Preliminarily, let me note, the ABC News Anchor was less objectionable during the Day 2 evening news edition than he was during his initial segment on foreign policy; perhaps, feeling less under-pressure, he stepped back, making himself less of the story, dropping the prosecutorial pretensions, eliminating the scowl, allowing his guest to give fuller answers.

However, during the “20/20” episode two segments clarified everything, convincing me that ABC is like the parent whose child brings home a report card with 5 As and 1 B-, the parent frets, focusing only on the B-, diminishing the accomplishment, finding no joy, no appreciation for the exceptionalism. 

The second program began with a series of photos, older video clips about the Alaska Governor’s earlier years, and the voice of a narrator commenting that it was hard to separate myth from reality when it came to her story, obviously setting the stage for their search and destroy mission.

First, about that “Bridge to Nowhere,” “20/20” reported that the moose hunting, mother of five, supported it initially and then when Congress lifted the earmark, she used the money for other purposes. Like the fretting, dissatisfied parent, ABC diminished the achievement, not reporting that by lifting the earmark Congress left Alaskans free to build the bridge, merely giving its citizens a choice. Unfortunately, ABC could not appreciate the fact that influential interests in Alaska, including Senator Ted Stevens, their powerful senior Senator, still wanted it built, a bridge that neither Senator Obama nor Senator Biden voted against.  

That said, facing down the proponents of the bridge after her gubernatorial election is still remarkable, exceptional by comparison to the vote of both Democrat Senators, favoring the expenditure. Sarah stopped the bridge, but the network would have none of it. Whether ABC was engaging in biased reporting or merely setting unrealistic standards is unclear; but unrealistic political standards by a television news network are, perhaps, even more objectionable than the isolated case of a disgruntled parent taking no joy in 5 As on their child’s report card.

In a second segment, “20/20” focused on the sale of the previous governor’s jet, the State jet mentioned by the former Wasilla Mayor in her speeches, as being over the top, an area she identified as one of needed reform, a perfect item for sale on EBay. ABC reported, however, that some Alaskans questioned expenses after the sale of the jet, reporting travel expenses for the Governor and her family was controversial for some; expenses during a certain period for transporting the family while legitimate were over $40,000. This amount is an interesting number, to be sure; however, ABC dropping it into their report, like a cluster bomb scattered across the landscape, rendering a series of small chinks in her story, without context, without balance, without a frame of reference, all caused me to pause and question the story. What would comparable costs have been during this period to maintain the jet, for a pilot, for maintenance, for a maintenance crew, for an airport hangar for storage, for insurance, for fuel, etc?  

The story of the political rise of a small town former high school point guard and Miss Congeniality beauty pageant winner has many unusual twists and turns; it is an exciting story when presented in a balanced way; many of the qualities demonstrated by her were acts of courage, they are remarkable and should be encouraged by all public servants. ABC, regrettably, sees nothing of value; their task is to search and destroy, not to highlight the noteworthy, not to praise so other public servants move towards more ethical governance, not even to contrast her strengths to Barack’s weaknesses, a typical politician still drilling for outrageous earmarks, never challenging the entrenched Chicago powers for their questionable actions. 

Consequently, these two segments were a mini-profile of ABC political coverage for me; I had seen enough, enough to vote as if a juror rendering a verdict on my future relationship with ABC. I found the programs unwatchable, incomplete, empty-headed retorts designed to denigrate, unwilling to balance the accomplishment with pros and cons, bent on a bombing mission to destroy, unconcerned about the message sent to a political class trying to do better, a group that deserves a fair hearing. I reached for my remote, opened my DVR file and deleted “20/20;” I would watch no more. Next step, return to the DVR file and delete Nightline, I had learned my lesson and would not even begin the program. The judgment is in – ABC is unwatchable, they are not fair, they are not balanced, they might as well join MSNBC, as another mouth organ for the Obama re-election campaign team!