Monday, February 22, 2016

Most Ridiculous Moment – February 21, 2016


"Win"


It was a very busy day on the Sunday talk shows, with Presidential candidates seemingly everywhere, but very few questions of substance or policy. Pundits 
had a chance to ask possible future Presidents anything they wanted, but stuck with pointless horse race questions.

On ABC, George Stephanopoulos interviewed Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz.

Donald Trump got eleven questions. Zero were about policy. Marco Rubio got six questions. Zero were about policy. Ted Cruz got four questions. Zero were about policy.

Trump got questions like, 'Do you think you have this nomination in hand?, 'who is your toughest competition?,' 'You're really not sure that Marco Rubio is eligible to run for president?,' 'Are you going to have to be more careful about the kind of things you say and tweet?,' 'Will you release your tax returns,' Will you run as an independent,' and 'is this a hostile takeover of the GOP?'

Rubio was asked if he was eligible to run for president, if Mitt Romney would endorse him, if Donald Trump is qualified to be President, and where he is going to win?

Cruz was asked if he is going to have make tougher case against Donald Trump, and 
'isn't he giving Donald Trump a clear path?'

On Face the Nation, Host Jon Dickerson interviewed Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, 
Ted Cruz, Jon Kasich and Bernie Sanders.

Trump got six questions. None were about policy. Rubio got five questions. None were about policy. Sanders got four questions. None were about policy. Cruz got five questions. One was about policy. Kasich got four questions. One was about policy.

To Ted Cruz, Dickerson said, “Let me ask you about the substance of immigration and building a wall. Both you and Donald Trump want the same thing. But he's had a lot of experience in the business world executing, getting things done as a businessman. 
What would you say to a voter who says, okay, you may share the same goals with Donald Trump on this, but you lack that experience of having executed the way he has in the private sector?”

Kasich got the usual questions, such as “Where do you have to do well, and win, to still have a shot at this thing?” and “why aren't you just continuing to split the vote with Marco Rubio? Address those concerns.”

Dickerson also asked Kasich, “Let me ask you a policy question. When we debated, or discussed, Donald Trump's effort stop Muslim immigration, you said 'that's not who we are as a country'. In the exit polls in New Hampshire, 65 percent supported a Muslim immigration ban. And now in South Carolina, 74 percent supported that policy.”

On Meet The Press, Marco Rubio got four questions. None were about policy. Bernie Sanders got six questions. None were about policy. Ted Cruz got six questions. None were about policy. Of the six questions Cruz got, half were Chuck Todd asking him three times if he had to win in Texas.

After asking Rubio “How do you look at this as a positive and not a negative?,' “How do you ever win over Trump voters?,” and “What part of Ted Cruz's ad is not true?”

Chuck Todd segued to, “All right, I've got to talk process.”

Sanders was asked about the role of culinary union, Where he is going to win next, and whether he had to win in Texas or Virginia 
or Tennessee.

To be fair, Todd's interview with Donald Trump was a bit different.

Todd began by asking about Trump's recent flip flops on issues such as a health insurance mandate, Planned Parenthood, and whether George W. Bush is a liar. Trump said he was against a mandate, and gave a confusing answer on Planned Parenthood. Todd also asked about his support for the Iraq war, and whether he would be neutral during negotiations for a Palestinian state.

So our media has the opportunity to grill politicians contending to be commander-in-chief and architect of the foreign policy of the most powerful nation on earth, to question office-seekers hoping to direct domestic policy with regard to the U.S. budget, taxes, criminal justice, health, the environment, education, civil rights and more. 

With this at stake, they ask “where do you win?,” “where do you have to do well?,” “where is a must win,” and “how do you win?” Treating politics as sport, a game, as entertainment, and then they wonder 
how a reality game show host could be 
doing so well.

And that's the most ridiculous thing that happened this Sunday.

Link to audio

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Meet The Press – February 14, 2016

Guests:
Donald Trump
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Gov. Jon Kasich (R-OH)
Al Sharpton
Pete Williams
Gwen Ifill
Chris Cilizza
Kathleen Parker
Ron Fournier



Todd: OMG Scalia's death is sad 
but also exciting!

Rubio: Obama should not appoint 
anyone ever

Cruz: Obama is trying to ram a 
liberal down on on us

Trump: delay delay delay!

Sanders: we're supposed to
have nine justices you fools

Clinton: elections have consequences!

Todd: Pete you're Scotus whisperer

Williams: thanks

Todd: what happens now

Williams: if there's a tie the 
decision doesn't count

Todd: oh that's productive

Williams: so Obama would lose on abortion
and immigration but unions would win

Todd: so we could go through two
full terms of the court with 4-4 ties

Williams: or longer

Todd: do Scalia's votes count after death

Williams: no

Todd: who is Merrick Garland

Williams: he's respected but he's 
at age 29 he's too old

Todd: thanks pete

[ break ]


Todd: welcome Mr. Trump

Trump: hi Tad

Todd: do you have any litmus tests?

Trump: we need a conservative on the court!

Todd: I see

Trump: I would clone Scalia

Todd: how do you decide
who to nominate?

Trump: Ted Cruz pushed through
John Roberts and we got Obamacare

Todd: I see

Trump: it was shocking to for
Roberts to vote for Obamacare!

Todd: perhaps he was just
objectively applying the law

Trump: exactly – it's totally outrageous

Todd: I got it

Trump: we should just re-appoint Scalia again

Todd: you wanted to impeach 
George W. Bush

Todd: no I didn't but the war was a disaster

Todd: what about impeachment?

Trump: that war was a horrible mistake!

Todd: we all know that

Trump: we lost thousands of men 
and Iran took over Iraq

Todd: how do you know Bush lied?

Trump: they wanted to invade
and then looked for a reason

Todd: perhaps

Trump: I'm the only one who
said we shouldn't invade Iraq

Todd: a year after the war started

Trump: it took Jeb five days to
admit the war was mistake!

Todd: better late than never

Trump: in 2003 I said to my best friend 
we shouldn't invade Iraq

Todd: who is that

Trump: my mirror

Todd: there's no evidence you
opposed the war before it started

Trump: yes there is - I said it in 2004

Todd: but that's a year after the invasion

Trump: I am the most militaristic 
person in the world

Todd: I see

Trump: we de-stabilised the middle east

Todd: that sounds militaristic

Trump: militaristic means pro-military

Todd: no it doesn't

Trump: whatever Chet

Todd: did Bush keep America safe?

Trump: No!

Todd: he didn't?

Trump: of course not – he was 
President on 9/11 when the 
world trade center came down!

Todd: possibly

Trump: Jeb is an idiot! 
9/11 was worse than Pearl Harbor!

Todd: I grant you that movie was pretty bad

Todd: Bush could have prevented 9/11?

Trump: absolutely!

Todd: really?

Trump: I wrote about bin laden in 2000!
how come Bush didn't know?

Todd: George Bush is popular in 
South Carolina

Trump: good lord why?

Todd: he's very folksy

Trump: he invaded another 
country by mistake!

Todd: so you say

Trump: he told us there were WMD!
There weren't!

Todd: you're going to lose South Carolina
because of all your bashing of George Bush

Trump: the war in Iraq was a fucking disaster!

Todd: you think so

Trump: we got nothing! Iran gets everything!

Todd: thanks for coming

Trump: you too Chad

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Ted Cruz

Cruz: que pasa Carlo

Todd: would you have a litmus
test for the Supreme Court?

Cruz: liberals want to legislate 
from the bench!

Todd: I see

Cruz: also Roberts should have struck 
down Obamacare because it's bad

Todd: got it

Cruz: Scalia was a lion of the court!

Todd: did you make a mistake 
backing John Roberts?

Cruz: of course!

Todd: really?

Cruz: I would appoint someone 
really crazy believe me

Todd: I do believe you

Cruz: our fundamental rights to
control women and gay people
are in the balance!

Todd: wow

Cruz: our right to overturn
state gun laws are under threat!

Todd: is the Senate obliged to at
least consider an Obama nominee?

Cruz: not remotely

Todd: not at all?

Cruz: there is a long tradition
of ignoring the black President

Todd: I see

Cruz: Trump is like a louder Bernie Sanders

Todd: that's saying something

Cruz: if Hillary wins there election there
unlimited freedom of choice on demand

Todd: gosh

Cruz: we'll be overrun with
individual freedoms!

Todd: so you maintain the final year
of any Presidency doesn't count?

Cruz: no the whole final four years don't count

Todd: we'll end up with a bunch 4-4 ties

Cruz: better than than a liberal
dictatorship of freedoms

Todd: perhaps

Cruz: lame duck Presidents don't 
have the right to jam appointments 
down our throats

Todd: so you're saying now you're 
not even going to have a vote

Cruz: that's right

Todd: under the Constitution Presidents
appoint and the Senate advises and consents
but that doesn't apply anymore?

Cruz: the Senate is advising that the last
four years of a two-term President aren't
real and don't count

Todd: I didn't know that

Cruz: the Supreme Court will
tear down war memorials and 
sandlbast christian crosses and 
the star of david off tombstones!

Todd: truly you have a dizzying intellect

Cruz: wait till I get going

Todd: please proceed

Cruz: Donald Trump loves Jews!

Todd: unfortunately we're out time

Cruz: thanks Todd

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Senator Rubio

Rubio: what's up chuck

Todd: doesn't the Senate have
an obligation to vote for a nominee?

Rubio: no because the court 
doesn't need nine justices

Todd: it doesn't?

Rubio: we'll have an election
in a year so what's the rush

Todd: we know you will reject
anyone Obama chooses but why
not go through the motions

Rubio: we will go through the motions
but not while Obama is in the White House

Todd: so this has nothing to do
with precedent or tradition –
it's just about opposing Obama

Rubio: everyone knows that in the
President's second term Congress
stops working with the President

Todd: I didn't

Rubio: here's the bottom line
I don't trust Barack Obama

Todd: Donald Trump claims Jeb's
brother was President on during 
a big terror attack

Rubio: Bill Clinton caused 9/11

Todd: he did?

Rubio: exactly for some reason
people keep blaming 9/11 on Bush

Todd: it's a mystery

Rubio: Clinton should have taken
out bin Laden therefore it's all his fault

Todd: so if Clinton had bombed
bin Laden 9/11 wouldn't have occurred?

Rubio: it's doubtful

Todd: people call you a robot 
but you're more like a magic 8 ball

Rubio: try again

Todd: so the last year of a President's
term doesn't count but Bill Clinton 
is to blame for September 11

Rubio: yes Clinton made a decision
not to take out bin Laden

Todd: I see

Rubio: if you're going to blame
anyone for 9/11 blame Bill Clinton

Todd: so you blame Bill Clinton for 9/11

Rubio: absolutely

Todd: by that logic couldn't George 
W. Bush have taken out bin Laden?

Rubio: let's talk about something else

Todd: the Pope says America 
should welcome immigrants

Rubio: we love immigrants!

Todd: we do?

Rubio: yes but we should 
build a wall to keep them out

Todd: okay

Rubio: you can't just live in the Vatican!

Todd: that's a shame

Rubio: it really is

Todd: thanks for coming

Rubio: you too Chuck

[ break ]

Todd: welcome Governor Kasich

Kasich: if it's Sunday it's Meet the Press!

Todd: that's a knee slapper

Kasich: hey yo!

Todd: if you were a Senator would
at least consider Obama's nominee?

Kasich: no I wouldn't because it
would just be great if Obama
stopped being President for a while

Todd: you want him to give up and go away?

Kasich: yeah golly that would 
so neat and swell

Todd: if you all pledge to support
the democrat's choice you might
end up with someone more liberal

Kasich: we should let the people
choose the next justice – 
wouldn't that be fun?

Todd: I suppose

Kasich: it would be kind of cool if
Barack Obama just went away for 
a while and an old white guy like 
Joe Biden run things

Todd: do you know how that sounds

Kasich: I went to a barbecue and people
grabbed me saying excuse me waiter 
I need a fork

Todd: interesting

Kasich: I am not 'against things' - 
I'm 'for things'

Todd: like you're 'for' Obama not
being President anymore

Kasich: exactly

Todd: What about Syria

Kasich: we should not get in 
civil wars over seas

Todd: right

Kasich: getting involved in Libya
was a huge mistake

Todd: okay

Kasich: we should never have
deposed the killer of Pan Am 103

Todd: all right

Kasich: I opposed Reagan getting in Lebanon

Todd: good call old person

Kasich: Assad is a bad guy but not that bad

Todd: got it

Kasich: I would never get involved
in the Syrian civil war

Todd: oaky

Kasich: but I would support the rebels there

Todd: isn't that getting involved?

Kasich: only a little

Todd: Bush blew Clinton's surplus

Kasich: we must stand in the 
breach of spending!

Todd: thanks for coming Governor

Kasich: thanks for having Teddy

[ break ]

Todd: welcome panel

Todd: does the Senate function at all?

Cillizza: I am really cynical but
even I was shocked at McConnell's
open obstructionism

Todd: the base loved Scalia

Ifill: I wasn't surprised –
the Republican base hates Obama

Todd: what about GOP senators 
from blue states?

Fournier: a good man died and 10 
minutes later the GOP is pledging to 
leave the Court tied for a year and a half

Todd: that was pretty fast

Fournier: it's totally irresponsible

Parker: this is a very sad day

Parker: it was very jarring to see
it politicized so quickly

Todd: within hours

Fournier: within minutes!

Parker: Republicans think Obama doesn't
respect the Constitution

Fournier: so to show how wrong he
is they decided to invent a fake
precedent that is not in the Constitution

Todd: so smart

Parker: fair point Ron but in their 
defense Scalia broke precedent by
dying in February of an election year

Todd: should Obama compromise
and nominate an elderly centrist?

Ifill: Obama has the right to 
nominate who he wants

Fournier: Obama took the high road last night

Ifill: yes he did

Four: Obama should call their bluff and
show the whole world Republicans are
unwilling to work with him

Ifill: the next President may be Democrat
and they will have carte blanche to
nominate a big liberal

Cillizza: but Presidents can only 
do one big thing!

Todd: so why waste political capital
on a Supreme Court pick?

Parker: because they have to

[ break ]

Todd: it's primary season! I love it!

Todd: welcome Reverend Sharpton

Sharpton: nice to be here Charles

Todd: what should I call you?

Sharpton: you can call me Al

Todd: the crowd wants Sanders to say “black”

Sharpton: people feel marginalized

Todd: I see

Sharpton: it's about more than 
economic inequality

Cilizza: Bernie Sanders believes the
fundamental problem with race is economic

Ifill: Sanders had an ad with only
white people and then put out
one with only black people

Sharpton: there are racists in the North too!

Fournier: what if Bernie Sanders
just blamed the Clintons for racism?

Sharpton: Sanders voted for the Crime Bill

Todd: I see

Sharpton: put mass incarceration
and police reform are big issues!

Todd: will you endorse anyone?

Sharpton: the right question is
who will endorse us?

Todd: good line

Sharpton: who's on our side?

[ break ]

Jeb: my brother kept us safe!
Trump went after my mother!

Parker: that was a good line

Parker: I keep thinking Trump
is trying to lose the election

Parker: of course the Iraq war
was a mistake but come on

Cillizza: Trump went off the
rails – but he keeps winning

Fournier: people are mad at the establishment

Ifill: in the debate Rubio came out 
on top by not being a lunatic and 
not speaking like android

Parker: Kasich acted like a human

Cillizza: Rubio did better defending
the Bush family than Jeb Bush did

Todd: well the Bush family hasn't spent
20 years mocking Marco as 
'that loser from Florida'

Parker: don't you want them to 
just stop fighting

Todd: and that's another
episode of Meet The Press