Free for All: 08/02/10

What’s on your mind?

65 Responses to “Free for All: 08/02/10”

  1. Amanpour was a big snore in her debut.

    She missed a great chance to challenge Nancy Pelosi and make a name for herself as a different breed of Sunday host. I didn’t expect her to get into a shouting match, but I was hoping for something resembling an interview rather than an info-mercial.

    When the topic of today’s hyperpartisanship came up, rather than accept any responsibility, Pelosi simply said that the divide exists because Democrats stand with the American people while Republicans stick up only for the special interests. If ever a statement should have been challenged, that was it.

    Sorry Christiane, I will be watching David Gregory (and I hate him) for the foreseeable future.

  2. My gasted is flabbered (yes, flabbergasted) over the liberal complaints that President Obama “just hasn’t done enough” and he’s been too passive.

    Let’s see: we’ve passed a $1 trillion stimulus (the largest ever), the most extensive healthcare reform in our history (affecting more than 1/6th of our economy), and the most far reaching financial reforms since the Great Depression.

    All within two years. And it’s not enough?

    What did you want?

  3. msnbcfan123 Says:

    msnbc hired Richard Liu as a dayside anchor… I wonder what this means for Contessa Brewer, Tamron Hall, Andrea Mitchell aand Chris Jansing!

  4. – What did you want? –

    The actual blog-link within the article is probably better, since it lacks the special ‘Newsbusters’-perspective (depending on your point-of-view). It all works, though.

    http://newsbusters.org/blogs/melissa-clouthier/2010/08/01/why-are-liberals-so-miserable

  5. tooncigars Says:

    Lady Gag-a On sex: She tries to avoid it because she is afraid of depleting her creative energy. “I have this weird thing that if I sleep with someone they’re going to take my creativity from me through my … ”

    http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/08/lagy-gaga-sex-takes-away-her-creativity/1

  6. “msnbc hired Richard Liu as a dayside anchor…”
    Wow! By my count that makes 16 people that can do, at least some, Dayside & weekend hosting plus occasional prime time news reading on staff at MSNBC.
    Martin Bashir
    Lynne Berry
    Contessa Brewer
    Veronica De La Cruz
    Tamron Hall
    Paige Hopkins
    Chris Jansing
    Richard Liu
    Andrea Mitchell
    Monica Novotny
    Norah 0′Donnell
    J.J. Ramberg
    Melissa Rehberger
    Thomas Roberts
    David Shuster (yeah, I know)
    Alex Witt
    And this doesn’t even include Chuck Todd & Savannah Guthrie whose show is technically in Dayside.
    Did I miss anyone?
    There’s enough to staff two networks with anchors and have some left over..

  7. bushleaguer Says:

    jwe – Yeah, I thought that Amanpour’s interview was too “I’ll ask the questions, you can spew the talking points.” A few months ago Rachel Maddow interviewed Pelosi and Maddow did a much tougher interview (attacking her from the left).
    I think Amanpour will provide an interesting show in that it will bring more attention to issues outside of the beltway, but with mid-terms coming up she will have to step up her game.
    On a side note, I’ve noticed that Chris Wallace has been stepping up his game – he went after McConnell and Boehner pretty hard on the cost of renewing the Bush tax cuts.

  8. savefarris Says:

    Who knew that Lady Gaga was actually George Costanza?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abstinence

  9. Talk about punching down.

    Keith Olbermann completely elevates two less well known (and more competent) media personalities with this weekend tweet:

    RT @HowardKurtz Too much anger in media? Reid, Sesno, Ashburn & David Zurawik on Reliable Sources /Good get. Zurawik as angry as they come 10:04 AM Jul 31st via web

    Reads to me like a pre-emptive strike by a man who is tried of being lumped in with the likes of Hannity and Beck. I think Zurawik is a pretty conscientious reporter who has only taken on Olbermann when the situation demanded it.

  10. Add these two part-timers to my MSNBC dayside host list from above.
    Peter Alexander
    Christina Brown
    I haven’t personally seen either recently so they may not be current staff members.

  11. Fritz, you’re right, that is a significant roster. Maybe they can start getting away from the weekend rehash of documentaries, unless the money is simply too tempting to dismiss that salacious crap.

  12. I’m pretty sure Christina Brown is now a correspondent and no longer NYC-based. J.J. Ramberg doesn’t do much anchoring, she just hosts “Your Business” which isn’t even a good fit for MSNBC. And technically Paige Hopkins, Veronica De La Cruz, and Thomas Roberts aren’t under contract with MSNBC

  13. That’s a lot of personnel for a network that has no money for news and plays crap all weekend. Are they paying them on commission?

  14. Great point, Joe. How many backups’ backups do you need for a two-desk setup on dayside?

    Either times are tight, or they’re not, but perhaps the hope is that Comcast is encouraging more news coverage on weekend, and they are hiring in advance of the merger.

  15. -Veronica De La Cruz-

    Omg that woman is annoying. She’s decided that “MSNBC” is two words. “You’re watching First Look on MS(pause, lowers head)NBC.” Smile!

  16. Fritz, you padded your list. This is the actual roster that counts…

    Martin Bashir
    Contessa Brewer
    Tamron Hall
    Chris Jansing
    Richard Liu
    Andrea Mitchell
    Monica Novotny
    Alex Witt

    Everybody else on your list is either a freelancer or someone whose main duties do not include anchoring MSNBC dayside. Still even this list is too big. Someone must be going.

  17. I would be surprised to see Andrea Mitchell leave for another network as a potentially big steal. Anyone know her contract status?

  18. CORRECTION: would NOT be surprised.

  19. She has no reason to leave NBC. She’s a lifer.

  20. “Fritz, you padded your list.”

    Yeah I was going to do an ‘A’ list and a ‘B>C’ list but couldn’t decide who was on which list. For example I wouldn’t put Novotny on my ‘A’ list.
    Still even with your reduced numbers they’re still bringing in Cenk Uygur to sub for Jansing. And they gave Donnie D. a try a few weeks ago.
    Maybe they are doing the BP strategy; hire everyone available to prevent them from working on the other networks. :-)

    “Maybe they can start getting away from the weekend rehash of documentaries”

    Jwe: I been waiting for some changes in the weekend lineup since Fredrico Quadrani was hired months ago as EP for weekends. hasn’t happen yet.

  21. Andrea is a long time correspondent, so I doubt she’s leaving NBC News. But her show on MSNBC could be canceled. Could Contessa be on the way out? She’s not used as much as she could be, although she hosts that “Caught on Camera” show.

  22. Joe and Corny,

    Don’t you think a reporter of her stature feels she is being overlooked at MSNBC and maybe deserves a higher profile given her years of service on high-profile beats?

  23. America Live showed clips of an inflammatory video protesting the mosque at Ground Zero, including footage of the second tower being hit and a person falling. There has been an unwritten agreement since late that day that those images are only broadcast with substantial warning. I’ve never seen it done outside of a 9/11 documentary, when the viewer would clearly be prepared for it. This was extrememely exploitative and offensive.

  24. Not surprisingly, I have to disagree Joe. We show too much restraint when it comes to 9/11 because it is painful and uncomfortable to think about it. We don’t show those images enough. We, as a culture, are out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

    When a story centers around 9/11 or Ground Zero, using that footage is entirely appropriate to demonstrate why people get so worked up about the subject.

  25. ^ I think you’re missing my point. “Moment of death” video should always be presented with ample warning. Fox just threw it up there, which was offensive. I don’t have a problem with the footage itself being broadcast. And I don’t know many people who need reminders of “why people get so worked up about the subject”. Dude, it’s 9/11. We remember.

  26. Andrea Mitchell is not the greatest anchor. Although last time I saw the dayside ratings she was doing better than the average dayside hour on MSNBC. But I might have that wrong.

  27. tooncigars Says:

    ^i think more people need to be “reminded” that 9/11 happened when a shadowy group, who won’t say where their funding is coming from, wants to build a mosque on what many of us consider “holy” ground– the muslims have a history of building mosques on sites they’ve conquered in the past– hence the project name “Cordoba” (as in Spain)– i agree with jwe– we should watch this stuff often so the impact stays fresh– sure, i can understand giving a warning to people of a certain sensitivity but that’s just so they can turn away from it– i often look with awe upon the picture of “The Falling Man” and almost weep with anger and pain– bully for FNC!–

  28. I don’t think a lot of people remember how awful it was. They just think of it as “that day we were attacked” and leave the visuals out of it.

    I worry it is becoming the equivalent of Pearl Harbor, where we might know the history without understanding the awful price of human carnage.

    That said, I did miss your point. FOX should have warned that they were about to air footage and given people 30 seconds or so to change the channel or turn it off.

  29. I’m not going to let you guys turn this into a “righties are more concerned about 9/11 than lefties” thing. It’s a terrible tragedy with unbearably violent images that – up until today – had been carefully presented by the news media. I don’t support the mosque, I don’t support graphic 9/11 images being broadcast without warning, and I don’t need a lesson on what happened that day.

  30. What you were seeing on America Live was part of a commercial that is put out by some group (don’t know which one) that is opposed to the mosque going up near Ground Zero. Megyn did mention this but quickly along with that many news stations will NOT play the commercial because they feel it is inflammatory. My opinion – on this issue we need more, not less, discussion on this mosque near Ground Zero. I believe this group is using our unwillingness to take on radical Muslims because of our political correctness to push for this all the while they are laughing at our stupidity.

  31. …and given people 30 seconds or so to change the channel or turn it off.

    I don’t think most people would make that decision, including me. You just want to know it’s coming so you’re prepared for it. All these years later, those images still scare the hell out of me. I’m not even good at catching static images of the towers in old TV shows and movies. My heart goes in my throat every time.

  32. tooncigars Says:

    ^who’s missing the point now joe?– this is one of the only things that the left and right usually agree on– i think many people out there DO need a “lesson” to be reminded about what happened that day– some historical events, as they fade into the past, have less impact on current events– no mosque on ground zero– ever– whatever it takes– if u feel guilty cause ur lefty slip is showing get over it– ur loathing of Fox on most subjects is palpable so this is no suprise–

  33. tooncigars Says:

    well, well, well– look who the drug cartels from South of the Border are trying to draw down on– Sheriff Joe!– Pancho Villa rides again!– http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/mexican-drug-cartel-sheriff-arpaio-07292010

  34. Joe, I would never suggest either the right or left has any kind of advantage in concern about 9/11. That kind of scorekeeping is the lowest type of cynicism and it turns my stomach.

    I think overall, as a country, we do a great job of getting past national tragedies and moving on with our lives. But I worry we have done such a good job of pushing forward after 9/11 that the awfulness of that day is fading, especially for people who were not in New York or D.C.

  35. That day was beyond awful. As someone who’d finished a shift at 8 in that morning, changed clothes, and went out breakfast, I got caught in the middle of it.

    Frankly, the video footage from that morning is nothing compared to the sights, smells, and sounds, which I won’t describe here because it would upset too many.

  36. But I worry we have done such a good job of pushing forward after 9/11 that the awfulness of that day is fading, especially for people who were not in New York or D.C.

    That last part has always mystified me. I think people who were there then underestimate how shocking the event was for the rest of us on television. Watching airliners intentionally slam into the World Trade Center, then seeing that indelible part of the NYC skyline crumble to the ground, is the most shocking image most Americans will ever live through. You may be correct that it is fading for some, but for me..it was yesterday.

  37. Anyway, my request is simple. Before you show the anti-mosque video, I would like more warning than “some stations won’t carry this”, followed immediately by rapid clips from it. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

  38. Just to clear things up for me; just how far does ‘Ground Zero’ extend.? ‘The mosque’ in question is two blocks away from the twin towers location and my understanding is the finished building could not be seen from anywhere at that site because there are multi story buildings between the towers footprint and the proposed mosque.
    So does ‘Ground Zero’ extend out 2 blocks from the towers footprint or 10 blocks or 20 blocks or does it go all the way to New Jersey and beyond.
    My thinking is 3 blocks is the limit as there is already a mosque 4 blocks away and no one seems upset with that one…yet.

  39. Watched a PBS-program about Bob Dylan the other night. One of his first contacts in the music-industry was Mitch Miller, a man who’d heard many beautiful voices over time. Dylan’s was not one of them. You can imagine what his reaction may have been..

  40. Just to clear things up for me; just how far does ‘Ground Zero’ extend.? ‘The mosque’ in question is two blocks away from the twin towers location and my understanding is the finished building could not be seen from anywhere at that site because there are multi story buildings between the towers footprint and the proposed mosque.

    Very close. The blocks are pretty short/small down there. If you stand at the corner of the street where the mosque will be built and pivot 90 degrees, you’re almost inside (the rebuilt 5 years ago) WTC 7 and very close to the construction on the rest of the site.

    The building that will probably be torn down for the mosque is close enough that it was damaged by plane parts on 9/11.

  41. ^ OK. So just how close to ‘Ground Zero” would be safe for this group to build its mosque so as to not offend your sensibilities.

  42. Stop being a jerk. You weren’t there. You didn’t see and hear people fall to the ground from 1/4 of a mile in the sky. You didn’t lose people you cared for. You don’t have the right to be a flippant @ss.

  43. ^ I’d say a mile. Mosques already within that mile aren’t at issue or the least bit offending. It’s not right to have a law preventing them, however. If you’ve been following the story, it’s not so much the “mosque” as it is the group who wants to build it there. Further study is warranted.

    VA AG Ken Cuccinelli is very succinct and even-keeled answering Greta’s questions. He’s a good lawyer.

  44. Ah, BW got in there before me and once again I must disagree with hi/r. As an American, Fritz has every right to be a flippant @ss.

  45. ^ …and BW has every right to call him one. And Fritz has every right to object vociferously. What a country!

    Al, your “mile away” sounds good to me, and – as you say – not by decree. A simple “Duh, we don’t think it’s a good idea to build it any closer” should suffice.

  46. Al, your “mile away” sounds good to me, and – as you say – not by decree. A simple “Duh, we don’t think it’s a good idea to build it any closer” should suffice.

    Just because someone has the right to do something doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do.

    There’s already a mosque about 1/2-3/4 of a mile north of Ground Zero, and there has been no great influx of Muslims in lower Manhattan. Nor in Staten Island, where plans to turn an old Catholic Church building into a mosque seem to have gone by the wayside.

  47. -That-

    With all due respect to Mr. Matthews and those who remember things that way, his premise regarding Iraq is incorrect. To wit, UN Security Council Resolution 1441 and the 2002 Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq on what we were told to be the reasons for invasion.

  48. I don’t care what they told the UN; what they told us was “mushroom cloud 9/11″. I still remember that, too.

  49. -mushroom cloud-

    Perhaps you should re-read the record.

    Matthews:
    “So when you hear the people who pushed the Iraq war on behalf of George W. Bush also push the need to keep the Bush tax cuts, please remember that what they are really doing is defending the tax cuts for the richest among us – plain and simple.”

    Hopefully he is unaware that he has his facts wrong again. Otherwise, he considers a family of four with an income of $100K per year to be “the richest among us” – plain and simple.

  50. I believe you are incorrect about rates down to that level being under the gun.

  51. Depends upon what Congress does or does not do. And some of us have businesses run through our personal finances in order to avoid the cost of double taxation. Thus, if the “wealthiest among us” as defined within Chris Matthew’s context lose the Bush tax cuts, some 40-50K workers will lose their job. Immediately.

  52. I don’t know the details of your business, so I won’t argue that. What I do argue is the blanket contention by the right that the entire Bush tax cut is on the Dems’ chopping block. It’s simply not true. I’m still not happy with what is proposed – I think the whole thing should be left alone until the economy improves – but I’m tired of the entire debate boiling down to a lie written on Sarah Palin’s palm.

  53. I have no idea what Sarah Palin said – I’m not on Facebook. I’m tired of the claim made by the left that the Bush tax cuts primarily helped the rich. Simply not true.

    I don’t believe that 2010 budget was adopted. But I see your train of thinking. Seems to me, raising the upper income tax rate t 39.6% would first negatively impact state income tax revenues, and then it would obviously erode operating capital in the private sector.

    Is it right that he federal government can take 40% of anybody’s earnings? I’m for flat tax rates, no (or very few) deductions. The tax code should also acknowledge that businesses write the checks for their taxes but consumers ultimately pay them.

  54. ^ Not to mention the idea that those tax-cuts were somehow bad for the economy. They only brought us out of the 00-01 recession, and the aftermath of 9/11.
    Liberals have been lying about those tax-cuts for nine years, so excuse me if I can’t get too jazzed about a little Palin-shorthand.

  55. Nobody is saying the tax cuts were bad for the economy then, and the Congress is not trying to repeal all of them now. And I’m tired of crap like Sarah Palin being ‘ok’ because ‘liberals did this or that’.

  56. I didn’t say it was ‘ok’, I said I didn’t care. As far as no one saying that they were bad for the economy, we’re obviously listening to different people.

  57. -Red Eye-

    Wow, that was a bunch of low-knowledge dumbassery. Gutfeld and Gerri Willis took turns bashing the Chevy Volt because it gets a tax credit to help the auto industry sell a car that severely increases gas mileage. After the credit, the car is about $34,000.00, which is the average price of an SUV or pickup truck that gets 17 MPG, yet they claim it’s an overpriced “loser”. Then Willis tells everybody to buy a Honda Fit!

    Idiots. The Volt – which, if you stick to the average American’s route of 30 miles, will run on electric only because you just keep plugging it in without using the gas engine – is going to be a huge hit. And the technology will eventually be spread to other GM products, which – DUH! – pays the tooling off so the prices come down. But no, screw Chevy and their attempt to be a leader in automotive technology that weans us off Arab oil. Buy a Honda! Jerks.

  58. tooncigars Says:

    i haven’t heard anyone say Palin is “ok” on this post– as a staunch conservative (who started off a Reagan Democrat) i feel she’s got good credentials but also feel that if elected she’d quickly show she’s in way over her head, kinda like Obama– we don’t need another “out of the frying pan into the fire” type of scenario– let’s stay on the beam with why the Dems want these tax cuts to go away– after spending more money than Croesus in the last 19 months and putting this country farther into debt than it’s ever been, the Dems suddenly “hear” the voters and want to start paying for their profligacy (stimulus, obamacare, car bailouts, dodd/frank garbage bill)– b.s.– they wanna get their grubby mitts on all that money we haven’t been paying so they can spend MORE without having to make the hard cuts that will be necessary to sustain this nation– and wait for it… they want to redistribute the wealth– anybody that doesn’t think thats true just take a look at the repeal of the “Death Tax”– 55 frakkin’ percent!– one for u, two for me cause i’m the tax man–

  59. tooncigars Says:

    speaking of taxes– this trend is very troubling:
    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0ae8415c-9e5e-11df-a5a4-00144feab49a.html

  60. tooncigars Says:

    what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander, indeed– i love it when holier than thou politicians like “turnip-face” get all up in the face of some other holier than thou politician and then get smacked down– sit back and enjoy her squirm for the next few months– and by the way– she will never retire– they will have to carry her cold, dead body out of that House before she’ll walk away by herself (as well as anyone else in the self-important “Black Caucus”)–
    http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/53643&start=2987&end=3062

  61. tooncigars Says:

    ^speaking of cars, i saw an ad for a real fuel saver the other day and thought i’d pass it along–

  62. tooncigars Says:

    Pvt. Manning’s been “outed”– not that there’s anything wrong with that!–
    http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/ss_military0732_08_02.asp

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