CBS Morning Crew Whacks Carson and Jeb, Puffs Bernie Sanders the 'Policy Wonk'

November 6th, 2015 9:19 PM

On Friday’s CBS This Morning, Republicans took a publicity beating in two stories, but when it came time for Bernie Sanders, it was all giggles and light chatter about whether he had a sense of humor or not.

Jan Crawford reported on how Ben Carson was “taking hits from his Republican opponents and the media about whether he’s made up part of his life story.” On-screen it was “Political Knife Fight: Carson Under Scrutiny Over Youth Stabbing Story.”

Carson was shown lamenting to Megyn Kelly that CNN was suggesting he was a “pathological liar” and  Crawford highlighted Donald Trump tweeting “The Carson story is either a total fabrication, or if true even worse –  Trying to hit mother over the head with a hammer or stabbing friend!” Then she recalled a 1998 video on Carson claiming the Egyptian pyramids were used to store grain.

Think of all the 1998 videos CBS could replay from the Clintons in the Year of Our Intern.

From there, Nancy Cordes reported on the latest “Bush family drama” – in a new book, former president George H.W. Bush criticized his son’s defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld as an “arrogant fellow” and vice president Dick Cheney as an “iron-ass” on the war on terrorism. Those quotes were lovingly put on screen. Bush said “Rumsfeld served the president badly. I don't like what he did. And I think it hurt the president, having his iron-ass view of everything.”

Author Timothy Naftali, author of his own book on Bush the Elder, added, “George H.W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld have not liked each other for 40 years. They were competitors in the Ford administration. He said the younger President Bush might not be pleased: “You don't want your father to say that your administration was affected by bad influences because it means you were weak.” The actual author of the book, former Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, was not featured in the story.

It's not that these aren't legitimate subjects for journalism, but that the Republicans routinely attract that hammer-and-tongs treatment. The Bushes, in particular, deserve what they get for talking to an Obama-smooching leftist like Meacham to create "history." But why aren't the Democrats a reason for actual investigative scrutiny?

When it came to Bernie Sanders, you gotta love him. You do? CBS was promoting a larger Sunday Morning interview. Their hook for the comedy angle was a Friday Washington Post story on leftist comedians coming out to support Sanders, despite the fact he's not funny.

Anthony Mason began: “With Hillary Clinton regaining momentum in the democratic presidential race, Bernie Sanders is using free media to make his next move. His team is planning more public appearances to help Sanders round out his imagine and focusing on policy with a side of personality.”

In other words, Sanders can count on “free media” like CBS to buff and shine his personality while Carson and Bush get whacked. He gets to talk policy -- like pandering to college students, talking up paying for all their tens of thousands of dollars in tuition:

JIM AXELROD: Comedians have certainly had their fair share of fun with Bernie Sanders.

Clip of LARRY DAVID, impersonating Sanders on Saturday Night Live: We are doomed! We need a revolution! Millions of people on the streets! We got to do something! And we got to do it now! Ah!

BERNIE SANDERS: How many of you guys are looking forward to going to college? Raise your hand. How many are worried about the cost of college.?

AXELROD: The candidate himself is not exactly known for his sense of humor.

SANDERS: One of the things that we are with trying to do is to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. Would that matter to you?

CROWD: Yes!

SANDERS: In the media today there are not a lot of opportunity for serious political discussions.

AXELROD: He is a policy wonk. The last guy you'd expect to be a viable contender for the Democratic nomination.

Bunk. Being a policy wonk is expected among Democrats. What makes him unexpected is his unapologetic argument for socialism.

AXELROD to Sanders: A professor at the University of Vermont said Bernie is the last person you'd want to be stuck on a desert island with and two weeks of lectures about health care and you'd look for a shark and dive in.

SANDERS: Not quite, not quite. I sound worse than I am, actually. I do have, over my lifetime, made one or two friends. I do have a friend-- that was a joke! You didn't get that. That is how bad my sense of humor is.

AXELROD: Bernie Sanders embraces the realities of presidential politics and selfies and all and you can see the entire interview on Sunday Morning on CBS.

GAYLE KING: Can't wait! Something tells me we will see Larry David back too.