Wolf Blitzer and those Flaming Liberals: UPDATED with VIDEO
This should put to rest any notion of fairness being used in the way the media treats Liberals and Conservatives. Here's Wolf on Late Edition from his interview with Mike Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services:
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Download | play (UPDATED with video --Thanks to BillW)
BLITZER: ....Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who is a conservative, he's not a flaming liberal by any means, here's what he said in dealing with this issue. Because he's a firm supporter of the legislation on the Hill: "As far as the size of the package, it's important to understand that about half of the new money is needed just to keep the program running, and the rest goes to cover more low- income kids.
I'm flaming---you're flaming, we're all flaming liberals. My God, I was just sitting down in my "Impeach Cheney" cap on watching CNN, when when the hat caught fire. Is there a handy Guide Book for Liberals? What kind are you? Maybe a run-of-the-mill liberal that wants to go and hug a tree.
Blitzer would probably call Grover "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub," Norquist, a staunch conservative, which the public would perceive as a fiscally sound conservative that believes all the problems in the US are wrapped up in too many taxes and government intervention. So, of course, anyone who identifies with the Democratic Party and wants to end the occupation in Iraq would be considered "Flamers." This really typifies how the media views us and the presiding conventional wisdom among the Beltway class.
He actually corrected his statement later in the show. He meant to say "flaming Gay liberal"
Eff you Wolf. Thanks for the reminder about how really bad things are in the main stream media.
*
Precisely why I do not have a TV set...who would want to watch/listen to any of the
MSM on CNN/Faux Noise/MSNBC or other channels...much prefer to listen to NPR or
Air America or Democray Now...
If anyone is actually "flaming", it is the Conservatives and their huge collection of closeted (and newly un-closeted) gay politicians in office.
The way we use "wingnuts" around here to describe all Conservatives, maybe you should grow thicker skin. And I'm as liberal as they come.
Does that make me a "flaming heterosexual?" Isn't "Wolf" part of that liberal media I've heard so much about, but can't seem to find?
Demonization buzz words - strung in a sentence - should be banned from news networks. We have allowed this to continue far too long and this is the result!
Leslie Blitzer is a disgrace!! This isn't a suprise to anyone. What a tool!!
Hell, I thought I was sexy as hell because my pants were smokin' Now I find out it's just 'cause I'm a plain old flaming liberal.
I think we should wear the term "flaming liberal" with pride. We'll keep right on flaming until someone notices our rights are going up in smoke every single day. We'll keep right on raising hell and no one can put out the fire in our voices.
Tom @ 5:
Nicely put. It's wrong to cut down others for namecalling if you can't break the habit yourself.
They need to demean us - and congress's recent vote against MoveOn has renewed their boldness. Until Wolf is losing more viewers because of these remarks, he'll keep making them.
They are trying to convince Democratic candidates to rebuke the base.
If we are going to get any fair treatment by the media or get our message out untarnished, we have to get a progressive TV station. I wish someone would consider the matter seriously, the country could use some good doses of truth telling. The MSM we now have, would be forced to change the way they do their coverage as well, therefore giving democrats even more exposure.
pissed off patricia @ 9:
Never stop flaming baby!
joe @ 10:
Ok - now you're being idiotic. Just a note for you - we are Not a major news network, this is a liberal website. Get it?
Maybe that's what the Bible means when it says the earth will be consumed by fire.
Please send "flaming idiot", Wolfie an email. Let him know that those derogatory comments hardly qualify him as a "flaming journalist."d
Wolf is a little flaming woodland creature with a little lamb's tail and little horns that he files down every night so we don't notice them. His beard is actually moss that grows around his jaw and chin. He is also only 4 feet tall and has pointy ears.
Ok look. I know everyone here is desperate to denounce the MSM, but Wolf's words are NOT dismissive of liberals. If anything, he's attacking conservatives. His meaning is that Senator Grassley, a conservative who cannot be accused of being a flaming liberal by other conservatives is advocating spending more government money on government programs which help low income kids. This is precisely the kind of spending advocacy that conservatives typically describe as flaming liberal.
Wolf's phrase is meant to be ironic - Grassley is a conservative, yet look at what he is advocating. Let's see other conservatives attack it as being liberal (flaming or otherwise).
Now, can we perhaps comment on the real examples of bias in the media instead of focusing on this sort of fluff (like the Mandela post last week)?
Isn't this making a lot out of nothing? Blitzer always frames his questions based upon who he's talking to, and always does what he can to keep his guests in good spirits (remember his responses to adverse reactions by Cheney and Michael Moore).
That old Pointer Sisters song, "Fire" is now in my head now.
This could be cool, we can toast our own marshmallows on our own flame anytime we like.
Well. I am a flamer and Norquist is a drowner, and Wolfie's about comatose from trying to drown flames, so I'm gonna let him slide on some of his bungles. It's seriously scary out there! Think of the size of the adrenaline dumps he must be managing, just trying to hold on to his job.
Face it, the word liberal has been ruined as a way of describing perfectly good ideas. Time to start using a new word, like "progressives".
I guess only Larry Craig and his ilk are flaming conservatives...
Well those publicans sure know how to party!
Actually, for the record it's "rock-ribbed" conservative....
You know, strong, stallwart, firm, resolved...
All those He-Man-Ubermasculine-FredThompson-Aqua-Velva attributes.
Liberals are flakey, tree-hugging, socialistic dreamers who have never
worked a day and want to give Amadenajib a nice group hug, according
to Wolfy....
the beard can go to Hell. All these guys try to prove "they're not liberals" to dispute the latest fake Brent Bozell study
RagingGurrl @ 14:
Nope I'm too much of an idiot to understand. Could you be an O'reilly and Dumb it down for me?
So can we say, soggy conservatives?
it's the gop that's going down flaming. so that makes them all "flamers".
I'm flaming and Wolfie's just blowing it out his ass. It's just that his ass sits on top of his neck.
Wolfie is hiding in the gay closet too.
Considering how badly the conservatives have fucked up this country in the last six years, why do these barking heads still refer to "liberal" like some kind of viking curse? True, we did give the Democrats the majority in 2006, but they've performed so badly, that they haven't checked Bush lame-duck presidency in the slightest...actually fulfilling Republicans' assertion that the Democratic Party is run by weaklings!
jr @ 26:
Brent Bozell.....
Now There's a high quality chicken hawk for ya....
...as far as Blitzer using the word 'flaming,' that's pretty daring coming from a guy who looks like he trolls locker rooms, trying to sneak a whiff of other guy's dirty workout drawers!
He's not a moonbat by any means.
Stop whining John. Whining is what democrats do. Put Wolfie out of business. Cut him off at the knees. Develope a strategy to get him off the air and execute it.
Democrats accomplish nothing not acting.
RagingGurrl @ 14:
So what if this is a website. I honestly didn't get all that mad when he said flaming liberal. Ok, I didn't get mad at all. I just went, lol o rly?
Was it " Happening Now"????
Professor Farnsworth @ 37:
Let's keep in mind the point of the story. The Beard wouldn't dare use the word "wingnut" but he'll throw the "flaming liberal" bullshit without a second thought. Big difference.
Wolf is a flaming asshole.
Come on. Go easy. Any guy who names himself "Wolf Blitzer" has issues. SIZE issues.
So we've progressed from bleeding heart liberal to damn liberal to flaming liberal. How is that TV word guys are using non-descriptive, slangy, inflammatory language like this? And getting away with it? Gosh I miss TV.
Well. in all honesty, I describe myself as a flaming liberal, and I'm proud to do it. Not to stick up for Wolf, I never take him seriously, in fact, the only news from Wolf I ever get is here or the Huffpo. I stopped watching televised news years ago.
joe-
The problem is not that we don't have skins that are thick enough. The problem is the media continues to use these labels while claiming to be "journalist". And they'll bleat that they're "fair and balanced". We know they're not either.
Is that simple enough for you honey?
Foulke Wolf.
Everyone knows that we're not flaming liberals; we're knee-jerk liberals!
http://www.darrelplant.com/blog_item.php?ItemRef=424
He wrote me back and said he didn't mean it in a bad way. Just the good meaning of "knee-jerk".
kumbaya motherfucker
RagingGurrl @ 14:
So, it would be interesting to see if Wolf has every made a parallel statement like, "he's not a wingnut conservative by any means, ..."
Maybe we'll hear him say that about Dick or GW tomorrow, so he'll be, hmm, fair and balanced. What say you?
Bob Roberts @ 18:
I don't agree. I think Wolf's implying that concern for social issues like children's nutrition is generally the province of wild eyed radicals. And he has to make sure his viewers understand that this story is significant because Grassley, who's not part of that group, is voicing those concerns as well.
What if Russ Feingold found himself on the same side of an issue as the GOP? Would it be acceptable to say, "Senator Feingold, who's anything but a reactionary fascist..."? The fact that expression would stand out, and "flaming liberal" goes by like it's the same as "have a nice day" shows how skewed the MSM really is.
Sofa King @ 39:
I dunno, would he? So this guy is a conservative, who doesn't like liberals and doesn't use nicest terms (according to everyone else, again, as a liberal, saying flaming liberal really doesn't bother me) to describe them. And? I'm sorry, why am I supposed to get bent out of shape about it.
how the media really views liberals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDpt9iicEow
I am a liberal but while liberal does tend to be percieved as a bad word, this post sounds like that will be on something on Olbermann's Worst Person in the World. Chuck Schumer himself used the word flaming liberal when he said in a press conference after Comey's testimony that John Ashcroft, "who is no flaming liberal", didn't even support domestic wiretaps. This is a word that is thrown around to describe conservatives standing their ground and Wolf should not be criticized like he hates liberals. Stop acting like a right wing blog.
FLAME ON! Crap...nothun' Maybe we need a Bic lighter or somethin'.
Sofa King @ 39:
While you sit there and cry about it I can keep my composure and confidence in my beliefs to not be affected by the latest revelaing dirty words the big news talking heads use to chew us out with.
Grow a pair
If it was a word to describe conservatives who stand their ground, they would be called "flaming conservatives." But that never happens.
Pastor Jon Hege sure seems like one. And I don't me gay. I mean flaming conservative.
But then Ted Haggart is a different story.
What is Wolf? And why does he have dominion over CNN?
RagingGurrl @ 44:
Wolfe's program has more Bush bashing than any other program you can find on the network. That's satisfiying enough for me to ask why TF is this a story?
We are Fab-U-Luss. Three libural snaps up. Uh huh.
Liberals do rule.
In my experience, generally folks that write "I am a liberal..." aren't.
Don't read too much in what Wolf says, he's only slightly better than Bush with the English language.
lupercus @ 60:
Are all liberals supposed to fall into lockstep or something? I AM a liberal. Forgive me if I don't get so angry when Wolf Blitzer says FLAMING LIBERAL.
Sound off to Wolf: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?65
No one takes Wolf Blitzer seriously. Remember - this is the guy who said "so poor and so black" about Hurricane Katrina victims. He's dopey, and this is another one of his dopey comments.
Stop being such a crybaby.
DickCheneyShotMeInTheFace @ 64:
Now, that's a quote that annoys me.
Wolf looks like a grown up Eddie Muenster with a trimmed beard. I swear the man is a robot. He never blinks. He just sits there perfectly coiffed asking meaningless questions. Wolf probably got hios words confused. He meant to call Grassley, the burning bush or maybe the smoking gun. Whatever!
By the way, you wouldn't want any of those magnanimous insurance companies and their thoughtful CEO's to have to lose children clients and maybe give up their bonuses. That would be too sad a story for the American dream. It's okay for the kids to have nightmares, diseases, and shortened life expectancies. Just keep your hands off corporate profits. The greedy will be called the children of Bush.
Dear Wolf,
Gee thanks. Such reverence.
Now, lest I ever make a gesture toward listening what you might have to say and take it on its own merit, I can always just remember your status as a vacuous, pandering little corporate fluffer who always does what he's told. Such a relief! Thanks again.
PS: If I ever piss in your ice trays, sorry in adv.
Is a flaming liberal anything like a Flaming Moe (The Simpsons)?
Wolf Blitzer? Who gives a shit what that retard has to say? Anyone, and I mean anyone that listens to anything any of the genius MSM idiots has to say should go kill themselves imediately as you are more than likely too stupid to open your mouth while feeding yourself with a fork......
As a flaming moderate, I can certainly relate. Sort of.
Wolf Blitzer...he looks exactly like the guy who used to own Dalton Carpet in Georgia....
You wanna know what his nickname was..."the Wolfman"....
As for his moronic comment...what do you expect from an outfit that has fallen to pieces since Ted Turner left...
When you're owned by AOL/TimeWarner...as 'wolf' is...you're bound to be influenced by the flaming self-hating gay republicans that you bow down to....
I notice a lot of adjectives thrown around to describe both liberals and conservatives, but I see very few people being somewhat respectful. Oh sure, I toss out the odd "theocratic fascist" from time to time, but I tend to use the person's title or if they don't have a title use a "Mr.", "Mrs." or "Ms." and their last name. That's me though and I don't require anyone else to follow this level of decorum.
With that said, Mr. Blitzer just needs to get out of the "commentary" business. He is a has been that never was and should never be. CNN needs to go back to the days when Ted Turner owned it and quit trying to copy FNN.
my wet dream is to rest my balls on wolfs wiskered chin!
Way to raise the level of discourse, tyree.
This flaming liberal is ready to burn some fucking conservative cocksuckers at a moment's notice. Yee-ha.
I say old chap, the colonies are full of flaming liberals and bloody conservatives. The latter being no figure of speech.
Oh my goodness...
Again, this is the same type of nonsense I hear on Rush or O'Reily and it gets rightly decride as the nonsense it is.
Just because the shoe is on the other foot does not make it any less nonsensical.
This is a form of speech that has been used for years and it has nothing to do with the sillyness that was read into it.
John Kerry, who while having a distinguished military record, is no shock-and-awe pro-war hawk.
Lee Iococa, who is far from a tree hugging environmentalist, is pushing for tighter fuel standards.
John Smith is no card carrying NRA gun totter, is suing his city in reaction to their ban on assault rifles.
This is a device that has been used since...well, probably shortly after language was invented.
Good lord people, if you act like morons, how are we ever going to prove we are anything less than flaming liberals. Be big people. Don't look for the conspiracy in ever little darn thing (so help me, if I hear about a "War against..." anything on this site...) and just get a grip. If we present our ideas in a coherent and intelligent manner, we can not lose. It is sillyness like this that is used against us and as ammunition to scare others away from our commone sense approaches. Please just stop. There is enough out there to be POed about without making nonsense up and looking like a sniveling, unsocialized and just dimwitted bunch of tools.
Screw Blitzer. He is a flaming hairy asshole.
gh0st @ 79:
no more mister nice guy either fuckem or killem
Bob Roberts @ 76:
america love or get the fuck out!
its time to stop running around like we all have a camel toe showing , bobby boy
I guess flaming liberal insinuates we are all gay as well. Unless he's suggesting that I can manipulate fire with my mind. Which is of course true, good for him.
I'm way past flaming... I'm frothing!
Wolf Blitzer should go back lobbying for AIPAC again. Funny he forgets to mention that when they discuss Israel/Palestine. Im sure he is quite objective.
Bubba @ 84:
I think that these comments go further. IT's really about a misogynistic equivalency to portray liberals as weak. It goes ike this:
liberal=gay=feminine=weak
It's endlessly trotted out with all sorts of code words, but the premise remains the same. Nice to know they've got the liberal media to help with the perpetuation of it!
I think wolfie just proved a very big point...that the MSM is and does not take a liberal slant.......With all this flamin...I sat we light a fire under his ass.
Blitzer is the msm version of Joe Lieberman, far as I can tell. Bet they even look identical under a full moon and/or the Star of David.
Tom @ 5:
Ooooo, Tom Terrific!!! here to rescue us liberals from ourselves.
Contact the Wolf and the Situation Room here :
Ask for viewer comment line.
(212) 275-7800
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?65
this has been a confusing day for me.
first i find out that i have no gay brothers or sisters in iran.
then i find out i'm flaming.
jack jett
"Flaming"!?!
Honey, I'm more patriot than you can handle, and more American than you'll ever be!! , , and
IS THERE A WAY TO IMPEACH BLITZER?
A flaming liberal?
Is that a reference to gay liberals?
Does this mean that Craig's a flaming Republican?
Foley's a flaming Republican ex-rep?
Haggard's a flaming christian?
Bob Allen's a flaming park bathroom ranger?
Glenn Murphy Jr's a flaming, friendly blow-dryer?
Patrick Guerriero's a flaming Log Cabin Republican?
steve @ 87:
Nice... But to hear RFK Jr say it there is no liberal media... Depends on who you want to believe I guess. RFK Jr., or a monotonous corporate media
hackwhore...If someone used the term "Flaming Conservative", well, they'd think if men's rooms and get the wrong idea.
I've been calling myself a flaming liberal for years. I love doing it because it has multiple implications and gives a jolt to bigoted conservative dim-wits. First, I know that if I had lived at any other time during the dominion of Christian ignorance I would have been slaughtered and, for a time, burned at the stake. Since the conversion of Constantine Christians have done most of the persecuting and in the most heinous, and cruel ways. They perpetually whine about the first 300 years when they suffered the fate that they would spent exponentially more centuries inflicting on others. Lucky for me I don't have to worry about burning at the stake but we still have to worry about Christian rednecks burning Matthew Shepard on a fence. That brings to mind the other level of meaning...gay rights. I have a Psych degree and the combination of my studies, life-long observation and reasoning, and additional study makes it painfully obvious that homosexuality is as natural as the continued affliction of religion on our species. Only difference is, we'll overcome religion someday but homosexuality will never cease to be a part of the natural world. It is a statistical inevitability and an inescapable potential of natural biology. It shows up throughout the animal kingdom but at least the animals don't have "evil" shameful religious parents who disown there own children because they are so misguided about, and afraid to understand the natural world. Go ahead, burn me at the stake, I know hell won't be waiting for me.
When will you folks understand? YOU don't represent "America" any more than do the wingnuts. I'm a flaming wacko liberal on the environment and Bush's (and Hillary's and Biden's and etc.*) occupation of Iraq, but I'm fully aware that my views are not in line with the majority. Ok , the majority wants out of Iraq, but Scott Ritter made the convincing case that the public is just sick of not winning. That's all. The majority is sick of Bush, but where outside of flaming liberal bastions do we here "IMPEACH!" cried out? Not in my neck of the woods.
I love C&L, but this is not the mainstream speaking to one another, it's a great big flaming lib circle jerk here, and a good one at that.
*except my good Senator, Russ Feingold. I get to vote for that man.
It's just Wolf irks me --period. (See Samantah Bee's reaction to Wolf: New's I'd Like to F#$%). Flaming can, and is, very likely a reference to being a pansy. Personally, I like pansies (wink).
Acorrding to Wiki: Norquist is "a thumb-in-the-eye radical rightist" (The Nation), but I think that's a bit unwieldy.
I’m flaming—you’re flaming, we’re all flaming liberals. My God, I was just sitting down in my “Impeach Cheney” cap on watching CNN, when when the hat caught fire.
Oh my god that shit is funny. Where did Wolf Blitzer learn journalism from? A McDonalds menu?
He got confused reading some of the comments here--he meant liberals who were flaming, not flaming liberals.
Bruce @98: For sure I'd be burned at the stake for my opinions too-- in another time. We don't want to go back to that time, and that's why BushCo. & the rest of that band, scare me. I come here, because as Marty (@99) says, "it’s a great big flaming lib circle jerk here, and a good one at that." We have to be the counter-balance to the "thumb-in-the-eye radical" right. (See my post above @100, for that last quote. Quoting myself-- how low can one sink?)
If they do drive us back to that time, I might be burned at the stake, but so be it.
Sam @ 102:
You mean, we only have to worry if we're actually on fire?? (wink-- groan)
I'm on FIRE! I'm on FIRE!
Help me Tom Cruise!
Help me Oprah Winfrey!!!!!!!!!!
pissed off patricia @ 9:
You are always sizzlin hot in here, girl.
Wolf is a flaming corporate media shill.
I guess the alternative to a "flaming liberal" would be:
A card carrying deficit spending, America destroying, lie based war starting, warmongering, constitution shredding, war profiteering, men's bathroom soliciting, prostitute soliciting, underage page boy soliciting, family values hypocrite, conservative.
pinotdrnkr @ 90:
Don't drink and post, Pinot Boy. =)
The Republicans and the new Neo Nazi's in your government have a nice camp for all your dissenting, flaming liberals.
If your not conservative, you are obviously with the terrorists... Blitzer Propoganda.
The Beard is an ass.
.
Blitzer, on the Cheney News Network calls ALL anti-war and pro-accountability kinds flaming Liberals.
Blitzer, on the Cheney News Network doesn't call the neo(anti)conservatives and their minions what they are, because it's not Fascism when America does it... NO?
.
This kind of language totally rankles me, and I've become very tuned into it. In addition to their verbage, it's the tone of voice, the inflection, etc. I was listening to I believe it was Nora what's her face interview Bill Richardson yesterday after the Ahmandinajad's speech. I can't remember the exact question, but it had that tone of " do you mean to say that you would actually blah, blah, blah? The question itself was sort of condemning and exuded opinion, and certainly not intended to simply ilicit information. I'm so over our so-called news media. With a few exceptions, they're all pretty lame.
Blitzer is a flaming cretin. He's a flaming neocon propagandist, which make him a flaming deceiver and liar. Blitzer is a flaming douchebag who works for flaming a fascist propaganda organ.
Forget Blitzer and CNN. You're not going to get facts, honesty or truth from either.
Here's a flamer for ya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD6KUzP3MQQ
I'm a flaming liberal, but I'm gay... really, I am.
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