Following a lengthy discussion of relevant topics like the president's first real press conference in almost eight months on Wednesday afternoon, MSNBC's The Cycle still found extra time on their hands for fluff. And so they brought on David Wasserman from the non-partisan Cook Political Report to present his statistical findings on, I kid you not, how handily Obama did in "Whole Foods" counties over "Cracker Barrel" ones.
The study goes all the way back to 1992, where Democrats have tended to frequent the environmentally-conscious organic grocery store -- whereas the typical Republican has an affinity for Cracker Barrel's old-fashioned American comfort food. The correlation of which is puzzling considering their differences, but the analysis went on to include the Tractor Supply Company vs. Trader Joe's and Apple vs. Golden Corral. [ video below, MP3 audio here ]
Krystal Ball
On Wednesday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie brought on liberal MSNBC host Krystal Ball and radio host Michael Smerconish to discuss campaign strategy in the final two weeks before the presidential election, with the headline on-screen claiming: "Left vs. Right on Final Race for the White House."
There's one problem with that assertion, Smerconish prominently supported President Obama in 2008 and has routinely filled in for left-wing Hardball host Chris Matthews on MSNBC in the years since. Apparently having someone on the left like Ball and someone center-left like Smerconish is NBC's idea of balance.
Ten days ago, Politico staffer-turned Debbie Wasserman Schultz flak-turned Politico staffer Jon Allen published a laughably-headlined story in "Joe Biden: Sex symbol?" So naturally, Allen was the perfect choice for the liberally-slanted MSNBC's The Cycle to bring on its Friday program to review the previous night's vice presidential debate.
While Allen refused to be as gaga over Joe Biden as liberal co-host Krystal Ball was, he failed to do any fact-checking of the vice president and suggested that Biden won on the substance of the debate:
The liberal panelists of MSNBC's The Cycle did their level best to help University of Pennsylvania religion professor Anthea Butler defend her now infamous tweet that the filmmaker behind the "Innocence of Muslims" video trailer on YouTube should be throw in jail. Co-host Toure Neblett went so far as to denounce the Twitter "mob" that deluged Butler's Twitter account with critical tweets. Only conservative S.E. Cupp pushed back against Butler by insisting that the YouTube video was a fig leaf justification by Islamists for violence.
"We think of this [free speech] as like an absolute right, but in fact there are limits.... So in this global world where a video clip can get spread around like wildfire, is it in fact going too far, is that beyond our constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of speech?" co-host Krystal Ball asked Butler. [MP3 audio here]
MSNBC's Touré Neblett had another rather telling slip of the tongue - this one of the Freudian variety - on The Cycle Wednesday.
Less than a week after accusing Mitt Romney of engaging in the "niggerization" of Barack Obama, Neblett said, "We have - or the Obama campaign has - succeeded in, or attempted to succeed in, defining Romney early when Romney was undefined for many voters" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
MSNBC's Touré Neblett just can't resist tossing out the race card whenever possible.
On Thursday's The Cycle, Touré accused presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney of using what he called "niggerization" against Barack Obama (video follows with transcript and commentary):
On Monday’s edition of The Cycle on MSNBC, Catlin Moran, author of the provocative book “How To Be A Woman” was brought on the show to brag about controversial women’s issues. The British author came on to talk about a variety of topics, beginning with more lighthearted fare like her hatred of high heels and delving into serious issues like her defense of pornography and her decision to have an abortion, which she insists she doesn't nor never has regretted.
Following a question by Toure Neblett, Moran argued that she didn’t understand the argument -- that both social conservatives and many left-wing feminists actually agree on -- that pornography is bad for women. Moran bragged that ”pornography is just people having sex that we’re watching” and “We just need to make some good pornography." [Video coming soon. MP3 audio here.]
The day before the Supreme Court ruled ObamaCare's individual mandate constitutional -- as a tax, not as an exercise of the commerce clause -- the mostly-liberal panel at the brand-new 3 p.m. program The Cycle explored the question of what, in the view of the panelists, that government should consider making Americans do against their will.
For her part, panelist Krystal Ball insisted that America should be more like Australia, which forces its citizens to vote in it federal elections or else to pay a fine. Unsurprisingly, Ball's fellow liberal panelists Toure Neblett, and Steve Kornacki were sympathetic to the proposal, with only conservative panelist S.E. Cupp denouncing it as antithetical to the notion of political liberty.
NewsBusters reported moments ago that MSNBC contributor Julian Epstein strongly suggested President Obama being interrupted during a press conference in the White House Rose Garden Friday was because he was African-American.
About an hour later, MSNBC's Touré took it a step further saying definitively, "This disrespect of this human being cannot be disconnected from the fact that he’s black” (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):
NewsBusters readers know that one of my guilty pleasures is pointing out the stupidity of America's television personalities.
The award for the most intellectually challenged comment I saw on TV Tuesday goes to MSNBC's Martin Bashir who on the show remarkably bearing his own name said that first lady Michelle Obama based her anti-obesity campaign on warnings from - wait for it! - "obstetricians" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Author and Hoover Institution research fellow Peter Schweizer took on a gaggle of liberals on MSNBC Friday and demonstrated that no matter how outnumbered a conservative is, he’ll likely win the debate.
Of greater consequence, regardless of substitute host Matt Miller’s numerous attempts to keep liberal contributors Krystal Ball and Touré on the topic of reining in excesses on Wall Street, they just wanted to attack their conservative opponent (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary).
The Obama-loving media just can't stop talking about the President's appearance Tuesday on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
MSNBC's Martin Bashir on Thursday used it as an opportunity to bash conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh as liking "sexist, homophobic, and racist" humor (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):