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MSNBC Tag

The GOP has a long history of subjecting its candidates to abuse by debate moderators. From George Stephanopolous to Candy Crowley, debates are a time for network journalists to earn their battle badges by damaging Republicans. And the GOP just sucks it up and takes it. So why would the CNBC moderators have thought the most recent Republican Primary debate should be any different? CNBC did what it thought it was supposed to do -- mock and snicker at Republican candidates. Belittle them. Dismiss their intelligence and portray them as kooks.

Discussing Paul Ryan's bid for Speaker of the House Monday, Melissa Harris-Perry made an unusual claim about the term, "hard worker." Alfonso Aguilar, Director of the conservative organization American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership said:
"But let's be fair. If there's somebody who is a hard worker when he goes to Washington, it's Paul Ryan. He not only works with Republicans but with Democrats. You know very well that I work on immigration issues, trying to get Republicans to support immigration reform. Paul Ryan is somebody who has supported immigration reform, has worked with somebody like Luis Gutierrez. Luis Gutierrez is very respectful, speaks highly of Paul Ryan, this is somebody who is trying to govern.
At which point Harris-Perry interrupted Aguilar and then proceeded to wander down a completely unhinged tangent about slavery.
"Alfonso, I feel you. But I just want to pause on one thing, because I don't disagree with you that I actually think Mr. Ryan is a great choice for this roll. I want us to be super careful when we use the language "hard worker," because, I actually keep an image of folks working in the cotton fields on my office wall because it is a reminder of what hard work looks like. So I feel you that he's a hard worker, I do, but in the context of relative privilege... and I just want to point out that when you talk about work-life balance and being a hard worker, the moms who are working, who don't have health care, we don't call them hard workers, we call them failures, we call them people who are sucking off the system."

Last Friday MSNBC used an anti-Israel series of maps [Featured Image] frequently spread by "pro-Palestinian" boycott activists. The map sequence purports to show "Palestinian Loss of Land" since 1946. As we documented in our post, MSNBC uses anti-Israel propaganda map, the maps are a lie both individually and in sequence. The land in the first map was part of the British Mandate of Palestine, not a country of Palestine, and most of the land on the map was public land, not land owned privately by Palestinian Arabs. The second map, the UN partition plan, was the division of land the Arabs rejected and went to war over. The third map, post Israel Independence, purports to show the West Bank and Gaza as Palestinian, but in fact that land was controlled by Jordan and Egypt, respectively. The last map, showing Palestinian control under the Oslo Accords, represents a gain of land, not loss. This annotation of the maps has some of the details. Map That Lies - Annotated With all that in mind, here's the original MSNBC broadcast:

There is a standard fixture at anti-Israel BDS rallies and events -- a map purporting to show loss of Palestinian land to Israel. But it's a completely misleading and false map. Yet MSNBC used it on air today -- a demonstration of how Big Lies become truth when repeated often enough: The map has been debunked so many times in the past, a simple Google search would have demonstrated the problem. Elder of Ziyon blog has written a definitive taken down of the map in 2012, The Map That Lies. The Tower magazine has an exhaustive research post on why the map is a lie, The Mendacious Maps of Palestinian “Loss”.  Even The Economist had an explanation why the map was deceptive in 2010, when blogger Andrew Sullivan used the map. Most important is that Map 1, which purports to show "Palestinian land" as comprising most of the British Mandate (after Britain already has lopped off most of the Mandate land to create Jordan) does not show "Palestinian" land at all. As Elder of Ziyon explained, that land was mostly public land, and there was no country of Palestine:

Tragic deaths seem to dredge up the worst kind of discourse from liberal punditry. The national conversation, particularly in regards to calls for increased gun control tends to go something like this: "Someone broke a law." "WE MUST MAKE MORE LAWS. WE MUST DO SOMETHING." "Yes, but these individuals didn't follow the law to begin with." "WE MUST MAKE MORE LAWS. WE MUST DO SOMETHING." "Because criminals will follow a new law when they're already ignoring all the others?" "WE MUST MAKE MORE LAWS. MOAR LAWS. ALL THE LAWS. SOMETHING. GUNS. SOMETHING. YARRRRGHH." "We must do SOMETHING," is tired mantra and one beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Friday morning, National Review's Charles Cooke joined Morning Joe to discuss the horrific Oregon community college shooting. Cooke writes extensively about second amendment liberties.

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is not having a good time this cycle. Charges over the DNC's "rigged" debate schedule have gained traction, and activists and prominent Democrats from presidential candidate Martin O'Malley to congressional leader Nancy Pelosi have taken to national media outlets to question DWS's decision to limit the number of official debates her candidates are allowed to participate in. On Saturday, that frustration boiled over. Spectators at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention drowned out DWS's speech with cries of "we want debates! We want debates!" further embarrassing the party and giving stronger legs to efforts meant to push the DNC toward a more substantial debate schedule. MSNBC caught on to the controversy this week. Not only did they call DWS out for limiting the number of debates, they directly accused the party of playing flack for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Ouch. Courtesy of the Washington Free Beacon:

It's not every day that you hear people on MSNBC talking about Sarah Palin in a positive way and that's what makes this so much fun. Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests not only agree that Hillary doesn't come across as authentic, they suggest that Sarah Palin does. Jack Coleman of NewsBusters reported:
Gasp! MSNBC Panelist Says Hillary Should Emulate Palin's Authenticity It took nearly seven years, but at long last it's finally been heard -- praise for Sarah Palin on MSNBC. Even better, one of the people praising Palin -- and there were three, count 'em, three libs on the Lean Leftward cable network today doing so -- suggested that flailing Democrat Hillary Clinton could do worse than to look toward Palin as a political model to emulate. The gratifying twofer came on MSNBC's usually cringe-inducing Melissa Harris-Perry show during a panel discussion of authenticity or the lack thereof among politicians.

MSNBC is dropping the Reverend Al Sharpton's program 'PoliticsNation' from its daily lineup and moving him to a weekly slot which will air on Sunday mornings at 8 am. Alex Weprin of Politico reports:
MSNBC moves Al Sharpton to Sunday mornings Sharpton's last weekday "PoliticsNation" will be Sept. 4. He moves to Sundays a month later on Oct. 4, according to a memo sent to MSNBC staff by the channel's president Phil Griffin Wednesday evening. "I want to congratulate Al and his team. For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality. And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show," Griffin wrote in the email. "I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program." The 6 pm hour will temporarily be filled by "MSNBC Live," the channel's weekday news program. A permanent replacement will be named "soon after" Sharpton moves, per Griffin.

On Monday, Elizabeth Warren took to the senate floor and made a series of bizarre accusations about the awful series of Planned Parenthood videos. Senator Warren apparently believes this is all part of a vast right-wing conspiracy to take away women's rights. Maybe progressives should find a different politician to clone. MSNBC's Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough called Warren out for hypocrisy and for suggesting that anyone who objects to the horror contained in the Planned Parenthood videos is against women's rights. Even the left-leaning Huffington Post took notice:
Morning Joe To Elizabeth Warren: 'Stop Insulting Our Intelligence' MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on Tuesday slammed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, accusing the Massachusetts Democrat of conflating support for women's rights with support for Planned Parenthood. "You can be against the funding of Planned Parenthood without being against the support of women's health," Scarborough said. "Nice try, Elizabeth Warren."

MSNBC has pulled the plug on three shows. The Cycle, Now with Alex Wagner, and The Ed Show will no longer grace the TV screens of the struggling network's viewers. Dylan Byers of Politico broke the story this week:
MSNBC cancels three shows amid transition Alex Wagner and Ari Melber, a "Cycle" co-host and MSNBC's chief legal correspondent, will remain with the network. Ed Schultz, the host of "The Ed Show," will leave the network, as will "Cycle" co-hosts Abby Huntsman, Krystal Ball and Toure. MSNBC President Phil Griffin announced the news in a memo sent shortly after the initial version of this item was published. The cancellations, which have been expected for some time, come as NBC News chief Andrew Lack moves to refashion the liberal cable channel as a straight-forward news and politics offering, at least in daytime. In September, MSNBC will add a 5 p.m. program hosted by "Meet The Press" moderator Chuck Todd, while Brian Williams, the former "Nightly News" anchor, will serve as the network's breaking news and special reports anchor.
In honor of this occasion, NewsBusters has opened up their vault to look for some "worst of" moments from Alex Wagner and Ed Schultz. Here are a couple of examples:

Back in the fall of 2014, when the news of Grubergate broke, Obama claimed that Jonathan Gruber was just some advisor who never worked on his staff. You don't have to take my word for it. Here's a video of Obama responding to a direct question on the subject from Ed Henry of FOX News: You might be shocked to learn that our president wasn't being entirely truthful.

Brian Williams flamed out at NBC Nightly News when it was revealed he exaggerated or invented parts of his life story. Williams was put on leave, and now will be on MSNBC:
In its investigation of embattled “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, NBC found that the majority of his tall tales about his reporting took place on late night talk shows and in public appearances rather than while he was on the network. That distinction appears to have been a major factor in NBC’s decision to keep Mr. Williams, albeit in a diminished role at the network’s sister cable news channel MSNBC. Lester Holt, who has been filling in for Mr. Williams on “Nightly News” since February, was named the permanent anchor.... In his new role, Mr. Williams will anchor breaking news stories and special reports for MSNBC and primarily appear in the daytime. MSNBC’s evening schedule is mostly political talk shows. “Brian now has the chance to earn back everyone’s trust,” said NBC News Chairman Andy Lack. “His excellent work over 22 years at NBC News has earned him that opportunity.”
The move is being seen as saving Williams' career, but the real beneficiary might be MSNBC, which is in freefall:

Remember when any criticism of a black man running for president was indisputable proof of racism? MSNBC doesn't. Progressives have forgotten everything that happened since the 2008 election and they think we have too. It's already obvious that Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, is not going to get the respect the left gave to America's most successful community organizer. Ken Shepherd of News Busters:
MSNBC Pundit Suggests Ben Carson an Affirmative-Action Case Who Drank the GOP's 'Kool-Aid' According to MSNBC pundit Michelle Bernard -- best known at NewsBusters perhaps because of her insistence that there is a "war on black boys" in America -- savaged newly-announced GOP presidential aspirant Dr. Ben Carson tonight by alleging his success is all owed to "affirmative action." She also suggested that he's a disgrace to his enslaved ancestors and to the black community in Baltimore, where he's lived throughout his career as an acclaimed neurosurgeon...
MICHELLE BERNARD: It is absolutely horrifying. You take one look at him and you say to yourself, well, your ancestors didn't come here on their free will, so how is the Affordable Care Act in any way comparable to slavery? Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina have the same problem. People are going to say, who is the real Ben Carson? The person who probably went to Yale and University of Michigan for medical school because of affirmative action and because of social problems and didn't end up like many of the black men that we see in prison today in Baltimore, where he came from, because of these same social problems.
Here's the video: You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know why Democrats will never be fair to Dr. Carson.

When Al Sharpton is in front of an MSNBC camera, it's an adventure watching him try to read from the teleprompter ("Resist we much!"). However, when he's in front of other cameras, grandstanding, he does very well. Earlier, Sharpton had a run in with Fox News reporter Leland Vittert. Vittert was doing this odd thing called "journalism" and was attempting to question Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake when Sharpton decided to play palace guard: Sharpton of course, knew it was Fox News and as such, he knew millions were watching... unlike his show on MSNBC. But hey, at least Sharpton is punching up, right?

Peter Schweizer's book, 'Clinton Cash' has not even been released yet, but has created quite a stir in the DC community. With Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign officially launched, the book is raising a lot of questions about Hillary's time as Secretary of State and the Clinton Foundation.  Schweizer says his book lays out a pattern when foreign interests - both government and business - made large donations to the Clinton Foundation and paid Bill Clinton large sums of money while having business before the state department. Schweizer was on Morning Joe today and was being peppered with questions from Mika Brzezinski and Mike Barnicle about "proof", "evidence" and a "smoking gun" (like George Stephanopoulos did) Schweizer tried to remind them he's just an author and doesn't have the ability to do the digging to establish a legal case. They continued to press and that's when Joe Scarborough had enough:

The progressive hosts of MSNBC may like the idea of big government programs, but for some of them, paying taxes seems to be a challenge. Jillian Kay Melchior outlined the issue in a recent column for National Review:
MSNBC’s Touré Has the Taxman on His Case Touré Neblett, co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle, owes more than $59,000 in taxes, according to public records reviewed by National Review. In September 2013, New York issued a state tax warrant to Neblett and his wife, Rita Nakouzi, for $46,862.68. Six months later, the state issued an additional warrant to the couple for $12,849.87. In January 2014, Neblett tweeted, “Regressive taxation & tax-avoidance & union crushing & the financial corruption of legislation has fueled inequality more than hard work.” In 2012, he also criticized Republican politicians, saying they were “all afraid to vote for a modest tax increase of people who can totally afford it.” MSNBC’s hosts and guests regularly call for higher taxes on the rich, condemning wealthy individuals and corporations who don’t pay their taxes or make use of loopholes. But recent reports, as well as records reviewed by National Review, show that at least four high-profile MSNBC on-air personalities have tax liens or warrants filed against them.
Melchior discussed the issue with Sean Hannity on Thursday night:

Wow. First David Brock and now Howard Dean. Is there something in the water at MSNBC? Dean is the former chair of the DNC, a role now filled by our favorite Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. As a long time party loyalist, Dean appeared on Morning Joe yesterday and attempted to downplay new scandalous revelations regarding the Clintons. Hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough could barely contain their skepticism. David Rutz of the Washington Free Beacon:
Mika Tires of Howard Dean’s ‘Jihad’ for Clintons: ‘The Facts Are The Facts’ The New York Times reported Thursday that the Clinton Global Initiative accepted millions of dollars from a Russian oil company when the State Department, then headed by Hillary Clinton, was approving a deal that would give Russians control of the company Uranium One and bring Vladimir Putin “closer to his goal of controlling much of the global uranium supply chain.” The charges are part of Peter Schweizer’s book Clinton Cash.

David Brock of Media Matters appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe program yesterday and attempted to defend Hillary Clinton from claims made in the new book Clinton Cash. Even the reliably liberal Mika Brzezinski wasn't buying Brock's hollow defense. Alyssa Canobbio of the Washington Free Beacon:
Mika Brzezinski Corrects the Record on David Brock’s Laughable Defense of Hillary Clinton Brock defended Clinton’s comments that when a person runs for president that they come under scrutiny and Brock asked people to look at Clinton’s record. Host Mika Brzezinski said no one could look at Clinton’s record because Clinton scrubbed the personal server she used during her time as secretary of state. Brock continued, arguing that the 55,000 pages of email that Clinton has turned over was enough to show her record. Brock said that the actions Clinton took after leaving the State Department all fell under regulations. “No, actually, David, you don’t have to give me a lesson on the regulations of the State Department,” Brzezinski said. “She scrubbed emails because she felt like it and that went against regulations.”
Watch the video: