Jay Carney

ABC Ignores Jon Karl Calling Obama's Syria Policy an 'Absolute Failure'; Finds Time for Dog Show
By Matt Hadro | February 12, 2014 | 11:28 PM EST

At Wednesday’s White House press briefing, ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked point-blank if the Obama administration’s handling of Syria has been an “absolute failure.” ABC didn’t report the exchange on Wednesday evening, however.

Karl asked White House press secretary Jay Carney, “isn’t it time to acknowledge that easing the humanitarian crisis in Syria, that the President’s policy has been an absolute failure?” He cited national intelligence chief James Clapper, who told Congress that the crisis has become an “apocalyptic disaster.” Carney bristled and defended the administration’s record.

Huffpo Reporter Claims 'ObamaCare Opponents Freak Out' Over Workers' New 'Freedom'
By Randy Hall | February 5, 2014 | 7:36 PM EST

Michael McAuliff, a former New York Daily News reporter who now writes for the liberal Huffington Post website, stated on Wednesday that people who oppose the Affordable Care Act refer to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office that the shift of full-time employees to part-time work would result in employees losing working hours equivalent to about 2.5 million jobs during the next 10 years, “thereby raising unemployment and forcing others to pay for their health care, and adding to the federal deficit.”

However, McAuliff -- who covers Congress and politics for the site -- quoted CBO director Douglas Elmendorf, who in a hearing on Wednesday “asserted that this is not so: His office's report, he noted, says that ObamaCare will actually produce a net increase in employment and cut the deficit” while giving workers the freedom to do things most Americans praise, such as spending more time with their children or starting their own businesses.

CBO: ObamaCare Means 2.5-Million Fewer Full-time Workers; ABCNews.com Runs with AP's Spin
By Ken Shepherd | February 4, 2014 | 5:07 PM EST

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report this morning projecting among other things, that 2.5 million Americans will drop out of full-time work thanks to ObamaCare. We will, of course, track how the broadcast networks cover this story, but if the news websites for ABC, CBS, and NBC are any indication, they will downplay and/or heavily spin this development.

For its part, for example, ABCNews.com teased a February 4 AP story with the headline "Modest Drop in Full-Time Work Seen From Health Law" in their "latest news" sidebar. By contrast, CBSNews.com was front and center with the CBO story, their teaser headline declaring, "New report stokes debate on Obamacare, jobs" [see screen captures below page break]

ABC’s Karl Challenges Jay Carney Over Press Access to Obama: ‘So Jay Carney Would Fight With Jay Carney?’
By Jeffrey Meyer | January 26, 2014 | 12:52 PM EST

For the past several months, ABC’s Jonathan Karl has been engaged in an ongoing battle with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. The Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News has been one of the few reporters from the “big three” networks who has been consistent in questioning the Obama White House.

Filling in for George Stephanopoulos as moderator of This Week on January 26, Karl continued his tradition of pushing Jay Carney for answers during an exclusive interview with the press secretary. During the interview Karl called out Carney for the lack of access the Obama Administration gives the media, and asked the former Time Magazine reporter turned Obama propagandist whether “Jay Carney would fight with Jay Carney?”

CBS: Obama Admin. Knew in 2010 That Millions Would Lose Health Plans
By Matthew Balan | November 26, 2013 | 3:40 PM EST

Sharyl Attkisson uncovered another Obama administration falsehood about ObamaCare on Tuesday's CBS This Morning, spotlighting a 2010 document from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which "estimated ObamaCare would collectively reduce the number of people with employer-sponsored health coverage by about 14 million". This is contrary to the White House's "repeated assurances that nothing will change for those insured through work".

Attkisson featured the cases of two small business owners who had to discontinue the health insurance plans for their employees, including a New Hampshire woman who "remains an avid ObamaCare supporter", despite the problems with HealthCare.gov. [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]

Journalists, Networks Decry Obama White House's 'Troubling Precedent' on Press Access
By Matthew Balan | November 21, 2013 | 4:03 PM EST

On Thursday, CBS's Sharyl Attkisson reported on Twitter that the White House Correspondents Association, along with "dozens of associations & media outlets", sent a letter of protest to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. Attkisson outlined in subsequent Tweets that the letter blasted the Obama administration for restricting the access of photojournalists at certain presidential events, "while releasing government photos and videos of the same events".

Politico's Hadas Gold posted the full text of the letter to Carney in a Thursday item, which was signed by "leading media outlets like ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Yahoo News". In the letter, the WHCA board asserted that the Obama White House's policy was a "troubling break from tradition", and hinted that it ran counter to the President's claim that his was "the most transparent administration in history":

Jay Carney Mocks ABC's Jon Karl for Daring to Question Misleading Comments on ObamaCare
By Scott Whitlock | November 4, 2013 | 5:47 PM EST

 A frustrated Jay Carney on Monday excoriated ABC's Jon Karl for exposing the fact that signing up for health care via phone or mail is just as difficult as signing up by the website. Karl began by quoting the President suggesting in late October that "you can bypass the website and apply by phone or in person." The journalist highlighted newly acquired memos admitting that "at the end of the day, we're all stuck in the same queue because all those applications have to go through the same website."

In a sneering tone that mocked Karl's cadence, Carney retorted, "Jon, I get it! But the person who calls isn't the one who continues to wait after the paper application is filled? Right?" Karl calmly responded, "Your mocking is entertaining, but the President said you could apply within 25 minutes. That was not true." [See video below. MP3 audio here.] Seemingly looking for help from the other journalists, Carney derided, "I think everyone else is looking quizzical because there's a reason to be quizzical here. You call up. You give your information. You get the questions answered and then they take over from there."

CNN: White House Pressuring Insurance Companies To Not Criticize ObamaCare
By Noel Sheppard | October 30, 2013 | 12:31 AM EDT

It's becoming clearer and clearer that some media members are very interested in stories about the disaster that is the so-called "Affordable Care Act."

On CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday, investigative reporter Drew Griffin exposed allegations that the White House is pressuring insurance companies to not publicly criticize ObamaCare (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Piers Morgan Openly Declares Support for ObamaCare
By Paul Bremmer | October 22, 2013 | 1:13 PM EDT

British import Piers Morgan showed himself to be a left-wing hack on Monday night when he openly stated his support for ObamaCare on his eponymous CNN program Piers Morgan Live. The host brought on White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and asked a couple of critical questions about the rollout of the health care law. However, it soon became apparent that Morgan’s criticism came from his desire to see the law succeed.

After one defensive answer from Carney, Morgan let the press secretary know that he was sympathetic to the president’s health care industry overhaul: “ I agree with you. You haven’t got to persuade me.” Morgan then explicitly declared himself an ObamaCare supporter: [See video below the break.]

ABC's Jon Karl to Carney: You Can’t Fine People for Not Getting Health Insurance If You Don’t Fix This Mess
By Noel Sheppard | October 21, 2013 | 6:00 PM EDT

It’s becoming increasingly clear that after 21 days of the Healthcare.gov train wreck, President Obama’s media – with the exception of MSNBC, of course! – are not interested in carrying his water regarding the website’s failure.

During Monday’s press briefing, ABC’s chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl told a defensive press secretary Jay Carney, “You can’t really charge people a fine for not getting health insurance if you don’t fix this mess” (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Desperate Carney Latches Onto Ryan Lizza's HealthCare.gov 'No Trouble' Tweet; Then There Was Trouble
By Tom Blumer | October 19, 2013 | 4:27 PM EDT

The White House is apparently so desperate to pump anything positive about the disaster known as HealthCare.gov that it took a reporter's ability to "set up an account" as proof that the web site is working fine for some users.

Uh, no. Early Thursday afternoon, Ryan Lizza, the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker (also the guy who may have been in the best position to prove that Barack Obama was lying when he said in 2008 that he never read the church bulletins at the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ, and passed), tweeted the following: "I just tested http://healthcare.gov for the first time and I was able to set up an account with no trouble." Well, setting up an account is a step, but is hardly the end of a HealthCare.gov user's journey. As seen at Twitchy, that didn't stop White House press secretary Jay Carney and senior communications adviser Tara McGuinness from retweeting Lizza's tweet — except Lizza wasn't done, and got stopped dead in his tracks when he tried to move on:

CBS: 'Unusable' ObamaCare Website's Glitches 'Troubling', 'Pervasive'
By Matthew Balan | October 18, 2013 | 4:21 PM EDT

Friday's CBS This Morning zeroed in on a HealthCare.gov glitch that is jeopardizing the privacy of millions of Americans. Jan Crawford noted how the "glitches have, in fact, made the website unusable for most", but also pointed out that "the problems go beyond the enrollment process. Most troubling...insurance companies report receiving duplicate sign-up...and records of people enrolling, un-enrolling, and then, re-enrolling. Those forms contain highly personal information."

Crawford also underlined that these "duplicate and incomplete enrollment forms" are indications that the "problems are pervasive" with the ObamaCare website. [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]