Eleanor Clift: New Tea Partiers in House 'Going to Get Their Hearts Br

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift on Friday said the newly-elected Tea Party members in the House are going to get their hearts broken when they get to the nation's capital. In her view, expressed on PBS's "The McLaughlin Group," this will happen "as they come up against all the forces in Washington, the same forces that Barack Obama came up against" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
December 19th, 2010 6:30 PM

Nets Tout Supporters of 'Historic' Repeal of DADT, ABC Quotes 'Stain o

 As all the broadcast network evening newscasts on Saturday used words like "historic" and "landmark" to describe the Senate vote in favor of repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on homosexuals serving in the military, the networks also provided substantially more soundbites to supporters of the measure than to those who opposed changing the policy. On ABC, the lead report filed by…
Brad Wilmouth
December 19th, 2010 5:39 PM

'Religion News Service' Mourns 2010 As a Year of Extreme 'Islamophobia

Saturday's Washington Post published a religion-year-in-review piece by Kevin Eckstrom, editor of the Religion News Service. Eckstrom thought the year was defined by vengeful "Islamophobia" and disdained that "extreme voices" were opposing Islamic extremism: Lingering questions about President Obama's Christian faith morphed into a belief among one in five Americans that he's actually a…
Tim Graham
December 19th, 2010 5:16 PM

‘Chris Matthews Show’ Attacks Sarah Palin: ‘So How’s That Twee

Chris Matthews on the syndicated program bearing his name devoted an entire segment this weekend to attacking Sarah Palin. To assist him in the attacks, the host of "The Chris Matthews Show" brought on Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post, the BBC's Katty Kay, Joe Klein of Time magazine, and NBC's Norah O'Donnell (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
December 19th, 2010 2:45 PM

Sunday Open Thread

For general discussion and debate about politics, the economy, sports, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
NB Staff
December 19th, 2010 12:34 PM

Frank Rich: The Left Doesn't Have As Strong A Media Megaphone As The R

New York Times columnist Frank Rich has said some astonishingly stupid things throughout his career, but a comment in Sunday's "The Bipartisanship Racket" might get on his top ten list. In the eyes of this liberal writer working for the most powerful liberal newspaper in the country, the Left in this nation doesn't have as strong a media megaphone as the Right:
Noel Sheppard
December 19th, 2010 11:40 AM

As Chávez Gets Decree Powers, NYT Admires 'Political Sagacity,' Press

Having been given the power to rule by decree for 18 months, Hugo Chávez appears to be in the midst of completing a de facto statist takeover of the country institutions and levers of power. No journalist is daring to directly call it dictatorship. You won't find any form of the word at a December 15 New York Times story by Simon Romero ("Chávez Seeks Decree Powers" -- which, by the way,…
Tom Blumer
December 19th, 2010 10:52 AM

AP's Shameless Headline As Dem Senators' Opposition Prevents DREAM Act

If you look at the description of yesterday afternoon's U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote Number 278 ("A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against Federal officers or agencies to Federal courts, and for other purposes."), you'd never know it had anything to do with illegal immigration. But it did. It was a…
Tom Blumer
December 19th, 2010 8:49 AM

Kinsley's Sneering NYT Review Of Bush Memoir Accuses Him Of 'Stealing

Could Michael Kinsley possibly be any more predictable?  His review of George Bush's "Decision Points," appearing in today's Sunday New York Times, is precisely the smug piece of sneering partisanship you would expect in this paper and from this quintessential liberal MSM elitist. As the headline indicates, Kinsley flatly accuses W of "stealing" the 2000 election.  Kinsley offers no proof,…
Mark Finkelstein
December 19th, 2010 7:42 AM

Federal Reserve Examiners Tell Oklahoma Bank to Scrap Christmas Button

KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported that Christianity was apparently offensive, government bank examiners determined in a bank visit in Perkins, Oklahoma. Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s…
Tim Graham
December 18th, 2010 11:09 PM

FNC’s Fox Newswatch Highlights Winner in MRC’s Online Voting for W

FNC’s Fox Newswatch on Saturday highlighted a winner in the MRC’s online balloting, in which many NewsBusters readers took part (Friday NB post announcing who you picked for Quote of the Year), for the annual awards for the year’s worst reporting. Host Jon Scott announced: The results are in. The Media Research Center conducted an online poll asking the public to vote on the worst biased…
Brent Baker
December 18th, 2010 8:48 PM

Media's Double Standard Continues When Reporting Child Sex Abuse

Here are two stories from this past week: 1. "A [newly released] General Accountability Office (GAO) investigation has found that people with histories of sexual misconduct are still getting hired by school systems across the [United States] ... The biggest problem may be 'passing the trash.' These were cases GAO found in which school systems just let suspected sexual offenders resign, and…
Dave Pierre
December 18th, 2010 7:14 PM

NYT's Blow: 'Too Many Liberals Just Want to Whine

Charles Blow made some political observations in his New York Times column Saturday that are destined to anger many of his left-leaning readers. Just imagine how the average New York Democrat is going to respond to being told the future of his Party is being jeopardized by the fact that "Too many liberals just want to whine":
Noel Sheppard
December 18th, 2010 5:43 PM

AP, Seattle Times Blame GOP for Downing DREAM Act; In Truth, Five Demo

Today liberal Senate Democrats failed to garner the 60-vote threshold to end debate on and move to a final passage vote for the DREAM Act. In covering the story, the news wire credited Republican opposition for "doom[ing]" the legislation, but the math doesn't work out when you look at the breakdown of the votes on the motion to end debate -- also known as invoking cloture. [h/t reader Kevin…
Ken Shepherd
December 18th, 2010 4:30 PM