The union-busting continues at CNN.
When the New York transit workers went on strike, governor Pataki headed to New Hampshire where he's been busy putting distance between himself an the Administration on the issue-of-the-moment, global warming (and good for him on that). But when the strike ended, Pataki showed up on CNN for this appalling softball interview with Kyra Phillips:
PHILLIPS: Well, let's -- and I want to get to your frustration in a moment and some things that you have said. But were you surprised that this strike happened?
PATAKI: Yes, I was, because we've had tough negotiations. The city's had tough negotiations with unions over the course of more than the last decade, but no union has taken the extraordinary step of breaking the law. And this is the first time this has happened in decades. And it was very unfortunate. It made all New Yorkers go through some difficult times that could have been avoided and should have been avoided. And there are consequences for breaking the law, and I'm sure that they're going to be imposed.
...
PATAKI: When you lose mass transit in a city like New York, it poses enormous hardships. And yet the millions of New Yorkers have come through and stood together and just as we did in blizzards and in blackouts and of course on September 11th. I think we've shown the rest of the country that even under adverse circumstances, New Yorkers are tough, resilient people who can get about their daily lives...
PHILLIPS: Well you talked about the reason why Taylor Law was put into place, it was to prevent things, for example, an economic hit to the city: something that New York is definitely -- has suffered and is still suffering the economic hit.
And also the loss of that firefighter, who had to bike it to work, actually he's in grave condition I'm told. So exactly what you were saying, Taylor Law was put into effect -- the reason why it was put into effect. We saw exactly what it was supposed to try and prevent.
PATAKI: Well, Kyra, that's exactly right. It's not just the economic loss, as significant as that is. It's the threat to the health and safety of New Yorkers. And you mentioned the firefighter. And I know him. His family is very close to me. His name is Matt Long.
I talked to his father about a half-hour ago from the hospital. We're all praying for Matt's recovery. He's going through a very difficult fight. And this is just an example of why you cannot have essential public employees break the law and go out on strike.
PHILLIPS: I hope you don't mind if I ask you this. It might be a personal question, so maybe I should phrase it a little differently with regard to the Union Chief Roger Toussaint. I wanted to ask you if you like him, but maybe I should ask you if you think he's a good leader. Do you think this is right man for the job?
PATAKI: I don't think anyone can break the law and put themselves above the law. Regardless of whether they're someone who makes the law or someone who is a union leader or someone in any capacity. There's a reason the laws exist and the essence of our entire country is the rule of law and respect for the rule of law...
...
PHILLIPS: Governor, we'll follow the condition of Matt Long, that firefighter, that has been gravely injured because he had to bike it to work. We sure thank you for your time, Governor George Pataki.
PATAKI: Thank you, Kyra.
So what have we got here?
- Inappropriate 911 comparison: check
- Gratuitous sob-story about injured firefighter to pin on the strikers: check
- Ridiculous suggestion that the anti-union Taylor Law was created to prevent firfighters from being hit by busses while riding their bikes to work: check
- Blustery talk about punishing the workers for their illegal (did we mention illegal?) strike: check.
- Uninformed, irresponsible speculation that Union Chief Roger Toussaint should be fired: check.
I mean no disrespect to Matthew Long who is wholly innocent of anything and whose accident is a tragedy. But it's beyond the pale to blame his accident (caused by a bus making an illegal left turn) on the transit strike, or to suggest injuries sustained by a single individual denied access to public transportaion is a blanket justification for anti-strike legislation. Needless to say, the "objective" chardonnay pundits at CNN interviewed not a single union rep, board member or sympathiser all afternoon, despite airing segments about the economic turmoil caused by the strike; clips of various commuters angered by the strike; and an interview about the effect of the strike on blood donations. Neither did the shameless "populist" governor they were interviewing, for all his talk about the "tremendously fair deal" the Metropolitan Transportion Authority had on offer, make mention of the fact that the MTA could easily have stopped the strike before it started, leaving both it and the union in exactly the negociating spot they're in now.
Again: it's the liberal media at work. It burns Hugh Hewitt and Michelle Malkin up that Kyra Phillips is probably pro-choice.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's -- and I want to get to your frustration in a moment and some things that you have said. But were you surprised that this strike happened?
PATAKI: Yes, I was, because we've had tough negotiations. The city's had tough negotiations with unions over the course of more than the last decade, but no union has taken the extraordinary step of breaking the law. And this is the first time this has happened in decades. And it was very unfortunate. It made all New Yorkers go through some difficult times that could have been avoided and should have been avoided. And there are consequences for breaking the law, and I'm sure that they're going to be imposed.
...
PATAKI: When you lose mass transit in a city like New York, it poses enormous hardships. And yet the millions of New Yorkers have come through and stood together and just as we did in blizzards and in blackouts and of course on September 11th. I think we've shown the rest of the country that even under adverse circumstances, New Yorkers are tough, resilient people who can get about their daily lives...
PHILLIPS: Well you talked about the reason why Taylor Law was put into place, it was to prevent things, for example, an economic hit to the city: something that New York is definitely -- has suffered and is still suffering the economic hit.
And also the loss of that firefighter, who had to bike it to work, actually he's in grave condition I'm told. So exactly what you were saying, Taylor Law was put into effect -- the reason why it was put into effect. We saw exactly what it was supposed to try and prevent.
PATAKI: Well, Kyra, that's exactly right. It's not just the economic loss, as significant as that is. It's the threat to the health and safety of New Yorkers. And you mentioned the firefighter. And I know him. His family is very close to me. His name is Matt Long.
I talked to his father about a half-hour ago from the hospital. We're all praying for Matt's recovery. He's going through a very difficult fight. And this is just an example of why you cannot have essential public employees break the law and go out on strike.
PHILLIPS: I hope you don't mind if I ask you this. It might be a personal question, so maybe I should phrase it a little differently with regard to the Union Chief Roger Toussaint. I wanted to ask you if you like him, but maybe I should ask you if you think he's a good leader. Do you think this is right man for the job?
PATAKI: I don't think anyone can break the law and put themselves above the law. Regardless of whether they're someone who makes the law or someone who is a union leader or someone in any capacity. There's a reason the laws exist and the essence of our entire country is the rule of law and respect for the rule of law...
...
PHILLIPS: Governor, we'll follow the condition of Matt Long, that firefighter, that has been gravely injured because he had to bike it to work. We sure thank you for your time, Governor George Pataki.
PATAKI: Thank you, Kyra.
So what have we got here?
- Inappropriate 911 comparison: check
- Gratuitous sob-story about injured firefighter to pin on the strikers: check
- Ridiculous suggestion that the anti-union Taylor Law was created to prevent firfighters from being hit by busses while riding their bikes to work: check
- Blustery talk about punishing the workers for their illegal (did we mention illegal?) strike: check.
- Uninformed, irresponsible speculation that Union Chief Roger Toussaint should be fired: check.
I mean no disrespect to Matthew Long who is wholly innocent of anything and whose accident is a tragedy. But it's beyond the pale to blame his accident (caused by a bus making an illegal left turn) on the transit strike, or to suggest injuries sustained by a single individual denied access to public transportaion is a blanket justification for anti-strike legislation. Needless to say, the "objective" chardonnay pundits at CNN interviewed not a single union rep, board member or sympathiser all afternoon, despite airing segments about the economic turmoil caused by the strike; clips of various commuters angered by the strike; and an interview about the effect of the strike on blood donations. Neither did the shameless "populist" governor they were interviewing, for all his talk about the "tremendously fair deal" the Metropolitan Transportion Authority had on offer, make mention of the fact that the MTA could easily have stopped the strike before it started, leaving both it and the union in exactly the negociating spot they're in now.
Again: it's the liberal media at work. It burns Hugh Hewitt and Michelle Malkin up that Kyra Phillips is probably pro-choice.
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