NPR Offers 'Conservative' AEI Expert Hailing the 'Very Big Fat Cherry on Top of the Whipped Cream' for Liberal Wins
Norman Ornstein is a long-time congressional expert (and favorite TV talking head) who works for the American Enterprise Institute. We've established that NBC anchor Brian Williams was citing him after the president's last press conference in support of how historic and wonderful and "productive" this Democrat-dominated Congress has been.
But the fact that AEI has long been a right-leaning think tank can cause reporters to use Ornstein to suggest "even" conservatives are hailing the accomplishments of liberals -- even if it's obvious from his sugary "sundae" quotes that Ornstein is no one's idea of a Limbaugh ditto-head. On Thursday's Morning Edition, NPR reporter David Welna played this trick on listeners:
DAVID WELNA: Congress has indeed outdone itself in the final days of big Democratic majorities controlling both the House and Senate.
NORM ORNSTEIN (American Enterprise Institute): To me, hands down, this is the most productive lame-duck session since we started to have serious lame-duck sessions in the 1940s.
WELNA: That's Norm Ornstein. He's a long-time congressional observer at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think-tank. Ornstein says this lame-duck session was a fitting climax for an amazingly productive 111th Congress.
ORNSTEIN: This is really a very big fat cherry on the top of the whipped cream of a quite nutritious filling, maybe even fat-producing, sundae. Reid deserves a lot of credit for what was a masterful performance as leader.
Welna borrowed from other sources for his Republican quotes, from Lindsey Graham, to be specific, also hailing the mastery of Harry Reid:
WELNA: As he put it to Fox News Radio earlier this week: Harry Reid has eaten our lunch.
Sen. GRAHAM: We did a lot of policy changes in the lame-duck, I think inconsistent with the major change in power. But that's what amazes me. And that's why I take my hat off to Harry. And when people say President Obama had a great two weeks, they're absolutely right. I'm the first one to -- even though I don't like what happened, I do give them credit.
The Welna story was preceded by an Ari Shapiro report from the White House that simply presented quote after quote from Obama's press conference and absolutely no time for Obama's critics. (Shapiro found nothing arrogant in Obama's claim that his first two years in office were "the most productive two years that we've had in generations." Move over, FDR.) That's why the ditto-heads hear Limbaugh calling this NPR News "state-run radio."
- Tim Graham's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
The bacteria in my septic tank are very productive.
Submitted by The Vet on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 9:28am.
They break down all the waste including paper products we can give them. They save me much bucks in septic tank pumpout fees.
Still, not something I roam around crowing about.
Producing awful awful awful laws at a record clip may be productive. But we are still left with awful awful awful laws.
Some win
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 9:32am.
Continue the 'immoral' Bush tax cuts and end the failed Clinton DADT policy. Bush was right, Clinton was wrong, so that makes Obama the smartest man ever. This is what is called a win.
Productive?
Submitted by Cyborg 0427 on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 9:40am.
Well I would say it was productive but is the correct question not, productive at what? They were productive as far as driving the country into an unsustainable debt, granting unequal rights to minorities, destroying the best healthcare system in the world, giving our enemies military advantages, giving rewards to the institutions that caused the recession, raising racial tensions to pre-civil rights era levels, allowing record numbers of illegal immigrants to cross our borders unchallenged, driving unemployment to near double digits, lying at every turn about everything imaginable, inviting foreign countries into litigation against its own citizens, and this is not an exhaustive list. So yes in this light the 111th Congress was productive, but it was productivity that we could have lived better without.
Good news from the Doctor
Submitted by donabernathy on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 10:19am.
"We've gotten rid of the cancer...on the other hand the patient didn't survive."
I'm start'n to feel like I am at a grade school awards event... How many participation awards is the MSM gonna give president sparky.
roflmao
Hey look
Submitted by donabernathy on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 10:23am.
the sun came up in the east this morning, Chalk up another accomplishment for Barry!
roflmao
The sun came up here, too,
Submitted by 26CX on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 10:29am.
but it's cloudy. I'm giving him a "C" for this one.
We'll see if the president
Submitted by Barack_must_go..... on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 11:50am.
We'll see if the president and his sycophant groupies are still crowing next year when DADT blows up in their faces because the gays demand on base housing and benefits for their insignificant other. They're never happy and will cause trouble at every turn.
Then there will be the newly seated Republican governors and legislatures across the country joining the lawsuit to repeal ObamaCare.
At the same time the American people will find out about all the back room ( possibly illegal ) opt out deals between Obama and big unions, other huge campaign doners, etc.
Representative Issa already has several investigations qued up and ready to go, that to date have been quashed by the corrupt Holder Justice Department.
The days of the Obama Socialist Regime are numbered to say the least.
The 10 or 12 Republicans that voted with the dems in the lame duck session will be more than compensated for by the reality of what the American electorate will do to those who vote special interest or party line over the will of the American people in the 2012 voting cycle.
So the Obamanistas better enjoy their final yummy, welfare state sundae because you're New Year's resolution calls for some drastic dieting on your part. Even if it entails some dragging, kicking and screaming, you're going to do what is the RIGHT thing, for the good of ALL of us Americans no matter what lies you've been told in the past.
Barack_Must_Go.....
Basic Republican Tenet
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 1:19pm.
Democrats believe all assets belong to the King or government and he/it will determine who gets what and when.
Republicans believe all assets belong to the individual and the individual alone without coersion will determine how those assets are expended.
Those are diametrically opposed views and Republicans cannot believe this basic tenet and also skew their principles to accept the Democrat tenet. Can't be done.
I wonder if elected Republicans in DC truly understand this or if most have any principles at all for which they are willing to fight and die? Or do they see their role as that of collaborator?
Controlling the message
Submitted by Alvin691 on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 3:08pm.
Conntrolling the message is what they did, and the traditional RINO's still don't have a clue, and continued to follow along allowing it to happen. My dogs are "very productive" when I take them for a walk after a big lunch, and that is what this congress gave to America during the lame duck session. A load of crap.
Was There an Error in the Story?
Submitted by bwl on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 5:18pm.
What are you people upset about? Ornstein said what he said, and he's from a very conservative think tank.
Here's the story on Ornstein's analysis: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR201001...
Would anybody care to pick out a few errors?
Was there a troll population explosion?
Submitted by The Vet on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 10:34pm.
Was some great fertility drug invented in Mordor? We had heard rumours of troll broods being up to 15 and 20 now, way up from the usual 4 or 5. Is it true?
Here is a link to the Pink. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3gGpf1eCyY
Would you care to stop picking your nose?
bwl is shorthand for---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sat, 12/25/2010 - 12:14am.
bowel.
That ain't his nose he's picking; rather he is pulling what he considers info, out of his arse.
MD
Just got word in from Conservative Central Committee.
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 12/25/2010 - 1:27am.
They have a new option to combat the flood of trolls in the new trollplosion. I will try it out here.
Say bwl, got a question for you.
Wasn't President Bush the greatest President ever? I mean he got us in 2 wars. Wow. Most Presidents only manage the one. But man this is so great. We got 2 wars for the price of one. Geeeeeeee-reat! And he stole the election from the Stupid Gore. Geeeeeee-reat! And he had the greatest Vice President in history - Swingin' Dick Cheny! Oh heavens, we loved Dick Cheney! And he doubled the national debt. Didn't pay for a single thing. He got the debt just high enough that we can still pay for it, but anything more would drive it over into too much territory. So he screwed Obama by not being able to add more debt because the American people would turn on him. Plus the torture thing. We hate the Ay-rabs so the more torture the merrier And he opened up that Guantanmo prison special just for the torture. A-OK in my book. Oh and he hated black people. Let them all drown in New Orleans. Cool beanies baby! And that whole thing where he set up 9/11 just to get us started in all the wars. BRILLIANT! And he crashed the economy so all the sucky poor people would suffer even more. Gawd, we hate poor people. Poor people can eat cake. NOT! Hahahahahahahaha. They can't afford cake.
Heavens above, we loved that President. Man oh man alive, we sure do miss him.
Sure. Orenstein is off the reservation
Submitted by SickofLibs on Fri, 12/24/2010 - 5:28pm.
Reid = "masterful."
The 'trick' didn't work on me. I don't listen to NPR. I...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Sat, 12/25/2010 - 3:52am.
have no desire to learn how to tune it in. As a taxpayer, I don't like my money going to support that 'nefarious' outfit. I admit that I do watch an occasional show on PBS, but I don't like my taxes going there either.