Burton's consistent strategy is to pretend he is being mistreated by whichever FoxNews host he is speaking with, and that Obama is being mistreated by FoxNews overall.
Video of Burton refusing to answer Neil Cavuto's questions.
My shrunken text rendition:
Cavuto: Why would investors not get out of the stock market before Obama raises Capital Gains taxes from 15% to 20%?
Burton: What you are saying is a disgrace and doesn't make any sense. Also, Barack will be better for the economy, so they will want to stay in the market.
Cavuto: Your candidate's spending plans cannot be paid for by just hiking taxes on the upper income, right? They've already crunched those numbers and it doesn't add up. I've done the spreadsheet on this. It doesn't add up.
Burton: Go to our website and work the spreadsheet.
Cavuto: I have gone to your website. Your spreadsheet doesn't add up - I've gone through it line by line. I gave you the benefit of the doubt on your numbers, such as saving $10B a month via pulling out of Iraq. I've given you the benefit of the doubt on extracting oil, and it's not adding up Bill. I'm telling you, it doesn't add up.
Burton: Well, I encourage viewers to go the spreadsheet at BarackObama.com...
Cavuto: I'm telling you, I just did! It doesn't add up!
Burton: Well, you apparently don't believe the way we do the math.
(Aha! Burton is falling back on The End Zone's all time favorite assertion of higher truth:
"We don't believe the white man's math.")
Cavuto: I defy anyone to go to that site and make Obama's numbers add up.
Burton: People can go to the website and make get-out-the-vote phone calls for Obama.
Cavuto: You're incorrigible, Bill.
Burton: You are. I'm rubber, you're glue....
(I might've made up that bit about rubber and glue.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Understanding Megyn's attempted interview: she is referencing a just discovered 2001 radio interview in which Barack supported legislative branch action to redistribute wealth. Barack spoke circular Baracky-speak, but these were his points:
- We should use community organizers such as ACORN to pressure legislators to change laws in order to redistribute wealth.
- It's a shame there is likely no judicial branch method of redistributing wealth.
- It's a shame the Constitution says only what the government may not do, yet does not also say what government must do for the people, such as redistribute wealth.
Burton blaming FoxNews and Megyn Kelly for playing audio of 2001 Barack radio comments about wealth redistribution..
My text version:
Megyn: Why are you blaming FoxNews for playing tape of Barack's own words?
Burton: This morning, you all said McCain was going to attack Obama, but McCain held a campaign event and did not attack Obama. FoxNews lied, as they have this entire election.
Megyn: Then, later today, McCain attacked Obama as we said he would. This is not a fake issue. Many Americans care very much about the question of whether Sen. Obama has Socialist policies.
Burton: This was indeed an issue that has been driven by FoxNews channel. The audio of Obama's interview points out that what McCain was saying about it was, by any fair reading, inaccurate.
Megyn: When I have you on, you avoid issues and blame FoxNews for reporting on the issues. You should know that, in Rasmussen Polling this month, a majority of Americans said FoxNews was the least biased network on air. Further, according to the latest Pew Poll, 70% of Americans believe Obama is being helped by favorable media coverage. And yet you have the nerve to complain when Fox confronts your candidate with his own words.
Burton: What my complaint is, and what any fair viewing of your channel would be, is that the Obama Campaign spends a lot of time talking about the issues, and about our key differences with John McCain, and John McCain gets free advertisement every day from FoxNews channel as you continually trump up these fake controversies and have folks on to talk about things that don't have anything to do with the issues.
Megyn: Center for Media and Public Affairs found that, since the conventions, Barack has received 65% positive media coverage, McCain has received 35% positive coverage.
More than a million people are watching you right now. Answer the substantive question. A lot of viewers have concerns about whether Barack Obama's past and present comments about "economic justice" should give them pause, should give them cause for concern about the redistribution of wealth.
Burton: Okay Megyn, I appreciate the political speech that you're making here that is obviously to help Fox News Channel...
Megyn: You attack, I'll defend!
Burton: ...and to help John McCain. The bottom line is that the American people know Barack Obama has been crystal clear about his economic plans for this country. The American people do not agree that giving a tax cut to 95% of Americans is socialist. And so this notion(Burton wrinkles his nose in disgust) that somehow FoxNews has been fair on these points does not hold up to the reality of the kind of coverage it has been giving this morning. The reason I put out this morning's campaign statement criticizing FoxNews is that it is rarely so crystal clear when FoxNews is driving it's own specific agenda helping John McCain frankly more than John McCain often helps himself.
Megyn: I'm sorry, Bill, but both your candidate and John McCain seem to think your candidate's exchange with Joe the Plumber was both relevant and newsworthy, and that was about spreading the wealth around. These comments from 2001 (Kelly and Burton begin talk/shouting over each other at this point, after the 4:45 mark.) also raise the issue of redistribution of wealth, and that is why ...
Burton: Right and that's a misreading of that...
Megyn: YOU CAN TRY TO TALK OVER ME, BUT I'M NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO STOP, I'M NOT GONNA STOP...
Burton: ...I was making a point there...
Megyn: ...NO NO DO NOT INTERRUPT ME...
Burton: ...and promote this myth that John McCain, WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY DOING IS TRYING TO TALK OVER ME...
Megyn: ...NO. NO. QUIET. QUIET BILL AND THEN I'LL LET YOU RESPOND...
Burton: ...about the fact that we have very specific economic policies...
Megyn: ... BILL, PIPE DOWN, LET ME MAKE MY POINT AND THEN YOU CAN RESPOND...
Burton: ...You've made your political speeches. Make another one, go to town.
Megyn: As you know, I don't appreciate the sarcasm...
Burton: (derisively) I know you hate it.
Megyn: ... you can save that for your friends on the other channels. We don't put up with that here. What I'm saying is that your candidate has made several comments about redistributing the wealth. I get the emails, Bill, from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike, who are concerned about that notion, who understand that right now in this country the top 25% already pay 67% of income taxes, and who are worried about shifting that balance even more.
Burton: We have tried these policies for the last 8 years - giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans - it's not working. That wealth is not trickling down. What we need to do is help the middle class: get tax cuts to the hard working men and women of this country so that they can deal with higher energy prices, higher health care costs. People are worried about losing their homes in this mortgage mess. That's what Barack Obama is focused on. And (Laughing derisively) I don't think that John McCain's similar comments in 2001 - that he couldn't stomach George Bush's tax cuts - nobody was accusing McCain of being Socialist then because he said there was an unfair amount of wealth being given to the wealthy. No one said he was Socialist - I don't hear you talking about that. But Barack Obama in an interview 7 years ago when he was making a point that has nothing to do with the point you're making, I think all of a sudden becomes banner news on FoxNews channel, and you know what, I understand: you've got an agenda here... (talking over each other now begins anew)
Megyn: WE DON'T HAVE AN AGENDA...
Burton: ...We just think the American people oughta know...
Megyn: ...OUR AGENDA IS TO REPORT THE NEWS FAIR AND BALANCED, BILL...
Burton: ...THAT WE VERY SPECIFICALLY HAVE A PLAN TO HELP THE MIDDLE CLASSES GROW THE ECONOMY...
Megyn: ...I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T LIKE IT, AND SOMETIMES YOUR CANDIDATE HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT IT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO...
Burton: ...GO AHEAD. I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T LIKE BEING INTERRUPTED BUT GO AHEAD AND INTERRUPT ME THATS FINE MEGYN...
Megyn: ...YOU MAY HAVE THE REST OF THE MEDIA IN THE TANK, BUT FOXNEWS REPORTS IT STRAIGHT. Fair and balanced, as always. Bill Burton, thanks for being here.
Burton: Alright Megyn.
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