Haley Barbour

Scarborough: 'Certain Networks' Would Maul 'Boss Hogg' Barbour In Run Against Obama
By Mark Finkelstein | August 19, 2010 | 8:10 AM EDT
Gee, I wonder which network Joe had in mind . . .

Joe Scarborough likes Haley Barbour.  But he doesn't like the "optics" of the southern governor running for president against Barack Obama.  Scarborough's worried that "certain networks" would "maul" the man Scarborough referred to as "Boss Hogg." [H/t reader Ray R.]

Interestingly, both the Politico's Jim VandeHei and Tina Brown of the Daily Beast were able to see more of an upside for Haley.  VandeHei described him as best among Republicans at articulating conservative principles, while Brown saw the hands-on governor's potential as the "un-Barack."

Open Thread: Napolitano Says Haley Barbour is Governor of Alabama
By NB Staff | July 17, 2010 | 10:18 AM EDT

He's only one of the most powerful Republican governors in the nation, yet Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano thinks he presides over Alabama:

Haley Barbour: Media's Oil Spill Coverage Exaggerating Facts, Harming States' Economies
By Lachlan Markay | June 8, 2010 | 3:35 PM EDT
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour claims that the media's coverage of the Gulf oil spill is doing far more damage to his state's economy than the spill itself.

"The coast is clear," Barbour quipped on Fox News Sunday. "The truth is we've had virtually no oil." Barbour criticized media coverage generally, and Fox in particular. Shep Smith, whose show airs at 4pm and 7pm on weekdays, has been one of the loudest voices reporting on the spill.

Barbour claimed the media are responsible for "the biggest negative impact" on Mississippi. "The average viewer on this show thinks that the whole coast from Florida to Texas is ankle deep in oil," he added, and "of course it's very, very bad for our tourist season."
MSNBC's Schultz: Obama 'Should Get a Big Wet Kiss' After 'All the Negativity' He's Endured Against ObamaCare
By Ken Shepherd | March 29, 2010 | 11:42 AM EDT
Reacting to Haley Barbour's quip that the liberal media has given President Obama "the longest wet kiss in political history" after last week's passage of ObamaCare,  Ed Schultz made clear on MSNBC this morning that he feels President Obama deserves it for all the fierce criticism he and Democrats faced during the months of debate over the legislation.

The MSNBC host and liberal radio talker was interviewed by colleague David Shuster shortly after 10:30 a.m. EDT today.

Shuster introduced the segment with a clip of the Mississippi Republican governor's quip on  the March 28 edition of ABC's "This Week" and went briefly over some polling data before asking for Schultz's thoughts [MP3 audio here]:

Barbour on ABC: Media’s Given Obama ‘Longest Wet Kiss in Political History’
By Brent Baker | March 28, 2010 | 2:03 PM EDT
Reacting to a newly released ABC News/Washington Post poll which found 50 percent opposed to the just-passed health bill versus 46 percent in favor of it, on ABC’s This Week, Mississippi’s Republican Governor, Haley Barbour, quipped:
I am surprised that the numbers in the Washington Post poll weren't better. I mean, since this thing passed last weekend, we've been seeing the longest wet kiss in political history given to the Obama administration by the liberal media elite and every day it goes by, it’s sloppier.
That prompted a chuckle from host Jake Tapper, before the other guest, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor, Ed Rendell, countered: “I don't know what Haley watches. I don't know what channels Haley watches, but that's a lousy way to kiss, boy because it's getting pounded in the media, a lot of the media is pounding the bill.”
Governor: Media Giving Obama 'Longest Wet Kiss In Political History'
By Noel Sheppard | March 28, 2010 | 1:35 PM EDT

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on Sunday said that since healthcare reform legislation passed a week ago, the liberal media have given the Obama administration the longest wet kiss in political history.

After ABC's Jake Tapper hosting "This Week" asked the Governor about a new Washington Post poll finding Democrats have become a little more popular since the bill passed, Barbour replied, "I am surprised that the, the numbers in the Washington Post poll weren't better."

He marvelously continued, "I mean since this thing passed last weekend, we've been seeing the longest wet kiss in political history given to the Obama administration by the liberal media league, and every day it goes by it gets sloppier" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, relevant section at 8:13):

CNBC Notes Tough Questioning from Michigan Legislators on Toyota; Even MSNBC’s Shuster Warns Congress to Be Cautious
By Jeff Poor | February 24, 2010 | 6:15 PM EST

Toyota is facing harsh scrutiny from the media and lawmakers - perhaps with justification. But there could be consequences for the U.S. economy.

And as Toyota (NYSE:TM) executives have endured two days of congressional hearings on the issues surrounding their potentially widespread defective products, the most aggressive questioners have been lawmakers from Michigan, home of the Big 3 automakers. A fact that led CNBC "Squawk Box" co-host Becky Quick to question if the federal government, with a huge stake in General Motors and Chrysler, are being a little unfair with Toyota on her Feb. 24 broadcast.

"We've heard from some congressmen, especially those later on in the show about the people and Congress people who are questioning Toyota at this point saying, they are doing this because the government has this big stake in GM?" Quick said. "To me, that seems a little crazy."

More Video Below Fold

Olbermann: Obama 'Target of Racism from Right,' 'Hated' for Being 'Black Dem'
By Brad Wilmouth | November 10, 2009 | 11:18 AM EST

On Monday's Countdown show, responding to Mississippi Republican Governor Haley Barbour's recent contention on NBC's Meet the Press that President Obama has personal popularity -- based partially on being the first black President -- that is separate from the unpopularity of Obama's policies, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann labeled Barbour's words as "incoherent," and charged that President Obama is in reality a "target of racism from the right." Olbermann:

But it was Mississippi's Governor Haley Barbour who had perhaps the most incoherent read, explaining that Obama, the target of racism from the right, remains popular not because of his policies, but in a Donovan McNabb way, because of his color.

During a discussion with MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe, Olbermann also suggested that "Barbour knows that members of his party hate the President for being a black Democrat," as he posed a question to Wolffe about Republicans being in denial about their party's unpopularity and the meaning of the 2009 elections. Olbermann:

No Dems Among Hotline 'Losers'
By Mark Finkelstein | November 4, 2009 | 6:42 PM EST

Does the National Journal's Hotline inhabit the same universe as the rest of us?  Democrats lost two-out-of-three among last night's big races.  But in declaring Winners and Losers among non-candidates involved with the campaigns, the only Losers Hotline saw were . . . Republicans and conservatives, with nary a Dem in sight!

Chris Matthews was only too happy to seize on the Hotline hitlist during his Sideshow segment on this evening's Hardball.  Here were Hotline's three Losers:

  • Sarah Palin: for jumping into Hoffman's losing cause, whereas McDonell and Christie didn't invite her in and won.
  • Pete Sessions: the Chairman of the NRCC, who went 0-2 in special congressional elections.
  • Club For Growth: which backed Hoffman.

Hotline's inconsistent logic was glaring . . .

MSNBC's Scarborough, Mitchell See New 'Litmus Test' In Scozzafava Repudiation
By Ken Shepherd | November 3, 2009 | 4:23 PM EST

<div style="float: right"><object width="240" height="194"><param name="movie" value="http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/eyeblast.swf?v=Gd6U6USUuz&amp;c1=0x382E8E&... name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/eyeblast.swf?v=Gd6U6USUuz&amp;c1=0x382E8E&... allowfullscreen="true" width="240" height="194"></embed></object></div>&quot;A test that uses a <b>single indicator</b> to prompt a decision.&quot;<p>That's how the <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/litmus+test" target="_blank">American  Heritage Dictionary of the English Language</a> defines &quot;litmus test&quot; when it's used as a political metaphor (emphasis mine). </p><p>That makes no difference to MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and Joe Scarborough, who see a new &quot;litmus test&quot; for the GOP developing out of the New York 23rd Congressional District special election.</p><p>Scarborough, appearing with Mitchell on MSNBC shortly after 1:15 p.m. EST, slammed potential 2012 presidential hopeful Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) for arguing earlier today on his &quot;Morning Joe&quot; program that there's no room in the GOP for what may be called &quot;Dede Scozzafava Republicans&quot; who are far [left] afield from the Republican mainstream.</p>

CBS’s Schieffer: Should Republicans ‘Shift’ Away From Social Issues?
By Kyle Drennen | June 29, 2009 | 6:09 PM EDT

Bob Schieffer and Haley Barbour, CBS In an interview with Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on Sunday, CBS’s Bob Schieffer wondered: "Do you think that Republicans now should sort of shift the emphasis, though, from stressing social and family values and shift to more – to economic issues and be a party of economic conservatives rather than putting so much emphasis on these social issues?"

Schieffer began the Face the Nation interview by asking Barbour about the sex scandal involving South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford: "How much damage has it done to a Republican Party that is already on the ropes?...Your chances in 2012? This is the party that’s called itself the party of family values and so on and so forth. You’re going through a series of scandals now. This is not the first. Just like in the past, Democrats – we have seen Democrats involved in things like this. What does this do to the image of the party and how you try to project yourself and present yourself as a party, Governor?"

Haley Makes Chris Concede on Obama Tax-Welfare Plan
By Mark Finkelstein | November 3, 2008 | 8:49 PM EST
If the Republicans had a few more spokesmen like Haley Barbour, the political landscape might look a lot different.  The Mississippi governor's down-home good humor and razor-sharp wit are a formidable combination. Barbour's killer combo of skills was on display on this evening's Hardball.  When Chris Matthews challenged his criticism of Obama's tax credit plan, Barbour good-naturedly backed him down with an impressive disquisition on New Deal history.  When he was through, Matthews had to admit that Haley was right.

I'd encourage people to view the video, not only for the entertainment value, but as a case study of how to defeat a member of the liberal media.