How out-of-touch is the D.C. pundit class with the rest country? Look to John McLaughlin for the answer.
During part two of "The McLaughlin Group 2009 Year-End Awards," McLaughlin, who has hosted the program since 1982, declared the concept of freedom, at least from a political standpoint in the United States, is overrated.
"The most overrated is freedom," McLaughlin said. "When faced with economic uncertainty, people don't want freedom. When they can't see their economic future, they want the nanny state."
McLaughlin's troubling view doesn't necessarily square with polling data and other anecdotal indicators. Even back at the height of economic uncertainty, only 30 percent of Americans supported the TARP bailout to save the financial system, according to a September 2008 Associated Press poll.
And since then, the entire bailout culture introduced by former President George W. Bush and continued under the presidency of Barack Obama has faced the backlash of the tea party movement, inspired by CNBC's Rick Santelli voicing his opposition to a housing bailout.
Other members of "The McLaughlin Group" pointed to other "most overrated" factors that affect the economy. For MSNBC political analyst Pat Buchanan, it was global warming overrated. Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, providing the left-of-center voice on the panel, said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was overrated. Conservative talker Monica Crowley called the so-called "boy genius" Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner the most overrated. But U.S. News & World Report editor-in-chief Mort Zuckerman took a shot at the leaders in the business community.
"The leaders of most of our major financial institutions in this country," Zuckerman said of the "Most Overrated."
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What?.................
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:11 ET by Patriot IIWhere do they find these communist dimwits? Freedom is overrated for YOU.....the great unwashed, but for him....the great intellectual its a different story, how would he direct your thinking and actions if he were not free to spue stupidity?
I suppose
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:04 ET by 10ksnookerThis dimwit is housed at governemnt news, PBS. But since I have PBS blocked on my TV,s that's why I never watch the channel, and have never seen his show. It's a show for dimwits and Communists so nothing missed..
see graphic representing
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:36 ET by notonmywatchsee graphic representing this idiot's comment & others like him: http://i49.tinypic.com/iogpao.gif
___________________________________________________________
Graphical conservative commentary - animations & pictures for posting on forums: http://ubama.org/anicommentary/
I am re-posting this here because it applies !
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:17 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADODEMENTIA !!!!!
January 3, 2010 - 11:36 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADO
1)
David Broder: Bumbled Terror Attack Showed Napolitano's Competence and
'Almost Unlimited' Potential 2) Maddow
Gamely Spins Napolitano's 'System Worked' Absurdity About Flight 253
3) ABC Despairs Demise of Death Tax Means ‘Government Will Lose
Billions in Revenue’
These three articles show that DEMENTIA runs rampant , at all ages,
through the left wing idiocracy !!!
OK, Johnny Boy
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:21 ET by FuzzlenutterThen I say we throw old Johnny Boy's saggy ass in a political prison--in Cuba...
Let me correct you John
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:39 ET by cajun2I can make this so simple, even you can understand.
I, and other Americans, prefer to take care of ourselves. With hard work, discipline, and self responsibility. We dont want your nanny state even during these difficult times. We see the gov. taking care of us as "interference" and "taking control" over our lives. That translates to me as a loss of freedom and liberty.My liberty an freedoms I will not surrender voluntarily. So John, pay attention to the tea party movement. Its a lot of Americans telling the gov. NO THANKS to your damn nanny state.
Right on!
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:24 ET by DaMamaI can't believe McLaughlin would make such a ridiculous statement. Send him over to Saudi Arabia or Duba and see how long he would last.
I don't want government interfering with my personal life. I am old enough and responsible enough to take care of myself. I am responsible for my bills, my job, my kids. I don't need some government "representative" telling me what to do.
Many men and women have died in the last 200+ years to secure my freedom. The "greatest generation" gave their all to rid us of evil tyrants like Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo who had taken away the freedoms of their people. We are forgetting the lessons learned in World War 2, and that is detrimental to our country today. If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
It's time for McLaughlin to take up the rocking chair on the porch. His opinions are those of a doddering, out-of-touch old man.
Freedom.
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:48 ET by KansasgirlI would consider McLaughlin the most overrated.
John Redcorn
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:48 ET by Rusty ShacklefordRemember when John Redcorn broke into my house to get to my Nancy and I thought he was trying to steal my mower? Redcorn said that I was starting to take the fun out of their affair. Likewise, the left is making so many stupid comments that they're really starting to take the fun out of exposing them.
Clue Bat,,,,,,a big one
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:50 ET by general companyWhen they can't see their economic future, they want the nanny state."
Every pol, shows Americans are NOT buying it. Some body please give this jerk McLaughlin a tap with the clue bat.
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Too Bad Unsane wasn't on that Panel
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 09:51 ET by BlondeOh man, he'd have gone postal on McLaughlin for that inane statement. But the fact that he made it should give pause to anyone who thinks liberals aren't all about the Nanny State.
Now, I have to laugh. Eleanor Clift stating the Rino McCrist is over-rated. Do you know why? Because his affinity for reaching across the aisle (liberal speak for a Republican supporting liberal causes openly), has caused his once-stellar approval rating of 70% to plummet (along with Obama's, mmm mmm mmm). He is now currently being out-polled in many places by the young, dynamic conservative Marco Rubio.
Poor Ellen, she was expecting another Olympia Snowe in the Senate next year, instead she's going to get a very young and aggressive Fred Thompson.
I think this panel is one of the most over-rated bunch of opinion givers in the business.
I hope he fails, too.
instead she's going to get
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:33 ET by Dan The Man 2instead she's going to get a very young and aggressive Fred Thompson
And hopefully one who wants the job enough to campaign for it. Fred Thompson really chapped my shorts when he had a lot of support without campaigning and the reality fell short when he halfheartedly campaigned. It showed us Fred was only interested in getting heard not being President. Perhaps I am hard on the boy and its hard to win, but perhaps I am right in that you gotta want the prize to win.
I see your point, Dan
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:58 ET by BlondeBut I meant as a Senator.
No one really knows why Fred didn't seem to have the fire in his belly as he should have when he ran for president. But I'm glad he and Jerry are out there hammering conservative issues.
I hope he fails, too.
IMO Fred does well
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:24 ET by Dan The Man 2IMO Fred does well bloviating about the state of the union and conservative politics in general and he likes that job. He did it so well he was pretty much pushed into running for President but quickly found out the reality of the campaign and most likely the job of President wasnt what he really wanted.
But like I said this is my view of what happened and when he saw his numbers going nowhere he decided it was a losing cause. There is no shame in realizing ones limitations.
I really did like his no nonsense style and blunt talk. Allan Keyes has the same type of personality with a yankee spin, I like Freds southern style better, but he has no traction with the voters. I have voted a few times for Allan and like what he stands for. Would love to see him in the state department or perhaps UN representing USA interests.
Careful, Dan
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:30 ET by BlondeYou misspelled Alan Keyes' first name, just as I misspelled Allen West's....you'll have a troll dogging you for the next six months!!!
As to the rest of your post, agree 100%.
Oh, I think you'll really like Marco Rubio, too.
I hope he fails, too.
John? ♫"Give
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:10 ET by BKeyserJohn? ♫"Give Sea-Bond a try."♫
Tell ya' what John.
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:14 ET by Iowa BoyYou liberal, freedom-hating, intelectuals can have Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and everything north to New Brunswick as well as everything west of the Continental Divide except Alaska. Just leave us everything else and leave us the hell alone. We'll see who does better.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Continental Divide?
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:15 ET by okiehawk44No!
The division should not give them half of New Mexico plus Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Nevada.
They get the east coast from Maryland north and Michigan east. They have to take D.C. too! No really you don't get a choice.
And they get the westies of California, Oregon and Washington. Bye-bye.
I'm having my fun but you know what? I kinda like this division.
Hmm...
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:08 ET by Iowa BoyNot bad. I was just thinking of a more natural barrier like the Rocky Mountains. Still, it might be possible to run a very large fence along the eastern borders of Washington, Oregon, and California. Worth some thought.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Poor soul.. right now you
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:20 ET by NevadanConservativePoor soul.. right now you are laboring under at least three giant stresses in the Hawkeye State. Governor (snerk) "Chester Chester Family Farm Molester" Culver, the depredations of his predecessor Comrade Vilsack ( and the living down of having him as Sec'y/Agriculture ) and of course that cornfed commie Harkin.
Why in the name of sense have you Iowans NOT divested yourselves of that fool? Worse to worse, find one of Ed Mezvinsky's kids and run them against hairbrain harkin. (NOT the one shacked up with Chelsea Clinton, though, please; Clinton dynasticism is as repulsive as its Kennedy or Daley models.)
-nc
Oh, NC! We're trying!
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:04 ET by Iowa BoyI think Culver is on the way out. Trouble is, it looks like Terry Brandstad is coming back.
I wish we could replace Tom Harkin with something, anything. A potted plant would do nicely. (Can we repeal the 17th Amendment yet or should we just do a new one with term limits? Just asking.)
Sadly, to win in Iowa, one must run well in Scott, Black Hawk, Dubuque, Johnson, Linn, and Polk coulnties; all heavily unionized and urbanized with nearly two-thirds of the state's population. The other 93 (mostly rural and heavily conservative) counties are pretty much screwed. Makes one wish we had an electoral college for Governor.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Alternate Interpretation?
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 10:24 ET by Chris NormanOne could be kind and interpret McLaughlin's comment to mean that some people voted for and support Obama because they prefer a nanny state over free market freedom. Perhaps he isn't endorsing the concept - just identifying it. I obviously didn't hear the discussion, so I am just guessing here, but McLaughlin, unless senility is affecting him, never struck me as a nanny stater...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Give Me Nanny State Or Give Me Death
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:41 ET by chazskiSo much for "Give me liberty or give me death."
The abysmal hypocrisy of Mr. McLaughlin is breathtaking. For years the liberal community to which Mr. McLaughlin belongs berated President Bush by citing a quote from Ben Franklin who said, "Anyone willing to relinquish liberty for the sake of security deserves neither liberty nor security." But now Mr. McLaughlin says the very concept of freedom is overrated. Moreover he presumes to speak for the entirety of the American public when he says, "When faced with economic uncertainty, people don't want freedom. When they can't see their economic future, they want the nanny state." He, like most liberals (ALL liberals, actually), has no understanding that it is our freedom which has made this nation and all the people within the most prosperous nation in all of human history, precisely as Adam Smith predicted. America was founded on the belief in people, not government. The Lady In The Harbor says to send people to America "yearning to breath free", not yearning to breath economic security. And such people come in droves. The Lady is called the Statue of Liberty, not the Statue of The Nanny State. What Mr. McLaughlin and the entirety of the liberal establishment fail to understand is that, far from wanting "the nanny state", people just want the freedom to solve their own problems without being impeded by government regulations handed down by well meaning but utterly isolated bureaucrats. Yet liberals believe that they know better than The People and their attitude seems to be that they are going to make us happy whether we like it or not.
Mr. McLaughlin is obviously afflicted with the universal liberal fantasy that somehow the government can manage the economy and fulfill individual human needs better than We The People. But bureaucrats in DC are utterly incapable of even seeing individuals much less understanding the different needs of different people. Consequently, they are limited to treating all human needs as being the same for everyone and that results in the government having to treat all people as the same. But as we all know, no two people are the same and that is the fundamental reason why a government controlled economy and the nanny state are inherently dysfunctional.
It appears that we all may be able to evaluate that truth in the near future.
Freedom overrated?
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:33 ET by even stevenHistory is littered with dead men who believed the same.
Seems to me the voters in
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:40 ET by eaglewingz08Seems to me the voters in New Jersey and Virginia disagree with Mr. McLaughlin's faulty premise. Perhaps he was just being sarcastic or playing devil's advocate? Anyway we will know in eleven months whether the people want a nanny state as John suggests or the people want the constitutional government given them by the Founders.
As he is, and old dummie,
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:39 ET by FastEdthis is not a surprise - he's become comfortable with being on tv and NOT being challenged, just like the rest of the "talking" heads. (notice we say talking, and not thinking!?!).
What we need on tv, is a show that will take Joe six-pack, and the so-called "smart folks" , and see what comes out - the "smart folks" need to be challenged and have their views pointed out as being "agendacized". THEY need to have questions asked of them - such as - What makes liberals so loved and conservatives so hated? Think they could answer that, with a straight face?? And why are they so fearful of conservatives and republicans? A simple question for simple minds.
"We the People . . " Hey, congress - I'm one of the people - start listening!
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Freedom ...nothing left to lose
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:54 ET by metaphorsbwithuI didn't see the exchange, but what he may have been saying is that, for people who want to be taken care of, freedom is an overrated concept.
From my conversations with many people, especially those who don't understand the genesis and genius of our Constitution, that may be true.
Most people don't recognize abusive relationships until it's too late, don't recognize true tyranny and oppression until there's no resistance left.
metaphorsbwithu
Tell it to the Immigrants, John
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:57 ET by CobraMan"The most overrated is freedom. When faced with economic uncertainty, people don't want freedom. When they can't see their economic future, they want the nanny state."
Yea, right, tell that to the tens of millions of European immigrants who risk their lives in a perilous sea voyage that took weeks, and sometimes month, just to escape the "nanny state" subsidence living their governments, grudgingly, provided them, and the oppressions those types of nanny state systems invariably produce, just to arrive In America with little more than the clothing they were wearing in order to, on their own, with little help from government other than the promise that what you produce for yourself belongs to you, create a new life for themselves and their children with no guarantee of success, let alone survival. And, while rejecting the guaranteed subsidence of the nanny state for the uncertainty of "freedom,, built a new Country where hard work and self-sacrifice was for the betterment of the individual and not the government.
Tell me John, are you willing to debate your theories with the descendants of the people who obviously thought that freedom is more important that mere subsidence, which is the only thing a "nanny state" can possibly provide for the majority of their citizens?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
Cynicism
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 11:56 ET by slickwillie2001This is so unlike McLaughlin, maybe he spoke imprecisely and we misunderstand him. I wonder if this is simply a cynical critique of Americans' growing acceptance of socialism.
Re Fred Thompson, I see it as Rudy Giuliani complex, –simple laziness. They want to be feted but don't really want to wallow through a grueling political campaign. They always look for shortcuts to an office. They are both enormous disappointments.
In many ways, I agree with John McLaughlin
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:29 ET by R D HelmEven now, 41% of us do not want to take responsibility for our own health care.
In recent decades, more and more Americans have come to believe that they have a claim on an ever-increasing portion of the lives and efforts of others, primarily through taxation and regulation.
Remember Johnson's hideous "Great Society" programs of the 1960s? If that wasn't freedom-destroying communism, then what is?
What about Jimmy Earl and his wonderful Departments of Energy and Education, creation of the former which has led to many of the problems we now have in that area, as regional and local governments have lost their freedom to deal effectively with the energy problems they face.
You say you want to build a power plant in your region to bring down energy costs and expand your area's economy? Too bad, because the EPA and the NRC say you can't.
The latter has led to most parents (willing) abdication of their educational responsibilities as it relates to their children, as most today willingly turn their offspring over to the government to be "educated" without even blinking an eye.
Don't want your child being taught to accept Gay marriage? Tough, because the federal government says that is what they will be taught.
Don't want your child being taught how to pleasure themselves in the third grade? Too bad, because you have surrendered your parental rights to the government.
Have an exceptional child who out-performs most other students? Too bad, because the government says it's not fair to make other students feel bad about themselves.
And remember what happened when GWB proposed privatizing only a meager 2% of Social Security? People went ballistic.
Don't like the fact that people smoke in their own homes? Just have the government come along and stop them.
Don't think people should be able to buy adult beverages on Sunday? Just have the government stop it.
Don't think people should be able to have fireplaces in their homes? Just have the government outlaw them.
Wanna fly your personal airplane across the country? The FAA might just not let you.
Don't like the fact that other people have more stuff than you? Just have the government come along and tax the hell out of them.
Have a problem? Just let government solve it.
Americans have been surrendering their freedoms and liberties for decades, to the point that still referring to this a free nation is becoming a joke.
I'm sorry, but I think we have now reached the point where the majority of the American people are scared to death of freedom.
This is not the same America that existed 70 years ago, or even 40 years ago.
-Dave
When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered. -Dorothy Thompson
Please read my tag line
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 17:41 ET by needleAnd remember what happened when GWB proposed privatizing only a meager 2% of Social Security? People [meaning the media and the liberals] went ballistic.
When you watched people on the street being interviewed by the Liberal Media all you saw was outrage. Gosh, I wonder why that was.
On the other hand, when Drudge revealed that Bill Clinton was using the oval office to have sex with an intern approximately the age of his daughter, you saw no outrage. Instead you watched people on the street being interviewed by the Liberal Media, and they all seemed to equivocate and find some way of looking at the matter with an understanding point of view. Gosh, I wonder why that was.
I hope, RDH, you are not letting the State Run Media affect you judgment. We already have a mess of such people in DC; they are called RINOs.
- Relying upon the State Run Media for your information is like relying upon an embezzler for your portfolio management.
- Brown for US Senate
Wow, can't believe I agree
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:24 ET by bigtimerWow, can't believe I agree with Clift for once regarding Crist...he is over-rated, and I'm praying Rubio proves that!
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
So glad we have these smart
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 12:52 ET by antSo glad we have these smart people to tell us what we want and ignore evidence to the contrary.
Acceptance
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 13:20 ET by Jerry MackIt is not necessary to accomplish a lot in our country to live a decent but unacomplishing life. The government will provide you with section 8 housing, food stamps and free medical for your entire life. I personally see a problem with this but many millions do not.
McLaughlin Group is unwatchable
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:06 ET by kevinm13I used to watch this show and looked forward to the quick switches in topics and the debate from left to right. Eleanor Clift is a raving lunatic and should be locked up for her communist views and the volume that she uses to defend them.
This proves that McLaughlin has gone way left and is completely out of touch with reality. How can freedom ever be overrated? Without freedom, you have very little. Freedom is always worth fighting for, unlike most of what the libs support.
Unwatchable, except for the Monica Crowley leg shots...
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:14 ET by SickofLibsother than that, I agree.
(I just recently found out that Alan Colmes is Monica's brother-in-law. That would explain their frequent Fox appearances together.)
→ SOL
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:20 ET by Cool ArrowMarc Lamont-Hill makes more sense Alan Colmes.
Alan Colmes was one of the pioneers of early television, you know.
LOL, Cool
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:44 ET by SickofLibsA child star: I knew there had to be SOMETHING going on beyond his personality.
That is pretty good, CA
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 17:50 ET by needleI had not appreciated the resemblance until you pointed it out. I remember watching Howdie Doodie when I was about five or six years old, and even at that young age I thought he was stupid. I was too young to articulate “insulting to my intelligence;” but that was the way I felt about it.
- Relying upon the State Run Media for your information is like relying upon an embezzler for your portfolio management.
- Brown for US Senate
needle---
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 01:26 ET by matthewdeanPretty sure the pic is of Mortimer Snerd.
Howdy was a puppet. Mortimer and Charlie McCarthy were ventiloquist dummies utilized in an act by Candace Bergens' father, Edgar Bergen.
For what its' worth, ol' Mortimer, while likeable, was about as dumb as they come.
Cheers.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
This message brought to you
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 14:17 ET by wiwfThis message brought to you by the Saudis and other freedom-hating countries.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Thank you, John, now shut up.
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 17:13 ET by needleMcLaughlin’s freedom of speech is DEFINITELY overrated.
We need to institute the Most Elitist Arrogant Newsperson (MEAN) Award. John McLaughlin is now nominated.
- Relying upon the State Run Media for your information is like relying upon an embezzler for your portfolio management.
- Brown for US Senate
This blowhard should have
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 22:10 ET by ConservativeRexThis blowhard should have an easy time identifying something being over rated, he just has to look in a mirror.
I can't even get too troubled over what this idiot says. When folks like this spout off all I hear is Charlie Browns teacher.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
tired of liberal
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 00:07 ET by stunnedtired of liberal lies
Sorry to say I agree with McLaughlin's opinion. It is the same one conservatives like Limbaugh and Buchanan have offered over the past couple of years. With the expanding Federal government and more and more people getting some form of government assisstance and more and more employed by the government many do not worry or even consider that government largess comes at the price of the loss of personal liberty. This increased planned dependency has created a welfare mentality in a large minority (35% in my opinion) in our country and this will over time grow with the expansion of government. Healthcare reform in Congress is all about expanding govenment dependency and has nothing to do with controlling healthcare costs, increasing access to care or availability of coverage. Conservatives are rightly concerned by the "fundamental change in America" that Obama wants to bring about. Redistribution of wealth, the loss of property rights, gun control, healthcare regulation and adjusting our lifestyles for the worse (cap and trade) we know will limit our liberty and lighten our wallets to boot. I wonder if by the time most people wake up it will be too late.
Sadly, McLaughlin has a
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 04:27 ET by RR GOPSadly, McLaughlin has a point.
Tell me the sheeple out there (present company excepted of course) don't feel that way.
The trick is to figure out how to not end up in the slaughter pens with them?
"Under Capitalism, man exploits man. Under Communism it's just the opposite."
"All that Communism needs to make it successful is for someone to feed and clothe it."