Ferguson Calls Out Liberal Bias of MSNBC’s Wolffe: ‘Journalist’ is ‘Much the Same Thing’ As ‘Democrat’
As MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe - formerly of Newsweek - appeared as a guest on Wednesday’s Late Late Show on CBS, after Wolffe conveyed his left-leaning take on the deal to extend the Bush tax cuts, host Craig Ferguson asked, "You’re a Democrat, aren’t you?" as he stared at the MSNBC contributor for comedic effect, inspiring audience laughter.
After Wolffe responded, "I am a journalist," Ferguson smiled and quipped, "Much the same thing, isn’t it?"
Ferguson had turned the discussion to President Obama’s role in the recent tax agreement, and Wolffe asserted that it was "embarrassing" for Obama that he had to break a campaign promise, although the MSNBC political analyst also suggested that doing so was necessary in the current economic climate. He then claimed that the deal limits the ability of the GOP to effectively criticize the President in the future because Republicans "are in bed with him." Wolffe:
For two years, the Republicans have said this guy is a socialist, he’s unacceptable, he's a freak. And now it’s very hard for them to go back and do that because they are in bed with him - not literally - but they’re in bed with him and they’ve made the deal, and he’s now acceptable. He’s acceptable to polite company and Republicans.
After Ferguson argued that Obama can be attacked for breaking a "big" campaign promise, Wolffe continued:
But it’s temporary. And in the meantime, unemployed people get their benefits, another extra $400 billion goes into the economy - which everyone thinks is a good idea - tax credits come in, and the middle class don't get screwed because Washington cannot figure out which way is up.
Ferguson then took the opportunity to tease his guest about slanting left in his political analysis:
CRAIG FERGUSON: You're a Democrat, aren't you?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
RICHARD WOLFFE: I am a journalist.
FERGUSON: A journalist?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
FERGUSON: Much the same thing, isn’t it?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Wednesday, December 8, Late Late Show on CBS:
CRAIG FERGUSON: Okay, so tell me about the tax cuts deal, then, Obama has made. What’s going on with that? What’s he doing?
RICHARD WOLFFE: Well, he had a choice here, which wasn't much of a choice at all. Everyone says you’ve got to fix the economy, you’ve got to deal with the unemployed. The Republicans said we don't care about that stuff, he needs to put money into the economy. And the tax cuts - it’s embarrassing, I mean, you go out there campaigning saying no tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and gazillionaires, and-
FERGUSON: And then you do tax cuts-
WOLFFE: And then you do-
FERGUSON: -for millionaires, bazillionaires and brazillionaires.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
WOLFFE: Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. For two years, the Republicans have said this guy is a socialist, he’s unacceptable, he's a freak. And now it’s very hard for them to go back and do that because they are in bed with him - not literally - but they’re in bed with him and they’ve made the deal, and he’s now acceptable. He’s acceptable to polite company and Republicans.
FERGUSON: I think they’ll find a way. I think the, I mean, I think the political opposition will find a way to make hay with the fact that he reneged on a campaign promise within living memory - and a big one, too.
WOLFFE: But it’s temporary. And in the meantime, unemployed people get their benefits, another extra $400 billion goes into the economy - which everyone thinks is a good idea - tax credits come in, and the middle class don't get screwed because Washington cannot figure out which way is up.
FERGUSON: You're a Democrat, aren't you?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
WOLFFE: I am a journalist.
FERGUSON: A journalist?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
FERGUSON: Much the same thing, isn’t it?
(AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)
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Comments
Sarah Palin on Twitter: "Think Obama's tax policies are wise?
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 8:16am.
Watch this." She followed her tweet with a link to this YouTube video titled Bar Stool Economics and How Taxes Work
Kudos to Craig Ferguson for his candor in exposing MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe as just another biased liberal posing as an objective journalist.
It's a contradiction of terms
Submitted by Inthe gray on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 8:39am.
To use journalist and MSNBC in the same sentence...as for Newsweek didn't they get sold for a deflated dollar?
"I'm a journOlist............."
Submitted by wedapeople on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:21am.
Don't ya love it......... Richard Wolf.
Did Rich ask what Baracak Bush Obama meant when he said this:
“It’s true that I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans.” Chester, Pennsylvania, October 28, 2008
“We are going to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans, those making more than $250,000 a year.” Lake Worth, Florida, October 21, 2008
“Yes, I’m going to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans.” New Philadelphia, Ohio, September 3, 2008
“I think it is very important to roll back the Bush tax cuts on some of the wealthiest Americans.” Chesapeake, Virginia, August 21, 2008
“We’re going to have to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the top one percent.” Fargo, North Dakota, July 3, 2008
“I’m going to roll back the Bush tax cuts back to the levels they were in the 1990s.” Interview with Fox News Channel, June 26, 2008
“I will roll back the Bush tax cuts on people making over $250,000.” Watertown, South Dakota, May 16, 2008
“We are going to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.” Raleigh, North Carolina, May 3, 2008
“It is true that I would roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans back to the level they were under Bill Clinton.” Fox News Sunday, April 27, 2008
“We’re going to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the top one percent.” Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 31, 2008
“I want to roll back those Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans.” Youngstown, Ohio, February 18, 2008
“Let’s roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans.” Washington, DC, June 19, 2007
“I would roll back the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.” Manchester, New Hampshire, June 3, 2007
Up next ....... GITMO ..... JOBS..... Recovery winter ....and Barack owning the economy
Nothing new here
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:24am.
Typical, Obama concedes one, ONE, point to Republicans (actually to common sense, you don't raise taxes in an economic downturn) so now Republicans must concede ALL future points to Obama ('Well Senator, Obama gave in to your side, don't you think you should be a little more accomodating?'). Gee, isn't that how the D's ALWAYS work?
It is how it always has worked
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:56am.
Social security expansions, Medicare, Medicaid, etc have all been "moving to the center" by Republicans. Can you suggest ANY other than welfare reforms where the Dems/libs have been moved to the center? This country keeps going left for only one reason; the only side to ever accommodate is the right. The left does not accommodate, and they just smile and gloat as this country continually becomes the United Socialist States of America.
Dennis Prager
Obama is simply gearing up
Submitted by kg on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 11:26am.
Obama is simply gearing up for his 2012 run. He is changing his agenda a bit hoping that those that he fooled last election will be fooled again. Just look at the mileage this bone he tossed to the people is getting.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
Wolffe is just your typical
Submitted by Barack_must_go..... on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:36am.
Wolffe is just your typical left wing bomb throwing Dick ( Richard ). He's not even an American either.
Doesn't matter to the lame street media where your from ( Obama ), if you hate America and scream it from the roof tops you're in.They'll love you like the _______ they never had.
Just look at Oprah blubbering over her and Gail not being even a little lesbian, you'll see what I mean.
Barack_Must_Go.....
Broken Promise?
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:08am.
What is the big deal?
Financing his campaign - Started on a lie
Friends and teachers - mislead, lied and threw under bus
unite the people of the US - ha
end racial barriers - ha ha
transparency, waiting period on bills, change the rise of the ocean, blah, blah, blah
the list goes on and on but I will say it is hard to distinguish at times the promises of President Obama and the claims of the media.
He and the Dems are getting plenty out of this
Submitted by TheHistorian on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:52am.
The budget impact of the tax cuts is in the area of $90 B. The numbers I saw for the stuff that is in this turkey package for Democrats (increasing the unemployment by 13 MONTHS!!!, Earned Income Tax Credits, etc. are in the area of $250 B. I hope that Boehner understands that he now has to cut the Obama budget by $350 B. I hope his buddy the porker on the Appropriations Committee and he realize that if they don't do this, neither one is likely to come back to Congress in 2013.
Dennis Prager
I love it!
Submitted by HockeyKid on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 9:57am.
Ferguson: "You're a Democrat, aren't you?"
Wolffe: "I am a journalist!"
Ferguson: "Much the same thing, isn't it?"
First-round knockout. Hilarious. The truth will out, Mr. Wolffe. Sadly, you wouldn't know truth from a turnip.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
When an audience on a
Submitted by Chris Norman on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:06am.
When an audience on a non-political talk show gets the joke about journalists being the same as Democrats and laugh, we know that mostly everyone now recognize the liberal bias in journalism. I just wish there was a term to describe the way-past-bias stage the MSM is in. I guess Ferguson described the uber-bias as well as it can be described.
When an Audience
Submitted by NVRAT on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:39am.
I agree. I think that the audience`s across america are starting to get the picture. Personaly I hope that the Madcows, Little Chrissies, Ste-warts, and the rest of them keep it up. Have you noticed that things are getting so bad for them that they are starting to interview each other on the air? no one else is interested. Good work Chris and your statement "By Liberals. For Liberals" is great.
NVRAT
Submitted by Chris Norman on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 12:54am.
NVRAT,
Thanks. With every incident of liberal bias (one constant incident, actually), the media is making itself more and more ineffective as an influence on the American people. They have over-played their hand. I suppose that while we condemn the bias, the media is doing more damage to themselves than we could ever do to them.
Ferguson v. Wolfe
Submitted by sarge329 on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:28am.
It's sad when an individual who recently earned his citizenship, as did Mr. Ferguson, calls a supposed journalist on the similarity between the Left and the LSM. Sadder still, the audience saw it as a joke and laughed. Proof that humor is, indeed, based in truth. In other words, you can't make this stuff up.
Sorry Sisterboy...
Submitted by adamsmith on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:31am.
Sorry Sisterboy, he's still a commie.
Ferguson
Submitted by KC Mulville on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 10:49am.
I watch Ferguson whenever I can. I think he's extremely funny. What's more, when you watch his show, it's obvious that he's having a good time. At the end of the day, I don't mind watching funny people having a good time.
That having been said, he's no conservative. You have to let those jokes pass by without making too much of them. I've heard a couple things that make me cringe, but he's not a crusader trying to manipulate anyone. He has opinions, they come out ... but he's not trying to hurt anyone.
~I've never seen it
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 11:47am.
As I simply cannot stay up that late, but I must admit I have a soft spot for Scots. I'm glad to know he isn't a raging lefty.
Wolffe: Now he's acceptable
Submitted by krendler on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 11:33am.
Wolffe: but they’re in bed with him and they’ve made the deal, and he’s now acceptable. He’s acceptable to polite company and Republicans.Wait a second. He's acceptable to conservatives now but he wasn't before? How can he be acceptable NOW. He's still black, isn't he? That was the whole problem, right? Nothing to do with policy, according to liberals. The opposition was all about skin color. No? Blithering idiots.
Oh, and as Rush
Submitted by krendler on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 11:36am.
Oh, and as Rush mentioned,
gee, it sure sounds to me that the Dems in congress and other liberals across the country - Bill Maher included - who are condemning Obama on the compromise - clearly this is all about Obama's race.
Obama's "deal."
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 12/09/2010 - 5:14pm.
So, Obama has, with the consent of the Republican minority in Congress, extended the tax rates for another two years? Congrats, Obama.
What's that, no tax extension bill been passed yet in Congress and the Democrats all have stated their displeasure of this proposal? Well, there goes Obama's "deal." Killed in the Senate by the Democrats themselves.
Don't forget, people, the "deal' isn't "done" yet. Obama doesn't write tax law, Congress does.
This is just another political magic trick, smoke and mirrors, designed to pacify the population, though the announcement of a controversial "deal," one that, surprise!, the Democrats don't support and won't allow to pass, which gives perfect cover for the Democrats to do what they originally planned to do anyways, which is to raise ALL the tax rates, while, magically, making Obama appear more "centrist."
Hay, Obama, until you sign an extension bill, this is nothing more than smoke and mirrors!
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