CBS Plays Up Perry 'N' Word Controversy; ABC, NBC Punt

CBS's Early Show was the only morning show of the Big Three networks on Monday to cover the controversy over a ranch leased by the family of Texas Governor Rick Perry that formerly used the racist "N" word in its name. Political analyst John Dickerson hinted that the Republican's presidential campaign may not "weather" the controversy, adding that "it's a real problem." Fill-in anchor Jeff…
Matthew Balan
October 3rd, 2011 6:07 PM

Chicago Tribune: 'Corruption Sentencing Delayed for Rezko, Fundraiser

On the Chicago Tribune's Web site today appears Breaking News with the headline "Corruption sentencing delayed for Rezko, fundraiser for Blagojevich."  Tony Rezko, convicted on corruption charges, did indeed raise money for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL).  More significantly, however, he also raised many dollars for President Barack Obama in Obama's earlier political contests. From a…
Mike Bates
October 3rd, 2011 5:52 PM

David Gregory Grills Bob McDonnell on 'Extreme' and 'Diabolical' GOP

On Sunday's "Meet the Press," host David Gregory continually pressed Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell on the GOP being "too extreme" and "diabolically successful" at obstructing President Obama's agenda, while he chatted with Democratic Governor Deval Patrick about Obama finding his "voice" and the Red Sox firing their manager after a poor season. Early in the segment, Gregory…
Kyle Drennen
October 3rd, 2011 5:50 PM

Stephanopoulos Asks Obama If He Can Stop Debit Card Fee

ABC's George Stephanopoulos lobbied President Obama Monday to "put a stop" to Bank of America's new service charge for its debit card customers. "You might have a new issue on your plate," the former Democratic political operative advised the President about the new five dollar monthly debit card fee for Bank of America customers. In the interview which aired on ABCNews.com and Yahoo.com at…
Matt Hadro
October 3rd, 2011 5:40 PM

NBC Cheers Wall Street Protests As Liberal Version of Tea Party But De

On Monday's NBC "Today," correspondent Michelle Franzen reported on the left-wing "Occupy Wall Street" protests in New York and proclaimed: "Protesters fed up with the economy and social inequality turned out en masse over the weekend....Voicing their discontent and marching for change." Touting the protest as "a movement that has taken off in the past few weeks with protests spreading to…
Kyle Drennen
October 3rd, 2011 1:04 PM

On CNN 'It's Difficult to Criticize a Black President' But It's Easy t

CNN on Sunday doubled down on the Washington Post-made controversy "Niggerhead" involving Rick Perry by doing a second "CNN Newsroom" segment on the subject this time using the issue to attack Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain as well. Putting a fine point on the absurdity on display, host Don Lemon concluded the piece with a discussion about how "it's difficult to criticize a…
Noel Sheppard
October 3rd, 2011 12:49 PM

Spiking Solyndra: Big Three Networks Barely Mention Burgeoning Scandal

Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s admission, on Thursday, that he approved more taxpayer money to the financially strapped solar panel company Solyndra, after it defaulted on a $535 million loan from that agency. Big Three network coverage? Zero. This is just a continuing pattern of ABC, CBS and NBC barely touching the bourgeoning scandal for the Obama administration. What initially began as an…
Geoffrey Dickens
October 3rd, 2011 12:18 PM

NPR Picks Sesame Workshop CEO (and Former Kennedy Aide) as President

Even as House Republicans plan to zero them out, National Public Radio has picked a new president with Democratic Party connections on his resume. The choice is Gary Knell, the CEO of Sesame Workshop, which makes Sesame Street “and other highly regarded children’s shows” for PBS, as NPR said. The Washington Post mentioned Knell is “a former counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee when it…
Tim Graham
October 3rd, 2011 12:10 PM

N-ggerhead Takes Off on CNN: ‘Can a Candidate Recover Once They've B

The folks at the Washington Post got exactly what they wanted with Sunday’s racially charged, 3000-word, front page hit piece about Texas governor Rick Perry. CNN did two segments on N-ggerhead Sunday evening, one with host Don Lemon asking his guests, “Can a candidate recover once they've been associated with a controversy over the word n-gger?” (video follows with transcript and commentary…
Noel Sheppard
October 3rd, 2011 10:44 AM

Rattner Unrepentant On Allegation Suskind Book 'Drive-by Shooting' Of

As noted here yesterday, former Obama car czar Steve Rattner, in a Politico piece, lashed out at Ron Suskind, depicting Suskind's book on bad times in the Obama White House as a "drive-by shooting" of President Obama and his staff. That hardly seemed in the spirit of President Obama's pious call, in his much-touted Tucson memorial speech, for people to speak in a way "that heals, not wounds…
Mark Finkelstein
October 3rd, 2011 10:14 AM

Open Thread: What If the NFL Played by Teachers' Rules

In a WSJ article today by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton, Tarkenton imagines an NFL set up like the public school system: ...Each player's salary is based on how long he's been in the league. It's about tenure, not talent. The same scale is used for every player, no matter whether he's an All-Pro quarterback or the last man on the roster. For every year a player's been in this…
NB Staff
October 3rd, 2011 8:51 AM

WaPo Now Wonders If Michelle's Target Photos Were Just Orchestrated PR

Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi is finding a lot of unusual circumstances -- and unusual no-comments -- around Michelle Obama's razzle-dazzle distraction outing to Target after her latest controversy over wearing $42,000 diamond bracelets. He found "there might have been something to the notion of White House orchestration." Farhi's story did not note how the Post's own gossip…
Tim Graham
October 3rd, 2011 7:44 AM

AP's Choi Fails to Identify the Law, the President, or the Political P

If you only read Thursday's coverage of Bank of America's decision to impose a $5 monthly debit card fee by Associated Press Personal Finance Writer Candice Choi, you would have no idea that last year's "Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act" triggered BofA's decision. The legislation gave the Federal Reserve the power to limit debit card interchange fees. The Fed's limit…
Tom Blumer
October 3rd, 2011 1:01 AM

Thom Hartmann: Ronald Reagan Caused 'Going Postal' Murders

Liberal talk radio will say almost anything to attack Ronald Reagan. Lately, they've been in a dither over plans to curtail the Postal Service. So Reagan inspired shootings at the post office? On Thursday's edition of the Thom Hartmann Show, a caller insisted:  "When Reagan took over, the tension in the post office went up and you start[ed] havin' shootings...because of th[ese] draconian rules…
Tim Graham
October 2nd, 2011 11:20 PM