Network Omits Crucial Information
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Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Loaded Debate
On Tuesday, MSNBC showed video of a man carrying a semi-automatic rifle and a pistol outside the building where President Obama was giving a speech in Phoenix. Arizona is an "open carry" state, meaning having a legal firearm in the open is permitted. But anchor Contessa Brewer injected race into the story saying, "Here you have a man of color in the presidency and white people showing up with guns strapped to their waists," which sparked a discussion about possible danger to the president.
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The video was edited in way in which you can't see the whole picture. The truth is the man featured there with the weapons was African-American, not white. No one on air ever pointed that out.
MSNBC never got back to us, but told Politico that Brewer was speaking generally and not about that specific person with the automatic weapon.
Must-See Merchandise
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Our friends at NBC can give you a deal if you're in the market for a Barack Obama action figure or a "Yes We Did" T-shirt. They are selling no fewer than 29 Obama-inspired products at their New York gift shop and online.
FOXNews.com reports CBS and ABC online stores sell books about the president and the campaign, but no merchandise. FOX and CNN sell neither. While some say NBC is just making a smart business decision, others aren't so sure. Jane Kirtley, the executive director for media and ethics law at the University of Minnesota, says: "Whatever money they're making off of this, it's not worth it. It undermines any attempt to represent itself as a nonpartisan entity."
No word on if the president was offered any of the goodies during one of the eight interviews he's given the network since inauguration. Our request for a one-on-one with the president is still pending.
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Welcome Home
When Anna Ramirez returned to her Homestead, Florida house one day last week, she found her belongings on the front lawn and a strange man demanding she get out of his newly purchased home.
It turns out that her bank, Washington Mutual, had accidentally auctioned off her home without giving her a foreclosure letter or any other notice. Bloomberg News reports police came to evict Ramirez, her husband, daughter, and grandchildren, giving them three hours to clear out. A judge finally reversed the sale. The county clerk's office is being blamed.
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Ramirez says she wants to sue for the damage done to her furniture when it was tossed out of the house.
— FOX News Channel's Lanna Brit contributed to this report.