I started my Sunday as I do most weeks. I woke up a little later than I meant to, got up, put on coffee, and then started the DVR recording of Meet the Press with David Gregory. His first interview was with General David Petraeus, and it didn't bother me too much. My coffee hadn't kicked in yet, and Petraeus' waffling on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" seemed a little tortured, but whatever.Then, 2012 Presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty, who is probably happy that President Obama broke the "weird name" barrier in 2008. Pawlenty is more pleasant than a lot of prominent Republicans, but he's also like Chatty Kathy talking points doll. And he sticks to them pretty hard. He lost what few points he had with me when he said that our rights as Americans come from God, not the government. I know that is a loose paraphrase of the Declaration of Independence (not a legally binding document, btw), but it skeeves me out in 2010.
Next up was a he said/he said panel of partisans mixed with a couple of journalist-pundits. Their names (except for sing-songy Peggy Noonan) are unimportant. But their babble was aggravating, to be sure. Here are the things that bugged me:
1) Right-wing partisan saying that there was no effort at "real" bipartisanship from Democrats.
- Bull pucky. The health care bills have been watered down and conservatived up the hoo-ha to try and get Republican votes. Nada. This talking point is BS.
2) President Obama is far-left, and governs as an ultra-liberal.
- Hahaha! MOUNTAINS of bull pucky! This is where my understanding of the tea baggers breaks down too. Obama isn't a communist, marxist, socialist, radical! He's upset liberals and progressives because he's been to milquetoasty.
3) Obama should have come in--with a rather large win in the 2008 election--by governing from the middle, even if it did irritate his "base."
- He did! Haven't you been paying attention, Miss Noonan???
4) To be bipartisan, Obama should scrap health care reform, and start again.
- Sure! That's exactly what Bush would do in the same position, right? Cave, and let the other guys have a shot? Riiiggght.
It went on like that. Me yelling at the teevee, and host David Gregory frickin' refusing to ask follow-ups or correct the record. It was ridiculous. And the thing I followed it up with? FOX "News" Sunday with Chris Wallace, with the lead interview being with Senate Minority Leader Mitch (Shelley the Constipated Turtle) McConnell. He's a deck of talking points cards, shuffled in a different order each week--and he does seem to turn up every week somewhere. And McConnell's denial of obstructionism with an all-time record of filibusters is flat-out dishonesty. You lie, Mitch McConnell!
