Charles Krauthammer Shuts Up Nina Totenberg: 'I'm in the Middle of a Sentence'
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer and NPR's Nina Totenberg had a humorous exchange on PBS's Inside Washington Friday.
After mocking Totenberg for the "surprise" of her giving Democrats on the Super Committee credit, Krauthammer scolded her for constantly interrupting him saying, "I'm in the middle of a sentence, and I am going to get to the end, and I will let you know with punctuation, alright?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Well, were there any white hats anywhere in this adventure?
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: Well, I actually give the Democrats some credit for moving off the dime a bit, but the lack of trust and the lack of ability to have a corresponding move. The tragedy here is that this was a system that may have been doomed to failure, but it also could have been doomed to success because it guaranteed a vote on the floor. It circumvented the need to get 3/5 vote to kill a filibuster. And it would have, if they could have come to an agreement, it would have gotten an up or down vote.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: What a surprise that Nina should have found that the Democrats deserve some credit on this committee. I'm really shocked to hear that. The fact is that despite all the protestations of the Democrats, the Republicans, starting with the very conservative Senator Coburn, who was on Simpson-Bowles, and who approved and supported an increase in net tax rates…
TOTENBERG: That was the Gang of Six, though.
KRAUTHAMMER: No, this was in, he voted in Simpson-Bowles to increase by $1 trillion…
TOTENBERG: Yeah, that’s not the Super Committee.
PETERSON: Let him finish.
KRAUTHAMMER: I'm in the middle of a sentence…
TOTENBERG: Yes you are.
KRAUTHAMMER: …and I am going to get to the end, and I will let you know with punctuation, alright?
TOTENBERG: Okay.
KRAUTHAMMER: Comma…
TOTENBERG: [Laughter]
KRAUTHAMMER: …he supported a $1 trillion increase in net tax revenues in the same way that on the Super Committee Senator Toomey of the Club for Growth supported an increase in tax revenues. It seems to me that the myth that Republicans oppose higher taxes is simply not recognizing there is a difference between lowering rates and increasing revenues. That’s been the problem.
Despite the humor, Krauthammer was quite right. The issue is revenues not tax rates, something that folks like Totenberg can't get their hands around because of their ignorance of budgets.
Sadly, that's an intellectual handicap suffered by most liberal media members who don't understand that you can raise revenues without raising marginal tax rates.
Maybe if they'd grasp this, Democrats on these committees would be forced to as well.
Or is that asking too much of so-called journalists?
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Comments
Everyone should go find
Submitted by zenman1661 on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 11:01am.
Charles' recent column where he goes into more detail about how the Democrats refuse to understand that you can increase tax revenues without a tax rate increase.
Dems & Rates vs. Revenue
Submitted by Junk Science Skeptic on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 5:17pm.
'Hammer's column may be a bit too astute for the average Dem, but they only need to look as far as yesterday's "Black Friday" sales to understand the concept.
Instead of just accepting a day of low sales while everybody sits at home watching football and eating leftover turkey, retailers long ago figured out that by cutting their rates (prices) during a slow market, they could raise revenue (sales).
People know this instinctively, but the MSM has been way too successful in conflating tax rates with tax revenue, so the Dem voters ignore what they see with their own "lying" eyes, and instead choose to believe what they're told.
Precisely
Submitted by JLin on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 7:13pm.
Another reason to reform the public school system. They churn out numbskulls like Totenberg by the gross.
They understand just fine
Submitted by ckc1227 on Sun, 11/27/2011 - 5:10am.
"the Democrats refuse to understand that you can increase tax revenues without a tax rate increase."
The problem is they aren't really interested in higher revenues, they're interested in higher rates, even if that causes revenues to go down. As Obama said, it's not about the revenues, it's about being "fair".
Smack down
Submitted by OldmanRick on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:12pm.
I must admit it was enjoyable to see and hear Charles put Nina Totenberg in her place. Kudos to Charles.
Why
Submitted by Kleenex on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:12pm.
It seems like every week Charles has to straighten out Nina. Why does anyone believe this woman?
Nina shed her faux
Submitted by d1carter on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:35pm.
Nina shed her faux objectivity long ago...
You know the Hammer may come across as elitist at times
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:38pm.
but at least he is that way towards the liberal socialist elitists. His brand of intelligent, unapologetic conservatism is what we need at all times. I especially like the back and forth he and Hannity have on Fox. They debate conservatism which is debating how to function within the constitution. I'll take that any day over the liberal radicalism of circumventing the constitution, i.e. individual liberty.
Branding conservatism
Submitted by lrgon on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:34pm.
"His [Krauthhammer] brand of intelligent, unapologetic conservatism is what we need at all times."
And the brand of Charles' conservatism is somewhat liberalish, well it's a whole lot liberalish:
He writes columns for the leftwing New Republic magazine! Should be a clue he is not conservative. His editorial opinion appears at the WaPo, another indication that his "brand" of conservatism is acceptable to the lefties at the Washington Post.
Mr. Krauthammer is a supporter of legalized abortion and it fits quite well with his crtiticism of "intelligent design." No God- no need to have a bit of a conscience in seeing babies butchered,right?
However, let's not let aborted babies go to waste. Krauthammer is a supporter of embryonic stem cell research using embryos discarded by fertility clinics.
On the environment
Chucky is a longtime advocate of radically higher energy taxes to induce conservation.
Hendrik Hertzberg, a former colleague of Krauthammer's at The New Republic during the 1980s, said that when the two first met in 1978, Krauthammer was "70 per cent Mondale liberal, 30 per cent 'Scoop Jackson Democrat.'
Those New Republic bloaks probably know him better than you.
Foreign policy
In a 2005 speech he called neoconservatism "a governing ideology whose time has come." He noted that the original "fathers of neoconservatism" were "former liberals or leftists".
"The ...Bush approach to foreign policy and the one that most clearly and distinctively defines the Bush years: the idea that the fundamental mission of American foreign policy is to spread democracy throughout the world." --- C.Krauthammer
Liberal Woodrow Wilson had such a policy to "make the world safe for democracy."
Democracy, the Founding Fathers told us in the
Federalist Papers ( essay #10. Look for Madison's quote around paragraph 12) as the worse possible form of government, which is par for the course for those that want to impose it on every nation.
Sorry, but Fox cannot turn a liberal at heart into a conservative, not somebody with Krauthammer's liberal pedigree.
He may not be...
Submitted by Dave the mailman on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 3:39pm.
..conservative to the core, but fortunately for us, he isn't running for office. He is, however, quite skilled at putting the proverbial 'smack down' on liberal pundits like Totenturd....so I will always take delight in that.
Question
Submitted by Kleenex on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 4:00pm.
So does that mean you side with Nina?
Lrgon, what "brand " of conservative are you?
Submitted by upcountrywater on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 4:17pm.
Mr. Krauthammer makes money for himself, by having his opinions printed in magazines, like New Republic.
Ahhh Capitalism.
You Didn't Build That.
You know, you could probably....
Submitted by zenman1661 on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 4:18pm.
cherry pick some statements that Ed Schultz has said in the past and make him sound like an intelligent hard core conservative. I have watched and read Charles Krauthammer for a long time and you are delusional to call him a liberal.
Did everyone enjoy the loon lrgon?
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 4:30pm.
It ain't just here and now boys and girls. This is a prolific loon. It is non-stop stupid on the rollercoaster of hell. Here is a fun taste of yet more loony stupid from the most prolific loon here ---
Phweet. Here is a book I have in my library as an example of international terrorism --- Whoops. Amazon review: This is a book full of CIA initiated lies that the CIA has discredited as it own (false) propaganda.
President Truman used troops in Korea just to be at war. Only purpose. Being at war. Phweet.
Putin and the Chinese created all the terrorists. Phwoot. Oops. That one came out sideways.
The Global War on Terrorism is a phony war. --- Yep. With 6000 phony fallen heroes, huh Loon?
The war in Afghanistan was designed to bankrupt the United States. Only reason. Bankruptcy. Phweeeeeet.
...G.W . Bush really was a very stupid person, a village idiot... --- Not a troll. Not a loon. Honext. Believe the trolling loon.
The Department of Education is teaching the queers to attack your children's culture.
Congress can take away the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.
Phweet. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, all wrong. All illegal. All a waste. What we should have done was GO TO WAR WITH CHINA!!! Phweet! Phweet! Phweet!
Fighting a Chinese man with a rifle will only incite more Chinese men to pick up rifles. So we can't go to war with China. No wait, that only works with Muslim terrorists. So Muslims are the only group in the world we cannot kill. Phweeeeeeet.
Who is a good little plagiarist? lrgon is. Yes. lrgon is.
Did you have fun boys and girls? Do you feel like some kind of a sucker just to read the idiocy that is lrgon?
I missed the new Stupid from lrgon today.
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 5:46pm.
Prolly cuz I never read his boring crap. The idiot still thinks we are paid to read his screeds.
lrgon the loon: He noted that the original "fathers of neoconservatism" were "former liberals or leftists".
neo the prefix means, shocka shocka shocka --- NEW. [Greek, from neos, new; see newo- in Indo-European roots.]
So if you are new to conservatism then either you are a baby just out of the womb or shocka shocka shocka an OLD SOMETHING ELSE such as oh, I don't know, hmmmmm, maybe, oh "former liberals or leftists".
Idiot.
crank.
crank squared.
You go loon. Don't ever let your stupid slow you down.
Really? Are you looking back into history
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 10:36pm.
when he used to be a democrat and came to his senses while being an analyst on Fox News? Try again troll boy as you lost, again!
However, nice thesis full of nonsense you posted.
Krauthammer vs. Totenberg
Submitted by Guapo Diablo on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 12:52pm.
Krauthammer is an extremely amiable and intelligent guy, while Totenberg is one of the nation's leading causes of erectile dysfunction.
Hee Hee
Submitted by Lipton on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:11pm.
Nice one.
That's why I always pop....
Submitted by BBallleaper on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 6:06pm.
a Cialis if she's on!
I dunno but....
Submitted by jon_torlin on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 6:21pm.
Seems like there's a lot better(and prettier!) things to choose from to pop a Cialis for. I don't see how doing one of those for her would be a good thing. ;-)
-Jon
How long must we suffer dummy
Submitted by DWoSD on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:00pm.
How long must we suffer dummy democrats?
I don't think it's Democrats like
Submitted by bkeyser on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:14pm.
Totenberg who don't understand this; more likely, they do understand it and know it would be a win for Republicans if they could get this measure passed. Further, the goal for Democrats isn't simply more revenues, it's weakening political opponents and solidifying the Progressive 1%.
bkeyser
Submitted by amyshulk on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 6:35pm.
Nailed it!
Ronald Reagan
The issue is revenues not tax
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:38pm.
The issue is revenues not tax rates, something that folks like Totenberg can't get the hands around because of their ignorance of budgets.
In the "magical thinking" world of liberals, the Law of Unintended Consequences doesn't exist.
Revenue is not the goal
Submitted by Huapakechi on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 1:48pm.
The whole point of increasing tax rates rather than reducing taxes and regulations (historically proven to increase revenue) is to further damage the Eeeevil capitalist economic system they've been so successful in crippling in the past few years.
Krauthammer shows class and total exasperation
Submitted by lgeubank on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 2:28pm.
You gotta give Krauthammer credit for stifling a bumptious interrupter with incredible class. I could never remain so cool.
And that look of exasperation he gives is priceless! He rolled his eyes like Nathan Detroit shooting dice for the guys' souls.
Thank God SOMEONE shut her the hell up!
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 4:01pm.
Too bad no one saw this damn show-maybe Fox can replay that clip on an endless loop, like they seem to do for everything else? It would be worth it for that old, fugly lib to finally STFU-ohh, whenever I manage to catch a bit of her, shes always interrupting with her 60's style leftist crap!
i am so glad that the kraut
Submitted by right of way on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 7:04pm.
i am so glad that the kraut is on our side.
What? You don't want to hear about my momma's knisches?
Submitted by JLin on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 7:09pm.
She is way past her Best By date. I have no patience for Nina Totenberg. I would have squeezed her gag pipe shut.
Why, or why are we surprised.
Submitted by pbthinker on Sat, 11/26/2011 - 10:49pm.
Doesn't anyone remember the debate where Charlie Gibson schooled Obama and reducing capital gains rates and how they increased revenue, and he said it wasn't about more money it was about fairness. The point is, with Democrats, it's not about more money, it's all about rates, no matter what it does to money.
If you increase the tax rates to 90% on the rich, but on take in 1/10th as much, they don't care because they can show their misinformed constituents they're taxing the rich. Who cares if the country falls apart???
On the nose
Submitted by KornKing on Sun, 11/27/2011 - 8:37am.
And the lapdogs will never report it-
typical liberal...
Submitted by stage9 on Sun, 11/27/2011 - 5:51pm.
In every single exchange you will ever witness between radicals and civilized society (ie mentally healthy individuals), they always bully the conversation by talking over everyone else. They are about as civilized as a Charlie Sheen interview.
"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