USC young Republicans allege phony CNN interview

The president of the College Republicans at the University of Southern California is charging that CNN used a "fake College Republican" in its broadcast report today, claiming there was a lack of enthusiasm for the GOP candidate, Sen. John McCain.

A CNN spokeswoman now says it was an inadvertent error.

In its Thursday morning report, according to a news release from the student organization, CNN interviewed someone identified as Eric Pearlmutter, who was said to be a USC student and College Republican.

"We try to get people out to our College Republican meetings, but we can't seem to get the same amount of support," he said.

Ben Myers, the president of USC College Republicans, said, "I have never met Eric Pearlmutter. I have never seen him at a College Republican meeting. He is not on our membership roster. I don't know why someone would think he speaks for us. As far as I know, he could be a Democrat."

A CNN spokeswoman admitted the error this evening in an e-mailed response: "“Eric Perlmutter appeared on today’s 'American Morning' segment about young Republicans on college campuses. While he attends USC and says that he is a registered Republican, he was inadvertently identified on-screen as a member of the USC College Republicans organization. 

"We regret that error. We have invited Ben Myers, the president of the USC College Republicans organization, to appear on 'American Morning' at a future time.”

Myers also said his Republican club meetings regularly attract 30-40 attendees, which he said is more than college Democrats.

"I'm not saying that McCain is going to win big among youth voters," Myers added. "But to claim that his support is weak among young Republicans is just pure liberal media propaganda. Real College Republicans are fired up for McCain. He's our kind of Republican… a maverick."

-- Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[VJ Machiavelli]

I wonder how they found Eric ?? is he really a registered Republican ? If he lied on the air who told him to lie ?
maybe we have the makings of an "OBAMA SUPPORTER GATE"

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com

[Joe]

Of course CNN made a mistake. The University of Spoiled Children is crawling with trust-fund babies who grow up to be Republicans.

[dave]

that is distractive propaganda: in the end this is not about whether it's obama or mccain who gets nominated, or even electeded, but about how to keep the people distracted with these staged little games of 'insidious rivalry'. the common agenda of both invalid candidates to be imposed on the american people is that of the global new world order. to effectively end american sovereignty, abolish the constitution and civil liberties. so this is more about how to keep people in the dim for long enough to steal their freedom their country and their future, until it dawns on them that they're not in for a sunny day but for a long dark nightmare.

[jummy]

of course the kid's either an obama supporter or worse.

the thing is, this is the level of due dilligence the mainstrean media employs when covering the grassroots of the gop or conservatism.

i remember in september 2005 there was a rally in support of the troops and their mission. amongst the featured speakers were about two-dozen gold star families delivering the message, repeated as a slogan, throughout the day, "you don't speak for me, cindy!".

the washington post, in their reportage, referred to the gold star families in print as "gold star families for peace", after cindy sheehan's organization. seriously. because nether the writer nor the editor of the copy knew what a gold star was prior to or apart from their interested promotion of cindy sheehan's activism, and they didn't much care about what these gold star families were saying,

likewise, cnn is satisfied to walk out of several exciting interview appointments with campus obama groups contacted through the expected channels into the afternoon sun and approach the news van, only to stop dead in their tracks, scratch their heads, and mutter,...

"now... are we forgetting something....? did you get a shot of the quad at lunchtime? okay.

"dammit! some mccain kids.

"geez.

"where do you find those. ugh. i don't want to have to come back here just to talk to young republicans. they'd probably need makeup, whoever they are.

"maybe we can just hail one down. ...'scuse me miss, we're looking for college-age mccain supporters...oh. okay thanks for your time. ....sir, we're looking to hear from college-age mccain supp...no? okay.

"you wanna help us out and pretend?"

[crushliberalism]

Man, it sure is a good thing that the MSM has all of those fact-checkers at its disposal, unlike us pajama-clad unaccountable bloggers. Otherwise, we might conclude (erroneously, right?) that they are a collective bunch of lazy, sloppy, agenda-driven leftist hacks.

[Robin Baneth]

Eric Pearlmutter may have outted Valerie Plame, is Michael Brown's nephew, knows where Osama Bin Laden is, is gay, helped Al Gore with his global warming powerpoint, or runs an abortion clinic, eats tofu, or was pedestrian #39 in Farhenheit 911. Unless Ben Myers sends spies to USC campus Democratic meetings, he has no idea what attendance is. Besides, it is summer right now and the Democrats may be in Paris watching Obama get the US some respect back. Not everyone in Guantanmo is guilty and your mother may be the next one to get her door knocked down by these republican goose-steppers.

[Jake Soroky]

Maverick?!!!!!!! Puh-leese!
If John McCain is a maverick, then Pope Benedict XVI is Jewish. I don't think so, Myers!

[truthhurts]

Thats what happens when you walk up to random people and ask if they're what your looking for. AT A COLLEGE people will say anything, just to get on camera. And did they ask if he was a "college republican" or a member of the College Republican's Club, he might've just thought they were asking for a republican college student.

[Rob]

uh yeah... This was all part of Obama's master plan...

[tr]

hmmmmm someone pulling a republican stunt on a republican , how funny

[Keith]

Real or not, he seems to have been telling the truth. The level of Republican support for McCain is as tired as McCain is himself. He is taking the weekend off again. Will he do that if he is elected?

[pdubya]

most know that college republicans are supporting dr. ron paul

[Robert Kolbe]

I am glad to hear about students involving themselves in politics.

Regarding Mr. Meyers remarks that Senator McCain is a "maverick." I would suggest he look at not what the senator says, but how he votes.

[plankbob]

CNN should have known better. All the real Young Republicans are over defending freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Lauren Sheridan]

How typical of the University of Scandal and Collusion; Cindy McCain's alma mater

[KittyKatMan]

Maybe he's a android controlled by the Barry while he was secretly meeting with bin Laden . Or maybe a demon summoned by the anti-Christ Obama Himself. Gasp!

[Bill B.]

Who could blame CNN? Even the real president of the USC College Republicans admits he only represents 30 to 40 regular members. That's out of a student body of 33,500:

http://www.usc.edu/about/ataglance/

They might as well pick some random schmuck off the streets.

[Steven]

If he's a young Republican, why isn't he fighting his president's war?

[Tony R Ronga]

30 0r 40 Republican colege students go to their meeting and more than Democrats meeting. Hello, this is a California University, not Liberty U.

[WG Bonham]

There are people out there who still think McCain is a maverick?

[Vic]

LMAO "Obama supporter gate." You Grandpa supporters are getting more and more pathetic. And stop trying to plug your ridiculous lonely blog on the LAT website. Young voters are fired up for McCain? Where? LOL I live in the south and I don't know one young voter "fired up" for that Olympic Flip-Flopper. So, let's see... he flip-flops at a record-breaking speed, making John Kerry look like an amateur; he thinks Czechoslovakia still exists, when it hasn't for 15 years; he thinks Iran trains al-Qaida when it doesn't; his campaign is packed to the brim with lobbyists (yeah, a real maverick!); he was part of the "Keating Five" scandal; he can't go anywhere without Lieberman and Graham by his side to correct his mistakes; I really could go on and on. He doesn't stand a chance in November.

[broadsword]

Hey VJ. Pretty desperate for a scandal, aren't you.

[Tom Juarez]

"Real College Republicans are fired up for McCain. He's our kind of Republican… a maverick."

Let me get this straight -he's *their* kind of republican because he (allegedly) doesn't follow Republican orthodoxy? I.e. because he rebels against Republicans?

No wonder their party is imploding.

[G Leger]

Funny, it sounded more like a Karl Rove setup to me... do something underhanded, then blame the other guys for doing it. Has to be a repub trick.

[PBKman]

Q: What's the difference between Eric Pearlmutter and the thousands of Republicans who changed their party affiliation in the primary elections to create chaos in the Democratic party?

A: Eric didn't break the law.