The way the news media fawned over the Democratic 111th Congress -- which passed the wildly unpopular ObamaCare -- while smearing the Republican House in the 112th is like a bad Saturday Night Live skit, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell told Sean Hannity on the January 3 edition of his eponymous Fox News Channel program.
"Look, what they're saying is, when the Democrats were in charge with the 111th Congress they did all these things moving the agenda to the left, and, oh happy days, look at all the wonderful left-wing things they did," Bozell noted, but then, "The112th Congress comes around and Republicans try to put a stop to the madness and it's called tyrannical." [Watch the full "Media Mash" segment in the embed below the page break]
Also discussed on Thursday's segment was how the media have given a complete pass to President Obama's deficit spending, even helping him present himself as a fiscal conservative, an absolutely ludicrous proposition:
BOZELL: There are several points on this, Sean. Number one, to hear the president talk in terms of fiscal responsibility, keeping the man who has added more deficit, more debt to any economy in the history of mankind in three years, is a rather laughable proposition.
To have Brian Williams and the rest of the media so slavishly repeat his words as if he is the one who is the fiscal conservative and everyone else is a liberal makes a mockery of common sense, but here is the extraordinary thing, what did he do on Monday?
On Monday he completely reversed himself. He said he wants more taxes than he just hit us with. He wants more because he doesn't want those automatic spending cuts to go in effect, so he's completely reversed that position and nothing, you hear crickets out there.
A transcript for the segment follows below:
SEAN HANNITY: Welcome back to HANNITY. Time for "Media Mash." Now, earlier this week, President Obama rammed through Congress his radical fiscal cliff deal and he got a lot of help from his friends in the liberal mainstream media. And thanks to the support of the press the government is taking more of your hard-earned money.
Joining me now to explain this, none other than the president of the Media Research Center, the one and only Brent Bozell. Sir, Happy New Year.
BRENT BOZELL, Media Research Center: Happy New Year to you, Sean.
HANNITY: All right, so, 13 months ago, the president was out there strongly saying any backtracking on the spending cuts meaning sequestration, people don't know what that means, but automatic spending cuts not going to happen. Let's roll the tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC Nightly News anchor from Nov. 21, 2011 NBC Nightly News: Like a nation of addicts, spending addicts kicking the can down the road, it was part of the deal that was cut back when the fight over the debt ceiling shut Washington down and split it apart.
Instead, this so-called "Super Committee" of Congress that was supposed to find $1.2 trillion in cuts to reduce the debt has failed. They couldn't do it and tonight, the president went before cameras in the White House briefing room and pushed back hard.
President BARACK OBAMA: Already some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts. My message to them is simple, no. I will veto any efforts to get rid of those automatic spending cuts, domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off-ramps on this one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Pretty easy off ramp, cause it didn't happen, they kicked the can down the road again, any media coverage of that?
BOZELL: There are several points on this, Sean. Number one, to hear the president talk in terms of fiscal responsibility, keeping the man who has added more deficit, more debt to any economy in the history of mankind in three years, is a rather laughable proposition.
To have Brian Williams and the rest of the media so slavishly repeat his words as if he is the one who is the fiscal conservative and everyone else is a liberal makes a mockery of common sense, but here is the extraordinary thing, what did he do on Monday?
On Monday he completely reversed himself. He said he wants more taxes than he just hit us with. He wants more because he doesn't want those automatic spending cuts to go in effect, so he's completely reversed that position and nothing, you hear crickets out there.
HANNITY: I'm going to show two clips back-to-back because I think they're very -- well, they go together, let's say. The first one shows Chuck Todd, NBC News, he's relieved the 112th Congress is finally going to leave us and then we're going to go take a trip down the comments of NBC News as they praised the liberal record of the 111th Congress. Nothing's changed with the media, watch these two together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUCK TODD, NBC News, Jan. 1, 2013 Nightly News: Well, it may be a New Year, but old habits are dying hard with this Congress. Look, I think we're in the last throws of the sort of typical theatrics that have become the norm for Washington over the last couple of years and there is going to be a few shenanigans before the night is over.
MATT LAUER, Today co-host, Jan. 2, 2013: When it comes to the spending and the deficit, this is purely a kick the can approach, isn't it?
TODD, Jan. 2, 2013: It's totally that, and what's coming in March -- by the way, they've done this to themselves now multiple times. I mean, this is the story this 112th Congress does leave us today and some people say, finally leaves us today, because this is the story of this Congress.
WILLIAMS from Dec. 22, 2010 Nightly News: Now, Kelly going back and whether you agree with the legislation or not, starting with health care, financial reforms, stimulus, it has been a mountain that they have passed, though like every session there's a mountain they leave behind.
KELLY O'DONNELL (Dec. 22, 2010): Well, if you go back to the 1960's that's the last time we saw a Congress that could get so much done, affecting so many American lives. Now, Democrats use their big majorities to get action on things like the economic stimulus, health care reform, financial regulatory reform, credit card reform. Remember Cash for Clunkers, the Fair Pay Act for women? And then after Republicans gained their big steam in November, they came back for this lame-duck session which turned out to be surprisingly able, with GOP cooperation on a number of things.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: So the Republicans leave, finally they're leaving us. The Democrats leave, well, they did all of these wonderful things, I'm going to miss them so much! Could it be any more transparent?
BOZELL: No, this is a bad "Saturday Night Live" skit. Look, what they're saying is, when the Democrats were in charge with the 111th Congress they did all these things moving the agenda to the left, and, oh happy days, look at all the wonderful left-wing things they did. The112th Congress comes around and Republicans try to put a stop to the madness and it's called tyrannical.
It's called shenanigans, because they're trying to do something to stop this move to the left. I mean, if this isn't more of a transparent analysis showing exactly where the world view of MSNBC is, I don't know what is. They slobber over liberals and they condemn conservatives for being conservatives.
HANNITY: All right, Brent Bozell, that's our job.
BOZELL: I'm sorry, they call it news.
HANNITY: And they call it news.
BOZELL: They call it news.
HANNITY: They call it news, OK. Thank you for being with us.
