Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 9th, 2009
The surprise news that President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize didn’t put a damper on the ongoing, nonstop 7/24 political partisan warfare in the United States — in fact, it was akin to throwing a lit match into a big, fat puddle of gasoline.
The Huffington Post has an eye-opening post HERE: conservatives reacted with outrage, anger and some demonization (one writer even suggested it was an “affirmative action” decision) while the DNC seemingly morphed...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 9th, 2009
News videos are now popping up online about the surprise announcement that President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Here are a few of them:
The AP’s asks if the prize will be a boost or bust:
ITTN News:
Reuters video with Q&A of committee addressing why he won — getting some tough questions about what Obama has actually accomplished to deserve it:
Russia Today’s take on it:
Don Imus on Fox News network:
Joe Scarborough is skeptical as the White...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 8th, 2009
In 1965 comedy great Groucho Marx hosted “The Hollywood Palace” variety show on ABC and reunited with his comedy foil of his great films of the 30s, Margaret Dumont.
It was a performance as good as in the films — and Dumont died two days after the taping:
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 8th, 2009
Alas, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his dancing feet and shaking you-know-what will no longer be featured on “Dancing with the Stars.” And now the Washington Post frames the question: did he bail or was he shoved?
Did the producers of “Dancing With the Stars” drop a brick on Tom DeLay’s feet when he became the show’s main story line and they saw where the ratings were heading?
DeLay resigned from “Dancing With the Stars” on Tuesday —...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 8th, 2009
After months of a new and old media narrative about President Barack Obama’s proposed health care reform being on the ropes — a political hot potato Obama tossed Congress to resolve — is the tide finally turning?
Within the past 24 hours a new report came out suggesting one of the proposed plans would help reduce the deficit — removing a key political talk radio culture talking/attack point and giving the White House, Democrats and health care reform proponents a potent rhetorical...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 7th, 2009
The split between Republicans may be getting more public as the reality sinks in that a vote is near on health care reform. And former Senator Bob Dole is now coming out in favor of it — and seemingly taking a swipe at Senate Minority leader Mitch (Dr. No) McConnell, the Kansas City Star reports:
“This is one of the most important measures members of Congress will vote on in their lifetimes,” the former Republican Senate majority leader and presidential candidate[Dole] told an...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 6th, 2009
Two clips HERE.
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 6th, 2009
So let’s edit it.
(What do you expect in this age of ideological news networks when people will only read what they already agree with in advance? It makes…some kind of…sense….in that context..)
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 6th, 2009
THIS JUST IN! A news flash: An expert says Iran’s anti-Semitic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad doesn’t have Jewish roots after all.
The news comes on the heels of this raging story that Iran’s President, who believes the holocaust is some silly story cooked up to justify what he seems to feel is Israel’s unjustifiable existence, could have had Jewish roots. Given Ahmadinejad’s statements, it’s likely that a lot of people could have come forward to volunteer to happily...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 5th, 2009
Our political Quote of the Day comes in the form of You Tube of Joe Scarborough, whose comments here say it all:
Am I permitted to say to Joe: “Ditto”?
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 5th, 2009
CBS’s late night comedy star David Letterman has continued the apologies he began last week:
Letterman is continuing to use his late night talk show as a platform to discuss how he “has his work cut out for him” in dealing with the fallout from his on-air confession that he was the alleged victim of extortion.
Joe Halderman, 51, an Emmy-award-winning producer for CBS News’ “48 Hours,” has pleaded not guilty after he was charged last week with trying to blackmail...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 5th, 2009
And so it continues. If you thought some in Hollywood’s defense of Roman Polanski for raping a 13 year old girl hit rock bottom when Whoppie Goldberg seemingly decided to redefine the meaning of rape — a statement so dismaying that it sparked pointed SNL bit — it has now sunk to another level….in the blogosphere.
An associate producer of the highly touted Polanski documentary has been “spamming” a conservative blog with anonymous attack quotes since the blog...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 5th, 2009
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Sen. John McCain’s, has blasted Glenn Beck.
First, on Fox:
And then on CNN, former Dick Cheney advisor Mary Matalin responds (claiming Beck is actually nonpartisan) to Graham’s comments — as does her husband, Democratic strategist warhorse James Carville (who does not mince words):
Beck is now one of the hottest political personalities on Fox News, getting huge ratings, but still losing advertisers. Although some predict Fox News’...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 4th, 2009
On its broadcasts…
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 4th, 2009
Is it becoming “more muscular” or not?
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 4th, 2009
As much as I detest the phrase “defining moment” — a journalistic cliche that has is a pleasant as hearing blackboard chalk scrape — President Barack Obama now faces a….defining moment, in his presidency. Will he give Gen. Stanley McChrystal the 40,000 troops he says he needs to successfully fight the battle in Afghanistan?
In blogs, talk radio, TV and cable everyone is talking about what the General says he wants and putting their own spins on it.
Here is the text...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 4th, 2009
Saturday Night Live skewered President Barack Obama last night. Satire is often a barometer of emerging conventional wisdom — so Obama & Co should not view this one as welcome news:
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 4th, 2009
In a way, you knew this kind of story could be out there and was just waiting to be uncovered: according to a story in the Daily Telegraph, Iran’s Israel-detesting, anti-Semitic epitome President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have Jewish roots:
A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.
A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.
The...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 3rd, 2009
Was the reason behind Chicago’s flop really anti-Americanism?
And will Obama now face political consequences due to his unsuccessful efforts?
The cartoon by Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner, is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 2nd, 2009
When an American city loses out on the 2016 Olympics, it’s nirvana to some.
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 2nd, 2009
Democrats may be aghast, some independent voters may be stunned, and traditional Republican conservatives truly descended from Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater may talk about needing to reverse the demonization tide.
But Neal Gabler writing in the L.A. Times contends that 21st century conservatism is now akin to religion — and that compromise will not only do no good but will never be possible. And, he concludes, modern conservatives are making gains and will likely continue to do so.
Read...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 2nd, 2009
Here’s Part 1 and Part II of Fox News video now up on You Tube of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama making their pitch to the Olympic committee for Chicago as the 2016 Olympics city:
Here’s the text of Obama’s comments. Here’s the text of Michelle Obama’s comments.
FOOTNOTE: My satellite radio (the device that lets me escape regular talk radio) was on the blink yesterday so while traveling I had a chance to sample talk radio. Once again I was amazed...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 1st, 2009
Pollster.com looks at the GOP brand and the findings are: not good at all.
But if you look at the graph, you see a sharp decline in the Democrats as well. So when you read the post and look at the graphs it boils down to this:
If the GOP brand now conjures up feelings among many Americans as the kind of feelings they have when facing a root canal or a meticulous proctological exam, if the Democrats are also plummeting full-speed-ahead (with the Republican leaning segment of independent voters and...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 1st, 2009
It sounds as if the Democrats are starting to form a circular firing squad over the public option in the health care debate. At a time when the party is losing independent voter support, some progressives are saying public option or political purge. From TPMDC:
“If Harry Reid does not have the leadership skills to get 60 votes for cloture and give a Democratic president an up-or-down vote on health care, progressives will help defeat him in 2010, even if that means Republicans take that seat,”...
Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief | Oct 1st, 2009
A new Gallup Poll confirms the way it has been trending: Democrats are losing an increasingly large chunk of independent voters to Republicans and are now ahead with that vital group — with the smallest difference between the two parties among independents since 2005. Which raises the question:
Are the Republicans now poised for a comeback?