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NPR's Peter Sagal: U.S. Constitution Like 'Tinkerbell'; It's 'Only As Alive As We Collectively Have Decided'

By Ken Shepherd | April 23, 2013 | 16:42

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Promoting his new PBS special "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal," the NPR "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" host went a step further than the typical liberal explanation that the nation's governing charter was a "living document." No, "[w]hat makes the Constitution a successful document... is less the document itself than the people's willingness to believe in it," Politico's Patrick Gavin informed readers of his April 23 profile on Sagal, which summarizes a 13-minute interview (embedded below page break).

"The Constitution is only as alive as we collectively have decided it is today," Sagal told Gavin, adding, "I've been calling it the Tinkerbell of national charters because Tinkerbell only lives if you clap, right? Or if you say, 'I do believe in fairies, I do!'"

Politico Hypes Ex-Conservative 'Wonder Boy' Who Is Now an 'All Grown Up' Liberal

By Scott Whitlock | July 02, 2012 | 16:11

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Politico's Patrick Gavin on Monday hyped the evolution of a 13-year-old conservative to a 17-year-old liberal in an article trumpeting, "CPAC's Boy Wonder Is All Grown Up." Grown up equals liberal? The headline proved too much even for Politico. It was quickly changed to "CPAC's Boy Wonder Swings Left."        

Gavin breathlessly recounted what a difference four years makes: "[Jonathan] Krohn is bucking the received wisdom that people become more conservative as they get older, a shift he attributes partly to philosophy."

Move Along, Nothing To See: Politico's Gavin Whitewashes Obama Primary Embarrassments

By Mark Finkelstein | May 23, 2012 | 16:12

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Imagine that in one 2004 Republican primary, an opponent running to George Bush's left got 40% of the vote, and in another primary, more than 4-in-10 Republicans voted for "uncommitted" rather than support the incumbent president.  Now imagine the doom the MSM would have found that to portend for Bush.

But when a candidate running to the right of Barack Obama garners 40% of the vote in the Arkansas Dem primary, and "uncommitted" amasses an astounding 42% in Kentucky . . . crickets.  On Morning Joe today, Politico's Patrick Gavin proclaimed that PBO's embarrassing performance "doesn't matter."  View the video after the jump.

So CNN Anchor Erin Burnett Thinks Americans Generally Not 'Open-Minded, Tolerant'?

By Ken Shepherd | November 03, 2011 | 16:32

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Erin Burnett apparently thinks Americans could use the federal government's help in being "open-minded, tolerant citizens."

In a November 2 "Answer This" interview, Politico's Patrick Gavin asked the CNN anchor and former object of Chris Matthews's affection, "You’re president of the United States for enough time to make only one executive decision. What is it?"

Burnett answered:

Bill Maher Denounces Scott Brown, Suggests Obama Stick Tea Bag Up Beck's Anatomy

By Tim Graham | February 12, 2010 | 23:42

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Bill Maher granted an interview to Patrick Gavin of Politico.com, and he employed several profanities in denouncing the emerging conservatives on the political scene. He insisted new Sen. Scott Brown will be "a real a**hole" and "a regular Gandhi – if Gandhi took off his diaper and posed for Cosmo."

This is strange territory for Maher – mocking someone for nude pictures, and yet Maher has been a Playboy mansion regular. Like other ultraliberals– take CNN’s Roland Martin wanting to "go gangsta on the GOP" – Maher wants Barack Obama to roll over Republicans, not negotiate with them:

Obama's difficulties with health care reform in Congress remain a sore spot for Maher. "I don't know why he doesn't just demand that the House pass the Senate bill, and then tweak it in reconciliation and tell Glenn Beck to shove his tea bag up his a**. Could he do that?"

Gavin added:

Katie Couric at NOW Gathering: ‘I Am a Feminist’

By Matthew Balan | July 21, 2008 | 12:15

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The Washington Examiner’s Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin reported Monday in their regular "Yeas & Nays" feature that Katie Couric had announced with pride, "I am a feminist." The ultra-liberal National Organization for Women honored Couric at their annual Intrepid Awards Gala last week in Washington, DC, and the CBS Evening News anchor received a warm welcome from her feminist compatriots.

During her speech before the NOW Gang, Couric "opened up," as Dufour and Gavin put it. She quipped to her hosts that "[i]f everyone in the country was like you, CBS News would be number one." Yes, perhaps if everyone were liberal feminist Democrats, then maybe Couric’s program wouldn’t be dead last in the ratings.

Now, this isn’t exactly a surprising "full disclosure" by Couric. When she was still on the Today Show in 1997, guest Whoopi Goldberg outed Couric’s "pro-choice" position on abortion when the comedienne revealed the two had attended a "pro-choice" march together. In October 2006, after the father of a victim of the Columbine shootings declared his pro-life position in a "freeSpeech" segment on CBS Evening News, Couric wrote on her blog that his view might be seen as "repugnant."