Andy Rooney Recognized Media’s Liberalism and Espoused It Himself

Brent Baker | October 2, 2011
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Andy Rooney delivers his final commentary tonight (Sunday) at the end of 60 Minutes and while the now 92-year old curmudgeon’s pieces usually dealt with non-serious topics, he should be credited for being able to recognize, unlike many of his prominent peers, that the media are liberal – even conceding his own “liberal bias.” He declared Dan Rather “transparently liberal” and quipped people in the news business “were almost evenly divided” in 2004 – “half of them liked Senator Kerry; the other half hated President Bush.”

Shortly after 9/11 in 2001, he embarrassed himself when he mocked President Bush over a common metaphor. “This is an enemy that thinks its harbors are safe, but they won’t be safe forever,” Bush asserted in a clip Rooney played and then ridiculed: “Well, not too smart either. Afghanistan is landlocked. It doesn’t have a harbor.”

Two weeks later he apologized, showing letters from viewers who made fun of him: “If you didn't know the meaning of 'safe harbor' you probably thought the 'underground railroad' had tracks”and “if he really thought Bush meant seaports, Andy must think 'wildlife preserves' are breakfast jams.’”

Video of a portion of that initial September 23, 2001 commentary on 60 Minutes followed by the entirety of the one from the October 7, 2001 60 Minutes (bonus, I let the recording keep running so you can get a bit of flavor of the time with Dan Rather promising “the voice and spirit of America still rings loud and clear” as he ran a clip from the just-cancelled Emmy show).

Many more Rooney quotes in the NewsBusters node with this video.

 

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