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

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…
Noel Sheppard

Girl Scouts Don't Got What Some Need

"Chances are, if you're naming your blog after a Taylor Swift album, your judgment's already suspect." That's Salon dismissing two teen girls, in a piece on the Girl Scouts and its liberal feminist tendencies. And, as it happens, the line itself actually speaks to the heart of the problem.
Kathryn Jean Lopez

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

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?
NB Staff

Weekend Open Thread

For general discussion and debate about politics, the economy, sports, and what not.
NB Staff

NPR's Feminist Friday Night: Sappy Tributes to Speaker Pelosi and 'The

On Friday night’s All Things Considered, National Public Radio paid tribute to feminism in two stories. Congressional reporter Andrea Seabrook celebrated the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and then anchor Michelle Norris honored the twentieth anniversary of the feminist film Thelma and Louise. In her story, Seabrook worried over the "sexists" who demonized Pelosi for her…
Tim Graham

WaPo: Will Boehner Be Dumped by 'Feverish' Tea Party Hotheads

Sunday’s Washington Post Magazine features House Speaker John Boehner on the cover, and next to his face are the words "While the SPEAKER battles against the Democrats, is his BIGGEST THREAT from his own party?" (All the words are capitalized, actually, but "Speaker" and "biggest threat" are much larger.) Post reporter Michael Leahy spent several pages wondering if the "Young Guns" directly…
Tim Graham

WaPo’s Greenberg Ignores Role of Arab Countries in Creating Arab Ref

In the Washington Post article, "Israeli Troops Fire at Palestinian Protestors on Borders, Killing at Least 12, " writer Joel Greenberg recount the creation of thousands of Palestinian refugees around the time of Israel’s founding in 1948 without noting that Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq all declared war on the Jewish state, sending thousands of Palestinians from their homes.…
Brad Wilmouth

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

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…
Brad Wilmouth

CNNMoney Headline: 'Florida and Texas Governors in Jobs P*ssing Match

In a post time-stamped on Saturday at 12:16 p.m., CNNMoney.com has a story (HT Ed Driscoll via the PJ Tatler) headlined "Florida and Texas in jobs p*ssing match" (except that there's an "i" where I typed an asterisk). Since the story has been up for at least 12 hours (maybe longer, given that the its URL is dated May 20; Update, May 22, 5 p.m.: The comments at a cached CNN Political Ticker…
Tom Blumer

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

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…
Tom Blumer

Ed Schultz Trashes Paul Ryan, Says Liberal Grandma-Off-the-Cliff Ad Is

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz came out of the gate lunging at Congressman Paul Ryan on Thursday night, insisting the ridiculous online ad with a Ryan-like figure throwing a grandma off a cliff was "very effective and is truthful." Obama-defender Schultz was also shameless enough to suggest "this kid" Ryan has no business experience: "He’s never run a business. He never had to meet payroll." As if Obama…
Tim Graham

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

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):
Noel Sheppard

Omission Watch: Job Creation Staggering at 'Slowest Post-Recession Rat

Here’s more figures suggesting most media outlets are skipping around the bad economic news. On the front of Friday’s USA Today was this story by Dennis Cauchon: Nearly two years after the economic recovery officially began, job creation continues to stagger at the slowest post-recession rate since the Great Depression. The nation has 5% fewer jobs today — a loss of 7 million — than it…
Tim Graham

Israeli Born Kiss Star Gene Simmons on '67 Borders: 'Obama Has No F--k

Most Americans are probably familiar with outspoken Kiss star Gene Simmons, but likely didn't know that he was born and partially raised in Israel. With this in mind, when he was asked by CNBC's Jane Wells what he thought about President Obama's suggestion that Israel's borders be redrawn to pre-1967 levels, Simmons replied, "He has no f--king idea what the world is like because he doesn’t…
Noel Sheppard