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From this Sunday's This Week on ABC, former HP executive and California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina apparently believes that people's civil rights should be put up for a vote... because we all know how well that's worked out in the past. And don't dare call anyone like John Boehner insincere or uncompassionate, because heaven forbid that might hurt their feelings.

We'd hate to get weepy Boehner crying again. And God knows we can't have any of those activist judges deciding things like this. They're only supposed to act that way when it comes to writing new laws that give corporations the same rights as people my friends.

RADDATZ; Let's more on to another big topic for the Republicans this week, and that stunning announcement by Rob Portman that he now supports same-sex marriage. Obviously a personal decision for him, the only Republican senator to support same-sex marriage. George Will, does this go anywhere?

WILL: He will not be the last, because the demographic tide here is large, powerful and execrable. I have said on this program before, opposition to gay marriage is literally dying, it's an older demographic. And if you raise the question among young people, they're not interested. And I dare say this is one of the good things about CPAC. As you saw at CPAC, this was another division and again, a healthy one. It's largely young people attend CPAC. And this is not at the top of their agenda. It's not even on their agenda

RADDATZ: I might take awhile for them to die out, though, George.

DOWD: I think that there's been an amazing -- and George is right, there has been amazing -- in the last ten years, I think there's been almost a 20-point change in people's perception of gay marriage in this country. I think Rob Portman is another domino in this whole effect.

I think Republicans, any Republicans that stand in the way of this, are standing in the way of march of history on this.

Rob Portman I know well. I did debate prep with Rob Portman in years past. He's a good person. And the people that I think that have criticized him and said, oh, by the way, hHe only did it was a personal thing that affected him personally, he wasn't going to do it otherwise. To me, why do we criticize people for that? The person that started MADD, it was a personal thing. The people that -- many people who have come out against gun control have been personally affected by it. If somebody's path to the truth, or somebody's path to a place where we actually think they're open and compassionate is a personal decision, god be wtih them.

FIORINA: I think we have to be careful, because John Boehner's views, which are different from Rob Portman's views, are equally sincere. And I think when we get into trouble on this debate when we assume that people who support gay marriage are open and compassion and people who don't are not. It's why I believe the right way to solve these very personal issues is to let people vote on them, don't have judges decide it, don't even have representative government decide it, let people vote on it in the states.

I think people of both points of view, accept the democratic process. What they don't always accept is a bunch of self-important, self-appointed judges saying this is culturally the new norm.

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On this Sunday's Meet the Press, Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom pointed out the sad and sorry fact that the GOP needs to get "permission" from the talking heads on right-wing hate radio in order to act on immigration reform.

Newsom was responding to his fellow panel member, Republican strategist Alex Castellanos, who let the cat out of the bag while accusing President Obama of using the immigration debate to polarize Republicans on the issue, as though they needed any help with that.

DAVID GREGORY: Alex, the question of whether Democrats want the issue on immigration, the reality is Democrats do want the success, and as you look at what the president's doing, how he's appealing to various groups in his coalition, he wants to lock these folks in. This is the president thinking about the long-term prospects of the Democratic party. And he also knows Republicans need a deal on this.

ALEX CASTELLANOS: Well, I think he's maybe thinking about the long-term, but he's also thinking about two years from now and taking the House. And going back to the first two years of his administration when he could run the table and of course do anything he wants, this is his last shot at legacy. So keeping Republicans polarized on immigration-- is not bad political strategy for him.

What I think you're going to see Republicans do though, is look, federal government's job is to enforce the border. But we've got to move somewhere else. You know, talk radio has already given Republicans a little room to move on immigration. But if r-- right now, immigrants have no economic value in the American system.

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New York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Sunday asserted that the National Rifle Association (NRA) had been "revealed as an insane organization" that "has this vision that we're living in a Mad Max movie" because it wants to put more guns in schools instead of supporting universal background checks and limits on military-style weapons.

During a panel segment on ABC, former Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina said she supported universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines, but "both sides have overplayed" their arguments on gun control after the December massacre of 20 school children in Newtown, Connecticut.

"We've gotten glimpse into the mindset of the pro-gun people," Krugman observed. "And we've seen certainly with [NRA CEO] Wayne LaPierre and some of these others, it's bizarre, they have this vision that we're living in a Mad Max movie and that nothing can be done about it, that America cannot manage unless everybody's prepared to shoot intruders, that the idea that we have a police force that provides public safety is somehow totally impractical, despite the fact that that is in fact the way we live."

"Now the craziness of the pro-gun lobby has been revealed," he added. "And that has got to move the debate and got to move legislation, at least to some degree."

But Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta said that he was comfortable with the NRA's opposition to universal background checks because the idea was a "perfect example of why Washington is broke."

"I know people will get guns no matter what laws we pass, just like the illegal drugs," Barletta argued.

"I just caught you on a false statement there," Krugman interrupted. "Because at least I do believe that guns are the root. There are crazy people everywhere, but mass murders are a lot more common here... I looked at the international differences, and countries that have effective gun control have a lot fewer incidents."

"Will banning a spoon stop obesity? Of course not," Barletta quipped.

"There are plenty of gun owners that are fine, but the NRA is now revealed as an insane organization," Krugman pointed out. "And that matters quite a lot."

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Carly Fiorina, who reportedly stood to receive more than $42 million after being ousted at HP in 2005, says that public workers should receive less benefits because "it is not fair" that unions are "so rich."

During a Sunday panel segment on NBC, MSNBC host Al Sharpton asserted that Congress must agree to raise taxes on the wealthy before cutting spending.

"This is about fairness," he explained. "Why do we need to need to deal with the tax on the rich first? Because we must ensure Americans we are dealing with fairness. We keep talking about shared sacrifice, there was not shared wealth and shared prosperity. So, you're asking people that didn't enjoy the good times to share in paying for the tab that they never enjoyed."

"Let us accept Rev. Al's point and the president's point about fairness," Fiorina replied. "But equally, it is not fair that public employee union pensions and benefits are so rich now that cities and states are going bankrupt and college tuition is going up 25 and 30 percent or police and firefighters are being cut. There's a lot that isn't fair right now."

During Fiorina tenure as the CEO of HP, at least 18,000 workers were laid off after the company's disastrous merger with Compaq.

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It's hard to say what the worst part of this Sunday's Meet the Press was, whether it be David Gregory allowing Republican governors to take credit for recoveries that started before they came in office, allowing David Brooks to drone on constantly about how "both sides" are equally horrible, or this segment with former HP CEO and job destroyer, Carly Fiorina, doing her best to try to pretend Mitt Romney would not have allowed the American auto industry to go belly up.

As Media Matters has documented here, she's just touting the same lines as the rest of them who have been carrying water for Romney on this issue -- Right-Wing Media Help Romney Hide His Opposition To The Successful Auto Rescue . At least we had Rachel Maddow and E.J. Dionne there for some push back to David Brooks and Carly Fiorina's hackery, because lord knows David Gregory wasn't going to do it. Useless. The man is completely useless as a host. Sadly, he fits in perfectly with the lot of them that host these Sunday bobble head shows.

DIONNE: See, I disagree with David. I think this election is a fundamental choice and I think the trust issue links closely with the economic issue. Romney is almost one as a product. It’s like if you’re selling a car--you want air-conditioning, I’ll give you air-conditioning. You want rich, Corinthian leather, remember those old ads, I’ll give you a leather. Romney is saying you want right wing in the primary, I’ll give you that. You want centrist in the election, I’ll give you that. And the auto rescue is a good example where he was clearly against it. And in the debate, trying to suggest that he was for it. And I think it’s entirely appropriate that the auto rescue has been so important to Obama running so well in Ohio, because it’s really a choice. Either government should just sit by and let the market do its thing or government can come in and correct certain market outcomes and prevent catastrophe. That is the kind of choice we face in this election.

BROOKS: I mean, if-- if you want to talk about trust, what Obama is talking about on the trail, first of all, there’s no second term agenda. Second, when he goes off the record with the Des Moines register last week, he gives out a second term agenda which is nothing like what he’s been talking about on the trail.

(Cross talk)

DIONNE: That’s not true. It’s not true at all.

BROOKS: Okay. Wait. So let’s talk about cutting corporate tax rates, talking about weeding out immigration.

DIONNE: He said that all along.

BROOKS: He’s talked about immigration reform which he’s not talked about much in public.

DIONNE: Yes, he has.

BROOKS: And he’s talked about a grand bargain with cutting spending two dollars and fifty cents for every dollar of tax revenue. That’s a much…

DIONNE: Which is his proposal he’s put on the table.

BROOKS: …that-- that is not what he’s been running on.

(Cross talk)

FIORINA: But-- but I think if-- if you-- if you want to talk about being factually accurate, it is factually inaccurate to say that Governor Romney was against the rescue of the auto industry. If you read his entire op-ed, you guys are journalists I assume you believe that words are important.

DIONNE: I did read his entire op-ed just this week.

FIORINA: And what he says in that op-ed is that he believed that the government should have provided financial guarantees. The difference between Governor Romney’s approach and President Obama’s approach is who gets to stand first in line to get paid off.

(Cross talk)

DIONNE: There was no money in the market that was going to go into the auto industry and that was a recipe...

FIORINA: That’s what he said in the op-ed the government should provide guarantee.

MADDOW: What-- what government-- what government-- what government…

(Cross talk)

GREGORY: Okay. Hold-- hold on. Rachel, quick comment here, then I want to get back to Chuck on Ohio. Go ahead.

MADDOW: What Governor Romney said was you can kiss the automotive industry good-bye if President Obama goes ahead with the auto rescue plan that he went ahead with. That saved the auto rescue, auto industry.

DIONNE: Exactly.

MADDOW: And that-- and-- and it-- it was a success. And Mister Romney is trying to deny the fact that he was against it and he’s trying to take some of the credit for it.

GREGORY: All right. We’re going to get…

FIORINA: The company that is doing best, Ford Motor Company was not rescued…

DIONNE: They were for the auto rescue because they were afraid the whole supply chain would go out if the others went down.

(Cross talk)

GREGORY: All right. Let me get back in here. We’re going to have more on the economy as we move along, because the roundtable stays with us for the hour. I’m about to talk to John Kasich in Ohio where these themes are-- are perfectly in his wheelhouse because it’s really what’s going to decide Ohio.

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David Broder might be gone, but I think after this week, between his performance on Morning Joe playing the false equivalency game and now his excusing of Paul Ryan's lies in an extremely lame rebuttal to Newt Gingrich and Carly Fiorina's hackery on this Sunday's Meet the Press -- we can rightfully crown Tom Brokaw the new king of High Broderism.

Or at least the king for this week. There are too many others out there lined up to regularly take his place among the beltway Villagers in the media. Apparently lying your ass off for an entire speech to the point where everyone knows your hair's on fire whether they want to admit it or not is now "overreaching."

I wish Brokaw's hackery was the worst thing about this steaming pile of poo on Meet the Press this week, but sadly it was not. The entire show was just a tragedy and not a single liberal on the panel to counter wingnuts. Just blathering Villagers in the form of Gregory, Brokaw, Thomas Friedman and Doris Kearns Goodwin who all did their part to just muddy the waters.

Transcript below the fold.

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Whether it was NBC's Meet the Press, ABC's This Week, CNN's State of the Union, CBS's Face the Nation or Fox News Sunday, no matter which of the Sunday bobble head shows you might have been watching this weekend, you heard one resounding theme from Republicans; Obama doesn't understand how the economy works.

Mitt Romney has been using that attack on President Obama relentlessly in response the the attack ads criticizing his time at Bain Capital, which ABC opened up with, showing Romney on Fox and Friends repeating the line earlier this week.

I put together a mashup of the line being repeated endlessly by those acting as Romney surrogates this weekend (official or not), starting with George Will on This Week, Newt Gingrich and Carly Fiorina on Meet the Press, Rudy Giuliani on State of the Union, Brit Hume on Fox News Sunday and Ed Gillespie on Face the Nation.

Nicole was working on this same theme which she posted on this Sunday here: Got Talking Points?. My mashup I put together also included George Will:

TAPPER: George, these attacks on Bain Capital, could they work?

WILL: It depends on how mature the American public is. The president is quite right. He's made clear what the choice is this fall, and it really became clear I think this week. The president wants capitalism without casualties. He wants dynamism but no dislocations. Now, remember, this is the president who says that ATMs and airport ticket kiosks cause unemployment. That gives you his grasp of the economy. And the question is, what's his alternative to the market allocating wealth and opportunity? The answer is it's the government to do it. It's Solyndra, it is the energy programs, investment in Energy Department's operation as a venture capital firm, investing in companies. 71 percent of its money went to Obama bundlers and contributors.

And Brit Hume:

HUME: I just -- I thought about this -- Kirsten has referenced this twice. The president and his team seems to think that this idea that you're creating wealth is unrelated to creating jobs.

Look, every business person who runs a hamburger stand understands you're trying to make a profit. And the business of making a profit has jobs as a byproduct. It's not as if there's some favorite industry out there called "Jobs R Us" which is in business for the purpose of creating jobs. That isn't how it works.

And it makes the president sound, I think, to even -- to even people who are not deeply sophisticated about Wall Street like he doesn't get how the whole system works. I think it may in fact be true that he doesn't get how the whole system works.

You can read the rest of the quotes in Nicole's post if you haven't already.

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Looks like Carly Fiorina decided that Sean Hannity isn't such a "tough interview" after all since she came running back into his loving arms for another softball session with him to bash her opponent for the US Senate in California, Barbara Boxer. The former HP outsourcer who doesn't think that there is any "job that is America's god given right anymore" trashed Boxer for her record on job creation and rattled off of course the typical Republican talking points we've heard this campaign season... the stimulus didn't work, spending is out of control, and yada yada.

Fiorina must have been really grateful for Sean being nice to her one more time since she even gave him a shout out for his faux documentary "The Valley Hope Forgot". The Huffington Post has more on that one -- Sean Hannity Steals From Hollywood In His Mockumentary, "The Valley Hope Forgot".

Please California let's not send this woman to Washington DC. I already had my fill of her before McCain's staff stopped her from doing any more interviews.

HANNITY: All right. The race for California Senate seat is tightening as we close in on Election Day. In the latest FOX News state poll shows that Senator Barbara Boxer's Republican opponent Carly Fiorina is closing the gap.

Now Senator Boxer is slightly ahead of Fiorina, 48-44. And with less than two weeks until voters head to the polls, and it's still anyone's game.

And joining me now is the Republican Senate candidate herself Carly Fiorina.

Welcome back to the show. Thanks for being with us.

FIORINA: It's great to be back with you, Sean. Thanks for having me.

HANNITY: All right. Obviously the president is spending a lot of time and resources. How many times did the president, vice president, Michelle Obama -- how many times they've been out there campaigning for Boxer?

FIORINA: Well, the president is out this week for the third time. Michelle is out for the first time. The vice president is out here for the second time. That is all the proof you need to know that Barbara Boxer is in serious trouble.

And in less than two weeks we can win this race.

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California Republican nominee for Senate Carly Fiorina certainly isn't acting like she's proud to have an endorsement from Sarah Palin.

Fiorina and Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman skipped an event Saturday where Palin campaigned on their behalf.

Politico noted:

The event slated for Oct. 16 in Anaheim is being widely promoted by the Republican National Committee and conservatives in the state, but neither gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman nor Senate nominee Carly Fiorina, whom Palin has endorsed, plans to attend.

A Fiorina source told POLITICO that her campaign already had two longstanding events set for the day and would not be able to attend the Saturday rally.

Whitman spokesman Tucker Bounds, meanwhile, said, “It’s a national RNC fundraiser, which we’re not planning to attend.”

On Sunday, Fox News' host Chris Wallace pressed Fiorina on her decision not to attend.

"You said you had a previously scheduled event," said Wallace. "Isn't the real fact you don't want to be seen with Sarah Palin because she is not very popular with independents and she at this point in a general election would hurt you, not help you?"

"I'm very proud of my endorsement from Sarah Palin," explained Fiorina. "I said that over and over again but I had a previously scheduled commitment for months with a group of veterans and John McCain."

"I had a previously scheduled group of fundraisers and rallies. Campaign schedules are complex things, as you can imagine. We got word of her trip very late in the game. And so I'm delighted she game to California. I know she helped raise a lot of money and we had commitments to keep as well."

The Christian Science Monitor reported that a new poll showed that Palin was a detriment to California candidates.

In the Field poll, 91 percent of respondents had an opinion of Palin, with 33 percent viewing her favorably and 58 percent unfavorably. Not surprisingly, Democrats have a highly negative view of her, by a margin of 8 to 1, and Republicans view her more positively – 74 percent favorable to 19 percent unfavorable. But independent voters also have an unfavorable view of Palin, 69 percent to 25 percent.

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Isn't it wonderful to see one of our Beltway Villager "journalists" pretend to ask a Republican candidate a serious question about the people who are funding their campaign, only to see them punt and let that candidate get away with a ridiculous explanation to that question unchallenged? That's exactly what John King did here with Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in California and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

King asks Fiorina about that Koch Brothers money that's been coming her way and allows her to punt without being challenged and say that there's money from special interests coming in on all sides and to pretend that she's some "newcomer" to politics. I guess King forgot that she was an adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign, so she can hardly claim to be a political "newcomer".

King of course didn't challenge her on that fact. And apparently Fiorina thinks that former CEO's who make their golden parachutes by outsourcing jobs from the United States are better suited than those evil "career politicians" with helping our country get out of this economic ditch we're in.

Barbara Boxer has been pretty decent with representing progressive issues even if she did fall by the wayside with supporting Joe Lieberman's reelection which I'll always have a sore spot with her for her doing so. That said, she's a mile better than miss-outsourcing queen Fiorina. The Koch brothers are funding Fiorina for a reason, and it's not because they're looking out for the average citizen out there. They're looking out for their own interests and figuring Fiorina will be on the side of big business like all of the Republicans.

Transcript below the fold.

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