Chip Reid Concern Trolls WH Briefing on Obama's Nobel Prize; Worries That Prize Is "Partisan" and "Liberal"
By Nicole Belle Sunday Oct 11, 2009 6:00am
When news came that Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I looked at my husband and said, "just watch, the wingnuts will lose it over this." And sure enough, I was right. But what threw me for a loop was how nakedly partisan CBS's Chip Reid was in attacking Obama for having the audacity to win the Nobel Prize, something even the great St. Ronnie didn't do:
REID: I mean, most Democrats have praised it, and most Republicans have said, you have got to be kidding me -- Ronald Reagan didn't get one, but Barack Obama, nominated 12 days after he was sworn in, gets a Nobel Peace Prize. And the fear among some, even some Democrats, is that this is going to widen the partisan divide and make things even more difficult to accomplish on every front.
Really? Even more difficult than reflexively fighting *every* *single* Obama agenda item now? How is that possible?
It's touching, isn't it, to hear Chip Reid's concern that this will widen the partisan divide? After all, past winners have included Al Gore and Jimmy Carter...obviously the Nobel committee loves them some Democrats.
But here's the thing that all these insulated Beltway Villagers continually forget: Outside of DC, life is more than Republican vs. Democrat, something that Gibbs gently tries to suggest to Reid:
GIBBS: I'll leave the pundicizing to the pundits. The notion that somehow this is going to more greatly divide America, you know, I think it should be mandatory that pundits spend a certain amount of their days each year outside of the friendly confines of the viewership of the Washington, D.C., media market.
Of course, that goes right over Reid's head. For Reid, this is all about dismissing the Nobel committee -- in Norway, mind you, and not subject to the mind-numbing partisan reduction that Reid seems to breathe as oxygen -- as some liberal organization. He just can't get his head wrapped around the fact the Ronald Reagan -- the man who ended the Cold War! -- was never awarded the Peace Prize. As my friend, Steve Benen says:
A few thoughts here. First, when White House correspondents from major news outlets start sounding like members of Grover Norquist's "We Love Reagan" fan club, it's not a positive development.
Second, the notion that Reagan "helped bring the Cold War to an end" is, at best, a dubious proposition.
Actually, I think Chip Reid is unintentionally letting us into his psyche more than he realizes. He's continually been a go-to guy for Republican talking points for years. He routinely criticizes Democrats for things he lets pass by Republicans and uncritically passes on Republican attacks without context or fact-checking. And here again, he mouths the GOP mentality.
But think about it: if the Nobel Peace Prize only supports liberal causes, isn't Chip Reid admitting that peace is liberal? Then we need never look to conservatives again, because they will never bring peace. Right, Chip?
Transcript below the fold
REID: Following up on the political question, I think the point a lot of your favorite people, pundits, have been making is that the response to this has been like this. I mean, most Democrats have praised it, and most Republicans have said, you have got to be kidding me -- Ronald Reagan didn't get one, but Barack Obama, nominated 12 days after he was sworn in, gets a Nobel Peace Prize. And the fear among some, even some Democrats, is that this is going to widen the partisan divide and make things even more difficult to accomplish on every front.
MR. GIBBS: I'll leave the pundicizing to the pundits. The notion that somehow this is going to more greatly divide America, you know, I think it should be mandatory that pundits spend a certain amount of their days each year outside of the friendly confines of the viewership of the Washington, D.C., media market.
I think people -- I think people believe that, again, what this represents -- renewed American leadership in order to make our country safer, and to live up to our own ideals and the ideals that many in the world want to live up to -- it's a good thing, it's an important thing. I don't think it's a partisan thing.
REID: And one last question. A lot of people think it is a partisan thing, because Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and now President Obama have all received awards for work on --
MR. GIBBS: I don't know what party Teddy Roosevelt was in, but I don't think it was Republican -- or Democrat.
REID: I know, I know. Whatever.
MR. GIBBS: He got it, just, you know, I --
REID: But Ronald Reagan, could I just ask you to respond to that? The man who helped bring the Cold War to an end did not --
MR. GIBBS: But let me just do -- but let me do this -- but let me do this, Chip. I'm not a member of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. I hate --
REID: But the argument is --
MR. GIBBS: No, no, no, no.
REID: -- it's an organization that supports liberal causes.
MR. GIBBS: And I hope you can get somebody on the phone at this hour in Oslo. I'm not a member of the committee, and I'll let you do that. The notion that this is -- somehow widens the partisan divide I think demonstrates what's wrong with pundits and instant analysis of what goes on in our society
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It'll will only make it as partisan as the right wants to make it. In other words, YES.
The corporate ?news? media attacks democrats at will..
Even in September 2006 the three ?news? stations carried this for their corporate republican base..
On September 28, ABC, CBS, and CNN all aired President Bush's attack on Democrats as "the party of cut and run" but did not include a Democratic response, in contrast to NBC.
But , what really bothers the h... out of me, is why is Obama , Emanuel , Blue Dogs , centrist and now even the progressives are kissing the republicans a.....
It is a shame democrats like Obama , Emanuel , blue dogs , centrists and some progressive do not know what party affiliation they belong to..... Except democrats like Alan Grayson , Kucinich and Howard Dean..
have become America's new effete elitist snobs.
They have been hump ping for republicans back before Clinton was president.. Did you hear very much about Reagan's illegal crimes and corruption dealing with the war and drugs.
Did you hear much about Bush's grandfather , Preston trying to pull a coup on our government.. It now looks as if Bush Jr. has done this for the Global Empire and the members of the G20 organization..
Remember when the New York time even held a story which would have hurt Bush's reelection bid in 2004.. They even held it for a year and then because someone else was going to..
Do you remember ABC running the story they made up about Clinton and had to call it a docu drama after being question about it being a documentary which they were first going to run it as...
We do not have to even mention Fox questionable news organization,, Or Rush the pill poppers republican's story program.
Have you ever heard the ?news? media tell of the real story of this total destruction to our country by Bush and the republicans for the past 8 years..
Just about every ?news? media ran stories to please Bush , Cheney and the corporate republicans ,, that if anyone of them would have stop the ?news? media would have sh.. all over their face...
It's true that the war ended during his watch, but that's not the same thing.
Only possible in the Orwellian world of Republican "War is Peace" mentality.
For thw other 99% of the world, Reagan is more remembered for his unchecked spread of terrorism and war throughout the Middle East and South America.
Gibbs could have ended the discussion with, "Maybe the Nobel Commitee was too distracted by Reagan's Iran-Contra war-mongering to consider him seriously for a Peace Prize."
Why are we still being so polite to the Right when they blatantly lie?
that, and the war that he and his administration waged on the American people - the poor, the mentally ill, the old....
The man was a dolt, he was insipid, it was just another role in a very poor acting career. I've got to admit I was mystified by Obama's win, but to give Reagan a Nobel Prize, hah. A friend I used to work with, a Republican, always said that George H.W. Bush was the real Ronald Reagan, he really went to church, he really fought in a war and he really was a family man and loved his family. Reagan will always be a joke of a president, always.
Brezhnev at a summit: "One dead from the neck up and one dead from the neck down"
Actually the Cold War officially came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union during h w boosh's term.
But we had nothing to do with it. It was primarily being nibbled away by Lech Walesa in Poland, and in Russia with Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestoika doctrines.
Some also cite the financial strain of Russia fighting in Afghanistan.
However, ray gunn did finally and reluctantly moved the SALT talks forwards, although that seemed to be more Gorbachev too, but he surprised everyone with START. However, the republican Congress dropped the ball when President Clenis requested funds so that the US could help Russia dismantle their nuclear bombs and destroy the materials, so now instead much of it is in circulation in the underground market for anyone who can pay for it, like terrorists.
Maybe you are right, we didn't actually win, it's just taking us longer to collapse.
I am getting annoyed at this talk that RR should have gotten the NPP b/c of this canard that he "helped end the Cold War."
umm...NO !
1st of all, as comfortably numb above just said, the Cold War may have begun to end on his watch (it was actually under HW Bush that it "ended"), but it's not the same thing. 2nd, he didn't help end it through peaceful means ! It was only through fierce war-mongering and intense build up of our arsenal, causing the USSR to ratchet up their own spending and weaponry build-up, thereby contributing to their collapse, that the Cold war ended. The USSR simply ran out of money due to their hysterical military spending. Spending that was spiked enormously by Raygun's war mongering. RR did not work peaceably to remove the Soviet threat. No NPP for him ! Puh-lease !
Check this one out . . Why am I afraid of not being afraid?
Jesus, why don't these people just go and fuck Reagan's corpse? It sounds like they're up for it.
True believers are never put off by considerate reason. For so long as the media nurtures the conceit that Reagan brought down the evil empire and saved the world for democracy, we will suffer the inanities of worshipers such as Chip Reid.
Buttboy for the rethugs strikes again.
between the sunday morning show host and george steph -- he asked steph if the white house considered declining the award.
that is a stunning question to pose -- shun the friggin international nobel committee in a hissyfit display because ronald reagan has never received one. and it's yet another display of how soaked in republican spew those white house reporters are.
Besides which, the Nobel Committee does not give prizes posthumously. Only living people are eligible for the prize.
just suspend Reid from class for a day, a week or something? If they act like kids, treat them like kids.
Now now Chipper, don't you worry your little head there, buddy.
If I were Gibbs I'd ignore that predictable asshole.
Makes you wonder what the hell Reid wanted Gibbs to say, maybe something like----"Well Chip, you're right about that. The President has already called Nancy and has decided that rather than donate the 1.4 mil to charity he's gonna send the check on over the her to be donated to the St. Ronnie Memorial Fund."
You always have very complete and complex reasons to post articles on C&L.
Thank you.
I'm a pretty peaceable sort of guy, how cum I didn't get a fuckin' Nobel Peace prize, you simply asshole!!!!
finally got his TV spot.
life is oh so good, out here in the Ronnie Land, shining city THE HILL at last.. life is so good in D.C.
. .
CAR
NIXON didn't get one, Chippy-----hell, he was in office when the Viet Nam war ended????
gays and lesbians here first. Seems to to be the big newz today.
that's bad?
that ABC(or whomever he works for)actually PAYS this total idiot to cover THE WHITE HOUSE, of all places! They oughta' let this fool do the obits column for the in-house newsletter, for Gods sake!
If your not on TeeVee, your a loser.
and all that groovy stuff
. . oh my god they are on TeeVee they are really advanced and special people!
I can't stand the smugness of most tv people, as if their opinion is from heaven shining down on the unwashed masses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvg1vEtcmAI
F&^! you Reid, St Ronnie was the beginning of the end for America!
The civilized world is acknowledging that maybe Obama can shift it back to a decent country again. Sure other western world countries have their problems too but they celebrate life on so many more levels than America; especially RepubliKKKan America. Now if only Obama can walk the walk.
with Corporate Criminals.
I think it said thank god the Americans didn't let another fucking insane immoral republican git into the highest office in the land.
I think it says that the whole world see's what a mess conservatism and the capitalist ideologies have come together to ruin and cheapen life on our rock. I think it says a lot of things that need to be said. I think it say's that republicanism is a mental illness!
I got my piece!
The real problem with these overrated and arrogant media hacks is that like most Neocons, they don't have the intelligence or patience to fully understand the process of peace and reconciliation, preferring instead to whip up phony controversy for their corporate toadies.
They want to feel relevant and important in our discussions while time passes their irrelevant, backward looking philosophy by in favor of real progress.
They can't stand it that they are no longer in power and would rather burn down the whole house than let someone else receive the credit that they earned.
These people are a malignant tumor on our political discussion and little more than a lead anchor on our march toward equity and justice.
The sooner we hear no more from these irrelevant schmucks, the better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM
and their McDonald's mentality - things have to be fixed in five minutes or they are free. Short attention span, bumper-sticker mentality, sound-bite philosophy, they aren't able to pay attention for extended periods.
If he were old enough, he'd remember that St. Ronnie of RayGun was going senile WHILE in office. He had exactly the same kind of mannerisms my grandfather was having as he slowly went senile: the blank stare, the look of confusion when St. Ronnie didn't know what someone was talking about. When he was asked a question he didn't have an answer for, he did "recover" nicely by telling a joke, which made anyone asking a question forget he/she had even asked a question, or he'd simply start talking about something else and never actually answer a direct question with a direct answer - or at least St. Ronnie was never pressed to answer any difficult questions. The media got so used to that that when W came along, they babied him just like they had babied St. Ronnie.
It's despicable.
If a Repuke hasn't won a Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps they should first promote peace and nuclear disarmament and then they might be nominated. It's a Peace Prize, not a "Make Enemies Prize"... and right now the only thing the Repukes could win is a "War Crimes Prize" for invading a sovereign nation and approving and ordering torture, more war crimes to compound the original one of invading a nation that had nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11.
Chip Reid needs to look at endless hours of tape covering the Iran-Contra hearings and understand what happened in 1986-87 when the hearings were shown on live television (pre-empting soap operas, no less!). I remember because I watched it all. St. Ronnie was fumbling around and couldn't answer questions and had lots of blank looks on his face, and Ollie North and Bush Senior lied, lied, and lied some more, as did other witnesses. I don't think St. Ronnie masterminded the whole thing (he was too senile by then); IMHO Bush Senior did that since he had run the CIA at one time. That's what I thought then, and I have not read or seen anything to change my humble opinion. How is that worthy of a "Peace Prize"...???
Being a WATB is unbecoming, Chip Reid. Grow up!
it's pretty clear that GHWB ran Ronnie's administration in the same manner that Cheney ran Dumbya's.
What did he forget and when did he forget it?
How partisan and liberal can a international body be?
Besides which compared to the rest of the world's liberals, Obama is quite conservative.
I'd venture to say that compared to 'Merican libruls, Obama is quite conservative too.
for modern marketing and branding which is pretty much what Presidential runs are anymore. Corporate crafted marketing contests.
to name a single republican that deserved or deserves a nobel peace prize and why. What have they done do make the world better?
to other countries?
... it is a little known trivia from the 80s. The ceremony was held in Bitburg, which may be the reason
and unfortunately the diploma validating the award was wrongly shredded by Ollie North when he was proudly disposing of all that Iran-Contra documentation. Maybe that is why Chip Reid's memory is so foggy.
they look ahead and forget the past it would be to difficult if they truly analyzed all the things they've wrecked in their pursuit of the almighty buckaroo.
I hope that he and any other reporters that waste valuable air time with stupid questions don't receive any awards in their field. Keep ignoring the serious problems and concentrate on the mole hills boys. Nope, your actions did not contribute to the mess we are in.
...he did manage to negotiate a reduction in nuclear and other arms with Gorbachev in 1987.
And let's not forget that Kissenger got one. I think the committee was toasted on Akevitt at the time.
See Sun, 10/11/2009 - 08:10 — ysbaddaden
I remember hearing the first bit of right-wing punditry now during the ray gun years. Gorbachev kept pushing and pushing for a renewal of the SALT talks, and ray gunn kept hedging and saying, "It's not verifiable, it's not verifiable."
Finally some American Geology students went to Russia and with the USSR cooperating, by setting off a couple of underground bombs (which was how they tested bombs, but presumably in this case not atomic), the students found they could detect the activity with their earthquake sensors.
Suddenly there were cries from the right-wing that the students should be tried for treason.
... there was a clear patter of exaggeration regarding Russian military power by a lot of the think tanks of the day, mostly populated by megalomaniacs alumni from the Rand Corporation.
My dad once told me that there reports circulating among the high AF brass that basically were saying that the fact that the satellite imagery was showing a very poor state of the USSR strategic bomber fleet, it was proof that the Russians were up to something big. This is, the US Military was using the fact that the Russians did not have the arsenal the Rand boys et al had predicted, as the justification for the Russians having such arsenal. It was insanity at its best, with people not interested in reality, but in their very own versions of it, even if their "version of reality" and reality itself were at clear odds with each other.
I think we can see a clear patter of conservatives creating their own reality, when the one we live in does not fit their views/interests/expectations.
Reagan was a dangerous fool. And it has been very well established that Gorbachev proposed significant military cuts, almost from the start. At their first meeting in Iceland, Raygun basically told the Russians to go pound sand regarding disarmament. Same deal with the Afghanistan war.
Both, the cold and Afghanistan wars were needlessly prologued because Raygun and his ideologues had no interest in any sort of compromise. That idiot was probably senile during 80% of his administration, it is a testament to the heroics of saner minds that we did not ended up turning this whole place into a glass parking lot. To see the jackasses on the right crying for their hero and his lack of Nobel peace price (for what exactly?) is beyond repulsive.
his clear bias and cynicism toward anything Obama does is staggeringly blatant. and yes I am implying there are dark undertones to what the Chipster is saying and feeling about the President. why doesnt Reid go and work for Fox already.
didn't Gibbs ask him if he switched to Fox overnight? I would have
It's hilarious that faux noise continually trots out their dim-witted sheep to show America the real dumb asses and whining crybabies we all know them to be.
That Ronald Reagan, supporter of the StarWars program that would eventually weaponize space, could be passed over by the Nobel Selection Committee.................
or is it plain stupid to criticize someone for winning an award he didn't ask for?
Democrats and liberals win Nobel Peace Prizes and Republicans and conservatives don't? What a shock that they don't present the Peace Prize to more people that champion war and support invading and occupying other countries over known falsehoods. What's the matter with these people?
Idiots...
They DID give one to Kissinger. They should be happy with lightening striking at least once.
I wish someone would remind us EVERY DAY that the Soviet Union collapsed because of their war in Afghanistan: That they ignored the problems back home and bankrupted themselves with an unwinnable (sp?) war.... Sound familiar?
Writer spits on the the scummy republican, is this clown for real brain dead sanctimonious regean the Iran Contra, Drug running lets destroy AMERICA BUFFOON, then we get lets expand the Socialist CORPORATION agenda, then we had how dare this ridge runner backwoods piece of garbage President Clinton come in restore the economy depart with a 155 Billion dollar SURPLUS, now enters the Corporate approved, Supreme Court Appointed Ballot Box fixed Talking Monkey bush and hie Spineless, Gutless Coward and TRAITOR VP cheney, they violate Americans civil Rights, Illegally wire tap AMERICANS, Destroy the AMERICAN economy and Tank the World Economy, Politicize the DOJ, Illegally fire DOJ Lawyers, leave us with a 1 TRILLION DOLLAR deficit and Cheered when America Lost the Olympic bid, and now side with the Taliban, Ha mas and Al Qaeda and this Racist Nazi Fascist Socialist claims Partisanship and Liberal leanings, NO you Idiot it was a Prize the War Mongering self Hating Right will never get, your to consumed with control and HATRED.
Dude, I love your rants. Keep em' comming.
I think Chippy has anger issues. I know if I had to go through life with a name like that, I certainly would have a chip on my shoulder.
His sister has a Buffy on her shoulder.
Re: Reagan, do yo remember what he did in Central America? Do you know how many dictators he supported? Do you know how many people died due to his policies? Do you know how many lives he destroyed? How about East Timor? Palestine? How about his support for Saddam Hussein? Iran Contra?
Please Chipper.
I actually agree that Obama does not deserve it, but to suggest that the problem is that St. Ronnie didn't get it is disgustingly disrespectful to those who suffered from his war crimes.
What does Norway have to do with this?
r
Never mind---Peace part of it presented in Oslo, Norway. I follow the math science bits much closer..my bust.
Oh no the opposition is opposing lol. This stuff makes me laugh. Its like republicans are actually real Americans who should be allowed to help govern. Listen the repukes are going to oppose everything obama/dems do NO MATTER WHAT even if it hurts America even if it hurts their own constituents (which if you look at southern states its obvious they dont give a rats ass about em)But they will cry and whine when we do what we are supposed to do. So lets just get this out of the way we are partisan we will oppose repuke bs we are LIBERALS (many of us) NOT "progressives" Im a liberal and a socialist just like jesus just like the founding fathers and if that pisses them off GOOD :)
It's just not fair!
And balanced!
Ronald Reagan didn't get one.
BOO HOO you DWds.
When oh when will these people get it through their thick heads that Reagan did NOTHING for world peace? He was a WAR MONGER. And the nations of the WORLD hated him as well as the sane people of America, which means all but the conservatives.
When will we get it through OUR thick heads that CONSERVATIVES SHOULD BE BOOTED FROM THE TABLE? They muck up the planet.
They are the evil we invite in every time. If we keep voting them in, we get what we deserve.
What is it going to take to make the rest of America understand that the WORLD thinks we are a failed state? And they ARE the rest of the world you know. It kind of gives them a prospective on the USA that we the inhabitants don't really have wouldn't you say?
wake up little asshats. Bush totally wrecked any cred this country had left in the world, and he was YOUR GUY.
The argument is that it's none of your fucking business OR concern who gets it.
WATBs to a man.
It is OBVIOUSLY a "liberal", "partisan" award.
Hitler, Stalin, Reagan and GWB never got one, right?
It's totally amazing to me...well, maybe not so amazing anymore since so many of the population of the U.S. knows what's in a Quarter Pounder or the name of the latest American Idol but doesn't know what party Teddy R. was in. He was a Repub when pres. He did form a short-lived 3rd party but sheeesh....the Press Secretary for the President of the U.S. doesn't know this?
The stuff about Reagan (a) ending and Cold War; and (b) being a great thinker makes me laugh so hard I start to cough violently and pass out every time I hear it. What a load of crap! His brains would just about compare with Sarah Palin's. What a bill of goods we've been sold regarding Ronnie!
'Cause the reality based community saw him for what he was, a hate-filled, war mongering lying sack of shit.
Every time a conservative brings Reagan's accomplishment, respond with, "But he also gave us the civil war in Bosnia, created the unstable climate in Russia for an ex-KGB agent with human rights abuse fetishes to get elected over the progressive candidates, and left Afghanistan in the perfect state for Osama to build up a new attack against us."
One thing that no one has noticed about Obama winning the NPP.
The Nobel Foundation is a PRIVATE ORGANIZATION. Now for decades the Repugs have been advocates of "free markets" and government getting out of the way. If they are truly committed to these ideals, why should they care if Obama gets an award from a private organization?
Because they're not truly committed to those ideals. They're only interested in trying to make their party look like it is on the "right side" of every issue. Since they can't come up with good ideas about how to do ANYTHING, the only thing that they can hope for is to make the other side look bad. Obama's winning the NPP is the exact antithesis of this...he gets recognized by a world-renowned organization. It makes them look like the bumbling idiots that they truly are. And what's worse is that by whining and complaining about how he doesn't deserve it, they push their party further into oblivion.
Folks, we're only the nomination of Sarah Palin as the 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate away from the Republican Party reaching a level of incompetency never before seen by a political party in the United States before!
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