Free Republic

Drinking the Kool-Aid on MSNBC wasn't enough, even for CNBC's Jim Cramer, to escape the reality that Obamanomics isn't working. Back on October 12, Cramer, to his credit, knew there were some problems with the $787-billion stimulus passed earlier this year. However, he felt it was necessary to pledge his admiration for President Barack Obama, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. But, Matthews asked Cramer if there would be something tangible to back up that praise. "OK - let me ask you the question," Matthews said on MSNBC's Oct. 12 "Hardball." "Let's talk about how we...

Warren Buffett, the second richest man in the world and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A), doesn't have much faith in the future of print media. In an interview on CNBC's Nov. 3 "Squawk Box," following the announcement of his purchase of Burlington Northern (NYSE:BNI), Buffett was asked to comment on the future of news media, in particular newspapers and business news by "Squawk Box" co-host Becky Quick. Buffett is optimistic on the future of business news. "Our system has just gotten started," Buffett said. "I mean, we've had a couple of hundred years of progress, but we have not exhausted...

Want to make a big splash to bolster your chances in a political campaign? A tried and true strategy for some attorneys general has been to champion a populist position by exploiting the legal system for publicity. Just look at the lead up to the launch of former New York AG Eliot Spitzer gubernatorial campaign with his attacks on Wall Street. And that appears to be the playbook California Attorney General Jerry Brown is using in a lawsuit accusing State Street (NYSE:STT) of cheating the state's two largest pension funds, the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the California State...

Do the major media outlets in the U.S. have a liberal bias? Few questions evoke stronger opinions, and we cannot think of a more important question to which objective statistical techniques can lend their service. So far, the debate has largely been one of anecdotes (“How can CBS News be balanced when it calls Steve Forbes’ tax plan ‘wacky’?”) and untested theories (“if the news industry is a competitive market, then how can media outlets be systematically biased?”). Few studies provide an objective measure of the slant of news, and none has provided a way to link such a measure...

Montage of report and correction.

Lately there's has been an anti-Wall Street sentiment, propagated by the media that has become exacerbated as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit 10,000 Oct. 14. On CNBC's Oct. 15 "Street Signs," Jim Cramer, host of "Mad Money," was asked by fill-in host Melissa Francis what he thought about the outrage over Wall Street hitting its stride, while unemployment continues to rise. "What did you think about [Morgan Stanley CEO] John Mack's answer to the big question of the day, which is the divergence between Main Street and Wall Street?" Francis asked. "We see Dow 10,000 - bonuses are...

On CNBC's "Squawk Box," yesterday, Joe Kernen questioned New York Times' "token conservative," David Brooks true conservatism, and took aim at the liberal mainstream media's diminishment of the tea party movement, Fox News, and Rush Limbaugh.

Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich was laughed at Friday for claiming "the stimulus package is the thing that is actually keeping the economy up, keeping people employed." In a discussion on CNBC about the larger than expected September job losses reported Friday by the Labor Department, Reich was explaining to hosts Melissa Francis and Lawrence Kudlow how things would be much worse if not for the stimulus package. He also implied that things won't get better until healthcare is reformed. ...more (w/video)...

This morning on Squawk Box, Joe Kernen played contrarian to the New York Times' David Brooks. Brooks' column today, titled "The Wizard of Beck," is "the story of media mavens who claim to represent a hidden majority but who in fact represent a mere niche - even in the Republican Party." Brooks writes: Just months after the election and the humiliation, everyone is again convinced that Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and the rest possess real power. And the saddest thing is that even Republican politicians come to believe it. They mistake media for reality. They pre-emptively surrender to armies that don't...

Is CNBC For Sale? Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/26/2009 18:44 -0500 CEO CNBC Economy GE General Electric Goldman Goldman Sachs Harbinger Hope ICE Jeff Immelt Media MOVE MSNBC NBC NYT Phil Falcone Truth Wall Street Wall Street Journal There may be some major changes in the NBC ownership structure according to media and financial pundits. Even as General Electric is dealing with significant balance sheet problems, which have been temporarily swept under the rug compliments of unjustified Goldman Sachs stock upgrades, it may be looking at getting rid of its "vanity play", the NBC TV station family, which of...

In an alleged effort to protect against a recurrence of the financial collapse of 2008, Congress is considering a slew of new mandates, regulations and agencies. At the top of the list is an expansion of the very government mandate that is at the heart of the financial collapse, the Community Reinvestment Act. It appears that rather than learning from mistakes of the past, Congress is taking steps that could exacerbate the problems in the future. The CRA has been credited by many experts as a key contributor to the financial meltdown of 2008. Originally introduced in 1977, it was...

Kudlow just gave a teaser for "ACORN gets Cracked" - a report on the ACORN voter registration fraud and prostitution sting and $53 million in tax money. I'll post when that segment comes on.

Not everyone at the NBC Universal umbrella of networks got the gag order memo about the Sept. 12 march on Washington, D.C. Rick Santelli, who has been a target of the Obama White House and is credited with being the inspiration for the 2009 tea party movement, spoke out about how the media ignored the march. But, a year after the fall of Lehman Brothers, he was making the larger point that the government's intervention to thwart a financial crisis had been an ineffectual and potentially dangerous maneuver at the expense of taxpayers. ...more (w/video)...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has climbed nearly 45 percent since hitting a March 9 low. The S&P 500 (S&P) is up nearly 53 percent. And the NASDAQ (NASDAQ) has soared a whopping 61 percent since the March bottom. But that rally has some analysts shaking their heads. Art Cashin, a CNBC regular who also makes frequent appearances on CBS and NBC news programs to offer insight on the financial markets, was skeptical. He told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Sept. 11 he got some of his money out of the market and got burnt, but is still scratching his...

I was fighting traffic on my way in to work today, when I heard a headline on the radio, something to the effect of, "Good news on the housing front! Foreclosures are moderating, potentially signaling an end to the housing crisis." This is why people don't trust the news. Headlines.

A 30-year-old New Yorker who was barred from the securities industry last year may be behind an increasingly popular financial blog known as Zerohedge.com, which is catching flack for its obsession with anonymity. Daniel Ivandjiiski, whose most recently listed address is on the Upper East Side, was barred last September by the financial industry's self regulatory authority, FINRA, for insider trading. Ivandjiiski is also suspected of being one of the founders of controversial financial blog Zerohedge.com, sources tell The Post. Ivandjiiski didn't return requests for comment, but he recently told industry publication Hedge Fund Alert that while he writes for...

Live + Same Day Cable News Daily Ratings for August 04, 2009P2+ Total DayFNC – 1,331,000 viewersCNN – 603,000 viewersMSNBC –403,000 viewersCNBC – 185,000 viewersHLN – 294,000 viewersP2+ Prime TimeFNC – 2,850,000viewersCNN— 999,000 viewersMSNBC –1,007,000 viewersCNBC – 181,000 viewersHLN – 548,000viewers25-54 Total DayFNC –344,000 viewersCNN –184,000 viewersMSNBC –122,000 viewersCNBC – a scratch w/ 52,000 viewersHLN- 117,000 viewers25-54 Prime TimeFNC – 735,000 viewersCNN – 284,000 viewersMSNBC –319,000 viewersCNBC – 62,000 viewersHLN – 207,000 viewers35-64 Total DayFNC – 631,000 viewersCNN – 288,000 viewersMSNBC – 201,000 viewersCNBC – 91,000 viewersHLN – 152,000 viewers35-64 Prime TimeFNC –1,323,000 viewersCNN – 445,000 viewersMSNBC –477,000 viewersCNBC –97,000...

As the likelihood of President Barack Obama's style of health care/health insurance reform has looked more and more uncertain, health care sector stocks have rallied, nearly 10 percent over the last month. But now as Obama is showing some signs of managing his message and could be trying to make a comeback, even as polls show the odds aren't his favor, CNBC market analyst Steve Grasso is cautioning viewers to be wary of health care stocks for the time being. ...more (w/video)...

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It's no longer just enough to educate people about making healthy decision. You now have to influence them psychologically to effect true change according to CNBC's Jim Cramer. Cramer, during his "Stop Trading" segment on CNBC's "Street Signs" on Aug. 10, suggested eating so-called unhealthy food be demonized, similar to how the tobacco industry has been - through a publicity campaign that even appeared in movie theaters. ...more (w/video)...

When in doubt blame conservatism, even when it comes to the struggles of a media outlet - and ignore the possibility that liberalism might be to blame. Ever since Nielsen came out with the July numbers for CNBC that showed the network had suffered a 28 percent ratings decline over a year ago, some of the financial media intelligentsia have been eager to point to what they perceive are the right-leaning political shortcomings of the network as a possible reason. ...more...

"...In this past year, we've witnessed the most fundamental failure of capitalism since the Great Depression and important new deals between Washington and Wall Street. But while many anchors and reporters play it straight down the middle, CNBC has embraced a surprisingly politicized view of these developments. Many of the network's most prominent personalities are quite far to the right. (Disclosure: I appear on CNBC occasionally, and the network's on-air and off-air staff has been kind to me.) As the stock market fell in January and February, a reaction to the sharp plunge in the global economy and failure of...

It's the kind of astute analysis you'd expect from MSNBC - the place for the politics. CNBC regular and MSNBC fill-in anchor Donny Deutsch solved the mystery behind the media's fascination with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. According to the former advertising executive, it has nothing to do with her stance on several hot-button issues - an advocate of gun rights, a pro-life stance on abortion, pro-exploration and drilling for oil and concerned about the fiscal policies of President Barack Obama. Instead, he contended, it is her sexual appeal that held the media's attention - and not just from a...

At least one journalist isn't impressed by the health care initiatives of the White House and congressional Democrats, and is warning of consequences should they succeed. CNBC's Maria Bartiromo was on MSNBC's July 27 "Morning Joe" to preview her upcoming special "Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Health Care," set to debut on July 27. According to the Bartiromo, who also anchors "Closing Bell" and "Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo," much of the increased costs of health care could be prevented with changes in lifestyle and behavior. "You know, I mean the issue is - 70 percent...

[CNBC reporter Charlie Gasparino] does make a good point: people do in fact get a lot of their information from the Internet...

"This is the sort of "hit piece" nonsense that I strongly object to" ~~Karl Denninger

What follows is part 1 of a 15-part series. The remaining installments will appear on Deep Capture over the next several weeks, after which point the story will be published in its entirety. It is a story about the travails of just one small company, but it describes market machinations that have affected hundreds of other companies, and it contains a larger message for anyone concerned about the “deep capture” of our nation’s media and regulatory bodies. * * * * * * * * This story, like too many others, begins with Jim Cramer, the CNBC personality, making “a...

Dr Marc Faber expect total market collapse soon Here is video of Marc Faber talking CNBC yesterday total collapse coming soon and he was immidiately cutoff by the host .

On society's list of most shameful professions, the pornographer would be near the top. What must pornographers think of themselves? They would argue that their industry has joined the mainstream, yet for porn performers, it's a sordid career fraught with perils of drugs, disease and, in the darker corners of porn, exploitation and abuse. Take the case of a true pervert, Paul Little, who calls himself "Max Hardcore." The British author Martin Amis submerged himself in the sleaziest subcultures of sex on film for the British newspaper The Guardian a few years ago. He recalled the making of Little's "Hollywood...

CNBC "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer often showcases erratic and unpredictable behavior and the same goes sometimes for his analysis of the stock market. While the economy continues to struggle through the recession, the forward-looking indicators known as the financial markets continue to perplex Cramer for not going up when some positive signs, also known as "green shoots" by the financial media, are starting show. According to his analysis - it's the government and a reliance on oil futures that have scared off investors. ...more (w/video)...

Either "CNBC Reports" anchor Dennis Kneale has a flair for the dramatic or he upset a lot of people in the blogosphere with his biting critique of the blogosphere's negativity on the economy. On the July 1 broadcast of "CNBC Reports," Kneale responded to harsh, angry criticism from bloggers - even pointing out blogs like the Huffington Post, with an openly left-of-center perspective. "Last night on this show, I stirred up an angry hornet's nest in the blogs, you know, when I criticized their mean-spirited negativity, bashed them for hiding behind their cowardly cloak of anonymity," Kneale said. "And, I...

The financial system is crashing and action must be taken by the US government to convert debt into equity to produce a more stable environment, Nassim Taleb, author of "The Black Swan," told CNBC Thursday.

Watch the video to see how Obama plans to waste $1 Trillion on the wrong cure. Video at: www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1158405259&play=1

Said Obama to the persistent fly: "Get out of here." But it didn't. So Obama waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked the fly dead in one try.

President Obama also criticized Fox News, al though not by name, for "attacking" him. It’s very hard for me to swallow that one,” Obama said. “First of all, I’ve got one television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration,” he added,

The obnoxious hothead hates to be challenged http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ZCEJMWmiM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpub29%2Ebravenet%2Ecom%2Fforum%2Fstatic%2Fshow%2Ephp%3Fusernum%3D2442810129%26frmid%3D8%26msgid%3D1025429%26cmd%3Dshow&feature=player_embedded

It's a conversation, Barney, not a soliloquy . . . Discussing the regulation of executive pay with CNBC's Mark Haines today, the testy liberal Dem from Massachusetts was affronted when Haines tried to get in a word edgewise. Before long, Barney announced that the interview was over, and ripped off his earpiece. Unruffled, Haines got off a good last line: "Fine, goodbye sir. We'll manage without you." View video here.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said he can "blame Republicans" for the current financial disaster. The transcript is available below.

It's the new "C" word according to Melissa Francis, co-host of CNBC's "The Call." Using the word "cartel" to describe OPEC is officially a no- no. Francis, who was on location in Vienna, Austria at the OPEC summit, reported on an exchange between herself and Ali Al-Naimi, the oil minister of Saudi Arabia during the May 28 broadcast of "Squawk on the Street." In an interview, Al-Naimi took issue with Francis using the word "cartel" to describe OPEC: Francis: When do you think we'll hit that $75-to-80 range that seem like almost everybody in the cartel agrees is sort of...

Is there another shakeup imminent at CNBC? Since the economy has been on the rocks, NBC Universal's financial network has been in the spotlight - political tug-of-war and all. This time, another one of the network's star on-air personalities, Jeff Macke, could be out. Macke had been a cynical, sometimes conservative voice on CNBC's "Fast Money" and in other CNBC and MSNBC appearances, often pointing out flaws in the Democrat-controlled political culture in Washington, D.C. Now, he could be following the same path his former colleague Dylan Ratigan, who left CNBC's "Fast Money" in March. Jon Najarian, a CNBC contributor...

Usually when CNBC's Jim Cramer is making headlines, it's for his outrageous antics or over-the-top statements. Not this time. Time magazine's Justin Fox interviewed Cramer asking him questions submitted by readers which was posted on Time.com May 14. Two of those questions dealt with his March 12 appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." In his answers, Cramer accused Jon Stewart of personal attacks, being "vicious," and said that ultimately he had been had." Fox asked Cramer if this was just a case of him taking "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart's criticism of the entire CNBC network too personally. ...more...

He's beloved by the gossip culture of Manhattan and was recently embraced by the left for hurling insults at CNBC "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer. But as Cramer's CNBC "Fast Money" colleagues explained, if you listened to NYU professor Nouriel Roubini, you would have missed out on a lot of stock market upside. Roubini, often called Dr. Doom and known for crazy parties, predicted back in 2005 the speculative housing bubble would be the eventual undoing of the economy - and he was correct. However, as Jeff Macke, founder and president of Macke Asset Management and panelist on "Fast Money"...

If you want to know when the economy is making a comeback, keep a watchful eye on the frequency of high oil and gas price reports in the news. Throughout 2007 and the first half of 2008, viewers were inundated with high gas and oil price reports on cable and broadcast news. But since hitting $147 back in July 2008, oil prices have plummeted into the low-$40 range mid-January and so has the frequency of doom-and-gloom oil warnings. However, crude has since rallied into the upper-$50s. And, as crude has rallied, predictions of oil hitting unfathomable heights appear to be...

Back in March, CNBC in what seemed to be an effort to pander to critics on the left, officially named former DNC chair and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean a CNBC contributor. But aside from campaigning for left-wing MoveOn.org causes in his spare time, Dean will appear on daily CNBC programming. But on the May 7 "Power Lunch," Dean, a contributor for the network with the slogan, "First in Business Worldwide," explained to viewers we've had enough capitalism after conservative radio talk show host Jason Lewis derided the president for supporting bailouts over bankruptcy. ...more (w/video)...

Once upon a time, there was Dylan Ratigan, host of CNBC's "Fast Money," and co-host of that network's "Closing Bell." He was never partisan and willing to criticize both political parties in Washington, D.C. Now he seems to think Bristol Palin has taken Karl Rove's job as the sinister mastermind of Republican politics. --more with video--

For whatever reason, CNBC keeps lining up challengers to take on its Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor reporter Rick Santelli over his self-reliance, pro-taxpayer persona - whether it's Steve Liesman, Arianna Huffington or this time, Keith Boykin - editor of The Daily Voice, a CNBC contributor and a BET TV host. ON CNBC's May 7 "The Call," Santelli took on Boykin in the program's "The Call of the Wild" segment. Boykin was armed with the usual anti-George W. Bush talking points. "Look what he inherited first of all," Boykin said. "He didn't inherit anything," Santelli said. "He ran for office, it...

Arianna Huffington, an internet hate-site owner, and Eliot Spitzer, a whoremonger, liar and terminally arrogant prick, being given air-time on CNBC's "Squawk Box" this morning. I'm glad the mute button is working on my remote... Rick Santelli must be turning purple over there in the Chicgao trading pit.

Former CNBC "Fast Money" host Dylan Ratigan has landed a new daytime program at MSNBC. Ratigan's new show will air on the news network from 9 to 11 a.m. Eastern Time. MSNBC had few details about what it will be, other than a mixture of talk and news with a distinct personality.

CNBC's Steve Liesman has always gone after tea party inspiration and network floor reporter Rick Santelli for his views, but this time it was Santelli playing offense. The CNBC "Power Lunch" crew was discussing Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) CEO Ken Lewis and disclosure of details surrounding his bank's acquisition of Merrill Lynch May 5. Santelli accused Liesman, CNBC's senior economics reporter of saying "dumb things" and acting like Nixon, when he suggested there could be a compelling reason for Lewis was not forthcoming about the acquisition. "Ask the question in a more compelling way which is - I want you...

A CNBC panel including the channel's all-stars discussed if it is "ethical" to lie if it can "stabilize" the financial system. Commentator Steve Leisman was entertaining this type of thinking but wouldn't admit that he supported it. Chicago's Rick Santelli shot back and told him he sounds like Richard Nixon and asked who did he vote for. Leisman told Santelli he was just "posing" a question about stabilizing the system and not actually endorsing it. Santelli reacted and told him "don't open your mouth and say dumb things." Reaction from traders on the Chicago floor could be heard in the...