Topic: Media Research Center
Brent Bozell's Nov. 20 column is a massive fit of Heathering directed at MSNBC's Joe Scarborough for being insufficiently right-wing.
More to the point, Bozell is upset that Scarborough told the truth about Mitt Romney's faltering prospects during the 2012 presidential campaign:
Let's take just a few samples of evidence from 2012, when Republicans nominated Mitt Romney.
—On March 31, Scarborough mocked Romney for mutilating himself (rhetorically) — "He is a cutter, a political cutter" — and then ridiculed a poll result showing the GOP losing by 25 to Obama among women. "I guess that idea of chaining women to a radiator in the kitchen, that the Republicans wanted to put on platform, not going over."
—On April 4, Joe "Damn Tired of Losing" Scarborough announced on his show: "I've yet to meet a single person in the Republican establishment that thinks Mitt Romney is going to win the general election this year. They won't say it on TV because they've got to go on TV, and they don't want people writing them nasty emails. I obviously don't care."
—On Sept. 8, Scarborough appeared on "Today" to trash Romney's chances. "This is one of the worst weeks for any presidential candidate in a general election that any of us can remember ... Unemployment is still 8 percent-plus, the economy is still in tatters, and Mitt Romney is blowing this race." At the end of the segment, he added, "I'm going to go put a bag over my head now, so I will talk to you soon."
—On Sept. 14, Scarborough lashed into Romney for a "horrific, irresponsible press conference" after the attacks in Benghazi. (Romney spoke before word came of four Americans dying.) "If Mitt Romney had kept his mouth shut, if he had not acted like a rank amateur, if he had not embarrassed himself — and by the way internally the campaign understands they screwed up, he's moved on, they know that. So no conservative can say, `Oh, the mainstream media, blah, blah.' ... Romney got in the way of the media looking at the president."
—On Sept. 28, Obama-loving CBS late-night host David Letterman publicized "Morning Joe" with the title "Joe Scarborough: Sweet Jesus." CBS then played an MSNBC clip that began with an incredibly standard campaign event where Romney encouraged the crowd to chant "Romney-Ryan." It ended when the camera switched back to the set showing Scarborough with his hands covering his face in shame as he said, "Sweet Jesus!" The Letterman audience roared.
—On Oct. 29, Scarborough appeared on "Today" to insist Hurricane Sandy would help elect Obama. "Mitt Romney had momentum ... This was Mitt Romney's best weekend, and it stops. The momentum stops."
If Scarborough were really "damn tired" of losing, he might wonder why he's crushed daily in the ratings by "Fox & Friends." It's not just ideologically indulgent Republicans he's tried to defeat; it's all Republicans. Please, Joe, no more lectures about your conservative credentials.
Bozell offers no evidence that anything Scarborough said was incorrect -- he's mad that it was said at all. In Bozell's media bubble, conservatives and Republicans must be praised even if they're wrong, must be touted as winners even if they're losing. He's essentially saying that Scarborough should have lied about Romney in order to prove his conservative bona fides.
Bozell is also hacked off that Scarborough's new book will be "reviewed by The New York Times, while Mark Levin's truly important, best-selling books are not." He doesn't mention that his Media Research Center is paying Levin to promote it on Levin's radio show.
Bozell demands ideological loyalty over the truth when it comes to conservatives -- the opposite of what he expects from the "liberal media." Double standard much?