Contessa Brewer Steamed By Palin Defender: You're Insulting Me, "Cut His Mic"

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer on Wednesday hosted John Ziegler, documentary filmmaker and professional Sarah Palin-supporter, for another one of those vertiginous interviews that have become Ziegler's stock in trade. Serving as the news peg for this one was a comedy bit from David Letterman that made fun of Sarah Palin, at times rather viciously. Of course, the problem with interviewing John Ziegler about anything, is that pretty soon, the subject of conversation becomes John Ziegler.

And this interview was no different. Basically, it's five minutes of Contessa Brewer attempting to ask questions and Ziegler responding with tangentially-related anti-MSNBC agitprop. Ziegler led off the interview by referring to MSNBC as "Barack Obama's official network," grousing about how the topic of the interview wasn't Keith Olbermann, answering questions glancingly and with subtle digs, and, OF COURSE, making sure to plug his website and movie. Brewer played her part by being miffed and appalled right up until the moment where she calls a halt to the discussion and asks for Ziegler's mike to be cut.

One of the substantive points that Brewer brings up is the fact that a new Gallup poll indicates that Palin doesn't rate among self-identified Republicans as any sort of party leader. Ziegler blamed MSNBC for that: "You find this surprising or shocking that because you and the media portray Republicans as old white men, that the public perceives Republicans as old white men?" Yes. The perception that the GOP was filled with old, white men was invented by the media, in 2009, to hurt Sarah Palin's electoral chances. Truly, a cunning bit of subterfuge.

I tend to think that public favor of Palin has diminished because every time someone says something about her that should simply be beneath her, like a late night host's Top Ten List, Palin turns it into a national opera of personal outrage. She doesn't seem to understand that she'd be better off ignoring it. Sometimes, you just have to act like the small stuff doesn't affect you. And, hey, maybe you should avoid having a guy who's trying to earn a living selling you as a documentary film subject as your chief spokesman in the press. But if Ziegler is going to step up and fight those battles for you, there's even less of a reason to become personally invested. Sarah Palin should let the small people sweat the small stuff, instead of constantly retreating behind them.

Naturally, the whole exchange sort of loses its impact when you understand that there is no way that MSNBC could have expected this interview to turn out any differently, given Ziegler's prior performances. I suppose Brewer should be commended for pretending to be surprised at Ziegler's behavior so convincingly.

[WATCH]

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to [e-mail] -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Comments

[veracity]

That Contessa is a fox! It was fun hearing her defend.... SC Gov. Mark Sanford's affair "it's hard to resist adoration if you aren't getting any at home," but not his going AWOL from governor's office.

Despite the "wtf?!" defense of Sanford, it was fun to hear her say, "When you take a governor's job, you are supposed to be TOUGH and FIGHT for you constituents, not run off from them."

Well, at least we are starting to get a mix on network and/or cable news, instead of the oh-so-predictable FOX Stepford wives....

[Patricia013]

Zeigler is a jerk - I told him so by email on his old radio show on KFI 640 after he called me a twit for being honest with him - he can't take the truth! Glad he's gone from there. I see it seems he wants to be the next Rush Limbaugh? There's not room enough in the world for two giant bags of wind! Contessa - good for you lady - you cut his mic but you should have don't it five minutes sooner! What a waste of air time. Sheesh!

Yeah - run Sarah Palin in 2012 LOL We can run Popeye against her and win - both are cartoons of real people! Republicans - I'm talking to the sane ones now - the old party republicans...you'd better wake up and take hold of that party before it destroys itself utterly and completely! Its time to toss out the far far right and take control of that party.

[aljordyn]

So Sarah Palin could be called any derogatory word out there on a daily basis and her kids, who are innocent bystanders, can be constantly attacked by hateful liberal looneys and there's nothing wrong with that. But wait a minute!! Don't you dare say anything bad about MSNBC (THE OBAMA NETWORK, WHETHER THEY ADMIT IT OR NOT), or the "so called" news people there, because we can't have that. Wow, that would be extremely offensive. That's liberal hypocrisy at it's best. Journalism is dead in America. And it was the liberals who killed it and this website proves it. AMERICAN'S ARE NOT AS UNSOPHISTICATED AS YOU PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE. That is why every ultra liberal media out there is failing.

[Bullhead03]

Hmm.
It seems like Mrs. Brown was caught off guard when a conservative came out and spoke his mind (as opposed to that of her and possibly MSNBC).
Funny, during the campaign last year, then Senator Obama, stated that such "comments are off limits." I believe that he was very noble to do that. BUT NOW?
It is OK to bash conservatives (Rush leans so far to the right I believe he walks in circles) AND their families, say (in a supposed "unbiased interview") crap like "cut his mic!" Unbiased? Yes, he came out there talking trash, but instead of handling it like a professional . . . "cut his mic?" Censoring him?

Very unfortunately we are falling RIGHT INTO WHAT THE REPUBLICANS SAID WOULD HAPPEN: the "liberal media" is falling right in behind President Obama. Freedom of speech allows not only your right to speak your mind and make other's feel good, it MUST equally equate to their right to piss people off.

The Democratic Party is the party of Thomas Jefferson. In spite of our fervor to correct things, we must always remember the words of our party founder in his memorial in Washington D.C. "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

[Truthseeker1969]

The Republican party is headed for self-destruction. Each conservative pundit needs a lawyer present before they begin to speak. The lawyer will silence them right before they make an @ss of themselves. They are asked a few simple questions by the "liberal media", and they begin to spew venom into the airwaves(taking candy from a baby). Do they not understand that this display of arrogance, ignorance, and anger is what helped then lose the election in the first place( by a LARGE margin)? Their answer to such a humiliating defeat is to be even more obnoxious, polarizing, and hateful (surely the strategy will start turning the tide before2012). I almost feel sorry for the intelligent Republicans who have to watch a bunch of hooligans hijack their party. Republicans will never gain any ground as long as they keep appealing to their base (and I do mean BASE).

[spiffarino]

Sarah is the Democratic Party's dream candidate. The more our side can promote her, the better situated we are in 2010 and 2012. I pray that MSNBC keeps putting on loathsome characters like John Ziegler as the public face of the Republicans. The more voters people like him turn off, the better our chances to repair the problems they've spent 30 years creating.

[MLJ1728]

Let's see, MSNBC brings on Mr. Zeigler knowing what kind of person he is and the (to quote a word from Letterman) "slutty" looking Ms. Brewer couldn't handle it. WOW! I'll reitterate from my first post. Letterman was not just attacking Sarah Palin, he was also attacking women in general. He stereotypes women and that is still OK in Liberal land as long as your a comedian. How about the next time Letterman should say the exact same jokes about Michelle Obama and her oldest daughter. That would be funny, right? And he could throw in a few stereotypes about blacks also. That would be funny too, right? He objectified and marginalized women with his "jokes" and never even apologized to Gov. Palin. He apologized for lack of common sense and for a bad joke, but never apologized to her or he family.

[spiffarino]

Not everybody in "Liberal Land" objects to politically incorrect humor. The surprise comes from right-wingers who've made a career out of complaining about the political correctness of the Left suddenly deciding it's a problem when one of their own is skewered.

The hypocrisy drips like slime off of you.

[rini]

The idea that the GOP is a party of old white men didn't come from MSNBC. It came from a land called reality. Apparently, Ziegler hasn't visited.

[gotndr]

kerry, peloci, kennedy, dodd, reed....how old are those individuals?

[Amneosisnitaehd]

Jason Linkins professional MSNBC supporter

[spiffarino]

John Ziegler: Professional d*ckhead.

[DTOM]

My favorite part is when Brewer proves to be easily offended seconds after stating she is not easily offended.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

I am very sorry but you make it necessary for me to tell you that your upbringing is lacking. If you don't know why it is not ok to offend people then please knock at the nearest prison and make sure you get locked in.

[DemocraticVoter]

Think about what Mr. Ziegler said. He provided absolutely no information and no insight into the subject about which he was supposed to be an expert. Why would anyone consider him a credible source?

[HuskieRob]

Listening to Ziegler talk about class is almost as funny as Boss Limbaugh pontificating on exercise.

[kyleet12]

If this is what passes for news nowadays, we are all in alot of trouble. Everything seems to be designed to keep the masses distracted by nonsense.....and we keep falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.

[conservativesscareme]

the GOP is going to have to figure out a way to gently, very gently dump the hell out of Palin.
the bunch of old white men chose her because they thought women were stupid enough to fall for her George W Bush in heels act.

[dgh94104]

My parents are retired. They're fairly conservative Republicans who absolutely LOATHE S arah P alin, as do all of their circle of friends and family. She has VERY limited appeal, even to the Republican "base."

[kyleet12]

One of the worst things to happen in this country.....Cable News. By definition, a news program offers facts about events by obtaining background before they would air a story. You can't call yourself a news program if what you are doing is providing an opinion. There are different rules for cable tv that is regularly exploited. It is mostly tabloid television. Everyone seems to have an agenda, and facts be damned.

[dgh94104]

S arah P alin is all about tabloid television, too. Notice that she has yet to appear on any of the serious Sunday morning political talk shows.