Forget ObamaCare, NBC's 'Today' Wonders if President Will Get A New Ce
March 24th, 2014 12:50 PM
With one week to go before the March 31 ObamaCare enrollment deadline, Monday's NBC Today completely skipped any reporting on the latest sign-up numbers still being below administration projections. Instead, the hosts of the morning show devoted air time to discussing rumors that President Obama may trade in his BlackBerry for a new smart phone. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the…
NBC: Dems Eager for Hillary 'Coronation' in 2016; GOP 'Nervous' About
March 24th, 2014 10:30 AM
In a report for Monday's NBC Today, political director Chuck Todd described how "Democrats seem comfortable with the idea of a coronation of Hillary Clinton" in 2016, as "many of them are almost begging her to run." Meanwhile, he asserted that Republicans, "nervous about the influence of the Tea Party," were looking to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush as a potential candidate. [Listen to the…
Chicago Trib 'Forgets' Illinois' Unpaid Bills in Covering Dems' 'Milli
March 22nd, 2014 8:57 PM
I would say "Only in Illinois," but I suspect that other states have similar problems and would propose "solutions" just as nutty as the Democratic state Speaker Michael Madigan and his party have chosen.
The state has an unpaid bills backlog of $5.8 billion, meaning that vendors are going months before they get paid. We're supposed to be thrilled that this total is down from $8.8 billion…
ABC, CBS Trumpet Mrs. Obama's 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy' in China; Omit Pre
March 21st, 2014 10:02 PM
Friday's CBS Evening News and ABC's World News both glowingly harkened back to a prominent past example of bilateral exchange between the U.S. and China, as they reported on Michelle Obama's trip to the East Asian country. But they continued their blackout on covering the White House's ban of journalists accompanying the First Lady. During a news brief, CBS's Scott Pelley trumpeted how "…
Networks Tout Michelle Obama's Sightseeing and Ping Pong in China; Sti
March 21st, 2014 11:34 AM
All three network morning shows on Friday fawned over First Lady Michelle Obama's visit to China, but the broadcasts refused to mention that reporters had been banned from accompanying her on the trip. On Thursday, NBC's Today and CBS This Morning both insisted the overseas travel was "not political" while ignoring the press corps being left behind.
In a full report for Friday's Today,…
NBC and CBS Declare Michelle Obama's China Trip 'Not Political'; Ignor
March 20th, 2014 4:57 PM
On Thursday, NBC's Today and CBS This Morning dutifully parroted the White House line that First Lady Michelle Obama's trip to China was "not political" but ignored the fact that the press corps was banned from traveling with her on the overseas junket. ABC's Good Morning America skipped the topic. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
On Wednesday, Politico's Dylan Byers…
NBC: Obama 'Takes A Break From World Affairs' to Fill Out March Madnes
March 20th, 2014 1:10 PM
During a report on Thursday's NBC Today about the impact of NCAA March Madness office pools on worker productivity, correspondent Kerry Sanders casually touted: "March Madness, an American distraction....Even the President takes a break from world affairs to fill out his bracket." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
At no point did Sanders offer any criticism of Obama…
CBS Boosts White House's Final Push For ObamaCare Before March 31 Dead
March 20th, 2014 12:56 PM
Bill Plante acted as a stenographer for the Obama administration on Thursday's CBS This Morning, as he spotlighted the "multi-tiered state and national effort to get young people enrolled" in ObamaCare before the end of March. Plante touted the "supportive celebrity Tweets and videos....and a tongue-in-cheek tool kit that teaches parents how to get on social media and 'nag' their children '…
NBC's 'Today' Finds It 'Surprising' Obama Not On List of Greatest Lead
March 20th, 2014 10:31 AM
On Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie touted an exclusive preview of Fortune magazine's list of the world's 50 greatest leaders and wondered about one name that was absent from the ranking: "Bill Clinton comes in at number five and makes the cover. There are a lot of other notable names here. Tell you what, though, there may be some talk about one leader who did not make the list,…
Column: Don't Believe the NY Times's Idiotic Spin; Social Conservatism
March 19th, 2014 7:06 PM
Let me begin by saying that I think the only issue in the 2014 election should be Obamacare. In fact, that should be the only issue in every election until it's repealed.
I also think all Republican candidates should be trained with shock collars and cattle prods to automatically respond, upon hearing some combination of the words "abortion," "rape" and "incest": "Yes, of course there should…
Not News: Jerry Brown's 'Joke' at the Expense of 'Old People' in Promo
March 19th, 2014 6:06 PM
California Governor Jerry Brown apparently thinks he's some kind of comedian. I would suggest that he not quit his current day job, but many readers would probably prefer he do that.
At a union-organized joint legislative conference on Monday, as reported in the Sacramento Bee, Brown told the following knee-slapper in connection with the high-speed rail project which is on track (excuse the…
'New Yorker' Editor: Bush 'Foolishly' Going Into Iraq Gave Putin 'Just
March 19th, 2014 4:30 PM
Appearing on NBC's Late Night on Tuesday – aired early Wednesday morning – New Yorker editor and former Washington Post Moscow correspondent David Remnick defended Barack Obama's poor handling of the Ukrainian crisis by bashing George W. Bush: "I think President Obama was elected not to get into more wars....his predecessor, President Bush, foolishly, at the very best, got into a war in Iraq…
CNN Admits ObamaCare 'Still a Liability,' But Hypes 'Major Milestone
March 18th, 2014 6:52 PM
In a refreshing change of pace, CNN's John King skeptically wondered on Tuesday's New Day about the White House touting the five million "enrollments" in ObamaCare: "They wanted to get the seven million by March 31 – unlikely they'll get there....How important are the next couple of weeks, and...if they get to six, can they spin that as a success, or is this baked in as a failure?"
King…
AP's Coverage of Edwin Edwards' La. Congressional Candidacy Puts No Pr
March 18th, 2014 12:34 PM
Former Louisiana Governor and convicted felon Edwin Edwards now wants to be the Bayou State's Sixth District congressman — as a Democrat.
In his coverage of Edwards' improbable but obviously not impossible candidacy, Associated Press reporter Kevin McGill simply took it for granted that Edwards can appear on the November ballot as a Democrat. That shouldn't be automatic, as a recent example…