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Judd Gregg just had a meltdown on MSNBC that came out of nowhere. He's been attacking everything Obama, almost from the minute he turned down a Cabinet post offer from the White House, but his performance today was really weird. The conversation was about spending and, as usual, Gregg was acting like the incredible deficit freak that he is.

Melissa Francis is a CNBC talker who believes just like he does, and for some reason he mistook her for a dirty f*&king hippy and claimed she was setting him up as a man who wants to cut all spending on education. In fact, the only thing people like him and Ron Paul believe will work for America is to cut all government spending and federal programs and then just give tax cuts to the rich.

Then, Contessa Brewer brought up the fact that many economists think that when FDR became a deficit hawk so soon after expanding spending that he helped stop the country's economic growth. She asked him if he thought money from education should be cut, he went off and called them liars.

Gregg: First off, nobody is saying no money for schools, what an absurd statement to make. And what a dishonest statement to make. On its face you're being fundamentally dishonest when you make that type of statement.

Brewer: Senator, you're going to be asked to cut certain programs from government if you're on the Senate banking committee. Which programs -- just tell us -- would you cut?

--

Gregg: And then it gets misrepresented by people like yourself who say they are going to, if you do any of this stuff you're going to end up not funding education. I mean that statement alone is the most irresponsible statement I've heard from a reporter probably in a month.

Brewer: It wasn't a statement, it was a question.

Gregg deliberately misconstrued what they said, and the conversation went downhill from there. Gregg acted like a typical conservative bully around women, and if they were both men he would not have tried to call them liars. Meanwhile, Contessa ended the interview very professionally. He owes Brewer and Francis an apology for his behavior.

And Digby explains why the question about cutting education is based in reality.

I'll let Gregg's tantrum stand on it's own. But I would just point out that it's not absurd in the least to ask if Republicans would cut education. Indeed, it's absurd to suggest otherwise:

President Ronald Reagan promised during the 1980 presidential election to eliminate the Department of Education as a cabinet post,[1] but he was not able to do so with a Democratic House of Representatives. In the 1982 State of the Union Address, he pledged:

“

The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling the Department of Education.[2]

”

Throughout the 1980s, the abolition of the Department of Education was a part of the Republican Party platform, but the administration of President George H. W. Bush declined to implement this idea.

So, not only was Brewer right to ask whether Gregg planned to cut education as part of a deficit reduction plan, there has been a very longstanding belief among conservatives that they should not be funding education at all.

If there was anyone at fault for spreading misinformation and lies on television it's Gregg with his irresponsible deficit fearmongering and Hooverite prescriptions for the economy. God help us if he and his ilk actually get their way.

And you can't help but scratch your head when you think that a year ago, when everyone knew that the economy was in deep trouble and would need a lot of stimulus, the administration actually named this guy to be Commerce Secretary, a department which Gregg had voted to eliminate as well. That tells you a lot about their judgment at the time.

Digby wrote up the full transcript:

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[H/t Heather]

Yesterday MSNBC's Contessa Brewer tackled the rantings of Pastor Steven Anderson down at his strip-mall church in Tempe, Arizona, and examined the common-sense connection between this kind of hate-filled rhetoric and the people bringing guns to events featuring President Obama, as well as the various acts of domestic terrorism and right-wing violence that have accompanied the rise in this kind of talk.

The segment featured Evan Kohlmann, an NBC terrorism analyst, who remarked:

Kohlmann: Yeah, it's amazing that this kind of rhetoric is allowed if you're a certain kind of person, if you're a patriotic American you can say whatever you want, no matter how far along the line it comes to inciting people to violence towards other innocent people. It's completely unjustified.

But but but but ... doesn't Kohlmann know there is no connection whatsoever between the people who fill crazy people's heads with crazy, provably false ideas and the violent and insane actions that follow? That's what you always hear from the right-wing pundits at Fox, at least.

Which is why you'll never see this subject discussed at Fox -- except, perhaps, in dismissive tones designed to make excuses whenever the violence does inevitably erupt.

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While talking about the dustup between David Letterman and Sarah Palin, Republican strategist John Feehery instantly tried to say that no one made jokes about Chelsea Clinton. Contessa Brewer wouldn’t let that go and stopped him right in his tracks, which led Feehery to try and claim that Chelsea wasn’t 14 when the jokes were being made. Brewer then corrected that and reminded him, complete with finger wag and all, that Chelsea was only 12.

Considering how offended Sarah Palin is by Letterman’s jokes, I am sitting here wondering if she will boycott Rush Limbaugh now. Ok you caught me – I’m not wondering. We all know the answer to that, just like we saw how she never seemed to worry about the “jokes” her former running-mate made about Chelsea. 

(Please donate to C&L's 2009 fundraiser if you can. We need your support.)

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Two words come to mind every time John Ziegler appears on TV: Braying. Jackass.

Contessa Brewer had him on MSNBC this morning to talk about David Letterman's rude and sexist remarks about Sarah Palin. But it quickly became obvious that Ziegler wasn't going on MSNBC to talk about the subject -- he was there so he could bash MSNBC for six minutes or so.

And he was his usual a-hole self. It's really a sight to behold; the man's capacity for self-humiliation seems bottomless.

My favorite part comes when he whines that MSNBC is trying to depict the Republican Party as the party of aging white males.

Gee, I wonder where they could have gotten that idea:

A 52% majority of those surveyed [all adults] couldn’t come up with a name when asked to specify “the main person” who speaks for Republicans today. Of those who could, the top response was radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh (13%), followed in order by former vice president Dick Cheney, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Former president George W. Bush ranked fifth, at 3%.

So the dominant faces of the Republican Party are all men, all white, all conservative and all old enough to join AARP, ranging in age from 58 (Limbaugh) to 72 (McCain). They include some of the country’s most strident voices on issues from Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court to President Obama’s policies at home and abroad. Two are retired from politics, and one has never been a candidate.

There's also the flaming a-hole demographic. It looks like Ziegler has that one covered.

Ziegler: ...and surprise, surprise, she gave an incredibly classy answer showing far more class than clearly most people on this network have,"

Brewer: I don't really know what to do with that. Honestly, I'm here to give you an opportunity, I consider myself a common sense thinker, I haven't attacked you, and for you to come on and use those sort of insults, insults me.

..cut the mic please.

(Please donate to C&L's 2009 fundraiser if you can. We need your support.)

Democratic strategist and progressive blogger James Boyce appeared on MSNBC yesterday to discuss Obama's plan to deal with illegal immigration. Boyce shocked host Contessa Brewer and fellow strategist (though for the GOP) Ben Port by suggesting that the reason that Obama may be in for a battle on some commonsense reform because the Republicans--in addition to being reflexively obstructionist--have a wee bit of a racism problem when dealing with immigration.

What? Republicans haven't been beating the whole racism drum when it comes to immigration? Then tell me why so many Republicans refused to get behind GOP presidential candidate John McCain on the basis of his immigration stance?

Be honest, Contessa, the Limbaugh Party is hardly known for fighting racism. Does the fact that Californian Republicans are resurrecting Prop 187 make you wince, even just a little bit?

Macaca, anyone?

Can you think of any other flagrant examples of Republican racism? Leave them in the comments and I'll forward a link to James to back him up next time he's questioned by those pearl-clutchers.

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I'm shocked. Contessa Brewer finally starts stating the obvious. Republicans have been obstructionists during the stimulus plan and maybe playing politics with the country instead of trying to actually solve our problems. But for her to confront it head on for a change was quite refreshing.

Debra Cooper writes this in an email with a rough transcript:

Is this a break in the media ice in their definition of bipartisanship?...it's the Democrats' responsibility to do it the Republican way..not that it's Republicans who should cooperate with the Dems and the president. I found this astonishing.....because I have never seen her as toeing the CW Broder line before. Contessa Brewer and John Harwood interview Sheryl Gay Stolberg of NY times, someone who took a lot of dictation from George Bush.

Brewer: Is President Obama able to control his message against than the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism Can he slowly change the ways of Washington?

Stolberg: Obama wanted a big bipartisan vote and he didn't get it. He passed it just like George Bush passed his...by pushing through a one party bill.

Harwood: Are you being a Nattering Nabob of Negativism by pointing to that when the guy's a 66% and he's just got this 800 Billion package through?

Stolberg: I would say I am being a Nattering Nabob of Fairness, not such good alliteration there....

Stolberg: Obama went courting Republicans...he framed bill as a show of unity. Instead it could have been a lesson in setting expectations. We need this measure and if it get Republican votes fine, but it's a high priority for us.

Brewer: Isn't that what he did say though, I mean Didn't he do just that....Cocktails etc. Reaching across the aisle. But they wanted what? a Republican stamp on the bill. After all the Democrats won.

Stolberg: (long reply about the "I won" statement from POTUS meaning nothing) Even so the pres made such a strong point in his campaign of about changing the ways of Washington, it couldn't help but be a disappointment when it didn't get republican votes.

Brewer: Perhaps it was the Republicans with the deaf ears on that front

Stolberg (Taken aback and stutters) "Well perhaps.....

Brewer: Let's make that the last word on that

Stolberg: Okay I'll let you have the last word.

Notice how uncomfortable Stolberg is when she's confronted by Brewer about the deaf ears Republicans have? She can barely respond to the thought that it might be their fault. The Beltway elitist class of reporting Stolberg brings to this segment is why this nation is falling apart. Why was it so hard for her to admit that Republicans did not bargain in good faith with President Obama?

Contessa Brewer uses Whitehouse. org to describe Falwell's influence in the White House...Her producer gave her this:

Download | play Download | play

Dr. Falwell has earned his role as the defacto Executive Director of Domestic and Global Policy for the White House. How much influence did he have over George Bush...

The only problem with that is it's a satire site. Brewer tries to correct herself, but still makes it seem like they are a legitimate site. Chris Matthews comes to the rescue by saying: It sounds like a nasty shot to me."

Jamie made the video and says that it's registered at SatireOnline.

Former Air America host Mike Malloy and right wing talk show host Steve Malzberg were on MSNBC yesterday to discuss the idea of teachers having guns in classrooms. Within moments, Malzberg tried to switch the argument to terrorism and MSNBC host Contessa Brewer tried to move the subject back to teachers having guns. Malzberg turns very defensive and the whole segment turned into a comedy routine with the wing nut coming off as the butt of all the jokes.

Download | play - WMV Download | play - QT

The segment ends with Malzberg telling Contessa it is no wonder MSNBC is in last place. He defends that statement saying "I have never been shut up like this on a talk show". It seems like Malzberg must be accustomed to being on FOX. Perhaps he should look at the latest ratings comparing Olbermann to O'Reilly and rethink his "last place" comment.

There was an earlier segment on MSNBC with Malloy and Malzberg, discussing Foleygate. Malzberg acted the same during this segment, which you can view here.

...will be teamed with Jay Severin on Tucker Carlson's new show called " The Situation"

I like Rachel. It's good news that an Air America personality will finally get on the tube regularly. Of course Severin will probably be the over the top panelist MSNBC is looking for. Tucker said that he is going to stay away from the "missing white girl" stories that dominate the rest of 24/7. The show premieres tonight at 9:00PM EST.

(Update)-I brought this up for two reasons. The first is: I didn't know that Rachel had been hired, and the second is: Imus just kicked Tucker off the air during a promo interview. I know how people feel about the Imus show, but Frank Rich and others do appear that I like and I'm usually up early. Tucker brought up the name Contessa Brewer who Imus fired off the show, and in an attempt at being witty got himself ejected off of the Imus interview. I'd say he's off to good start.