Back on September 1, CNBC's Maria Bartiromo went on Carlos Watson's show on MSNBC and did a dumb, dumb thing. Debating the merits of government health care with Representative Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), Bartiromo demonstrated that she was a little unclear on Medicare's basic concepts, including the fact that people under the age of 65 are not eligible for it. "How come you're not on it?" she sarcastically asked Weiner. Well, Weiner was only going to turn 45 that week, so, like I said, 'twas a dumb, dumb thing!
But it's maybe even dumber to go on Morning Joe and pretend it didn't happen! From this morning's edition:
SCARBOROUGH: You have been accused of not knowing who is eligible for Medicare. What happened there?
BARTIROMO: I was on Carlos Watkins' [sic] show... on his new show, and Anthony Weiner was on the program. I was trying to make the point that governments has [sic] these fantastic health care benefits, and if the public plan is so great, are you going to give up your great benefits and go into the public plan? And I said to him, if it's so great, how come you're not in it, are you going to be giving up your benefits? He turns to me and says I am not on Medicare because I am not 65. I wasn't even talking about Medicare, so I said, 'oh, please.' Anyway, so that's the clip that they ran.
Uhm... YOU LIE! This is not at all what happened. Weiner was clearly discussing Medicare, and nothing but Medicare when she made her blunder.
[WATCH]
WEINER: Look, Carlos talks about Canada, you talk about Europe, let's talk about the United States of America. Medicare.
[CROSSTALK]
WEINER: The United States of America, forty percent of all tax dollars go to a public plan. Ask your parent or grandparent, ask your neighbor if they're satisfied with Medicare. Now, there's a funding problem, but the quality of care is terrific. You get complete choice, can go anywhere you want--
BARTIROMO: How come you don't use it? You don't have it! How come you don't have it?
WEINER: Because I'm not sixty-five. I would love it.
Of course, after this morning, I have to wonder if Bartiromo is similarly confused about the way cable television news channels work. "That's the clip that they ran?" What clip? Who's the they? Is she referring to the teevee cameras from the National Broadcasting Company beaming the "clip" called "Carlos Watson's live TV show" into the universe, as it was happening, unedited?
[Thanks to Huff Post Media Monitor Joseph Bayen]
PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
Maria Bartiromo Presses 44-Year-Old Congressman: If Medicare Is So Good, Why Aren't You On It?
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