, CBS Evening News: "Here at home, growing concern about the economy. In a CBS News poll, 57 percent of Americans say its in bad shape, that's the highest number in a decade. 46 percent are telling Congress that fixing the economy is more important than a possible war with Iraq, even the overall war on terror. As for how to fix it, only 14 percent say cutting taxes should be Congress's top priority. But that is what President Bush asked the new Congress to do as it convened today with a new Bush point man in the Senate." [Rather left out the 54% whose first priority is helping unemployed and creating jobs. 54 + 14 = 68% who would find something they liked in the President's plan. Apparently that just didn't support the Democratic spin.]

MRC CyberAlert, 01/08/2003, item #3

Tom Brokaw, NBC Nightly News: "Today President Bush made a series of far-reaching proposals he hopes will strengthen the American economy. And the centerpiece is a massive tax cut the Democrats were quick to say favors the wealthy, reviving the charge that it is 'trickle down economics.' But the President, who now has Republican majorities in the House and Senate, is counting on taxpayers to plow their tax savings back into the economy and to grow jobs. He also proposed some immediate relief for the unemployed and working parents. Tonight we'll take a look at what all of this means from Wall Street to Main Street to Washington. We'll begin with NBC's Campbell Brown at the White House on the beginning of an epic political battle."
Campbell Brown: "So who would benefit most? Elderly stockholders. The President wants to end taxes on corporate dividends, and half of all that income goes to seniors. Every taxpayer would get some relief with the President calling for the early phasing in of his 2001 tax cut. Most savings would go to the early phasing in of his 2001 tax cut. Most savings would go to the richest Americans who pay more in taxes. Families would gain with a reduction in the marriage penalty and an increase in the per child tax credit from $600 to $1000 this year. And the unemployed - the President wants to set up special accounts of up to $3,000 for the jobless to use for retraining or child care." [Campbell Brown broke with most of her colleagues in pointing out some of the beneficial aspects of the tax cuts.]…
"But some may keep struggling under the plan like the working poor - who don't make enough to pay taxes, cash-poor state governments - like dividend tax cut will cost them money. Then there's the growing deficit. Many economists warn deficits hurt the economy long-term."

MRC CyberAlert, 01/08/2003, item #2

Contact information:

ABC World News Tonight email contact page
CBS Evening News
NBC Nightly News

Read More Here:

MRC's Media Reality Check: Shocked by Plan to Cut Taxes for Taxpayers, 01/08/2003
MRC Press Release: Report It Right, 01/09/2003