Morning Joe Hearts Huntsman

May 23rd, 2011 11:12 AM
"He's a Morning Joe candidate." That could be the kiss of death among Republican primary voters, but Mark Halperin meant it as a compliment.  Today's Morning Joe panel was unanimous in its praise for Huntsman's performance in New Hampshire over the weekend. More from Mark Halperin: "As impressive as any couple I've seen . . . I was pretty blown away by how effective he was . . . more […

Open Thread: GOP 2012 Roundup

May 23rd, 2011 9:48 AM
With official announcements from Herman Cain on Saturday and Tim Pawlenty this morning, and news of Sarah Palin buying a new house surmised to be potential campaign headquarters in Arizona, do you think a GOP frontrunner will emerge from the pool of candidates any time soon? Check out a roundup of this weekend's GOP announcements and speculation below, and give us your thoughts in the…

ABC Mocks GOP Candidates as Making Comedians ‘Happy

May 23rd, 2011 6:59 AM
 On Sunday’s World News, ABC correspondent David Kerley mocked the current field of GOP presidential candidates as making comedians "happy" as he recounted that polls show many Republicans are not satisfied with the choices available so far. After informing viewers of the disappointment for Republicans that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels had chosen not to run, Kerley continued: "Recent polls…

Rachel Maddow Predicts GOP Presidential Candidate Refusing All Mainstr

May 22nd, 2011 3:27 PM
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow this weekend predicted that there is going to be a Republican presidential candidate that will refuse to do any interviews with the mainstream media. She told her fellow panelists on the syndicated "Chris Matthews Show" that it could be Sarah Palin (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Dan Rather: 'Michele Bachmann Is For Real - Can Get GOP Presidential N

May 22nd, 2011 2:32 PM
Dan Rather this weekend said Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is "for real" and that he can "imagine a scenario where she actually gets the Republican [presidential] nomination." Maybe even more surprising, on the syndicated program bearing his name, Chris Matthews agreed (video follows with partial transcript and commentary):

Ryan Schools Gregory: 'I Don't Consult Polls to Tell Me What My Princi

May 22nd, 2011 1:20 PM
NBC's David Gregory must have thought he had performed another gotcha on a prominent Republican Sunday when he cited a poll to his "Meet the Press" guest Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) finding people aren't interested in reducing Medicare spending in order to balance the budget. Without skipping a beat, Ryan marvelously educated his host saying, "I don't consult polls to tell me what my…

The 'Who Benefits From Mitch Daniels Non-Candidacy' Open Thread

May 22nd, 2011 9:02 AM
Indiana governor Mitch Daniels has announced that he won't run for president in 2012. Which Republican candidate benefits from his absence and who's going to be the eventual GOP nominee?

Margaret Carlson: Gingrich Plays ‘Skinhead Politics,’ Paul Ryan Wo

May 22nd, 2011 4:35 AM
On Friday’s Political Capital show on Bloomberg News, as host Al Hunt turned the discussion to Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign, Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson attacked Republican Congressman Paul Ryan’s plan for Medicare reform as she voiced supposed agreement with Gingrich that "it is right-wing social engineering to destroy Medicare as we know it." She then went on to suggest that…

AP's Full Description of Herman Cain as Godfather's CEO: 'Rescued by S

May 22nd, 2011 12:20 AM
In their coverage of Herman Cain's official announcement that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, Associated Press reporters Shannon McCaffrey and Greg Bluestein limited their description of Cain's tenure as chief executive of Godfather's Pizza to the following: He worked at Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and Burger King before taking the helm of the…

Maher: GOP Primary Voters Want Misogynist, Racist, Homophobic Presiden

May 21st, 2011 5:05 PM
Bill Maher on Friday once again spent much of his "Real Time" program on HBO bashing conservatives. During his final "New Rule," he accused Republican primary voters of wanting a presidential candidate who's misogynist, racist, and homophobic (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Greg Gutfeld: Obama's Media Honeymoon Lasting Longer Than Most Marriag

May 21st, 2011 1:10 PM
At a function commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first live presidential news conference Monday, veteran journalists bemoaned the fact that the press are too "timid" at such events today. On Thursday, "Red Eye's" Greg Gutfeld pointed out that this is because "The media loved President Obama from the moment their gazes met from across that smoky room...So all the smart folks knew that…

Dylan Ratigan: 'Republican Rhetoric Based in Abandonment of Arithmetic

May 21st, 2011 11:42 AM
If you had any questions as to why Dylan Ratigan belongs on MSNBC rather than CNBC they were all answered Friday night. Appearing on HBO's "Real Time," Ratigan presented himself as a far-left commentator telling the audience of devout liberals, "This entire rhetoric machine from the Republican Party is predicated on an abandonment of arithmetic and fact" (video follows with transcript and…

Krauthammer to PBS's Shields: 'You Want GOP Nominee Who's a Squish and

May 21st, 2011 9:36 AM
PBS's Mark Shields on Friday advanced the typical liberal media line that there's a danger to the GOP if it nominates a presidential candidate that is too conservative. When he finished, his "Inside Washington" co-panelist Charles Krauthammer marvelously responded, "What Mark wants is a Republican nominee who is a squish and then he’ll vote against him anyway" (video follows with transcript…

MSNBC Union Guest: Republicans 'Literally Deny Clothing To Foster Kids

May 21st, 2011 7:21 AM
Kind of disappointing--nothing about Republicans head-butting widows or knocking the crutches from the arms of the disabled.  Even so, let's give Damon Silvers credit: the union boss did claim that Republicans "literally deny clothing to foster kids to give rich people tax cuts." AFL-CIO honcho Damon Silvers made the hysterically hyperbolic claim on Cenk Uygur's MSNBC show this evening.…