Tim Russert is a Moron
Published by Greg September 26th, 2007I just watched the debates. They were OK. My plan was to watch the debates and start to decide who I liked for the Democratic nomination. But this is all I’ve got so far:
- Clinton has been getting a lot of bad press lately, but clearly this is only because she is front runner. She did OK in the debates.
- Obama and Clinton gave exactly the wrong answers about energy, in particular nuclear energy.
- Too bad Dennis Kucinich isn’t sane.
- Mike Gravel is a grumpy old man with an attitude. Clearly, he should be president. Too bad he doesn’t have a chance.
- Obama has a great message with no substance.
- Edwards seems to have some substance but the packaging is weak.
- Each of them, on a bad day, is a minimum of 10 times better than Bush.
- I was pretty impressed with both Dodd and Biden.
Which brings me to why Tim Russert is a moron. First, he did the usual moron-political reporter thing where you ask some form of the proverbial question “When did you stop beating your wife.” He asked this regarding torture, as well as some other topics. At one point, it would have been perfectly acceptable for Hillary Clinton to have stepped off the stage to whack him across the face, or maybe a karate chop to the neck. If you saw the debate, you know the moment to which I’m referring.
But that is not why he is a moron, only a contributing factor.
Russert’s last question was “I know you’all have talked a lot about values and shit during your campaign” (or words to that effect) “so let’s see if any of you can think of a biblical verse that you can claim has something to do with anything…” (or words to that effect).
How obnoxious. But that is not why Tim Russert is a moron. It goes beyond this stoopid question.
Later, after the debate, Russert was being interviewed by Chris Matthews, and they were yucking it up about how so many of the candidates couldn’t come up with an actual bible verse, etc. etc.
Then Matthews said “Hey, what about that answer by Biden … something about ‘beware the Pharisees’ … what the heck was that about ..”
Now let me clarify. Biden’s answer to “what is your favorite biblical verse” was “Jesus’ warning about the Pharisees … ”
The Pharisees were the fundamentalists among the Jews at that time. They were the intolerant, established, moral majority, right wing. Biden’s answer was brilliant, in my view. Exactly what I would have said, as an atheist running for president, with Tim Russert being a moron and asking this question. If I was running for president, which I am not.
Anyway, after the debate, Matthews brings up Biden’s comment and says “What the fuck?” (or words to that effect) and Russert, suddenly looking a little more pale than usual … realizing, clearly, that he has no idea what anyone is talking about and is very likely to step in it … ventures …. “yea, I guess it’s like the money changers in the temple or something…”
Which it is not. Those were not the Pharisees.
So, who won the debate? Who shall I support? Good questions.
9 Responses to “Tim Russert is a Moron”
- 1 Pingback on Oct 7th, 2007 at 10:50 am
- 2 Pingback on Oct 10th, 2007 at 6:08 am
You forgot to put quotes around the word “debate.”
So, Greg; is this your official announcement that you aren’t running for president next year?
I tuned in to the re-broadcast, and my favorite responses were by far Gravel’s. Seems like a firebrand to me, with as you say, no chance to get the nomination.
I missed that last question, and for this I am thankful to the Values God. I just think that the word “Values” should be banished from political discourse. It’s so vacuous and can mean anything even if people assign it a specific meaning.
Mickey Mouse as a write-in is looking better all the time.
The next time any of these candidates appears on either Meet the Press or Tweety’s show again, they should open their remarks with ” Before we begin Tim or Chris, I want you to quote me verbatim one bible verse. If you can’t, I walk off the set right now.”
“Too bad Dennis Kucinich isn’t sane. ”
Really Greg. Do you care to defend that statement? I mean it sounded so much like the dismissive attitude of people like Tim Russert! Because he has different ideas, statements that are not tailored to the political mainstream,which are actually needed, means he is not sane?
Hillary Clinton is certainly not my favorite when it comes to policy and record. But she is starting to endear herself to me with the way she handles jackasses like Russert, who she handled quite well without whacking him across the face. I heard clips of he talking to Chris Walllace at Fox News, and just laughing at him to his face over his interview tactics..
I came across Greg’s essay while I was looking to find Russert’s email address so I could write and complain about his performance in conducting the 10/30 Democratic debates on MSNBC along with Brian Williams.
Greg is one prescient SOB. Russert repeated his earlier performance on Tuesday night, pulling Williams along with him, and Matthews mopping up at the end.
These guys must be consultants (paid or pro bono) consultants to Obama and Edwards. They hit Clinton hard with sometimes substantive, but often “gotcha” questions, grill her with biased follow-ups, and then literally rub their hands together as they watch the two weaklings Obama and Edwards unleash their feigned indignation. [I used to admire Edwards, but given his and his wife’s unrelently mad dog personal attacks on Clinton, I will stay home before I would vote for him.]
Those of you who watched the debates, and bought into the media generated Clinton meltdown on driver licenses, will undoubtedly realize that both Edwards and Obama (along with everyone else except Dodd) supported the Spitzer proposal. But, Edwards and Obama were too busy beatingon Clinton to answer, and Williams and Russert were too transfixed to ask them “what they thought”. Good objective reporting guys.
And, then after the broadcast, Matthews thought that he had found the Holy Grail of defeat for Clinton, and yelled the question at Joe Biden (my favorite candidate): “Senator, do you believe we should give driver licenses to illegal aliens so that they can get on airlines!!!?” To my great disappointment, Biden shakily and weakly said “No,” completely reversing his position of only a few moments earlier when Russert asked if there were any candidates who did not believe illegal aliens should get driver licenses, and only Dodd raising his hand.
[I could go on to defend the Spitzer proposal, but this moment is for examining Russert’s moronity…not mine.]
The NBC trio of Russert, Williams, and Matthews seem devoted to hyping their ratings by stopping Hillary. Believe me, the Republicans would love to run against Edwards (again) or Obama. That would guarantee four more years of the present idiocy.
As the saying used to go in another venue, these three “newsmen” couldn’t carry Murrow’s jockstrap.
Chuck,
Thanks for those comments. I had missed the debates, opting instead to go out with my daughter to haul in 7.6 lbs of candy….