Never let it be said that radio libtalker and MSNBC action hero Ed Schultz isn't capable of occasional candor.
Here's Schultz on his radio show Dec. 15 talking about Vice President Joe Biden appearing on "Morning Joe" earlier that day in anticipation of disclosure that the public option and Medicare buy-in were stripped from the Senate health bill (click here for audio) --
SCHULTZ: And I find it offensive, and I'm all for MSNBC winning and getting the big interviews, but look what Joe Biden did today. The day that they capitulate on everything, Biden goes on 'Morning Joe' this morning. It's kind of a Cheney tactic. When things get tough, you go to Fox. Things get a little bit tough, well, we better go over to MSNBC where we can say our piece.
So the vice president's mansion is just maybe a few blocks away from the NBC bureau in Washington, so let's stop by and see Morning Joe, Joe and Mika, great interview, 17 minutes but very calculated. The White House knew it was going down and they know today is the day that they're going to have to break the news to the American people that it's over.
Thanks for sharing, Ed.
This brings to mind what outgoing White House communications director and Mao aficionado Anita Dunn said last month in slamming Fox News and praising MSNBC for its alleged lack of bias, as reported by Bloomberg --
"We're under no illusions of what the political agenda of, you know, certain networks are," Dunn said of Fox. "We obviously have talked to them before. We'll talk to them again in the future."
But when it comes to saving face, MSNBC is their venue of choice, to the extent one of its own talking heads finds "offensive."
As for MSNBC, Dunn said "I do regard them as different as a network," again according to Bloomberg. "Different" pretty much tells you nothing about MSNBC, wouldn't you say?
Speaking of "Morning Joe," Schultz was one of its guests Dec. 17 and locked horns with Obama senior adviser David Axelrod over Schultz's belief that Obama and Democrats are relinquishing too much in the battle over health reform.
Here's Schultz on his radio show later that day, talking out of school about White House displeasure with the "Morning Joe" segment (here for audio) --
SCHULTZ: Well now during this, the White House sent a Blackberry message to Mika saying it's not very balanced. Can you believe that? The White House all of a sudden is complaining about too many liberals on the air! (guffaws) I mean, that's just unbelievable! They must be really watching Fox over there. Anyway ...
More along same lines from Schultz on Friday about the "Morning Joe" dustup (audio here) --
SCHULTZ: And I have to tell you as it unfolded yesterday morning on 'Morning Joe,' you know, I just want to get things clear, it was not arranged for me to have a question for David Axelrod. You know, I'm on the air with Peggy Noonan. I'd never met Peggy Noonan and she's that hard right-winger that used to write speeches for Reagan. I have to say that I found her to be very professional and very pleasant in person and we were, I thought, very professional and had exchanged pleasantries off the air during the commercials. She's very nice, killing me with kindness. She's just wrong on everything, that's all! I mean (laughs), that's the way it is, but.
So, the discussion was revolving around Howard Dean and how he is saying, kill the Senate bill. So Mika starts looking at her Blackberry and so does Scarborough and obviously the White House is texting them or emailing them or whatever and they didn't like the show. Because Arianna (Huffington) had been on there, I'm on there, Howard Dean had been on there and they wanted some balance. Now think about that -- here's the White House getting in contact with 'Morning Joe' because they're afraid there's too many lefties on the air! Now if that's not sensitivity at its highest level, I don't know what is! I told ya a few days ago they had rabbit ears! They don't like anything that's being said right now, they're gettin' beat up!
"They're afraid there's too many lefties on the air!" ... Isn't that the idea?!
