Time's Joe Klein: Obama's 'Winning' Debt Ceiling Debate - Americans Un

Time magazine's Joe Klein said this weekend that President Obama "is winning" the debt ceiling debate. Klein told his fellow panelists on the syndicated "Chris Matthews Show," "He is coming across as the most reasonable guy in a crazy city...When he says things like 'Eat your peas,' that's language Americans can understand" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
July 17th, 2011 3:54 PM

AP Claims Bush Tax Cuts Caused National Debt to Grow by $1.6 Trillion

In an unbylined update of the latest developments in the budget-tax-spending-debt ceiling discussions in Washington this morning, the Associated Press committed several blunders in attempting to explain what's going on and how we got to where we are. First and foremost was its list identifying "contributors" to the $8.5 trillion growth in the national debt since 2001. Here's the AP's you-can'…
Tom Blumer
July 17th, 2011 3:43 PM

Tea Party Congressman Asks Cokie Roberts: Why Does Compromise Always M

Cokie Roberts got quite a lesson Sunday on why compromise can be a dirty word in politics. When she asked Congressman Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) why compromise isn't a "message that you hear," the Tea Partier responded, "Why is it that compromise always means increasing taxes today and doing cuts in ten years from now?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
Noel Sheppard
July 17th, 2011 1:43 PM

NPR, Enjoying Murdoch 'Crumbling,' Finds British Pundit Blaming...Camp

NPR is clearly relishing the Murdoch newspapers scandal in Britain. Its Weekend Edition headline on Saturday was "News Corp. Dynasty Crumbles From the Top Down." Anchor Scott Simon interviewed Financial Times columnist Clive Crook and asked if the scandal will cause sell-offs: "How big a dent that they represent in his holdings and his influence?...Can you foresee them having to make incisions…
Tim Graham
July 17th, 2011 11:31 AM

Media Sites Crow Over Don Rickles 'Insulting' Bristol Palin

(Check the update at the bottom of this story. Bristol may have accidentally tipped us off as to the intentions of her mother.) You know what a true insult from comedian Don Rickles would be? It would be if you appeared on a stage with Rickles and did NOT receive an "insult" from the "Merchant of Venom." However, many media websites seem to be unaware of Rickles' stock in trade. They are…
P.J. Gladnick
July 17th, 2011 10:39 AM

Catholic Charities USA Employs Gay Lobbyist

Lou Chibbaro Jr., a reporter for the gay newspaper The Washington Blade, offered a front-page story this week on just how liberal the top leadership of Catholic Charities USA is: Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s largest network of faith-based agencies providing services to the poor, has hired a Washington lobbying firm owned by a gay man to promote a recently launched anti-poverty…
Tim Graham
July 17th, 2011 8:12 AM

WaPo Seeks Out Hustler Porn Emperor Larry Flynt to Lecture Murdoch on

The Washington Post can really pick them when selecting a guest lecturer to Rupert Murdoch on media ethics: pornographer Larry Flynt. In a Sunday Outlook section article is the headline “The people vs. Rupert Murdoch: Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt says his fellow media mogul has gone too far.” Yes, somehow, Larry Flynt gets to pose as The People. Flynt lectured at Murdoch: “One cannot…
Tim Graham
July 17th, 2011 7:45 AM

Is Al Sharpton Replacing Cenk Uygur on MSNBC

People unfortunate enough to be watching MSNBC since Keith Olbermann was forced out in January have noticed a tremendously unqualified "Young Turk" in the 6PM slot that used to be occupied by Ed Schultz. For the past two weeks, Al Sharpton has filled in for the supposedly vacationing Cenk Uygur, and according to TVNewser, this might be permanent:
Noel Sheppard
July 16th, 2011 7:02 PM

CNN's Begala: 'At Least 10 Percent of Us Are Gay Or Lesbian

Friday night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees, the lead story was on a counseling clinic owned by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and her husband.  Cooper spoke of "allegations that the clinic engages in so-called reparative therapy," described by Cooper as "based on the theory that gay people can be turned into heterosexuals through a combination of prayer and willpower." …
Mike Bates
July 16th, 2011 3:34 PM

Rupert Murdoch Reminds ABC’s Kofman of Ebenezer Scrooge Instead of S

  On Saturday’s Good Morning America on ABC, after anchor Dan Harris recounted that News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch met and apologized to the family of the 13-year-old murder victim whose phone messages were hacked by a News of the World reporter, correspondent Jeffrey Kofman commented that Murdoch reminded him of Ebenezer Scrooge  approaching Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, rather than a…
Brad Wilmouth
July 16th, 2011 2:37 PM

Maher: Palin 'Sells Patriotism Like a Pimp' and is 'Leader of a Strang

As NewsBusters has been reporting, Friday's installment of HBO's "Real Time" contained possibly the most vile political talk ever aired on national television. In the final segment, host Bill Maher said, "Sarah Palin is a vainglorious braggart, a liar, a whiner, a professional victim, a scold, a know-it-all, a chiseler, a bully who sells patriotism like a pimp, and the leader of a strange…
Noel Sheppard
July 16th, 2011 2:11 PM

Weekend Open Thread

For general discussion and debate about politics, the economy, sports, the British Open, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
NB Staff
July 16th, 2011 12:29 PM

Dan Savage on HBO's 'Real Time': 'I Wish [Republicans] Were All F--kin

As NewsBusters previously reported, Friday's "Real Time" on HBO contained some of the most vile political talk ever broadcast on national television. In one panel segment, gay sex advice columnist Dan Savage said of Republicans, "I wish they were all f--king dead" (video follows with transcript and commentary, extreme vulgarity warning):
Noel Sheppard
July 16th, 2011 12:16 PM

CNN's Cooper: Obama's 'Numbers Didn't Quite Add Up

When an adoring mainstream media suspend their fawning long enough to point out that he's lying, Barack Obama must realize his presidency is in trouble.  That's what happened Friday night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees. Naturally, Cooper began by claiming Republicans who argue Americans don't want higher taxes use polling data "that's just not true."  No mention was made of this week's…
Mike Bates
July 16th, 2011 12:15 PM