Invoking Michael Moore, CNN Asks Panel Who to Arrest In Wake of American Credit Downgrade

August 9th, 2011 7:17 PM

Referencing Michael Moore's absurd tweet that President Obama should arrest the CEO of Standard & Poors for downgrading America's credit rating, CNN's Kyra Phillips actually asked her panel members who they would like to see arrested in the fallout of the downgrade.

Whether or not the question was serious, Moore's tweet was. On Monday he implored President Obama , via Twitter, to "show some guts" and arrest the CEO of Standard & Poors. "These criminals brought down the economy in 2008& [sic] now they will do it again," Moore tweeted.

[Video below the break.]

Moore may or may not have realized that he was imploring President Obama to assume unprecedented dictatorial power in a time of peace.

"All right, that's Michael Moore's opinion," Phillips remarked. "So guys, who would you want to see arrested over this?" Whether or not the question was in jest, CNN still held Moore's "opinion" in such regard as to air a discussion over it.

Liberal Roland Martin abruptly called for the arrest of "Every single banker, every single credit agency."

"Arrested for what?" a smiling Will Cain exclaimed. "You don't arrest people for being moronic."

A transcript of the segment, which aired on August 9 at 10:33 a.m. EDT, is as follows:

KYRA PHILLIPS: All right, here we go, "Buzzer Beater." Filmmaker Michael Moore – he tweeted out, quote, telling this to the President, "Show some guts and arrest the CEO of S&P. These criminals brought down the economy in 2008, and now they will do it again." All right, that's Michael Moore's opinion. So guys, who would you want to see arrested over this? Roland?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN political analyst: All of them. Make them all do the perp walk! Every single banker, every single credit agency. Arrest them all, the crooks.

PHILLIPS: Will?

WILL CAIN, CNN contributor: Arrested for what? Just – I know I've got ten seconds. But let me tell you about the liberal prism of mine and the conserve perception. I think when a liberal looks at the world and sees bad things, they see malevolence and conspiracy. I see morons. You don't arrest people for being moronic.

MARTIN: Yes, you do.

(Laughter)

PHILLIPS: Pete?

PETE DOMINICK, comedian: Hold on, Kyra, I'm making a trade to help the Dow go back up. Oh, listen, listen, this is the fault, I say, of all of the senators who voted against the Brown-Kauffman amendment that would have led to the breakup of banks. Wall Street is just doing what they're allowed to get away with. Congress needs to regulate them and create rules they can't break. And by the way, the Italian authorities did raid Standard & Poor's yesterday.

MARTIN: Good!