MSNBC's Chuck Todd Continues to Distort Tax Deal's 'Astronomical' Cost

MSNBC's Chuck Todd on the December 7 "Daily Rundown" was uncharacteristically heated in his opposition to the compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans on extending the Bush tax rates. Interviewing a Treasury Department official, Todd used flawed statistics to malign the proposed two-year extension of tax breaks for all families as unacceptably expensive. "…

By 6-to-1 Margin, Networks Paint Debate As Over 'Tax Cuts,' Not Raisin

Even with Monday’s deal between President Obama and top Republicans, no American’s income tax rates will actually decline on January 1 (although, if the deal passes, workers will notice a modest reduction in their payroll taxes in 2011). Yet throughout this debate, the broadcast networks have insisted on framing the debate as about “tax cuts” and “tax breaks,” not about forestalling a tax…

MSNBC's Mitchell Touts Planned Parenthood Poll Claiming Palin Not Trus

During Tuesday's 1PM ET hour on MSNBC, anchor Andrea Mitchell highlighted a new poll from the left-wing pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood that claimed that voters do not trust Sarah Palin on so-called "women's health issues": "A new poll suggests that she may have a tough time getting voters to trust her on at least one front....54% of registered voters do not trust Palin on those issues…

Hil, John, and Potty Politics

It took a man to break the porcelain ceiling in the U.S. House of Representatives. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a hard time in Kyrgyzstan recently. She explained that "it requires, for a woman, usually in today's world still, an extra amount of effort." She explained that people tend to be extra critical of a female politician and how she looks. A member of the press went on to ask…

CBS Frets Over Obama's Liberal Base Being Upset By Possible Tax Deal

On Friday's CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith discussed a potential deal between the Obama administration and House Republicans on maintaining current tax rates, declaring: "The Democrats are – their noses are out of joint about this." Political analyst John Dickerson agreed: "Very much so, because they want the President to stand up and fight." Dickerson went on to detail liberal efforts…

CBS Blog Wonders: 'Will Openly Gay Republican Run in

In an article on CBSNews.com's Political Hotsheet blog, Lauren Seifert described a Thursday interview with political consultant Fred Karger who claims to be considering a run for the Republican nomination for president in 2012: "Karger insists he has strong Republican credentials....What's interesting is that this longtime Republican is openly gay and may also run for president in 2012."…

CNN's Spitzer: 'Every One of Us is Being Held Hostage' By Senate GOP

CNN's Eliot Spitzer blasted Senate Republicans on Wednesday's Parker-Spitzer for their promise to hold up legislation unless the current tax rates are extended: "Every one of us...[is] being held hostage by 42 Republican senators." Predictably, co-host Kathleen Parker agreed with Spitzer to a point, and snarked, "I got stuck on the image of being held hostage by 42 Republicans- talk about a bad…

Krauthammer on 'Inside Washington' Bias: 'Tag Team Wrestling In Which

Appearing on Tuesday's O'Reilly Factor on FNC, columnist Charles Krauthammer described his role on the political panel show 'Inside Washington': "...it's a very liberal show....it's tag team wrestling in which I don't have a team. It's three on one which I think the odds are rather good that way – for me....we do this exercise every week and it's a good workout." Host Bill O'Reilly brought…

AP, SFGate.com Lament Senate GOP Stand on Priority of Tax Cuts for Lam

"Senate GOP: Extend tax cuts or else," reads the teaser headline for an Associated Press story at SFGate.com, the website for the San Francisco Chronicle. [Screen capture posted after page break] "Republicans send letter to Harry Red threatening to block virtually all legislation until expiring tax cuts for wealthy are extended," an accompanying caption  insisted. In the corresponding…

Gay Rights Activist/MSNBC Anchor Contessa Brewer: Support for DADT 'Do

During Wednesday's 12PM ET hour on MSNBC, anchor Contessa Brewer attacked those who want to maintain the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy: "...the Marine Corps and Catholic chaplains, who say they support the policy on moral grounds. It doesn't make a lot of sense...if it's homosexuality that they have a problem with – they're basically saying, 'Yeah, just keep lying about it.'"…

Former Governor Spitzer: Too Many 2012 Republican Contenders at Fox

On Tuesday's Parker-Spitzer on CNN, ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer ironically worried that too many of his fellow former politicians, who are also contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, are on Fox News: "Never before in our history...has one media outlet with one coherent ideology had almost a monopoly on...half of the presidential nominees and controlled one political party…

CBS Issues 'Gridlock Alert,' Warns That GOP 'Put A Halt on Cooperating

At the top of Wednesday's CBS Early Show, fill-in co-host Erica Hill fretted over Republicans pledging to focus solely on economic issues in the lame duck session of Congress: "Gridlock alert. Just one day after promising to work together while meeting with President Obama, GOP leaders may now put a halt on cooperating with Democrats on Capitol Hill. So will Washington find itself at a…

Nicolle Wallace: 'Heaven Forbid' Palin Becomes President

Suggesting that Nicolle Wallace engaged in feline fisticuffs might be called sexist. But when Wallace actually accused Sarah Palin of seeking to "claw" critics, illustrating her assertion with a cat-like hand gesture, well . . . It's no secret that Wallace is no fan of Sarah Palin.  But the former Bush communications director and McCain campaign aide perhaps took things to another level…

CNN Books Three Liberals to Discuss WikiLeaks, No Conservatives

CNN's Larry King provided more proof that his network does indeed "play favorites," contrary to the claim of their recent ad, by bringing on three liberals on his program on Monday to discuss WikiLeaks' latest document release. Daniel Ellsberg of the Pentagon Papers infamy praised Julian Assange as a "truth-teller," while Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone defended the website. Former Clinton…