NBC’s O’Donnell Insists Obama’s ‘the Same Centrist He's Always Been,’ Not Even Maher Buys It
President Barack Obama is “a pragmatic centrist,” Norah O’Donnell, NBC News reporter/MSNBC chief Washington correspondent, insisted Friday night on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, though not even Maher bought the claim Obama is a centrist. O’Donnell noted “they're trying to make inroads” into the business community with outreach to it as evidenced by hiring Bill Daley and speaking to the Chamber of Commerce, but she contended “other than that tonal switch, he's still the same centrist he’s always been.”
Maher countered: “But he's not really. If you woke him up in the middle of the night, of if you gave him sodium pentothal, I think he’s a centrist the way he’s a Christian – not really.” O’Donnell pleaded: “Don't you think it's a pragmatist?” To which, Maher recognized: “Yes, that’s different, he’s pretending to be a centrist.”
From the Friday night, February 11 Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO:
BILL MAHER: Do you think he is moving to the center? That’s what I hear all this month – Obama’s moving to the center, as if he had been listening to Dennis Kucinich and Noam Chomsky and now he saw the light and he’s suddenly a-
NORAH O’DONNELL: He's a pragmatic centrist, I mean that’s who he is.
MAHER: For real?
O’DONNELL: Yeah, I do. I think, though, that this was more tonal than anything else – moving to the center. I do think the White House maybe wanted it to get out there. I mean the President and the White House made clear he was bringing the Ronald Reagan biography on vacation. And, you know, look, they hired Bill Daley as the chief of staff, someone with business ties. They brought in the CEO of General Electric, Jeff Immelt, he gave a speech before the Chamber of Commerce. So I think, you know, they're trying to make inroads, but that's a specific community, the business community. But other than that tonal switch, he's still the same centrist he’s always been.
MAHER: But he's not really. If you woke him up in the middle of the night, of if you gave him sodium pentothal, I think he’s a centrist the way he’s a Christian – not really.
O’DONNELL: I think he’s a pragmatist. Don't you think it's a pragmatist?
MAHER: Yes, that’s different, he’s pretending to be a centrist.
— 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
he’s a centrist the way he’s a Christian – not really.
Submitted by Vonu on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:30pm.
Home Run!
O'Donnell is dumber than a bucket of hair.
Submitted by daveinboca on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 12:28pm.
Here is a person who should be out having babies instead of parroting the latest blah blah from the :DNC and pretending she has a brain.
Norah has big blue eyes which are windows to an empty attic. Nothing up there except dumb third-rate chewed-over pablum that she should be giving to her kids, not regurgitating on camera.
Please, Explain To Me . . . .
Submitted by Bourbeau on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:36pm.
Why does anyaone, particularly NewsBusters, give a hoot what Norah O'Donnell has to say. She's a third tier talking head who gets attention by spewing stupidty. A fifth grade student could debate her with credibility, and leave her withering on the podium. I know I'm banging my head against the wall, But NewsBusters, in their effort to keep us informed, spends way too much time drawing attention to the likes of Maher, O'Donnell and Matthews. We know where their hearts are, we know they're not going to change; we know they're only function in life is to spew hateful comments at others, while decrying the hostility of public debate. Knowing that, what's the purpose of quoting them?
Bourbeau's exactly right....
Submitted by sbourg on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:58pm.
.....Newsbusters should pay less attention to kooks like O'Donnell, Maher, Matthews, Maddow, Schultz, et al. They're irrelevant to the debate in the country. How and why they became such ass-kissers and fans of Obamao is not even interesting, much less helpful. And very few normal people watch them. They're not MainStreamMedia cuz they have such a small audience.
But quite a few 'normal' people watch/read the MSM trash such as NYTimes, WaPo, LATimes, NBC, CBS, ABC nightly news, and NPR. Yes, newsbusters pays attention to the idiocy and leftist tilt of these despicable 'news' sources. They are very influential, and for that, our country is much the worse.
What's the matter with you
Submitted by HAL9000 on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 10:38am.
What's the matter with you guys? You sound like a couple of whiney liberals. If you see a story that mentions Matthews, Maddow or Maher's name, don't read it. You sound like the idiot non-Catholics who are always telling the Catholic church what it should or shouldn't believe and teach. If this blog annoys you with its coverage, find a different one.
Most of all, grow up!
Urbana Rules...! Break out Champaign!
Submitted by daveinboca on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 12:36pm.
I come here to unburden some of the disgust that Jonathan Swift called "saeva indignatio" when I see people who were once sane [I had lunch with Matthews before he went around the bend & he was very non-egoistical and self-contained] and now have completely lost their individuality as they allow Orwellian Groupthink to capture their now-disused minds.
Maher was probably always a POS & Maddow never was gonna be anything but polymorphously perverse. Matthews has a wife, kids, goes to church [or used to], but has given himself up to complete lunacy when it comes to politics. Does this clown think ComCast is going to keep him with a quarter of Beck's audience when they go head to head? Ditto Bret Baier.? Matthews is a complete fool & Norah is his dumber little sister.
Of course Norah O’Donnell sees Obama as a "centrist"
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:36pm.
After all, her "center" is the middle of the parking lot adjacent to the left field bleachers.
And Obama is further to the left than that, as communism is as far left as it gets.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Heck
Submitted by Ogundipe S.O. on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:56pm.
And this is a ''chief'' Washington correspondent? Oh My!
Correspondents....
Submitted by BMorgan53 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 8:48pm.
Kind of explains the downfall of the media and written press!
B**ch
Submitted by vote24 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 12:57pm.
I met Norah Odonnel once, for about a minute. She was elitist ,arrogant, and conceited. No real surprise, but still disappointing.
Norah actually felt that
Submitted by inquiringmind on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:04pm.
Norah actually felt that Obama bringing the Reagan bio on vacation signals that he is a centrist!?!
Can this person be any dumber! Very cute, but dumb!
What can you expect from someone who
Submitted by ProudAmerican58 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:31pm.
wrote a receipi book for baby food!
The "signals" the WH wanted to send . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 8:38pm.
. . . were received loud and clear by the target audience: the fools like Norah O'Donnell. Throw out a few images and gestures and the O'Donnell's of the world bite. O'Donnell is merely a megaphone for the WH, and she's either satisfied with that role, or she's too dumb to realize she's emersed in it.
Ironically, it's Maher who sees through the smoke and understands the real Obama. He knows that Obama is at heart a socialist, and that the rest is political theater. It's Obama's retreats from his left wing agenda that irks Maher; Maher wants him to go further left..
the stupid factor far
Submitted by Willis_Leon_Johnson on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:31pm.
the stupid factor far outweighs the 'cute' factor.
If there is nothing of value between the ears, there is nothing of value in any other bady parts.
End 'gun violence in America' - Require training and MANDATORY "Shall Carry" by every Citizen.
If harry reid is the best person to lead the senate, what does that say about the other 99 senators?
It's sad
Submitted by ant on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:10pm.
I've watched old political 'roundtable' discussions and individual interviews from the 60's and 70's and there were usually people present like Ayn Rand, William Buckley, Thomas Sowell, etc.. Now, it seems these analysts have been replaced by the likes of Bill Mahrer, Whoopie Goldberg, Norah, Reagan Jr. and Rachel Maddow. What the hell happened? Is this how we ended up with Obama, by having political analysts more suited to 4th grade student body elections?
you hit it right on the head,
Submitted by jkwtrading on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:49pm.
you hit it right on the head, all of it reminds me of my sister playing with dolls and talking to them at age 6. At least my 6 year old sister knew they were dolls, these dingbats do not or cannot tell the difference.
I grew up in the 50's and 60's and this exchange reminds me of one doll in particluar called Chatty Cathy. Pull the cord and it blabbed away, then they added a new version later, give it some water and it peed. talk and peed was all it was capable of doing..somewhat like the two on the screen here today.
It pains me to say this, but
Submitted by ThatDude on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:16pm.
It pains me to say this, but credit to Maher.He's the first on the left I've heard to point out the media's lie(s) both that Obama is Christian and any kind of centrist.
Of course Obama is a
Submitted by Jack Bauer on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:27pm.
Of course Obama is a centrist.
He's dead center between Bill Ayres and Hugo Chavez.
All of the above Mr Obama? --- How about ALL OF THE BELOW, instead.
Obama hauling around a Reagan bio...
Submitted by KyWriter on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:30pm.
...reminds me of preadolescents clinging to a Twilight book, with the difference being kids actually believe in vampires. Obama believes only in himself, supported eternally by neurotic liberal twits like Norah O'Donnell. (Change the vowel at your discretion.)
Obama is a centrist.
Submitted by Ashrak on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:32pm.
All things everywhere revolve around HIM!
I agree ThatDude
Submitted by Tomorama on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:41pm.
This may be the first thing Maher has said in years that is actually the truth.
Norah, drop dead gorgeous and a red head, with NO brain matter.......
Alright, we don't have to talk.................... CALL ME..
A liar or just stupid.
Submitted by NeoKong on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 1:48pm.
How else can you explain her comment....? What she said is the exact opposite of the truth. Obama is as left-wing as they come and it is laughable to say otherwise.
Shouldn't Maher be apologizing?
Submitted by Texndoc on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:10pm.
I mean, are we going to see Special Ed and Reverend Al calling for Maher's show to be cancelled? He said Obama was not a Christian. Is this not a boycottable offense? Should the FCC not be investigating whether he should be cancelled? A list of his show's sponsors, please!
BHO as a " centrist "
Submitted by sarge329 on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:14pm.
If Obama is a centrist, then the Westboro Baptist Cult, er um, Church is a humanitarian group whose only interest is in helping people with kindness.
Maher has said this before ...
Submitted by metaphorsbwithu on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 2:22pm.
Yep! Actually this is not new for Maher.
I recall him making the same comment about Obama and politicians in general on Charlie Rose about 3 years ago when he was pushing his movie Religulous.
He maintained politicians like Obama are mostly sophisticated people who have to pretend to be people of faith to get elected.
If Obama's a centrist then
Submitted by Thoreau on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 3:59pm.
If Obama's a centrist then the last two years of communism must have been a hallucination. Thanks for clearing that up NBC.
Norah O'Donnell
Submitted by NotFondOfLibs on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:08pm.
Norah O"Donnell lost her journalistic credibility(if you assume she ever had any) long ago. Now, she is just another Obama water carrier, no better, no worse than the rest of the clowns at CBS, ABC & NBC. Paying attention to anything she says is a complete waste of time.
Everytime anyone from NBC offers commentary on . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 8:48pm.
. . . OBama or the Democrats, ethics would dictate that they precede it with a reminder that NBC is owned by GE, which got bail-out money from Obama's Administration, and the head of which is now a member of the Obama Administration.
Truer words NFOL
Submitted by Iowa Boy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 4:19pm.
I remember watching MTP with my grandfather when Bill Monroe was the host. Most media members of that day were WWII vets and knew some things. These baby-boomer know-nothings are worthless.
Pretty bad when Maher is more
Submitted by Cowboy on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 5:12pm.
Pretty bad when Maher is more realistic than NBC news...
Ann Coulter says she thinks
Submitted by forest on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 6:29pm.
Ann Coulter says she thinks Obama is an atheist, and she's a "hate-filled conspiracist racist".
Bill Maher says the same thing - nothing.
I think they are onto something there. You know, if Coulter and Maher can agree on something being fake, then it's probablt fake.
The MSM have been playing the
Submitted by celator on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 8:00pm.
The MSM have been playing the Obama Is Like Reagan, Obama Is A Centrist tune all week. It's not working, of course. What Maher is really saying is "Shaddup already. They aren't buying it. You're looking more stupid than usual."
CONSIDER THE SOURCE
Submitted by politicalpaw on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 1:33am.
NBC "News" BRAIN TRUST http://bit.ly/gK7N7X
OBAMA/CLINTON/O'DONNELL
Submitted by Herbster on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 1:57am.
Obama carrying a Reagan bio reminds me of the times Clinton carried a Bible.....strictly for show.
As for O'Donnell, she carries the water for Obambi. Also, she is an imbecile.
Some of these........................
Submitted by Patriot II on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 9:43am.
Bimbos are so pitifully stupid, its unbelievable!!!
Norah O
Submitted by DVG93 on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 4:17pm.
I wonder....Did she get to ride the GE plane around the world like Maria Bartiromo???
Hold on a second... Is
Submitted by Hoosierboy on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 1:48pm.
Hold on a second...
Is Maher advocating that we give Obama a dose of sodium pentothal?