Did you guys see the CSpan host blow a gasket this morning?

[CatWoman]

He got real defensive and nasty when a called nailed him on his pro * and republican bias.

It's at about 42:25 on this morning's Washington Journal program.

www.cspan.org

[edzontar]

1. Was it Steve Scully? The youngish-LOOKING one with black hair

And the dark GOP suits.


That guy has a really mean temper!!!

[Catherine Vincent]

9. I think Steve is a republican, but there is nothing wrong

with it. He just needs to control his bias when he's with the callers.

[shooga]

19. no, it's the one who looks like Tim McVeigh ...

.... let's profile all short haired white ex-military types ... see how they like it ....



http://www.geocities.com/jaak7777/LIHOP.html

[Ivote]

2. Yes I heard him

And then he said he was tired of this crap. I guess that was why Brian Lamb took over.

[Ivote]

5. Don't remember his name though

[proud patriot]

3. LOL ....whew boy did that caller tick him off

:evilgrin:

[laruemtt]

4. i saw it -

it was peter and he even said 'i'm getting tired of this crap'!!!

bet brian had to "scold" him or put him in time out...

[Bandit]

6. I guess the truth gets to them.

:shrug: He says he is tired of it. What the hell does he think we feel about his very noticeable BIAS?

[Catherine Vincent]

11. Which one is Peter?

Is it the one with the crew looking haircut?

[terrya]

7. Wow...fireworks on C-Span??? Was it "Washington Journal"?

They'll repeat it later tonight. I've got to check this out.

Terry

[patricia92243]

20. I wonder if they will cut that part out when they re-run it. I saw one...

time a lady call in and was saying they were against Dems and President Clinton - the C-span guy almost laughed out loud - the caller said:See, you're doing it now. I can't remember if they hung up on her or not But laughing or smirking is out of place.

[bambo53]

8. Yeah, I saw him breakdown

I didn't hear what the caller said but he went nuts and after the break Brian Lamb replaced him.

He's a piss poor moderator and his smirk gives him away.

[prolesunited]

10. Damn, I missed that!

Did Brian make any mention when he came on as host?

And, yes, his smirk drives me crazy.

Who do you think is the best and most impartial host?

[terrya]

12. Pedro.

He seems most impartial.

I like him of all the hosts.

Terry

[prolesunited]

16. I like him

and the woman. What's her name? Connie?

[CatWoman]

PLUS

He's the cutest :D

[bambo53]

23. Susan is the best,

She doesn't take any crap from either side, she's smart and cute and has a great poker face. I truly believe she has no personal opinion on the subjects. To her it's all just part of the process.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. Peter Slen Is Not A Conservative

There is not a doubt in my mind that you've completely misread him. He and Susan Swain are easily the most nonpartisan mods on that show.

Also, they didn't replace him because of the outburst. They have been tag teaming the Journal this way (one person does calls, another does interviews) for several months. This is just the new SOP for the show.

They usually do it twice a week, usually in the middle of the week, and sometimes on Saturdays.

The Professor

[AverageJoe]

13. Yeah, my jaw dropped

The caller was lucid and polite and the moderator just went ballistic. What a jerk.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Damn, I Miss All The Good Stuff

This sounds a lot more exciting than Janet Jackson's boobies.

I know C-Span archives WJ...can someone isolate the segment? I was watching...and yes, it was Skully. He's barely tolerant with Democrat callers...quickly cutting them off while he'll let a GOOPer run their talking points. He's also a very poor interviewer...he brings on the biggest regime shills, like the liar from the Budget office this morning.

I left the room for a few...getting some coffee in anticipation of Sen. Daschele, and when I got back I saw Brian. I assumed that the bossman was there to handle the heavy interview...until I saw your post. Now I wanna see what I missed!

[Judi Lynn]

15. Just went there online and heard it

I have never seen a host become completely out of step with the show's tone before this. Very unprofessional.

Anyone who wants to see it online can check this page:

http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp?Cat=Series&Code=WJE&ShowVidNum=6&Rot_Cat_CD=WJ&Rot_HT=205&Rot_WD=

You can hear Washington Journal in its entirety.

The caller really had his number. He was really steamed. Thanks to CatWoman for a GREAT MOMENT IN C-SPAN HISTORY.

[ProfessorGAC]

22. He's Done It Before To Conservatives

Peter has done the EXACT same thing to conservatives who accuse the show and him of being liberal shills. He just doesn't want to hear it. He's used the word "crap" when responding to them as well. I've seen him do it more than once prior to this morning.

The folks here have decided Slen is a conservative who blew a fuse at a liberal because that particularly complaint came on the Dem line. But, i've seen him dismiss the other line just as quickly, just as strongly, and for the exact same reasons. He will NOT be accused of bias. He just won't stand for it. I actually like him for that.
The Professor

[nostamj]

17. "that's what I'm paid to do"

i'm NOT convinced that was sarcasm.....

[ProfessorGAC]

18. I Saw It. That Was Peter Slen

However, i've seen him do the EXACT same thing to conservative callers who accuse them of the opposite.

Peter is asiduously nonpartisan and he won't accept any accusations that he's not. I think he and Susan Swain are the best on air folks on that network. They control the discussion and ask better questions of guests than anyone else on CSPAN.

Trust me, he's been accused of letting liberals take too much time, has too many liberal guests, and that he's antiBush. I've seen it myself more than once.

And he's told those folks the same thing he said today, "That I'm tired of this crap!" Yes, i've heard him use that exact same word before.
The Professor

[KharmaTrain]

24. Not Like That I Haven't Seen

In all due respect, I've watched WJ for years and never saw a moderator treat a caller with such sarcasm and obvious disdain as I saw this morning. I just went back and reviewed the video. Also, for those who are "bandwidth impaired", I saved it on an MP3, PM me if you'd like to hear it.

I've heard both right and left complain of bias, and generally I consider this charge on C-Span groundless...especially since they so openly state which lines to call. However, the moderator is there to keep the show balanced and moving. If he had found the caller personally offensive (which he obviously did), he could have dismissed it with a simple "point taken" and moved along. No doubt another caller (with his GOOP talking points standing by) would be on the air in moments ready to rise to Peter's support.

Slen isn't the worst on C-Span, I initially thought it was Skully who never hides his RW bias until I re-watched the video. However, if you listen to the timbre of the callers, especially the one just prior to the one he blew up at (that was a GOOPer complaining in the other direction...but in a similar tone) it just seems Mr. Slen got up on the wrong side of the nails this morning and couldn't keep it from following him to the office.

Yep, methinks he ended up in "time out" land.

[Catherine Vincent]

28. He was probably grumpy this a.m. because he didn't get any last night.

Heh!

But I like all the moderators (Brian the most). They may all be repukes, I wouldn't care, but they are pretty neutral...especially Pedo and the two ladies. Now Steve, he cuts it close but he's okay, you can look at him and tell he's a conservative. LOL!

[Bandit]

25. Did you ever watch him during the Clinton years?

He actually seemed to encourage the Clinton-haters and let them rant on and on while cutting short most liberal callers. I watched them for years until I just got sick of their BIAS. They put on a good act of seeming impartial but over the years it is a pronounced BIAS. More than seventy percent of their guests are wing-nuts and they bring back the most egregious time after time. I guess they are susceptible to ratings also.

[Memekiller]

26. It's called working the ref...

It's what the "liberal media" myth was invented for. The left is basically content to let people say what they want, but journalists are gauranteed to be harassed if they say something that strays from the Republican line, so they're constantly shifting right to appear "objective". Now liberals are finally getting in the game. Mutually assured destruction. Glad to see it.

[MarkTwain]

27. Talk about problems with perception...

... he was not, at all, "ballistic." Nor was he unduly "defensive."

He was relatively calm and spoke his opinion in response to the caller's perception of bias. And, he did so with a rather cheeky sarcasm which I found clever.

Indeed, he is always a very fair and balanced moderator as others have confirmed with prior posts.

This thread is a tempest in a teapot. Plain and simple. Everyone might well, themselves, take a time out and a chill pill or two and not see all these bogeymen where they don't exist.

Sheesh.

[CatWoman]

29. Perception, indeed

Let's just say you have your opinion, and I have mine.

At best, the host came off as a totally unprofessional jerk.

again, in my opinion.