Tom Brokaw says his most conservative friend has told him he might vote for Hillary Clinton. I for one believe the former NBC News anchor. Hillary supporters might indeed constitute the rightmost fringe of his friend set.
The revelation occurred on today's Morning Joe.
View video here.
TOM BROKAW: This election is about ending polarization; this election is about moving on; it's solutions. I said on Meet the Press on Sunday I think this election is the end of dogma. I may have understated in a way; I think it's the end of rigid dogma. I think it's the end of litmus tests. I think you have to have fundamental principles, but at the same time the voters out there are saying "hey, if it's a good idea and it comes from a liberal, let's take it."
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's embrace it.
BROKAW [continuing to quote voters]: "If it's a good idea and it comes from a conservative, let's take it." And I want principled people of character running, but at the same time we've gotten ourselves into this codification process: unless you can check off all the litmus tests, you're not worthy.
SCARBOROUGH: You know, I had a very conservative Republican say that to me after Katrina. That on every level we've got these litmus tests and when you check 'em off, what happens is, on all levels, you have people who are ideologically pure who may not be able to run a government.
DAVID SHUSTER: You know, Tom, but the Republican establishment as you know is having a tough time with somebody like John McCain. You see the Rush Limbaughs out there attacking him, saying he'll ruin the party. Can somebody like McCain still get the nomination, get the general election, without Republican establishment falling in line behind him?
BROKAW: I think he can; I think he's demonstrated that in a couple of places now. New Hampshire is not exactly a warm-and-fuzzy liberal city; you know, it's contrarian. I have had more Republicans this time than in all the years I've been doing this say to me, look, they're fed up. These are born and bred, gold-plated Republicans: it's time for a change, it's broken, we've got to fix it.
And a guy whose very important in national security matters, very conservative man, said that to me; the most conservative friend that I have, and I've known him since I was 18, lives in Iowa. Called me and said: "you're going to find this hard to believe. I just want somebody who's competent. And if I think she can run the country, I will vote for her." It's the last thing I expected to hear from him.
SCARBOROUGH: Right. I'm hearing that from a lot of conservatives too: that this year Michael Dukakis may be right, finally, a declaration that it's about competence, and not ideology.
Argh! How many times have we heard this from liberals? "Forget ideology, let's compromise!" But while Brokaw pays lip service to taking good ideas from conservatives, he inevitably gives the example, as does Scarborough, of Republicans supporting Democrats and not the other way around.
How have any of the Dem candidates put compromise over ideology? The very reason they're engaged in such a nasty personal fight is that nothing separates them on the issues: all subscribe without exception to the left-wing catechism.
Brokaw's idea of bi-partisanship: you Republicans agree with us Democrats.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.




















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"Conservative" friend =
January 23, 2008 - 09:29 ET by tater"Conservative" friend = moderate to slight liberal.
Do you realize how much it costs to run for office? More than any honest man could afford. -Montgomery Burns
Brokaw is talking about the Anti-Huckabee Vote
January 23, 2008 - 19:06 ET by PopularTechWhen Huckabee won Iowa all Security and Fiscal Conservatives were threatening to vote Hillary, Brokaw just doesn't get why. Oh and they will too if Huckabee gets the nomination.
Huckabee: Raising Taxes OK
The Anti "Man-Made" Global Warming Resource
I'm guessing that Tom
January 23, 2008 - 10:08 ET by motherbeltI'm guessing that Tom Brokaw's "most conservative" friend is still barely within shouting distance of the "center"...from the left side, that is....
My guess is that it is Olbermann.
January 23, 2008 - 11:25 ET by kgMy guess is that it is Olbermann.
→ Thanks, kg
January 23, 2008 - 11:30 ET by Cool ArrowI was racking my brain on that one.
I was leaning to..
January 23, 2008 - 12:37 ET by Gary HallMichael Moore, or Jimmy Carter.
.
January 23, 2008 - 13:43 ET by LionKingMcCain
Isn't a moderate someone who
January 23, 2008 - 19:12 ET by Chris NormanIsn't a moderate someone who thinks about it for a few minutes, then votes Democrat anyway?
Tom's friends
January 23, 2008 - 09:30 ET by LionKingI guess when all your friends are liberal, you would refer to your moderate friend as conservative.
ROTFLMAO
If the alternative is McCainiac
January 23, 2008 - 09:30 ET by V the KIf it comes down to a choice between Hillary and the RINO, I'll choose the one who'll come at me with a knife from the front instead of from the back.
Amazing, Mark
January 23, 2008 - 09:38 ET by RJThese liberal pundits live in a closed world. They go to the same liberal cocktail parties, hear the same views, and believe, therefore, that they are "centrists."
Indeed, Brokaw's friend probably does (as you suggest) inhabit the "rightward fringe" of his acquaintances.
Bernard Golderg said it in
January 23, 2008 - 10:07 ET by motherbeltBernard Golderg said it in his first book "Bias." These liberal pundits all hang out together, go to the same cocktail and dinner parties...they can go years without ever hearing an opinion contrary to their own.
It seems to me the only disagreements they have are along the lines of "Is Bush just evil, or is he Hitler-class evil?"
And in that cocoon, they are all "centrists"...there is no liberalism or left....there are only "normal" people and "right-wing extremists."
Well said. Killing them
January 23, 2008 - 13:24 ET by stratmanWell said.
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
"the most conservative
January 23, 2008 - 09:44 ET by Jack BauerWell, I suppose compared to Sean Penn, Senator Tom Harkin is "conservative."
He said "IF I think she can
January 23, 2008 - 10:12 ET by motherbeltHe said "IF I think she can run the country..."
That's a BIG "IF"! And I guess he'd have to define "run." She's already said she's going to "run" the government, she's going to "manage" the economy ("I want to take those profits"...anyone up for taking a chance on that?) and who knows what else.
Only Tom Brokaw's kind of "conservative" could go for that.
I caught that little word too.
January 23, 2008 - 11:30 ET by dervishIf he's really a conservative, the guy probably had work to do, and to get Brokaw off the phone said, "Sure, Tom, IF...".
Okay, the thing that makes
January 23, 2008 - 09:45 ET by WhoIsJohnGaltOkay, the thing that makes this laughable is not the obviously skewed interpretation of "conservative" by a left wingnut. No, the part that tickles me is where they all refer to "competent", "principled people of character" and so forth and then mention Hillary in the same breath without pausing and busting out laughing...
they all refer to
January 23, 2008 - 10:14 ET by motherbeltthey all refer to "competent", "principled people of character" and so forth and then mention Hillary in the same breath...
Yeah, I caught that too....should have had a "spew alert." LOL
Most conservative still a liberal
January 23, 2008 - 09:50 ET by PawpawNWhen all your friends are liberals, the his "Most conservative still a liberal". You can quote me!
Brokenjaw is out of Touch
January 23, 2008 - 09:56 ET by JayTeeSorry Brokaw, you can't speak for Americans, let alone Republicans. The NH poll surprise spoke volumes for what the MSM has to say about elections, and what voters have to say about exit polls.
This is Front End "influence peddling" by Journalists, who don't have near the Audience that Rush L. and friends command. The Field goal went wide Left, no score, and the Republicans take over.
"Barack Obama is a Powerful Speaker—And so is My Bose Bass Amp" Doug Giles
End of Dogma, Dogma, DOGMA? (Think Jim Mora)
January 23, 2008 - 09:58 ET by Wildcatter1980The end of dogma? The candidates especially on the Democrat side spout nothing but dogma.
They continue to believe in redistribution of wealth (Can anyone say global warming?), universal health care coverage (Can anyone say nationalized HC?), open borders, mischaracterization of the homeless "problem" as an economic one when the facts are that it is an issue of substance abuse/addiction, etc., all the while being unable to point to any history of success for any of these initiatives.
Give us a break, Tom. Elections today are nothing but advertising campaigns only instead of trying to sell a product or service, they are selling a person.
Just my $0.02
My Most Conservative Friend????
January 23, 2008 - 10:12 ET by BourbeauNow that is about as much authenticity as you'll ever get out of Brokaw - "My most conservative friend???" Let's not challenge him to identify this Conservative friend - let's just label him as such, and accept Tom's word for it. One may not be happy with the GOP candidates today, but it's way too early for any Conservative to admit he may vote for Hillary. Good try Tom; never pass up a moment to make an ass out of yourself.
Right on!
January 23, 2008 - 10:18 ET by iveseenitallRight on, Bourbeau. Who is this "friend"? Identify him, Tom. No more of your "annoymous sources" please.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
I always thought when
January 23, 2008 - 10:28 ET by taterI always thought when someone refers to their "friend" in a story and doesn't specify who they are really referring to themself.
Do you realize how much it costs to run for office? More than any honest man could afford. -Montgomery Burns
In fairness, Brokaw did
January 23, 2008 - 10:36 ET by Mark FinkelsteinIn fairness, Brokaw did provide some details about his friend: "very important in national security matters," "lives in Iowa."
Larger than a bread box...?
January 23, 2008 - 11:16 ET by Chris NormanLarger than a bread box...?
Whew! For a moment I
January 23, 2008 - 13:27 ET by stratmanWhew!
For a moment I thought Brokaw was referring to Larry Craig of Idaho.
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
The only reason I would
January 23, 2008 - 10:48 ET by Dan The Man 2The only reason I would vote for a Democrat this election is to send a message to the GOP to provide better canditates. The GOp would get the message and hopefully interpret it as more conservative/moral but might say they need to lean more left. Whatever the outcome the GOP might enter the wilderness this year for an unspecified time.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Competence
January 23, 2008 - 10:39 ET by KC MulvilleThis just shows how little Brokaw and Scarborough understand government. The problems that rise to the level of national debate are always cases of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The problems always come with significant baggage. You can satisfy some of it, but only with deep cuts elsewhere. Think of the energy problems. Sure, we can drill in ANWR, but the environmentalists scream. Homeland security is the most recent example. To acquire the necessary human intelligence, we tried to do data mining on phone records, but the civil libertarians went ballistic. Social security is the most dangerous example. You can cut benefits or raise taxes dramatically, and few of the affected groups are willing to sacrifice a penny.
Brokaw and Scarborough think it will take “competence,” by which they mean cleverness. While Brokaw and Scarborough are looking to the sky so that an angel will drop down from heaven and sprinkle “competent” pixie dust, the rest of us have to look each other square in the eye and make tough decisions.
He has a
January 23, 2008 - 10:51 ET by USA4freedomHe has a friend?????????
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
competence
January 23, 2008 - 11:22 ET by mills-- we want government to be strongest at the level closest to individuals. -- kc mulville
I agree. The great federal nanny state is a recipe for disaster. It has roots in FDR's New Deal programs. The "great society" by LBJ...the war on poverty...the war on drugs...throwing billions of dollars at public education...all failed propositions that have done little except cost a lot of money.
For those that think the federal government is the entity to solve our problems...show a list of those programs...the ones that cause us to wake up every day with the revelation "Thank goodness we have that program...I don't know how our country would survive without it".
Competence...hardly...and now the liberals want to undertake the largest, most expensive social program in history...health care. With the track record of our federal government that can only produce a huge ROFLMAO.
Well said. Just more
January 23, 2008 - 13:41 ET by stratmanWell said.
Just more platitudes and bias for Liberals.
There is an abundance of intelligent people in this country. If that was all that was needed to produce "solutions" then all the big issues should have been solved long ago the world over.
As you said, the real difficulty is in compromise and acceptance of said compromise by the citizenry. As an over-simplification, corporations are devised top-down because specific and mandatory policies must be enacted for strong fiscal survival. Workers may have input but do not have control over the decision making process or leadership. Government, on the other hand, needs to be bottom-up in order to know what social policies will work with the public. Citizens should have a great deal of input on certain policies and do have a say in their leadership.
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.
Tom's imaginary friend
January 23, 2008 - 12:13 ET by RMR"you're going to find this hard to believe. I just want somebody who's competent. And if I think she can run the country, I will vote for her."
Not only " hard to believe" but darn near impossible.
So let me see if I get this straight. We have Tom and his liberal buddies pushing McCain down conservatives throat, and at the same time Tom's born-and-bred, gold-plated Republican "friends" are planning to vote for Hilary? Why wouldn't these gold-platers vote for McCain? Must be the competence thing, right Tom?
Yo Tommy
January 23, 2008 - 12:18 ET by owlpelletsHey Tom,
Is he sitting in a bowel with your jumbo shrimp?
I always wanted to get into politics, but I was never light enough to make the team.
Brokaw has conservative
January 23, 2008 - 12:36 ET by Pete WilsonBrokaw has conservative friends? Who knew.
Come on Tom Brokaw........tell us who these Republicans are????
January 23, 2008 - 12:41 ET by Lame CherryThis lying fatherless son of a Tom Brokaw is thee most self absorbed blow hard to ever be spawned in South Dakota.....and that is a big task with that idiot McGovern and ole Twister Daschle for comradery.
NO CONSERVATIVE would vote for Hillary PERIOD! A Conservative wouldn't vote for Hillary if they needed a shrew to beat up men with lamps, steal government documents and leave a trail of dead bodies all around Washington, because they know little piss ants like Stalin burning down refineries turn into big problems slaughtering 40 million when in power.
Brokaw you are a LIAR. I DEMAND THE NAMES OF THESE "REPUBLICANS". I DEMAND THE NAME OF THIS "CONSERVATIVE". Your off the record bovine scat of quoting sources is about as good as this quote.............
I have been told by reputable sheep in South Dakota that Tom Brokaw had sex with them when drunk women were not around.
The game swings both ways Brokaw. PUT UP THE NAMES OR SHUT UP. You though will NEVER PUT UP THE NAMES as you know very well your "friends" will turn out to be some G. Gordon Liddy who is best friends with Al Franken donating to that liberal jerk's senate race in Minnesoveita.
Any one can say anything and you proved it Brokaw. Go join Dan Rather and Walrus Cronkite on the dust heap of liars as no one cares what you are about.........but for GOODNESS SAKE never go back to South Dakota to pollute it with your idiocy.
Another great Pole Joe moment featuring Shuster the sham. Come on boys give up the names of your "Conservatives"........you will find they are RINO at best and at worst communist records in socialism just like Hillary.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
The trend...
January 23, 2008 - 12:44 ET by celatorHave you noticed the trend?
Here's what I am seeing: when these overpaid "news anchors" retire, they drop their guard and begin revealing how deceptive and isolated they have been all along. In some of them, the craziness begins to show up (Dan Rather), in others, their disloyalty to the US shows up (Walter Cronkite), in others, how detached they are from the day to day reality we all have to deal with (Tommy Brokaw). Wait until Couric and Brian Williams leave their jobs!
I think what happens is that when there is no one to write material for these characters, they begin to have to reveal the world view that's been banging around in their head all this time.
Liberal's Basic Rule For Discourse: I don't care if you agree with my premises, but I demand that you agree with my conclusions.
Gold Plated Republicans
January 23, 2008 - 13:04 ET by Mr. TerryI just get sick of being patronized by the Demo-libs. They portray themselves as the wise, fatherly figures of politics advising us "born and bred, gold plated republicans" to come around to their original wisdom by taking the most liberal Republican running. I thought we got rid of the Brokaw sermonizing, guess now he's able to be freer in doing so.
I don't think Republicans are as stupid as they make out but I'm beginning to wonder if they're influencing the masses. Would that we had a super-candidate.
Information is the currency of democracy...
Gold plated republicans
January 23, 2008 - 13:08 ET by bassndudeThere is not a Gold Plated Republican anywhere on the face of the earth that would vote for a liberal socialist, or aspiring dictator. That said, you can rule out Bama boy and the Clinton witch. They are both ultra liberal socialists with dictorial asperations.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Huh?
January 23, 2008 - 16:18 ET by marpelHe has only one conservative friend? I'm a conservative and I have several liberal friends. I was a conservative living in NY and had several friends on both sides of the aisle. Life is just too short.
"My most conservative
January 23, 2008 - 17:01 ET by msh1973"My most conservative friend", that is code for my moderate Democrat friend. There isn't a true conservative worth their salt that would vote for any Democrat. What would be the point?
Fiscal responsibility would be the point.
January 23, 2008 - 17:17 ET by sarcasmoI don't have the time to dig it up right now, but CATO did a study on congresscritters' taxing & spending habits looking at political party and time-in-office. After about a decade, a Republican incumbent is definitely more dangerous to my wallet than a Democrat newcomer, so I vote that way. I want an end to government-obesity, not a "choice" between a borrow & spend warfare-state or a tax & spend welfare-state.
Want it to be different? Enact term limits or elect actual fiscal conservatives as Republicans for a change. But don't expect fiscal conservatives like me to change our behavior until you do. The name "Republican" isn't enough to earn my vote -- hell, I've voted against a large-L Libertarian I disliked back when I was a Libertarian.
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
Is Leiberman from
January 23, 2008 - 18:00 ET by Dan The Man 2Is Leiberman from Ohio?
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
"hey, if it's a good idea
January 23, 2008 - 20:50 ET by fitzfong"hey, if it's a good idea and it comes from a liberal, let's take it."
Sorry Kent Brockman, "good idea" and "liberal" are mutually exclusive.
New Hampshire is not exactly a warm-and-fuzzy liberal city
Been sniffing your hair spray a bit much lately? New Hampshire is not a city. It's a state. And it may nut be warm, but it sure is liberal.
These are born and bred, gold-plated Republicans: it's time for a change, it's broken, we've got to fix it.
Gold-plated Republicans? Gee, Tom, how is Lincoln Chafee doing these days? Perhaps you should step out of the whine-and-cheese of the Hamptons to meet some real Republicans rather than your gold-plated phonies.
the most conservative friend that I have, and I've known him since I was 18, lives in Iowa. Called me and said: "you're going to find this hard to believe. I just want somebody who's competent. And if I think she can run the country, I will vote for her."
Three possibilities on this one: 1) the most conservative friend you have is Dan Rather, 2) Your conservative "friend" was talking about Condi Rice, and you simply projected Bubba's wife when your "friend" said "she" or 3) you have no friends, you're a lying POS and you made it up. I'm going with number 3.