Carl Bernstein Gets Chuck Todd's Knickers in a Wad
While the rest of the Morning Joe crew was espousing their new found love for Helen Thomas and former MSNBC reporter Chip Reid, Carl Bernstein managed to get Chuck Todd's back hair up by reminding him that the White House press corps yelling at the Press Secretary is not exactly what anyone should consider real journalism.
While I whole heartedly agree with Todd that it is important to hold these people accountable, Bernstein's points about this entire ordeal looking petty, and about where real journalism happens, which is reporters getting out there and knocking on doors, and digging into whether someone's actually telling you the truth or not, fact checking what you're told, etc. is what should be considered actual journalism is valid as well, and he managed to make Todd look petty while making it.
Todd tried to defend what the White House press corps does on a daily basis, and not very well IMO. When you're making excuses for asking Michael Jackson questions you've already lost the argument Bernstein was trying to make.
I want to know where these birds were with their love of Helen Thomas when the Bush White House refused to call on her for the better part of eight years? I'd also like to know if they're going to continue to support her if she asks some tough questions on things like these bank bailouts, spying on everyone which hasn't stopped, or these mindless wars that we're still sending our troops off to fight and die in. Is that going to make the "news" cycle on Morning Joe? Somehow, I doubt it.
Did they rake the Bush admin. over the coals when Jeff Gannon lobbed softballs at them? I don't seem to recall the indignation level being that high.
Perhaps it would have been better if they had been clear that they had asked the HuffPo guy to pick a question from Iran... but this brouhaha is simply about mainstream vs. blogosphere jealousy.
I agree, blogs are becoming the new mainstream because most are not for profit and are truth based. It's pretty hard to lie on a blog with the entire internet a click away. The propagandists for the corporatocracy are scared of the stereotypical guy in pajamas eating cheetos blogging away speaking truth to power. They are jealous and scared they will become obsolete, and so are their bosses.
Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. Albert Einstein
the blogger because they know that more people have radios and TVs than are on the internet. The ball is still in their court but more and more people are turning their backs to them.
until they really, really feel threatened (like if American citizens ever had the gumption to actually protest again like in the 60's) >>>> and then they'll just pull the plug on the inter-tubes or turn off the electricity....
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
the tv msm will die a slow death much like newspapers are now. The internet is as important as electricity, phone and water these days, they wouldn't dare take those away. Blogs will have to take over investigative journalism to fill the void, but in the end we will all benefit from a healthier press with citizen interaction to fact check everything. What we have now, news by idiot box, is hopefully in its last throes.
Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity. Albert Einstein
I'm sure Helen would have if she wasn't fighting to have been called upon at the time.
is there *anyone* on television that's more of a prick than Joe Scarborough? He's worse than Bill O'Reilly-- I mean, O'Reilly is a bully and a jerk, but at least he's up front about it.
Scarborough insults people in this wormy, smarmy way that puts them on the spot. When they call him out on it, he plays the victim and offers a sarcastic apology with *just enough* sincerity that blowing it off will make his target look like a jerk. It's what I'd expect from a spoiled 15 year old girl, not a grown man.
If O'Reilly is the playground bully taking little kids' lunch money, Joe Scarborough is the catty captain of the cheerleading squad.
I'm right there with you on Scarborough. He does act so damned immature and childish. The guy makes me curse way to early in the day. Mika has become his support groupie. I doubt anyone would show up at his book signings if she were not there. She's becomming too much like him.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
I don't watch his show anymore - no need to get up that early in the morning to be disgusted. He's a useless piece of crap - pretty much what he was when he served in Congress, too.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
out to go to the Prom...
I can't watch this clip without counting all the times one of them takes a sip from their Starbucks cup. Hell, why shill for corporations for free when you can be sponsored - why be a slut when you can be a whore?
Hopefully humanity will one day learn to be humane.
And what's really funny is watching Mika back Scarborough up on every loony, insane statement he makes. Why is she there, other than to be his cheerleader, she seems to have no other function?
Oh I forgot. He's the beard, she's the skirt. Makes them look more like Fox and Friends more every day.
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
commenting on the fairness of the commentary. It is all about them.
Who cares who won?
"The deal has to be negotiated in the real world, not on some idealized Aristotelian plane. We understand that. A 100-percent deal may be impossible."
Famous "Reality Based" Commentator
To call out Upchuckles and the MSM. The MSM thinks highly of itself like it is some elite, exclusionary club that looks condescendingly down on others. In reality, most of them are overpaid, incompetent propagandists bent on preserving the status quo and Neocon politics.
Time for a reality check in this snob-a-torium.
"We will find fulfillment not in the goods that we have, but in the good we can do for each other."
Robert F. Kennedy
All they need now are corporate arm bands.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
NASCAR jumpsuits covered in decals! VRRRRRRRRRRooooooom!
The first 3 minutes are either hilarious or troublingly absurd....Joe and Chuck...Oh well.
seriously
This is all an issue about the MSM and the news services pissing match with the bloggers about that one question from the Huffington Post (or rather via the HuffPo from Iran).
Why is it so hard for Gibbs to call them to the carpet on this?
Thomas is saying that the White House is betraying it's transparency goals by pre-arranging to call on the HuffPo. Why can't Gibbs spell out exactly what happened?
That is: The White House saw the HuffPo effort to get questions from Iran. They called the HuffPo the evening before Obama's press conference and said, "If we call on you, are you actually going to have a question from Iran?" Then the HuffPo put that together.
Gibbs is doing everyone a disservice by trying to dismiss all this with his stupid sounding laughter. He's doing his employers a disservice by no explaining in small words exactly what happened.
Thomas is representing the established media, and it's clear that her issue is with the blogs in general. Would she be asking the same questions if Obama had called on the AP or Reuters for questions straight from Iranians? But HuffPo was out in front, collecting these questions. The real question Thomas has is "How can we trust HuffPo not to be some kind of operative organization for the White House or the Democratic party." To which we can all tell Thomas, "How can we trust any of you?" Answer: by your reporting.
Time for Helen to put the running shoes back on and hit the streets for some answers... Same goes for all of them.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Shouldn't the title for this piece be: Joe Gets Chuck's Knickers In A Wad
by the time Carl set him off. If Joe Blows hadn't dissed him, his exchange with Bernstein would have been considerably more civil. Then again, I would pay to see a regular "Let's Crap on Chuck Todd!" segment.
I suspect she has a reason for her "controlling the media" remarks, but Gibbs was equally correct in asking her for specifics. Which he didn't get. Other, I guess, than the incident with the HufPost guy. Of course, this bantering does sound somewhat juvenile in any case.
Good point. Gibbs was also willing to take a count with Helen at the end of the most recent session. Helen should stick to national political issues.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Should have her own Blog. Before it's too late.
She does have a certain insight that one can only get from being in the WH press room for...what......4+ decades?
She's missing the boat on this one. She should have had it 8 years ago.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
of Joe talking zhit about that crazy wizened ol' dwarf-lady Helen Thomas during the Bush Years?
This love he professes is truly new-found.
Many if not all of the reporters at these press briefings seem to think it's all about them instead of being all about facts and news. They think they are stars rather than simple journalists.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
These hard working two fisted drinking newpapermen know their place, especially when there is important news to cover, like Anna Nichole or Michael J. Real journalists work the phones to find out if OJ called anyone from the Bronco.
"The deal has to be negotiated in the real world, not on some idealized Aristotelian plane. We understand that. A 100-percent deal may be impossible."
Famous "Reality Based" Commentator
Didn't Scarborough also use the fbomb this year without realizing it? With this and his Todd intro I'm beginning to think he is mixing something a little strong in his "joe" or is suffering from the early stages of dementia.
I noticed something too. I think he may have turtle syndrome...
Perhaps so as to not frazzle nerves. just what we need - slow motion wing nut propaganda in the morning.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
are the citizens of the US who are held hostage by these cretins and their corporo-fascist media bosses. All we get now from most sources is lies, drivel and propaganda. A democratic republic cannot survive
unless the free press actually does it's job - and as we clearly see and hear every day - they do not.
The Fourth Estate is Dead...
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
It didn't commit suicide.
It was bought out, then reined in, then cut to the bone, then reduced to triviality and gossip by owners who were neither much in sympathy with the Press (its independence, once, was a threat to corporat mal- and misfeasance, which was one of the reasons they were so eager to buy up the news outlets, wholesale), nor much interested in democracy, which was the sole reason the press was/is a protected institution.
So don't blame the news-guys. They were and are pawn of the Owners, whose agendas do NOT map anywhere on a free, democratic People with real knowledge/power. That's exactly what the press was bought up to prevent...
that's why I refer to them always as 'corporo-fascists'.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
was and still is about 'paid' reporters, from "major" news outlets being made to look like the corporat stenographic shills and hacks they have become under the regime of bottom-line, corporat 'journalism.' The WhiteHouse press corpse, with few exceptuions, are a bunch of lazy, kept, pampered prima donnas who haven't done an hour's worth of real leg-work since the were cubs.
and it showed there, and since.
Way to go Carl Bernstein!
Todd has a chance, but he's headed in the wrong direction...
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Take it here.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
Use the honor method.
No Cheating.
I got 70%
I need to crack the books again.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
TY that was fun
LuLu
C'mon now......
What is your conceptual, continuity?
I also need to hit the books..hee
LuLu
I got 45%. Pretty pathetic, eh?
I'll go stand in the corner now and hang my head in shame ....
Being Canadian and all.:)
What is your conceptual, continuity?
I feel better now :)
95% here! WOOHOOO!
;}
I usually score 45% when it actually counts for something.
100%, without cheating or going to Google for the answers. Damn, that was fun, but there were a couple toughies in there that made me think. Also made me remember how much I loved history class.
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
Congrats on your perfect score, Mike!
Thanks calgarylady! By the way, I work for Canadian Pacific Railway in the Northeast US. And, I also know Canadian corvettes were not a car made by Chevrolet but ships that served your Canadian Navy well fighting Nazi subs. My love of history is not limited to American history.
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
I doubt anyone will beat that score.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
I love travelling by train. Nothing like it!
Cheers to "the last spike" and the CPR!
Joe S. he's perfect to represent the GOP--no respect for women, rude, arrogant and won't let others speak.Yeah that's Joe, hes overbearing, conceited, controlling, lacks respect for other humans, and is generally a real waste of space
He's not a journalist.
Why is it Republicans can leave their political post and immediately get television shows? Joe Scarborough is trotted out as the GOPs best hope. Hahaha that makes me laugh. What a tool.....please.
The Screaming Morning Show is one huge disgrace to journalism and broadcasting, there's no real journalism there, there's no real investigating, its anchors are farces and on and on–it's just terrible.
THE SHOW SUCKS. END OF STORY. PLEASE PLEASE Take it off the air!
LuLu
OK. maybe they should drop politics from their program. Just drop politics from the Morning Joe Show already! Enough! People are getting pissed off at Joe's stupid political ideas. Stay away from politics on morning coffee shows ffs.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Would it be too much to ask for complete disclosure from these hacks?
Every time Joe's ugly mug is on the screen there should be a heading that says "Joe Scarborough - former Republican Congressman". He's still a Republican operative masquerading as a journalist.
Maybe "Joe Scarborough - R (Dead Intern)"
Especially the other day, when he was interviewing Rudy Giuliani about Gov. Sanford and his Argentinian shtupette.
The irony was so thick you could cut it with a machete.
Can't help but wonder what the collective salaries of the so-called 'journalists' in that clip add up to. North of $10 million, I'd bet.
That was nothing more than mutual sniping and self-aggrandizement among a bunch of wealthy, complacent assholes. There is more substance in a dog food commercial. Why is this bantering shop-talk considered to be worthy of airtime?
If Bernstein had been on the ball, and had integrity, he would have said, 'You know, back when I was working on Watergate, journalists didn't sit around on live TV getting paid to yap about themselves. They went out, got stories, double-checked their sources and reported facts.'
The NSA is still spying on citizens in violation of the constitution and the FISA law. The job market is collapsing. To name but 2 dire, under-reported, real-time events. And these blowhards are trading in-jokes.
Yeah, this sudden love for Helen is a bit odd.
Bernstein's definitely got a point here, but just for context, Bob Somerby did a whole series on the problems with that Hillary Clinton book of his.
Did Todd and Bernstein do a 180% from their original positions?
'Talk to the hand'
This is the sort of prick this guy is, day in and day out. He insults his fellow employees, and then he acts like it's some sort of f*cking joke.
Frankly, I can't stand anyone but the old fart on this screen. The rest are just shills. Pathetic excuse for news we have today..as he was trying to point out to the self-righteous dim wits.
Remember when Joke got smacked down by Rachel Maddow? Now that was funny.
Just in case we've forgotten that magic moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nFpK-_A4Ws&fe...
You go, Rachel, and Cenk from the Young Turks gives a great wrap-up.
Democratic Party progressive, Vietnam veteran and proud Union member for 41 years
Is the story is still out there about Bush administration manipulation of the media that took things about ten steps further than this HuffPo business.
Judith Miller was in jail for three months and the MSM didn't do this many minutes on her in total in that whole time.
Just today we get more word that Cheney organized the whole media leaking with multiple leaks in multiple directions (Fleischer, Armitage, Libby) of classified information, basically conspiring and committing a felony act of outing a covert agent.
Maybe Helen should write a case study about media manipulation comparing the HuffPo/Iran question to the outing of Valerie Plame. She is complaining about Obama playing pepper in double-A in Spring training while everybody ignores Cheney pulling a triple-play in Yankee Stadium in October.
"She is complaining about Obama playing pepper in double-A in Spring training while everybody ignores Cheney pulling a triple-play in Yankee Stadium in October."
Good analogy.
email her directly and remind her about what's really important to the actual citizens of this country.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
Better get busy now Helen!
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
I think Gibbs is a terrible press secretary.
I don't like pre-screened Q&As (I thought we were done with that) but I would at least have settled for a decent answer, like "Hey, there are a lot of idiots and wackos out there and we want to make sure there's a variety of relevant topics addressed."
Something besides that snarky response.
He usually sucks - doesn't really answer any questions with facts or add any relevant information - just skirts the issues and makes jokes.
Dana Perino was better than him - she lied a lot, but at least she did it professionally.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
"gramma dana, what did you do when you were young?"
"well little muffywingnut, gramma dana was a lying shill for a corrupt, soulless, and evil regime"
"was it fun? did they have cookies?"
"fun? oh my yes. no, but they had freedom fries"
"teacher says freedom fries was a silly..."
"your teacher sounds like a blame gamer little muffywingnut. can you say blame gamer?"
"blame gamer"
"good girl"
Gibbs is a kind spirit. Perino i have doubts.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
... just saying it was easier listening to her lie than to Gibbs do whatever it is he tries to do. At least we all knew that Perino was following a script that was full of lies....
Gibbs et al are just pretending to be 'transparent' or whatever.
He's not even clever enough to lie well!!!
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
I don't think pre-screening is an accurate description.
Nothing wrong with Helen giving Gibbs a bit of a reminder about his pledge though.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Didn't St. Helen hate on Nico?
afghanistan wasn't the mindless war iraq was, at least it wasn't until bush et. al. bungled tora bora with their second guessing of the ground commanders orders which resulted in bin ladin's eventual escape to pakistan. on the plus side, as things stand now with the new regime in pakistan there seems to be a new willingness for cooperation as they have become much more wary of the dangers al qaeda and the taliban pose to their own stability.
wow... might be the bigger story here is that joe scarblow is an even bigger dick of an asshole than i thought...
"i love chip..." ... what a stupid thing to say ...
and, mika, gag. what ARE you? the stroker?
and i really like willie's dad on CBS Sunday Morning... his kid is being poluted... i hope it's not too late to save him...
for once, i'm with chuck on THAT part of the conversation... he had a right to be mad at the punk joe...
as to getting his knichers wadded, well, he was already on the defense, but bernstein made good points, so did chuck...
Hey! Who wants to start a real news agency? That would be different.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Love how Chuck takes several lengthy sips of his Starbucks™. Is nibbling on a McGriddle next on the product-whoring menu?
He should be offended that people actually call people like him a journalist. Journalism died years ago. Corporate shilling started with the advent of CNN and continued on with FOX News and MSNBC. Thanks for nothing Ted Turner.
is intended to be a factual statement
Scarborough is right. Chuch Todd is a dick, but Chip Reid is a bigger dick.
Ummm...do those two guys really need to sit that close together?
If a drone kills a child in Kandahar, do the crying parents make a sound?
Scarborough is the WORST.
I don't think Chuck T looked that bad in the clip.
on so many levels it's absurd. Why he and Gregory have jobs is a mystery. It's not really, any repub sycophant can get a job on TV.
I just wish they'd sometimes consider hiring a journalist.
People like Hannity and Scarborough are always ready with the smarmy attitude.
One gets the unmistakable impression that beneath that false charm and faux smile they frequently have total disdain for people they disagree with politically.
I just don't see the same lack of civility from that many on the left. They mostly debate the issues and seldom resort to ad hominem attacks like Sean and Joe - who are prone to incivility and personal attacks. IMO progressives are nowhere near the conservatives when it comes to the frequency and depth of their contentiousness and acrimony.
Libs treat the other side like a sibling they respect but are simply at odds with. Conversely, these right wingers are more like the angry wayward father who comes home drunk and begins insulting family members.
My persistent impression is because they cannot win the argument on the basis of economic or social justice they must resort to name calling and bullying. He who is the most obnoxious wins!
The GOP and their hatchet men (and women) are unquestionably the party of "what's best for ME", while the Dems seem to be more about "what's best for US".
Finally, when someone like Rachel Maddow confronts Scarborough he recoils and walks off the set like the spoiled immature brat he is.
Chuck Todd, not realizing he's in a hole, keeps digging. :D
Oh, and Mark Halperin said nothing, but he's a 'way bigger dick than Chuck, maybe he's even a bigger dick than Joe, but I'd have to think that over.
The most hilarious part was the mumbling, incoherent, blonde blimbo, with her head bobbing around, sitting next to the Reslug Joe-Blow, who just got told he's a partisan hack.
while Woodward has become nothing more than a stenographer. And while Joe may have been on-mark about Upchuck Toad [for the WRONG reasons], watching Scarborough backpedal for 30 some-odd seconds [an eternity] was a thing of beauty, and serves to underscore D'borough has his head SO FAR up his own ass, he doesn't even know what's going on during his own program.
Nice going, schmuck.
Chuck's knickers were in a wad over what Scarborough said, more than what Bernstein said. Morning Joe is such a waste of airtime. I did like Chuck pointing out that Scarborough wasn't a reporter and taking that blowhard down a couple of pegs. Anytime Scarborough is rendered speechless is a good thing.
Nothing groundbreaking happens at those daily briefings. I think Todd and the like are pissed that the press secretary calls on bloggers. They are being territorial. To hell with the good ol' boys club.
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