Brian Lamb makes me want to scream

[prolesunited]

Calls right now are voted to Democrats supporting Kerry and he just can't seem to stand it. He's reading negative articles with relish and questioning each caller about their support of Kerry.

In his line of questioning, he keeps trying to paint Kerry supporters as Bush haters, that Kerry isn't truly worth supporting.

[anarchy1999]

1. Brian does give us all pause, doesn't he?

Glad I am not listening, he makes my blood pressure go too high.

[BeyondGeography]

2. He's a Pub

Tries his best to hide it, but he's human. His pleasure meter registers higher when the Dems are being ripped.

[soup]

3. This Midge on now.

"I think the president is nuts, to tell the truth"

great snip, except she blew it by finishing the sentence with:

"to have given all those interviews to Woodward."

Hey, Midge, next time - stop while you're correct.

[KharmaTrain]

4. Who The Hell Is This?

She's criticizing Woodward? I didn't see "Pulitzer Prize" or any other presitigious award attached to her...surely Brian would have lauded it (hang on, he's trying to give her credibility as I type...nope...just another Lucianne).

My favorite is "not liking someone isn't a reason not to vote for them". Sheesh.

[0007]

7. Brian Lamb is now answering question for this

Midge Decter from a caller that had ask the question, "Does the U.S. give too much to Israel?

[Skittles]

5. FASCIST FRIDAYS

Brian Lamb is such an obedient little Bush Whore.

[stanwyck]

6. You're seeing Ann Coulter in a few years

with this crazy old bat. John Podhertz' mama. She's so proud of him. This is one scary woman. And now, the callers. I hope they heat up the grill for this calcified relic.

[0007]

8. Every Friday you can count on Brian to control the show.

[leftchick]

9. I have given up watching Reich-Wing Fridays....

Hosted by Brian Lamb. I am sure someone from AEI is sure to be up next...

:puke:

[checks-n-balances]

20. She has several noted family ties to influential rethuglicans

Husband is Norman Podhoretz
Son is John Podhoretz
Son-in-law is Elliot Abrams

Now her latest claim to fame is her glowing tribute book to Rumsfeld

In all fairness, she can't compare to Ann Coulter, because she is way too civil in public. I totally disagree with Midge Decter, but at least her responses aren't over the top like Coulter's and other RW nuts.

[0007]

10. Bruce Jackson sez;

"Midge Decter was, like her lunatic husband Norman Podhoretz, a far-right ideologue on all matters social, political and sexual who'd conned everyone into thinking she was smart enough to have her ideas, no matter how loopy, taken seriously. Like Podhoretz, she is a silly person."

[prolesunited]

11. Her revisionist history

on Rumsfeld meeting Saddam was laugh out loud funny.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. "...an informal message of support."

Bullshit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A52241-2002Dec29¬Found=true

Among the people instrumental in tilting U.S. policy toward Baghdad during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war was Donald H. Rumsfeld, now defense secretary, whose December 1983 meeting with Hussein as a special presidential envoy paved the way for normalization of U.S.-Iraqi relations. Declassified documents show that Rumsfeld traveled to Baghdad at a time when Iraq was using chemical weapons on an "almost daily" basis in defiance of international conventions.

-snip-

A review of thousands of declassified government documents and interviews with former policymakers shows that U.S. intelligence and logistical support played a crucial role in shoring up Iraqi defenses against the "human wave" attacks by suicidal Iranian troops. The administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush authorized the sale to Iraq of numerous items that had both military and civilian applications, including poisonous chemicals and deadly biological viruses, such as anthrax and bubonic plague.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

12. midge decter and her daughter rachel

when she said she was elliott abrams' mother-in-law, i had to go to my copy of paul slansky's book "the clothes have no emperor."

from jan. 13, 1987
Rachel Abrams says she "would like to take a machine gun and mow Anthony Lewis down" for attacking her husband Elliott's McCarthyite tactics as Assistant Secretary of State. Says the perpetually scowling Elliott, " I wouldn't waste the bullets. I'd rather have them go to the contras."

[Leilani]

13. I can t believe these posts!

Brian Lamb invented C-Span, so the House & Senate are open to the American people.

C-Span is the fairest news on TV. Remember all the Dem coverage of the primaries, Dem speeches, town halls?

And American people get to call in every morning & give their opinions.

Lamb has everyone on his show, from extreme right wing to extreme left wing.

[w13rd0]

14. He's still a twit...

...we thank him for C-Span, but he shouldn't use it as a platform for his own personal scowl. Leave the hosting to those that can at least appear impartial so the integrity of what he created is maintained. He should recognize his own shortcomings, issue a disclaimer before he starts his droning.

[prolesunited]

15. Nobody is denigrating CSPAN

Many of us are huge fans of CSPAN and some only watch that channel for unfiltered news.

I love Washington Journal and it never ceases to amuse me, infuriate me and make me think.

HOWEVER, I and many others will disagree with you vehemently about Brian Lamb. If you did a chart of his Friday guests, you will find far more lean to the right than the left. There also is an obvious bias in the way he treats and questions his guests.

[cybildisobedience]

36. AND, he apologizes constantly whenever he allows liberal guests or voices

Even this morning -- which was absolutely disgusting, by the way -- he kept assuring his freeper fans that some right-wing lunatic would be on soon enough, and that there's plenty of time in this presidential campaign to have shows devoted only to why people LOOOVE George Bush.
And reading from NEWSMAX, for God's sake? If it isn't Newsmax or the Washington Times, its the drudge report or lucianne goldberg's insane rantings.
Credit is due to Lamb for being the visionary and launching C-Span, but his right-wing bias is so obvious that even his defenders can't ignore it any longer.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Remember Where You Are...<chuckle>...

I kinda like Brian bringing out all the real wingnuts for the world to see. Let us hear these lunatics unfilitered. I find it invigorating as it is a morning reafirmation of my own beliefs.

Brian leans to the GOOP...so what! He's not an opinion maker or shaper, so his partisan leanings mean little to me. And C-SPAN has provided a fairly non-partisan view of the government and is an extremely valuable service. While I can only handle measured doseages of this network at a time, it's a great resource and window on our political system.

This lady...who insults my "Jewishness" is a great example of a myopic mindset that has developed its own echo chamber that has gotten loud over the years. This lady spews dogma with little fact or basis in reality. But what would you expect? These people have long embraced the concept of selfishness and arrogance as their modus operandi.

[Lindsey]

17. I also get very irritated with Brian Lamb

I've felt for a long time that he's really be biased for the Repubs. I LOVE CPSAN and am eternally grateful for them. However, I don't know what's happened to Brian as of late = I guess what's happened to mostly every other so called journalist which is something I've yet to figure (other than being totally sell outs) out and have quit trying so I won't go crazy.

[kentuck]

21. I think Brian Lamb is very much "Pro Free Speech" and so.....

He is not afraid to put on opinions that disagree with either side. I think he decides during the week whether or not there needs to be some balance on Fridays and he very subjectively, perhaps partisanly, chooses the topic of the day and the guests that he "thinks" will keep C-SPAN as fair as possible...Overall, I do not know that anyone could do better.

[tinanator]

19. look again

there are subtle and completely unsubtle methods in play. Lamb said he was in Nam in 64. The chance that he is not CIA is rather slim. His bias is not just a little hard to spot. The scheduling of the RARE progressive speech or event is usually 1 AM. The REAL progressive speakers, activists and events are few and far between. It wasnt until last year that Michael Parenti was ever on a program. I will take some credit for ALWAYS mentioning him to Lamb when we interacted, and I used to kick some serious ass on their call ins. Until they disabled my calls with caller ID. Try as I may they never let me through. Changed phone numbers and BANG I was back on. They are as crooked as you would expect them to be, unless you have unreasonable faith in the politics of power. They once changed their rules to restrict information or discussion at times by demanding that callers reference a newspaper article. Given the filtered garbage that runs out of AP and the Moonies you cant really get anywhere that way. Is that "rule" in effect in one of DU's forums (besides LBN)? I think that rule became less useful when the internet expanded.

[WoodrowFan]

33. Lamb is CIA??

BOL!! funnest thing I have seen posted here ALL DAY!!!

time to go back on the medication sir.

[tinanator]

34. pardon my ignorance on the subject

shall I use your spelling enhancement dugs?
Now of course I use CIA rather freely as a substitute for the multitude of likelier agencies (NRO? Is that the top dog there?) he is sure to be affiliated with. Why dont you give us your version of his biography?

[John_H]

32. You don't get it our point, I'm afraid.

1) Someone, I think it may have been one of the media watchdog groups did a study last year that showed that C-SPAN broadcast forty percent more right wing events than Dem events--even when you remove the Administration's events. They only counted the events where there was a Dem every on the same subject. I'll post a link when i have time to find it.

2)0 As posted many times in this thread, Brian Lamb, and a couple of his other hosts are blatantly biased toward the right and use the techniques the OP describes all the time.


Combine these two facts and you'll see how C-SPAN, while it may be a darn site better than CNN, is still firmly part of the GOP spin machine.

[JI7]

18. he hung up on someone who tried up bring up bush's past

during the vietnam war. he said we aren't talking about bush now, we are talking about kerry. but later on when someone said they liked kerry's military service he asked them if they voted for clinton, and when he person said yes, he brought up how clinton didn't serve in the military. his bias totally showed through in this segment. reading shit from newsmax and quoting howie carr .

[KharmaTrain]

22. Mrs. Bizarro World

What world is this lady living in?

A couple of things I heard her say I couldn't believe.

1.) "No nation has been forced to sign a nuclear non-proliferation treaty other than "bad" nations...Russia, Britain and France didn't." Uh, Lady (in a bad Jerry Lewis voice), ever heard of SALT? How about the Test Ban Treaty? Or were you in a pod at the time?

2.) "Embargoes don't work...if you're going to do something, do something" (invade). Tell that to the folks in South Africa that embargoes don't work. Sounds like she's got lots of stocks in military companies...gotta keep making those big dividends.

Alas, no one challenges this wench to really defend her positions or takes her down with the inane positions she's yapping. This is one very frustrated, mad and evil woman.

[prolesunited]

24. Oh, but she is so funny

Jim Crow laws were a "black mark" on U.S. history. :eyes:

And, yes, the gentrification of Harlem is a *good* thing. How many African-Americans are being displaced so people like her grandson can live in those brand new town homes.

[KharmaTrain]

26. Heritage Institute...Says It All

This lady lives in a real vacuum and it's amazing someone thought she'd be a good guest on television. Obviously she and Brian go back to the neolithic days.

She reminds me of the crazy aunt who always is bitching about everything...cuts down people who aren't around to defend themselves and then gives you that "how dare you" stare if you dare to question, yet tell the old hag to shut up.

But it is good to see the real underbelly of the wingnut world open. You know this "book" she's pushing is nothing more than a giveaway/throwaway for her wingnut friends and will never see the shelves of a B & N. I noticed both books are in hardcover since there'd never be the need to typset it for paperback. LOL.

[soup]

25. had to shut it off.

Watching her know-it-all, dismissive, smirking face while she listened to callers was making me crazy.

[PATRICK]

23. Decter a disaster

Simply points out the truth about Rumsfeld and STILL likes him, which is why Rumsfeld was squeamish about her book. With admiration like that who needs detractors? Callers are right on and appalled by the horrors Decter blandly supports.

I didn't think Lamb was all that bad but anyone who offers an equal time venue for evil, political slams with no redeeming features must accept the consequences of putting truth and fairness in such daily jeopardy as part of the milquetoast charade that accepts radical right thuggery as legitimate.

The current state of "wise old men" adjudicating national discussions is a pathetic farce/disgrace betraying all human ideals, all hope for the future and is a catching blindness for too many. When old men support illusions and injustice and war society is in big trouble, because unlike the intuitional young, they hold the seats of voice and power.

[lindashaw]

27. I love c-span, but I cut this one off.

[agingdem]

28. Before you lose your voice remember...

C-Span was Newt Gingrich's favorite channel...gee I wonder why?!

[SoCalDem]

30. Freeper Fridays with Brian Lamb

It's always like this.. I was amazed that NO ONE took him to task on it.. Notice how he "skimmed" the article detailing Kerry's record, yet he read the whole piece from an article slamming him..

Transparent Brian ...again

[KoKo]

31. I think he got threatened that the Cables would stop supporting C-Span

so he's whoring the line to look like he's supporting the Conservatives.

He used to be so impartial one couldn't tell what he thought. I have to hope that he's been given "orders" and not that he was always this way.

It's not much excuse for him, but I guess we have to think about what TV would be without C-Span if the cables dropped their support or decided to do Conservative books all day all the time.

It's amazing what we who pay for Cable have to put up with just to watch a couple of things.

[prolesunited]

35. Frankly

that's exactly how a good journalist should be and reputable news programs structured, so impartial that you can't tell what anyone's position is. When it comes to news, I really don't want leftwing spin any more than I want rightwing spin. Just tell me the facts and let me make up my own mind.

[anarchy1999]

37. Yes it is truly amazing what we pay for just the few channels we want.

$90 a month in Dallas, just so we can have C-Span and SunDance. $90 a month for 2 channels.