Justin McCarthy's blog

Rosie Bashes 'The View,' Barbara Walters Responds

Rosie O’Donnell can not seem to let go her bitterness over her brief and tumultuous tenure with "The View." According to "The Washington Post’s" November 20 "TV Column," Rosie, in promoting her upcoming variety show on NBC, diverted to "The View" stating "I’m not say we loathed each other, but there wasn’t a lot of off-camera camaraderie." Rosie also compared Barbara Walters to a grandmother trying to put a happy face on a severely dysfunctional family. Rosie also promised her show will be free of political discussion.

Later in the morning on "The View," Barbara Walters responded to her former subordinate’s comments, without mentioning her name. Perhaps in reference to Star Jones as well, Barbara demanded "ladies get on with your lives." As Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck claimed they do in fact get along off camera, Elisabeth, to some audience and panel chuckles, and in reference to her notorious fight with Rosie, claimed "we’ve had incredible years, maybe one more difficult in the past." Barbara Walters responded, to more audience laughter, "we will now move on."

Pot Calling the Kettle: Joy Behar Labels Sarah Palin an 'Airhead'

Sarah Palin is an airhead proclaims the very dim Joy Behar. The same "View" co-host who blames earthquakes on global warming and just the previous day could not define the term "suffrage," snidely said of Sarah Palin "we all know that the woman is an airhead." Behar then continued to label those Obama critics "unpatriotic" (this of course after she considered dissent in the Bush years "patriotic") [audio excerpt here]

Joy Behar’s comments were sparked by a discussion on recent "Newsweek" and "Time" covers comparing President-elect Obama to Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt respectively. Elisabeth Hasselbeck felt it was premature to judge the Obama presidency before he is even inaugurated. Hasselbeck declared it was another example of the media "coddling" Barack Obama has they have done throughout the entire campaign.

Whoopi and Sherri Do Not Know the Definition of 'Suffrage'

For a panel that airs their opinion nationally on regular basis, it is reasonable to expect them to understand basic political terms. Unfortunately, current “View” co-hosts do not. On the November 18 edition of “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg cited an “Advocate” cover headline reading “Gay is the New Black.” Reading the teleprompter, Whoopi stated “some people don’t agree with comparing this to black suffrage,” paused and, in a puzzled state, admitted “I don’t even understand what that word is, suffrage.” [audio available here]

For the record, and to offer Whoopi Goldberg some free elementary school education, the term suffrage according to “Merriam-Webster,” is defined as “the right of voting.”

Sherri Shepherd, who lacks basic information in geography and history, revealed her ignorance in civics and vocabulary. Sherri clumsily tried to define it as “I guess it’s when black people had to, you know, they didn’t want to die for being black.” The other two co-hosts in attendance, Joy Behar (who previously taught English) and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, did not speak up to offer a definition.

Keith Olbermann Promises to Hold Democrats Accountable 'If They Screw Up'

Stay tuned! With Democrats poised to control both the legislative and executive branches of the government, Keith Olbermann promises to be just as tough on them as they were on Bush and the Republicans if they "screw up."On the November 10 edition of "The View," Barbara Walters questioned Olbermann if he is "going to have trouble..now that the people you like most are in?"

Olbermann retorted, "they could screw up." Elisabeth Hasselbeck followed up "if they do would you say it?" Olbermann then replied with a simple "yeah." Joy Behar backed him up with an affirmative "yes, of course."

On a related note, earlier in the segment, Elisabeth Hasselbeck addressed criticism that Olbermann is "hard on Republicans," but "soft on Democrats." Olbermann replied that during the primary he was very tough on Hillary Clinton. He still has not answered why he remained soft on Obama during the time period.

Joy's Glass House: Behar Objects to Limbaugh's 'Thug' Comments

"View" co-host Joy Behar seems to have trouble seeing her own hypocrisy when issuing condemnations of other individual’s comments. On the November 10 edition, Behar objected to Rush Limbaugh, whom she baselessly labeled a "terrorist," labeling Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel "thugs." After Barbara Walters promised to question Rush on that issue in an upcoming interview, Behar exclaimed "he needs to apologize."

Joy Behar, under her own standards, ought to issue several apologies. Beyond the Rush Limbaugh "terrorist" smear, Behar also made such outrageous charges as labeling the Bush administration "liars and murderers," accused Republican presidential candidates of attending "Klan meetings," and called former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a "Hitler type."

Barbara Walters: ABC 'Most Objective' Network

ABC is the most objective network. Just ask Barbara Walters. The November 6 edition of "The View" kicked off with a discussion on ABC correspondent Steve Osunsami’s emotional reaction to Obama’s victory. Barbara Walters defended Osunsami and called ABC the most "objective network." Barbara then assured the panel and her audience that it’s not because she is "a part of ABC News." This "objective" ABC network is the same outlet where Terry Moran implied Sarah Palin's rhetoric was endangering Barack Obama's life and David Wright accused McCain of engaging in "fear and loathing."

Later in the segment Barbara Walters offered praise, and the panel agreed (in Joy Behar’s absence), to President Bush’s graciousness in willing to offer a smooth transition for the new president-elect.

Later in the program, the ladies discussed rumors, allegedly leaked by McCain staffers, about Sarah Palin’s unruly behavior and lack of knowledge. Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the only co-host who met Governor Palin, assured that the Alaska governor is not a "diva." Barbara Walters was puzzled as to what was wrong that Palin allegedly hinted at 2012 presidential run. Sherri Shepherd chastised the McCain staffers for airing Palin’s dirty laundry after they vetted her. Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck agreed: Leaking incriminating information without identifying one’s self is cowardly.

Whoopi and Sherri Celebrate Obama's Victory, But Still Call for Affirmative Action

Three of "The View" co-hosts are comedians by profession, but they unintentionally provided some comedy to the November 5 edition of "The View." After two segments of basking over Barack Obama’s victory, and the historic nature of the first African-American president, Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg hammered away the need for more affirmative action. [audio excerpt here]

The panel’s two rich black women, whose children do not need a head start over poor white children, expressed disappointment that Nebraska voters approved a ballot initiative banning affirmative action. Sherri Shepherd felt that "there are some people who just need a leg up." Whoopi Goldberg, who just moments before celebrated Obama’s historic victory, opined that "if we lived in the country that we always pray that we’re going to wake up in where everything works and everybody is equal, you wouldn’t need affirmative action."

Earlier in the segment, Joy Behar, giddy over Obama’s victory, proclaimed it as "a triumph over negative campaigning." Did Joy forget the Obama ad mocking McCain’s age and war wounds?

Whoopi Goldberg: 'I Cussed Out This Country'

Whoopi Goldberg, in defending Reverend Wright, admitted to, at times "cuss[ing] out America." On the November 4 (Election Day) edition of "The View," a conversation about Sarah Palin’s clearance in the "Troopergate" probe quickly morphed into a fight (three on one) over Reverend Wright. In justifying Wright’s "God damn America" remark, Whoopi confessed "I have been guilty of cussing this country out because we have not always shown our best and put our best foot forward."

Aiding Whoopi’s tirade against Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd defended Obama’s decision to forego public financing "because they’re swift boating Barack Obama with this Jeremiah Wright stuff." Sherri and Whoopi also scolded Elisabeth for allegedly not understanding black issues and Reverend Wright’s bitterness towards his country.

Adding to the pile on, Joy Behar, for her part, claimed she did not want to sit in judgment as a white woman stating "I don’t really think that I have any business to discuss what goes on in a black church because I am not black." When Elisabeth called out Joy for defending Wright when "Obama hasn’t," Behar comically denied defending Wright. When Elisabeth questioned Obama for sitting in Wright’s church for 20 years, Behar made a bizarre comparison claiming "A lot of people sat- a lot of people sat for eight years while Bush committed his little atrocities. So let’s not cast stones."

George Stephanopoulos: Media Biased Because McCain 'Not Doing So Well'

Media biased against McCain because his campaign is not doing well. That was George Stephanopoulos’ rationalization on the November 3 edition of "The View." Elisabeth Hasselbeck questioned Stephanopoulos about the media’s pro-Obama bias. With studies out demonstrating the media has been clearly far more pro-Obama in its coverage, Stephanopoulos could not dispute the facts. Instead the former Clinton adviser spun it as a result of the faltering McCain campaign. If they are not doing so well in the polls, they will "get more negative stories."

Earlier in the segment, Barbara Walters posed hypotheticals if Obama were to win and if McCain were to win. The ABC News anchor predicted if Obama were to win "the world will look at us and say a big part of the American dream, the part that says anybody can grow up to be president, is not a myth." This of course is in reference to the historic nature of America’s first African-American president.

However, Stephanopoulos offered no such predictions for a potential McCain victory, no kind words of an historic first woman vice president. Instead, Stephanopoulos predicted "I think people will be wondering what happened" and "there will be a lot of anger."

Whoopi Goldberg: 'I Read [The Constitution],' But Not the 13th Amendment

Whoopi Goldberg wants to settle it once and for all: She read the Constitution! Though she apparently still has not read as far as the 13th Amendment. On the November 3 edition of "The View," in discussing a recent Howard Kurtz item noting the tough tone of John McCain’s recent interview, Whoopi once again alluded to her notorious "slavery" sandbag of Senator McCain.

Whoopi took issue with some letters she has received urging her to actually read the Constitution and accused everyone else of not reading "the damn Constitution." Whoopi then seemingly confused the Constitution and the Declaration of Indepdence. She then attacked McCain’s strict constructionist interpretation concluding that an originist judge would return to slavery. Claiming "I read [the Constitution], I know what I was asking," Whoopi apparently missed that the 13th Amendment clearly forbids slavery and any originist judge would know that.

Michael Barone: If Bush Were a Dictator, New York Times Editor Would Be 'In Chains'

If President Bush is exhibiting dictatorial behaviors, the editor and publisher of The New York Times would be facing criminal prosecution. That hypothesis come from pundit and "U.S. News" columnist Michael Barone. Appearing on the October 30 edition of "Fox and Friends," Barone laughed off outrageous charges of a Bush dictatorship. He then noted that the true anti-civil libertarian measures are coming from the left, particularly Barack Obama and his supporters.

Barone exemplified such actions by noting Democratic attorneys calling for libel prosecution of Obama’s critics, but not McCain’s. Barone added "that would represent the first time that we have criminalized political speech since the expiration of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1801-1802." Barone also noted Obama’s co-sponsorship of the Fairness Doctrine, a backdoor way to censor conservative talk radio.

Barone of course also alluded to the media’s love affair with Barack Obama and their concern about harming the senator’s "electoral chances."

Whoopi Goldberg: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Gets the Most Death Threats

Which "View" co-host receives, on average, the most death threats? Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd coming from racially motivated individuals? Nope. Joy Behar coming from those evil right wingers? Nope. The correct answer is right-of-center co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. This bombshell comes not from some anonymous "View" staffer, or Hasselbeck herself, but liberal co-host Whoopi Goldberg.

"The New York Post" reports that Goldberg, participating in a panel discussion, made such a revelation. "The View" moderator also spoke positive about Hasselbeck despite their political differences: "Politically we could not be more opposite, but I respect her tremendously."

'View' Panel Unanimous: Palin Noose an Outrage

Unlike the network morning news shows, the Sarah Palin hanging in effigy was covered by, surprisingly, "The View." On the October 28 edition, the panel, as they should be, was unanimous in condemning inflammatory Halloween decoration. The best remark came from, yet another surprise, Joy Behar. Hinting at media double standards Behar cried "if they had done it to Obama, it would cause a tremendous hoopla."

Behar, who normally attempts to play the equivocation game, offered no such attempt on this subject adding "as much as I disagree with her politics, it’s outrageous. It’s stupid." The others chimed in as well as Whoopi Goldberg asserted "you just don’t do that." Sherri Shepherd raised concerns about Sarah Palin’s children. Elisabeth Hasselbeck declared "it’s not even worth hearing what [the house owner] has to say."

Bernie Goldberg Blasts Obama's Orlando Station Boycott

Discussing the Obama campaign’s recent feud with a local Orlando station, best selling author and former CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg appeared on the October 27 edition of "Fox and Friends" to offer his analysis. Goldberg appeared puzzled as to the campaign’s response to what he found respectful questions.

The former CBS insider, agreed with co-host Gretchen Carlson’s point that the campaign was simply stunned that someone asked either Obama or Biden some tough questions. Bernie Goldberg noted that the mainstream media was largely asking soft questions such as "what is your favorite color?" Goldberg hypothesized Senator Biden’s harsh response is a product of his elitist attitude as a U.S. senator that no local station should ask such an "impertinent" question.

Bernie Goldberg also observed, despite the bad wrap Sarah Palin is receiving, Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s recent lack of access to the press.

Whoopi Goldberg: 'Shum Jum Yum Yum' More Radical Because of Bush

Whoopi Goldberg’s solution to winning the War on Terror: talk to "Shum Jum Yum Yum," whoever that is. On the October 24 edition of "The View," the aforementioned co-host defended Barack Obama’s call for unconditional talks with rogue nations like Iran. Whoopi concluded that dictators such as "Ahmadinejacket" and "Shum Jum Yum Yum" (presumably she meant Kim Jong Il?) have become "less rational" because the Bush administration has allegedly not talked to these regimes.

Besides airing her opinion without getting key names correct, Whoopi should know that talking unconditionally to Adolf Hitler did not make him any less radical. This should come as no surprise to a woman, who, on more than one occasion, demonstrated her ignorance of basic history.

In Mocking Palin, Chris Matthews Gets Facts on 'John Adams' Wrong

Is Chris Matthews so excited to pounce on any perceived Sarah Palin controversy that he can not get his facts straight? As NewsBusters previously reported, Matthews, in mocking Governor Palin’s alleged ignorance on the role of the vice president, stated incorrect facts on the history of the vice presidency. A further investigation finds that Chris Matthews mangled his facts over the HBO miniseries, "John Adams," as well. First his quote to McCain adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer on the October 22 edition of "Hardball."

"Either she’s right about the vice presidency or I’m wrong. I say the role of the vice presidency, under the Constitution, is limited to breaking ties in the U.S. Senate. It has nothing to do with policy making, nothing to do with Senate leadership on either side of the aisle. There is no policy role whatever for the vice president. If you’ve even watch ‘John Adams’ on television a few months ago, you would know that going in to the very beginning of our democracy. The vice president has a formal role only. She believes somehow that the vice president of the United States has some sort of commanding policy development role and can lead the U.S. Senate. Where does she get this from?"