http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/msnbc This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: MSNBC en-US Copyright 2009, Media Matters for America http://mediamatters.org/items/200901060019 On <em>Hardball</em>, Pat Buchanan said of Roland Burris' appointment to the Senate and the Senate leadership's refusal to seat him: "[W]hy does [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid not want this guy? Why can't he get elected? Because he's an African-American." However, neither Matthews nor Buchanan mentioned that Reid stated -- well before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris -- that the Senate would consider rejecting anyone appointed by Blagojevich. Nor did they mention that Reid previously denied that his opposition to Burris was based on race. http://mediamatters.org/items/200901060019 Tue, 6 Jan 2009 21:04:46 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200901050012 MSNBC's Joe Scarborough falsely suggested that assertions in <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> about the Minnesota Senate race were the result of "reporting," including the <em>Journal</em>'s reference to "double counting" in the race. But in claiming that there was "double counting," the <em>Journal</em> did not cite reporting and echoed an accusation by the campaign of the incumbent, Republican Norm Coleman. http://mediamatters.org/items/200901050012 Mon, 5 Jan 2009 15:56:10 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200901050009 On <em>MSNBC Live</em>, Contessa Brewer suggested that there is "a cloud over" Al Franken because a potential legal challenge by Sen. Norm Coleman or filibuster by Sen. John Cornyn could impede efforts to seat Franken in the Senate. Additionally, Brewer said that despite a potential legal challenge or filibuster, Sen. Chuck Schumer is "saying we should get him [Franken] in right away." But in purporting to represent Schumer's remarks, Brewer did not mention that Schumer reportedly said "there are still possible legal issues that will run their course." http://mediamatters.org/items/200901050009 Mon, 5 Jan 2009 13:45:26 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220010 On <em>Morning Joe</em>, shortly after Mika Brzezinski remarked that the weather was "so cold" that "[i]t'll freeze your car door shut," Joe Scarborough recounted, "I tried to turn the key, and it was ... locked." Then, in response to Brzezinski's comment, "Oh, American car. That's the problem," Scarborough declared: "The American car -- you know what? It's probably some Japanese engineer that made the key hold -- just sabotaged us. Kinda like blowing up things at Pearl Harbor." http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220010 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:01:12 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220005 Numerous media figures have cited Japanese fiscal policy during the "lost decade" of the 1990s to criticize President-elect Barack Obama's plan to undertake a large-scale stimulus program. These media figures ignore evidence that, according to prominent economists, economic conditions were improving in Japan before the Japanese government temporarily abandoned stimulus spending in an attempt to reduce the deficit. <br /> http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220005 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:03:11 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812210003 MSNBC's Alex Witt failed to challenge Republican strategist Tripp Baird's claim that President-elect Barack Obama's team had "something to do with" a "corruption" scandal involving Gov. Rod Blagojevich, even though there are no allegations of wrongdoing against Obama or his staff contained in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. Further, Witt did not challenge Baird's false claim that Rep. Barney Frank "ran a male prostitute ring out of his basement." http://mediamatters.org/items/200812210003 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:44:13 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812190003 On <em>Morning Joe</em>, Joe Scarborough again claimed that Al Franken "can steal" enough votes in the Minnesota Senate race to emerge victorious, marking at least the sixth time Scarborough has invoked "steal[ing]" votes since the recount began. Scarborough later denied that he was "saying Al Franken's stealing votes" but was instead "just saying how easy would it be for Al Franken to steal 150 [votes]." He added: "I'm like a scientist. This is a theory that I'm trying out there." http://mediamatters.org/items/200812190003 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:01:04 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812180009 Teasing a segment on <em>Hardball</em> echoing the <em>Politico</em>'s suggestion that political family dynasties are largely a Democratic phenomenon, Chris Matthews said, "if the Republicans are the party of family values, the Democrats sure seem to be the party of family ties." On-screen text during the segment read: "Democratic Nepotism?" But, as MSNBC failed to do in a similar segment earlier, Matthews did not note that, in the last 10 years, two Republican senators have been appointed to their fathers' Senate seats. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812180009 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:31:08 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812180008 On <em>MSNBC Live</em>, Ann Curry stated of Rev. Rick Warren, "One of the issues he said is that, you know, he cannot -- he was concerned that there would be an infringement on his freedom to speak about it, because if, in fact, he came out -- he was worried that this Proposition 8 would prevent him from getting up on the pulpit and speaking out against same-sex marriage." In fact, neither Proposition 8 -- which sought to overturn the California Supreme Court's ruling that affirmed the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry -- nor the Supreme Court decision itself had anything to do with members of the clergy. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812180008 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:32:46 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170019 On <em>MSNBC Live</em>, David Shuster said that President-elect Barack Obama and his staff decided "repeatedly" to "release virtually no information about the Blagojevich scandal," while Mark Leibovich said that Obama's responses to questions about the scandal "hearken to a kind of echo of what other White Houses in the past have said when they don't want to answer questions immediately." However, neither noted that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald reportedly requested that Obama "delay the release of a report" about an internal review of the contacts between his aides and Blagojevich's office. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170019 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:48:24 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170018 On <em>Hardball</em>, Chris Matthews cited a <em>Politico </em>article as purported evidence that "zero -- count 'em, zero Southerners have been named to the Obama Cabinet so far," and a Bloomberg article similarly asserted that Obama's Cabinet is lacking in Southerners. These claims either ignore or discount Obama's selection of Lisa Jackson, Hillary Clinton, and Robert Gates. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170018 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:41:02 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170016 Discussing "family dynasties" on <em>MSNBC Live</em>, <em>Politico</em> senior editor Beth Frerking and David Shuster mentioned that several incoming Democratic senators and Democrats who could become senators in the future have relatives who have been elected to public office, but did not note that, in the last 10 years, two Republican senators have been appointed to their fathers' Senate seats, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was appointed in 2002 by her father. http://mediamatters.org/items/200812170016 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:01:30 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160015 On <em>MSNBC Live</em>, discussing political diversity in President-elect Barack Obama's administration, Jonathan Allen said that Obama had chosen "Robert Gates as defense secretary, and that's something that I think [Obama's] people will point to." Tamron Hall responded, "Gates is not a registered Republican." Hall did not note that Gates himself has said, "I felt, when I was at CIA, that as a professional intelligence officer, like a military officer, I should be apolitical, and so I didn't register with a party. I consider myself a Republican," and noted that until his selection by Obama, "all of my senior appointments have been under Republican presidents." http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160015 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:58:36 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160014 Previously having stated that Democrat Al Franken "only needs to steal 130 more votes to win" his race against Republican Sen. Norm Coleman for Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough again raised the subject of "steal[ing]" votes on the December 16 edition of <em>Morning Joe</em> -- at least the fifth time he has made such comments since the recount began on November 19. After co-host Mika Brzezinski reported that Franken is behind Coleman by 188 votes, Scarborough asked Pat Buchanan, "Buchanan, can you steal 188 out of 1,500? That's easy, right?" http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160014 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:49:20 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160011 On <em>MSNBC Live</em>, Andrea Mitchell baselessly suggested that Sen. Hillary Clinton has been insincere in what she has said about who should fill her Senate seat if she becomes secretary of state. Also, Mitchell did not note a report earlier in the day that Clinton "has told her supporters not to involve her in their efforts to stop Caroline Kennedy's path to the U.S. Senate, a person familiar with replacement discussions said." http://mediamatters.org/items/200812160011 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:26:48 EST