MSNBC’s Ratigan: Obama Offers ‘Olive Branch;’ GOP Uses It to
January 29th, 2010 5:37 PM
At the top of Friday’s Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC, the show announcer teased a story on President Obama speaking a meeting of House Republicans in Baltimore: “What will Republicans do with President Obama’s olive branch? He’s reaching out to the GOP yet again, despite a year of push backs and criticisms. Is he being naive or crazy like a fox?” Moments later, host Dylan Ratigan made a biblical…
Behar and Goldberg: First Year of Obama Presidency 'Traumatic' For Whi
January 29th, 2010 2:37 PM
[Update, 3:00 pm Eastern: Video added.] On HLN’s Joy Behar Show on Thursday, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg gave a racial explanation for Chris Matthews’ recent “I forgot he was black” remark about President Obama. Goldberg cracked that “this has been quite a year for the white man.” Behar replied, “Traumatic,” and Goldberg continued it was “traumatic in many ways because...you have to think…
Media React to 5.7 Percent GDP Growth: 'Great News for Consumers;' Eco
January 29th, 2010 1:18 PM
Fourth quarter GDP growth "beat expectations," exciting some journalists on Jan. 29. But a number of economists were downbeat. The 5.7 percent growth for the last quarter of 2009 sparked media reactions on both MSNBC and CNN. Savannah Guthrie declared on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" that "If they could do a jig at the White House, they would." Joining that discussion, NBC's Chuck Todd asked, "So is…
James O'Keefe Accuses Media of 'Journalistic Malpractice
January 29th, 2010 11:38 AM
James O'Keefe, the man that helped bring down ACORN and is now embroiled in a controversy involving Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), has accused the media of journalistic malpractice.In a statement released at Big Government moments ago, O'Keefe specifically pointed fingers at the Associated Press, MSNBC, and the Washington Post as a "few examples" of press outlets guilty of "inaccurate and false…
Grasping at Straws: Olbermann Claims Obama 'Arrogant' Label a Racist E
January 29th, 2010 11:14 AM
A lot of leading thinkers on the right have warned about this, but now with President Barack Obama no longer enjoying high approval ratings and many of his defenders with their back against the wall, the race card is being deployed as one of the last lines of defense. And one of the most bizarre and egregious examples of this desperation to defend the President at all costs came from MSNBC "…
James O'Keefe Makes Olbermann Worry About 'Journalistic Integrity
January 29th, 2010 10:54 AM
This is one of the funniest things I've seen in years: MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, the man who on a nightly basis drags journalism deeper and deeper into the abyss, is actually worried about integrity in his industry."From a professional standpoint, how do you determine whether these guys or just [James] O`Keefe by himself, whether they qualify as journalists, rather than political provocateur?" the…
Stewart: Matthews Is 'One Scotch Away From Being Ron Burgundy
January 29th, 2010 1:47 AM
Comedian Jon Stewart Thursday mocked MSNBC's Chris Matthews for his absurd comment about having forgotten President Obama was black during the previous night's State of the Union address."If you watched the speech, and afterwards just wanted to have your mind blown, you gotta stick with Chris Matthews," teased the "Daily Show" host.After showing the video of Matthews' foolish remark, Stewart…
Chris Matthews Calls Uber-liberal Dianne Feinstein a 'Centrist' and 'T
January 28th, 2010 5:45 PM
In 2008, she achieved a 100% liberal rating by the group Americans for Democratic Action. The same year she voted with conservatives just 4 percent of the time, according to the American Conservative Union. Her lifetime ACU rating is also in the single digits at a mere 9.06.So let's not tell Chris Matthews, shall we. [audio available here] The "Hardball" host today described the California…
MSNBC Brass: Shuster Tweets 'Inappropriate'--Breitbart Forces Retracti
January 28th, 2010 4:21 PM
A spokesperson for MSNBC told Politico today that the channel's brass has reprimanded David Shuster for derisive tweets he directed at James O'Keefe Tuesday. Within hours, he had retracted portions of his tweeted comments on air during an interview with Andrew Breitbart.This humble blogger documented the Twitter exchange yesterday, and pointed out that Shuster was much quicker to assume O'Keefe's…
Matthews: Obama Policies 'Conservative,' Dems 'Created' Middle Class
January 28th, 2010 11:26 AM
On Wednesday's Countdown show on MSNBC, shortly before the beginning of the State of the Union address, as Keith Olbermann discussed the speech with Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow, after Olbermann brought up the possibility that President Obama would give a divisive FDR-style speech, Matthews seemed to lament that such a speech would "spook" the middle class, and, as he credited the Democratic…
Olbermann Touts Man Who Created 50 Green Jobs with $99 Million Stimulu
January 28th, 2010 10:29 AM
Keith Olbermann should keep a calculator on hand during his broadcasts. If he'd had one, the liberal MSNBC host of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" could have run the numbers on Jan. 27 following the State of the Union address. Olbermann was recapping President Obama's speech and told viewers: "Among those seated with the first lady in the visitor's gallery ... a man from Arizona whose company…
Fineman: Obama Should Be On Mt. Rushmore For That Speech
January 28th, 2010 1:29 AM
"If presidential leadership were only about giving speeches, the jackhammers would already be at work on Mt. Rushmore."So amazingly said Newsweek's Howard Fineman shortly after President Obama finished his State of the Union Address, but that wasn't the only absurd thing he told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Wednesday's "Countdown.""In many, many ways, this is one of the most conservative speeches…
Chris Matthews: I Forgot Obama Was Black Tonight
January 27th, 2010 11:03 PM
UPDATE AT END OF POST: Video of Matthews clarifying this crazy comment. The tingle appears to be back for Chris Matthews, for shortly after Barack Obama finished his State of the Union address Wednesday, the "Hardball" host said he forgot the President was black.Speaking with fellow MSNBCers Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann, Matthews gushed, "You know, I was trying to think about who he was…
Ouch! Halperin Says Obama Sounds Like . . . Dukakis
January 27th, 2010 8:31 PM
Call it the unkindest Dukakis of all . . .In the pre-SOTU kibitzing, Game Change co-author Mark Halperin, having read released excerpts of the speech, says it reminds him of the man in the tank, Michael Dukakis.Halperin, who prefaced his punch by professing his respect for PBO et. al, was reacting to Andrea Mitchell, who claimed to hear echoes, of all people, of Ronald Reagan in PBO's remarks.