Notable Quotables - 11/20/2006
Published: 11/20/2006 2:00 AM ET
| Democrat Win = "Fantastic News" | |
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Hotlines Chuck Todd: "Our line here is about 25 or 30 House
seats [for the Democrats]. If it gets over 25 or 30 House seats, youre going
to see six Senate seats...." MSNBCs Chris Matthews: "Well, thatll be fantastic news. Itll be huge news, I should say, because if that happens, then we have a government run by the Democrats, and an executive branch run by the Republicans, President George W. Bush, having to actually negotiate every aspect of national policy, including the war in Iraq." |
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Exchange at about 7:36pm EST during MSNBCs election night coverage,
November 7. "The Democratic wave
that washed over American politics last night washed away Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld and swamped many Republicans who tried to use the issue of illegal
immigration to scare people into voting for them. I am delighted to say that
they got their butts kicked." "I think its a great opportunity for her [Democrat Nancy Pelosi] and a
great opportunity for women. I think one of the most stunning, most iconic
pictures well see on television in the next year is the State of the Union
address, where you have Dick Cheney, who has got that sort of, you know, fire
hydrant build sitting there with that very distinguished snarl of his, and
then this incredibly interesting person next, a woman, first time ever sitting
behind the President sharing power with the American government. Its going to
be an amazing moment." |
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| Blaming "Far Right" Conservatives |
 "The
country is sending a signal to both parties: We want you guys to work
together to solve problems. Youve got Republicans running from the far
right much more toward the center. Youve got a new breed of Democrats this
year in Jim Webb in Virginia and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, moving toward
the center. So we may be working our way toward the end of a deeply
polarized country politically at the national level."Former anchor Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News November 6, election eve. "Will Republicans move further to the right? Not if they
got the message of the election. Republicans lost because they abandoned the
center." |
| Yearning for President Obama |
 "You
can see it in the crowds. The thrill, the hope. How they surge toward him.
Youre looking at an American political phenomenon. In state after state, in
the furious final days of this crucial campaign, Illinois Senator Barack
Obama has been the Democrats not-so-secret get-out-the-vote weapon. He
inspires the party faithful and many others, like no one else on the scene
today...And the question you can sense on everyones mind, as they listen so
intently to him, is he the one? Is Barack Obama the man, the black man, who
could lead the Democrats back to the White House and maybe even unite the
country?...Every-where he goes, people want him to run for President,
especially in Iowa, cradle of presidential contenders. Around here, theyre
even naming babies after him."ABC Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran, November 6. |
| Celebrating a Feminist First |
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"Lets talk about history, because I know
history was riding along with you as you watched the results last night. I
know you have thought today about your mother. I know you have thought today
about your father, your own children and grandchildren." NBCs Brian Williams interviewing House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi for the November 8 Nightly News.
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Anchor
Katie Couric: "You will be the first woman Speaker of the House and the
highest ranking woman in the United States government. What does that mean
to you?"| Next Step: Bushs Impeachment | |
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"What happens to President Bush if the Republicans lose their grip on power?
This President has pulled off a power grab in the name of the war on terror
the likes of which this country hasnt seen in a very long time. And in the
process, people who are a lot smarter than I am suggest that he has broken
this nations laws over and over and over again....If we are indeed a nation
of laws then presumably that applies to President Bush as much as it does to
you or to me. Now Bill Clinton, youll recall, was impeached for telling a
lie. Heres the question: If the Republicans lose the election Tuesday, what
should happen to President Bush?" CNNs Jack Cafferty on The Situation Room, Nov. 2. |
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| Bush Behind "Domestic Terror" | |
| "We have institutionalized the terrorizing of the opposition. True domestic terror. Critics of your administration in the media, sir, receive letters filled with fake anthrax....Of course, Mr. President, you did none of these things. You instructed no one to mail the fake anthrax, nor undermine the FBIs case, nor call for the execution of the editors of the New York Times....The genius of the thing is the same as in King Henrys rhetorical |
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question about Archbishop Thomas Becket: Who will rid me of this meddlesome
priest? All you have to do, sir, is hand out enough new canes. Im Keith
Olbermann. Good night and good luck." Conclusion of Keith Olbermanns "Special Comment" on MSNBCs Countdown, November 1. |
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| If Hes Joking, Its Not Funny |
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"I think that Keith Olbermann may become a
model for the newscast of the future." MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams, as quoted in a November 12 column by San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius. |
| A "Jerk and a War Criminal" |
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"The time has come, Mr. President, to face
the hard, bruising truth. Donald Rumsfeld must go. That is a quote from an
editorial in this weeks Military Times news-papers....His strategy has
failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for
our failures in Iraq rests with the Secretary, it will be the troops who
bear its brunt. They didnt even mention that hes also an obnoxious jerk
and a war criminal." CNNs Jack Cafferty on The Situation Room, Nov. 6. Cafferty later admitted hed "stepped over the line." |
| Shame on Democrats Shoulders |
 Host
Matt Lauer: "He [Senator John Kerry] made a joke, he says he blew the
joke and inadvertently sounded as though he questioned the intelligence of
U.S. troops in Iraq. Look me in the eye and tell me, if, with even a
fraction of your heart, you think John Kerry meant to question the
intelligence of U.S. troops in Iraq."Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card: "Well, hes had a past bias that would allow people to believe that....Even more significantly, its the Democrats that have said, John Kerry stay home." Lauer: "And, by the way, I think a lot of Democrats should have shame on their shoulders, because they ran away from this guy, as opposed to standing up and saying it was just a mistake." NBCs Today, November 3. |
| But She Hid It So Well |
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"Im a liberal, I was born a liberal, and I
will be a liberal til the day I die." Longtime UPI White House reporter Helen Thomas, now a columnist for Hearst newspapers, in a Q&A published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5. |
| ABC Boss Admits Media Bias |
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Host Hugh Hewitt: "And so everyone that
you work with, or 95 percent of people you work with, are old liberals." ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin: "I dont know if its 95 percent, and unfortunately, theyre not all old. There are a lot of young liberals here, too. But it certainly, there are enough in the old media, not just in ABC, but in old media generally, that it tilts the coverage quite frequently, in many issues, in a liberal direction, which is completely improper....Its an endemic problem. And again, its the reason why for 40 years, conservatives have rightly felt that we did not give them a fair shake." Exchange on The Hugh Hewitt Show, October 30. |
| Bush: "Retarded Child Emperor" | |
| "When they say the terrorists want the Democrats to win, you say are you insane? George Bush has been a terrorists wet dream....When they say that actual combat veterans like John Kerry are denigrating the troops, you say youre completely full of sh*t....If I was a troop, the support I would want back home would mainly come in the form of people pressuring Washington to get me out of this pointless nightmare. [applause] Thats how I would feel |
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supported....Theres your talking point. Vote Republican and you vote to
enable George Bush to keep ruling as an emperor a retarded child emperor
[laughter], but an emperor." Bill Maher on his HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher November 3, offering his suggested "talking points" for Democratic cadidates. |
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| Mom and Pop Terrorists | |
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Co-host Rosie ODonnell: "You have two choices in life, Elisabeth.
Faith or fear. Faith or fear, thats your choice. You can walk through life
believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone
who thinks different than you and trying to convert them to your way of
thinking. And I think that this country-" Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck: "Well, Im a person of faith, so I, but I also believe-" |
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ODonnell: "Well, then, get away from the fear. Dont fear the
terrorists. Theyre mothers and fathers." Exchange on ABCs The View, November 9. |
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