Maddow Laughs at RNC Chair for Suggesting GOP Debates on MSNBC Were a Bad Idea
On Thursday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow mocked Republican party chairman Reince Priebus for listing as a lesson from 2012 "controlling the debate process, getting involved in moderators and networks and all of these other issues so that we don`t have chaos."
Maddow found it odd that the GOP chair would (very sensibly) say "we just can`t have MSNBC, you know, hosting a debate at the Reagan Library only to have their network comment -- you know, make the commentary afterwards for three hours about the debate of the Republican Party. I mean, it’s ridiculous."
Piers Morgan Lectures Reince Priebus and ‘Intransigent’ GOP on Taxes
On Tuesday, Piers Morgan lashed out at "intransigent" Republicans and lectured RNC chair Reince Priebus that now is the time to compromise and increase taxes "to the benefit of the American national interest."
"But you Republicans led by Grover Norquist are absolutely intransigent about allowing any raise in taxation, and yet the American public want you to do it," Morgan lectured Priebus. Later on in his show, he smacked "implacable" GOP opposition to tax increases. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Reince Priebus Calls Out Soledad O’Brien for Double Standard
After a lengthy spar with CNN's Soledad O'Brien over an alleged Mitt Romney flip-flop, RNC chief Reince Priebus called her out for her double standard on Thursday's Starting Point.
"Soledad, I wish you would be as passionate about taking Barack Obama to task for every one of his promises and for every one of his changes that he didn't follow through on over the last four years, as opposed to this," Priebus lectured her. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Top Ten Things Reince Priebus Should Have Said to Chris Matthews
Conservative blog readers are aware of the Chris Matthews/Reince Priebus contretemps on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where Matthews shouted down Priebus with accusations of GOPers playing the “race card” (among other things).
An abbreviated video clip is below (the full segment was so awful that you could sense the other guests cringing). Someone has to do it, so I’ll start:
RNC Chair Reince Priebus Responds to Chris Matthews: ‘Biggest Jerk in the Room’
As NewsBusters reported Monday, an unhinged Chris Matthews went after Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus on MSNBC's Morning Joe accusing Mitt Romney of using the race card.
Priebus fired back during a press conference at the Republican National Convention hours later calling the Hardball host "the biggest jerk in the room."
National Review's Jim Geraghty transcribed the relevant section of Priebus's remarks:
Unhinged Matthews Welcomes GOP By Ranting About Romney Playing the ‘Race Card’
Chris Matthews' unhinged, fuming performance on Monday's Morning Joe is a good reason why members of the GOP avoid MSNBC. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus aggressively battled the liberal cable anchor after the host unloaded on Mitt Romney for playing the "race card." [Must see video below the jump. MP3 audio here.]
Asserting that just mentioning welfare is racist, Matthews spewed, "When you start talking about work requirements, you know what game you're playing and everybody knows what game you're playing. It's a race card. " Priebus fired back at the Hardball host, dismissing, "We've gotten to a place in politics that any moment of levity is totally frowned upon by guys like you just so that you can push your brand."
Maddow: Abortion Foes Would Force Pregnant Woman to Bear ‘Rapist’s Baby’
For years I have heard abortion enthusiasts contort themselves in knots to avoid saying "baby" when talking about abortion.
Leave it to MSNBC's plucky Rachel Maddow to go where few liberals dare -- acknowledging, albeit indirectly, that abortion involves killing human life at its most vulnerable. (video after page break)
NBC’s Guthrie on Ryan Budget: ‘Huge Spending Cuts’ and ‘Massive Tax Cut’ for Wealthy
In an interview with Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus on Wednesday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie slammed Paul Ryan's proposed budget: "And the Ryan budget makes some very hard decisions and has some huge spending cuts....But how can you justify in the Ryan budget defense spending that stays flat and then giving a massive tax cut, which predominantly benefits the wealthy?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
In reality, Ryan's budget does not include "huge spending cuts," but simply slows the rate of growth of government spending. That was a "nuance" that NBC political director Chuck Todd made sure to point out on Monday as he attempted to diffuse Republican attacks on the President for taking Medicare funds to pay for ObamaCare.
NPR Touts ‘Marquee’ Harry Reid Boxing Against Romney’s Vulnerability on Tax Returns
At the same time that NPR was offended enough to go “truth squadding” on Romney’s advertisements attacking Obama's weakness on welfare, NPR’s Don Gonyea reported on Harry Reid’s unsubstantiated charges of Romney tax evasion by leaving the clear impression that Reid is effectively punching away at a Romney “vulnerability” and sees nothing to lose. He certainly can’t seem to lose with NPR.
On Wednesday's All Things Considered, NPR anchor Melissa Block introduced the story as “Don Gonyea reports on the increasingly ugly fight,” but that was applied to both Reid and the Republicans. But their online headline was “In Brawl Over Romney's Tax Returns, Harry Reid Gets Marquee Billing.” Like a boxer, get it?
Bob Beckel Mangles RNC Chairman’s Name Into Vulgarity, Accuses Him of Lying
Tuesday was just another day for “The Five,” the boisterous discussion panel program on the Fox News Channel, until liberal pundit Bob Beckel sank to a new low by referring to the Republican National Chairman's name -- Reince Preibus -- with a vulgar word for a particular part of a woman's body.
The incident occurred when “Five” co-host Eric Bolling referred to an upcoming e-book entitled “Obama’s Last Stand” that's being produced by the Politico.com website and indicates President Obama intensely dislikes former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
ABC’s Klein: GOP ‘Taking the Bait’ After Reid’s ‘Wildly Unsubstantiated’ and ‘Irresponsible’ Charge
On Sunday's World News, ABC's senior Washington editor, Rick Klein, found it to be a "wildly unsubstantiated" and "irresponsible" claim for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to accuse Mitt Romney of not paying taxes for 10 years. He also asserted that Republicans are "taking the bait" by responding, suggesting that there is a "big risk" for the GOP in doing so.
CNN’s Brooke Baldwin Skips Her Own Network’s Poll on ObamaCare
During an interview with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, Brooke Baldwin skipped her own network’s poll showing more independents disagree than agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling on ObamaCare. Such cherry-picking is not uncommon for CNN hosts as Baldwin's colleague Soledad O’Brien has engaged in the practice to prop up ObamaCare as well.
When Priebus challenged Baldwin over her polling claims, she doubled down and continued to selectively highlight data that fit her narrative. Brooke cited a Gallup poll showing 46 percent of all voters agree with the Supreme Court’s decision and 45 percent of independents agree as well. Baldwin left out the key piece of data from CNN's poll which found that while 47 percent of independents agree with the ruling, a majority, 52 percent disagree. [Video coming soon. MP3 audio here.]
Later on in the segment Baldwin turned to a Gallup poll which found independent voters agreeing with the decision 45-42.
Baldwin did, however, cite CNN's poll numbers favoring Obama: "If the law were to be repealed, Americans don't actually think Mitt Romney is the one to do it," she lectured Priebus. "I have a poll and this poll here is, let’s see this is the CNN/ORC poll, registered voters, who would better handle health care, Obama 51 percent, Romney 44 percent. Does that concern you?"
Overall in CNN’s poll, 52 percent favor all or most of the ObamaCare provisions, compared to 47 percent opposing all or most (43 percent favored most, 34 percent opposed most), yet at the same time, a majority, 51 percent, want Congress to vote to repeal, something House Republicans have tried and will try again. For his part, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has and continues to refuse to schedule a vote, even as Democrats insist the votes aren't there in the Senate for repeal in the first place.
Priebus is a capable spokesman for his party and his political philosophy and is a veteran at dealing with biased liberals in the media, but that doesn't excuse Baldwin's determination to play ObamaCare booster rather than objective journalist.
See the relevant transcript below.
CNN
STARTING POINT
07/03/2012
7:32 a.m.
BROOKE BALDWIN: Reince Priebus is the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Reince, good morning to you.
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: Hey, Brooke. Good morning.
BALDWIN: Let me just coming out of the gates and ask you this, did Eric Fehrnstrom just make your job a heck of a lot more difficult?
PRIEBUS: No. You know, this is the problem, I think you have these conversations about a Supreme Court ruling that we all don't like, at least don't like it. I don't agree with it. But that doesn't mean even though I don't agree with it, and even though I agree with a dissent of that opinion, it doesn't mean that the truth is not the truth once a Supreme Court speaks. And the Supreme Court has stated that Obamacare is a tax and so since they have ruled that it's a tax --
BALDWIN: I don't know if that was the precise phraseology if you read the verbate from the Supreme Court court, but it could be like a tax or power of Congress to tax. But let me get to this. You know, you say you like it and agree with the dissent. President Obama and Romney per Fernstrum say this is a mandate, not a tax. What is the RNC's position on this?
PRIEBUS: Well, our position is the same as Mitt Romney's position, it's a tax, that's the only way the Supreme Court came up with the decision that it did in order to make it constitutional.
BALDWIN: But it sounds like camp Romney says it was a penalty. So I'm just asking you specifically, Republican National Committee, tax or penalty, which is it?
PRIEBUS: It's a tax and the reason why it's a tax is because the Supreme Court number one ruled that it was a tax and number two, it's what Barack Obama's lawyer argued before the Supreme Court. So here's the problem, Brooke, here's the crux of the issue. The crux of the issue is most Republicans and I think most independents don't believe that Obamacare should have been ruled constitutional or --
BALDWIN: I have to stop you there. I have to stop you there. I was talking to a Republican Congresswoman yesterday and I have to point this out again, we have these polls, Reince. And I just want to show you this. You have Americans reaction to the Supreme Court decision. This is after last Thursday, 46 percent agree and when you look specifically at independents, 45 percent agree. So let's just agree, can we move off that and I want to ask you this --
PRIEBUS: No, we can't agree with it because most polls, Brooke, show that most Americans by a wide margin over 60 percent don't agree --
BALDWIN: What polls are you looking at?
PRIEBUS: -- That Obamacare is good for the American people. What polls am I looking today?
BALDWIN: I'm looking at "USA Today"/Gallup.
PRIEBUS: -- NBC poll, we have Rasmussen polls, we've got Gallup polls. There are polls all over the map that show that over 60 percent of the American people --
BALDWIN: I haven't seen that poll. I would love to see that. Take a look at this poll. This is the poll we have, Reince.
PRIEBUS: Well maybe we'll e-mail you a bunch of them okay.
BALDWIN: I have a lot of polls and I'm showing you the poll here. That was the Gallup/"USA Today" poll and that's 46 percent of Americans reaction.
PRIEBUS: If that's the case, then we would love to have an election on one issue in November and the question will be, if you believe that Obamacare should be repealed then vote for Mitt Romney, and if you think it should stay then vote for Barack Obama. And I would just love my chances in that question, Brooke.
BALDWIN: We'll see come November. Meantime, whether we say tax, whether we say penalty, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi says it's going to affect 1 percent of the population. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: It's not a tax -- it's a penalty for free riders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So when we -- and I want to be specific for our viewers, when you come up with this 1 percent number, the CBO says in its 2010 report projects in 2016, 3.9 million uninsured Americans will pay this penalty or tax is what you want to call it. U.S. population 2016 expected to rise to 328 million people so you do the math, that's 1 percent. In addition, "Wall Street Journal" Steven Moore writes 70 percent to 75 percent of the tax. So this 1 percent actually falls on those who earn less than $200,000 per year. So with that said, is 1 percent enough of a leg for the Republican Party to stand on to really make this a campaign issue?
PRIEBUS: Absolutely. Because number one, it's spending money that we don't have. And I think that's an important issue in the debt and deficit and the projections in long term over a 10-year period, is that it spends almost $2 trillion we don't have. Plus, Brooke, it affects small business's ability as well, not seen in Nancy Pelosi's numbers are all of the small businesses that are going to be forced into a program that either they can't afford or they don't want. And that's why you see all of these waivers that have come into the White House. I mean, he's had hundreds and hundreds of waivers from companies that don't want to opt into Obamacare. Now the White House had to stop that because it was getting to the point where there are almost too many of these businesses that wanted waivers. The point of all of this is, Mitt Romney is going to do everything he can on day one to repeal Obamacare and we believe that that's an absolutely winning issue for us, Brooke, in November. People don't want Europe in America and I think that the solution to that is firing Barack Obama and putting Mitt Romney in office.
BALDWIN: If the law were to be repealed, Americans don't actually think Mitt Romney is the one to do it. And again, if I may, Reince, I have a poll and this poll here is, let’s see this is the CNN/ORC poll, registered voters, who would better handle health care, Obama 51 percent, Romney 44 percent. Does that concern you?
PRIEBUS: You know, a snapshot always concerns me, but I mean, I also know it's a long campaign and I think at the end of the day, people generally and I'm convinced of this, Brooke, we don't agree today. But I think generally people don't agree that Obamacare is good for America. People understand that Mitt Romney will get rid of Obamacare and obviously, people who don't believe that Obamacare or European health care is good for America, know that Barack Obama is not the answer. And he is the one that went to Supreme Court and made sure it got jammed down our throats. And unfortunately for us, the majority has spoken, Obamacare is a tax and Mitt Romney is the guy to get rid of it.
BALDWIN: Ok, Reince Priebus, we'll see what happens in November. We appreciate you.