NBC’s Williams Hits Bowles and Simpson from the Left, Deficit Cutting an ‘Assault’ on Middle Class and Poor
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams on Wednesday evening hit presidential deficit commission co-chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles from the left, the New York Times left. Without ever raising conservative criticism of proposals to raise taxes, Williams charged:
It seems to me there's two arguments. There's what you're trying to accomplish and then there's how you're trying to accomplish, and there are, as you know, critics of what you're trying to do. James K. Galbraith writes in the New York Times, “Bowles-Simpson proposal is an assault on the middle class, the working class and the poor.”
This wasn’t the first time Williams has cited a left-wing New York Times op-ed or columnist for what he considered sage wisdom.
From October 21, “Williams Harangues Christie from the Krugman Left, Pleads for More Spending: 'Couldn't You Find the Money?'” which recounted:
Brian Williams touted New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as a “star” on “the rise” in the Republican Party before adding a “however” and haranguing him from left over his opposition to massive spending for a new tunnel from his state to New York, reciting as an oracle the criticism from far-left New York Times columnist Paul Krugman without ever identifying the source of the supposed wisdom beyond “the op-ed page of the New York Times.”
For Thursday’s NBC Nightly News, Williams traveled to the Garden State to sit down with Christie. Williams contended Christie “took a big hit for saying no to New Jersey's share of a new tunnel beneath the Hudson River, a huge public works project designed to ease congestion. His decision exploded on the op-ed page of the New York Times which called it ‘a blow to national hopes of a recovery.’” That was Krugman’s characterization in an October 8 op-ed, The End of the Tunnel.
When Christie explained how his deep in debt state can’t afford the billions more now demanded for the project, Williams pleaded: “But couldn't you find the money? Isn't there a way if you really wanted it, if you really wanted it for long-term investment?” The anchor continued to display his reverence for the New York Times as he, once again, quoted Krugman:
The Times goes on. Here's how you should think about the decision to kill the tunnel: “It's a terrible thing in itself, but, beyond that, it's a perfect symbol of how America has lost its way.” You're being tied to the nation losing its way by dint of this decision.
The other two of the three prompts from Williams in the interview excerpted on the Wednesday, December 1 NBC Nightly News:
– Well, here's a question for either of you. If these cuts go through, though not exactly as you've called for, as you'd like to see them, if there's a process that gets us more or less to the same place, will you be happy and content with that?
– Senator Simpson, if I gave you 30 seconds of free TV time, what is your 30-second pitch on the urgency and importance of doing something about this?
A cranky Simpson answered: “This may not be the greatest generation, it might be the greediest generation. And sober up or sleep in the streets.”
— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Comments
Can I say that?
Submitted by DemsRFascists on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 8:36am.
Brian Williams is an ass.
You expect Brian Williams to quote something Reagan once said?
Submitted by Texndoc on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 8:52am.
I would consider it torture to sit through a newscast with this ***** (you can fill in as you like). I'd guess the people tuned in voluntarily do consider the NYT akin to the biblical.
BTW, I read "Special Report" with Brett Baier, a straight news show with the "All Star Panel" at the end, had climbed to be Fox News' now number 2 highest rated show. Probably has more viewers than Couric/CBS and isn't far behind Williams/NBC. This is good.
Indeed Tex, indeed
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 10:01am.
I go from Spittles Matthews or Around the horn DIRECTLY to Brett Baier very single night, 06:00 you can find me in my chair or having vittles watching this excellent STRAIGHT news show.
06:30 every night, I shoooosh everyone as I can't miss "my fresh pickens'" from the Grapevine.
That is great news to hear and again, it helps that the folks have awakened to the bullsh** that is our nighly 06:30 news which is all THE WAY TO THE LEFT EVERY FN NIGHT.
I don't care if someone is a lefty as long as both sides are represented, but every story is looked at through the leftist lens.
Small doses
Submitted by jdlybrand on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 9:33am.
I can only take Nightly News in small doses. I watched this segment last night. It reaffirmed my belief that Brian Williams is every bit as crooked as his face.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
Just once
Submitted by KC Mulville on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 9:45am.
"Brian, I know you're throwing a criticism at me from economists from the New York Times. I happen not to agree with the criticisms. But just to show that you're swimming over your head, Brian, can you explain what the criticisms are?"
"And where did all those crickets come from?"
He DID explain the criticism,
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 10:06am.
He DID explain the criticism, KC....he said James Galbraith called it
an assault on the middle class, the working class and the poor.What more do you need to hear??
LOL! You're right
Submitted by KC Mulville on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 10:31am.
We should have had Galbraith explain it. That way, we could watch two liberals squirm.
TED BAXTER ALERT!!!
Submitted by Sgthulka on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 9:52am.
Brian Williams is on TV pretending to be a "journalist".
More 1960's retro-baloney
Submitted by Mary Louise Turner on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 10:08am.
The last thing we need is the arrogant Brian Williams spewing out more 1960's retro-baloney. Class warfare has never worked, you idiot! Shut your pie hole and report real news!
Greediest Generation
Submitted by SimJim on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 11:39am.
As to Simpson comment on the "greediest generation", I've been saying "we've gone from the greatest generation to the greediest generation" for well over a year now. Simpson stole the line from me. I don't remember who I might have stolen it from?
Well,......
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 11:55am.
When you don't have a mind of your own to make up, you find you'll have to use someone else's.
I'm all for fixing
Submitted by dirtydan64 on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 12:01pm.
Our debt problems, however there's a lot of other pointed ideas that should have been on display for this Administration, Congress and the Ways & Means Committee should being considering that would be more fair & equitable to all. When they suggest cutting S.S which is fine and good but in doing that no one should base their ideals on which age bracket will or should be affected and honestly no one entity, committee should see age at all. There's 100's of Millions & Billions of Tax Revenue The American People are being cheated from right ther on Wall St. Where we have Day Traders, Investment firms, Stock Brokers who on any given day are buying selling 1,000's upon 1,000's of stocks while at the end of the day all are only paying a measly 16% Tax under the guise "Capitol Gains" When a person who may classify oneself as a Professional Gambler an is required under our current Tax code to pay twice that of what someone on Wall St. Is only required to pay the prevailing rate of 16% Capitol Gains, So now we have a huge disparity of 50% Tax Loss from everyone who buys or sell's any stock, Commodity or Bonds but the Professional Gambler who might have a Million Dollar pay day in Vegas will have to pay his/her prevailing Tax on those earnings where had that Gambler made that same money on wall street can claim those earnings as Capitol gains. Now we have our Friends in and around Congress who essentially are and have been privey to legislation that maybe coming up for vote or know will be signed into law or know if/when tax codes might be modified well ahead of when The American People become notified of this same info and where many that work in around the DC Beltway can buy/sell what ever holdings that may own at present based on information they have in many instances first hand knowledge of to game the system. This also should be brought to an end, it's no different than what you or I would in a NY minute spend time in prison for doing !!! Then you have CEO's of many Investment Firms, large Corporation who can dump X numbers of shares just for the he'll of it whenr you & I do not have real time trading tickers unlike those that work around Wall St. That these people along with Those working in and around the DC Beltway should either A) Be required to announce what stocks & Bonds they own & B) Announce in advance at least 7 Days to everyone which Stocks or Bonds there going to buy or sell so that average Joe can search Widget's Co. To seem why Congress Dunzel is buying or selling his stock, and the same should apply to all Big Wigs of any Company or Corporation that is a trading commodity to that the entire playing field is leveled and fair to everyone, not just those with first hand knowledge !!! The Capitol Gains Tax Rate should should only apply to real material items such as Primary Homes, Cars, Boats, Airplanes and items a person has owned for a minimum of a year in their names and exclude items such as stocks & Bonds, Mutual Funds and Commodities will fall under or will be taxed at his/hers prevailing Tax bracket of their previsous year earned income rate e.g 32%, 38%, 55% or what ever Tax bracket they might file under as earned income. In makingnthese few changes is easy to do and is the right thing ti di and simply applies to all Tax Payers in a fair and equitable way and doesn't play intomthe class War fare scheme as most Tax implication currently do today. The other thing congress should be implementing is to stripe Federal employee's from collecting a SS check, Gov't Pension an a Military Pension where any Gov't employee should be faced with making a choice of one of 3, not being able to collect on all retirement plans as they currently have the ability to do now. Same needs to go for all Members of Congress, if your ther for one term or 5 or 6 Terms where you either collect your SS check or you collect your pension from Congress and not both !!! Preferably theymshould only Collect a SS retirement and ther Nice Congressional Pension be scrapped all together, and the same goes for the POTUS he pays into and only collects a SS check unless they after holding office works in a company and has a pension plan waiting at the retirement ag of 69 or 72 hrs of age.. The BS of adding 15 cents to the federal gas Tax is out of the question, as is the VAT Tax they have proposed cause you know once that would happen, were going to have 50 states adding to their State Tax soon after and how does this in any way help American Families keep pace with rising inflation that everyone with a little common sense knows to be true !!!!Dude....
Submitted by ckc1227 on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 2:07pm.
The paragraph is your friend, lol.