Our friend Joe Concha with The Hill was in rare form on Friday’s Fox & Friends, ripping everyone from Chuck Todd for not fact-checking Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) about the Green New Deal to late night comics for their refusal to lampoon her to the double standard regarding the scandals rocking the three state-wide Democrats in Virginia.
Concha first made a smart and unique observation about the media coverage of Ocasio-Cortez, telling co-host Brian Kilmeade that “[t]hey covered [her Green New Deal] as you would see as the exact opposite, Brian, of what Sarah Palin got 10 years ago when she burst onto the national scene,” which, “[i]n other words, that was with all mock and ridicule as far as Palin was concerned.”
But in the case of Ocasio-Cortez’s socialist document, Concha pointed out that it’s “easily the most mockable, I’ll create a word here, the most easy to ridicule proposal that we have seen come out of any government official in modern politics” with asinine policy prescriptions, but are not being fact-checked.
Speaking of fact-checking, Concha cited Chuck Todd while Kilmeade mentioned CNN's Bill Weir (click “expand”):
CONCHA: Here is one very key part here, Brian. Here is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to NPR yesterday. Question: this proposal requires massive government intervention, doesn't it? She answers: “It does. I have no problem saying that.” Later that day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “One way that the right does try to mischaracterize what we are doing as if it's some kind of massive government takeover.” In other words, she’s contradicting herself in realtime and Todd didn't challenge her on it whatsoever.
KILMEADE: It's unbelievable too and she was lauded as this revolutionary on CNN yesterday by Bill Weir look at how he was talking to her like she is some rock star. Hey, ton of charisma, a lot of composure. This makes no sense. No air travel, let's go back to high speed trains. Let's fix — change every single building in the country from a small strip mall in California Arizona to a mall in California. I mean, how could that be effective, be practical.
Concha went next to the late-night talk shows and noted that “this is some pretty easy material to work with” for hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, or Seth Meyers, but “instead last night you didn't really hear anything about it at all” and Saturday Night Live is likely to follow suit.
Why? Well, Concha astutely summarized the reason being that “their audiences live in safe spaces” and “like to be provided comfort food” instead of making harmless jokes about “the people that they admire.”
“So I think the problem is no one is going to criticize her whether it be on MSNBC or CNN or any of the night talk shows because she’s so hot right now in terms of she’s the it interview that they don't want to alienate their audiences by criticizing her in any meaningful way and they want to provide their audiences comfort food instead, Brian,” Concha added.
Concluding with how the media have covered the scandals concerning Virginia Democrats, Concha made an intriguing observation about what the reaction could look like if the top three elected officials were Republicans:
I can guarantee you that the aforementioned CNN or CNBC or some of the broadcast networks would be arranging town halls in Richmond or Charlottesville or Roanoke or anywhere in Virginia right now to talk to the people and figure out what we have to do to address this and, of course, it would all go back to President Trump in some way, shape, or form[.]
To see the relevant transcript from FNC’s Fox & Friends on February 8, click “expand.”
FNC’s Fox & Friends
February 8, 2019
7:24 a.m. EasternBRIAN KILMEADE: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiling newly created climate change panel and excluding socialist darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY) [on MSNBC’s MTP Daily, 02/07/19]: I mean, I do want to be on it. [SCREEN WIPE] The Speaker was gracious enough to invite me on it. [SCREEN WIPE] I would have to give up the — doing my job well is how I feel and I don't want to give that up
KILMEADE: Going on a committee would give up doing her job well. The announcement coming in the same day the house freshman rolls out her highly ambitious and multi-trillion-dollar Green New Deal. Here to react is media reporter for The Hill and New York radio talk show host on WOR, Joe Concha. Joe, how did the media cover AOC's roll out yesterday.
JOE CONCHA: They covered it as you would see as the exact opposite, Brian, of what Sarah Palin got 10 years ago when she burst onto the national scene. In other words, that was with all mock and ridicule as far as Palin was concerned. In this case, here you have a document, a proposal, Brian, that is easily the most mockable, I’ll create a word here, the most easy to ridicule proposal that we have seen come out of any government official in modern politics and I don't like using hyperbole, but it's that crazy. Just the part alone where it says hey, people, we're willing to give you money if unable or and here's the punchline unwilling to work. I mean, for me that's everyday that starts with a — you know, that ends in a Y. So I think, you know, I would probably move on. Here is one very key part here, Brian. Here is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to NPR yesterday. Question: this proposal requires massive government intervention, doesn't it? She answers: “It does. I have no problem saying that.” Later that day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “One way that the right does try to mischaracterize what we are doing as if it's some kind of massive government takeover.” In other words, she’s contradicting herself in realtime and Todd didn't challenge her on it whatsoever.
KILMEADE: It's unbelievable too and she was lauded as this revolutionary on CNN yesterday by Bill Weir look at how he was talking to her like she is some rock star. Hey, ton of charisma, a lot of composure. This makes no sense. No air travel, let's go back to high speed trains. Let's fix — change every single building in the country from a small strip mall in California Arizona to a mall in California. I mean, how could that be effective, be practical. Where — where do people even on the late night shows, how do they digest this? Why won't they take her on?
CONCHA: That's the thing, right? If you’re Colbert, you’re Kimmel, you’re Seth Meyers, this is some pretty easy material to work with, right? And instead last night you didn't really hear anything about it at all. I'm certain that Saturday Night Live is not creating an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez character at this point because here's what they're afraid of, Brian, that their audiences live in safe spaces. They like to be provided comfort food. They like to not see the people that they admire and in this case, if you’re young, millennial, you probably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in terms of what she accomplished. How could you not, but then once she gets into policy. In other words she is very good on Twitter, right? She’s snarky.
KILMEADE: Right.
CONCHA: And she knows how to respond to people. Once you put her in an interview or actually have to have her proposing is with something resembling details then suddenly the whole thing falls apart. So I think the problem is no one is going to criticize her whether it be on MSNBC or CNN or any of the night talk shows because she’s so hot right now in terms of she’s the it interview that they don't want to alienate their audiences by criticizing her in any meaningful way and they want to provide their audiences comfort food instead, Brian.
KILMEADE: Well, the next thing I want talk about real quick is in Virginia you have a Democratic governor in black — in blackface or in controversy. Holding on. You have a lieutenant governor who’s in the middle of a sexual assault scandal and then have you an attorney general who condemned the governor, all three Democrats and he also said hey, by the way, at 19 years old, I dressed in blackface as a rapper. So, how is the media covering this?
CONCHA: Well, it's what they aren't covering or what they're not doing, I should say. Think of a parallel universe for a moment where these were all Republicans in Virginia that were accused of these things or there are actual pictures of them in blackface. I can guarantee you that the aforementioned CNN or CNBC or some of the broadcast networks would be arranging town halls in Richmond or Charlottesville or Roanoke or anywhere in Virginia right now to talk to the people and figure out what we have to do to address this and, of course, it would all go back to President Trump in some way, shape, or form. So, I'm not seeing those town halls. Yes, there is coverage, but the pious outrage that we normally see seems to be missing here, Brian.
KILMEADE: Well, yeah, if you want to label the Republican Party as a racist party how are you going to do that when you have a Virginia situation?
CONCHA: That would be tough.
KILMEADE: It's going to be a lot tougher. Joe Concha, thanks so much.
CONCHA: Have a good weekend.
