Beck and O'Reilly Defend Breitbart, Wonder How Long MSNBC Can Stay In Business This Way
The outrage over Martin Bashir's absolutely pathetic interview with Andrew Breitbart Wednesday continues.
On Thursday's "O'Reilly Factor," the host and his guest Glenn Beck wondered how long MSNBC can stay in business with commentators behaving this way (video follows with transcript and commentary):
BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "At Your Beck and Call" segment tonight. Perhaps no one in the country has been more vilified in the left-wing media than our pal Glenn Beck but he is not alone. Yesterday on MSNBC conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart was subjected to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN BASHIR. MSNBC: This week Marilyn Davenport, Republican official in Orange County, sent an email to a number of colleagues featuring President Obama dressed in a family of apes.
ANDREW BREITBART: Are you asking me about this? What do I have to do with that?
BASHIR: I want to ask you what do you think of that?
BREITBART: It's deplorable. It's -- it's deplorable, it's reprehensible. And you are trying to -- you're trying to insinuate that I'm a racist here which is what MSNBC does to conservatives every single day. This entire context of this conversation is what the NAACP and what the Democratic Party has been doing to the Tea Party for the last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, FOX NEWSHOST: This guy is so --
O'REILLY: Does Mr. Breitbart -- wait a minute, relax. So does Mr. Breitbart have a point? Here now, the aforementioned Glenn Beck.You couldn't wait.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: No, I mean I just thought we were having a conversation. I forgot.
O'REILLY: Yes I know and it's outrageous.
BECK: Breitbart is absolutely fearless. Fearless, I mean, he's -- he's a little like you. Walks right into the lion's den and you are like what -- what are you doing here? What's going on?
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: Yes but I don't know if that's a smart thing to do because you don't really convert many people over there. But, let's just deal with the -- you invite a guy on. Breitbart, you can talk about his Web site all day long. I mean he's got a long history of -- and then you bring in something that he has nothing to do with.
BECK: Nothing to do with it.
O'REILLY: Right.
BECK: And you're not even talking about -- I mean, look, that photo is reprehensible, everybody --
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: Everybody knows.
BECK: Everybody knows it's reprehensible.
O'REILLY: So why would you even pose the question?
BECK: Right and -- and yet, why are you not talking about real things that are going on? If you want to bring real things that are going on --
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: But that's my point.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: MSNBC --
O'REILLY: You know Breitbart -- but look, this goes to trying to humiliate conservatives. It's trying to attack them and brand them and Breitbart had it. He got teed off. Because -- what do I have to do with this? What are you throwing this at me for?
BECK: This is why -- this is why I think this whole thing is just not going to -- it's just not going to stand. You know, this -- this -- this - - like MSNBC, I mean, how long does that going -- how long does that stay in business like that?
O'REILLY: I don't know. I mean, the ratings are abysmal. I don't know how long they go.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: There's -- there's nothing -- there's nothing there.
O'REILLY: Comcast is a good company.
BECK: Yes.
O'REILLY: I don't know how long they go.
Indeed, which is something NewsBusters touched on in its Wednesday piece about MSNBC's Ed Schultz continually lying to castigate conservatives.
There were some including this author who thought MSNBC made a statement in January when it finally terminated Keith Olbermann and that under the new ownership of Comcast it was going to start actually reporting the news rather than acting as a Democrat propaganda machine.
Sadly, in recent months, we've not only not seen that, we've witnessed a so-called news outlet become even more aggressive in its advocacy.
In the past several weeks, every possible Republican presidential candidate has been totally eviscerated by MSNBC commentators, especially Donald Trump in recent days who has taken up oftentimes half of the programs during this station's prime time schedule.
Scarier still is that we're more than eighteen months away from Election Day. What kind of nonsense is going to transpire on this so-called news network next year as we get into primary season and the actual presidential campaign?
More importantly, how much of this nonsense is Comcast going to put up with before it risks seeing disgusted Americans cancel their cable and internet subscriptions because of what is happening on MSNBC?
(H/T Mediaite)
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Comments
That didn't take long...
Submitted by Chris Norman on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:42am.
"GLENN BECK, FOX NEWSHOST: This guy is so --
O'REILLY: Does Mr. Breitbart -- wait a minute, relax.
Wow, O'Reilly now condescendingly interrupts on the first words out of a guests' mouth..If this isn't a record, it's a tie.
Other than that, I've come to the conclusion that nothing will ever stop MSNBC from being a tool of the Democratic Party - or get it off the cable. It seems to have a life of it's own.
Wow, he's alive
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:46am.
Welcome back, stranger.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Thanks. I've been working
Submitted by Chris Norman on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:47am.
Thanks. I've been working some crazy hours and haven't been able to get on here as much.
Chris,
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:10am.
I am having to limit my net time because my doc told me to avoid stress, or else. :-O
As for MSNBC, my theory was, and still is, that Comcast was looking for a tax write-off, as other than running off Keithie, they have done next to nothing to improve the programming on that network.
As it stands right now, nothing they have on is even watchable to me.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave
Submitted by rockyracoon on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:48am.
I have been thinking the same thing. The old TV show 'WKRP In Cincinnati' had an episode where the station manager's mother wanted to sell the station when it started to turn a profit. She had been using it for years as a write off, because the station was always losing money. So I don't see MSLSD going anywhere soon.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
rr,
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 11:02am.
LOL - I remember that episode. Herb was doing a little too good of a job as a sales weasel, despite those hideous suits he wore.
And the tax write-off angle is the only thing that makes any sense, as if Comcast was looking to make some real money from MSNBC, they would have made some moves by now.
LOL - Either that, are they are still trying to figure out what to do with it.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Well it is actualy like
Submitted by swim-r-sink on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 3:08pm.
Well it is actualy like this,Comcast 51% G.E. 49% so you see its nothing but hot smoke and sassafras to deflect attention away from the head of Obama's Fascist-Marxist Crony Capitalism General G.E. Jeffrey Immelt. The Soros-Obama Propaganda and Reeducation Channel holds the course! You see us stupid Patriotic God Loving Constitutional Americans should not know the difference and eat what is shoveled to us!
I can't watch O'Reilly
Submitted by marpel on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:15am.
I can't watch O'Reilly because of the constant interruptions of his guests. If you notice in that transcript, Beck didn't complete many sentences. And when he did, they made no sense. The self absorbed antics of O'Reilly over shadows all the guests; important or not.
Nonetheless, MSNBC is an embarrassment to real journalists. Happy Easter, Everyone!!
"Deep within my heart lies a memory. A song of ol' San Antone..."
Is MSNBC Really in Business?
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:51am.
Or is it a propaganda machine subsidized by DNC contributors?
Normally I don't like seeing conservatives on these loony shows
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:51am.
...as most of the time they just sit there like a doormat and allow the host to stomp them even flatter because they refuse to throw it right back in their faces.
Andrew Breitbart is one of the few exceptions. Ann Coulter is another.
If more conservatives would go on these shows and do what Andrew does, the lefties would not get away with a lot of the shenanigans they currently do.
Polite guys not only finish last, but usually get run over.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
MSNBC will be bailed out
Submitted by johnsonl on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:56am.
for doing their part. Watch and see.
Speaking of Olbermann
Submitted by Rovin on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 9:57am.
"There were some including this author who thought MSNBC made a statement in January when it finally terminated Keith Olbermann and that under the new ownership of Comcast it was going to start actually reporting the news rather than acting as a Democrat propaganda machine"
I guess it took Olbermann's departure to allow him to actually say something sane.
Olbermann Slams Wonkette’s Palin Story---Calls for writer to be fired.
Starting at :58 seconds into the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LljT1lqWaUk
"How long will they stay in
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:24am.
"How long will they stay in business?" That's the question being posed.
I think the answer is obvious...as long as they want. With the ownership being Comcast, there is nothing at this time that I can determine that threatens MSNBC's existance as the question posed.
However...
The question should have been worded, "How long will they [MSNBC] stay in business in the form they currently have?"
With that caveat attached, I think the question becomes more relevant and focuses more on MSNBC's lineup and format rather than MSNBC itself.
Several thoughts come to mind in relation to this so my apologies in advance for the length and I ask you to bear with me.
First of all MSNBC (pre-Comcast by only a few weeks) sent a message that no one is safe when they fired Keith Olbermann. So the current crop of talking heads there know that they had better bring in better numbers or else they will be let go as well.
Relatedly, the sudden increase in liberal extremist rhetoric and dishonesty shown by the MSNBC talking heads leads me to believe the talent (using the term rather loosely) is desperately trying to attract attention and hopefully more viewers via old "shock jock" techniques. Thus they got the message.
Also relatedly: I wonder when the contracts for Matthews, Maddow, Schultz, Bashir, et al are up. This might give an indication as to a time frame in which they may or may not leave MSNBC.
Which leads me to the following plausible scenario.
Sometime in the fall, before fall sweeps, we may see a massive overhaul of MSNBC which would include the firing of most, if not all, of their major on-air talent (again using that term loosely). Also the format could be completely redone.
I see this as a distinct possibility especially if ratings either do not improve or continue to decline. Whereas Jeffrey Immault via GE was using MSNBC more for an ideological outlet than a for-profit news organization, I see Comcast being more profit-driven with MSNBC and as such will eventually do something, perhaps drastically, to increase the profit potential. This could even include the rebranding of MSNBC altogether.
Now the reason I see this possibly occurring during the fall sweeps is because that particular ratings period is one of the most important of the year and if they time the changes just before sweeps begin and generate buzz in advance for it with advertising and other various publicity then the ratings are guaranteed to increase initially even if just out of a curiosity factor. And if the increase is a temporary spike, it still would show an increase in viewership which Comcast could use to their advantage to promote the network (in whatever form it will be at that time) and perhaps increase revenue thus giving Comcast and the network a new foundation upon which to build. This also fits in with why I could see Comcast completely rebranding the network so they could sever the ties to the dismal MSNBC past and offer something which they could promote as being "fresh" (albeit it would probably be a lot of the same old liberal MSM just with a different bow on top of the packaging).
Anyway, those are just some thoughts and opinions of what may occur.
not a word
Submitted by russedav on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:31am.
Interesting how even though O'Reilly & Beck are on the same side they still can't have a civil conversation without endlessly interrupting each other. It's not just the "left" but our whole tenor of civility has been damaged by accepting uncivilized behavior as the norm, inevitable as a result of abandoning our once Christian nation's foundation of our Founding Fathers (Rector, etc, of Holy Trinity Church v. U S, 143 U.S. 457 (1892)). Only God's big enough to deliver us from this disaster. A blessed Good Friday.
We are still.....
Submitted by almostacowboy on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 11:27am.
...a Christian nation. No matter what any Marxist says (not you....Maobama).
MSNBC will never 'go out of business'
Submitted by Slyrr on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:43am.
If MSNBC was going to 'go out of business', they'd have done so a long time ago. This is a failed network. More than that, it's a CONSISTENTLY failed network. They've been at the bottom of the heap from almost the moment they were created. They are the news channel equivilant of that one location in your town.
You KNOW the one I'm talking about - the location that's always going out of business. The location that has new stores and shops that constantly try to make a go of it in that location, putting up new signs, struggling valiantly for a while, but for some reason no one can stay in business there long, and the building winds up abandoned again, waiting for the next sucker to buy it and doom their business to failure.
So the question becomes - Since MSNBC's ratings are constantly in the septic tank, how do they stay open? Why hasn't this failed network closed up shop and locked its doors? Why havent the whole sorry lot of them, from the owners/producers to their so-called 'talent' followed KO's example and shuffled off to the unemployment line (as they so richly deserve)?
Answer: NPR.
We've asked the same question about them. How is it that a network that is unpopular, untalented, politically biased, snarky, sarcastic, condescending and flat out obnoxious can stay alive and not collapse? How is it that a network that has been repeatedly caught in lies, bias, corruption, grotesque errors and systemic prejudice could still be open and running? How can a network stay alive when it's visibly rotten to the core, corrupt from the presidents and CEOs all the way down to the interns who fetch their lattes and croissaints?
Answer: The Democrats are ransacking taxpayer dollars to keep them afloat. When Rush said that Democrats have been using taxpayer money as a 'slush fund' and that all their so-called bailouts and tarp funds and whatnot are a colossal money laundering scheme, he was right. This is just one example of it.
NPR stays open, despite being an organization of supreme failure, because Democrats are taking money out of YOUR paychecks and kicking it straight into their pet media organization. Against your will and without your consent, they are using YOUR money to pay their bills and keep them open so they can continue to disseminate their lies.
Ditto for MSNBC. Fact: Obama took over GM/GE. He owns them - lock, stock and barrel. And he used YOUR tax money to do it under the disguise of 'a bailout'. Obama signs their paychecks by stealing the money out of YOUR paychecks. Fact: GM/GE owns NBC/Universal. Therefore, Obama owns NBC/Universal. He signs their paychecks too. He owns them. They're slaves to the state now. Fact: NBC/Universal owns MSNBC.
MSNBC is also an organization of supreme failure. Without help, they'd be dead. No one watches them, but somehow they stay open. How? Obama pays them, using money he's pilfered from your tax dollars. They say good things about Obama and Democrats. And in return for the favorable coverage and the bias, Obama and Democrats pay them well. THIS is what Chris 'Thrills in my pants' Matthews meant when he said on live TV that 'it was now his job' to make Obama look good. He's a hireling to Democrats.
Therefore, as long as the Democrats have their claws on our money, MSNBC will keep getting money from them to stay open.
It depends...
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:48am.
Is Comcast in business to make money or are they content to use MSNBC as a political arm?
I have no idea what the companies BOD and senior executives think in terms of politics. But it has been obvious that GE was using MSNBC as their political donation to the democrats. Based on the returns for GE, it is quite possible that Comcast will be content to keep the status quo.
Obama is starting his re-election tour. Lets see if the tenor at MSNBC changes or stays the same (could it get any further left?).
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
c5then,
Submitted by Ashrak on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 2:00pm.
Like any other business, Comcast needs "losses" to offset their taxes on "gains".......
Slightly OT......
Submitted by almostacowboy on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 11:24am.
Beck is catching heat (well, sort of) for exposing Mike Huckabee for the big government progressive RINO he really is. I love it.
Disclaimer: I am not a "fan" of Glenn Beck. I tune him off as much as listen to his shows. He makes me uncomfortable when he starts "preaching". I appreciate his efforts to expose the clandestine communist conspiracy within our government. However, based on Huck's record as AR Gov. I've known about Huck's progressivism for years. It's nice to be vindicated. :-)
I love MSNBC
Submitted by shirtsbyeric on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 2:24pm.
I watch it every weekend. My favorite shows are Lockdown and the weekly airing of some old documentary on Charles Manson.
"More importantly, how much
Submitted by amyshulk on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 8:46pm.
"More importantly, how much of this nonsense is Comcast going to put up with before it risks seeing disgusted Americans cancel their cable and internet subscriptions because of what is happening on MSNBC?"
How will they differentiate from those who cancel because they are downsizing to the new normal?
Ronald Reagan