Only Fox News and Don Imus Report Schumer's Branches of Government Gaffe

Noel Sheppard
February 1st, 2011 8:19 PM
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On  Monday, NewsBusters asked, "Will Chris Matthews and MSNBC Spend Week Bashing Schumer's Branches of Government Gaffe?"

It turns out that not only didn't Matthews or MSNBC mention Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) blunder on that network's extended prime time programs Monday, but a LexisNexis search identified that out of all America's many mainstream media outlets, only Fox News's Bret Baier and Fox Business Channel's Don Imus thought this was at all newsworthy:

  • BRET BAIER, "SPECIAL REPORT HOST," JANUARY 31: New York Senator Chuck Schumer says everyone in Washington needs to compromise to fix the debt crisis. Schumer explained in an interview Sunday, quote, "We have three branches of government. We have a House, we have a Senate, and we have a president. All three of us are going to have to come together and give some." Of course, Schumer forgot entirely about the judicial branch that equally shares power with the executive branch and the legislative branch. Schumer's office said it was a slip of the tongue and that he was referring to the three parties at the table.
  • BERNARD MCGUIRK, FEBRUARY 1: And, our esteemed New York Senator, chief -- Senator Chuck Schumer. He was on one of the Sunday shows, this past Sunday. And, he was talking about -- they were talking about the debt ceiling or whatever it was, but listen to what he said.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I would urge my Republican colleagues, no matter how strongly they feel, you know? We have three branches of government. We have a house, we have a senate, we have a president. And, all three of us are going to have to come together and give some.

(LAUGHTER)

DON IMUS, HOST: Three?

MCGUIRK: Maybe a tree branch knocked him stupid but this know-it-all balloon head who curses at flight attendants -- this genius senator.

And that's that.

CNN, the network Schumer was on when he made the comment, never mentioned or played it again. Not once.

And no American newspaper reported it, including those in Schumer's home state of New York. Not one.

By contrast, although Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) wasn't on any of the Sunday talk shows making a gaffe about our branches of government, CNN did three stories about her Monday.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews attacked Bachmann for the fifth day in a row Monday and the sixth day in a row Tuesday.

I guess we got our answer.

*****Update: Readers have noted that folks like Rush Limbaugh and others did note Schumer's gaffe. As this blunder was all the rage at conservative websites Sunday and talk radio Monday, I assumed people would understand I was referring to mainstream media's omission. Sorry for the confusion.