Flashback: CNBC GOP Debate Moderator John Harwood Blamed 'Crazy' Republicans for U.S. Debt Downgrade
By Kyle Drennen | November 09, 2011 | 16:23
Before being tapped to be one of the moderators at CNBC's upcoming Republican presidential debate, John Harwood was ranting against the GOP for causing the summer debt crisis. Appearing on NBC's Today in July, Harwood warned: "...the House Republican caucus...would not accept what President Obama needed to make a deal...It's crazy politics, what they're doing..."
When the U.S. later lost its AAA credit rating in August, Harwood again appeared on Today to proclaim that the downgrade had provided President Obama with "a tangible consequence to point to for Republican brinksmanship on the debt and deficit reduction deal.”
At the same time, Harwood has fawned over Obama in recent interviews. When the President famously swatted a fly in one such 2009 interview, Harwood later gushed about it on MSNBC: "He had this fly that was persistently buzzing around him....He swatted his hand and he said, 'I got the sucker.' He threw it onto the ground. It was a, you know, Dirty Harry 'make my day' moment."
As an economic reporter, Harwood has shown a disdain for business. In a 2010 interview with Obama, Harwood made this ominous comparison: "Should average Americans think about big Wall Street institutions the way that some have come to think about tobacco companies, that is, companies whose core activities are harmful to the country?"
During a 2010 appearance on MSNBC's The Ed Show, Harwood remarked about business leaders critical of Obama's policies: "Well look, part of the White House argument is that these businessmen are really upset because of what's going to happen with their personal income tax rates when the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2010....I find it a little beyond belief the whining that you hear from some of these people who ought to man up."
In 2005, while serving as political editor for The Wall Street Journal, Harwood freely admitted the existence of liberal media bias: "I believe it is true that a significant chunk of the press believes that Democrats are incompetent but good-hearted, and Republicans are very efficient but evil."
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Comments
Obama displaying
Submitted by Quasi-socialist on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 4:34pm.
his ignorance of entomology, flies don't suck.
"Dirty Harry" is voting for HERMAN CAIN
Submitted by gopcongress on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 4:43pm.
"Dirty Harry" is voting for HERMAN CAIN
I guess Harwood would love to recant what he said before.
Follow me on the silly bird thing-a-ma-jig: http://twitter.com/gopcongress
Dirty Harry's a RINO who Rush needs to boot from the ranks
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 5:28pm.
of the true believers. ;-)
Jer
John Harwood
Submitted by Texndoc on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 6:03pm.
I remember this guy around the exact time Joe Biden was chosen as Obama's running mate.
5 minutes before: "He's too much of a gaffe machine."
5 minutes after: "What a choice! Joe Biden's gaffes are actually quite charming!"
I saw him interviewed on Morning Joe. He has an agenda. Plans on propping up Jon Huntsman and tearing every other candidate down.
Those CRAAAAZYYY REPUBLICANS...
Submitted by stage9 on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 7:48pm.
All they want to do is balance budgets, cut spending, put people back to work and try to prevent America from going down the moral toilet....those crazzzzy Republicans!
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge
Another faux elite.
Submitted by amyshulk on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 8:25pm.
Another faux elite.
Ronald Reagan
Sure, the wording of this headline was more incendiary
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 8:37pm.
and eye-catching, but for the sake of accuracy it would have been better had Mr. Drennen used the identical headline of his linked MRC article in quoting Harwood. [..."crazy politics", not "crazy Republicans"]
Jer
He is talking about Republicans and he says they are...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 2:36am.
playing crazy politics, so the headline is correct when it said he called them crazy Republicans.
After seeing him moderate the debate tonight, one thing was crystal clear. He was "projecting".
I see, webster...
Submitted by Jer on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 4:22pm.
So if I were to say, for example, a particular action by Republicans was defensible from a policy standpoint, but it was probably "bad politics", do you believe "JER REFERS TO 'BAD' REPUBLICANS" would be a fair and appropriate headline summarizing my comments? It is precisely analogous to what occurred here.
Jer
WHY?
Submitted by Slyrr on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 9:03pm.
Almost the entire Republican debate schedule so far has had one commonality: Crazed, lying, liberal media GOP-haters have been put in charge of 'moderating' the debates. Does that make any sense at all? The liberal media has proven a million times over that they are nothing but Obama's propaganda slaves. They have demonstrated time and again that they have utterly forsaken journalism, fairness and ethics. They have given themselves over to lies, partisanship and corruption.
What does the GOP hope to accomplish by putting these crooks in control of the narrative? They are inviting Obama's slaves to put in loaded questions and ambush tactics. Are they trying to show they are 'nice' by opening themselves up to deliberate mockery, lies and innuendo? If so, they deserve what they get.
I see no point in letting any of these so-called journalists moderate, because they're all a pack of filthy stinking liars who are on the take.
I didn't see the point at first...
Submitted by Radical1979 on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 9:06pm.
but now I think it's a good idea. When the nominee debates obama he's going to be roughed up and obama will be given a cup of tea and blanket. Better for the nominee to learn how to handle it now, or move out of the way.
Looking forward to Rick Santelli.
This guy embarrassed himself almost as much as Rick...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 2:17am.
Perry embarrassed himself tonight. The difference is, even after his gaff, I still like Rick Perry as a person, but this guy Harwood, whom I had never seen before, has proven to me to be a 24 carat jerk!
I noticed that of all the questioners, Rick Santelli got the...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 2:30am.
biggest hand. Even though I had never seen him on TV before, his name is legend among Tea Partiers and apparently there were a lot of us in the crowd.
Jim Cramer with his motor mouth was a big disappointment as was the girl. (Maria something or other.) Probably explains why I don't watch CNBC...or MSNBC...or NBC.