NBC: Romney's 'Binders' Comment Shows He 'Doesn't Have Any Leg to Stand On' With Women

October 18th, 2012 11:48 AM

Between Wednesday's Nightly News and Thursday's Today, NBC displayed an obsession with the liberal meme of attacking Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" remark during Tuesday's presidential debate. The network's delusional hyping of the manufactured controversy reached a crescendo when Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski appeared on Today to proclaim: "Romney just completely doesn't have any leg to stand on when it comes to women and the economy." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Today co-host Savannah Guthrie teed up Brzezinski to slam Romney: "...it has taken on a life of its own. The Democrats love it. They think it really shows Mitt Romney at his most awkward. But if the fight is for independent, undecided women voters, do you think this is an issue that's weighty enough to resonate?"

Acting as an Obama shill, Brzezinski used the discussion to sing the President's praises:

The bigger picture is, [Romney] wouldn't have supported the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which is the first act, first piece of legislation the President signed when in office. The President set up the White House Council on Women and Girls, he's been working to get women equal pay every step of the way down the road here in this administration.

Brzezinski should know the Council on Women and Girls quite well, back in April, she moderated a forum with Obama in the White House to promote the organization.

In a report prior to the discussion with Brzezinski and fellow co-host Joe Scarborough, correspondent Peter Alexander referred to the "binders" comment as "one of the townhall's most enduring lines" that the Obama campaign was trying to "capitalize" on.

Alexander then helped promote the left's attempt elevate the remark: "Mr. Romney's binders comment was quickly mocked across the internet, and even drove a Democratic group to buy the website bindersfullofwomen.com."

Opening Wednesday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams used similar language to tout the comment: "...there were some enduring images and enduring lines, like the Mitt Romney quote about 'binders full of women,' which took on a life of its own today."

Political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd soon followed: "Mr. Romney's response to the issue of equal pay for women became a target today....the words he chose quickly lit up social media." As Todd spoke a series of left-wing tweets mocking Romney appeared on screen.

Still not done with the petty assault on Romney, in a report following Todd, correspondent Andrea Mitchell declared: "...that comment about binders that went viral." An image appeared on screen of the same Democratic website Alexander later touted on Today.  


Here is a transcript of Brzezinski on the October 18 Today:

7:12AM ET

(...)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Mika, I want to bring you in on this. The term, "binders full of women," it has taken on a life of its own. The Democrats love it. They think it really shows Mitt Romney at his most awkward. But if the fight is for independent, undecided women voters, do you think this is an issue that's weighty enough to resonate?

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, because I think women care about the economy, they want jobs, and they, by the way, want to be paid the same as their male counterparts. And that comment the other night made by Mitt Romney at the debate showed, first of all, that he was, at the very least, misleading about exactly what he did with those binders. He says he sought them out and asked for lists of women to hire. The truth, apparently is, that both candidates running for governor were given binders with names of women in them. So he changed that story around to fit the narrative of the night.

The bigger picture is, he wouldn't have supported the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which is the first act, first piece of legislation the President signed when in office. The President set up the White House Council on Women and Girls, he's been working to get women equal pay every step of the way down the road here in this administration. And Mitt Romney just completely doesn't have any leg to stand on when it comes to women and the economy.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, let me just-

BRZEZINSKI: He claims to. He does not.

SCARBOROUGH: Let me just say, I mean, Willie Geist and I find this highly offensive. We used to have binders filled with women, as well. I don't understand.

BRZEZINSKI: I don't want to hear about your college days.

SCARBOROUGH: Well, yeah.

BRZEZINSKI: Ridiculous.

GUTHRIE: Well, Joe, I know you do take a different view on the binders full of women, maybe now we know why, given your past history with binders.

SCARBOROUGH: It was Willie more than me, but yeah.

(...)