Talking Heads

Limbaugh Lashes Out at Anti-Palin Pundit

Chicago Sun-Times  |  Oct 10, 08 5:16 PM CDT

(Newser) - Going so far as to call him a “pig,” Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell has launched a full-on war of words with Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh called Mitchell a "racist nutball" and ridiculed her and other “drive-by journalists” for saying Sarah Palin and John McCain should restrain supporters at their rallies, some of whom have shouted "kill him" and "terrorist." More »

O'Reilly Berates Frank in On-Air Shouting Match

Chicago Tribune  |  Oct 3, 08 1:16 PM CDT

(Newser) - Bill O’Reilly has called for the resignation of House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, so it was a predictably tense situation when the Massachusetts Democrat appeared on his show last night. A remarkable shouting match ensued, even by O’Reilly’s standards. The Fox host quickly began screaming at Frank over comments that the situation at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would improve. More »

Limbaugh May Hold Key to McCain's Fate

Los Angeles Times  |  Sep 29, 08 2:50 PM CDT

(Newser) - Rush Limbaugh may be John McCain’s best friend in the fight against Barack Obama, writes Zev Chafets in the LA Times . Vociferously anti-McCain during primary season, Limbaugh is now on board and can't be underestimated. "A lot of Limbaugh's critics dismiss him as a buffoon or a fanatic," Chafets writes. "These are people who don''t listen to his show." More »

Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate

Washington Post  |  Sep 27, 08 11:02 AM CDT

(Newser) - One consensus is emerging about last night’s debate: It was close. Here’s how the pundits are calling the squeaker: “Barack Obama was running for prime minister” last night, while McCain was running for president, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. But neither was compelling, and neither responded well to the economic crisis. Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard gives the win to McCain, “But the debate produced no knockout sound bites,” he writes, and so won’t change the race. More »

Diss Letterman at Your Peril

Gawker  |  Sep 26, 08 5:20 PM CDT

(Newser) - John McCain is playing with fire if he thinks he can stand up David Letterman and get away with it. "The middle-of-the-road personalities who've dominated network television since its inception do retain one singular power," Gawker Media head honcho Nick Denton, writing for his flagship blog, warns the wayward candidate. "When they finally get off the fence, the mass of similar-minded voters take notice." More »

Maddow Is Sharp, But Still Just Another Partisan Pundit

New York Times  |  Sep 25, 08 4:39 PM CDT

(Newser) - Despite all the hype and the glowing blogosphere reviews since she got her own MSNBC slot Sept. 8, Rachel Maddow’s program has turned out to be a clone of the Keith Olbermann vehicle that precedes her: “less a show than an annex,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times . With guests fitting MSNBC’s liberal, Anti-Fox News tilt, “that kind of echo chamber doesn’t make for very interesting television.” More »

It's Not Too Late, MSNBC: 'Stay Crazy'

Gawker  |  Sep 8, 08 5:09 PM CDT

(Newser) - David Gregory will be the face of MSNBC's election coverage, and the ouster of "loud shouty people" Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews isn't sitting well with at least one viewer. "It's a stupid, stupid idea, for many reasons," Alex Pareene writes on Gawker of NBC Universal's decision. "If people wanted Brian Williams and David Gregory to cover everything quietly and politely they'd actually watch your evening news." More »

Maddow, Set for MSNBC Debut, Aims to Avoid 'Homogenized'

Boston Globe  |  Sep 8, 08 2:05 PM CDT

(Newser) - Rachel Maddow’s own show debuts at 9 EDT tonight on MSNBC, but the liberal pundit doesn’t sound so much excited as worried. TV has “homogenizing tendencies,” she tells the Boston Globe . “It’s like being put through a meat grinder.” But worried or not, the Air America host is making the leap, bringing another lefty to the brink of mainstream pundit stardom. More »

Obama to Face O'Reilly During McCain Speech

Politico  |  Sep 3, 08 9:43 AM CDT

(Newser) - It seems the "tentative truce" between Barack Obama and media mogul Rupert Murdoch is beginning to bear fruit, Politico reports, with the Democratic candidate set to appear on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor tomorrow before John McCain’s speech to the Republican National Convention. It will be Obama’s first visit with conservative star Bill O’Reilly. More »

Morning Talk Shows Abuzz With Palin Pick

Politico  |  Aug 31, 08 1:00 PM CDT

(Newser) - Sarah Palin ruled the political morning shows today at the expense of Barack Obama's historic speech last week, Politico reports: John McCain rebuked criticisms that Palin was unqualified to be "a heartbeat away" from the presidency. “She’s been commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard," he said on Fox News Sunday . "She’s had judgment on these issues." On This Week and Meet the Press , Republicans Sen. Lindsey Graham and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty chimed in that Palin has been "in charge of the National Guard" and a "commander in chief." More »

Errant Email Offers Insight in Dirty Politics

Chicago Tribune  |  Aug 30, 08 7:55 PM CDT

(Newser) - An errant email from a Republican party staffer about a few Rush Limbaugh remarks shows how sleazy campaigning can be, Andrew Zajac blogs for the Chicago Tribune . On his radio show, Limbaugh imagined Obama asking Palin, "When you found out your baby would be born with Down syndrome, did you consider killing it before or after the due date?" He also joked that Palin could show Obama how to bait a hook or fire a gun. More »

Sunday Pundits Dissect Biden Pick

Politico  |  Aug 24, 08 4:29 PM CDT

(Newser) - The newly announced Obama/Biden ticket predictably dominated the talk shows today. Politico gives the run-down: Obama VP adviser Caroline Kennedy told Meet the Press she hoped Joe Biden would prove to be as sage a pick as her father's choice of LBJ. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned Biden's rep for gaffes into a snipe at Bush on NBC, saying Obama "is not just choosing a yes man, but a person that will speak what he believes.” More »

Maddow Helps MSNBC Make Left Turn

New York Times  |  Aug 22, 08 8:06 AM CDT

(Newser) - Rachel Maddow's promotion to prime-time at MSNBC more clearly draws the partisan lines among the cable networks, writes Brian Stelter of the New York Times : MSNBC on the left, Fox on the right, and CNN claiming middle ground. Now the big question: Will the Maddow move translate into more ads? It seems likely. Viewers seems drawn to outspoken views, and, in fact, Fox now brings in more ad revenue than CNN. MSNBC is in a distant third. More »

Bill Sad Over Hillary's Loss: Obama Adviser

Politico  |  Aug 10, 08 6:26 PM CDT

(Newser) - The buzz on John Edwards' love affair drowned out talk of Russia's conflict with Georgia on today's morning talk shows, Politico reports. On Fox News Sunday , an Obama campaign topdog said Bill Clinton is still reeling from his wife's primary loss, and Karl Rove claimed on Face the Nation that Obama would make "an intensely political choice, not a governing choice" for vice-presidential candidate. More »

Whoopi Reduces Hasselbeck to Tears Over N-Word

Huffington Post  |  Jul 18, 08 5:09 AM CDT

(Newser) - A heated discussion of the N-word between View co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck ended in tears yesterday. Goldberg argued that black people should use the term to rob it of its power—and kept TV censors busy with her repeated use of the word. Hasselbeck fretted over how to teach her children not to say it when it was used by media figures, referring to Jesse Jackson's off-air slur during a Fox TV interview. More »

Hume to Leave Fox Anchor Role

Washington Post  |  Jul 15, 08 9:06 PM CDT

(Newser) - Fox News' Brit Hume plans to step down from his role as anchor of the daily Special Report and as Washington managing editor at the end of the year, the Washington Post reports. Hume is near a deal to stay on Fox part-time as a senior political analyst, sources say, much like Tom Brokaw's role with NBC. The former ABC White House correspondent has been a highly visible Fox presence since the channel launched 12 years ago. More »

Snow Was 'the Best': Cheney

Time  |  Jul 13, 08 2:41 PM CDT

(Newser) - Tony Snow, economic policy, veepstakes, and the Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis sparked conversation on the Sunday talk show circuit today. Time sums them up: Fox News Sunday paid homage to late newscaster and press secretary Tony Snow; Dick Cheney called him "the best" he's known. Arnold Shwarzenegger applauded John McCain's bipartisanship and Iraq policy on This Week , but dismissed the idea of working at a McCain White House . More »

HRC to FNC: Howard Wolfson Joins Fox News