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Contact Information for Pundit String-Pullers CBS 524 W. 57 St. New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-975-4321 Fax: 212-975-1893 You can also fill out a " Feedback Form" on the CBS website. CBS Evening News staff suggested that faxing or mailing your comments increases the likelihood that they will be read. Westwood One The NewsHour |
Sunday, March 4, 2001 -- NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (APJP) -- Priority one -- sell George the Lesser's tax cut scam, because he has less credibility in America than the press is letting on! Priority two: bash Bill Clinton! Here's the weekend spin from the self-important Solons of political television.
FAUX News Sunday
Show me the faltering tax giveback scam -- PLUS Byrd uses the "N" word!
The first thing FNS viewers saw this morning was Tom Cruise screaming "SHOW ME THE MONEYYYY" into a telephone, and the news wrap made waaay too much of a boat being named after Ronald "Iran-Contra" Reagan.
Tony's first guest, Minister of the Exchequer Paul "Alcoa" O'Neill, was given a wide berth by Tony Snow to claim that the monster tax givebacks to the rich would somehow stimulate the economy. O'Neill is not exactly the most dynamic speaker -- in fact, he's downright soporific -- and has a tendency to "er" and "uhhh" a bit too much. He's certainly the wrong person for the Cheney-Card Cadre to put out as the point man for tax cuts. Brit Hume admitted that the cut of the top income rate from over 39% to 33% was going to take a lot of flak. O'Neill claimed there was "heavy loading toward low and middle income" people -- avoiding altogether that the top 1% of income earners get as much as 40-plus percent of the giveback! Hume even referred to it as a "windfall." What is going on there? Is Hume now a tax-cut nay-sayer? That would be quite a change.
Tony brought up the issue of Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) becoming the latest GOP dissenter from the Great Smirk Giveback. O'Neill put us back to sleep with statistics, figures and dollar amounts that made little sense -- then talked about competitiveness.
Oh, please -- tax cuts don't make us more competitive! The initiative of productive Americans, almost all of them middle-class or poorer, make us competitive.
Hume mentioned all sorts of anecdotal "proof" that the U.S. is in a recession (in fact, the economy is STILL growing), and O'Neill spouted vagaries about indicators and the tight inventories in the automotive industries being in fact a positive economic indicator.
Well, does that mean that the Big Auto cartel jacked up inventory to help create a fake recession? Gee, combine that with the manipulated energy crisis and a pattern of "tank the Clinton economy on purpose" emerges...
Tony asked if there should be a change in the manner surpluses are projected; O'Neill essentially said that static scorekeeping is obsolete, but called it "Washington-speak." Huh? I thought it was all University of Chicago-speak! O'Neill also implied that what hard-righters call "entitlements" might in fact grow.
Not even Tony Snow -- still the best interviewer on Sunday despite his... well, conservatism -- could make O'Neill exciting.
Following the break, Tony introduced a taped interview with crusty ex-Klansman Robert Byrd, now a Democrat Senator from West Virginia. Byrd sounded like an actual liberal on the topic of tax cuts -- he said he's complaining about the application of the cuts, and said that if His Illegitimacy wants bipartisanship, then he had best let the equally-divided Senate debate the tax cut and adequately amend it. Has Trent Lott indicated any inclination toward an open debate? Byrd called the present impasse a "big bear trap" -- then said outright that he's against the tax cut because the projected surpluses look like smoke and mirrors.
And that, reader, is the bottom line -- old Robert Byrd has asked the REAL "Show mw the MONEYYYYY" question.
Tony turned the question to schools -- should the federal government strong-arm local schools? Byrd said yes, which won't please the teachers' unions -- but then said he's more concerned with "roughnecks" disrupting the learning environment.
Byrd bashed the Clinton pardons as abusive -- no surprise from a known Clinton-hater. He "might" support a Constitutional amendment. Tony implied that the pardons hurt Hillary's efficacy -- but Byrd said she's doing a great job on the budget committee. Byrd admitted he loathes Clinton when asked why he did not attend any of Clinton's State of the Union's addresses. Byrd then lied when he said the Clinton legacy is an all-GOP White House and Congress and a "lowering of standards" and a "rapid deterioration in the nation's culture."
Oh, please. What about Newt? Hyde? Burton? Chenoweth? Livingston?
Hyde slammed the choice of Terry McAuliffe to head the DNC as a "bad choice." Why? Because he can get more down and dirty than Lee Atwater?
Byrd said race relations are far better, even if "we talk about it too much," but we can all learn from our mistakes and have reached a plateau that will rise. Of course, Byrd never mentioned the main reason for this: William Jefferson Clinton.
Then came the shocker of the year.
Byrd showed his true colors when, at the end of his race relations discussions, he said "I've seen plenty of white niggers in my life."
Good Lord! Byrd may have been "nauseated" by Clinton's pardons -- but seems eager to engage in the rhetoric of nauseating race-baiting himself. Tony read a hastily-prepared "spin sheet" from the Byrd staff after the interview to provide the old Klansman a little political cover.
Following the break -- racketeer and perjurer Tom DeLay, who said it was "refreshing" to have a President that "wants to impose fiscal discipline." We can only guess that he's never heard of Bill Clinton. Mara Liasson lied, saying that Clinton was a big spender, but admitting that the GOP congress had been the same last year. DeLay talked about a president who has "fiscal responsibility" -- and DeLay knows a few things about responsible racketeering. DeLay said that the Democrats are not seeking bipartisan. Why is he so surprised when his party stole the Presidential election? He lied when he said Democrats are against tax cuts. Tony asked what he is ready to offer Democrats -- and DeLay said he wants to talk about the budget and giving back tax money to people who earned it. Is DeLay now saying he wants to give money to the lower- and middle-class people who revived our economy -- and not the lazy ultra-rich who still refuse to pay their fair share? Mara said that Byrd was predicting trouble unless a deal is negotiated -- and DeLay said chairman Thomas "reached out" to Democrats.
Right, Sweatshop Tom -- he reached out with a crowbar.
DeLay continued to trash Democrats for engaging in politics. We're shocked -- members of the House engaging in politics. DeLay, perhaps the biggest hypocrite in a federal elected office, is one to talk.
Tony extended the Clinton bashing by talking pardons -- and DeLay, naturally, praised Dan "Love Child" Burton.
Mara asked if Burton had unearthed evidence that there was a pardon-related quid pro quo. DeLay: "I wouldn't know that." Un-spun, that's a big "No," and another dry well for nutcase Burton.
Panel time! First up was spinning the pardons against Clinton -- Juan Williams said Clinton wants people to think he acted badly, and implied the issue was bribery.
Right -- a few thousand bucks out of MILLIONS in the Clinton Library fund. That's as asinine as the assertion Clinton took bribes from the Chinese.
Tony talked about e-mail among the Marc Rich team. Brit Hume said there's no satisfactory answer "Why."
Bullshit -- there is a big answer: Giuliani's abuse of the RICO statutes.
Tony said that the "liberal" (only because Joe Conason writes for them) New York Observer came out with an editorial calling Hillary Clinton's Senate win a "mistake." Mara spun the Rodham brothers, and Juan said it was "unbelievable," comparing them to the Sopranos.
Again, bullshit -- seeing as so many attempted pardons tied to Clinton's relatives failed.
The panel took some pot-shots at Clinton after a clip of Clinton accepting an NAACP award was played. Huh? Whazuuuuuup here --is FNS trying to alienate blacks? Juan implied that blacks have gotten nothing from Clinton, calling the love of Clinton a "cult attitude."
Mara said that the Illiterate Smirk did well in his congressional address. Hume talked about a meaningless poll that CBS did not run, and a better poll that said that the public likes the Democrat plan better (once they had all the facts).
Tony's final word was on the pardons. He admitted that the McCarthyite Burton committee won't find a thing.
The McLaugh-In Group
Issue one: John clones FNS!
Issue one: "Show me the REFUND!" Did FNS steal John McLaugh-In's theme?
Larry "Twelve-Step" Kudlow showed his supply-side side and praised the Smirk tax-cut plan, but said that Smirk should push it as a way to grow the economy.
...and perpetuate supply side mythology.
There was a lot of talk about polls and the way they "prove" people support the Smirk tax cut -- this from the same pundits who say polls don't matter.
Eleanor Clift said Smirk lacks the strength of personality to win the issue of tax cuts saving the economy. Tony said that Shrub is no Truman, but a tax cut bill will pass. John mentioned class warfare, and Clarence Page said that Smirk benefited from low expectations and that the rich scream class warfare anytime there is criticism of a big giveback scam that might line their pockets. Eleanor started a screaming match when she said the House is trying to ram through tax cuts that the Senate will stall.
How does the panel hate Dumbya on performance and substance?
Larry: B+, A-
Eleanor: C-, B+
Tony: A- on substance
Clarence: C on substance
John: A and A
Issue two: where's the quid pro quo? John cast Clinton as guilty, guilty, guilty as he slammed his relatives and talked about Mary Jo Clinton Hater White investigating the pardons. He also essentially declared Beth Dozoretz guilty for taking the fifth. Eleanor said there was no quid pro quo, and that lawyers knew how to reach Clinton, who wanted to do something nice for Denise Rich and Dozoretz.
Wrong, Eleanor -- it was a smackdown of Giuliani.
Tony tried to cast Cheryl Mills as an unindicted co-conspirator of some sort, and Clarence Page said Clinton has justification, but that non-violent drug offenders (like Larry Kudlow?) deserve a pardon. Kudlow said that getting tax money from Rich will stimulate the economy.
Then John decided to spin the National Enquirer story that claims that Clinton and Denise Rich had an affair.
Poor, jealous John -- he can't keep his slick paws out of Bill Clinton's pants. Face it, John -- you'll never be a chick magnet like Bill Clinton. Eleanor slammed the innuendo.
Issue three: on the road to Syria! John, it turns out, presented a little road trip, praising Bashar al-Assad for moving to open up Syria. John also went into detail on the changing Syria-Iraq relationship, particularly oil trade, and Bashar's new bride -- a business-savvy, multilingual woman poised, predicted John, to be the next Queen Noor . Foreign relations are John's real strength, and his summary of the present situation was quite thorough. John's case: a new generation of Arab leaders is poised to shake up the region's politics. Clarence Page said that Saddam Hussein is still around -- and a sort of Castro figure now to the U.S.
Face the Nation
The Clinton pardons
Bob Schieffer's first guest: Smirk's boss, Dick Cheney. Issue one: the New York Times story that the U.S. dug a tunnel under the Russian Embassy to eavesdrop, and FBI Agent Hanssen compromised the operation. Cheney refused comment: "If it were true, I could not discuss it." He kept avoiding Schieffer's questions until Schieffer asked Big Time about Sen. Shelby's assessment of the Hanssen matter as "grave." Cheney was vague outside of recounting a few facts and calling it very serious.
Gloria Borger asked why Cheney introduced the tax cut before the budget. Cheney lied and said they both came out at the same time and said the cut needs to pass in the Senate with at least sixty votes. He also lied by calling it "phased in" when in fact the tax cuts begin with no evidence of a surplus in the future. Cheney was trying to spin the cut not as giving back money but as not collecting money that the government does not need.
FACT: taxes are needed to retire the national debt. FACT: taxpayers will by and large save more in lower interest than they'd get back in tax cuts. Where are the Democrats on this?
Borger also mentioned "unidentified" cuts -- and said that Pete Domenici says he doesn't believe that they'll be able to do it. Cheney praised Domenici and forecast a "meeting of the minds." Translation -- we'll make him heel.
Schieffer asked if the Smirk will veto any budget with greater than 4% growth. Cheney was evasive outside of the use of veto power to stop specific programs.
Schieffer then turned to the issue of the USS Greeneville, which was, it turns out, out for a joyride and NOT on duty. Cheney said "the US Navy feel's] terrible about it" but LIED when he says he does not know why it was out.
Unbelievable -- it was out for a JOYRIDE. Civilian "Shrub-mariners" interfered with the crew and the operations of the sub at the insistence of and with the full assent of their non-crew Navy chaperone, and now the USS Greeneville's officers and crew are being hung out to dry for the crimes of others.
And isn't it nice to see the Bogus POTUS and his boss Big Time NOT sticking up for the sub crew when they are being set up to take the fall for a bunch of bozos?
Talk turned to smart sanctions against Iraq and the possible "removal" of Saddam Hussein. Cheney said Powell is assessing the problem and that the Cheney-Card regime has inherited a bad situation in the region.
He forgot to say they inherited the mess from Smirk's dad and that Clinton did defuse many tensions.
Schieffer said it looks like Saddam has the bomb. Cheney was reluctant to talk about it.
Moderate Democrat (read: Republican) Senator John Breaux (fake D-LA) was the next guest. The talk was budgets -- and Breaux wants a tax cut somewhere between Cheney's and Daschle's numbers. Schieffer mentioned that even conservative Democrats in the House who were going to side with Shrub have abandoned him. Breaux said that there must be bipartisanship now to prevent fighting on Medicare down the road.
Good grief. Bipartisanship? Grow a spinal column, Breaux -- the Dems are about to take the Senate. Moderate Republicans want to distance themselves from El Smirko -- in every way. Friends of the Cheney-Card Cadre stole the White House. It's time to put down foot down, question the legitimacy of Little George, and grab the reins of the agenda.
And Schieffer said that Breaux sounds a little disappointed with the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania. Breaux implied that someone in the White House pushed Tom the Bug Killer DeLay to move to the right on tax cuts -- and he's right.
All the more reason for Democrats to put their foot down.
Schieffer's final word: praise for powerhouse CNN journalist Bernie Shaw, who is retiring.
Defeat the Press
Starring Tim "Addicted to Clinton" Russert
[ASIDE: We noticed that the rotund Mr. Russert had actually begun dieting after we attacked his hugeness -- but in the past few weeks, he is again putting on more pork. Poor fella -- he can't stand himself.]
The first jerk on Russert's show this morning was loser congress-nut Dan Burton, who told Fat Tim that he doesn't know anything more than he did about Clinton since 1992 -- as usual.
But that's not true -- Burton has learned that bashing Clinton and shooting melons in his back yard is great publicity, the type that rich bigots that lean to the right of David Duke eat up and prompts them to finance his campaigns.
Burton said that his expenditure (more than $200,000 already) on investigating the Rich Pardon got him nothing but a few White House traitors saying they personally opposed the Rich pardon.
So Russert turned to a letter written by the attorney for another overweight loser, Hugh Rodham (whom his sister should disown), that told Burton that Rodham never discussed the pardons he was pushing with either of the Clintons.
Russert then ran a clip of Louis Libbey – "Big Time" Cheney's chief of staff and an attorney for Rich -- told the imbecilic Burton that HE could make a good, strong case for a pardon on the merits of the case for Mark Rich.
Burton blustered that what Libby said was only because he was on the defense side for Rich. Burton is a fool. Libbey's testimony allowed him to see even more of the "evidence" against Rich -- which was zero.
But here's the twist: Russert was subtly attacking Burton by asking him questions that were loaded time and again – questions in favor of Clinton.
But then Russert slipped back into Bill-bashing mode as he turned to his next guest, James "Serpent-head" Carville. "Why would Clinton pardon A TRAITOR like Rich?" asked the swollen Russert. But the Israeli government wanted both Rich and Jonathon Pollard pardoned. The President pardoned only Rich, based on information he received from attorneys. He "may have made a mistake," said Carville, but there is nothing illegal about the pardon. Period.
Mistake? His pardon of Rich will prove, we predict, to be fully justified – but not in the immediate future.
Russert then did what he does best: he lied. He said, "a lot of American Jews take umbrage at the Rich pardon, because they are being blamed for it."
That is BULLSHIT. We're sure Russert's Jewish viewers laughed out loud when Russert spouted this idioiticism – our own Morrie Friendly sure did!
Russert – "Money talks, huh?"
Really? Then why didn't Clinton pardon Michael Milken? He gave more to the DNC and the President in a week then anyone in a decade. Carville correctly characterized the fake Pardon-gate flap as a SIDESHOW to distract the nation from the maniacal tax cut scam cooked up by Smirk Baby's handlers.
Russert: "Well, what about the pardon to the crack distributor?" Russert said Clinton did this because Clinton's brother-in-law wanted it.
Hey, Timmy: the Sheriff of LA County, the US Attorney, and the Speaker of the Senate in California supported it. The Cardinal of Los Angeles supported it (but withdrew their support when the Neo-Nazi wing of the GOP launched the latest of its witch-hunts through Burton).
Carville attacked Russert indirectly, saying money buys access, but not pardons; friendship may, but still, there is nothing illegal or untoward about that; perhaps Rich and the rest have learned their lessons."
Russert then pretended to care about the poor people in prison who have no access to the President. Well, we have news for him -- the great majority of the pardons Clinton gave were to poor inmates who were in prison unjustly -- in his opinion.
Then The Fat One showed a clip of the one of the "dons" that controls West Los Angeles in favor of the rich -- Henry Waxman, insulting the President to cover his own ass. The Waxman-Berman machine, well known as a cut-throat bunch who rule LA with an iron hand, are not two members to look up to.
Next, Russert dredged up a scathing commentary by Bob Herbert, the Colin Powell of the New York Times, in which Herbert suggested that the Clintons might or might not be "led away in hand cuffs" and should be ostracized by the entire Democratic Party.
What a joke. Russert stoops to all lows -- even Herbert, the laughing-stock of New York journalism and a whore for J.C. Watts.
Then Russert showed two shoddy investigations, one done for the Miami Herald and the other for that rag "newspaper" for idiots, The New York Post, that claimed that Smirk "won" Florida. Of course, that is a lie – first, the press investigations are far from complete, and the Herald numbers are in dispute. More importantly, black and elderly voters voter in Florida were denied their votes with the butterfly ballots. There were at least 12,000 of these votes. The recount was stopped statewide by five corrupt Republican Supreme Court Injustices who wanted to deliver the Presidency to George "Putsch" as payback to Reagan-Bush. Period.
Carville told us how the House ramrodded the latest GOP trick-tax cut, which in the end will cost the poorest Americans the most without a single witness, not a single witness to tell the American people the truth. He hopes that Democrats will defeat it, but is not sure.
Well, with people in Congress like Waxman to defend the poor -- we ARE really in trouble.
Paul O'Neill, the boring Secretary of Commerce, DOESN'T KNOW how bad the economic slump is. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Well, of course not -- he works for DumbBellYuh! He said we are not in a recession -- we don't know if we are headed for one. He said he is "HEARTENED by the HOUSE WAYS and MEANS COMMITTEE" shoved the tax cut through.
What a fool. This fellow O'Neill seems like a nice guy without a brain. He comes across as slow-witted, and likes to quote how much money he will "give" to the poor. Yes, they won't get a tax cut, but we are sending them $32 billion dollars in benefits. Well, Mr. O'Neill -- Your $2.6 TRILLION (NOT $1.6 TRILLION) cut is graft. Even if O'Neill's number of $32 billion is correct, that is only about $60 a month for the poorest of the poor -- all 45 million, or more of them. Is that enough to make you lose you lunch or what?
Russert then called Clinton basher David Broder "the most honest and smart journalist in town" – that is, as long as he keeps defaming Clinton for the money. Broder attacked Bush Baby's own budget "blue book" which ITSELF said that the so-called budget surplus may not be around, even next year, as these idiots predict FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS!!!
O'Neil then claimed that the surplus today is HIGHER than it was last year. We now have $70 billion more than we need as opposed to last year's $40 billion. Russert then showed Greenspan calling for a phase-in, and a gradual placement of the tax cuts. O'Neil said about his "good friend" Greenspan that he has talked about the TRIGGER without having contemplated the prospect of raising taxes if we go through an economic downturn years out.
Russert finished by showing a clip of some old lady who had been a Soviet Spy in the Cold War and then became an FBI informer. Who cares? It happened more than thirty years ago.
Russert is trying to do is live off the credibility of others who have led this show in a righteous manner, real journalists including Lawrence Spivak – men who were not pawns for the GOP!
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