Worst Quotes of 2011: Yesterday’s Media ‘Thrills’ Replaced by Bi

Back in 2008 and 2009, the Media Research Center’s year-end awards for the Best Notable Quotables were dominated by journalists fawning over the greatness of Barack Obama. In 2008, our winner for “Quote of the Year” was Chris Matthews for his on-air exclamation that upon hearing Obama give a speech, “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often.”
Rich Noyes
December 30th, 2011 9:32 AM

NBC Reflexively Refers to Gingrich Wife as His 'Third Wife

It's no secret that the media have given significant attention to GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's history of marital problems and whether this facet of his past will undercut him with socially conservative Republican voters, but on Friday's Today show on NBC, correspondent Peter Alexander went so far as to refer to Gingrich's wife as his "third wife" in a story that otherwise had…
Brad Wilmouth
December 30th, 2011 9:32 AM

Morning Joe: Portman Predicted As Romney VP Pick

With not one Republican primary vote cast yet, we're getting way ahead of ourselves by speculating about whom Mitt Romney might pick as his vice-presidential running mate.  But Willie Geist did invite Politico's Mike Allen to make his "bold predictions" for 2012.  And Allen delivered, prognosticating that Romney would pick Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman as his ticket-mate. Mark Halperin…
Mark Finkelstein
December 30th, 2011 7:57 AM

Daily Kos: Racist Conservatives Sweep Slavery Under the Rug

In the ongoing left-wing parade of charges that conservatism equals racism, add Daily Kos blogger Chauncey de Vega, who on Wednesday night hailed a Salon.com article on the avoidance of slavery talk as another opportunity to weave together “the tapestry that is historical memory, the slave-holding South, and contemporary conservatism.” “Adults who dress up in Colonial era period clothing,…
Tim Graham
December 30th, 2011 7:45 AM

Bill Maher Twitter-Whips Tim Tebow, But CBS Says Tebow's the 'Notoriou

Before he tweeted “Merry Mythmas everybody,” HBO host Bill Maher rubbed Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s face in the dirt on Twitter, but somehow Tebow’s the “notorious” one. Maher posted, “Wow, Jesus just [screwed] #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler ‘Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.’” But on CBSNews.com, reporter Ken Lombardi described Maher…
Tim Graham
December 29th, 2011 11:14 PM

Schultz's Surprising Respect For Santorum: 'Impressive

Is Ed Schultz's expression of respect for Rick Santorum a Machiavellian maneuver designed to sow chaos in the Republican field?  I actually don't think so.   Watching the MSNBC host in action this evening, I got the sense that Schultz, out on the Iowa campaign trail with Santorum, came away with a sincere respect for the former Pennsylvania senator, calling him "impressive" among other…
Mark Finkelstein
December 29th, 2011 9:47 PM

ABC Joins NBC in Citing Outdated Poll Showing Obama Approval Up

On Thursday's World News on ABC, substitute anchor David Muir brought up the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll numbers from Monday which at that time showed President Obama with a 47 percent approval rating and a 45 percent disapproval rating, the first time in recent memory that his approval number was higher than his disapproval.  (Video below) But, since Monday, the Gallup tracking poll numbers…
Brad Wilmouth
December 29th, 2011 8:53 PM

CNN Honors Same-Sex Couple, Suggests Obama Could Benefit From Supporti

In lieu of President Obama's Hawaiian vacation, CNN highlighted the plight of a Hawaiian same-sex couple that will legally celebrate a civil union come January 1st, but desires federal marriage benefits that do not apply to same-sex couples. In a one-sided and sympathetic report, White House correspondent Brianna Keilar painted the picture of a President who could make a gain at the voting…
Matt Hadro
December 29th, 2011 6:30 PM

ABC's Tapper Slap: Many GOP Candidates 'Self-Immolating and Careening

ABC News White House correspondent Jake Tapper apparently thinks the race is just about over for many campaigns before the Iowa caucus has even begun. On Thursday's Good Morning America, Tapper credited Mitt Romney's recent success in the polls with other campaigns "exploding" on the campaign trail. Tapper later repeated his former assertions, insisting that other candidates were "just self-…
Matt Hadro
December 29th, 2011 4:13 PM

David Frum Slams Most of GOP Field, 'They Are Not Presidents

Faux-conservative David Frum told CNN Thursday morning that only "one person" in the current GOP field was qualified to be president, before adding that fellow phoney-conservative Jon Huntsman might also be able to do the job but his message is not resonating with Republican voters. Frum, a CNN contributor who regularly appears to give the conservative analysis opposite a liberal panel…
Matt Hadro
December 29th, 2011 3:09 PM

USA Today: 'Weekly Jobless Claims at Lowest Level in Over 3 Years

There's good economic news today, at least for those who only scan headlines.  On USA Today's Web site, the headline is "Weekly jobless claims at lowest level in over 3 years."  Oh, happy day!  The president's stimulus is finally working.  But if you read the Associated Press story under the headline, the news isn't quite so sanguine: The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose…
Mike Bates
December 29th, 2011 1:44 PM

After NBC Touted Obama Poll Rise, Approval is Down Again

Earlier this week, both NBC's Today show and the NBC Nightly News made a point of informing viewers that President Obama's Gallup Daily Tracking Poll numbers had improved significantly since the Republican House caved on the payroll tax cut extension. The NBC Nightly News on Tuesday even highlighted the outdated numbers from Monday that were more positive for Obama, while merely noting as an…
Brad Wilmouth
December 29th, 2011 1:44 PM

Will Thatcher-In-Decline Movie Actually Cause a Pro-Thatcher Backlash

The forthcoming Meryl Streep movie The Iron Lady about former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was quickly slammed by Thatcherites as a "Granny going mad" flick, but it might cause a backlash against Hollywood leftists. On Wednesday's Washington Journal on C-SPAN, historian Amanda Foreman, author of a recent Newsweek cover story on Thatcher, said Americans might not be comfortable with…
Tim Graham
December 29th, 2011 12:27 PM

CNBC's Joe Kernen Rips John Harwood's Knee-Jerk 'Global Warming' React

After the news portion of a "Warmer Weather Hurting Retail" segment on the impact of the mild winter on retail sales thus far appearing early this morning on CNBC, Joe Kernen and John Harwood got into it over the relevance and influence of so-called "global warming" (I guess Harwood didn't get the memo that it's "climate change" now). Picking up at the 2:10 mark of the video:
Tom Blumer
December 29th, 2011 12:04 PM