Gingrich Scolds Gregory and Media for Making Limbaugh 'The Great National Crisis of This Week'
With all that ails the nation, Meet the Press host David Gregory actually began his interview with Newt Gingrich by asking him about contraceptives and Rush Limbaugh.
Showing obvious disgust for the topic, the Republican presidential candidate marvelously responded, "You know, David, I am astonished at the desperation of the elite media to avoid rising gas prices, to avoid the President's apology to religious fanatics in Afghanistan, to avoid a trillion dollar deficit, to avoid the longest period of unemployment since the Great Depression, and to suddenly decide that Rush Limbaugh is the great national crisis of this week" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):
The segment began with Gregory introducing this subject by playing a video clip of Limbaugh's comments regarding Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke followed by reading the conservative talk radio host's apology.
After his opening admonishment, Gingrich said, "There is no debate about access to contraception. There is a debate, which Cardinal George of Chicago has pointed out, is a war against the Catholic Church. You do have this weird situation where President Obama apologizes to Islamic extremists while waging war against the Catholic Church."
"Barack Obama as President," Gingrich continued, "in the most radical anti-religious move made by any president, is trying to coerce the Catholic Church at a time when he's been told by the bishops they would have to give up every single hospital...they would have to give up every single university and college associated with the church, because he is asking them to violate their religious beliefs."
Gregory continued to press the issue saying, "Do you think it was harmful that Limbaugh, as certainly an influential voice in a conservative grassroots and you well know that, was it appropriate for him to apologize? Do you think that he's done damage to the debate that you're now getting into?"
After saying it was appropriate for Limbaugh to apologize, Gingrich challenged Gregory asking, "Do you think the President owes an apology to all the men and women in uniform who he frankly abandoned when he apologized to religious fanatics in Afghanistan? What's your opinion, David?"
Not surprisingly, Gregory ignored that question and continued with the contraception issue asking, "Can you appreciate the view of those that disagree with you that this is an attack on women's rights? That's their view, reproductive rights, access to contraception, and the extreme that it's some sort of war on women."
Gingrich correctly replied, "Nobody's blocking anyone from having access to contraception. No one. The young lady who testified can get access to contraception. Nobody said she couldn't. The question is should a Catholic institution, or for that matter, the Ohio Christian University which is a Protestant institution, which is a very pro-Life institution, which is now being told it will have to pay for abortion pills. Should a Protestant fundamentalist institution be dictated to by Washington politicians over whether or not it can have its own religious beliefs, or have we become a country where it's okay to go to church on Sunday morning for one hour, but let's not actually express those beliefs the rest of the week?"
"This is the most fundamental assault on religious liberty in American history," continued Gingrich, "despite every effort by the elite media to distort what it's about. It's not about access to contraception. People have, people who want to can get access to contraception everyday."
Exactly, and this is how people like Gregory and his colleagues have completely distorted this issue since it began in January.
This has nothing to do with women's access to birth control. Contraceptives are plentiful in this nation and extremely inexpensive despite what Fluke claimed.
The idea that with soaring gas prices, stubbornly high unemployment, staggering budget deficits, and another looming war in the Middle East the nation is locked in a debate about what costs as little as fifteen dollars a month should be totally appalling to folks on both sides of the aisle.
But Gingrich was right. The goal here by the media is to assist the Obama administration in steering the narrative away from any of the real problems facing us.
This week the distraction was Sandra Fluke and Rush Limbaugh. What will it be next week?
(H/T @KatieNewCanaan)
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Comments
The media is our enemy...
Submitted by d1carter on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 1:52pm.
The media is our enemy...
A perfect example of how the media runs interference for Obama
Submitted by cbeyer on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:27pm.
Not a Newt fan but kudos to him for pointing out how the liberal media virtually never brings up the major issues of our time (true unemployment, the housing crisis, esculating energy prices with no end in sight, and a horrible middle east policy and instead uses DNC talking points to protect Obama from his miserable record.
Bias, bias, everywhere
Submitted by John Jay on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 10:51pm.
So...nobody here actually watched Meet the Press this morning, I take it? Debbie Wasserman Schultz was on after Newt, and Gregory asked her the same question, but from the conservative perspective: "Just as I've asked the two other guests I've had this morning, can you appreciate where they're coming from, which is--this is not a war on women, which they say is a vast overstatement, or about access to contraception, but this is about religious liberty that started with the president's new regulation about faith institutions and access and who pays for contraception?"
Her answer was nonsensical, so he tried again: "But to raise Speaker Gingrich's point, who is saying that access to contraception will be cut off in any fashion?"
And when that still didn't work, he tried a third time: "...I mean, you heard Gingrich, you heard Leader Cantor saying that this is about infringement of liberty. Can't you at least appreciate that this is a deeply held view of your critics?"
This is Gingrich at his best,
Submitted by celator on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 1:53pm.
This is Gingrich at his best, head slamming the likes of political agitators like Gregory.
Agreed
Submitted by Galvanic on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:33pm.
Gingrich is very adept at this and unafraid of the children hosting these shows. Santorum and Romney are getting better at this, but Gingrich is still the master.
This is what make him a successful debater.
Obama and friends have had a bad week. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and some of the Administration highly-publicized business "success" stories continue to collapse -- the most recent is GM announcing that it's suspending production of the Chevrolet Volt and laying off 1300 workers.
So they and the MSM jump all over Limbaugh's quote and elevate it to the big headline, demanding that GOP leaders disavow Limbaugh as though he were GOP official.
It's all Beltway theater, and Gingrich called Gregory -- probably the weakest host in the history of Meet the Press -- to account for it.
Gringrich should take it up a notch
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:38pm.
Gingrich is the best at going after the leftist media, but I wish he would take it up a notch. He asked Gregory what he thought about a point that Gingrich made, but he let Gregory off the hook when Gregory didn't answer. Conservatives getting interviewed by Obama supporters should make it clear that they won't stand for the, "I'm asking the questions and I have no dog in the hunt" response when the conservative presses the interviewer for their opinion. Gingrich should press Gregory for his response, pointing out that Gregory carries water for the libs and Obama, and Gingrich is running for President against Obama, and his supporters, which is the MSM and Gregory.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Y'know, Gal..........you're
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 4:09pm.
Y'know, Gal..........you're right about Obama having a bad week - hell, the guy's had a bad 3+ years, but who would know it if they were you're typical MSM 'sound-bite' types - of which there are millions??? I actually think that Boy Barry AND the MSM had a good week - with the psuedo contraception deal, and then Rush throwing gas on it, and then 'apologizing' for it........this is probably more that they even expected!!! The whole thing was designed to deflect away from the continuing bad news, and also re-connect with women voters, and they've done a pretty good job of that - at least with people who don't pay attention to anything beyond the thin candy shell of M&M newscasts and politics.
And I see that Boy Barry invited himself to give a graduation speech at a woman's college , thereby 'bumping' the woman who was going to give a speech - which is more proof that they're trying to dupe more women into backing the REGIME and protecting them from those evil Republicans.
Gal...yep. It's been a very
Submitted by celator on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 10:31pm.
Gal...yep. It's been a very bad week for Obama and company. Lots more to come. He cannot credibly run on his record, of course, without becoming more of a laughing stock...so it's diversion, diversion, diversion.
Wouldn't it be great to have Newt as White House spokesman for a Republican conservative government, taking on the MSM and get their heads spinning backward. Now that alone would be worth the price of the ticket.
I chuckled when I heard GM blame the Voltswagon's demise blamed on "bad press". Sure.
i have to agree. Most Right
Submitted by Liberallies on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:00pm.
i have to agree. Most Right wing blogs and Left wing blogs, most talking heads have been talking about this Rush Limbaugh vs. Sandra Fluke thing.
In the mean time, gas prices are incredibly high. For the first time EVER 87 Octane gasoline in my area has reached $4.00 a gallon! This is in early March! I have never seen it this high and when it did get high, it was NEVER this early before Spring started.
I did my grocery shopping yesterday. Meat that I usually buy for $4.00 cost me $8.00. The same exact amount as I always buy!! The same with fruits and other foods.
Rush will take care of this and if he does not, while it will be a huge loss to the Conservative movement, not one person is The movement. All of us are.
time to move on and talk about point to the fact that Obama is imposing Left wing radical beleifs on religious organizations and people. Demanding that businesses do as he believes.
Newt has it right. It is amazing how the media and the Left are carrying water for Obama and doing everything within their power to make sure his failures, which are countless and huge, are not teh main topic.
As Michael Medved says, "...focus like a laser beam..." on Obama's failures!
<>Yep. This started up a
Submitted by krendler on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:02pm.
"The goal here by the media is to assist the Obama administration in steering the narrative away from any of the real problems facing us."
Yep. This started up a couple of months ago and is THE Dem strategy for the 2012 election. Period.
Conservatives - Romney included - had better wake up soon and respond - as Gingrich did -with both barrels that "IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID." Every second spent allowing Obama surrogates in the media to divert the discussion away from the economy is a victory for the Democrats and Obama.
Newt's last nine is
Submitted by Liberallies on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:10pm.
Newt's last nine is EXCELLENT! "...there is no place in America where it is illegal to go get contraceptives" I would have added, however, it is now illegal for any religious institution, any business not to pay for the contraceptive wants for women.
Obama IS attacking religions.
Go Newt
Submitted by Bodini on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:11pm.
Go Newt ... but in the interest of TRUTH, quit calling the Marxist Media the Elite Media!
We Got Flucked
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:13pm.
It's what the left does best.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
It's pretty hard to win a
Submitted by Kenny Bunkport on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:15pm.
It's pretty hard to win a game - no matter how good your team is - when the refs are clearly calling the game in your opponents favor. Unfortunately, most people get their news in soundbites from the networks and they presume they are getting objective news, having been brainwashed by these very same people for 50 years that something like objective news exists.
As someone at the NYTimes once said, "If we report it it's news, if we don't it's not." I think most people are too intellectually lazy to reason out how insulting and reckless that position is. They blindly buy into it, probably because it would shake up their world view if they don't.
There will be one operative word for the main stream media till November - Marginalize, marginalize, marginalize.
Ever see Gregory fish termites out of a log with a stick?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:20pm.
He's quite accomplished at it, but obviously no match for Newt.
Sickof Libs
Submitted by 26CX on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 3:24pm.
That's funny, I don't care who you are!
Got that right, SOL
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 3:26pm.
I hear he's quite the treat with his opposable cheeks too.
Being Liberal Means
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:22pm.
Never having to say you're sorry.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Rush played into the hands of the left
Submitted by cbeyer on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:22pm.
For years, I have been a devoted fan of Rush Limbaugh and have marveled at his brilliant political insights. In this case, he could have made the same point more effectively without using the term 'Slut'. What he did is lumped himself in with Maher, Olberman and Matthews as distasteful political pundits.
I also have lost respect for Rush for his daily bashing of Romney. I have listened to programs where he spent more time bashing Mitt than Obama. If Romney does get the nomination, Rush has been so strident in attacking him....it is doubtful that he will give much support if any to the Republican candidate. Perhaps he has concluded that Obama's extremism is good for his show and he is looking forward to four more years.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/03/04/liberal-fox-contri...
~Mitt, grant me patience
Submitted by Wrathful Brunette on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:51pm.
Seriously? Seriously?! It's not enough that you already raped my eyes with your stupidity on another thread, you just HAD to go and copy-paste your steaming pile of Romney onto another thread, and you didn't even have the smarts to remove the "read more" link?
It is called "driving the traffic to your website".
Submitted by The Vet on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 3:25pm.
Post your incessant drivel over and over on others' websites and people will flock in droves to yours.
The cbeyer web traffic driving system. I saw it on a late night informercial.
You sound like someone who watches infomercials
Submitted by cbeyer on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 11:49pm.
Glad you learned something on the HSN channel. What...saying something against Rush is heresy? Sorry, I am not a dittohead.
Nah, you're just a ditto ---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 12:25am.
poster.
MD
No dinklehead.
Submitted by The Vet on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 12:39am.
Posting the same crap over and over, cut and paste style, is tedious and well, cbeyer-ish.
But thanks for playing.
Newt won't take the bait
Submitted by Guapo Diablo on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:24pm.
Newt has owned left-wing "reporters" for years. They must hate interviewing him, knowing how much ammo he has in reserve. It's gotta be extremely frustrating to Gregory when he insults conservatives and can't get Newt to agree with him - while proving Gregory's narrative is total BS.
Right on, Newt! Right on!
Submitted by QueenMum on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:30pm.
Right on, Newt! Right on! Twisted Gregory into knots and left him looking like a fool.
“If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." - Mark Twain
The Walter Duranty Press lives...
Submitted by utahprez on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:31pm.
It is all a show, folks. Faux outrage designed to distract from Obama and the Democrat’s lack of performance and to protect the prosecution of their Marxist agenda, an agenda that the mainstream media agrees with.
Walter Duranty died in 1957 but his spirit lives on in the American liberal “news” outlets.
http://therionorteline.com/2012/03/04/the-walter-duranty-press-and-a-rus...
This is why...
Submitted by Jarhead68 on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:32pm.
I AM a Newt fan. He's the ONLY Republican who knows how to put the media shills in their place.
Media collusion with the Democrat Party
Submitted by OxyCon on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 2:36pm.
You know how the conversations on late night shows are choreographed so that the host asks questions about what the guest wants to talk about? Like “I hear your grandmother just got her first speeding ticket” and then the guest riffs on a grandma joke?
Well I’m beginning to strongly suspect that these Sunday and weekday mainstream “news” shows are choreographing their “interviews” with the Obama administration and Democrats so that they can use the “interview” as an all out assault against Republicans and Conservatives.
These "mainstream" media interviewers always tee up their questions to Democrats so that the Democrat can use the question as an all out assault against Republicans.
The “interviews” with the Republicans on the other hand are always hostile, as if the Democrat party gave the interviewer the questions/attacks to use against the Republican.
It’s time to identify all of the producers and writers for these shows to see if they have been infiltrated by partisans, as was the goal of “JournOlist”.
Gingrich interview
Submitted by gkstephens on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 3:19pm.
Erkel vs. Ali--What a mismatch!
I wish more people would use
Submitted by tobiasdog on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 4:02pm.
I wish more people would use a tactic I find really useful when arguing with lefties, I simply link them to the communist party usa web site and ask them to explain how the modern democrats platform differs from theirs, they can't answer because they are almost identical. Try it sometime! We need some prominent people to make this comparison in a big way, it would sour a lot of people on Obama.
Good POINT TobiasDog!
Submitted by sbourg on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 8:44am.
I've tried that too.......starting in '08......pointing them to: www.cpusa.org
But the problem is.......they don't care. It's as if they think cpusa is mis-named or whatever.
LIberals don't care about facts. They do very little research. They come across coincidences
and think correlation means causation. They think FDR's policies finally worked after 13 years, so
all's comfy in the liberal mindset.
They don't even understand how the US has become WAY too much like the semi-socialist European countries like
Greece, Portugal, France, Spain, England, Ireland.......and those countries are circling the drain financially.....same with liberal
states like CA and ILL.......liberals really don't see reality very clearly at all. That is the mystery. I certainly don't understand it.
Newt scores!
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 4:24pm.
Newt scores!
Thank you, Newt, for exposing the MBM as useless!
Submitted by Mary Louise Turner on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 5:47pm.
Thank you, Newt, for exposing today's make believe media as totally useless. The broadcast nutworks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSDNC) are no longer interested in serious news; their newscasts are little more than electronic National Enquirers, focusing on sex scandals, goofball "celebrities" and other fluff - that is, when they're not protecting Ears' rear end. As for NPR and its evil twin PBS, they do concentrate more on serious stuff, but it's such leftist trash that they're unbearable to watch/listen. Then there's the print media, long poisoned by liberalism...
Honestly, I won't vote for
Submitted by Kat Outta the Bag on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 6:03pm.
Honestly, I won't vote for him for president (unless he were up against Barry Boy), but God, I love it when he holds the liberal media's feet to the fire!
Gregory gets confused on a one-way street.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 6:07pm.
Another shiny but empty talking head.
David's next career.......
Submitted by Herbster on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 6:21pm.
Little David Gregory could have a second career pimping for Miss Fluckflakeflack. David is such a lightweight......he should join Stefienopolous in a game of hopscotch for two.
This is what passes for "Journalism" today. Sad.
Barry and Rush
Submitted by SaguaroJack on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 7:56pm.
Barry apologized to the Moozies and they rampaged. Rush apologized to an idiot lib and the media rampaged.
Newt Gingrich needs his own microphone.
David vs Gingrich
Submitted by SaguaroJack on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 8:00pm.
David goes up against the GOP Goliath, and Goliath demolishes the little twerp.
Put some ice on that, Davey.
David vs Gingrich
Submitted by SaguaroJack on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 8:00pm.
David goes up against the GOP Goliath, and Goliath demolishes the little twerp.
Put some ice on that, Davey.
Wow! Gingrich certainly knows how to handle the Leftist media.
Submitted by Rush Fan on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 9:45pm.
This is the same way Andrew Breitbart (bless him) handled the media. I hope that other Republican candidates, politicians and pundits on our side will take note.
I'm sure Rush appreciates
Submitted by big.league.slider on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 3:14am.
I'm sure Rush appreciates Newt's comments to Gregory. But Rush would also be the first to tell you that it does no good to publicly embarrass members of the MSM because they have no shame.
Fluke is a 30 year old woman, and her childish public comments would be laughed at if they came from a conservative. But because she is a liberal, those same childish comments made her a hero.
Newt
Submitted by amyshulk on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 8:38am.
Stick to this and your creep factor dulls!
Oh my - just watched this and am re-watching - Newt is AWESOME!!!
Ronald Reagan