On tonight's Hardball, Mike Barnicle, substitute-hosting for Chris Matthews, used the tragedy of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis to call for bigger government and wondered, "Does this help the Democrats?" All throughout tonight's show, Barnicle repeatedly pressed his guests to call for an increase in the size of government and at one point even demanded: "Government's gotta get bigger!"
First up Barnicle asked the liberal Barney Frank where he would find the money to pay for bridge repair. After Frank responded that he would "end the war in Iraq" and raise taxes to improve America's infrastructure, Barnicle took the Congressman's cue to advance the tax hike/big government theme for the entirety of the show.
The following are just some of the exchanges as they occured on the August 2, edition of MSNBC's Hardball:
Mike Barnicle: "Welcome back to Hardball. Minnesota's tragic bridge collapse is raising new questions about our country's infrastructure and how much we're investing to keep it safe. Democratic Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts is the chairman of the Financial Services committee. Congressman, every city in this country or nearly every city in this country, people go to work, they use the subways, they drive along highways that have been built, been there for 40, 50, 60 years. Bridges that have been there, perhaps longer. The Golden Gate, San Francisco, Verrazano-Narrows, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Tobin Bridge in Boston, Massachusetts. Where are we gonna get the money that everyone is talking about, today, to repair this infrastructure?"
Rep. Barney Frank: "Well we're gonna get it from taxation and one way we can do that, frankly, in my judgment, is end the war in Iraq. I, when I proposed spending more on some of these things, people say to me, where am I gonna get the money? I was in Congress on September 10th, 2001 and I know, factually, there was no money in the, in the budget at that time for the war in Iraq and since then we've found $500 billion. So, sometimes, I think I should go find the guy who found that $500 billion and ask him if he can find some of that for us here. I mean we're a very wealthy country. We can afford it as a country. The question is, how do we allocate it? And we've got this odd view that some people have been holding, which is that any time you cut government it's a good thing. And I have colleagues who say, ‘It's the taxpayers' money not the government's money. Let the taxpayer keep the money.' Well, of course it's the taxpayers' money. Sensible taxpayers know they have two sets of needs. Some are best done individually but some we have to pool our resources. I can give you the biggest tax cut in the world, you can't fix a bridge."
Barnicle: "Yeah but you know Congressman, you say sensible taxpayers and I agree with you, there are, there are huge numbers of sensible taxpayers out there in this country and yet we are already, not even on the edge of a presidential campaign, we're into a presidential campaign and in state after state, primary after primary, each and every candidate, each and every campaign is forced to respond to this litmus test of 'No New Taxes.' How are we gonna get taxes passed when you can't get anything done in the Congress it seems?"
...
Barnicle: "So, I mean to stick with the political, on this evening when nearly everyone in America is preoccupied with, with the natural disaster in, in Minneapolis, does this help the Democrats? Does it help you? This sort of a disaster? I mean people at, at street-level, at side-walk level, no matter what they think about the growth of government, whether they want to restrain it, reduce it, get it to grow, they know that volunteerism isn't gonna rebuild this bridge or any other bridge in this country."
[5:26pm]
Barnicle to Tom Ridge: "So I mean you're a Republican and yet your old pal, the President's father became famous or infamous at the convention in 1988, 'Read my lips, no new taxes.' How are we gonna pay for this stuff?"
[5:29pm]
Barnicle, again to Ridge: "Government's gotta get bigger to help, to help governors in, in various states."
[5:39pm]
Barnicle to Sen Chris Dodd: "So Senator Dodd, let me ask you now, you're gonna introduce this bill, it's gonna go on to the Senate floor and what do say on the Senate floor and on talk shows all across this country when you are confronted with people who say, 'No, no, no. Government's too big. We gotta keep government out of our lives. We need smaller government.'"
—Geoffrey Dickens is the senior news analyst at the Media Research Center.




















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I don't know about Hell,
August 2, 2007 - 17:55 ET by drillanwrI don't know about Hell, per say, but I would wager there is a mighty big humidor filled with turds in Purgatory for these idiots to smoke for a very loooong time ...
My ideal? To one day take up the idea of people such as these, and the limo-libs, and just have the government bust down their doors and TAKE the 75 - 90% THEY insist the rest of the country should be pulling from their pockets for the government coffers. (Michael Moore once informed BOR that he, BOR, should be paying at least 75 or 80% of his income and wealth in taxes).
So, imagine all these "stars" and such if the government said, "Okay, it's a great idea!" and just TAKE 75 - 90% of ALL THEIR property, wealth, incomes, investments, and ALL future profits.
Uh, Barnicle, that was out
August 2, 2007 - 19:30 ET by Chris NormanUh, Barnicle, that was out loud. Of course, viewers of Hardball and MSNBC probably eat this stuff up like dogs eat their own excrement...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Good grief, Why are we even
August 3, 2007 - 05:45 ET by motherbeltGood grief, Why are we even listening to Mike Barnicle? Wasn't he fired from a Boston newspaper for fabricating tales in his column???
If this guy were a Republican, this fact would be brought up every time his name were mentioned, but because he's a liberal, all is forgiven, (I guess it's "old news"), they give him a podium, and he is now treated like the Sage of New England.
"with the natural disaster
August 2, 2007 - 18:38 ET by Gat New York"with the natural disaster in, in Minneapolis, does this help the Democrats? "
I can find the words but we are not permitted to use them on this blog. There is a special place in Hades for Barnacle to even consider making such an inane remark like that.
Barnicle and his leftist
August 2, 2007 - 18:45 ET by bigtimerBarnicle and his leftist nanny-state asinine opinions are important to who?
Just askin'...
LOL!
Big government, Big Dig results
August 2, 2007 - 19:04 ET by nkviking75Yes, we need more of the big government largesse that gave us the infamous Big Dig tunnel in Boston-- you know, the one with a big chunk of roof which fell and crushed a woman to death. That'll make us all much safer.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
oooooh...slamdunk, nk! LOL
August 3, 2007 - 06:38 ET by motherbeltoooooh...slamdunk, nk! LOL
}}---> And Boss Hawg smirks
August 3, 2007 - 06:47 ET by Cool ArrowBoss Hawg Kennedy couldn't care less who gets the slam dunk as long as he owns the unions.
Barnicle is out there..
August 2, 2007 - 19:14 ET by exLibSadly, this guy had a radio show in Boston for a number of years - maybe it's finally gone now.
This is a guy who, on a supposedly serious show, heckled the President's live broadcast of a speech.
Started a tirade about how stupid and inbred Evangelicals were.
And many more offensive things he has said or done on his "radio show".
I've listened to him from time to time and he is ingratiating. He's a classic leftist but pretends to be a centrists.
don't forget he had to
August 2, 2007 - 19:48 ET by Kynddon't forget he had to resign from the Boston Globe for plagiarism. see link
http://www.cnn.com/U...
kynd... Exactly...I
August 2, 2007 - 19:53 ET by bigtimerkynd...
Exactly...I posted the same thing about a year ago here and some very smart poster said it wasn't even plagiarism the writing/story was was made up whole cloth by Barnicle.
May have been Jack Bauer or RJ....either way it figures.
Don Imus was the one who felt sorry for him and started putting him on his shows in the mornings slowly but surely.
Figures...eh?
LOL!
Surprise surprise he is a
August 2, 2007 - 19:57 ET by KyndSurprise surprise he is a regular fill in for Chris Matthews... I guess integrity isn't a quality you need to posess to work for MSNBC
I always thought they were
August 2, 2007 - 19:59 ET by Chris NormanI always thought they were the same person...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
LOL Chris... Well at
August 2, 2007 - 20:02 ET by bigtimerLOL Chris...
Well at least Barnicle doesn't spew drool and interrupt so much.
Same leftist mindless agenda though.
I think it's a Jeckyll and
August 2, 2007 - 20:04 ET by Chris NormanI think it's a Jeckyll and Hyde thing. The Jeckyll version doesn't spray spittle or sound like Sylvester the Cat... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris... Ya got to
August 2, 2007 - 20:09 ET by bigtimerChris...
Ya got to stop!
Now I am cracking up laughing....
Thanks...I needed that!
Stop? I've got a million of
August 2, 2007 - 20:13 ET by Chris NormanStop? I've got a million of 'em! :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
You know I'm just joshin'!
August 2, 2007 - 20:24 ET by bigtimerYou know I'm just joshin'!
Have They No Shame?
August 2, 2007 - 19:20 ET by w0tmHave they no shame? They've proven they do not. Not a single ounce. They openly admit "success in Iraq would be a problem for us (Democrats)". Harry Reid exclaimed with a smile words to the effect that for every X number of American soldiers that die "we pick up another House seat". We all knew when this happened last night every (D) in the country was busy writing two press releases. One saying, if it was a terrorist attack: "we protect Iraqis 7,000 miles away but don't give a damn about protecting our own people here at home" and the other, if it was structural failure: "Bush wastes $2 billion dollars a day in Iraq that just one of those days would have paid to replace five of these death trap bridges that blanket our country". Guess what? We were right. Boy, that really took a rocket scientist to predict!
I further predict there will be somewhere between zero and two voters nationwide who bother to look up the hard facts and figures of the bottomless money pit called the highway transportation fund. Eisenhower got things off to a good start in the 50's then the vultures swooped in. Billions (actually, trillions when you add up all of the 47 years since 1960) mostly went into an abyss. The money bought votes. Period. Over 90% of the money went to boondoggles (think "bridge to nowhere", "casinos in New Orleans" and on and on).
Just like the "War On Poverty", if you add up ALL of the money spent and being spent on what Johnson started with great fanfare, over $300,000 could have been handed to every man, woman and child in our country who claimed to be living even near the poverty line. Invested, poverty would today be a thing of the history books in our country. Yes, we'd still have a class of people who live off a check but at least it would be a private check and they'd be a participant in an "ownership society" instead of "helpless victims" certain politicians can't get enough of. The highway and transportation money has been there in great excess to provide us an adequate and safe highway system. But the proper spending of it has been a "death by a thousand cuts" (think "the Big Dig" in Boston). Now, those very people who wasted our money to secure and hold their seats in congress will shamelessly blame George Bush and the Iraqi War for this tragedy. Just as they did in New Orleans where money for proper levies HAD been given to Louisiana but almost all of it was spent on casinos and other tourist attractions as it passed through the pockets of an untold number of crooked politicians and their financial supporters. Think "$90,000 of cash in a freezer". No more than a few will ever pay for their crimes. Even they absolve themselves in their minds of what amounts to indirect murder. If you have no shame, you have no conscious. I go further and say you also have no soul.
Better that they make their argument even more plain and simple to the voters. Let them proclaim, "By pulling out of Iraqi YOU can HAVE the money (if you vote for me) because camels don't need roads!" Our new masters will thank you (uh, then kill us all)".
Big Dig
August 3, 2007 - 07:17 ET by DontFeedTheTrolls(think "the Big Dig" in Boston)
Funny how that boondoggle and the resulting death(s) from same is not blamed on the democrats who are directly responsible for the excessive cost and the shoddy workmanship, and it didn't take 40 years for it to start crumbling and kill someone.
D
I don't support our liberals or their mission.
Minnesota
August 2, 2007 - 19:25 ET by pocomocoOnce again I don my conspiracy Stetson and suggest the following:
Upon investigation, it will be determined that the Minnesota State Legislature has, for years, been side-tracking the funds for the states infrastructure in favor of new and improved social programs. Minnesota is, after all, a Blue State.
To the Dems...EVERYTHING is
August 2, 2007 - 19:25 ET by gopsteveTo the Dems...EVERYTHING is an opportunity to score politcal points.
Why even pay attention to MSNBC?
Isn't this a perfect
August 2, 2007 - 19:31 ET by Jack BauerIsn't this a perfect metaphor for Bill Clintons...
Sort of looks okay on the ouside, but really just shoddy, crumbling and dangerous.
Good one, JB. Or, "We'll
August 2, 2007 - 19:35 ET by Chris NormanGood one, JB. Or, "We'll build a bridge to the 21st century, but let the old ones fall apart."?
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
LOL Chris -- yeah, I
August 2, 2007 - 19:40 ET by Jack BauerLOL Chris -- yeah, I actually remember hearing Clinton say that and wondering -- what the frack is he talking about?
I think it was all part of
August 2, 2007 - 19:42 ET by Chris NormanI think it was all part of his and Hillary's "Don't. Stop. Thinkin' about tomorrow (while we fleece you today)" routine... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
In the case of either
August 2, 2007 - 19:46 ET by bigtimerIn the case of either Clinton I hope it ends up a real Bridge to Nowhere.
Permanently...(or at least where they can do little or NO harm to the rest of us.)
BT, I think they build
August 2, 2007 - 19:49 ET by Chris NormanBT,
I think they build those in Alaska...:)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris... Alaska is not
August 2, 2007 - 19:57 ET by bigtimerChris...
Alaska is not alone. ..at all.
That money was not just for the one bridge.
...as a person who lived in Ak for nine years and knows the expanse of he state and what is needed for the a lot of it...it was intentionally misrepresented in the msm.
all I am going to say about it.
You lived there? I did too
August 2, 2007 - 20:01 ET by Chris NormanYou lived there? I did too (two years). Of course, back then, we got around on dog sleds during the Klondike gold rush...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris.... ROFLMAO! Ever
August 2, 2007 - 20:04 ET by bigtimerChris....
ROFLMAO!
Ever been to Chicken?
Dawson City is also fun in the early spring....
Not to Chicken. Just the
August 2, 2007 - 20:18 ET by Chris NormanNot to Chicken (where in the hell's that?). Just a few towns in the panhandle. My dad was the manager of the (really small) newspaper in Juneau (can you believe it?) called then (grandly) The Daily Alaskan Empire. It was so small it took a week's worth to line your bird cage. We did get to Sitka and Ketchikan.
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Oh man chris... You are
August 2, 2007 - 20:19 ET by bigtimerOh man chris...
You are to the part of the state I never got to go too...
My other half did with two various jobs...wished I could of.
I was mainly in Seward area....Valdez we almost moved to...I first lived in Anchorage, not long though. Kenai Peninsula area we went to a lot also.
I really do not think most people know how huge Alaska is....or the wonders of it...good and bad if you live there long.
I had experiences that will never be forgotten, saw wonders that only others can experience if they live there for awhile ect.
I see where you get your writing expertise!
"I see where you get your
August 2, 2007 - 20:25 ET by Chris Norman"I see where you get your writing expertise!"
Hey, don't you go insulting my dad! :)
Alaska is beautiful. I had a lot of fun there. My dad was a troubleshooter for a newspaper chain. They moved him in to straighten out problems at their papers and then, on to the next one. I never made it to the main part of AK. I used to make pocket money, peddling papers on the docks to the people coming off the cruise ships. Loved to go out on our boat, salmon fishing. Now, you're getting me all nostalgic (sob)...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris....Yeah I am too
August 2, 2007 - 20:33 ET by bigtimerChris....Yeah I am too... getting all nostalgic that is...
Seward is a deep port bay surrounded by glaciers on all sides, Prince William sound is great.
The docks were great, tourists ships of course...let alone a main fishing hub with plenty of canneries...
I do not miss the winters (some weren't so bad, others were something else, especially if you worked outside, which I did some of the time)...I do miss the beauty that is indescribable.
BT, OK. Let's resolve to
August 2, 2007 - 20:37 ET by Chris NormanBT,
OK. Let's resolve to have some salmon or halibut for dinner this weekend - in separate states, of course... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Halibut for
August 2, 2007 - 20:42 ET by bigtimerHalibut for me!!!!!!!!!!
I like Salmon if it is smoked...that is about it.
My husband loves it....
Been fishing for those too...they just jump in your boat when it is hot season!
Talk about memories!
Now, see what you made me
August 2, 2007 - 20:51 ET by Chris NormanNow, see what you made me do? You and your charm have kept me goofing off at the office, way past dinner time. My only option was to order a pizza to go. No salmon or halibut! Then they said thirty minutes! So, I turned my computer back on and am now waiting for the allotted time to go pick up my - er - delicious pizza. :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Crackin' up laughing again
August 2, 2007 - 20:57 ET by bigtimerCrackin' up laughing again Chris....
Sorry about that you know....
I made some delicious fried chicken/ macaroni salad for dinner tonight...been too danged hot to eat here (got close to 100 here today) and now that doesn't sound so good when I think about halibut, or fresh jumbo shrimp or smoked salmon that I just took of the racks...
Yep...we got to move on....
Enjoy your pizza and I will my dinner later....lol!
Funneee BT. Check out my
August 2, 2007 - 19:50 ET by Jack BauerFunneee BT.
Evening Jack... Well a
August 2, 2007 - 20:07 ET by bigtimerEvening Jack...
Well a gal can dream can't she?
They say 'Hope Springs Eternal'... or some such BS.
Oh yeah, the whole hideous
August 2, 2007 - 19:49 ET by Jack BauerOh yeah, the whole hideous nightmare is coming back to me now...
That's when they clearly had the wrong Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks song. Should have been...
Now, me, I suscribe to the
August 2, 2007 - 19:51 ET by Chris NormanNow, me, I suscribe to the philosophy of the great Whitney Houston , "I believe the children are our future..." :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
What I want to know is, was
August 2, 2007 - 20:01 ET by RESTLESS 1What I want to know is, was anyone in Congress asking about bridge safety when they were debating a $286.5 million transportation bill. About half of that bill was pork. Does anyone remember the "bridge to nowhere"? It seems many of our bridges in this country are deemed unsafe. Where did all of this money go???
Restless, You make a
August 2, 2007 - 21:11 ET by msh1973Restless,
You make a great point....earmarks, pork barrel spending, useless!
The thing is, I know it is
August 2, 2007 - 22:10 ET by RESTLESS 1The thing is, I know it is not just the transportation bill, it is every bill. They add earmarks to the point of doubling the spending tied to a bill, then, the money in the bill seldom gets used for it's original purpose (the levies in New Orleans come to mind). And then for the msm to use this (and past) tragedy for the purpose of pushing an agenda is just over the top.
Well, it didn't take the
August 2, 2007 - 20:41 ET by msh1973Well, it didn't take the Dems or the msm very long to use a tragedy for their political gain. Hopefully most Americans will see right through their lame attempt.
msh, One can only
August 2, 2007 - 20:52 ET by Chris Normanmsh,
One can only hope...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Chris, Perhaps that is
August 2, 2007 - 20:53 ET by msh1973Chris,
Perhaps that is just wishful thinking on my part.
msh, It'd be nice to
August 2, 2007 - 21:01 ET by Chris Normanmsh,
It'd be nice to think that thoughtful people will see this for the ugly politics it is. It's just a question of how many of those there are left...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Hi msh... I wished most
August 2, 2007 - 21:04 ET by bigtimerHi msh...
I wished most Americans would see it...I wished the American people would speak out and make them feel shame...
Not going to happen though...the dems have the msm and they are going to ride this for all it is worth....
I can just hear Hillary now...I have heard her on the Senate floor for years about no money for NY since 9/11 and the infrastructure(which is not true) , I do not even want to get into it tonight but I was telling my husband I just know exactly what is going to be coming from her....soon.
Heck the dems are still using Katrina arm in arm with the msm/...this is just the beginning.
IMO.
Barnicle is a piece of TRASH
August 2, 2007 - 22:27 ET by Six String SpiffMr Barnicle is a pthetic loser. That is not just an
insult. It is the truth. He USED to be on a favorite radio
station of mine here in MA, and was schedualed to take the Imus slot
after he got canned. Barnicle lasted about a week, and he was
pulled from the airwaves. Even in liberal taxachusetts, where the
peoples republic of Cambridge (also known as the socialists utopia) is
the largest voting block exiled him. THAT says something.
Check out my favorite talk station Here
As
an aside, I think what Mike Barnicle said is horrible. that foul
man should try and utter those words to the victims families an dsee
what happens to him. These liberals are getting WAY out of
hand. I mean, there is partisanship, and there is down right
insanity.
What the MSSM doesn't report can kill you.
}}}----> Give it up, Barney
August 3, 2007 - 03:00 ET by Cool ArrowWe don't need no stinking taxes. You know, Barney? There are States that have actually spent their Highway Dollars on, get this, Highways.
Come visit Texas and see for yourself. Just don't stay too long, you disgusting poverty pimp.
Have these people ever heard of "cutting spending"?
August 3, 2007 - 09:35 ET by Missouri Conservative...career politicians who have never run anything in their life except for a cush congressional office have no concept of balancing a budget through cutting spending.
"women and minorities hardest hit"
Who did Barnicle plagiarize
August 3, 2007 - 12:25 ET by fitzfongWho did Barnicle plagiarize this idea from?