Anyone make the Rally for Health Care in Hartford this afternoon? Me neither. Lucky for us, CT New Junkie has a full report. Real Hartford also attended the rally and has some guidelines for future protesters visiting Hartford to follow.
What else is going on?
20 responses so far ↓
I went to the rally. Very festive and a very large crowd, comparable to crowds for summer festivals. The most widely promoted rally I’ve every seen. Kudos to the organizers for getting so many commitments from so many people. Unions, church groups, legislators, health care providers, young, and old. Lots of music, lots of racial diversity, busloads of people from around the state.
Weirdness: couldn’t find any central information booth, letter writing, or petitions on the major issue of the day – universal health care. Duh. There were a couple union-staffed tables that I did not visit – it’s possible they were doing some of that. But no independent advocacy organizations with general information.
Just getting more upset as I think more about the Republican debate. Having Chris Mathews as the moderator for a Republican debate is like having Sean Hannity as the moderator for a Democratic debate.
Mathews was obviously trying to humiliate Giuliani, knowing that Giuliani’s social views and likeability would make him the toughest of the Republican candidates to beat in a general election. He constantly did his questions from left to right, making Giuliani have to give his answers after everyone was tired of the answers from so many candidates before him. And he kept asking questions about social values to Giuliani directly. And then he used his obnoxious Hardball tactics of not letting Giuliani say more than a few words before firing more of his thoughts at him.
That debate was definitely a hit job on Giuliani by Mathews and MSNBC. Imagine how laughable it would have been for Clinton or Obama to be forced to define Shia vs. Sunni at their debate. That’s the kind of effort to humiliate a candidate that only someone like Hannity would do to Democrats at their debate. Fortunately for Giuliani, he was able to nail that question. And it’s interesting how Republicans are willing to tolerate such a hostile environment while the Democrats are so fearful of having a debate on Fox News. All very revealing stuff …
By the way, this wasn’t so noticeable to me at first because Giuliani’s not exactly one of my favorite candidates (still much better than any of the Democrats). But the hit job became obvious as I thought about it some more. Totally unfair to Giuliani.
Let’s see Nutmeg. Sean Hannity is about as partisan a Republican as they come. He does fundraisers for GOP candidates, and attacks Democrats every chance he gets.
And Chris Matthews compares to that how?? Oh yeah, he too thinks this is a stupid war.
Oh, but Giuliani. Could the drama be that Matthews knows the GOP is too stupid to elect a moderate as their candidate? What, since for the past 25 years, Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, Jerry Falwell and all the Republican suck-o-phants have carried on as if abortion is not just the biggest, but the only, moral question for 21st century America.
If Matthews was a Democratic agent, do you really think ex-NBC CEO Jack Welch would have given him the gig?
Sadly, there is no equivalent of a Sean Hannity, Joe Scarborough, Neil Cavuto or Tucker Carlson on any of the 24/7’s. These guys are unabashedly “conservative”, with a constant bias to the GOP. Please name the out-and-out “liberal” commentator/host. (besides the irreverent Keith Olbermann.)
I guess what I’m saying is please quit your whining…..
If you don’t think that Mathews is blatantly biased in favor of Democrats, then that says a lot about you. He is a registered Democrat, by the way.
Why not make sure that the moderators are not registered Republicans or Democrats?
Sean Hannity for a Democratic debate would behave very similarly to Mathews for a Republican debate. There’s no doubt about that in my mind.
Again, I’m not even a supporter of Giuliani. He deserves more fair treatment at a debate though.
Matthews is actually a crazy person. He’s biased in favor of crazy, I think. I’ve read several accounts of him written by people who have worked with him, and apparently he’s manic and completely without focus.
So who would be a good choice to moderate a debate? We’ve had some lousy ones over the years. Remember Stephanopolous at the Lieberman-Lamont-Schelesinger debate? Awful. AW. FUL. I wanted to leap off the balcony onto the stage and smack him.
Remember Stephanopolous at the Lieberman-Lamont-Schelesinger debate?
I do. Boy that was a fun night until the LaRouche people came and ruined the fun. But yeah George was bad, really bad. Completely killed the crush I had on him.
Speaking of Stephanopolous, how about some trivia? What TV character was based on George Stepchanapolous?
I think that Tim Russert would do a fine job. At least he’s a pretty classy guy. He just talks to Scooter Libby too much (just kidding, y’all) …
Nutmeg-
Please provide us evidence that Matthews is a registered Dem. I hope you’re not just making shit up. (Or passing along made up shit.)
What I know is that Chris’s brother ran for office in PA last year, as a Republican!
TBCT: Mathews was Tip O’Neil’s COS or something like that and Russert used to work for Cuomo. Nevertheleess. as time has gone on, I think they both have become tough but fair regardless of who they interview as long as it’s on their own turf. When they get into moderating these debates etc. they sometimes revert to their old political selves but I don’t think it’s be design.
And Williams is getting some coaching on his Medicare for all; not surprising:
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-donwilliams0506.artmay06,0,2636.story?coll=hc-headlines-home
Could it be that when DEM staffers become TV and radio commentators, they become more even handed and deal with Rs and Ds in the same manner, trying to get straight answers that are not the canned stump speech and REP staffers move even further to the right to keep a rabid audience? Just asking.
GUYS,
Both Russert and Mathews are members of Inside DC Pundit class.
If we learned anything from the Libby trial it’s that ne these guys haven’t an ounce of journalistic ethics between them.
“Whenever someone phones me they can be certain whatever they say if OFF THE RECORD” I believe is the Quote From Timmeh that proved every prostitute in DC has more ethics then he does.
I don’t think you can make that generalization. Bill Curry, who is a columnist fpor the Courant these days, was on Where We Live on CPTV talking about helahtcare with John Rathberger of the CBIA. Curry was an absolute asshole.
I thought that it was common knowledge that Matthews is a registered Democrat. Wikipedia currently says that he is a registered Democrat and it also says that he says that he voted for GWB in 2000.
So, are you suggesting that perhaps he was an Independent or Unaffiliated when he worked for those Democrats in the past?
Um, Nutmeg, Mathews is on the record as having voted for W in 2000. That’s how partisan he is!
Which Democrat is Hannity going to vote for?
Apples and oranges….
You make it sound like he actually voted for GWB. Maybe some people are fooled into thinking that he is not so biased because of his statement that he voted for GWB. It’s not apples and oranges by any means …
Nutmeg–
You must be right. Matthews, (despite his brother running as a Republican Lieut. Governor candidate), is secretly a Democratic operative!
And MSNBC, under Jack Welch, hired Chris because…
And you’re right. He’s lying when he says he’s more conservative than people might think. The “I actually voted for G.W. Bush isn’t a confession, but part of a grand lie”.
Chris Mathews has had a very long love affair with RUDY.
He was the first Member of the Washington DC pundit class to say he thought Rudy could win the R nomination and the Presidency and has been pushing that meme for almost a year at every opportunity he gets on Hardball.
TrueBlueCT, maybe Welch hired Matthews for the same reason that he made donations to Charles Rangel and Chuck Schumer.
What does a person’s brother have to do with anything?
So, you don’t think that Matthews would lie a little here and there to try to help his career? I think that Matthews is a scumbag.
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