MSNBC's Martin Bashir on Wednesday wondered if Herman Cain, who worked for the Department of the Navy during Vietnam, is a "chicken hawk" because he criticized the President's pull out of Iraq. Talking to professor Michael Eric Dyson, Bashir complained, "And on the issue of Iran, does Cain remind you at all of Dick Cheney and that long roster of chicken hawks who've rabidly pushed for U.S. military action there? " A chicken hawk is a term used for someone who aggressively supports current wars, but cowardly avoided military service in the past. Martin Bashir grew up in South London... continue reading
Appearing on Wednesday's NBC Today, Meet the Press host David Gregory ripped Rick Perry's flat tax proposal: "The problem is, this does help the rich. It hurts a lot of the poor and the middle class. Political professionals I talk to say the problem with the flat tax ideas is that once voters look at it a second or third time they don't like it much." [ Audio available here ] Gregory even suggested Republican voters in Iowa would be opposed to the plan: "A lot of voters in the Iowa caucuses are not necessarily rich so it may not... continue reading
According to the network morning shows, violent Occupy Wall Street protesters are fighting back against government officials who are trying to rein them in. Early Show's Erica Hill highlighted " this growing crackdown on the anti-Wall Street protests around the country ." She added, "In Oakland, California, the protesters are pushing back." The "pushing back" came in the form of throwing rocks and bottles at police officers who attempted to remove them from a public encampment. Co-host Matt Lauer teased the segment by wondering, "Crackdown...What's driving the rising tension?" Today offered one sentence references to the rock and bottle throwing... continue reading
In an article for Roll Call on Wednesday about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, David Drucker included a quote from left-wing lobbyist Jimmy Williams, who ranted: "...many in the Democratic caucus see Sen. Lieberman as a mosquito....The bad news is he has sucked enough blood from both sides of the aisle. The good news is winter is coming, meaning his time in the Senate will thankfully come to an end." Given the refusal of the media to acknowledge the strain of anti-Semitism currently on display in the radical left Occupy Wall Street protests, it's troubling that Roll Call would choose to... continue reading
All three network morning shows on Wednesday cheered President Obama's Tuesday appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. At the top of ABC's Good Morning America, co-host Robin Roberts declared: "Comedian in chief. The President hits late-night TV talking about all the people taking swings at him right now. And why what he's really worried about is what the First Lady's giving out for Halloween." Later, fellow co-host George Stephanopoulos noted how Obama was "trying to warm up his image with a few laughs on Jay Leno's couch." White House correspondent Jake Tapper described how the President "made certain... continue reading
The morning shows of ABC, CBS, and NBC on Tuesday devoted just 19 seconds to the arrests of 75 people in northern California, after police evicted Occupy Oakland from their encampment in front of city hall there. The Early Show devoted a news brief to the story during its last half hour, noting the violent reaction from some of the protesters. Good Morning America and the Today show both punted. News anchor Jeff Glor gave the news brief 35 minutes into the 8 am Eastern hour, and reported that "police are confronting 'Occupy Oakland' protesters this morning in northern California..... continue reading
Although interviewee Harry Connick Jr. was unwilling to cast blame towards any specific person or agenda over the failed response to the Hurricane Katrina in 2005, CNN's Piers Morgan thrice tried to bait him into doing so on Monday. Connick stated on Piers Morgan Tonight that "at this point, what good is it going to do to blame local or state or federal government?" Yet Morgan emphasized the "scandalously slow" response to the disaster by authorities, and even noted liberal conspiracy claims that "surreptitious racism" was involved. Morgan referred to President Bush's account of the response in his memoirs thus:... continue reading
MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Tuesday reiterated his cartoon view of the Republican Party as a political organization that wants to cause "cruel pain on people" and intends to "get rid" of cops and firefighters. Highlighting a couple of isolated outbursts at GOP debates, Matthews frothed, "They want more people to fry. They love executions. They want people that don't have insurance to die on the gurney in the hospital bed." [MP3 audio here.] The Hardball anchor continued, "If you're a teacher, fireman or a cop, get rid of the guy! I mean, this attitude of causing cruel pain on people... continue reading
During an interview with Fox News's Bill O'Reilly on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer cited recent foreign policy successes for President Obama and wondered: "Republicans have run on a perception that they are tougher on national security, that they're the ones who can keep Americans safe....has Barack Obama done a lot to erase that perception?" [ Audio available here ] The O'Reilly Factor host replied: "I mean, it's all about the economy. I don't think foreign affairs is going to be much next year, although Iran is a wild card. If Iran causes trouble in Iraq because the President,... continue reading
Journalistic outlets, which were all too eager to accuse the Tea Party of bigotry, have been mostly silent in response to examples of anti-Semitism at the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests. Incidents caught on tape and the urging of the Anti-Defamation League to stop anti-Jewish bigotry have yielded very little coverage. Since October 1st, a Nexis search reveals no discussion of anti-Semitism at the protests on ABC, CBS, NBC or during the primetime lineup of CNN and MSNBC. This is despite incidents of anti-Jewish comments at "Occupy" rallies in New York and Los Angeles. At one L.A. protest, now-fired teacher... continue reading