Jon Meacham Claims This Was 'Never an Ideological White House,' Halper

All you need to know about the MSM: two of its stalwarts don't think Barack Obama is a real liberal . . . Time editor Mark Halperin, and Jon Meacham (until recently head Newsweek honcho) expressed--to the astonishment of Joe Scarborough--their fact-defying views on today's Morning Joe. View video after the jump.
Mark Finkelstein
December 14th, 2010 7:36 AM

WaPo Touts 'No Labels' Group That Abhors 'Wingnuts' and 'Little Brats

The year 2010 may have been defined by Tea Party fervor and success, but some reporters and politicos are trying hard not to notice. Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker painted as significant a new group calling itself "No Labels," founded by among others, a Bush strategist who adored Barack Obama too much to make ads against him in 2008 and CNN analyst John Avlon, who wrote a book with a…
Tim Graham
December 14th, 2010 7:35 AM

SPJ Takes Up Crusade against Term 'Illegal Immigrant

Professional journalism group goes all in for illegals with PC guidelines.
Alana Goodman
December 14th, 2010 12:00 AM

Cavuto to Matthews: Stick Your Condescending Comments About Christie's

As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC's Chris Matthews took some cheap shots at New Jersey governor Chris Christie's weight while speaking at a radio event last Thursday. Displeased with the immature condescension aimed at his state's chief executive, Fox News's Neil Cavuto went after the "Hardball" host's lack of decorum on Monday's "Your World" (video follows with transcript and…
Noel Sheppard
December 13th, 2010 10:26 PM

Rachel Maddow and NBC News Producer Clueless on Lawmaking

Time for remedial "Schoolhouse Rock" at MSNBC. The network's Rachel Maddow engaged in one of the least illuminating discussions on legislation I can recall during her show Friday. Here she is talking with NBC News "Senate producer" Ken Strickland on machinations involving possible repeal of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy (video after page break) --
Jack Coleman
December 13th, 2010 8:23 PM

Talking Ants-on-Crucifix Art, NYT's Frank Rich Grieves 'Homophobia Is

Frank Rich’s Sunday column for the New York Times, “Gay Bashing at the Smithsonian,” on the removal of a video from the “Hide/Seek” show of gay artists sponsored by the federally funded museum, was even more melodramatically offended (and offensive to Christian conservatives) than Arts critic Holland Cotter’s Saturday anguish. After a video that included an 11-second clip of ants crawling…
Clay Waters
December 13th, 2010 6:52 PM

'Objective' Barbara Walters: John Boehner 'Has an Emotional Problem

Ever the classy bunch, the ladies of "The View" spent a few minutes Monday mocking incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner for tearing up during an interview with CBS's Lesley Stahl. The usual suspects, apparently no longer bothered by dramatic showings of disrespect towards national leaders, hit Boehner with characteristically immature and uninformed attacks. The bigger surprise, though…
Lachlan Markay
December 13th, 2010 6:41 PM

CNN's Roland Martin Unleashes on 'Right-Wing Blowhard' Rush Limbaugh o

CNN's Roland Martin went on a tirade against Rush Limbaugh on his "Washington Watch" program on TV One on Sunday, labeling the conservative talker a "right-wing blowhard" and "absolute idiot" for pretending not to know anything about the black-oriented TV network. Martin claimed that he was "more fair and sensible" than Limbaugh, but his list of guests alone betrays a definite liberal bias.…
Matthew Balan
December 13th, 2010 6:32 PM

MSNBC's 'Morning Joe': Tax Cut Compromise Is Another 'Steaming Pile of

Comparing the current tax cut compromise with Barack Obama's stimulus plan of 2009, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough labeled the tax cuts a "steaming pile of garbage" on his December 13 show. Complaining that the compromise will add another $900 billion to the deficit, Scarborough compared it to the stimulus plan that cost a similar amount in the name of "stimulating" the economy. "This is a…
Matt Hadro
December 13th, 2010 5:55 PM

Chuck Todd: Lot Of 'Clinton Kool-Aid Drinkers' In The Media

Some refreshing frankness from Chuck Todd today.  Commenting on the MSM hoopla about Bill Clinton's recent White House press room solo, NBC's political director and chief White House correspondent acknowledged that there are "a lot of Clinton Kool-Aid drinkers" in the media. Chris Matthews, who had played a couple Clinton clips and gushed over his brilliance, protested that Todd was…
Mark Finkelstein
December 13th, 2010 5:49 PM

N.Y. Times Dance Critic Scorned for 'One Sugar Plum Too Many' Crack

On CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday, host Howard Kurtz explained the large online fuss over how New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay questioned the weight of several dancers at a holiday performance of the Nutcracker: Now, dance critics don't usually stir a whole lot of controversy, but Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times has gotten a flood of negative mail for his review of the…
Tim Graham
December 13th, 2010 5:37 PM

Judge Rules ObamaCare Mandate Unconstitutional, LA Times Waits 12 Para

Earlier today, a federal district judge in the 4th Circuit found the individual mandate section of the ObamaCare law unconstitutional. Tribune Newspapers Washington bureau writers Noam N. Levey and David G. Savage wrote up the 19-paragraph story, which I accessed at LATimes.com. Levey and Savage waited until the 12th and 13th paragraphs to actually quote U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson:
Ken Shepherd
December 13th, 2010 5:23 PM

The Girls: Ep

The Girls discuss the media fascination of what Sarah Palin reads, Katy Perry's newest Firework, and a little kid who had too much fun during a Meredith Vieira interview. [Video embedded after page break]  
Bob Parks
December 13th, 2010 5:02 PM

Shifting Priorities and Gears in Congress

"Missed birthdays, games, and plays end in tears," one congressional wife and mother of young children tells me, delighted by the "certainty of the calendar" for the next Congress. Hers is a reality that all too many parents -- in and out of Congress -- know is often unavoidable. But sometimes it can be managed. Seventy-six of the 87 new Republican members of Congress have children, 233 in…
Kathryn Jean Lopez
December 13th, 2010 4:01 PM