SPIN CYCLE

Toby Harnden in today’s Telegraph:

The White House spin machine moved into top gear as the Republican candidates prepared to take the stage for the first major debate on Monday night. “Make way for the seven dwarves,” was one line of attack.

Mark Mardell’s opening line from his account of the debate:

It is no comment on their political stature, but the would-be presidents did at times seem like the seven dwarves…

And on the Today programme yesterday:

“It did occur to me seeing the seven of them walk up there, I’m afraid the term ‘seven dwarves’ flashed through my mind, and I did wonder where Snow White was as well.”

It occurred to you, eh Mark?

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26 Responses to SPIN CYCLE

  1. John Anderson says:

    Gotcha bang to rights,  Mr Mardell !

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  2. ltwf1964 says:

    what an utter scumbucket that fat creep is

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  3. Mailman says:

    Well we have known for a while that al beeb is nothing more than the broadcast arm of the labour party and now it seems that al beeb is branching out to become the British broadcasting arm of the democrat party.

    Mailman

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  4. Cassandra King says:

    Strange that Mardell spews the exact same venom as the democreep vermin.

    Piece of sh*t? It does serve a very useful purpose though, it shows more and more people the real BBC.It also highlights just how frightened the BBC vermin are, there was pure venom in the delivery, the guy is truly pissed off that Obama is a one term turkey, even Obama has suggested that he will only serve one term because its too much like hard work, yeah sure.

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  5. My Site (click to edit) says:

    Must pop over to his blog to see how he explains this one away.

    He does use the new system to interact one presumes?

    No?

    Oh, then I predict an early closing then.

    Just had a gander and it has six pages listed with 31 comments published. 

    I guess the other option is to let the mods go on the rampage.

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  6. Millie Tant says:

    What a snide little crack. He must have been up till midnight thinking up that one.  Shame he couldn’t even manage to get it right with his would-be clever “seven dwarves” jibe.  It is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mardell. Too busy political point-scoring and cackling at his own malevolence while mixing the poisonous concoction, I suppose, to get right what he was attempting to pray in aid.

    By the way, “it did occur to me” that the Webb monster in the first 10 seconds of that clip seemed to be adopting the sonorous, bombastic delivery style of Humphrys. Maybe it’s catching. 

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    • Scott M says:

      “Shame he couldn’t even manage to get it right with his would-be clever “seven dwarves” jibe.  It is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mardell.”

      Ugh. Typical. Low-hanging fruit, quibbling over spelling mistakes, etc., etc….

      Oh, no, sorry – I forgot. That’s just what Biased BBC commenters claim others do when they want to avoid admitting their own mistakes, isn’t it? It’s totally okay for them to do it themselves. My mistake.

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      • Roland Deschain says:

        No, that’s what some claim others do rather than address the whole point of the original post.

        Which might be said to apply to your post.

        (Oh no, I’ve gone and said “some claim”.  Now Scott & Dez will want me to back up who these “some” are.)

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        • ltwf1964 says:

          Roland

          in his own sad little beeboid excuse for a life,he probably thinks “he got it about right”

          tosspot

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        • Millie Tant says:

          Dez is not very good at spelling. Maybe that’s why he’s touchy.

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      • My Site (click to edit) says:

        My mistake’

        A smidge modest with the singular there.

        When in doubt, click here:

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      • Cassandra King says:

        And there it is right on time and bang on time =-O A resident beeboid who cannot answer the original charge so resorts to the old smokescreen.

        Mardell uses the exact same attack smear as his democreep allies, no coment Scott? No of course not, nothing to say, no comment, what bias?

        Mardell as with so many beeboids are fanatical democreep supporters and most are violently anti right wing and anti republican. The BBC can be relied upon to spread any democreep smear, any contrived democreep spin, any planned democreep electoral trick. The smouldering violent hatred of a leftwinger who is losing.

        To all intents the BBC is the media arm of leftist politics worldwide, a billion pound news empire committed to supporting world socialism? Of course. Think the BBC does not support foreign socialism wherever it can? Look at the BBC coverage of Greece, do you find the words Greek SOCIALIST government anywhere? See a list of the errors and mistakes the SOCIALISTS have made since coming to power? If the Greek regime was right wing then you can bet the collective farm that the BBC would have the words ‘conservative’ and ‘right wing’ in every sentence laced with every single mistake and error the regime ever made. And the demonstrators are not protesting against SOCIALISM according to the BBC are they Scott? But they sure as sh*t would be demonstrating against right wing capitalist politics if the regime was right wing, funny that eh?

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      • Millie Tant says:

         Don’t be ridiculous, going off in pursuit of some will o’ the wisp that you think enables you to score some general point against Biased BBC blog.

        While quibbling over alleged quibbling, hah! it probably went over your head that I object to a supposedly impartial broadcaster blatantly taking sides in the political arena in another country and malevolently attacking and denigrating one side with a gratuitous insult that he thinks is so clever that he has wheeled it out and forced it into discussion on two occasions already as if it was something to be proud of.  And even that he cannot get right.

        Second, I am not “they”.  I am just one person, speaking for myself, so don’t try to pretend that we are a collective here and that I represent others when I comment or that you can denigrate the whole blog by invoking some non-point. Not that I doubt for a moment that other people here object to his blatant and spiteful anti-Republican and anti-Palin antics, as I do.
        There are plenty more reasons to criticise Mardell and his like on every aspect of his “reporting” but I can’t be bothered to go into them for your benefit. 

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  7. David Preiser (USA) says:

    I think when Harnden said “the White House spin machine”, he meant to include the BBC, as it’s nothing less than the self-designated UK branch of the Press Office.

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  8. Lloyd says:

    Mardell and his cronies have long sincxe set out their stall for the run in to the next Presidential election. They probably see the race for the Republican nomination as one long turkey-shoot, so much contempt do they have for the Republicans.

    The approach that Mardell et al are taking here is obvious to even the most amateur would be psychologist to see – belittle the opposition, tell the reader how small and insignificant the opposition is, turn them into a figure of fun. Text book.

    I also saw/heard the first signs yesterday of an attempt to run an overly critical eye over Michelle Bachmann – apparently she has “little experience” (wasn’t a probalem to the beeb when Obama was running). If she becomes a credible candidate/nomination the beeb will attempt to Palinize her – they will compare and contrast and blur the lines between the two so much that the average reader won’t be able to tell the difference between the two of them

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  9. dave s says:

    I forget was there a person of restricted growth called “Fatty”?

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  10. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Check out this latest spin from Mardell.  If you think his musings about the debate were bad, wait until you see this.  Get ready to laugh out loud.


    Boehner warning to Obama over Libya mission


    The Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives has accused President Barack Obama of “a lack of clarity” and “lack of visibility and leadership” over the Nato mission in Libya.

    Oh noes!  The Republicans are challenging Him!

    The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.  (Matthew 16:1)

    Back to the Gospel according to Mark (Mardell):

    In a letter, John Boehner warns Mr Obama US operations in Libya must stop by Sunday unless the president gets the approval of Congress.

    He writes: “The administration has not asked for, nor received, congressional authorization of the mission in Libya. Therefore, it would appear that in five days, the administration will be in violation of the war powers resolution unless it asks for and receives authorization from Congress or withdraws all US troops and resources from the mission.”

    Mardell then says that Boehner was merely reacting to what the candidates said during the debate the other day, or just from disgruntled Republicans who feel they’re not getting enough attention.


    It is likely Mr Boehner is acting under pressure from his own Republican colleagues, who are sensitive to any suggestion they are being ignored. He may have taken notice of the hostility towards the Libya operation shown by the candidates in the New Hampshire debate.

    Funny how not so long ago Mardell was telling us that the President was being forced by gung-ho United Statesians, who wanted to “an unapologetically aggressive America storming ahead”.  How many times did we hear from him that the President was deliberating, not dithering?  I’ve lsot count.  The poor Beeboid even had a severe crisis of faith watching his beloved Obamessiah enter a war of which he disapproved.

    Except most people in the US now don’t want to get bogged down in Libya, and have wanted the rest of the world to step up to the plate for once.  Rep. Boehner wasn’t merely taking a cue from the Republican candidates: he’s been listening to the general public.  While 60% initially supported air stirkes, only 26% want it to continue for much longer.  It’s no surprise to me that Mardell gets it wrong there, as his idea of the US public is about as twisted as it gets.  So he has to spin it as a partisan attack, nothing to do with reality.

    But this is less about a foreign war and more about attacking the president and depicting him as arrogantly exceeding his authority and ignoring the constitution.

    No, Mark. It’s about US #$%ing law.  Something you obviously know nothing about, and don’t want your audience to know about, either.  Of course, the White House talking point is that the UN is “leading” the war, and so He doesn’t need permission to send troops as part of our UN obligations, and doesn’t need to inform Congress.  It’s not true, but Mardell takes His side.


    The president may not take much notice. He argued early on that this was an action by Nato, covered by a UN resolution, and suggested that he did not need to do any more than keep Congress informed.

    You know, the action against Sadaam Hussein was backed by two UN resolutions, not just one, yet the BBC always wants us to think that was illegal.  Mardell didn’t like the war in Libya before He got involved, but now that The Obamessiah is there and wants to keep going, he’s all for it.  How sycophantic can you get?

    If invading Iraq was illegal, why is bombing the crap out of Libya legal?  Mardell doesn’t care.  All he cares about is which way his beloved Obamessiah is blowing.

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    • Craig says:

      Now one of Mark Mardell’s colleagues is pushing the same narrative.

      Washington correspondent Andrew North writes, “With Republican Speaker John Boehner leading the charge, some suspect this battle is more about politics than concerns about the constitution or the White House exceeding its powers.”

      The “some” in question includes Mark Mardell.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        Yeah, and the BBC isn’t doing this for political reasons?  Bush’s illegal wars: bad.  The Obamessiah’s illegal wars: good.

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  11. RGH says:

    Mardell is just recycling what was said in the Huffington Post (and elsewhere) in 2008.

    His rather laboured prose with a tired simile not even of his own invention, make him look pretty second rate. 

    Partisan journalism. Fail

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/snow-white-the-seven-dwar_b_122413.html

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    • Millie Tant says:

      Haha! Good find, RGH. And they got it right, unlike the sneering smartarse Mardell.

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  12. Advis3r says:

    Well I’d rather be on the side of the seven dwarves than the wicked “Queen” living in the White House!!!! No prizes for guessing that Snow White is Mrs Palin!!!!!! 😀

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  13. John Horne Tooke says:

    This is what the BBC “commentators” do. They have not got an original thought in their massive heads. They have no idea what journalism is. They see their jobs as backing a “good cause” against the anti-state, pro-freedom radicals. Like Black, Mardel is an advocate for a cause. 

    Journalism is a reporting of facts, advocacy is an expression of opinion. It is becoming so pathetic.

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  14. D B says:

    The BBC is hiring in Washington DC. Pro-Obama, Republican-hating journalists need only apply, of course.

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    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      Understanding of what appeals to US audiences

      Which segment?  The far Left, to whom all BBC employees in the US appeal at present?  Or the X Factor crowd? The racist Tea Party people?  Oh, dear.  If they hire someone who actually has a clue about the US outside of the Beltway/WaPo/HuffPo/St. Jon Stewart bubble, it’ll be a first.


      Understanding of the BBC’s core values

      Oh, I understand them…..

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  15. D B says:

    Nick Bryant has written an article for The Australian examining media narratives in US elections. He says the press had a particular love affair with one recent candidate: “I half-expected them to hurl aside their notebooks at the end of his stump speech and volunteer for his campaign.” Obama in 2008? No, of course not – he means McCain’s candidacy for the Republican nomination in 2000. After Bush beat McCain (somewhat undermining Bryant’s argument) the BBC correspondent goes on to whine that the media was biased in favour of Bush during the presidential campaign: “Back in 2000, my strong sense was that reporters handicapped the race in favour of George W. Bush over Al Gore.”

    On the 2008 race Bryant observes that journalists were more captivated by the Democrat nomination process (black guy vs. woman) than they were by the Republican one, but unlike his comments about McCain and Bush in 2000 he offers no criticism of the media over its gushing coverage of Obama. So, no surprise there then.

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