On the Diane Rehn Show this morning--a show that is meant to give political analysts leeway to say what they think--Diane (bless her) asked guest Juan Williams point blank about the partisan source of these calls.

Rehm: "Do you see Democrats making these same kinds of calls attempting to suppress or confuse Republican voters?"

Williams: "Gee, Diane, that was a judgmental question [giggle]."

Rehm: "You think so?"

Williams: "To suppress or confuse, no, I think that on both sides they're making an intense effort, and in fact the Democrats are making an intense effort to try to catch up with the Republicans' get-out-the-vote efforts, and part of that is reaching out to voters. making sure voters are engaged, trying to keep up the intensity."

Williams--who's supposed to be a liberal pundit or at least plays one on TV--then vamps for nearly a minute about how much money each party is spending on GOTV in this or that race before ending thusly:

Williams: "Whether or not you would describe that as suppression or trying to encourage or intensify your support is I guess a matter of judgment."

Rehm then follows up a few minutes later by reading a couple listener emails:

Rehm: “One from Missouri says: ‘Every single one of the messages, for as far as I can bear to listen to them, pounds home the idea that one or the other Democratic candidate in Missouri supports abortion and is in favor of killing babies.’ Another from Jeff says: 'Please make clear these harassing robocalls calls are being made entirely by Republicans in order to suppress Democratic turnout and these calls are not being made by shadowy Republican operatives but rather by the National Republican.' Juan Williams, what do you know about these calls?"

Williams: "Well, these calls are being made. And the idea in that Missouri race, which is a very tight race, as you know, between Jim Talent and Claire McCaskell, talent is the incumbent Republican, first time Senator, McCaskell is the challenger, the Democrat, what you have is a state where stem cell research has been a huge issue."

Williams then goes on for a half minute of week-in-reviewish observations about how both sides have framed the stem cell issue. But he fails to address the second emailer’s point other than with the passive “calls are being made” statement he began with.

posted by Blicero : 11/06/2006 10:54:00 PM