Soledad O'Brien

CNN Badgers Congressman to Tear Up No-Tax-Hike Pledge
By Matt Hadro | November 13, 2012 | 11:28 AM EST

[UPDATE BELOW] CNN's Christine Romans and Soledad O'Brien teamed up on Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Tuesday's Starting Point, pressuring him to renege on his pledge not to raise tax rates.

"So would you be fine doing a compromise where you would go against your signature on that pledge?" O'Brien pressed Chaffetz over Grover Norquist's pledge not to hike tax rates and not to increase tax revenues without enacting equal tax rate cuts. She asked him if he would "say this to the pledge" while tearing up a piece of paper.

CNN Panel Tells Republicans to Move to the Center
By Matt Hadro | November 9, 2012 | 5:59 PM EST

"Tone deaf" Republicans are too conservative, or so said CNN's panel on Friday's Starting Point. CNN's Don Lemon remarked, "I think unless the GOP becomes the GNP, which is the Grand New Party, they're on the verge of extinction because they're tone deaf."

All three guests agreed that the GOP needs to move to the center. How's that for intellectual diversity? Anchor Soledad O'Brien started it off by lauding "one of the very best tweets" from the election, CNN regular Abby Huntsman saying (surprise!) her dad Jon Huntsman should have been the party's nominee.

CNN Gushes Over 'Amazing' and 'Remarkable' Moment of Obama Crying
By Matt Hadro | November 9, 2012 | 3:00 PM EST

Not only did CNN relay Obama campaign video of the President crying after his re-election, but they hailed it as "amazing" and "remarkable." In contrast, when Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) choked up in front of cameras after GOP victories in 2010 enabled him to become the next Speaker of the House, CNN simply reported it as an "emotional speech."

"So, Soledad, a remarkable moment there. And we're just seeing this now, I should say, because this is video put out by the Obama campaign," reported CNN's Brianna Keilar. "Wow, 'No Drama Obama' gets a little dramatic and emotional," added anchor Soledad O'Brien.

Laughable: Soledad O'Brien Thinks Nate Silver 'Doesn't Have a Liberal Bias In His Calculations'
By Matt Hadro | November 6, 2012 | 12:11 PM EST

Former Daily Kos blogger Nate Silver turned heads with his Obama-friendly election predictions in the New York Times, but CNN's Soledad O'Brien thinks his conclusions show no bias. Of course, the liberal CNN anchor just might have a blind spot for poll numbers favoring Obama.

"Nate Silver is very careful about focusing on the numbers. And he doesn't have a liberal bias in his calculations, which I think is why a lot of people follow what he has to say," O'Brien declared on Tuesday's Starting Point.

Rob Portman Smacks Down CNN's Obama-Friendly Talking Points
By Matt Hadro | November 5, 2012 | 5:26 PM EST

CNN's Soledad O'Brien threw Democratic talking points at Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Monday's Early Start, but the Romney surrogate was ready as he defended the campaign's Jeep ad.

"Was it a mistake then to run that Jeep ad which ran in Toledo, Ohio?" O'Brien pressed. "[I]t was deemed by PolitiFact to be false," she added, despite the claim's accuracy that plans were indeed made to build Jeeps in China.

Grover Norquist Slams CNN's Jobs Spin; 'Not Even a Dead Cat Bounce'
By Matt Hadro | November 2, 2012 | 12:17 PM EDT

After the last jobs report before the election, CNN's Soledad O'Brien tried to be positive even with high underemployment and unemployment rates. On Friday's Starting Point, she ridiculously cast underemployment moving down one tenth of a percent to 14.6 as "improving."

"Underemployment which was 14.7 percent, now 14.6; labor force participation, as well, that's better. Are you feeling encouraged at all?" she asked conservative guest Grover Norquist. "No. This is not even a dead cat bounce," he replied.

CNN Gives Oxygen to Dem Talking Points on Romney and FEMA
By Matt Hadro | October 31, 2012 | 3:21 PM EDT

A Mitt Romney quote circulated by Democrats over the weekend has now been hyped into a "political controversy" by CNN. A liberal journalist and a Democratic strategist first brought the story to CNN on Monday morning, and by Tuesday CNN's Soledad O'Brien brought it up in an interview.

"In the wake of super storm Sandy, a political controversy rages over something Mitt Romney said at a primary debate last year. Did he suggest FEMA should be eliminated?" reported CNN's John Berman on Wednesday's Starting Point.

Republicans Rip Soledad O'Brien for Being 'Advocate,' Obama Hack
By Matt Hadro | October 30, 2012 | 7:29 PM EDT

Over at Politico, Republicans who have had to endure the Obama spin from CNN's Soledad O'Brien are talking about her painfully evident bias, all while O'Brien has arrogantly compared interviewing one of them with talking to her children.

Former New Hampshire governor John Sununu called her a Democratic hack. "There's Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Stephanie Cutter, and Soledad O'Brien," he told Politico. "She [O'Brien] is so committed to Obama she doesn't even know what she's doing." Romney adviser Barbara Comstock said "she's not a reporter, she's an advocate."

CNN's Bossy Soledad O'Brien: I Treat Rudy Giuliani Like One of My Kids
By Tim Graham | October 30, 2012 | 3:26 PM EDT

Lloyd Grove of the Daily Beast offers a positive profile of CNN's Soledad O'Brien -- she's "Cable TV's New Morning Thunder" -- but the morning host appeared quite arrogant in her trashing of Rudy Giuliani.

Grove loved her smack talk at Rudy as she tried to deny a Libya coverup on October 22: "It was the sort of thrashing that very few TV hosts would have the nerve to administer to the hero of 9/11. At an hour when many bleary-eyed viewers are waking up and easing into their day, it was the morning-show equivalent of spilling coffee on the bedsheets. It was also riveting television." And then she compared handling Rudy to talking down to one of her children:  

Soledad O'Brien Tells Mourdock to 'Get Real,' Brings Up Todd Akin
By Matt Hadro | October 24, 2012 | 11:43 AM EDT

Is Soledad O'Brien working for the DSCC? She distorted a pro-life statement from Senate candidate Richard Mourdock by including it with the Todd Akin controversy in a critical "Get Real" segment on Wednesday's Starting Point. She also tied Romney to Mourdock by noting he previously backed the candidate.

"Our 'Get Real' this morning, I think it's a really interesting question about a lack of sensitivity toward a victim of rape," O'Brien began. "Big implications politically, of course, Dana, for this," she hyped later.

The Daily Kos Loves Soledad O'Brien: 'The Best Thing to Happen to Journalism'
By Matt Hadro | October 23, 2012 | 5:01 PM EDT

Guess who loves CNN's Soledad O'Brien? The liberals at the Daily Kos! They think she's "the best thing to happen to journalism" and have suggested starting a petition for her to supplant David Gregory as host of NBC's Meet the Press.

"Sure, O'Brien does criticize the Tea Party and others in the GOP heavily but that doesn't necessarily make her a partisan. I mean, she's a frickin' journalist," wrote member "pipsorcle." Yes, even the Daily Kos admits that O'Brien goes after the GOP an awful lot.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien Thought Obama 'Bayonets' Line Was Huge 'Moment'; Focus Group Member Disagrees
By Ken Shepherd | October 23, 2012 | 12:52 AM EDT

"We got some big laughs out of the crowd" on President Obama's "horses and bayonets" line, CNN's Soledad O'Brien gushed during a focus-group segment on CNN following shortly after the conclusion of Monday's presidential debate. Yet when she turned to see if a member of the focus group found it influential towards his vote, she was rebuffed.

"Often we in the media talk about moments. Did you think that that was an important moment that would influence your vote in any way?" O'Brien asked one Bob Thwaits (sp?), who replied, "No, not at all. I think that the digs are just part of the game and just a distraction. Takes you away from the facts." O'Brien dusted that off and turned to a female panelist who "rolled [her] eyes a lot" at Gov. Romney saying "I love teachers."