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Moyers's speech was singled out by conservative author David Limbaugh as an example of Bush Derangement Syndrome.[1]

Presidential draft initiative

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On July 24, 2006, liberal political commentator Molly Ivins published an article entitled Run Bill Moyers for President, Seriously on the progressive website Truthdig.[2][3][4] Then in October 2006 Ralph Nader wrote an article supporting a Moyers candidacy.[5] There was no effect from the op-eds, and Moyers did not run.

Allegations of bias

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Bush-appointee Corporation for Public Broadcasting chairman Kenneth Tomlinson was a regular critic of Moyers; in 2003, he wrote to Pat Mitchell, the president of PBS, that "[NOW with Bill Moyers] does not contain anything approaching the balance the law requires for public broadcasting."[6] In 2005, Tomlinson commissioned a study of the show. Tomlinson said that the study supported what he characterized as "the image of the left-wing bias of NOW".[7] George Neumayr, the executive editor of The American Spectator, a conservative magazine, told the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer that "PBS looks like a liberal monopoly to me, and Bill Moyers is Exhibit A of that very strident left-wing bias... [Moyers] uses his show as a platform from which to attack conservatives and Republicans."[6]

Moyers, who left the show in 2004 before returning in 2007, replied to this by saying that his journalism showed "the actual experience of regular people is the missing link in a nation wired for everything but the truth." Moyers characterized Tomlinson as "an ally of Karl Rove and the right-wing monopoly's point man to keep tabs on public broadcasting." Tomlinson, he said, "found kindred spirits at the right-wing editorial board of The Wall Street Journal where the 'animal spirits of business' are routinely celebrated."[7] Moyers also responded to these accusations in a speech given to The National Conference for Media Reform, saying that he had repeatedly invited Tomlinson to debate him on the subject but had repeatedly been ignored.[8][dead link]

During coverage of the 2004 presidential election, Moyers stated, "I think that if Kerry were to win this in a tight race, I think that there would be an effort to mount a coup, quite frankly. I mean that the right wing is not going to accept it."[9][10] George Will poked fun at Moyers for that statement, saying that he "is an intellectual icon in the sort of deep blue precincts that think red America is paranoid."[9] Morton Kondracke also criticized the remark,[11] and David Asman of Fox News noted the hypocrisy of the remark coming from Moyers, given Moyers's criticism of the lack of "civil discourse" in opinion journalism.[12] John Leo singled out the remark as one of the most "over-the-top" remarks of 2004.[13]

Moyers has been a regular subject of viewer letters to PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler, who notes that "Moyers clearly has huge numbers of fans among PBS viewers, and they depend on his reporting, analysis and commentary. He clearly also has lots of critics who view him as a relentless Bush-basher."[14][15] For example, a July 13, 2007, edition of Bill Moyers Journal discussed the possible impeachment of then-President George W. Bush and featured guests from opposing ends of the political spectrum that both supported impeachment;[16] Getler praised Moyers for his initiative in highlighting different topics but said "there was almost a complete absence of balance" and "no rebuttal arguments or legal challenges" to the impeachment grounds laid out.[17] Moyers and Getler discussed their views about balance in the next column.[18] On August 16, 2007, Moyers stated that Karl Rove was a secular skeptic and agnostic who had manipulated the Christian right for partisan purposes.[19] The next day, Rove denied he was an agnostic and criticized Moyers's remarks as inaccurate and relying upon a blogger; Getler criticized Moyers's remark as unsupported.[15]

After producing an essay criticizing Israel's role in the Gaza war,[20] Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to Moyers accusing him of "anti-Semitism" and "ignorance" for suggesting that Jews were "genetically coded" for violence; Moyers denied the charges.[21]

Personal life

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Moyers married Judith Suzanne Davidson (a producer) on December 18, 1954. They have three children and five grandchildren. His son William Cope Moyers (CNN producer, Hazelden Foundation spokesman) struggled to overcome alcoholism as detailed in the book Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption. He includes letters from Bill Moyers in his book, which he says are "a testament to a father's love for his son, a father's confusion with his son, and ultimately, a father's satisfaction with his son."[22] His other son, John Moyers, assisted in the foundation of www.TomPaine.com, "an online public affairs journal of progressive analysis and commentary"[23], funded mostly by the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy foundation, which Bill Moyers runs.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ Limbaugh, David (2006). Bankrupt: the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of today's democratic party. pp. 230–33. ISBN 1596980176.
  2. ^ "CNN.com - Ivins: Reality-based candidate - Jul 25, 2006". cnn.com. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  3. ^ Ivins, Molly (2006-07-24). "Run Bill Moyers for President, Seriously". truthdig.com. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  4. ^ "Bill Moyers For President? Absolutely - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  5. ^ Nader, Ralph (2006-10-28). "Bill Moyers For President". CommonDreams.org. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  6. ^ a b "Public Broadcasting Under Fire". NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. PBS. 2005-06-21. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  7. ^ a b Bode, Ken A. (2005-09-01). "CPB Ombudsmen Reports: The Question Of "Balance"". Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  8. ^ Moyers, Bill (2005-05-15). "Bill Moyers' speech to the National Conference for Media Reform". FreePress.net. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  9. ^ a b Will, George (2004-11-08). "How Not To Win Red America". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  10. ^ Koch, Edward I. (2004-11-18). "Shocked by Bill Moyers' 'Coup' Comment and Radical Media". Jewish World Review. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  11. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GtgjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lwkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6736,1138763&dq=moyers+bush+coup&hl=en
  12. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138180,00.html
  13. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ScQcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5503,1397927&dq=Moyers+"staging a coup"&hl=en
  14. ^ "The Ombudsman Column". 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  15. ^ a b Michael Getler (August 24, 2007). "PBS Ombudsman Responds to "My Fellow Texan"". PBS Ombudsman.
  16. ^ Bill Moyers (2007-07-13). "Bill Moyers Journal". PBS. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
  17. ^ "The Ombudsman Column". 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  18. ^ "On Balance: Bill Moyers Responds". 2007-07-26. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  19. ^ www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2007/08/my_fellow_texan.html
  20. ^ "Bill Moyers reflects on Middle East violence". 2009-01-09.
  21. ^ "Exchange Between Bill Moyers and Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League". 2009-01-16.
  22. ^ "Moyers's memoir serves as a voice for recovery". Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  23. ^ "TomPaine.common sense". Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  24. ^ Hayes, Stephen (2002-02-25). "PBS's Televangelist". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved 2010-01-02.

Books

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