This week's Meet The Press panel was a little less Republican than usual, with the exception of David Brooks, the N.Y.Times' lifetime both-siderist, star columnist. Andrew Ross Sorkin, Eugene Robinson, and Andrea (Greenspan) Mitchell rounded out the panel this morning. The topic of a Carly Fiorina vs. Hillary Clinton showdown was addressed.
Ross Sorkin admitted that if the topic of Fiorina's horrific tenure at HP and Lucent comes up, she will definitely fall in the polls. He questions her glowing recollection of her corporate history and is as baffled as anyone who knows what a disastrous C.E.O. she was. Eventually, voters will be negatively impacted by a way less-than-stellar corporate career. GOP primary voters aren't terribly concerned with reality, so it's not a problem just yet.
But thank the Lord that we have David Brooks to break it down for us plebeians.
To Andrew's point, it's not quite clear that reality matters to the electorate right now. There are some people who are great campaigners and some people that are good in reality, and so far the good in reality people aren't doing so good in the polls.
Of course he is speaking primarily about Jeb Bush, the bilingual candidate who disparages a multicultural society, the reality guy.
Brooks is very impressed with Carly Fiorina's impressive delivery. Unlike Hillary Clinton, who is held to a completely different standard, she doesn't answer questions, she is 'on the offensive.' That's both siderist-speak for never answering any tough questions because no one in the 'not my job to ask tough questions' mainstream media demands the truth. He doesn't even mention her aversion to the truth. It's not his job either, in case you forgot.
Andrea Mitchell said that Carly Fiorina is in tune with the 'mood of the electorate.' She did admit that Fiorina is clearly lying about the video she said she saw, except the GOP primary voters aren't concerned with the truth, so it isn't crucial (at this point). She admitted, at least, that the horrific 'fetal' video images Carly described were from a totally unrelated video and eventually she'll have to come clean.
Eugene Robinson is floored that Carly hasn't had to acknowledge that she misrepresented the content of that video. Chuck Todd seems to think that she'll continue to get away with this evasive behavior, at least as far as he's concerned. It's not his job folks. He just lets his esteemed guests speak uncontested, because both sides do it, remember?
