Chris Matthews got into such a tizzy about Republicans criticizing Barack Obama on his terror policy that he flew off the handle, on Thursday's Hardball, as he yelled at his GOP guest: "What's your problem with the guy? Why do you keep bitching?!" During a segment with regular panelists, Democratic strategist Steve McMahon and Republican strategist Todd Harris, the MSNBC host directed, what seemed to be a pent-up frustration about the GOP at Harris, for his party's questioning of "one of the smartest presidents we've ever had." [ audio available here ] The following outburst was aired on the May... continue reading
On Thursday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith commemorated the 50th anniversary of the invention of the birth control pill: "This week is the golden anniversary of the birth of birth control , a medical breakthrough that has changed society and the sexual landscape forever.... 'The Pill' promised to free women from biological bonds and it did just that." In a taped report, Smith described the breaking of those "bonds": "In the 1950s, women made up about a third of the workforce. Today, women hold nearly half of all U.S. jobs. In the 1950s, American women, on average, had 3.8... continue reading
Actress Scarlett Johansson, who campaigned for Barack Obama who mentioned getting e-mails from her, remains in the tank for him. She admitted on Wednesday night's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson that she was amongst those who "drank the Kool-aid" at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last Saturday where she found him "amazing" and "hilarious." Monday's USA Today, as I tweeted , quoted Johansson: "I thought (Obama) was hilarious. He has a really dry sense of humor." When Ferguson's show returned from a commercial break, as the musical bumper ended viewers could hear Johansson telling Ferguson: "Obama was so... continue reading
MSNBC's Contessa Brewer on Thursday didn't try and hide her opinion on illegal immigration, spinning such lawbreakers as having a "pivotal role in making our country work." The News Live host interviewed Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles and opined, "They do all kinds of jobs that keep our economy going, that keep us fed, our houses clean, our gardens tended and the like." [Audio available here .] Brewer appeared absolutely baffled by the fact that most Americans agree with Arizona's new immigration law: "When you're looking at removing those people from the system, it's odd to me that... continue reading
On Thursday's 11AM hour on MSNBC, anchor Tamron Hall described "growing controversy" surrounding the recent shooting of an Arizona sheriff's deputy by illegal immigrant drug smugglers and noted how: "The Pinal County sheriff released the 911 tapes the injured deputy made, in response to what he called 'growing speculation' that the shooting was staged." [Audio available here ] Hall brought on Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu to respond and grilled him on the conspiracy theory put out by the left-leaning Phoenix NewTimes : "a report...comparing the deputy who received that wound...to another officer who had staged a gun battle. The... continue reading
Good Morning America on Thursday again brought on Tom Friedman to lobby for taxes on carbon and oil. Talking to host George Stephanopoulos, the New York Times columnist urged Barack Obama to "use" the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico and push " a bill through the Senate. " Friedman discussed America getting off oil and argued, "Well, ultimately, it's going to require a price on carbon that will stimulate innovation in clean power technologies." He delicately mentioned forcing changes on businesses and taxpayers and touted that other countries "are putting in place, basically, these kind of carbon rules and... continue reading
Botched bomber Faisal Shahzad's failure to achieve the "American dream" may have been an important motive for his terrorist act, CBS's Bob Orr contended Wednesday night in a story in which he declared: "Shahzad's motive also remains unclear." After noting how Shahzad "told interrogators he's upset with U.S. policies which he feels unfairly target Muslims and he's angry over Predator strikes that have killed both terror leaders and civilians in his native Pakistan," Orr proposed: Investigators say a quest for revenge seems to have played some role, but personal financial pressures may also have pushed Shahzad to act. He became... continue reading
The Dick Cheney obsessed Chris Matthews, on Wednesday's Hardball, served up a softball to liberal Democratic Congressman Ed Markey as he pondered if the former vice president could, in any way, be blamed for the BP oil spill. Matthews, who it seems can't go a week without mentioning Cheney, even though he's no longer in office, questioned Markey if the oil spill occurred because of lax oversight by Cheney-installed regulators as he asked: "To what extent is the current regulatory regime, that governs people like BP, in place because of the previous administration, which was run by Cheney, based upon... continue reading
"Tea party groups battling allegations of racism," reads a May 5 page A3 Washington Post print headline . The online version header softened the word choice a tiny bit, substituting the word "perceptions" in for "allegations." The underlying poll data which prompted the story tells us more about the Post's prism through which it views the Tea Parties than how the public at large does. After three paragraphs pounding readers with the meme that "the [Tea Party] movement is struggling to overcome accusations of racism," the Post's Amy Gardner and Krissah Thompson quickly dispatched with the fact that most Americans... continue reading
MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan on Wednesday gave "kudos" to the Phoenix Suns basketball team for protesting Arizona's tough new policy on illegal immigration. The host touted, " The team is set to wear Los Suns jerseys tonight on Cinco de Mayo in response to Arizona's controversial [law]." Ratigan enthused that congratulations were in order and added, "Around here we call that a slam dunk." The cable anchor quoted the team's owner playing up the move as one to honor Hispanics. Clearly, however, there is a political angle. The same Robert Sarver also derided the legislation as "a flawed state law." Suns... continue reading