MacNeil / Lehrer - Analysis

     To analyze the MacNeil/Lehrer news hour, my first thought would be to say it was extremely boring.  The news summary at the beginning of the show was done in much the same way as every other news show with either MacNeil or Lehrer presenting news stories covering the Bosnian Civil War; the British withdrawal of aid from Bosnia after a British truck driver was killed there; the Prime Minister of Japan who made a deal saving his reform program and his government; and the Lyle Menedez mistrial.  Other stories included a 5.9% increase in the Gross Domestic Product in the 4^th quarter.  Laura Tyson, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers has attributed this to the President's economic policies.  The U.S. Conference of Mayors called for the passage of a tough crime bill while they were meeting in Washington, D.C..

     On the debate half of the show I have chosen to talk about the debate between Congressman Cooper and Ron Pollack, a consumer health advocate.  The debate was on the Cooper Health Care Reform Bill and how it pertains to President Clinton's Health Care Plan.  In all I thought Mr. Pollack was more prepared for the debate; however, it is my opinion that it is much easier to point out faults in things than to accurately describe their benefits truthfully.  In my opinion Mr. Pollack was much more aggressive than the Congressman which severely limited the Congressman's speaking time.  He also appeared to take personally a lot of the points Mr. Pollack made, which I believe also limited his effectiveness.  The Congressman made one comment that I also believe destroyed his argument before he really started it.  He stated, and I quote, “Most people are satisfied with their health coverage, they just want to keep it”.  This statement lost the argument for me because I personally have never seen anyone who was satisfied with their health coverage.