Despite the Republicans dramatically retaking the Senate, increasing their majority in the House and upping the number of GOP governors, veteran NBC journalist Tom Brokaw on Tuesday night insisted, "I don't think that this was a big, ideological election, as much as it was 'we want to change the team.'" [MP3 audio here .] The ex- NBC Nightly News anchor put the responsibility on Republicans: "Will [voters] fall out of love with Republicans that they have elected to office? That all depends on how the Republicans take control of the Senate now and the Congress." Sounding a bit cranky, Brokaw... continue reading
CNN's Carol Costello hyped how " Republicans have managed to use fear so successfully in these midterm elections " during interviews of two former governors on Tuesday's CNN Newsroom . During a segment with Democrat Bill Richardson, Costello lamented that Democrats are " not talking about President Obama's more positive accomplishments in office ," and asserted that "those things are certainly overshadowed by the anxiety that voters feel about ISIS and Ebola." The anchor also underlined that "fear is a powerful motivator, and it is the President's job to calm those anxieties." Minutes later, during an interview of Haley Barbour,... continue reading
Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe Tuesday morning, Politico's Jim VandeHei absurdly claimed that Republicans would be in big trouble if they took control of the Senate in the midterm election: "...even if Republicans win, I think they're going to be in a hell of a jam. In that they're not going to be able to get anything done." VandeHei predicted Senators like Ted Cruz would be "breathing fire" and that "ultraconservatives" would control the party: "... and it's what's gonna make governing almost impossible over the next two years. This happy talk that things can get done is nonsense if... continue reading
On Tuesday, the folks on CBS This Morning did their best to downplay the significance of a potential GOP-controlled Senate in this year’s midterm elections. Unlike ABC and NBC who provided mostly straightforward coverage of today’s elections, CBS made sure to push the line that regardless of the outcomes, the election was an indictment of both political parties. Throughout three segments, multiple CBS News contributors pushed the line that even if Republicans take control of the Senate “not only is this election not about either party's ideas, Democrats or Republicans, but really more about the fact that Americans just want... continue reading
Monday night on HBO viewers heard one of their stars call Rush Limbaugh an “idiot” and charge “he’s a liar and a hatemonger – makes me want to puke.” But it wasn’t Bill Maher. It was actress Frances McDormand in the second half of the pay network’s two-night Olive Kitteridge mini-series about the later years of life of a woman living in a coastal Maine town. Audio: MP3 clip Her disgust with Limbaugh bursts out when she gets into a car with another widower, played by Bill Muray, who is taking her to dinner. When he starts his car (she... continue reading
On Monday night, NBC continued to doubt the real possibility of the Republicans taking over control of the U.S. Senate following the midterm elections on Tuesday. Both NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and NBC News political director and Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd expressed reservations during the program’s opening five minutes, as Williams led off by describing the election as a “cliffhanger” with “several big races” that “have perhaps tightened.” Todd then followed with a segment reporting that “voters are conflicted” on who to vote for and, when added to their disgust with Washington, has created a situation... continue reading
On Monday’s CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley , CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker opined during a roundtable discussion that Tuesday’s governor’s elections in Florida and Wisconsin featuring incumbent Republican Governors Rick Scott and Scott Walker (respectively) will be “a referendum on” the “policies” that the two have implemented in their states based on “the Republican playbook.” When asked by Pelley about which of the 36 governor’s races that will be decided on Tuesday he is watching for, Whitaker cited “three races to watch, that’s in Florida, Wisconsin and Colorado.” [MP3 audio here ; Video below] After mentioning that Scott... continue reading
NBC's Today and CBS This Morning both led their broadcasts on Monday with euthanasia advocate Brittany Maynard's drug-induced suicide. The morning shows' anchors sang the praises of the "beautiful, brave young woman ," as Gayle King labeled Maynard. Charlie Rose touted how the cancer patient's " short and meaningful life is over ." Savannah Guthrie gushed, " What a remarkable young woman, and to share it with everyone, obviously, took a lot of courage ." The programs avoided using the word "suicide" during their reporting – other than a month-old soundbite of CBS correspondent Jan Crawford pointing out to Maynard... continue reading
On Thursday, Charlie Rose invited singer-songwriter Neil Young on his PBS show to promote his latest album and played a clip of the Woodstock-generation singer’s first single - basically an anthem against Big Oil called “Who’s Gonna Stand Up?” In the clip Young calls for the end of fossil fuel and fracking. Here are some of the lyrics: End fossil fuel Draw the line Before we build one more pipeline End fracking now Within seconds after playing the clip the PBS host also asked Young about his new memoir in which the singer “covers everything from his love of cars... continue reading
The liberals on MSNBC have already begun to pre-spin the reasons behind a possible Democratic disaster in Tuesday's midterms: It's because the party didn't tout Barack Obama's "accomplishments." Host Ronan Farrow on Monday complained: "But, if these Democratic candidates are just flouting the President and at a time when he faces a tough environment on the hill already, sort of adding to his woes, do they risk alienating Democratic voters with that kind of divisiveness?" Former Obama campaign press secretary Bill Burton appeared on Farrow's show to scold, "...Maybe if we can go back in time and think about how... continue reading