Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: MRC Alert: Woman on 'Today' Plaza: GOP to Blame for Shutdown, Obama 'Best President We Have Had In a Very Long Time'

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

MRC Alert: Woman on 'Today' Plaza: GOP to Blame for Shutdown, Obama 'Best President We Have Had In a Very Long Time'

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Wednesday October 02, 2013 @ 08:29 AM ET

1. Woman on 'Today' Plaza: GOP to Blame for Shutdown, Obama 'Best President We Have Had In a Very Long Time'
On Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Carson Daly turned to a woman on theToday show plaza for her reaction to the government shutdown. "Judy from Chicago" proceeded to bash Republicans and praise President Obama: "I think all of this amounts to is the Republicans are against President Obama. They don't want the President to be successful. I think he is the best President we have had in a very long time." She continued: "I think they need to work together. They knew for a long time this was coming to this. How about they don't receive any paychecks, just like everyone else?" Daly agreed: "Right. That's good thoughts. Thank you, Judy."

2. Politico's Roger Simon: 'Extreme Right-Wing' Is Taking the GOP 'Hostage'
On CNN Tuesday, Politico's Roger Simon slammed the "extreme right-wing" for using "food as a political weapon," for taking the GOP "hostage," and for denying "health care to 11 million people" in favor of a shutdown. "The extreme right-wing of the Republican Party has taken that party hostage, at least in the House of Representatives," Simon ranted. He summarized their current position on the shutdown: "[W]e would rather shut down the government than extend health care to eleven million people."

3. CNN Shutdown Bias: Republican 'Suicide Caucus' Is 'Hurting Families'
Before and during Tuesday's government shutdown, CNN hosts, reporters, and anchors blasted Republicans and blamed them for the shutdown. New Day co-host Chris Cuomo told Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) "You did shut down the government," and asked him if he would admit he was wrong for "hurting families." On Tuesday's Tom Joyner Morning Show, CNN anchor Don Lemon spat on the "false narrative" that both parties were to blame and pointed his finger squarely at Republicans. During Tuesday's The Situation Room, correspondent Brian Todd refered to the group of 80 "hard-line Republicans" standing against ObamaCare funding as the "suicide caucus." On his Monday night CNN show, host Piers Morgan hailed the news that gun permits would be delayed during the shutdown as "excellent."

4. Shutdown Showdown: ABC Predicts GOP Will 'Blink First'; NBC Hypes Closed Museums
All three networks on Tuesday morning hyped the partial government shutdown with reports from closed museums in Washington D.C. and live shots of the Statue of Liberty. The journalists of ABC's Good Morning America informed Americans that Republicans would probably "blink first" in the stand-off with the White House and congressional Democrats. NBC's Peter Alexander checked in live from Washington, touting the "4200 workers at the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo." He narrated, "We're now here in front of the National Air and Space Museum. They tell me last week they had 88,000 visitors come here. Today it'll be zero, the door's are locked." Alexander added, "And there's a very simple message posted to that front door, it reads, 'We apologize for the inconvenience.'"

5. ABC's Jeff Zeleny Finds GOP 'Cracks Emerging'-- From Rep Who Already Opposed Shutdown
ABC reporter Jeff Zeleny on Tuesday afternoon excitedly told viewers that "cracks" are "emerging" in the Republican opposition to the government shutdown. His example of this? A GOP congressman already on record opposing a shutdown. Following live coverage of Barack Obama's speech, the journalist related, "But a couple cracks emerging, including a congressman from Virginia, a military district, Scott Rigell. He says, 'enough is enough. It's time to move on with this.'" However, on the September 20 World News, Zeleny reported, "We caught up with Congressman Scott Rigell of Virginia, the only Republican to go against his party." On that day, the reporter featured a clip of Rigell exclaiming, "And I've not heard from any members who thinks that shutting this government down is a good idea."

6. MSNBC's Wagner Touts Guest Bartlett's Call for 'Well-Deserved Death' for 'Tea Party'
On the Monday, September 30, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, substitute host Alex Wagner read a tweet written by guest Bruce Bartlett in which the former George H.W. Bush administration official expressed hope that the Tea Party would soon "die a well-deserved death." After Bartlett referred to "Tea Party clowns" as he hoped that Republican leaders would manage to "put them down or limit their influence," Wagner expresed her approval of her guest calling Tea Party Republicans "clowns" as she began her response: "Bruce refers to the 'Tea Party clowns,' and I think a lot of people would agree with that designation..."

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