On NBC, PBS's Tavis Smiley Blames Obama for Being Too Squishy, Denounces Town Halls for 'Unadulterated Hate'

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The bosses at PBS must not mind their taxpayer-funded network being defined as liberal in the public mind, because on Sunday’s Meet the Press, NBC matched Joe Scarborough on the right with PBS talk-show host Tavis Smiley on the left. Smiley slapped President Obama for trying to be the "collaborator in chief" instead of commander-in-chief on health care, and denounced protesters at town hall meetings as forces of "unadulterated hate."

He also warned against what Martin Luther King called "the tranquilizing drug of gradualism." The host of a nightly talk show based at Los Angeles PBS station KCET blamed Obama for being too moderate, not too radical:

SMILEY: The reason why he's in trouble right now on this bill is precisely because he's tried to be bipartisan rather than –

SCARBOROUGH: No, no.

SMILEY: – try and – hold on – rather than trying to lead by putting his plan out front. And to David's question, yes, he has backtracked on the public option. When you look at what he said last summer running for office, David, taxing the windfall profits of the insurers, out the window; single payer, out the window; buying medicine in bulk to keep cost down, especially where generic drugs are concerned, out the window. And now here we sit at the end of summer and we're debating whether or not the public option is still on the table? We have moved a long way from where we started.

Host David Gregory quoted Speaker Pelosi and radical Rep. Maxine Waters that a "public option" is mandatory, and it’s time for the brass knuckles:

GREGORY: Supporters of the president are saying, to Joe's point, "You own Washington. You campaigned hard on this thing. Knock some heads, get people in line to get behind you."

SMILEY: I think they're right about that. The only point I'm making here is had he not started by trying to be bipartisan, he'd be getting whipped up side the head for not trying to reach across the aisle, number one. Having said that, Congresswoman Waters and others are right about the fact that a public option, I think, ought to be essential here. The American people can't buy it if you can't sell it. He's the commander in chief, but he's tried to be the collaborator in chief. That doesn't work.

Next, Gregory ran videotape of Sen. Tom Coburn from the previous Sunday, suggesting that harsh anti-government talk outside town-hall meetings might be warranted by how massively the federal government is spending money, and asked Smiley:

GREGORY: Fear of loss of control over their own government. Is that what's out there?

SMILEY: No. This is not about angst, this is not about anger, this is about hate. There is a, there is, there's a set of folk in this country -- thankfully not, not, not everybody -- but there is a group in this country that does not, will not accept a legitimate Democratic presidency, Joe, under any condition.

MR. SCARBOROUGH: Or, or Republican.

MR. SMILEY: They -- exactly. They will not accept a legitimate Democratic president. And as a result, the pushback on Obama is even worse than the pushback on Clinton. When you show up with these guns strapped to your waist and these comparisons to Hitler, that isn't anger about government taking control of your life.

MR. SCARBOROUGH: Right.

MR. SMILEY: That is, that is unadulterated hate, and it's got to be called for what it is.

Smiley insisted that radical health "reform" is essential:

Back to the health care debate though, where this hate is spilling out in these rallies. I don't understand how we can even have a debate about the fact that health care's got to be reformed. That's the one thing I'm heartened by, that at least the leaders here in Washington seem to agree that the problem has got to get fixed. When you got 46 million people left out of a process, when those persons who think they are insured find out how underinsured they really are when a catastrophic illness hits. In the most multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic America ever, we still have health disparities that we could have balanced those disparities out by the year 2000. Eighty-five thousands folk in the year 2000 alone would still be living. When 80 percent of the folk who are not insured, David , come from families that have part-time and full-time workers, the system is broken. It's got to be fixed.

Scarborough talked about how the leftists like Pelosi and Henry Waxman may ultimately find a passable bill by talking to more moderate legislators, but Smiley concluded the segment by warning against compromises:

The bottom line is that Dr. King warned years ago against taking the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. We're not going to reform health care doing it gradually. He's got to be bold about this. My granddad, David, said all the time, if you're going to stand, stand. If you're going to sit, sit. But don't wobble. The president is wobbling on this issue, and he can't do that if we're going to reform health care.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


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Read the bill

The problem with the carbon tax was people didn't read the bill.  We fixed it this time.  Conservatives can read.

PBS pushing Health Bill

They just don't stop.  Again in Dallas, NPR 90.1 FM, this AM before 7am they have a "poor them" rant about health care and the homeless.  They do not qualify for Medicaid even though they have no income and are adults.  Gee I guess that is why I do not qualify either!  WHY should they EXPECT everything free?  Where is that written and taught?  NPR then goes on to say how their medical problems and our medical system pretty much made them homeless... (No not drugs, alcohol, or dropping out and wanting it their way only).  Then they explain how unfortunate it is that they have to get services from FREE charity medical groups and the ER.  Guess who they credit the funding of the charities?  THE GOVERNMENT primarily!  NO mention of religious groups that I heard. They CALL this NEWS and claim to be balanced.  UNREAL!  It is literally propaganda of the worst sort!

M-B

PBS Is A Dinosaur - Get Rid Of It

Seriously, why do we need them?

Tavis the race baiter

Tavis Smiley, and my taxes help pay for this??????????

What?

No mention of the New Black Panther Party?

My rights as an American

The founding fathers clearly stated that protesting is American. I will never give in to an oppressive government and administration. I will never give up my Liberty without a fight. My hats off to all who stand in unity at the Town Hall's around the country.

My hats off to all who stand in unity at the Town Hall's around

Amen to that!  Thank you all for being involved!!  Go & send those faxes, etc. too!  M-B

"unadulterated hate." Hmm.

"unadulterated hate."

Hmm. Lesse, where would Tavis have gotten that phrase?

Checking Little Raum's Mandatory MSM and Public Television Talking Points booklet.

Ahhh. Here it is. Bottom on page four: "When speaking of citizen town hall meetings, always describe citizens as 'filled with unadulterated hate'. This is the term Master of the Universe Obama prefers, So USE IT!!"

Check.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

Reform

Uninsured: 45,46, 47M

  • 12M are eligible for SCHIP
  • 10M are not Americans
  • 5.6M are illegals
  • 4.4M are legals but not citizens ...

Trying to be bipartisan:

Despite lack of news media attention, GOP has offered 3 health care proposals. The libs have accused them of trying to derail their efforts.

JDW

DAILY WAVE

Always available when the time is right

Can I apply for show too?

How do guys like Smiley get booked on these kind of shows?  I want to give my views on this show.  Where do I send my application?  If they only invite idiots to be guests on the show what do you expect!

'Unadulterated Hate'

I think that the left here, feels that they can waive off the stigma of all of the 'unadulterated hate' by the left and the MSM during the Bush years, by assuming that we're all only focused on the Iraq War. Wrong.

There was "unadulterated hate" from the left (and NB's add to the list - I'm on the run) on numerous other issues:

The 2000 election

The 2004 election

Bush's deal with Teddy Kennedy on "no child left behind."

On spending on Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans, education etc during the early part of the Bush years -- only Bush was dramatically increasing spending - at rates much higher than they went up during Clinton years.

9/11 - a conspiracy within

Afghanistan - bomb them with butter, not bombs. 

Bush's historic efforts (and ultimately successful in meeting all of it's goals) to take on the global HIV/Aids pandemic (and Malaria) in Africa.

SS reform - even though most Americans supported it.

Immigration reform - even though most Americans supported it.

Election reform (Carter - Baker Commission).

Bush administration's sole lead on Darfur.

Bush administration coming to the aid of Liberia - successfully.

Medicare Rx Part D - Seniors love it, the left, the MSM, and the D's are still attacking it.

..and so on.

What is starting to fill the rest of us up with  'unadulterated hate,' is the now shifted hate from the left at the last administration, to the those in the United States, including ordinary Americans, for simply speaking our minds.

Rep Maxine Waters calls those who disagree, Neanderthals.

Smiley calls them filled w/ "unadulterated hate."

CA State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass gets her message of calling those opposed to tax hikes, 'terrorists,' delivered in a friendly interview w/ the LA Times.

An almost non-ending list of anchors, hosts and liberal guests at the MSM networks, MSM cable outlets, newspaper and magazine outlets, Liberal talk AM and FM radio feel completely safe and inculpable calling others who are simply exercising their own long lost voice, mobsters, racists, thugs, terrorists, fascists, Nazi's, hate mongers, and suggesting that certain people should die in various ways, etc.

Time for the Smiley Joker poster?

(;~/ gary 

I saw some of this

I saw some of this Sunday...I have nothing nice to say about it, Scarborough by the way left me nothing nice to say either, as much as I could stand to watch that is.

Tavis is someone who is an opportunist...always has been, always will be....with msm aid.

Obama's a Community Agitator, a walking, talking destroyer. ~ Rush Limbaugh

I wonder if Tavis read HB

I wonder if Tavis read HB 3200, you know, the one Pres. Obama demanded the House pass a few weeks ago?

Exactly where is Obama's bill, Mr. Smiley? Anyone can get up and "promise" more people covered with fewer restrictions at lower costs and greater efficiency, etc.

Where's the plan to describe how this will be done ... and with no governmental interference?

Hhmmmm?

metaphorsbwithu

I miss Marcus

I miss Marcus Garvey.

"Homeless".  What they mean is "black people".  How come no one out there has the balls to just say that most of this junk is based on Libtard white guilt and the white lowlifes that we have to support thrown in to make claims of racism more difficult?

One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.

Invoking Dr King

King was against abortion and a Republican.  Who are they kidding.