MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who once trashed Michele Bachmann as a "zombie " and a " nutcase ," on Tuesday praised the Congresswoman as " poised, informed and serious. " Touting Bachmann's performance in Monday's Republican presidential debate, he gushed that the Representative did "great." The Hardball host, who once battled with Bachmann and wondered if she was " hypnotized ," hyped that the debate saw "the emergence of a star." He added, "[Bachmann] was, of course, created here. She came off as...poised, informed and serious. Could she be the candidate that Sarah Palin was supposed to be?" In an amusing... continue reading
In an interview with President Obama on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry fretted over Republican calls for spending cuts before raising the nation's debt limit: "Do you think they're bluffing, given how financially disastrous it would be for the United States not to have the debt ceiling raised? And are you willing to make deep spending cuts?" Obama laughably claimed: "Well, keep in mind, we've already made deep spending cuts. I mean, I've proposed a freeze on federal spending, during the last threatened government shutdown we made some really tough cuts..." He then used the opportunity to bash the... continue reading
The morning shows on Tuesday used loaded terms to describe Monday's Republican presidential debate. According to Good Morning America's John Berman, it was a " two-hour race to out-bash the President ." On the Today show, Chuck Todd sniffed that " much of the affair was an anti-Obama soundbite contest ." CBS's Early Show proved to be more mild. Co-host Erica Hill recounted, "Attacking Obama. The top Republican candidates for President face off in their first debate, but instead of going after each other, they took dead aim at the President." Congresswoman Michele Bachmann appeared on both GMA and the... continue reading
On Tuesday's Morning Joe, former Washington Post reporter Jim VandeHei, now executive editor of The Politico, flatly stated that not a 'single reporter at any media organization' thinks Sarah Palin 'can be President or should be President.' The blunt observation from a top media insider of his colleagues' obvious prejudice against Palin comes after a weekend of frenzied efforts to plumb through the ex-Governor's e-mails, only to find ' not a lot of bombshells .' VandeHei's assertion came after he referred to an op-ed by Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough in Tuesday's Politico, in which Scarborough revealed his own tales... continue reading
Previewing Tuesday's Early Show town hall meeting with Republicans on the economy, CBS's Bob Schieffer, who pushes his Face the Nation guests to agree taxes must be raised, hailed a Republican, Senator Tom Coburn, for expressing a willingness to include a tax increase in deficit negotiations. After dismissing the Republicans CBS assembled - Monday afternoon at the Newseum - for how they 'pretty much stuck to the Republican line: Low taxes and cutting the deficit will eventually lead to economic growth,' Schieffer championed: 'But it was Coburn who may have won the prize for candor.' Viewers then heard Coburn declaring:... continue reading
According to MSNBC's Thomas Roberts, who last week seemed to enjoy correcting Sarah Palin for her historical "flub," President Lyndon Johnson "was never actually elected Commander in Chief." The cable anchor relayed that piece of false information on Monday in a segment downplaying the chances of another Texan, potential 2012 candidate Rick Perry. In fact, Lyndon Johnson won the 1964 election in a landslide, capturing all but six states. Discussing Texas, Roberts announced, " President Lyndon Johnson was from Texas and he was never actually elected Commander in Chief ." [MP3 audio here .] On June 7, 2011, commenting on... continue reading
While grilling former Pennsylvania Senator and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum on NBC's Sunday Meet the Press, host David Gregory was skeptical of the idea that Americans should be able to choose their own health care plan: "They're better off with the freedom that they've got in the vagaries of the private insurance market?" Gregory was responding to Santorum's criticism of ObamaCare: "[Obama] doesn't believe Americans can actually make decisions for themselves, that he has to tell you how much money you're going to, you're going to spend on health care." After doubting the value of freedom in choosing medical insurance,... continue reading
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell scolded Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty on Thursday over the former Minnesota governor's proposed plan to reduce taxes and cut spending, decrying the conservative measures as "counter-intuitive." "What makes you think that a plan to actually increase the deficit by cutting taxes is the right way to go right now?" groused NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. Without missing a beat, Pawlenty senior adviser Phil Musser retorted: "It really depends if you believe that growth is the solution for our future. So what the governor has laid out is an optimistic, pro-growth message... continue reading
Much of the media made fools of themselves with their excited obsession over the release of Sarah Palin's gubernatorial e-mails, but NBC News went the furthest, sending, as did CNN, reporters to Juneau as the network uniquely led its Friday night newscast by hyping the non-news as a major event. "On the broadcast tonight," anchor Lester Holt heralded, "mail call. Thousands of pages of e-mail from Sarah Palin's time as Governor. What we're learning about her tonight." Following a story from "national investigative correspondent" Michael Isikoff in which "MSNBC.com investigative reporter" Bill Dedman had the gall to complain "we waited... continue reading
Disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner may currently be lacking in Democratic allies on Capitol Hill, but he at least has one on ABC's The View. Co-host Barbara Walters held hope Thursday that Weiner can survive his scandal and be an "effective" congressman. "He was a good congressman, and maybe he can weather this all and be effective," Walters offered on Thursday's edition of The View. Walters, who revealed in her memoirs that she herself had an affair with a married politician, hinted that Weiner could become another heroic Clinton. "[W]e had a president named Bill Clinton who went through... continue reading