Now online: the June 23 edition of Notable Quotables, MRC’s bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous quotes in the liberal media. This week, as Hillary Clinton embarks on a book tour, feminist journalists urge her to run for President. “If not you, who?” lobbied longtime NBC anchor Jane Pauley, now with CBS.
As for Hillary’s gaffes, such as claims she and her husband were “dead broke” when the couple left the White House in 2001, the supposed watchdogs in the press find them “refreshing” evidence that Hillary is “not as scripted” as she was eight years ago. Highlights are posted after the jump; the entire issue is posted online, with 20 quotes at www.MRC.org.
Pleading With Hillary to Run: “If Not You, Who?”
“I was stunned. It takes two pages to cover the list of countries that have already had a woman leader....It includes Bangladesh, Indonesia, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, of course. Are we waiting for alphabetical order?...If not you, who? Who is the viable woman of either party who could win a primary nomination in 2016 if not you?”
— CBS Sunday Morning contributor Jane Pauley to Hillary Clinton in an interview aired June 15.
Opposition to Obama = “Vestiges of Racism”?
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour: “Senator Jay Rockefeller said recently and he suggested basically that some of the political opposition to President Obama could have something to do with the color of his skin. Do you agree with that? What do you think about that?”
Hillary Clinton: “Well, I can’t read the mind of all of the opposition, but some of it is virulent, and really, in my view, you know, quite detached from the job that not only this President is doing, but any President has to do....”
Amanpour: “Do you think some of that is latent racism, vestiges of racism, as some people have said?”
— Exchange during a June 17 CNN “Town Hall” special devoted to Hillary Clinton’s new book.
Don’t Criticize Hillary — Just “Enjoy” Her “Refreshing” Gaffes
New York Times national political reporter Amy Chozick: “I think political reporters who covered her in 2008 sort of enjoy these past couple gaffes, if you’ll call them that, because it says she is not as scripted, she’s not polling every single response that comes out of her mouth. And I think that that is sort of a refreshing sign from the candidate.”
— Exchange on MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner, June 10.
Don’t Forget: Conservatives Don’t Care About People
“A few hours ago, Eric Cantor was one of the most powerful men in Washington, but late today he announced he is stepping down as House Majority Leader after a stunning defeat in a Republican primary....Cantor had been trying to moderate the image of the Republican Party as a party that cared about people’s needs.”
— Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News, June 11.
Can We Blame Cantor’s Loss On Conservative Anti-Semitism?
“You are a Jewish Republican, the only Jewish Republican in the House. You started your discussion after you lost, quoting the Old Testament, talking about your Jewish faith. Your district is one-quarter of one percent Jewish. And your opponent, David Brat, really put his Christian faith front and center....Do you think that there was anti-Semitism involved in your defeat?”
— Fill-in host Dana Bash to outgoing House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on CNN’s State of the Union, June 15.
CNBC’s John Harwood: “Lindsey Graham survived on the same night that Eric Cantor went down....I think there is a significant Eric Cantor-specific component to this....You know, Eric Cantor is a Jewish Republican. This is a very rural conservative Southern district where that is not a — you don’t have a lot of Jewish members of Congress from the South.”
Host Gwen Ifill: “Oh, but he’s been elected several times from this district.”
Washington Post political reporter Robert Costa: “He’s been elected since 2000. I don’t think the faith of Eric Cantor had anything to do with it.”
— Exchange on PBS’s Washington Week, June 13.
Matthews vs. Matthews on Ridiculing the Tea Party
— Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Ronan Farrow Daily, June 11, talking about the victory of Tea Party-backed Dave Brat over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a GOP primary election the day before.
vs.
“Why do Tea Party crackpots keep winning elections out in the country?”
— Matthews on Hardball, May 16, 2012.
Once Again, Bob Sees a Landslide GOP Defeat
“This is like 1964, when you had eastern, more moderate Republicans headed by Nelson Rockefeller, and then out west the very conservative Republicans headed by Barry Goldwater. They never closed the divide in 1964. As a result, Barry Goldwater got beat and beat badly in that presidential election.”
— Bob Schieffer talking about Cantor’s defeat on the CBS Evening News, June 11.
Flashback:
“It is very much like 1964. In 1960, Republicans lost narrowly with an establishment candidate, Richard Nixon. They got to 1964, they threw out all the establishment candidates, they threw out their party leaders and they nominated Barry Goldwater who — fine man — but he was far to the right of most of the people in his party, and they lost in a landslide. And that’s why you have establishment Republicans worried about what’s going to happen now in November.”
— Schieffer on the September 15, 2010 CBS Evening News, a few weeks before Republicans gained 63 House seats and six Senate seats, the GOP’s best performance in a midterm election since 1938.
MSNBC Viewers Too Sensitive to Hear “Redskins,” But...
“The U.S. Patent and Trademark announced today that it’s canceling the trademark registration of Washington D.C.’s professional football team. Team owner Daniel Snyder maintains that the name of the team, a racial slur I won’t say here, is meant to be respectful of Native American heritage and football tradition....Senator Harry Reid made an actually interesting case on the floor of the Senate, continuing to talk back to Dan Snyder. And I just will warn people, he does use the name of the team. So, I’m just going to warn you guys about that in advance.”
— Host Joy Reid on MSNBC’s The Reid Report, June 18.
vs.
“One of the most comprehensive first-person accounts of slavery comes from the personal diary of a man called Thomas Thistlewood, who kept copious notes for 39 years....In 1756, he records that ‘a slave named Darby catched eating canes; had him well flogged and pickled, then made Hector, another slave, s-h-i-t in his mouth.’ This became known as ‘Darby’s Dose,’ a punishment invented by Thistlewood that spoke only of the slave owners’ savagery and inhumanity....When Mrs. Palin invoked slavery, she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance. She confirms that if anyone truly qualified for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, then she would be the outstanding candidate.”
— Then-MSNBC host Martin Bashir, November 15, 2013, delivering a prepared commentary that aired without advance warning for viewers.
To read the entire June 23 edition of Notable Quotables, please visit www.MRC.org.
