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Posted on 03/13/2006 3:17:54 PM PST by Conservative Coulter Fan
Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas condescendingly charged, on this past weekend's edition of Inside Washington, that opposition to the UAE ports deals resonated with the public "because it's something that simple idiots can understand." After a bit of snickering from the other panelists, especially NPR's Nina Totenberg, Thomas zeroed in on talk radio, even though the most popular talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh, supported the deal.
Thomas called the subject matter "a classic for talk radio" because "you can get it on a bumper sticker." Expressing his support for the UAE's purchase of the company operating several U.S. ports -- "We need Dubai as an ally. On balance, it would be better that the deal went through" -- Thomas proceeded to lament how "it was an easy one to demagogue on talk radio." As if much of the mainstream media didn't pile on too.
[This item was posted Friday night, with video and audio, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org. To post your comments, or to watch a video clip, in either Real or Windows Media formats, go to: newsbusters.org ]
Joining Thomas on the panel: Totenberg plus syndicated columnists Mark Shields and Charles Krauthammer.
I caught the Thomas comment on the Friday night (march 10) airing of Inside Washington on WETA-TV channel 26, Washington, DC's PBS affiliate. The program is taped at ABC's Washington, DC affiliate, WJLA-TV, channel 7 (actually in Arlington, Virginia), where it airs Sunday mornings at 10am after This Week. Before that, it runs Saturday nights at 7pm on NewsChannel 8, the local all-news cable channel owned by the ABC affiliate.
A brief transcript of the relevant exchange, as taken down by the MRC's Brad Wilmouth:
Fill-in host Kathleen Matthews, a WJLA-TV anchor who is the wife of MSNBC's Chris Matthews, set up Thomas: "Evan, nothing has lit up the telephones on talk radio more than this Dubai ports deal. Why did it resonate so much with the American people?"
Evan Thomas, Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek: "Because it's something that simple idiots can understand [other panelists snicker, especially Nina Totenberg]. I mean, it was an idiotic issue, and it is a classic for talk radio. You can get it on a bumper sticker. But I'm with the elites on this one. It was really, it was ridiculous. We need Dubai as an ally. On balance, it would be better that the deal went through, but it was an easy one to demagogue on talk radio."
But radio hosts like Rush and Tony Snow did not contribute to that.
ping
He's about half right, which is way ahead of most.
BUMP!!
Are you completely unaware of the terrorist connections the UAE has or do you think we could chance a takeover of six ports despite that it?
Interesting how the "I'm a liberal and I'm nuanced" crowd screamed the loudest that "Iraq didn't attack us on 9/11." Bush never said Iraq was responsible. He said that 9/11 made us more alert to ALL potential threats. But the leftists can't (or won't) see that "nuance."
Guess what? Florida has terror connections. They trained how to fly there. I guess you would block Floridians from the port business?
A upper-level management of some terminals at six ports.
They woudldn't be "taking over" the docks of the whole friggin city. ><
It wasn't even the "Ports". It was certain terminals within the "Ports."
He is right.
The ignorance just won't go away.
Surrreeee...Daffy!
Oh, brother. I guess we need to shut Switzerland down too? The Nazis had accounts there.
And what about Florida? You didn't answer the question.
I really hate to admit this, but I agree with him. This issue was tailor-made for demagogues everywhere, even those who call themselves "conservatives." To be more precise, this one was room service for the Buchananites (the Republican equivalent of moveon.org, but fortunately much smaller and less influential within the GOP).
Hmm. Like a stopped clock is right twice a day, it sounds like Thomas got this one about right, generally speaking, although his lumping all of talk radio together the way he did was childish and scumbaggy. Personally, I agreed with Rush on the Dubai Ports World issue.
Is Evan Thomas talking about you?
The two prominent talk show hosts who got it right were Rush Limbaugh and Tony Snow. The rest were downright embarrassing.
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