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Frank Rich: Sarah Palin, The Pit Bull In The China Shop

2009-11-22T06:12:15Z

AT last the American right and left have one issue they unequivocally agree on: You don't actually have to read Sarah Palin's book to have an opinion about it.

Thomas Friedman Explains Causes Of America's 'Sub-Optimal Solutions' (VIDEO)

2009-11-22T05:22:12Z

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman is worried that America is producing "sub-optimal solutions" to big problems like global warming, an education system in decline and a weak economy.

The author of Hot, Flat, and Crowded appeared on The Charlie Rose Show on Friday night to discuss President Obama's recent trip to Asia, and more specifically China. Friedman lamented the failure of US governance and the "forces of paralysis" that surround President Obama. He is worried that China's streamlined, one-party system will be in a better place to implement solutions to large global problems more quickly than the US.

Holding us back, Friedman argues, is a political system too closely connected with money and well-funded interests. Gerrymandering on the part of politicians makes it so that our leaders practically pick us, not the other way around. Friedman also thinks cable news television distorts the truth and that the internet (at its worst) can be a terrible thing for our nation's politics. He also says American businesses have gone AWOL, and hover over America, participating only when it suits their industry's needs.

Friedman says that better citizens--not politicians--can solve our nation's problems.

Friedman lists

WATCH:

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Glenn Beck As Political Organizer: Fox News Host Sponsoring 7 Conventions

2009-11-22T03:32:11Z

Glenn Beck, the popular and outspoken Fox News host, says he wants to go beyond broadcasting his opinions and start rallying his political base -- formerly known as his audience -- to take action.

Fred Schulte, Senior Reporter For HuffPost Investigative Fund, Talks Digitizing Medical Records On NPR (AUDIO)

2009-11-21T17:56:33Z

Fred Schulte, a senior reporter for the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, talked with NPR's Scott Simon Saturday morning about the overlooked technology companies that stand to make huge profits in the push to digitize the nation's medical records.

"The government's $45 billion plan to jump-start a national shift to electronic medical records has touched off a gold rush among scores of technology firms - even as many experts question whether the benefits of the products are being oversold," Schulte writes in an article on the digitization of medical records, on the Huffington Post Investigative Fund.

"There's a sort of a gold rush going on," Schulte explained on NPR's Weekend Edition. "Some of the biggest companies in the world--Microsoft, Dell, Google--all of these huge tech companies are very interested in the billions of dollars that is going to derive from health care in cyberspace."

"There are cash registers ringing," Schulte said.

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund's examination of the medical records business is ongoing. Click here to follow the coverage, and listen to the full interview below.

Bill Moyers Plays LBJ Tapes, Draws Similarities With Obama And Afghanistan War

2009-11-21T17:13:26Z

On Friday night, Bill Moyers played clips from the Lyndon B. Johnson tapes on his PBS television show. Moyers drew correlations between the factors facing President Johnson in his decision to send more troops to Vietnam, and President Obama's conundrum with respect to the war in Afghanistan.

From his closing statement:

Now in a different world, at a different time, and with a different president, we face the prospect of enlarging a different war. But once again we're fighting in remote provinces against an enemy who can bleed us slowly and wait us out, because he will still be there when we are gone.
Once again, we are caught between warring factions in a country where other foreign powers fail before us. Once again, every setback brings a call for more troops, although no one can say how long they will be there or what it means to win. Once again, the government we are trying to help is hopelessly corrupt and incompetent.

And once again, a President pushing for critical change at home is being pressured to stop dithering, be tough, show he's got the guts, by sending young people seven thousand miles from home to fight and die, while their own country is coming apart.

View Moyer's introduction to the tapes below, and visit his website to watch the entire program.

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Chris Matthews Criticizes Obama Using Cheney's "Dithering" Remark (VIDEO)

2009-11-21T03:41:54Z

On Friday night's "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, MSNBC host Matthews took a page out of Dick Cheney's book and accused the president of "dithering" over Afghanistan.

"President Obama has his chin out on just about every hot issue out there. Health care. Terror trials. Job losses." Matthews began. He then launched a series of aggressive questions going after many of the president's recent decisions.

"Is he just too darned intellectual? Too much the egghead? Why did he bow to that Japanese emperor? Why did he pick Tim Geithner to be his economic front-man? Why all this dithering over Afghanistan? And who thought it was a wonderful idea to bring the killers of 9/11 to New York City, the media capital of the world, so they could tell their story?"

The former vice president accused Obama of "dithering while America's armed forces are in danger," in October, to much backlash.

Bill Clinton Blasts Olbermann For Politicizing Health Care Event, Refuses To Go

2009-11-21T03:01:13Z

On Friday, Bill Clinton decided not to attend a health care event organized by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann because Olbermann had "politicized" the event.

He explained his decision to FireDogLake's Eve Gittelso, who ran into Clinton in a gift shop of the Clinton Library in Arkansas:

"Clinton responded that Olbermann was politicizing the clinic, and that it wasn't helpful for Olbermann to do that. He said he did not feel he could show up now, because the event had turned political....Olbermann, who has invited his viewers to contribute to the National Association of Free Clinics in advance of the event, has said on his show that 'I want Sens. (Blanche) Lincoln and (Mark) Pryor to see what health care poverty is really like in Little Rock.' Lincoln has met recently with Joe Biden and President Obama, but has yet to agree to vote for debate on health care to proceed in the Senate."

Mediaite notes that Olbermann began his endorsement of these free clinics on October 8 and that the Arkansas event is just one of six Olbermann had done.

Watch Olbermann's original health care pitch below.

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

Bill Moyers Retiring From Weekly Television

2009-11-20T23:28:08Z

Bill Moyers is leaving weekly television.

The New York Times' Elizabeth Jensen reports that the PBS newscaster is retiring from his Friday night program, "Bill Moyers Journal," on April 30, 2010.

"Bill Moyers Journal" launched in April 2007.

Jensen reports that it was Moyers' intention to retire at Christmas this year, but PBS asked him to stay on through April to help raise funds.

"I am 75 years old," Moyers told Jensen. "I feel it's time."

Dominic Carter Found GUILTY Of Attempted Assault On Wife

2009-11-20T23:25:38Z

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Cable television newsman Dominic Carter, an influential reporter on New York politics, was convicted Friday of an attempted assault on his wife.

The Rockland County district attorney's office issued a one-sentence statement Friday saying Carter, 46, was found guilty of third-degree attempted assault.

The maximum sentence is three months in jail.

Carter, who was political anchor on NY1 until the station learned of the accusation, had been accused of the more serious charge of third-degree assault. His wife, Marilyn Carter, called 911 last year from their home in Pomona and claimed he hit her. Photos presented at trial showed the 52-year-old woman's swollen lip, cut ear and bruised arm and leg.

However, she recanted her allegation on the witness stand during Carter's Oct. 29 trial in Suffern, N.Y.

In his decision, Ramapo Town Justice Arnold Etelson said he found Marilyn Carter's revised story "nothing short of preposterous." But he also found that she did not sustain "impairment of physical condition or substantial pain" as required for a conviction on the assault charge.

Defense attorney Martin Gotkin said Dominic Carter "still maintains his innocence, claims he never did this and he's going to continue fighting this case to vindicate himself. His intention right now is to appeal."

NY1 said on the day of the trial that Carter had taken an indefinite leave of absence. On Friday, spokeswoman Nikia Redhead said, "We are in the process of reviewing the court's decision."

Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 14.

Carter's nightly "Inside City Hall" program was must-see TV for those in or interested in New York city and state politics, analysts said. He had interviewed every major politician and moderated many political debates, including one last month between the mayoral candidates.

However, Carter was off the job by Election Day.

His wife's year-old allegations were made public on the eve of the trial. But before the court session, Carter confidently predicted, "I am about to be vindicated. This was all a misunderstanding."

His wife acknowledged on the witness stand that she made the 911 call, but said the real assailant was a day laborer whose name she couldn't remember. She said she told police her husband had beat her because she was angry about an argument they'd had about care for their epileptic son.

Assistant District Attorney Richard Moran protested that her story was unbelievable and suggested she was lying to preserve her marriage and her husband's livelihood.

When the judge said he would reserve decision, Carter complained from the defense table, pleading that unless he was quickly cleared, "My career is over."

On the weekend after the trial, the Carters traveled to Kansas City, Mo., and someone identified as a family member called the hotel, supposedly fearing Carter was considering suicide.

Carter told police he was fine but said his wife was missing. She was found the next day at the Kansas City airport and said she simply wanted to get home early, a police spokesman said.

The Carters, who live in Pomona, have been married 24 years and have a 21-year-old daughter, as well as the 17-year-old son.

In 2007, Carter published a memoir, "No Momma's Boy," describing childhood abuse at the hands of his mentally ill mother while growing up in the Bronx.

In December, Carter bragged about his political connections as he sought a quick dismissal during a hearing in his assault case.

"I covered the state attorney general and chief judge of the court of the state of New York," he told the judge. He said former state Chief Judge Judith Kaye and Manhattan District Attorney Bob Morgenthau were "personal friends."

The judge seemed unimpressed.

"Don't start dropping names," he said. "You know better than that."

Bill Simmons Twitter Suspension: ESPN.com Writer Reportedly Suspended For Two Weeks

2009-11-20T23:23:49Z

ESPN has punished Bill Simmons for writing tweets critical of Boston sports radio station WEEI. ESPN.com editor-in-chief Rob King wrote a blog post to confirm the news, writing that "we've taken appropriate measures."

ESPN Radio and WEEI announced a partnership on October 7, and Simmons has criticized the Boston station on his Twitter account at least twice since then. On October 26, Simmons tweeted: "WEEI's 'The Big Show' was apparently ripping me today. Good to get feedback from 2 washed-up athletes and a 60 yr-old fat guy with no neck."

On November 10, Simmons knocked WEEI once more: "Hey WEEI: You were wrong, I did a Boston interview today. With your competition. Rather give them ratings over deceitful scumbags like you."

While King's post does not specify the terms of the punishment, The Big Lead reports that Simmons told a fan at a book signing that he had been suspended from Twitter for two weeks, with an exception for tweets about his book tour.

Palin Booed By Book Tour Crowd

2009-11-20T21:45:10Z

Unhappy fans of Sarah Palin went rogue on the Alaska Republican during her book tour stop in Noblesville, Indiana on Thursday.

The local Borders outlet had handed out 1,000 wristbands to book purchasers; the wristbands were supposed to procure fans Palin's signature on their hardback copies of "Going Rogue." But several dozen people who had been promised signatures were turned away empty-handed after waiting hours in poor weather, a local news outlet, the Indy Channel, reported.

"We gave up our entire workday, stayed in the cold, my kids were crying," one man was quoted saying. "They went home with my wife. She was out here in the freezing cold all day. I feel like I don't want to support Sarah."

Another woman told Indy Channel, "We bought two books from Borders to have our receipt and our wristband to get it signed tonight. My books are going back to Borders tomorrow."

The angry crowd turned on Palin as she returned to her "Going Rogue" tour bus. Video below shows people booing and shouting at the bus, and shouting "Sign our books Sarah!" as the engine revved up and Palin departed.

DailyKos put together a compilation reel of local news coverage:

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Rahm Emanuel 'Bedeviling' News Organizations With His Name

2009-11-20T20:28:29Z

NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard makes note of the curious way that news organizations choose to identify White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, whose very name is like a dead fish mailed to everyone's style guide:

...when he's quoted or mentioned on radio, TV, or print, reporters and anchors generally identify him on first reference as Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

But for some reason -- most likely his unusual first name -- news organizations are conflicted on how to identify Emanuel on the second reference. Standard news editorial practice across the board is to give a person's full name on first reference and only the last name on second reference.

But not for Emanuel.

Oddly, several news organizations refer to him on a second reference as "Rahm Emanuel." NPR has just decided to make that a policy after correspondent Nina Totenberg referred to Emanuel three times by his first name only on-air.

Naturally, I feel compelled to point out that in the vast majority of news reports, Rahm Emanuel is most often referred to as "senior White House adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity."

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

Oprah's Replacement: Who Should Be The Next King/Queen Of Daytime TV? (POLL)

2009-11-20T20:15:44Z

Oprah's announcement that she will give up her syndicated talk show in 2011 after 25 years on the air leaves an enormous hole: who will be the next king or queen of daytime TV?

Below are some of the names that immediately come to mind as potential heirs to Oprah's throne:

National Republican Congressional Committee Caught Misleading With Ellipses Again

2009-11-20T18:59:31Z

The good people over at the National Republican Campaign Committee have a favorite punctuation mark, called the ellipsis. And they enjoy using it, mainly to make strategic truncations in a piece of text to make it look as if it says something completely different from its author's original intent.

For example, the NRCC could take a movie review that read, "Gigli is a great big sack of audible farts," and repackage it as "Gigli is great...audible." Or, as they did back in September, they could make Representative Tom Periello appear as if he was intimating that all of the constituents he encountered at town hall meetings were racist.

Well, apparently, they've done it again, and comically so! So says Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell:

First, a lighthearted slug to the National Republican Congressional Committee. In response to a recent column item that suggested the party hacks in Washington were undermining their own cause by offering only childish potshots at Democrats without offering any substance or solutions of their own, the NRCC sent out another release. It quoted this column -- only it creatively used ... ellipses ... to remove words it didn't like. So their version made it look like the column item was taking a Democrat to task, not them. OK, so it was kind of funny -- but didn't do much to combat the notion that it's amateur hour up there.

Here's what the NRCC did! They took Maxwell's November 10th column and packaged it in their own press release, thusly:

Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell notes that Rep. Suzanne Kosmas - far from covering her political bases with a 'NO' vote on Pelosi's healthcare bill - continues to get hit from both sides:

"Democrat Suzanne Kosmas may have irritated her liberal base when she voted against Nancy Pelosi's health-care bill...[and Republicans] are continuing to bash her on the topic, saying: OK, she may have done what they wanted -- but not for the reasons they wanted." (Orlando Sentinel, 11/10/09)

The only problem comes when you click out to Maxwell's column, where you realize that he was actually writing about what titanic, embarrassing hacks the NRCC are!

Democrat Suzanne Kosmas may have irritated her liberal base when she voted against Nancy Pelosi's health-care bill. But she also backed the National Republican Congressional Committee into a corner ... at least she would have if the party hacks had any shame or integrity.

For months, the NRCC had been sending out releases, asking whether Kosmas had the courage to do the right thing (in its mind anyway) and stand up to "Pelosi's health-care takeover."

Well, she did. She voted against it.

This apparently confused the simpletons at the NRCC, who don't know how to do anything but gripe. So now, they are continuing to bash her on the topic, saying: OK, she may have done what they wanted -- but not for the reasons they wanted. So they still hate her.

Why anyone pays attention to these petulant partisans who couldn't care less about Central Florida issues is beyond me. In fact, I'm hearing from more and more Republicans -- including respected ones contemplating congressional campaigns -- that the NRCC's incessant whining makes the whole party look like amateur hour.

I have bolded the part that the NRCC places behind an ellipsis. You know, the part where Maxwell refers to the NRCC as a bunch of "hacks" without "shame or integrity" who are "confused" "simpletons" "who don't know how to do anything but gripe." All points that the NRCC went out and basically proved, with ellipses!

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

Fox Business Gets Cablevision Distribution, 3 Million New Homes

2009-11-20T18:10:33Z

The business channel, which News Corp started to compete with General Electric's (GE.N) CNBC, will start appearing on Nov. 19 on channel 106 for Cablevision subscribers, Fox Business said in a statement.

Fox Business Network will be available to about 3 million Cablevision customers, a Cablevision spokesman said.