Perhaps you’ve heard that John Sununu told Soledad O’Brien that she might as well be wearing an Obama sticker on her forehead because she had the temerity to call him out on the $700 billion Medicare cut lie he was trying to tell on her show on Tuesday. What’s more interesting to me is that on Wednesday she revisited the topic and pointed out just exactly how right she was:
There are a few things going on here that are worth discussing. First, O’Brien’s show is CNN’s version of Today or GMA. She’s not on a political beat, which means that her job doesn’t rely on access, and she’s not marinated in the conventional wisdom. It’s pretty clear that she and her producers were well-prepped with actual facts, and that she didn’t give a shit whether she offended the delicate feelings of John Sununu. When he acted like a dick, she pushed back hard without worrying about the next time they run into each other at some DC bar. Second, I really do think the coddling they get on Fox is hurting the average Republican shill’s ability to appear reasonable on regular TV. Sununu just keeps repeating his weak-ass talking points instead of coming back with a follow-up, because Fox only expects its Republican guests to memorize and repeat what’s on the sheet that Sununu was waving around when he was trying to smack O’Brien down. Finally, there’s some limit to the number of lies the media will tolerate and that limit is probably being reached with the Romney campaign. There’s a general air of disrespect from the Romney people, they campaign almost totally on falsehoods, and they do so arrogantly. I think it’s the arrogance that finally triggered María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, and it’s going to be interesting to see who’s next.
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[…] Mistermix make a good point — and has more must-watch videos — at Balloon Juice. Soledad O’Brien at CNN did a masterful job taking John Sununu apart the other day when he tried to claim that the President “gutted” Medicare by $711 billion dollars She was ready with the facts, and correctly explained what the CBO had actually said, and all Sununu could do is sputter the same talking points. I really do think the coddling they get on Fox is hurting the average Republican shill’s ability to appear reasonable on regular TV. Sununu just keeps repeating his weak-ass talking points instead of coming back with a follow-up, because Fox only expects its Republican guests to memorize and repeat what’s on the sheet that Sununu was waving around when he was trying to smack O’Brien down. Finally, there’s some limit to the number of lies the media will tolerate and that limit is probably being reached with the Romney campaign. There’s a general air of disrespect from the Romney people, they campaign almost totally on falsehoods, and they do so arrogantly. I think it’s the arrogance that finally triggered María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, and it’s going to be interesting to see who’s next. […]
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[…] Jeff are back in the studio paying homage to the badassery that is Soledad O’Brian! Chaffetz, Sununu and Pawlenty all fall beneath her massive powers of “asking questions” and “challenging their […]
Baud
The Today show this morning had about 20 minutes of anti-Obama stuff but they did mention that the Ryan plan relies on the same Medicare savings the GOP is attacking on.
JohnK
The Obama swiftboating begins. Former navy seals claim Obama leaked sensitive information and is endangering special ops. Oh, and they just happen to be republicans sharing an office with republican consultants. Front page news on CNN.
Cassidy
I thought I remember, a short time ago, the RW latching on to her about her name and something she said. I could be wrong. But, if I’m right, she’s probably still pissed to have been treated like an “other” all of a sudden.
When I was working second shift and would go to the gym in the mornings, I would catch the tail end of her show. She’s let quite abit fly and not argued with her panel, so something has clearly pissed her off.
Paul Turner
On the subject of Soledad O’Brien, there is a minor wingnut scandal underway because she was caught on camera reading Talking Points Memo. No wonder she sounds like she knows what she’s talking about.
Baud
@JohnK:
Sounds like a good reason to remind people about who got bin Ladin.
Ivan Ivanovich Renko
Soledad. O’Brien.
Cuban, Australian, Irish… American.
MattF
I’m not sure that there’s so much more lying now– rather that the Romney campaign (and Republicans generally) appear to have lost the knack for it.
beltane
Fox is hurting its viewers ability to interact with the outside world. These people have been so thoroughly indoctrinated that they go around screaming that water is dry, the sky is red, five quarters make a dollar, etc.
We are dealing with North Koreans except with higher BMIs.
beltane
@MattF: They now believe their own lies which is the scariest thing of all.
jayackroyd
The brazenness of the campaign’s adoption of the post-Atwater strategy of simply lying, repeatedly, and trusting “balance” to prevent their being called out is remarkable. I suppose it makes sense at some level–they’ve never had to pay a price for simply flat out lying. But there HAS to be a point where Dancin’ Dave says “Now wait a minute.” Doesn’t there?
Valdivia
I hope they do keep at it. The amount of bs coming our way after the Rep convention will be unbelievable. Good on Soledad.
But to make everyone smile a wonderful slide show of the Dreamers taking advantage of the Obama’s admin new rule for legal status. Awesome.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/08/15/us/IMMIG.html
jayackroyd
@MattF:
The lie/truth ratio is at an epic height, more than I can remember–and not spins like “compassionate conservative” but outright lies. This one’s a good example. They’re not spinning the cost control measures–they’re saying the opposite of what’s true.
And, as the Mixster says, they’re doing this with a sort of gleeful contempt, mimicking the “fair and balanced” riff that FOX relies on. They’re telling reporters “Suck on this.” with this stuff. It’ll be interesting to see whether they will.
Ben Cisco
Sununu wasn’t the only one she smacked around – TPaw stuck his snout in and got pounded too.
SenyorDave
Sununun has always come off as an arrogant shit. I’m biased, but he doesn’t seem like a very good spokesman for anyone. He’s extremely condescending, and appears to have absolutely no tolerance for anyone who doesn’t buy into his arguments. In other words, a typical GOP shill.
This country would be so much better if guys like Sununu would leave it.
Jay in Oregon
@Baud:
Also, too.
Svensker
@beltane:
Yes, exactly this. Their politicians seem really gobsmacked when someone challenges them now and their disdain for the “lamestream media” is really coming to the fore.
Kay
I had forgotten how completely unappealing Sununu is as a political figure or pundit. He comes off as a belligerent, somewhat shady jerk.
Ewww. Can’t have him on often enough as far as I’m concerned.
hep kitty
Well, she sure has a hell of a lot more cajones than Wolf Blitzer. Fox Lite will probably be letting her go any day now.
Bruce S
Meanwhile, history calls and Artur Davis steps up. A Zell Miller for our time!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/artur-davis-who-backed-obama-in-2008-to-speak-at-gop-convention/2012/08/16/0bb097f6-e759-11e1-8487-64e4b2a79ba8_story.html
hep kitty
The Obama campaign is all about hate, division and anger — Mitt Romney
Olivia
@beltane:
It isn’t even believing their own lies as much as believing if they say it, it is so. In other words, creating their own reality.
Shawn in ShowMe
@hep kitty:
Your average eunuch has more cojones than Wolf Blitzer.
Brian R.
@Kay:
Seriously. After he caught hell for saying the president doesn’t think like an American, I’m surprised the Romney folks decided to keep pushing him out there to yell and foam at the mouth on their behalf.
If I were on the Obama team, I’d encourage every network to conduct an in-depth interview with Grandpa McShouty.
Saint Timonious
And we know that these costs will be contained, as the Romneycare proves in Massachusetts
Brian R.
Fox isn’t just hurting Republicans when they venture outside its womb. As we saw with the Brit Hume interview of Ryan, sometimes the candidates come in expecting softballs and even the slightest speed up in the pitching can floor them.
WaterGirl
I had read the transcript, but seeing the video is something else.
There’s one person who comes off well in that interview, and it isn’t John Sununu. I just can’t decide whether “lying hack” or “total dick” is the better choice to best describe the impression I was left with.
So nice to see journalism in action!
I am hopeful that the MSM will start to see how many clicks stories like this one, and even the story about Chuck Todd, are getting, and they might jump on the bandwagon and actually start doing their jobs.
Ever hopeful.
Linda Featheringill
@beltane: #8
:-)
Saint Timonious
adding: the “cuts” are reductions in payments to both hospitals and doctors, whose organizations agreed to those reductions because they would, in effect, make it up in volume.
Comrade Mary
I’m not terribly impressed with that report, actually. Consider the low information voter who might watch this show while kind of paying attention. They see clip after clip after clip of angry Republicans repeating the lies, a well meaning but not especially succinct explanation by O’Brien, and no one showing any passion for debunking the lies and defending the changes Obama has made to Medicare.
I appreciate that she wants to set the record straight, but the framing is awful.
MattF
@Brian R.: In RomneyWorld, getting nailed for lying or creepiness is not a reason to abandon lying or creepiness.
Shawn in ShowMe
@Cassidy:
When you consider how little Republicans think of professional women, a woman who believes her job is to question what she’s being told is gonna be a serious problem in an election year. Smiling Katie Couric, who no one confuses with Rachel Maddow, was blasted by the right for asking the Moose Hunter “gotcha questions.”
When you throw in the fact that Soledad’s parentage looks like the United Nations, it’s easy for GOP operatives to cast her in the role of “the other.” It’s an act of desperation. They’ve got tons of bullshit they need to peddle this year and they can’t afford ANY opposition.
Lee
I suddenly really want to wake up with Soledad O’Brien.
I’ll let you take that any way you want :)
Bulworth
I can’t for the life of me imagine why RomneyRyan would want John Fecking Sununu representing them on national TV. But I don’t want to concern-troll…
Cassidy
@Shawn in ShowMe: I figured that. She’s outside their box on a lot of things. I thought I remember a little flap that was about her specifically a little while ago, though. That’s all. Not really interested enough to use the google on my internet box.
Linda Featheringill
@Valdivia: #11
Dreamers:
Lovely. Thanks for the link.
SW
Its the clouds John. The god damn clouds…
AC
@Brian R.:
Mitt doesn’t seem ready for any push-back because he’s been a Master of the Universe so long, he’s surrounded by sycophants. Ryan hasn’t had to run a real campaign (contrary to what he says, he’s in a pretty safe district, with no real contenders) or make a case for his actions beyond the beltway, where his ass is kissed daily.
I’m reminded of this piece on martial arts by Sam Harris. (a few paragraphs and two videos).
The R’s have chosen to shelter themselves and suffer from the delusion that they a) actually have good ideas, or b) are any good at selling them.
f space that
It is nice to see some push back on the two specific lies of Medicare cuts and welfare reform, but I am not sure how much this helps in the long run. Rmoney is a serial liar and AynRyan is a serial fraud. If their lips are moving they are lying. Living near Virginia I see the constant barrage of ads. For every Obama ad there are 3 to 4 Rmoney, RNC, Rove ads all day long. It is a continual raining down of shit whenever the TV is on.
There are not enough journalists, real or imagined, on TV, radio, and in print to refute the deluge of sewage spewing forth from the mighty Wurlitzer everyday.
Shawn in ShowMe
@Comrade Mary:
Hey, there’s always Maddow and O’Donnell on that other network. You’re lucky to get even a well-meaning newsreader on CNN.
liberal
I don’t think she’s even particularly liberal or anything.
A brief Intertubes search yesterday even made her seem somewhat conservative, but I gotta get back to work and don’t have time to research it.
Suffern ACE
@f space that: Ugh. I can’t tell you how little I’m looking forward to my trip home to a swing state next week. It will be wall to wall ads. I wish they lived in New York or Mississippi.
andrewtna
Brit Hume on Fox actually pressed Ryan on the Medicare lie, too. They played the video on the Ed show last night. You can watch it here.
Nancy Irving
The Sununu-O’Brien interview was pretty funny. By the end, he was so shrill I expected him to start screaming “Get off my lawn!”
joes527
Has Colbert weighed in on this one?
Donut
@jayackroyd:
History is kinda stacked, though, with examples that show that access to information and dissemination of same (which is what the core of journalism should be, if you’re a liberal) Is not usually objective and free. Mostly, humanity has restricted the free flow of ideas and information. There was a brief window where journalism was an actual profession, meaning it’s practitioners developed standards and practices, and at least gave lip service to an ethical code. This window, IMO, was from roughly the start of the 20th century through the mid-late 80s. That era started rapidly coming to an end during the Clinton years, and was basically over when the man was impeached for allegedly perjuring himself in a civil lawsuit. Our democracy and most of our institutions, like a free press, have all struggled since then, badly. During that time, though, when journalists actually were expected to give lip service to standards, we also had unprecedented economic parity and an ever-increasing middle class. We reading this blog recognize that these two things, economic prosperity for the greatest number and free flow of info, are not correlative, but are strongly interdependent. The other side disagrees, preferring to keep acess to knowledge restricted to a very small number of wealthy elites. So it goes. Not much new there, we all just came of age at a time when it was a little bit different.
Kay
@Brian R.:
I thought it was funto watch. First of all, Hume speaks so……. slowly Ryan should have plenty of time to compose an answer. He didn’t.
I’m amused by how Hume drops his chin to make his voice deeper. I always think it looks obvious and vain in men (they’re the only people who do it). Newt Gingrich does it, and so does Dick Cheney. It must be something they teach people when they’re coached on speaking, but it looks (and sounds) phony as hell. It also makes their neck rolls more prominent, which is never an advantage if you’re Newt Gingrich.
WereBear
@MattF: Precisely.
People forget that Bush blatantly lied his way into office; remember compassionate conservative? But the press was all about Gore sighing while wearing earth tones; and we didn’t have much of a blogosphere to root out the lies and declare them so.
And still, it was close enough they had to cheat.
Lies and damn lies ran on an infrastructure, if you will; of prior trust in institutions; that they wouldn’t really get rid of Medicare; that they wouldn’t fake evidence to take us to war.
All of that runs thin as it is used up; we might, I hope! be looking at their well running dry.
bg
Several months ago, Soledad O’Brien smacked down a winger who was spouting lies about Harvard Professor Derrick Bell and Critical Legal Theory. She happened to be a student at Harvard when Prof. Bell was there and she confronted the guy with facts. She does have her moments/
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us? (formerly MarkJ)
I think the big difference is that the lying is more frequent and bold, but also they started much earlier. The game plan previously was to trot out half truths that nodded in the direction of the lie they wanted to sell while employing a whisper campaign to fill in the details under the radar. Then they’d push the big lie with only a few weeks left when fact-checkers wouldn’t have time to catch on or the counter-narrative to take hold.
Romney’s big mistake is he started trying to sell the big lie waaaay too early. The journalists can only ignore the fact that it’s a lie for so long before their professional integrity forces them to push back (well, not all of them – some don’t have integrity – but as long as a critical mass does the lie gets found out). Just like with everything else involving his campaign, his incompetent execution of the gameplan is resulting in epic fail. He pushes one more lie and the whole narrative is going to devolve into how can the public trust this guy?
wrb
I’m thinking that the party has become dysfunctional. Once a juggernaut, they are blowing their rivets and the twirly bits are flying off.
The best example is right up front. This bunch who have been demanding birth certificates and transcripts for years never should have let Romney get this close to their nomination without demanding financial disclosure. Of course it would be required. Not doing so is idiotic and incompetent.
Shawn in ShowMe
@Kay:
Yet we’ve been reminded by progressive concern trolls that Ryan is a talented politican with a gift for spinning believable bullshit. Sure, IN HIS OWN DISTRICT. This is another level of communication entirely. I think we’ve gotten so used to Obama and Biden’s mastery of political rhetoric, we believe anybody can do it.
runt
It’s becoming increasingly noticeable that any smart people have long since abandoned the GOP. I was reminded of it when I read this tweet from Alex Castellanos:
This is not a worthy fuckin’ adversary.
liberal
@runt:
Cats have 9 lives. Obama has 10?
liberal
@WereBear:
I think a better example was his budget numbers. IIRC Krugman was running the numbers before the election and pointed out that there’s no way they added up.
Not that I disagree with you about the compassionate conservative point; just that it’s a squishier topic to debate than hard budget numbers.
liberal
@Donut:
I highly doubt that.
Sure, journalists are awful today, but they were awful then, too.
And the time period you cite was after the heyday of muckracking, IIRC, and the conversion of newspapers into business organs (though I don’t remember the history so well).
Mark S.
That’s unpossible. The media keeps telling me Ryan is like some conservative Ezra Klein who lives and breathes policy, to the point that he doesn’t even know how to dress himself. How can he not handle questions from Brit Hume? Is it possible he’s actually a fucking idiot?
NonyNony
@wrb:
It’s even worse than that. Who set the precedent that presidential candidates should release multiple years of tax records?
George Romney. Who is quoted as saying “one year could be a fluke, done for show” when asked to release his most recent tax returns so he released 12 years worth.
If you’re going to run the SON of the guy who SET THE MODERN PRECEDENT for campaign disclosure of tax records, it is nothing less than base incompetence to think that the topic isn’t going to come up and get hammered hard. That’s even before we get to birth certificates and whatnot.
liberal
@NonyNony:
I don’t get Romney.
I hate rent skimmers like Romney at least as much as other people, but usually those titans of modern parasitic finance are extremely intelligent, even if evil.
The campaign really has me wondering how bright Romney is, even putting aside his public speaking problems (which aren’t necessarily a sign of poor intelligence).
Donut
@liberal:
I used the words “lip service” deliberately. I don’t think you are disagreeing with my point?
Commenting at Balloon Juice Since 1937
@Baud: who got Bin Laden, and exactly who explicitly said that he would not do what Obama said he would do and then did.
If you would prefer Bin Laden to be alive and living in Pakistan, vote Romney*
(*stolen from a Wonkette commenter.)
Nemesis
Already Im so frsaking fed up with the RR ticket I want our side to drive them into the ground, run over them and grind them to dust. Fuck civility. Bullies hate being bullied. Fucking pansies, this is politics. And the faux outrage from romney after he crushed his many primary opponents through targeted negative ads, its awfully rich for him to be whining.
Dont let up. Pulverize the bastards.
Now wheres that triple espresso?
Johannes
@liberal: Twelve. He’s a TimeLotd, man!
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@JohnK:
Meh. I think it’s pretty hard to swiftboat someone over a successful mission. Part of the reason it was so successful against Kerry was that it fed into the whole “weak-kneed liberals lost Vietnam!” narrative.
What narrative does this Seal story feed into? Obama is so evil and ruthless that he assassinated bin Laden?
liberal
@Donut:
Your overall presentation makes it seem like journalism now is worse than then, which IMHO is false.
Shawn in ShowMe
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
Obama retroactively sabotaged the Bushies search for Bin Laden to make himself look good. It’s like Reagan and the hostages but with time travel.
liberal
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
They’re presenting it as “he’s taking credit for what we tough guys did!!”
Not saying I buy that.
Clearly it’s not going to be as effective as the swiftboating thing, but it might be mildly effective, given how everyone worships The Troops.
Mike Lamb
@JohnK: Serious question: can a President “leak” (in the illegal sense of the term) classified material? Doesn’t the President have input on whether something should be classified in the first instance and if he “leaks” it, isn’t that a sort of a de facto finding that the info is no longer classified?
Dennis
@bg:
It was critical race theory, not critical legal theory.
Good lord, seriously, Wtf is critical legal theory?
And she didn’t smack him down, she read from Wikipedia and it was so embarrassing for her afterward, she had to plead for people to stop tweeting her about it.
Now she’s scrambling to explain why she had an email on her desk from someone at Talking Points Memo when she was interviewing John Sununu. Embarrassing for her and embarrassing for CNN.
NonyNony
@liberal:
I don’t know that this is actually true. I mean the “usually” part – I don’t know anyone in the vampire capitalist class so I don’t know how smart they typically are.
But Romney has all the marks of a guy who was born into privilege and has always been surrounded by people who sucked up to him at every turn. He might be highly intelligent in his area of expertise (pillaging companies through leveraged buyouts), but that isn’t translating into intelligence needed to run a political campaign. And despite his history he seems to be unwilling to “outsource” the running of the campaign to a competent consultant like he should. Or if he has outsourced it he’s unable to recognize what a competent political consultant looks like I guess.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@liberal:
I still give it a great big “meh.” It’s one of those things that Red State and Free Republic are going to push hard but isn’t going to resonate with anyone who’s not already a hard-core conservative.
In fact, thinking about it more, it actually seems to be yet another example of Romney desperately trying to shore up the base since they’re the only ones who might fall for it.
(edited for FY auto correct)
Waynski
@Shawn in ShowMe:
And let’s not forget that he had Democrats in his district physically removed from his town halls for asking him tough questions and later began charging people to attend. Hitler probably answered tougher questions from people at the beer hall without having them removed (not that I’m saying he’s Hitler..no, no).
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JohnK: Isn’t said Swift-boating Seal retired for about the last twenty years?
I continue to think sending Sununu out as a surrogate is one of the weirdest things about the Romney campaign. Non-NH non-pol-junkies probably have no idea who he, people do who remember him remember he was fired for being an arrogant dick, and he comes across as Chris Christie’s charmless uncle.
FlipYrWhig
@Dennis:
FYI, Critical legal studies via Wikipedia.
Waynski
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): I think Obama had it right yesterday when he described their campaign as “throwing Spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.”
I don’t think this works, generally, but if they keep it close in swing states, they plan to steal the election with voter suppression. This is what a coup looks like in slow motion.
Bobby Thomson
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
No, it feeds into the narrative of Obama as a glory grabbing CEO trying to take all the credit and rewards for the successes of those who work for him while avoiding responsibility for failure. Instead of attacking your opponent’s greatest strength a la Rove, it’s projecting your candidate’s greatest weakness onto his opponent.
One problem, though. They’re a little late and Obama got there first. Now it not only is reactive and hypocritical, it actually looks that way.
Bobby Thomson
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
No, it feeds into the narrative of Obama as a glory grabbing CEO trying to take all the credit and rewards for the successes of those who work for him while avoiding responsibility for failure. Instead of attacking your opponent’s greatest strength a la Rove, it’s projecting your candidate’s greatest weakness onto his opponent.
One problem, though. They’re a little late and Obama got there first. Now it not only is reactive and hypocritical, it actually looks that way.
Bobby Thomson
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
No, it feeds into the narrative of Obama as a glory grabbing CEO trying to take all the credit and rewards for the successes of those who work for him while avoiding responsibility for failure. Instead of attacking your opponent’s greatest strength a la Rove, it’s projecting your candidate’s greatest weakness onto his opponent.
One problem, though. They’re a little late and Obama got there first. Now it not only is reactive and hypocritical, it actually looks that way.
feebog
@ Comrade Mary 29:
Sorry, calling bullshit on this take. O’Brien is not an Obama surrogate, she is a reporter. She is doing her job in this interview, and doing it well. She completely exposes Sununu as the liar he is.
It is not her job to “frame” the message; it’s her job to ask the right questions and expose the truth.
AxelFoley
@Lee:
Well played, my friend.
Comrade Mary
@JohnK: And the CBC has picked it up. They are pointing out the SEALs’ Republican affiliations, though.
Bobby Thomson
FYWP
Waynski
@Bobby Thomson: Sounds so nice you say it thrice.
Call me Ishmael
I actually think some of the Talent (and/or their teams) are watching “The Newsroom” and getting a little tingle thinking about being Jeff Daniels @ Co.
Sure, Aaron Sorkin’s a dick, but the show is giving the Talking Heads a bit of a role model. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of them try that approach to see if they can pump ratings a few points, while fantasizing about being a crusader for good at the same time.
wrb
It struck me watching Ryan immediately run to Vegas to kiss Sheldon Adelson’s ring, that Romney has sold US middle east policy to Israel, like a Vulture Capitalist would. It was an underperforming asset, it could become a profit center for his campaign. In the past presidents have maintained some tension, some regard for US interests. I don’t see anything that suggests that Romney would. If Israel wants a war with Iran he’ll give it to them. The once-proud superpower will be a vassal, or rent-boy. Romney doesn’t care about the sort of people who would die. His proposed policies would kill plenty of them in otherways. However Wall Street and arms manufacturers will do well, so all’s good.
Cacti
I love Sununu as the point man for the Romney campaign. He’s old, homely, cranky, and just generally unpleasant. Exactly the sort of guy we should want people to think of when they think of team Romney.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Bobby Thomson:
You mean they’re trying to make it sound like Obama put on a flight suit and made a speech under a “Mission Accomplished” banner?
;-)
KG
@Paul Turner: heh, one of my wingnut (Cuban) relatives posted a picture of O’Brien reading stuff from the “far-left” Talking Points Memo. I saw that and didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or throw something. If TPM is “far-left” then we’ve lost all sense of direction.
Larkspur
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): Jeez, yeah, and he even screwed that one up. I mean, you put on your flight suit with the straps displaying the biggest baddest dick that’s ever led the Free World…and then you step up to a lectern so no one can see it? See, it just doesn’t work without the aircraft carrier. Which makes me wonder why Romney and Ryan – who were so close to an actual real aircraft carrier – didn’t make the VP announcement while wearing strappy summer flight suits.
Haydnseek
@Nemesis: Pulverize the bastards indeed. One triple espresso, coming right up. Of course, it might have a wee dram of Jameson in it…
Ruckus
@JohnK:
Isn’t the president the head of all the intel agencies? Can’t he change the security clearance level of pretty much anything he wants?
This was a gw position if I recall. Of course gw doesn’t exist in the current rethug circus cause even they realize how bad he was.
Ruckus
@SenyorDave:
This
countryworld would be so much better if guys like Sununu would leave it.I expanded your concept.
Haydnseek
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: If sending Sununu out there as a surrogate is weird, what about Churchillian titans like Ted Nugent and Donald Trump? It just never ends with these bozos.
hep kitty
@Cacti: YEP! I think so, too. He’s very distasteful and not easy on the eyes or ears.
But I wonder, how long before the Romney camp starts referring to Obama/Biden as “bullies.”
We know it’s coming.
Ruckus
@Mark S.:
Is it possible he’s actually a fucking idiot?
Is it possible he’s not?
Donut
@liberal:
I said this:
I was trying to say that, prior to the progressive reform era at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, journalism as a profession was as bad as it is now, even worse, in some respects – and further that the historical norm is for “journalism” to be really bad at providing objective information to readers. I’m saying that the period between the progressive era and the late-80s/early-90s was an anomaly, in that standards and ethics were developed, and paid lip service, and the quality of journalism did improve substantially, for a time. I am agreeing with the premise that the quality of journalism did improve to a relatively decent point, which many of us over a certain age remember and became accustomed to, — but that was a blip, which is mostly gone in the establishment elite-controlled media now.
Brachiator
@Haydnseek:
And Trump apparently is not speaking at the GOP convention, but will be a presence:
I’m betting that he is going to come up on stage and fire Obama’s birth certificate.
What amuses and infuriates is that no matter how thoroughly these goobers are discredited, they keep coming back to proudly push the GOP message.
dww44
@Paul Turner: I am so sick of the “minor wingnut scandals”. I have an as yet unopened email from my “never met an anti-Obama email forward I didn’t believe and pass along” relative as I just don’t have the time and guts to deal with and attempt to rebut. This one’s titled “1991 Harvard Law Review Yearbook”. However, I am having a bit of fun guessing exactly what’s gonna be in this one. Perhaps, Obama’s grades and how he almost flunked out, or proof somehow that he was definitely an Affirmative Action student?
Hob
@dww44: In his yearbook photo, he’s white.
report
@Comrade Mary: This is correct. It’s volume and repeat ion that reach lo-inf voters.
report
@Comrade Mary: This is correct. It’s volume and repeat ion that reach lo-inf voters.