CBS Interrogates Cain on Wife's Feelings, Defense Knowledge

CBS's Bob Schieffer led his interview of Herman Cain on Tuesday's Early Show by asking, "Why did you accept the invitation?" Cain must have been wondering that himself by the end of the segment, as Schieffer and Norah O'Donnell conducted a hostile interrogation of the entrepreneur, pressing him about his qualifications to be secretary of defense, and even asked about the state of his marriage…
Matthew Balan
January 3rd, 2012 4:41 PM

MSNBC's Matthews Compares Anti-Gingrich Ads to Dresden Firebombing

If anyone's going to destroy Newt Gingrich's presidential aspirations, Hardball's Chris Matthews would rather it be him, or at least someone else in the liberal media. Appearing on colleague Tamron Hall's NewsNation program in today's 2 p.m. Eastern hour, Matthews whined about anti-Gingrich "bombing campaign" of TV ads placed by political action committees that have helped to drive down the…
Ken Shepherd
January 3rd, 2012 3:45 PM

NBC's Gregory: Isn't GOP To Blame 'For Not Doing More to Make Governme

On Sunday's Meet the Press, host David Gregory urged Rick Santorum to blame congressional Republicans for Washington gridlock: "...approval of Republicans in Congress, stands at 26%. That's far less than the President's approval rating....Do you fault Republican leaders in Congress for not doing more to make government work better, through more compromise with the President?" In response,…
Kyle Drennen
January 3rd, 2012 3:25 PM

CNN's O'Brien Grills Bachmann But Hands Soft Interview to 'Occupy' Pro

CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien has had a history of liberal bias – to a scale approaching activism – and she showed where her newest CNN show might be headed on Tuesday with a completely liberal double-standard in her interviews. During the 7 a.m. hour of CNN's Starting Point, O'Brien hit GOP candidate Michele Bachmann from the left on homosexuality, but later teed up liberal "Occupy" protesters…
Matt Hadro
January 3rd, 2012 1:54 PM

An Indignant George Stephanopoulos Huffs to Santorum: 'How Can You Say

An indignant George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday demanded that Rick Santorum explain his harsh attacks on Barack Obama. After reading off a quote from the Republican presidential candidate and then listing the President's foreign policy accomplishments, Stephanopoulos defended, "How can you say he sided with our enemies on almost every foreign conflict?" Santorum responded by insisting that, in…
Scott Whitlock
January 3rd, 2012 12:09 PM

Politico: GOP Challengers Are 'Mediocrities', Obama Is 'Rested And Rea

The folks at Politico take umbrage when accused of leaning left. But once again, the site's headlines give away Politico's Dem-friendly game. Compare these contrasting gems from today's edition, the first dismissing the GOP contenders as mediocre, the other using the old "rested and ready" cliché to describe President Obama as the campaign season begins in earnest:  
Mark Finkelstein
January 3rd, 2012 11:54 AM

NBC Gives Platform to Professor Who Called Iowans 'Meth Addicts' and

Following correspondent Andrea Mitchell referring to Iowa as "Too white, too evangelical, too rural" on Sunday's NBC Nightly News, on Monday's Rock Center, correspondent Willie Geist spoke to University of Iowa Professor Stephen Bloom, who similarly fretted: "It's basically a white, very, very Christian state." Geist explained how Bloom has been "in hiding" since writing a scathing article…
Kyle Drennen
January 3rd, 2012 11:19 AM

Open Thread: Iowa Caucus Showdown

After a seemingly infinite number of debates, today is the first actual day of voting in the 2012 Republican presidential campaign. The most recent polling indicates a Romney-Paul-Santorum finish. Is that what we'll see or will there be any surprises? Share your predictions here.
NB Staff
January 3rd, 2012 11:04 AM

Why Are Liberals Blind to Their Bias

I think it's very difficult for any of us to be objective about any subject, especially something we care deeply about, but my objective observation is that liberals tend to be less aware of and less willing to admit their biases. We see this often, which I'll get to, but first, let me relate how this phenomenon most recently came to my attention.
David Limbaugh
January 3rd, 2012 10:29 AM

WaPo's Eugene Robinson Deludes Himself Into Believing Chris Christie T

Warning: Frequent guest appearances on MSNBC can render a person predictable and disingenuous. Exhibit A: Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson. There was Robinson schmoozing with guest host Melissa Harris-Perry on the Rachel Maddow show Friday about the looming Iowa caucuses. (video after page break)
Jack Coleman
January 3rd, 2012 10:26 AM

Profile In Bias: CNN’s New Morning Host Possesses Liberal Legacy at

CNN’s Soledad O’Brien returned to the anchor desk Monday morning as the network reworked its morning anchor line-up for the second year in a row. In 2007, O'Brien was removed as the co-host of CNN’s ratings-challenged American Morning in an effort to jump-start the flagging program. Now she returns to host Starting Point, the second half of CNN’s morning coverage that airs from 7-9 a.m EST.…
Matt Hadro
January 3rd, 2012 9:30 AM

CBS Scolds Gingrich: To Cut Deficit You Must Increase Taxes

In a series of CBS Evening News reports Monday night on how the top Republican presidential contenders plan to reduce the deficit, reporter Dean Reynolds pleaded to Newt Gingrich: “Absolutely no tax increases?” Reynolds proceeded to note “critics are doubtful” about the impact of Gingrich’s plans to reduce regulations and cut federal spending: “They say that fewer regulations could spur some…
Brent Baker
January 3rd, 2012 8:22 AM

MSNBC's Ad for 'Morning Joe' Stuffed With Praise from Show's Own Guest

Liberal blogger/professor Dan Kennedy spied a full-page ad that MSNBC bought to promote Morning Joe on the back of the January 1 Sunday Review section and couldn't help but investigate the original material that the ad-makers quoted. There were conflicts of interest everywhere. Even a casual viewer of TV news knows that using Tom Brokaw to praise an MSNBC program is borrowing another company…
Tim Graham
January 3rd, 2012 6:53 AM

NPR Celebrates 'A Good Year to Be Queer' With Gay Sex Columnist Dan Sa

For New  Year's Eve, NPR's All Things Considered some pieces on the year in review. NPR analyzed the year on Twitter -- completely ignoring Anthony Weiner (and discussing the TV show "Glee" instead). But first came what NPR most wanted to talk about -- "gay rights." Substitute anchor Rebecca Sheir reported " It was a banner year for a lot of things: from uprisings and Occupy to, as we'll hear…
Tim Graham
January 2nd, 2012 11:00 PM